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101st out of 234 books
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The Book of Dead Days (Book of Dead Days #1)
THE DAYS BETWEEN Christmas and New Year’s Eve are dead days, when spirits roam and magic shifts restlessly just beneath the surface of our lives. A magician called Valerian must save his own life within those few days or pay the price for the pact he made with evil so many years ago. But alchemy and sorcery are no match against the demonic power pursuing him. Helping him i...more
Hardcover, 273 pages
Published
April 11th 2006
by Wendy Lamb Books
(first published January 3rd 2004)
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This book is beautifully atmospheric, if you like your atmospheres on the sinister side.
The titular Dead Days are the days between Christmas and New Year, which have the same quality as the pagan rites of seasonal passage: The veil between worlds is thin and spirits roam about more freely than usual.
The story almost immediately starts with a murder, witnessed by a drudge called Boy, a sorcerer's dogsbody who is treated with cruelty.
The sorcerer, Valerian, is a haunted ma...more
The titular Dead Days are the days between Christmas and New Year, which have the same quality as the pagan rites of seasonal passage: The veil between worlds is thin and spirits roam about more freely than usual.
The story almost immediately starts with a murder, witnessed by a drudge called Boy, a sorcerer's dogsbody who is treated with cruelty.
The sorcerer, Valerian, is a haunted ma...more
Jo
rated it
This review is probably going to be a bit lacking because I thought I was being clever by reading this book about the days in between Christmas and New Year in the days between Christmas and New Year.
But well… I wasn’t.
Thanks to eating, drinking, generally being merry and trying to decide how it was possible for Robert Sheehan to still look fit as a Borrower, I read about a chapter a day.
So unfortunatley I didn’t get into this book as well as I thought I would and I don’t really ...more
But well… I wasn’t.
Thanks to eating, drinking, generally being merry and trying to decide how it was possible for Robert Sheehan to still look fit as a Borrower, I read about a chapter a day.
So unfortunatley I didn’t get into this book as well as I thought I would and I don’t really ...more
The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick, was an appropriate read, as it takes place during the “Dead Days” - the period between Christmas and New Years. Have you ever noticed that those days between December 25 and January 1 seem to be kind of hazy? They don’t really belong anywhere, and you’re really just treading water until the first of the new year. While I’ve kind of felt that in years past, with the wacky weather we had this year, and missing a bunch of work, I’ve really felt like the las...more
Pikachu
rated it
Very strange book. His writing style reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman -- he has the same sorts of dark, mature themes in his YA fantasy. I could easily picture this being turned into a movie by Tim Burton with lots of dark, purple-y colors and music composed by Danny Elfman. It was a super easy read, too, and barely took two hours to read -- so if you're a young adult or you've got a young adult who enjoys fantasy, this would be a good choice. I do wish that there was a bit more continuity, thou...more
Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek
I really hate myself for not reading this book on the dates the book revolves around: December 27th to December 31st also known as the dead days. The reading experience would have been better and perhaps even creepier. But then again, it was a really dark and gloomy book, and I am planning to limit the books that I will read on the holidays to cheerful books. I sure didn’t want to have a gloomy mood when everyone is expected to be cheerful. I guess I d...more
I really hate myself for not reading this book on the dates the book revolves around: December 27th to December 31st also known as the dead days. The reading experience would have been better and perhaps even creepier. But then again, it was a really dark and gloomy book, and I am planning to limit the books that I will read on the holidays to cheerful books. I sure didn’t want to have a gloomy mood when everyone is expected to be cheerful. I guess I d...more
I've been in a reading shlump. I went more than half a month without finding one decent story to read. I tried starting 6 or 7 separate books, only to suddenly drop them chapters into the book. I tried several different genres: nautical, mystery, classics, historical fiction, all of which I usually soak right up. Nothing kept my attention.
