Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat, #2)

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Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat #2)

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 6,502 ratings · 283 reviews

Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the amazing world of the Abarat are getting more strange by the hour. Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, has sent his henchman to capture her. Why? she wonders. What would Carrion want with a girl from Minnesota? And why is Candy beginning to feel that the world of Abarat is familiar to her? Why can she speak words of magic she doe...more

Hardcover, 489 pages

Published September 21st 2004 by HarperCollins (first published January 1st 2004)

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Jan 18, 2011 Scott Sheaffer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, fiction

The final war is about to begin. In this second book of the Arabat series, Candy Quackenbush, with the help of the forces of Day, must use all their special powers to stop Christopher Carrion and the Army of Night's plot to establish a Permanent Midnight throughout the 25 islands that make up Abarat. Barker lends a dark shadow to what would otherwise be a kind of Dr. Seuss book. The bad guys, Christopher Carrion and Mater Motley are incredibly deep. I found myself wondering is Christopher was re...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Paul Beimers rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who: read the first book in the series.

Recommended to Paul by: Karen

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, magic, series

3 stars for the great story, writing, and characters.
1 star for the beautiful illustrations.

The second installment in Barker's YA series is, for me, a bit of a step back. Still wholly enjoyable, and far better than most of the drivel that passes for adolescent literature these days, Days of Magic, Nights of War nonetheless didn't impress me as much as its predecessor did. There are too many problems sprinkled throughout the narrative for me to shrug off or ignore, and so, while it pains me, I d...more

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Sep 25, 2007 Santh memories rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: world_fiction

buku kedua seri Abarat ini teteplah full colors!
petualangan Candy Quackenbush berslanjut, dikejar-kejar anak buah dan bertemu dengan Christopher Carrion - sang Pangeran penguasa malam - bertemu banyak tokoh penting lainnya yang akhirnya membuat Candy semakin sadar tentang dirinya sendiri, lalu juga kembali ke Chickentown, dimana kota ini disapu bersih oleh gelombang laut (suatu hal yang tidak habis dipikirkan oleh semua orang karena kota ini sama sekali tidak dekat dengan laut!)
di sini akhirnya...more

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May 13, 2013 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a masterpiece of creativity and a smooth transition from the first. Candy is still traveling and evading trouble, over and over again and it's starting to get a bit unrealistic how she always survives against all odds. However, there are also new characters that appear and a very interesting revelation and conclusion to the second book that kind of answer why she can defy these powers pitted against her. Now some of the answers to the questions presented to you in the first book st...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Dark-Draco rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-series

I quite enjoyed this, despite it being a while since I read the first one in the series. It wasn't quite as fantastical as the first, as the islands have less of an impact on the story as Candy tries to escape Carrion and his henchman. This did get a bit repetitive and I would have liked Candy herself to discover more of the truths about herself, rather than be told them all. But it did entertain me and look forward to reading the next one in the series, whenever Barker decides to write it!

For m...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Shane Porteous rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Candy continues her adventures in the Abarat with new friend Malingo while Carrion sets in motion his plan to bring darkness to all of the Abarat. I loved the first book in this series because of how fantastical and interesting it was. However the second book was somewhat of a letdown.

Look every book has its flaws, even death note the story I consider to be the most well told story ever written has its flaws. The question that needs to be answered is do the strengths outweigh the flaws? In the...more Candy continues her adventures in the Abarat with new friend Malingo while Carrion sets in motion his plan to bring darkness to all of the Abarat. I loved the first book in this series because of how fantastical and interesting it was. However the second book was somewhat of a letdown.

Look every book has its flaws, even death note the story I consider to be the most well told story ever written has its flaws. The question that needs to be answered is do the strengths outweigh the flaws? In the case of the second book of Abarat the strengths come close, but ultimately the flaws were more noticeable.

The first book in the series was more or less an introduction and exploration of the Abarat Islands and I really liked the chance to explore. But in the second book the exploration started to bug me a little, I was ready for the story to turn it up a notch and get the plot moving. While the plot does advance it isn’t by very much.

Instead I was introduced to even more characters and more exploration and I started noticing a pattern that was bugging me. Instead of the plot moving the story forward it followed the rhythm of new chapter/new character, new chapter/new character.

