Shakespeare Quartet: The Box of Red Brocade: Book 2 (Chronoptika)
Where is the Mirror?
What has happened to the two halves of the Janus coin? Whose is the mysterious boat wrecked up on the nearby beach? And what plans of mischief and mayhem lay in store for Halloween - the day chosen for Leah's return? Time travel is sf. What happens when you mix the two? And add a final ingredient, Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'? On a mission to recover his father lost in time, Jake finds himself in s London.
From the rubble of the Blitzed city, a clue leads him to an eccentric seer of ghosts, three sinister children and three strange prophesies. Two of them soon come to pass, but what is the Box of Red Brocade? Does it hold the secret of destroying the Obsidian Mirror?
A talking bird, an invisible girl, a walking wood; the second volume of Catherine Fisher's Chronoptika series is packed with mystery, magic and sinister intrigue. The Obsidian Mirror is both thriller and SF, and, being written in Fisher's acid-etched prose, equally satisfying to fans of many genres. But what wakes Jake is the cold muzzle of a pistol pressed to his forehead.
Who is the mysterious thief waiting for him beyond the Obsidian Mirror? And where will he find his father in the lost ages of the past? In the third volume of the Chronoptika Quartet Jake and Sarah are swept into a nightmare world of revolution and murder, while Oberon Venn has to face the choice between staying mortal or losing his soul in the tangled green wildwood of the Shee.
With a masked ball, priceless emeralds, an enchanted monk and a desperate struggle at the very foot of the guillotine, Catherine Fisher continues her breathtaking series of sorcery and amazing worlds with this adventure of magic and the dangerous search for those who Time has snatched away. Check out the latest activities in our KidsZone. The Colour of the Sun David Almond. Santa's High-tech Christmas Mike Dumbleton. Queen of Air and Darkness Cassandra Clare.
The Door in the Moon
Who Are You Calling Weird? Generally this works out fine but in this case it served to highlight and re-enforce the problems that have been present from the outset; these are poor characterisation, too many The third and penultimate volume of the Chronoptika saga - and here I use "saga" in it's most negative sense of long-winded dullness. Generally this works out fine but in this case it served to highlight and re-enforce the problems that have been present from the outset; these are poor characterisation, too many protagonists and plot incoherence. Tackling the latter-most first, I head off on an apparent name-dropping digression: I met Catherine Fisher, once, at a talk she gave about Incarceron.
I was the only adult there who wasn't a host or a school kid Still, she was kind enough to sign my vast stack of her books afterward and further discuss her writing. I was shocked to discover that she doesn't plan her novels at all.
- BRACEBRIDGE HALL (Illustrated).
- Quellenanalyse - Rezeption von Antike im Nationalsozialismus (German Edition);
- The Box of Red Brocade (Chronoptika Quartet, book 2) by Catherine Fisher.
This seemed hardly thinkable to me; I couldn't see how I would be able to write a novel without some planning, considering that stories that enter my mind generally do so as a final scene followed by an initial scene, leaving me the problem of how to link the two up It feels like what really happened here is that she wrote a single text then divided it up into four more or less equal-sized volumes after the fact. She starts in Vol. Random plot threads appear and resolve without really seeming to move the whole mess forward at all. The whole mess of shifting loyalties of the protagonists has mostly failed to intrigue me because It isn't enough; I just don't sympathise with most of the characters.
At this point I'm inclined to read the final volume when it appears because I am intrigued by certain things that remain mysterious - primarily the relations between two characters that have remained Mysterious and how Fisher manages to untangle all the myriad plot threads and tie them up in a neat bow for an ending - if she can! It's disappointing, because over-all I'm a Fisher fan but this series continues her recent trend of using unsympathetic characters that make it difficult to care about the story. Mar 17, Abby Benrud rated it it was amazing. I honestly love this book!
