Saturday, March 10, 2018

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - ADVISABLE

Riggs, Ransom Tales of the Peculiar, 160 pages. Dutton, 2016. $25. Language: G (0 swears 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG 13 - Gore. 

This collection contains 10 stories featuring "peculiars" and include polite, wealthy cannibals who move into a small swampy community; a princess who is so appalling she runs away to avoid imprisonment by her father the king; a boy whose father is lost at sea, is sure he can find him if only he could locate the illusive moving island of Cocobolo; and 7 others.  Although often macabre, the stories each contain a moral - the perils of greed, feeling secure in your own skin, obedience etc.  

This is a fairy tale book similar to Anderson or Grimm - it's a companion to Miss Peregrines, however, it can be read at any point in the trilogy. Illustrated with intricate woodcuts, each character's story is from a different area of the world. Millard, from the trilogy, supplies footnotes and commentary on the stories.  A quick read that fans of the trilogy will certainly enjoy, it will also be a great entry point for those not familiar with peculiars.  

MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian

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