The big autumn debut is The Beginning Woods by Malcolm McNeill, a dazzling and beguiling tale from this Edinburgh resident. Deeply rooted in the fantasy genre, but original wonderful and petrifying... A mesmerising new voice in Scottish fantasy fiction, and a book that deserves to vanish off the bookshop shelves Herald McNeill has created a fabulous universe packed full of ... Read morewonder and terror. The Beginning Woods has earned its place on a shelf with Gormenghast and The Princess Bride. I loved every word and was envious of quite a few. It opened my eyes wide and quickened my heart. A modern classic rich, funny and terrifying Eoin Colfer Highly original and beguiling debut that promises magic, terror and the dark menace of fairytales The Bookseller You'll finish this book and I feel like you've woken from a deep, refreshing sleep full of incredible, slightly unsettling, breathtaking dreams and your life in the real world will never be quite the same again
Zoe Toft Playing by the Book Highly original... The Beginning Woods will challenge and delight the reader with a burgeoning Brothers Grimm-like thicket of wild imaginings The School Librarian Complex, playful, philosophical, with mysterious vanishings and censorship of dreams Imogen Russell Williams This is what a children's book should be Bookwitch (blog) The writing is fabulous. It has a fairytale quality to it... an Alice in Wonderland feel to it Between the Bookends (blog) The world is incredible, and highly fascinating. It's weird, peculiar, scary but so so so charming! Where are the books? (blog) A magical, beautiful book Bastian's Book Reviews (blog) It's an odd magical story that you don't want to miss The Bookish Mind (blog) A truly magical adventure story Pages Full of Stars (blog) I could write at length about this fascinating and original story North Somerset Teacher's Book Awards This book immediately reeled me in with its magical atmosphere and fairytale plot... The atmosphere is reminiscent of Micahel Ende's Momo or The Neverending Story... It's filled with childhood delights yet overcast with a sense of gloom and danger, exactly the mixture for adventures! Gleeful Grace Book Review (blog) Captivating. One for all those who believe in the power of stories Sarah's Rooftops (blog) Rich with atmosphere, characters, world-building, and is well written Bibliophile (blog) Fascinating, immersive and highly unsettling... The Beginning Woods is rich, peculiar, clever and exactly the kind of children's literature of which more is needed Library Mice (blog) The Beginning Woods is a smart and thoroughly entertaining read and a brilliant feat of imagination. It made me feel like a little kid reading a beloved bedtime story, and that in itself is a truly magical experience Lectito (blog) A wonderful, whimsical read The Book Ramblings (blog) I adored the story, it has a feel of Harry Potter to it... It also reminds me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld as it too is very whimsical, magical and nothing is really what it seems Of Beauty and Nothingness (blog) Rich world building... a very nice read Inked Brownies (blog) Watch out for this one, it'll take you by surprise. Completely brilliant from the first chapter, I was quickly hooked and immersed into this fantastical world... An absolutely captivating debut that'll have you reading late into the night Askew's Children's Newsletter Captivates with its wealth of ideas and multilayered plot Debutliteratur It's the fantastical characters and details, which make this book so compelling Tages-Anzeiger Action-packed... Children and adults alike will be enthralled by the surreal happenings in the Beginning Woods The Bay Show Less