Until I found this, this lovely little blood-soaked book. I didn't want to put it down. Now what does that tell you about my reading preferences? Thi...more
Until I found this, this lovely little blood-soaked book. I didn't want to put it down. Now what does that tell you about my reading preferences? Thi...more
I spent most of this book having absolutely no idea what was going on, but in kind of a good way. Boy lives in an unspecified city in Victorian Europe as the servant/companion of grumpy magician Valerian. When the owner of the theater where Valerian performs turns up dead, Boy and Willow (the servant of a singer at that same theater) are the prime suspects. In addition, Valerian is scrambling to find a certain book within the next few days or else face certain doom. I loved the strange semi-...more
I liked this book. The setting and characters were all interesting and the storyline was absorbing. I did get a little confused about Boy's age though, when I found out he was a teenager I was surprised. The way he acted and was described earlier had me thinking he was at oldest 12 years old. My favorite character was the enigmatic, selfish and terrible Valerian. One thing that I would have enjoyed from the book that was not given was more explanation about the magic Valerian performs. I w...more
I re-read this over the weekend since I have a number of friends who really liked it. But I still just thought it was ok - even upon re-read. I understand the idea of Boy not knowing anything about who he is - but I felt is was almost lazy to at least not give him a name. And Kepler and his role was a little too convenient. I don't know - I am ok with having loose ends - story arcs that keep you moving from one book to the next. But I felt like I have no information to motivate me into want...more
I swear, pretty soon I'm going to abandon "adult" fantasy entirely for young-adult and be happy about it. This is wonderful and gothic and really pretty damn creepy, with a very nice Venitian Steampunk going on.
This book may seem dreary and dark, and truth be told, it is! Valerian (self-proclaimed magician) has never treated his slave boy with respect. Not even enough respect to give him a name. Instead, he responds only to "Boy". The adventures of Valerian, Boy and his new "friend" Willow are enticing, grim and at times, quite graphic. Escaping death is not an easy task, and the main characters in this book find that out the hard and depressing way. Valerian has been trying to esca...more
Hey! I'm glad I found this again because this book was creepy as all get out. This guy writes horror for young adults/kids that harken back to the days before excessive gore and shocking violence. The horror hinges on atmosphere, suffocating atmosphere and the sense that there is no escape.
A magician made a deal with a demon and the time for Due Notices has passed. He digs in graveyards with the help of a boy, his assistant, looking for something to free him--all the while knowing the soul...more
A magician made a deal with a demon and the time for Due Notices has passed. He digs in graveyards with the help of a boy, his assistant, looking for something to free him--all the while knowing the soul...more
I 'accidentally' picked up The Book of Dead Days last night -- as I usually do, just intending to read a couple of pages. Even when I knew I'd have to get up early in the morning, I was sucked in. It's a very quick read, and a compelling one, although the cliffhangers at the end of chapters, coupled with very short chapters, felt a little cheap... At any rate, it hurtles along at a good pace. It doesn't solve everything, either, so I'll be looking for the sequel sometime soon.
The chara...more
The chara...more
The Dead Days are the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve. They are days when magic is in abundance and the spirits of the long lost dead roam free. Anything is possible in such times. In this dark fantasy novel, we follow in the footsteps of Boy, a young enigmatic orphan who works as a servant, and his master whom he fears, the magician Valerian. Valerian has always been quite harsh; but his behavior has suddenly switched to anxious and on edge. Boy is sent on strange quests by Valerian's...more
Infinite Playlist
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who liked The Graveyard Book & Lemony Snicket
The Book Of Dead Days lag schon ewig, ewig, ewig in meiner Bücherkiste. Ich hatte es vor Jahren unbedingt kaufen müssen, wegen des schönen Covers und weil ich die Idee der "toten Tage" zwischen Weihnachten und Neujahr so cool fand. Allerdings bin ich damals nie über die ersten 50 Seiten hinausgekommen, was ich mir heute nur damit erklären kann, dass ich die Sprache damals zu kompliziert fand. Inzwischen habe ich das Buch nämlich innerhalb von 2 Tagen ausgelesen und fand es super.
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The Book of the Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick is a book about a boy without a name given that he does not know who his parents are and even his past that embarks on a journey with Valerian to find a book which contains all the answers that man have asked in order to release Valerian from a spell. Throughout the treasure-hunt-like journey, Boy is accompanied by Willow, another character whom Boy and Valerian met on the way and later saves Boy’s life. Although the book occurs over a course of a few...more
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Damals fand ich es gaaaanz toll - zum Teil wohl auch, weil ich beim Lesen die tolle Musik von Arcana im Ohr hatte (besonders "Cantar de Procella", was wunderbar zum Buch gepasst hat). Positiv wirkte sich wohl auch das Fehlen von Vergleichmöglichkeiten im Horrorbereich aus. In Wirklichkeit war es wahrscheinlich nicht halb so toll, die zwei anderen Bücher, die ich von dem Autor noch gelesen habe, haben mir nicht besonders gefallen.