This also presented a flaw in Clive Barker’s writing, it is inconsistent in its descriptions. Sometimes you are given enough description to imagine what you are reading about. Other times he introduces several characters and doesn’t describe them at all so you have no idea what they look like.

This book also represented something I really don’t like about these kinds of stories. (by that I mean a child leaving our world and entering another.) Is just how lopsided the balance of power always is. We have Carrion and his Grandmother we have a few powerful henchmen and other villains all of which are great Villains. Now where are the Heroes? The powerful men and women who fought for the light? You’ve given me the Hydra but where is Hercules? You’ve given me Frieza but where is Goku? Where is the badass warrior of light whose bravery defied evil and who could wield his sword so well it could literally severe darkness and thus the night is scared of his strength? Where is the badass Pirate King who commands an army of tough buccaneers that have kept their island safe from the forces of night? Where is the order of legendary knights who have pledged to keep the night at bay at all costs? Where are the Valkyries who are so powerful that the nocturnal monsters fear them? You don’t get any of them.

Instead we are introduced to a character called Finnegan Hob the so called great dragon slayer that didn’t impress me much. The few heroes they have aren’t all that Heroic. When the time comes for the climactic battle to take place these “great” dragon slayers are poorly armed. It just wasn’t believable if they have spent all this time slaying dragons then why don’t they have a massive arsenal?

Why is all of this important you may ask? Because Mr. Barker Himself has stated that there were 9 great wars between the islands of day and the islands of night. Yet this isn’t believable because the bad guys have all the fire power. There isn’t any great heroes there to fight the darkness, for 9 wars to have occurred there had to have been great fighters and heroes from the day islands, yet where are they? Sadly this question was never really answered so instead of being immersed in this world again I was left waiting for an answer that never arrived. Kindness doesn’t mean weakness and I really wish this book had helped to prove that statement.

I was disappointed a lot by this book, but even with all gripes I find the world of Abarat fascinating and I am hopeful my gripes are dealt with in the third book.
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Mar 24, 2013 Von Fritz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

How do I say it? Hmmm…I guess I can’t keep up with Clive Barker’s imagination. I mean, gawd, I love fantasy novels. Even JRR Tolkien, I digested and absorbed them all. But with Clive Barker, I’m so challenged. It’s like I’m reading and dreaming at the same time. When you’re dreaming, it seems you can’t believe but you want to believe…and when you wake up, it’s like you can’t remember some details.

I wanted to read Abarat since the first time I saw it at NBS way back early college. I was curious a...more How do I say it? Hmmm…I guess I can’t keep up with Clive Barker’s imagination. I mean, gawd, I love fantasy novels. Even JRR Tolkien, I digested and absorbed them all. But with Clive Barker, I’m so challenged. It’s like I’m reading and dreaming at the same time. When you’re dreaming, it seems you can’t believe but you want to believe…and when you wake up, it’s like you can’t remember some details.

I wanted to read Abarat since the first time I saw it at NBS way back early college. I was curious about the pictures on the cover…plus the ambigram title (I was reading Dan Brown that time). But it took four years for me to finally read a copy. I finished reading Abarat (the first book) around 2008 after finding a bargained copy at NBS. It was paperback, no pictures. But gawd, it was the best experience ever.

Or so I recall, it was the best. But it seemed I forgot some of the details. Even now. I can only remember the best parts…like Candy escaping the clutches of the evil wizard Wolfwinskel. I wanted to remember everything…just as I remember Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and the like. But I can’t. And I hate rereading. So I guess, that’s what I mean when I said I was reading and dreaming at the same time. My imagination was really challenged.

The thing is, I almost forgotten the amazing world of Abarat. I finished reading the first book in 2008 and then I never found the next book…or I never found any bookworm who could lend me a copy. Until earlier this year, I was able to find a copy at last at Booksale…Days of Magic, Nights of War - the second book in the Abarat series. It’s some kind of deluxe edition with all the paintings by Clive Barker himself. Gawd! And I was like (as I was browsing the glossy pages) this must be the feeling if I read the first book with pictures. Nostalgic! So unfair…if only my paperback at illustrations.

