The Rise of the House of McNally

Unlikely Exploits #3

by Philip Ardagh, David Roberts (Illustrator)

A WORD TO THE WISE
There are those of you who were saddened by Fergal's death in The Fall of Fergal. Now Fergal is back.
There are those of you who recoiled at yet more death in Heir of Mystery. This should cheer you up.
There are those of you frustrated by not knowing what was causing the terrible outbreak of holes across the land. Your frustration will soon be at an end.
There are those of you eager to find out the secret of Mr. Maggs's teddy bear. The wait is over.
And as for LeFay, Albie, and Josh's particular powers? Just give me time.

--PHILIP ARDAGH

The third and final Unlikely Exploit!

In this, the third and final Unlikely Exploit, the reader is taken on a journey through time in all directions, even revisiting some events from the previous Exploits and traveling back further still to a time before the McNally family's extraordinary adventures began. And as if that wasn't ridiculous enough, there's also a glimpse of the shape of things to come. This is the Exploit where the McNallys' powers are finally revealed and everything falls into place. Whether it makes sense or not is another matter. It's all so unlikely!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Juvenile, Science Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2005

About the author

Over six-and-a-half feet tall, with a bushy beard, Philip Ardagh is not only very big but also very hairy. He is the author of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy and when not writing silly books, Mr. Ardagh is quite serious and frowns a great deal. He lives in a seaside town somewhere in England with his wife and their son, Fred.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give the series as a whole 4 stars. I think I would've liked it better as one long book instead of 3 smaller ones. It would have kept the momentum, also there was quite a bit of complexity in the plot, so I think it would've been easier to keep up without the break in between. I really enjoy the way Philip Ardaghwrites. It reminds me of another author that I really enjoy, but whose name is unavailable to me at the moment. He has many many MANY tangents and mostly useless digressions and addresses the reader directly throughout the books, which I love or have built up a tolerance for, not sure which, either way it works. In this final installment of the McNalley series we discover what has been causing the holes and learn the hidden powers of the McNally children. It was good. I loved the illustrations in the books. For those interested, my current FB picture is none other than Mr.Maggs and Duffel.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

What began as a quirky tale of a down-on-their-luck, eccentric family morphed into aliens with time machines????? This just got too convoluted & bizarre, especially as the non-linear approach continued from the two previous books. My kids were confused. I was confused.

[Anaika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first two books in this series a year ago and have been meaning to read this one forever. It is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket, but all together the whole series is kind of odd. The first two books were entertaining and fast paced whereas this is a bit slower so far... (and it doesn't improve at the end, yes!! I finally finished)

[Iskreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

tHis book caught my eye when i first saw it in my brothers room i loved the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. in my opinion i think that the way the author thinks of himself as each and every character in the book and writes through them and speaks with such strong structure.

[Jéssica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Ardagh is the funniest guy ever! I love his books!

[Nada Obaid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great transition between the past, present and future .. :)