Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Night Wolf
A tick-tock lad is a skilled courier who will deliver anything for the
right price to anyone and Barnaby Grimes is one of the best. Skilled at
travelling the rooftops of the quasi Victorian-like ‘almost
London’, Barnaby prides himself on his skills and ability to stay
to schedule, and with the gift of the gab and a more than handy skill
with his ever present sword cane, he can easily mix with all strata of
society.
However, when travelling one night across the rooftops Barnaby comes
face to face with the night wolf and his skills are tested to the limit
as he is plunged into a mystery revolving around the poorest of the
poor and philanthropic doctor.
Although in itself it is a simple tale, one that an adult reader would
likely work out very early on, the writing style and choice of language
engage the interest, and the overall effect is perfect for the target
audience.
The setting is rich and colourfully described, from upper-class areas
of Hartley Square, Gallop Row and Regency Mall to the rundown dives and
ghettos of the Wasps’ Nest, Union Canal and the dangerous East
Bank. The names of some of the locales themselves, such as
Underhill’s Library for Scholars of the Arcane or the Sow’s
Ear help add layers to the setting, and make the reader feel as if they
know the city well.
The cast of characters match the setting perfectly – barrow boys,
ledge-scrapers, mudlarks, river-toughs, green-willows and haywain
bumpkins – all with wonderful names that match the London
like setting: Bradley Bradstock and Aloysius Clink, Hugh Shovel,
Professor Pinkerton-Barnes and, of course, Barnaby Grimes himself.
This wonderful story is sprinkled with illustrations every bit as good
that enhances the experiencing of reading the book.
A fantastic cover featuring the hero himself promises the reader
adventure from the start, and the reader will not be disappointed. The
only bad (if you could call it bad) thing I could say about reading
this story was that the ending seemed a bit quick – but then that
was probably because I didn’t want the story to end!
If you like adventure stories, sprinkled with a little bit of horror then read this book. You won’t be disappointed.