Chris Wooding

Stand-alone novels:

Catchman — (1998) Publisher: Davey's always been a light sleeper. But since his last trip home, the dark has become a dangerous place and sleep the stuff of nightmares. Enter the Catchman. Once he terrorised a city, now he's stalking Davey. He's waiting until Davey turns his back, closes his eyes.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray — (2001) Young adult. Publisher: Thaniel, just seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline — his friend and mentor — track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed.Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet — attracting evil and drawing horrorsfrom everydark corner. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover itscause — and defend humanity at all costs.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray: "His Eyes Have Turned..."

If you enjoy the atmosphere and imagination of Philip Pullman, Garth Nix, or Philip Reeve, then you're sure to like Chris Wooding, a YA fantasy author who does not feel the need to fill his fantasy world with elves, dwarfs, wizards, dragons and every other fantasy cliché that's been done to death since Tolkien published The Lord of the Rings.

Some authors are willing to explore new territory, and Wooding is one of these. The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is set in an indefinable time-period of London: it appears to be mid-19th century, but events are occurring that bear no resemblance whatsoever to our historical knowledge of the period. The city is haunted by creatures known as 'wych-kin', a variety of monstrous and grotesque creatures that prey on the city's inhabitants. The only defence against such mysterious and deadly beings are the 'wych-hunters', such as Thaniel Fox and his mentor Cathaline Bennett. They live turbulent, dangerous and (more often than not) short lives as they hunt down and destroy the wyches, driven by a desire to rid their city of the supernatural infection that is slowly eradicating the world.

Thaniel is a seventeen year old wych-hunter, partnered to Cathaline since his father's death (who was also a hunter). Together the two scout London, finding new methods to destroy the wych-kin and keep the citizens safe, whilst remaining on the outskirts of society. It is on one such patrol of the city that Thaniel discovers an incoherent and dishevelled girl wandering about in her nightgown. Feverish and with no memory of how she came to be wandering the night-time streets, Thaniel takes her home in order to untangle the mystery. Who is this mysterious girl? What does the tattoo on her back signify? And does she have anything to do with the influx of wych-kin roaming the city? The intrigue and action doesn't let up for a single page as Wooding unravels the mystery, sustaining interest and excitement till the very last page.

His best effort is in the creation of a detailed and intoxicating atmosphere, a fully realised world filled with asylums, secret cults, upperclass neighbourhoods, beggar's communities, prostitutes, churches and parliament houses. London isn't just haunted by wych-kin, there are wolves that stalk the back-streets and the enigmatic psychopath Stitch-face who is yet to be captured by the authorities. The dark and dense atmosphere of the story will remain long after the book is finished. As dangerous and unwelcoming as it is, you can't help but be sucked into it. This alternative London is just as much a character as Thaniel and Alaizabel themselves, and Chapter Twenty in particular is a remarkable example of how strong Wooding's creation is: for this one chapter the main protagonists are completely absent, and instead Wooding centres on the inhabitants of London and their terrifying ordeals against the wych-kin. It's creepy, imaginative and (most importantly) original stuff.

Thaniel, Cathaline and Alaizabel are all likeable characters, though we never really get inside their heads. Though sympathetic, they are more like action-figures than three-dimensional characters. However, if Wooding is short on characterisation, he more than makes up for it in action and ideas; setting, plot, pacing and atmosphere — it's all wonderfully new as opposed to another fantasy rehash. Though not for the faint of heart (as it can get a little gruesome at times) The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is a great read. —Rebecca Fisher

Poison — (2003) Young adult. Publisher: Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back. But finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that's beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine...

Poison: "You Haven't Met Half the Cast Yet..."

The fantasy genre owes Chris Wooding a huge favour. In a genre awash with sad Tolkien knock-offs filled with magic swords, plucky heroes, wise wizards, princesses-in-distress and other tired clichés, Wooding continues to churn out exciting and intriguing stories that contain a rare force of imagination. Even though Poison is not quite as successful as some of his earlier efforts (especially The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray) it certainly deserves credit for its skill, style, fast-pace and clever ideas.

Which is ironic considering I was rather concerned on reading the first chapter. A young girl named Poison lives in the gloomy swamplands of the Black Marshes, together with a woebegone father and a nasty stepmother. An outcast in her own village (she chose her own name, which should give you some idea of her attitude) she dreams of adventures outside her dismal existence. Despite Wooding's snappy prose and deft hand at forming such a grim atmosphere, I couldn't believe the predictability of the opening. Yet perhaps the typical fairytale beginning has a purpose...