I listened to this on CD. It is intended for kids...but it is very dark. It was interesting at first, but I thought the story got dumber and darker and was not well written. I would not recommend it for kids. It was weird and creepy and not well done. I have read weird and creepy BUT well done, and this wasn't! I couldn't wait until it was over and I won't continue with the series.
Enjoyed this book. Made a nice change to all the chick lit I've been reading. Would be interested in reading the sequel, finding out what happens to Boy and Willow next. I kept picturing Valerian as the Shadow man from 'The Princess and the Frog' and Kelper as Dumbledore for some strange reason. Also I didn't like finding out Boy was actually 15 becuase the way he was written made him seem much younger.
I read this when I was 11 or so, I was desperately thrilled to be able to read something so dark. I reveled in it, and I'm glad, at that. I didn't realize it then, but The Book of Dead Days was classic literature at it's finest. For a kid like I was, anyways. It introduces the reader to a whole different world, with new possibilities, and as we all know, those stories always prove to be the best.
I liked this. Good solid gothy fantasy, and a nice book to follow Poison. I liked the character of Willow, and the main protagonist was kind of endearing too. I seem to have read it before, because it was vaguely familiar and I somehow knew all the plot points in advance, but I cannot remember when at ALL. I'll probably read the companion book at some point.
Das letzte Viertel war richtig spannend. Davor zog es sich manchmal etwas in die Länge und ich kann mich des Eindrucks nicht erwehren, dass die Geschichte mehr eine fixe Idee war, als eine überlegte Storyline. Vieles wird nicht geklärt und scheinbar auf die Fortsetzung 'Bei Einbruch der Nacht' "abgeschoben". Die "toten Tage" haben mich aber im Großen und Ganzen nicht so sehr begeistert, als dass ich die Fortsetzung unbedingt lesen muss.
Love the atmosphere created in this book but I wonder if it was fully realized. There seems to be a reliance on 'fate' and the characters supposedly explaining but yet not explaining themselves. I know there is a sequel but I feel like each book in a series should stand alone. Regardless of all that the author does a good job of building the ending and I couldn't put it down til I was finished with the last page.
YA book about what happens to Boy, an apprentice or maybe servant to a magician, Valerian, the magician, and Willow, a friend of Boy's. They spend the 5 days between Christmas and New Year's Eve (the dead days) running through the City, digging up graves, trying to find a book that will help Valerian to survive New Year's Eve.
I loved this book. I had to choose a book to do a report on for class, and my techer suggested this 2 me. we had a week to read the book, and i finished it on the first night because i just couldn;t put it down. I really want to read the sequal! Im looking foward to that
Not a bad yarn. Primarily a young adult novel, I picked this up in a book swap. Not as rich or dense as The Book of Lost Things, but a decent adult read and probably a better kid's read. Knows just how long a chapter should be and how spooky might be too spooky. Evocative.
Stefan
added it
The merging of two worlds...one that is from pagan times of magic and supperstition and modern one where science is the leading role...The Boy,Vallerian,New Year's Eve-the night of the year when the unknown open up their gates to our world,The curse that it wields...
The concept of this book is great. The holidays of Christmas and New Years were once pagan holidays that represented something entirely different, and Sedgwick really plays on that to create something interesting. However, the execution is not as entertaining as the concept. Sedgwick’s writing is intricate, but a bit stilted and the reader often has to plow through it in order to get to the climax. Also, it almost seems as if there’s more back story necessary to make sense of many of the element...more
I was so surprised at how much i liked this book. at the time i was in for a scary book, this really isnt other than a little bit of gore... but i hung on to it until finished. A good book that wont thak to long but to short to read
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Marcus Sedgwick (b 1968) was born in Kent, England. Marcus is a British author and illustrator as well as a musician. He used to play for two bands namely playing the drums for Garrett and as the guitarist in an ABBA tribute group. He has published novels such as Floodland (winner of the Branford Boase Award in 2001) and The Dark Horse (shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Book Award 2002).
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Jan 05, 2011 04:14am
Jan 05, 2011 05:41am