I bought the copy I found at Booksale for only 187 Php. Miracle eh? And after a couple of weeks, I found a copy of Abarat Book 1, this time hardbound with illustrations. Gawd, I’m so lucky, eh? And I kinda wonder…how did copies of Abarat end up so cheap? Some people just don’t get it.

I started reading Abarat Book 2. I was lost. I didn’t know what happened before. I felt the need to reread the first book. Gawd, trust me I tried rereading. But I realized after a few pages of rereading that it’s just a waste of time. So whatever. I want to go on. After some months of being stuck in my shelf, I finally read Abarat Book 2. I just assumed I remember everything. Haha. Well, there were actually chapters which can make you recall.

Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War follows the further adventures of Candy Quackenbush in the magical islands of hours. And this time, the war is starting. As Candy visits new islands and meet new people and creatures and new experiences…the truth about her and Cristopher Carrion is becoming clearer. The islands of Day and the islands of Night are doomed to fight one another, with Mater Motley focusing on winning to bring absolute midnight to all islands.

Well what can I say? THE BEST! I’m guilty I might be biased because I only remember fragments of the first book. But well, I might loved the first book so much. But now my love is with the second book. Reading with illustrations is much better. The story is intersected between Abarat and the Hereafter (our normal world). Lots of new revelations. I got to meet Finnegan Hob and Filth the Munkee and Letheo. Plus a reunion of my fave villains in the first book, Mendelson Shape, Otto Houlihan, and Kaspar Wolfswinkel —- too bad they all died (applause for Kaspar who died of heart attack).

And I loved Cristopher Carrion and Mater Motley more. The truth is, they’re the characters that I really look after…though they only appear in few chapters. But they’re great. Villains rock! I could feel pure evil in their presence. And during the epic battle in the end…I lost my poise. Gawd, Cristopher Carrion and Mater Motley fighting to death…it’s everything so EPIC! I really stopped reading and threw the book and screamed…’THIS IS OSSUM!’

I wish I can tell more. But just like first book, I’m out of words. Oh no, I can remember clearly everything that happened in the second book. It’s just that…there are a lot of good stuff and if I have to enumerate all of them, then I must be writing a whole novel.

The war begins. I’m so excited to read Absolute Midnight (book 3)…which is now available (so I heard). Oh God…please make me so lucky again so I may find a copy for myself.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 rastronomicals rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spoilers, folks.

I first came across the Abarat series in 2003, when my girlfriend bought the first book for me. I read it within a year, and was of course enchanted by the world, the prose, and of course the artwork.

A couple years later, I found this book, and bought it. I didn't re-read the first one before diving in, and maybe that's the reason I didn't finish.

Now, six years after that, I've found out about Absolute Midnight, and reminded about the wonderful world of Abarat, I've decided to r...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Donovan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is the second book of the Abarat series.

Plot ***Spoilers***
The entire book is spread out over eight weeks of time, compared to the two or three in Book 1, titled simply Abarat. The book picks up several weeks after the original had left off; weeks wherein Candy Quackenbush and Malingo the Geshrat (a character introduced in the first book) have traveled from Hour to Hour to evade the bounty hunter Otto Houlihan. Christopher Carrion's whereabouts are revealed only in the second quarter of the...more This is the second book of the Abarat series.

Plot ***Spoilers***
The entire book is spread out over eight weeks of time, compared to the two or three in Book 1, titled simply Abarat. The book picks up several weeks after the original had left off; weeks wherein Candy Quackenbush and Malingo the Geshrat (a character introduced in the first book) have traveled from Hour to Hour to evade the bounty hunter Otto Houlihan. Christopher Carrion's whereabouts are revealed only in the second quarter of the book, wherein he plots with the Sacbrood in the Pyramids of Xuxux. Sacbrood are terrifying insects of all shapes and sizes which Christopher Carrion has been breeding in order to help him create Absolute Midnight. Under the cover produced by the Sacbrood, he expects, the destroyers called the Requiax will emerge from under the Sea of Izabella (which surrounds the Abarat) and annihilate everything they see, giving Carrion the opportunity to re-organize the world according to his will.