It so happens that Poison's baby sister Azalea is kidnapped by the Phaeries, and Poison commits herself to the quest of tracking her down again, seeking out the Phaerie Lord himself to demand her sister be returned to her. Collecting a motley crew along the way, Poison finds her way into the Realm of Phaerie — there are some snags along the way of course, predominantly the horrifying Bone Witch, whose home serves as the gateway between the human and Phaerie worlds. But things get even stranger when she reaches the Realm of Phaerie, filled with rules and quirks (and breathtaking beauty) that baffles even the headstrong Poison. Attempting to negotiate this new world of political intrigue and secret plots, she also has to deal with minor characters who say some rather inexplicable things, like: "you haven't meet half the cast yet," and "at least you're not the typical muscle-bound warrior, beautiful sorceress and amusing thief sidekick."

Poison doesn't have a clue what's going on, but it all seems to have something to do with the mysterious figure known as the Hierophant. It would be wrong of me to discuss anymore of this surprising book, save to say that it gradually gets quite existential and rather reminiscent of The Neverending Story in its use of stories-within-stories and the blurring of the lines between author, reader and character, raising some interesting questions about our relationship with books in the process.

It is a book that demands to be read more than once, much like The Six Sense, one needs to experience it initially, and then retread the story in order to better appreciate the 'rules and clues' that were strewn amongst the story. Ultimately, Poison is a book about books themselves — where can a book-lover go wrong with such a premise? —Rebecca Fisher

Storm Thief — (2006) Young adult. Publisher: Orokos is a city of chaos, lashed by probability storms that re-order the world wherever they strike. It covers every inch of the rocky island that it dominates. It has stood for so long that history has forgotten it, and its citizens no longer question what exists beyond its walls. Then three of its denizens discover a map that holds the key to the secret at the heart ofOrokos. But there are others, such as the Chief of the Protectorate Secret Police, who would do anything to get their hands on that power... anything at all...

Storm Thief: A world where the improbable is the norm…

From the get go, Storm Thief has you on the edge of your seat. Chris Wooding once again creates a very vivid and realistic world full of danger and suspense, and the characters to go along with it. We meet stone-hearted villains, a frightened and bewildered half-machine-half-man creation, a day-dreaming thief, and many more. This is not for the faint of heart, or the full of stomach.

Orokos is an isolated city on an island in the middle of a vast ocean. It's immensely over-populated, so the poor, the weak, and the sick find themselves living in the slums. If you find yourself inhabiting this cut-throat environment, there is no way out. Many come to live in the slums after being affected by one of the probability storms that plague the city. These unpredictable storms are caused by the chaos engine and they can change your eye colour, make your bones turn into glass, make buildings crumble or vanish, change the layout of the entire city, transport you to another place, or make you lose a body part, all in the blink of an eye. A probability storm is not like any natural storm; There is no rain, or lightning — just colourful waves of energy accompanied by a deathly calm as all the inhabitants of Orokos cower and pray that they are not next.

Rail and Moa are thieves in the slums of Orokos. Rail is a level-headed boy with the stealth of a creeping cat. After being touched by a probability storm, he is no longer able to breathe freely and must wear a respirator. Moa’s parents have been taken away by the protectorate. She's a daydreamer who believes in a place beyond Orokos. While on an assignment from the thief mistress, Rail and Moa find an old and powerful artifact which may give them the key to (and the means of escape from) Orokos.

The plot twists and turns in Storm Thief are as unexpected as the probability storms. When you think you know what will happen next, Wooding takes the story in an entirely new direction. These twists are unpredictable, but they make sense. Wooding does not add anything extra, and everything he puts in has importance, if only to be realized at the end. There aren’t any wasted words in this book.

My one complaint is that I thought the characterization was inconsistent. Rail has depth; there is reason for everything he does, his personality is well-explained. We can understand Rail and how, by living in the slums of Orokos, he got to be the way he is.  Moa, on the other hand, does not make as much sense. She is a daydreamer and she’s clumsy, giddy, and a bit careless. This is hard to believe because she lives in the most cut-throat and dreary part of the island, she steals and kills for a living, but her trust in her surroundings and carefree attitude should have gotten her killed already. We are told that she is deep and that there is turmoil going on in her head, but we never see this.

