Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Dec 16, 2010

Suna rated it:

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...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2012

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...

2 comments like (8 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2009

Adrienne rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 31, 2011

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...

0 comments like

Oct 21, 2010

Aaron Vincent rated it:

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...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 14, 2011

Naomi rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Nov 19, 2011

melydia rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Jun 25, 2009

Hollowspine rated it:

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...

8 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 14, 2009

Kristen rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2008

Jen rated it:

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.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 28, 2010

Margaretha rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Jan 24, 2010

Ryan rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 16, 2011

Nikki rated it:

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...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2010

Sara rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Feb 19, 2010

Infinite Playlist rated it:

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.
More...

8 comments like

May 21, 2009

Jessica rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Jul 27, 2009

Mary-Beth rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 10, 2011

Euryale rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Dec 09, 2010

Janette rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Jul 28, 2010

Redfox5 rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Jan 21, 2009

Nicole rated it:

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.

0 comments like

May 21, 2009

Colin rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Nov 06, 2010

Luscinnia rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Nov 23, 2011

Sam rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Jul 24, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

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.

2 comments like

Feb 12, 2012

Kateclysm rated it:

I had hoped for something a little different? And this didn't really seem like a complete story. I can't tell what it is exactly that I was disappointed with, but that said I would keep reading the series given an opportunity. It was good writing, and had interesting characters.

0 comments like

Jun 12, 2010

Anna rated it:

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

0 comments like

Jun 02, 2009

E. rated it:

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.

0 comments like

Mar 20, 2010

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...

0 comments like

Apr 11, 2009

Lindsey rated it:

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...

0 comments like

reviews