Candy begins to develop powers of great magic, with which she frees the mysterious beings called Totemix from their imprisonment in the Twilight Palace on the island of Scoriae. Malingo, separated from her on the carnival island of Babilonium, joins with others of Candy's acquaintance to form a force of resistance against the armies of Midnight. Candy is eventually captured by Letheo, the lizard-boy servant of Christopher Carrion, and taken to the island Efreet.

The enchantress Diamanda, having died of an encounter with a monster, travels as a ghost to the human world, where she finds her also ghostly husband Henry and with him works to prepare Candy's home town for the flood resulting from its imminent meeting with the Abarat. When this meeting occurs, Henry's opening of the factory farm which is the town's only industrial outlet is used as a comment on the variety-deprived lives of chickens raised in such factories.

This book introduces readers to new characters including Finnegan Hob, the would-be husband of Princess Boa, who is discovered by other characters in search of himself. Having persuaded him to give up his vendetta against the Abaratian dragons, whom he blames for his fianceé's death, the seekers travel to Efreet, where Candy is held prisoner by Christopher Carrion. They rescue Candy and at her request return her to the human world, where she intends to hide from the Abarat's perils. The two worlds meet in a dramatic climax, wherein it is revealed by the magician Kaspar Wolfswinkel that Princess Boa's soul is contained within Candy's body, having been placed there by the Fantomaya in obedience to the belief that Princess Boa, or her reincarnation, could halt the Abarat's progressive degradation and revitalize the Abarat as a whole. Christopher Carrion clashes with his grandmother Mater Motley, having learned that she had concealed Candy's dual nature from him, and is severely wounded in the process (whether he dies or not is unclear).

Candy and most of the major characters return to the Abarat when it is withdrawn from the human world. There, Mater Motley assumes control of Gorgossium Island, where she executes all of Christopher Carrion's living supporters. Kaspar Wolfswinkel's five hats, the source of his power, are left in the human world.(less)

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Sep 21, 2011 Mike rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book isn't very good. For a narrative that relies so much on visualization (I have the suspicion that the story was created to fit a bunch of pictures that Barker drew) I have never had to deal so much with scenes where the description continually contradicted itself.

Monster guy is chasing good girl.

Good girl stuck at a wall, can hear monster guy just behind her. Will be there in "seconds".

Good girl searches for a secret door. Good girl has conversation with comic sidekick. Good girl has co...more This book isn't very good. For a narrative that relies so much on visualization (I have the suspicion that the story was created to fit a bunch of pictures that Barker drew) I have never had to deal so much with scenes where the description continually contradicted itself.

Monster guy is chasing good girl.

Good girl stuck at a wall, can hear monster guy just behind her. Will be there in "seconds".

Good girl searches for a secret door. Good girl has conversation with comic sidekick. Good girl has conversation with monster guy.

Monster guy still chasing, will be there any second now.

Good girl discovers magic inside herself. Good girl reads a book and has a nap. Good girl finds door with monster guy right behind her and goes through.

Monster guy now very far behind but then suddenly comes through wall. Extremely fearsome and can rend strong things like butter.

Unprotected and unskilled child defeats monster guy.

Yay!

Monster guy killed by either bigger monster guy or monster guy's own actions.

Yay!

This scene happened about 75 times.

Seriously, there were so many times that I was wondering what the f was going on? I suppose someone could argue that the themes of pursuit but never getting caught are 'dream-like' or something but it's not like the book was written that way. It was pretty straight-up action description that just never made sense. In addition to that, basically every tired cliche was trotted out:

- the bad guy killing his own minions to show how evil he is
- deus ex machina EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER
- just enough superfluous good guy followers to bump a couple off to show "the sad"
- least powerful/skilled wins every battle

Also, for a children's book -- and not that I think a Clive Barker children's book would be all sweet or anything -- the fact that the story teases with two major candidates for reconciliation and then, after hinting at them, still denies them, it's remarkably bleak. Basically, yeah, some people are evil. You can see the good in them that they once had but they're past saving. They will still be bad -- so, kill them first. Have a good life, kid.