It is soooooo good I recommend this book to everyone that can read! I love it so much because I can imagine everything that they say. Which is really fun just imagine reading and imagining what that would be like. Fun right, well I love it! Dec 13, Beth rated it it was ok Shelves: I can't believe this isn't the last book in the series.
This one has barely any plot when I expected a denouement, and yet it also has too many plot threads, mostly related to antagonists and heavy-handed Shakespeare allusions. And none of these plot threads go anywhere.
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There's a brief sojourn to the Reign of Terror view spoiler [to save Jake's father. View all 3 comments. Feb 07, Ethan Chippas rated it liked it. It does a fantastic job of bringing the story to a close, for now. The genre is science fantasy involving time travel and mysterious creatures.
Even though there is some strange and complex idea in the novel the author does a good job of making the characters relatable, and at least mostly likable. A certain few characters are hard to get behind, but that is intentional whether t make them mysterious or more fascinating. Fisher does a remarkable job with the storyline, making it connect to the overall story while still having some diversity from the other two novels. Some overall themes in this book are that it can be hard to come to the reality of an emotional situation, a common purpose can pull people together, and trust is a fragile and complex idea.
The book was published in , with the two previous books being published in and Unlike the first two books, this installment takes the story on a different path of a more realist view on the events instead of with awe or mystery. This may be because it is the third book and the characters are becoming more familiar with the complex world they are in and start to gain a better idea of their surroundings.
There is nothing offensive in this series and is very child-friendly. Personally, I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys books about time travel, because this book takes it in a new direction of not striving towards time travel but limiting it. Jan 22, Sheenagh Pugh rated it it was amazing Shelves: Briefly however, for anyone who's not caught up: The house contains an obsidian mirror, which is a time portal, and a number of ill-assorted persons, not all human and not all from the same time, who have conflicting designs on the mirror.
Sarah, from the future, wants to destroy it, having seen what harm it will do there. Venn and Jake want to preserve and use it to rescue loved ones dead or trapped in the past. Maskelyne wants it for purposes unspecified but probably to do with power. Others in the house are uncommitted. The first book was set in winter, the second in spring, and in the third we have arrived at Midsummer Eve. Those who've read them will recall also that the first, which was much concerned with Jake and his missing father, was haunted by quotes from, and references to, Hamlet, while the second, in which the corruption of power emerged more strongly, was similarly haunted by Macbeth.
But behind both was another Shakespearean influence plainly lurking, that of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and in this volume it comes into its own. Those who use the mirror are now getting more skilled at it, in particular Moll, the Victorian urchin whom Jake met in vol 1 and who makes a welcome reappearance here. And the fact that they can now do more of what they want means they have to think harder about whether they should. Several of the characters, in this volume, are troubled by conscience and conflicting duties, and those with dual natures, like Venn and Gideon, are faced with choices between them.
In this the volume mirrors its Shakespearean inspiration: As usual, the action moves between different times and locations: And as usual, I read it far too fast because it was so gripping: Now I'm going back to savour the actual writing, in particular the mesmerising evocation of the Shee and their Wood: The Shee came down round him in clouds.
He watched how some of them stayed butterflies and how other transformed, wholly or in part, to the pale tall people he had seen before, their clothes now brilliant scarlets and turquoises and oranges. With soft rustles and crackles their bodies unfolded. Abdomen and antennae became skin and smile. Quite apart from being invested in the characters and what happens to them — Gideon, in some danger at the end of the volume, Wharton, looking more and more like the representative of human decency, the irrepressible Moll - the vividly described locations make this perhaps Fisher's most gripping project for some time.
Only one to go now, and it's beginning to sound as if that one will have to travel, at least for part of the time, into the far future from which Sarah comes and which we haven't yet seen first-hand. Feb 22, Mary rated it it was amazing. This series is getting better and better.
The characters start to come together in really interesting ways, the danger grows, and, as Jake desperately searches for his father, he keeps entering dire situations: The stakes are getting clearer for the other characters, too. I am very taken by the "minor" characters, Piers, Gideon, and Wharton.