Even with this minor quibble, I think Storm Thief is a must-read for teens who are looking for a different twist on fantasy, and who have a strong stomach. Don’t let the atmosphere put you off; Let it draw you in. —Caitlinn Skye Walker

The Fade — (2007) For adults. Publisher: A subterranean world of vast caverns, underground seas, crystalline forests. A civilisation born of darkness, in darkness, protected by shadows. A city of merchants, whose eyes have turned upward to the surface, where the lethal light of day beats down on their world. A conspiracy so vast that it will swallow them all... A stunningly original fantasy from a multi-award winning author. With a beautiful baroque world, sharp characterisation and Chris Wooding's trademark insight into the fantasy genre, the dawning of Halflight is an event more than worth waiting for.

Malice — (2009) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Everyone's heard of it, but nobody's read it... Seth and Kady have heard all the stories about MALICE — a secret comic about a strange and awful world full of traps andtricks, overseen by a sinister master of ceremonies, Tall Jake. But if rumours are to be believed, the children in this comicare real...

Malice

The children's fantasy/sci fi novel Malice is set in two worlds: modern day London and Malice, an eponymous comic book whose chief villain, Tall Jake, takes kids into the dangerous world of the comic if the right ritual is performed. In an attempt to better convey this two-setting concept, Malice melds a graphic novel/comic with a young adult/middle grade novel, with mixed results for the author (Chris Wooding) and illustrator (Dan Chernett).

The graphic aspect of the novel is by far the poorer stepchild here. The illustrations are mostly poorly or simply done, the action in the panels is not always clear, and it’s rare that one feels the illustrations are necessary or are enhancing the actual story. The concept isn’t a bad one, but it feels stuck in a (literally) muddy middle ground. Malice would have been more successful had the author either gone all-out with better illustrations (better drawn, more precise, more startling or engaging, more pages of them) or gone with none at all. Instead, the graphic aspect is more frustrating to the reading process than anything else.

As for the story itself, it’s a quick read with lots of action-filled scenes and likable, mostly realistic young characters. The pacing is sometimes uneven; some parts lag slightly, others go by too fast, and some problems are resolved too quickly, but the book mostly draws you through quickly and happily. The story is a bit thin; spending more time in some scenes and with some characters would have deepened the reading experience. As it is, it feels like a shallow dip rather than a full swim. And Malice itself, with its different zones (only some of which are explored here; the rest are saved for at least one sequel) is imaginative and interesting, but at this point it all feels a bit arbitrary, as if it were created just so the author would have some fun things to show. Granted, that is true of all fantasy and sci-fi, but it’s a richer, more rewarding experience if the setting feels like a natural outgrowth or a real world rather than an authorial construct. Younger readers probably won’t mind so much, but older ones, or readers with some experience with better-realized settings (such as those created by Suzanne Collins and Kristin Cashore) will probably feel a bit let down.

The characters mostly speak and act as children do, if a bit more brave than is likely even in an adventure novel. All three are likable and interesting and strong in their own ways. Seth and Kady are two Londoners whose friend disappeared into Malice. Seth, who longs for adventure, follows the friend into Malice and is probably the weakest of the main characters. He’s a bit too bluntly and plainly drawn, with too much of his development told to us. Kady, who remains in London to track a pair of mysterious people who may be involved with the Malice comic, is more interesting and her development is more subtly handled. Her story is also, in many ways, creepier and scarier than Seth’s, even though he’s in the strangely dangerous and cruel world of Malice itself, filled with deadly automatons and soul-sucking creatures. The problem is that the horror there is sort of stock and glossy even in its grimness and somewhat predictable, while the horrors in Kady’s world are both more and less typical (don’t want to give details away). The third main character is a boy Seth meets in the world of Malice. He has his own sense of mystery about him, beginning with his seeming happiness in being stuck in such a dangerous world.

Malice ends with some small resolution but mostly as a cliffhanger with the sequel clearly peeking up over the horizon. And with the arbitrary nature of the world of Malice, the author and illustrator can probably go for a few sequels if the story is popular enough, simply adding more unseen or unknown regions, though one hopes they don’t go down that road. Thin as the world-creation is, they’re probably better off keeping this a tight two-book story.

Recommended more for middle-grade or younger young adult readers, or ones less experienced in the genre. Those picking it up for the graphic aspect will probably be disappointed, though the story itself will most likely satisfy. Older, more experienced readers will find it a quick bite rather than a full meal.
—Bill Capossere