And, p.s. Who writes an illustrated fantasy novel that is completely dependent upon geography of this new world and NOT HAVE A MAP??(less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second Abarat book by Clive Barker and starts shortly after where the last one left off. I listened to this book on audio book and, like audio book of Abarat, the audio book was very well done.

Once again we follow Candy on her efforts to elude Christopher Carrion. Candy bumps into a cast of great new quirky characters as she tries to flee Carrion’s minions. John Mischief and crew are still trying to find Fennigan Hob. Will Christopher Carrion be able to bring about Permanent Midnight...more This is the second Abarat book by Clive Barker and starts shortly after where the last one left off. I listened to this book on audio book and, like audio book of Abarat, the audio book was very well done.

Once again we follow Candy on her efforts to elude Christopher Carrion. Candy bumps into a cast of great new quirky characters as she tries to flee Carrion’s minions. John Mischief and crew are still trying to find Fennigan Hob. Will Christopher Carrion be able to bring about Permanent Midnight? What is Candy Quackenbush’s real identity? These are all things that are visited in this book.

This is a great book, it is very creative, and still reminds me a bit of Alice in Wonderland. This book is definitely written by a horror author; there is a sort of cloud of evil or despair over the story as you read it. While this is a great book, really young children would probably find it too scary and some of the ending fight scenes are pretty-darn gory.

I really love Barker’s bad guys. I just can’t emphasize enough how much depth the bad guys have. Especially with Christopher Carrion; you can never figure out if he is really bad to the core or if maybe he was just born into a bad family. The ending surprised me a bit, as the whole mystery surrounding Candy didn’t end up exactly how I thought it would.

There were a couple things that really disappointed me; this book still had a very open ending. There is a lot in Abarat that needs to be resolved at the close of the book. That was very disappointing to me since I haven’t seen (or heard of plans for) another Abarat book. I didn’t like how it ended for Candy’s mother either. I guess I just have to live with that since Barker seems more about realism than happy endings. I was also curious as to why Rojo Pixler and the Commexo kid weren’t mentioned much in this book. In the last book Rojo looked like a big contender for a parallel bad guy; that was dropped in this book.

All the above being said; this was still a very good book and a great follow-up to Abarat.(less)

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Apr 28, 2010 Erwin Adriansyah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Pertama kali dipost di thread Pembahasan Berbagai Novel di forum Role Playing Cyber Novel Video Games Indonesia tanggal 12 Mei 2008*

Sinopsis
Candy dan Malingo melanjutkan petualangan mereka di Abarat sebagai sepasang turis yang santai. Sudah banyak pulau yang mereka kunjungi dan banyak orang yang mereka temui. Sayangnya, antek-antek Christopher Carrion tak kenal lelah mengejar mereka berdua.

Tak hanya itu, situasi di dunia kepulauan itu mulai memanas. Rumor-rumor yang tak enak didengar mulai bere...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Dreadlocksmile rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Published in 2004 by HarperCollins Publishers, this is the second installation to the ‘Books Of Abarat’ quartet of novels. Following on from the imaginative and beautifully magical first book of the Abarat, Barker has delivered a longer and just as inspiring novel running for a total of 491 pages. Within these pages are literally hundreds of oil paintings done by Barker himself, to illustrate the novel as the story unfolds. These illustrations are again printed in full colour on thick, glossy pa...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Elketw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Category: Books
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Clive Barker

Petualangan-petualangan Candy Quackenbush di Abarat kini semakin aneh dan menegangkan. Christopher Carrion, sang Penguasa Tengah Malam, telah mengirimkan kaki-tangannya untuk menangkap Candy. Kenapa? Apa yang dikehendaki Carrion dari gadis asal Minnesota ini? Dan kenapa Candy mulai merasa bahwa Abarat bukanlah dunia yang asing baginya? Dia bahkan bisa mengucapkan kata-kata bertuah yang entah kapan pernah dipelajarinya.

Ini...more Category: Books
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Clive Barker

Petualangan-petualangan Candy Quackenbush di Abarat kini semakin aneh dan menegangkan. Christopher Carrion, sang Penguasa Tengah Malam, telah mengirimkan kaki-tangannya untuk menangkap Candy. Kenapa? Apa yang dikehendaki Carrion dari gadis asal Minnesota ini? Dan kenapa Candy mulai merasa bahwa Abarat bukanlah dunia yang asing baginya? Dia bahkan bisa mengucapkan kata-kata bertuah yang entah kapan pernah dipelajarinya.

Ini misteri besar. Dan Carrion, bersama neneknya yang jahat, Mater Motley, curiga bahwa siapa pun Candy sebenarnya, dia bisa menghancurkan rencana-rencana mereka untuk menguasai Abarat.

Kini teman-teman Candy mesti berpacu dengan waktu untuk menyelamatkan Candy dari cengkeraman Carrion, dan Candy mesti memecahkan misteri masa lalunya sebelum kekuatan Malam dan Siang berperang dan Tengah Malam Total melingkupi seluruh kepulauan itu.

Sebentar lagi pecah perang yang penghabisan. Dan Candy harus menentukan pilihan-pilihan yang akan mengubah hidupnya selamanya

============================================================
Di buku kedua ini ceritanya semakin menyeramkan dan ilustrasi grafik Barker makin aneh-aneh dan menakutkan ... tiga hari pertama saya membaca buku ini saya tidur selalu mimpi buruk hahahaha... *its true*

Tapi tidak bisa dipungkiri ceritanya semakin seru... candy semakin diburu oleh pangeran kegelapan dan keanehan Abarat makin menjadi-jadi. Pangeran kegelapan mendapat partner jahat baru yaitu neneknya Mother Motley, tokoh ini bahkan lebih jahat daripada si Christopher Carion sendiri. Yang hebatnya bahkan di kota carnaval - Balilonium mahluk-mahluk yg digambarkan sebagai mahluk periang bergembira tetap tampak seram dimata saya.

Semakin banyak misteri yang terungkap di buku ini. Candy semakin kuat dan mampu mengucapkan kata bertuah, Diamanda yang mati terbunuh dan misteri yang terjadi saat kelahiran Candy membuat buku ini semakin layak untuk dibaca.

Kapan buku ketiganya keluar mungkin masih tanda tanya besar ...mengingat buku keduanya ini memakan waktu 4 tahun lebih untuk release di Indonesia.
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Feb 17, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-2004s, x-series-bk-2, magic-and-sparkles-and-shit, ya-baby-ya, are-you-afraid-of-the-dark-yet, girls-rule-boys-drool, reviewed, witches-not-bitches, amazing-world-building

Imagine, if you will, Tim Burton, Jim Henson, and Neil Gaiman having a wild drunken party. Then someone gets the crrrrazy idea of putting Coraline, Mirrormask, and Labyrinth into a blender. Abarat is what would come out of that blender, along with the tastiest mixed drinks that you could ever imagine (although the hangover is another thing altogether).

Abarat is the story of Candy Quackenbush, a girl who came to Abarat by mistake but finds herself fitting in better than she ever had in her hometo...more Imagine, if you will, Tim Burton, Jim Henson, and Neil Gaiman having a wild drunken party. Then someone gets the crrrrazy idea of putting Coraline, Mirrormask, and Labyrinth into a blender. Abarat is what would come out of that blender, along with the tastiest mixed drinks that you could ever imagine (although the hangover is another thing altogether).

Abarat is the story of Candy Quackenbush, a girl who came to Abarat by mistake but finds herself fitting in better than she ever had in her hometown in the Hereafter (in The United States). Abarat is beautiful and exotic and parts of it really do seem to be heaven on earth. But other parts are nightmarish and horrible, tainted by the dark magic that is rising - the Night magic of Christopher Carrion and his evil grandmother. On her journey, Candy develops a motley band of friends. There's Malingo, who kind of looks like a humanoid Mudkip (and i heer u liek them); there's Finnigan, who has taken it upon himself to slay every dragon to avenge his beloved; Filthy, a Munkee (not an ape!) with a heart of polished gold (although his exterior leaves much to be desired), and so much more!

I have a thing for strong female protagonists and Candy is no exception. Moreover, the world is completely original and an absolute blast to read. I've been feeling crappy lately but curling up in bed with Days of Magic, Nights of War made me feel heaps better. It's creepy, and very dark, but it's still magic - and that's what makes it fun.

Christopher Carrion is also a really cool villain. He's butt-ugly, but he's still attracted to beautiful women - and because he's evil in addition to being hideous, his affections remain, as you might imagine, unrequited. The moment he meets Candy, he is pretty much done for. Her reputation preceded her of course, but seeing is believing. And Candy is, quite possibly, the only girl he's ever loved since the death of his Princess Boa (which he played a part in). Christopher really is a sad case, because you sympathize with him, but at the same time he's also the guy you love to hate. Then again, this is the guy who had his mouth sewed shut by his grandmother for saying "love" and lost his whole family to a fire. He really does seem to want Candy, but he's not sure what he wants with her - and this is tragic.

I think what I liked best about the book, though, was all the fabulous artwork. There were over a hundred pictures interspersed with the prose and from what I understand Clive Barker did it all himself. He's an amazing artist; the pictures are so surreal. It reminds me of the first time I'd ever seen The Yellow Submarine on VHS. It's like being inside a Salvador Dali painting - sometimes it's completely alien and frightening, at other times beautiful, and sometimes you see something familiar, though it's so warped you can't quite place what it reminds you of.

Abarat is just like that. Familiar. Alien. Beautiful. Terrifying. Magical.

Wonderful.

Read this book!(less)

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Jul 04, 2009 Tiana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is book number 2 of the Abarat books

When I read the first book, I had the non illustrated version and its text was filled with imagery. The second however I managed to get a copy of the one illustrated with Clive Barker's paintings. It was amazing to see the characters come to life on each page, it was such a treat to have such a sensory mix of words and images in this strange world known as Abarat. The characters have very distinguished characteristics and colourful personalities, even the...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Hilary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though I had previously read the first book of the Abarat, I had never gotten around to reading the second. Now that I have, I must say that it was fantastic, probably even better than the first. Candy's adventures and her struggles to discover herself are enthralling. It is a bit predictable, but nonetheless it was an entirely enjoyable read. I found myself cheering for Candy, feeling a twinge of sadness for Carrion, getting chills at the thought of Mater Motley, and hurting along with Finnegan...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Sergei Franson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, well-written, awesome-world-building

"She had no words. What do you say to a smiling island? All she could do was smile back. Then the beast returned its gaze to its destination and began to raise its immense body-on the back of which grew the sweet-fruit tree under which she'd slept so soundly-out of the waves and climb the shore. There were lights in the woods that fringed the beach, she saw. And people, emerging from the shadows of those woods and coming out onto the moonlight sand. . ."
~from Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of W...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Edisty Friskanesya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiksi

I read the first book: Abarat itself several years ago, when I was about sixteen..Whooa, it took almost six years before I read the second. Of course I had forgotten what is Abarat about, except soo many weird creatures in it. Until i finished half of Abarat #2, i still forget what was the story of first book, haha. But oh well, because in Abarat #1 nothing happened (only discovering Abarat and the fact that Carrion is trying to take over Abarat), I can still enjoy read Abarat #2.

I must admit th...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Nathan Herald rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Days of Magic, Nights of War really ramps up the intensity and urgency of Barker's Abarat series. Candy Quackenbush, late of Chickentown Minnesota, now drifter of Abarat - continues her quest to discover what Abarat is, why she feels so comfortable in this alien landscape, and why The Lord of Gorgossium, Christopher Carrion, and his Grandmother, Mother Matley, want her dead and out of the way.
Along the way, Candy and her Geshrat friend Malingo get separated and both begin to discover what exac...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the second book of Abarat. It picks up right where the first book leaves off, and continues with Candy Quackenbush's adventure through the islands of Abarat. This book helps us understand the origins of some of the main characters, such as Candy, Carrion, and the Princess Boa, among others, while introducing some new characters and making old characters more prominent, such as Deaux-Deaux, the Sea Skipper.
Unfortunately, the end leaves me with wanting more immediately, and i...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Justin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok... so I just finished the second book of Abarat and although i enjoyed it, i didn't like it as much as the first. When I read the first book I didn't realize it was the first of a series. I also didn't realize untill the end of the second book that there would be three more books. Even so... the first book pulled me into the story and carried me along with its characters and imagery of the world of Abarat. By the end i was disapointed that it was over but excited at the prospect of the contin...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Autumn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: strong character seekers; fantasy nuts

Shelves: a-world-of-their-own, not-just-for-teens, wanted-something-more-or-different

As with the first book, I'd give it more stars if it wasn't so frustrating to wonder if this was really the end (and hope it wasn't). "So ends the second book of Abarat" doesn't leave me much of a clue as to what the next book is, when it will come, or how many more there are. (I don't know how much more I want to be left hanging; is it a series or isn't it?) I love the characters, which keeps me reading. Candy is strong. And I really want more of Malingo and Mischief; they seem to have much mor...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Meita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Merupakan cerita lanjutan dari Abarat buku pertama... (ya iya lah~)
kisah tentang petualangan Candy Quackenbush di dunia Abarat.Buku ini menjawab semua pertanyaan pertanyaan yang masih ada walaupun telah menyelesaikan membaca buku pertamanya.
misalnya saja, tentang bagian prolog yang memang belum bisa dipahami sampai bukunya berakhir. tapi dalam buku ini, prolog buku pertama dijelaskan apa sebenarnya yang terjadi dalam bagian prolog tersebut. kemudian dijelaskan pula mengapa Candy bisa ke Abarat d...more

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Mar 06, 2007 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Clive Barker's "Abarat" series. A young girl named Candy Quackenbush (a name you have to love) from Chickentown, Minnesota is the heroine and the books detail her adventures in another world. The book is a fun read and has extraordinary art work done by Mr. Barker himself.

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Feb 20, 2013 Tami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jan 10, 2012 Darcy Town rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first time I read through this story I would have given it a 3, but my second time through I liked it a lot better. Reason being: It felt as though the imperitive and and drive that propelled book 1 forward was lost a bit in the beginning, but the story built and got back into the swing of things nicely. On the second read through I knew what would happen and why, so the slowness didn't seem as apparent.

Once again, the art = jaw-dropping. I would buy some of the prints if I had the first id...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Nita added it · review of another edition

Buku ke-2 ABARAT, akhirnya, setelah 1-2 tahun menunggu.

Masih khas & ajaibnya buku ini dengan gambar2 berwarna warni. Dibuku ini diceritakan Candy akhirnya bertemu dengan Pangeran Kegelapan, Christopher.

Di buku ini, Aku jatuh cinta dengan sosok Christopher Sang Pangeran Kegelapan, karena aku merasa dia masih memiliki sisi baik, yah cuma 20-35%.

Aku merasa kasihan sih, sekaligus membenci Sang Pangeran. Dengan segala tipudayanya, keangkuhannya, terornya & dia ternyata masih takut dengan Sa...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I haven't read this since middle school, but this time around I found it far less charming and definitely more plodding than the first book. Going to take a break from YA books for a while before I finally read Absolute Midnight for the first time. I'm hungry for something that allows its characters to be more complex and human.

Wish Barker trusted his younger readers to understand complicated personalities. Carrion was the saving grace of the first book, but dwindled to mere caricature villain...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Fiscassia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so I normally don't start a series midway through, but I made an exception this time. A children's story written by Clive Barker? with illustrations no less (although I'm told not all editions of this book contain the illustrations so be forewarned). There is an amazing cacophony of sound, sights, smells, and creatures with an adventurous heroine, and a magical world to explore. Despite starting with the second book, it seems like there was enough explanation of backstory to get me up to s...more

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About Clive Barker

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It...more Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It was in Liverpool in 1975 that he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009.

In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.

Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.

Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.

Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.

Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.

A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid, (less)

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Quotes from Abarat: Days of Magic,...

“any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.” — 897 people liked it

“I dreamed I spoke in another's language,
I dreamed I lived in another's skin,
I dreamed I was my own beloved,
I dreamed I was a tiger's kin.

I dreamed that Eden lived inside me,
And when I breathed a garden came,
I dreamed I knew all of Creation,
I dreamed I knew the Creator's name.

I dreamed--and this dream was the finest--
That all I dreamed was real and true,
And we would live in joy forever,
You in me, and me in you.” — 782 people liked it

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Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (Abarat #2)

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