I'm also starting to wonder exactly who Gideon is; he marches into da Wow! I'm also starting to wonder exactly who Gideon is; he marches into danger at the end of this book, and, with Catherine Fisher, you have to pay attention to the story snippets and poems that begin the chapters. Everything relates to everything else. Excellent writing and an intriguing series. Not sure I love it as much as "Corbenic" my favorite of hers , but it's up there with the Relic Master series, for sure.
Jun 05, The Book Gazer Eddie added it. In all my years of reviewing, I've never come across a series like the Chronoptika quartet. An uprising that needs little introduction. To complicate things further, Sarah a resistance leader, from a dictator-ruled future has tagged along too. Janus is just the last of many. They are all responsible. Also, Moll as hinted above Returns! We get to see what she's been doing these past years, while Jake has been engrossed with saving his dad. Or like a flock of, the wind of its wings raising dust and flickering in the moonlight.
Don't let the "time travel" theme or the cover dissuade you - this is a unique tale. Aug 19, Maria Kramer rated it liked it Shelves: Finally, things start to move!
Expertly combining elements of folklore, fairy tale fantasy, dystopian Science Fiction, Shakespearean intertextuality and historical adventure, The Door in the Moon explores the endless possibilities and perils of time travel. The stack, well two stacks, of books is threatening to topple over. This book was much less confusing I think. I love Catherine Fisher but I only picked up this series because I thought it was a trilogy and that all three books were already released - I didn't want to have to wait for the next book. Goodreads is the world's largest site for readers with over 50 million reviews.
After the complexity of the first two volumes, this book is much simpler, following a mostly linear plot. Jake is kidnapped and ends up participating in a heist during the French Revolution of all times.
Meanwhile, Summer's fairies stage an attack on Wintercombe that has to be resisted by Rebecca, Wharton and Maskelyne. I loved seeing Moll again, especially given that view spoiler [she has become the leader of a gang of time-travelling jewel thieves.
Jake is so glum and boring compared to her. A character that fell flat in this volume was Summer, who, for all the other characters' fear of her, just seems childish and irritating to me.
Despite all the action of this volume, not much actually happens. All the major players, situations and story elements remain precisely as they were when we started, except for one thing, view spoiler [Jake's father is finally rescued and brought back to the present. Couldn't they have done this in the last volume, when they met him in Medieval Florence?
As a result, I ended this book feeling a little disappointed. Still, an exciting read, and I'm interested in seeing how everything ends. Dec 13, katayoun Masoodi rated it it was ok Shelves: Apr 19, Emily B. I felt like this book was the most suspenseful installment in the series so far. Between the heists and the multiple brushes with death, the plot was always full of excitement.
This is also one of the few books where I cared for all of the characters. I feel like I've connected to the main characters over the course of three books, and the side characters keep me wondering about them. As for the villains, they simultaneously intimidate and fascinate me, like all of the finest fictional villains I felt like this book was the most suspenseful installment in the series so far. As for the villains, they simultaneously intimidate and fascinate me, like all of the finest fictional villains do. I don't think the fourth book will come out for a year, which saddens me because I adore this series.
I wish more fantasy and science fiction books were like this! Jul 28, Mel rated it really liked it Shelves: Lots of action and suspense, I white knuckled through a couple of sections. Still a few little mysteries left. Great characters, you feel for them. Liked Molly popping up but what is she up to? Will definitely get the next. The stack, well two stacks, of books is threatening to topple over.
These reviews are going to be fast and dirty and, possibly, nonsensical. Jun 10, Sue rated it liked it. Read the trilogy and was engrossed, but a bit confused sorting out the characters and jumping time lines. But since this is about jumping time, so be it. I was disappointed in the ending as the author seemed to lose interest in the plot and just suddenly tied up most of the story lines. Feb 26, TMM rated it really liked it Shelves: