REVIEW: The Call by Peader O'Guillin
Publishing Information: Hardback; 320pgs
Publisher: Scholastic; 30 August 2016
ISBN: 978-1338045611
Standalone
Copy: Gift from Wife
Reviewer: Tyson
Amazon
Synopsis: "Imagine a world where you might disappear any minute, only to find yourself alone in a grey sickly land, with more horrors in it than you would ever wish to know about. And then you hear a horn and you know that whoever lives in this hell has got your scent and the hunt has already begun.
Could you survive the Call?"
This book came on to my radar through Adam Werthead AKA The Wertzone who absolutely loved this book and talked about it quite a bit. So when it came time to figure out what I wanted for the holidays, it went on the list.
The call is a mix up of Irish folklore and survival horror. At some point Ireland was encased in an impenetrable fog. Those that are on the island are now trapped with no way to communicate with the outside world. To make matters worse, at some point during your teenage years you are called to the land of the Sidhe. When you are called you arrive naked and while it only lasts 3 minutes and 4 seconds in our world, in the land of the Sidhe it is a day. A full day of being chased by mythical creatures whose only aim is to hunt you down and kill you or worse, change you into something different.
Knowing that, we are brought to school that trains the Irish youth how to survive their trip to the Fae world. Nessa is our lead character and she has to work harder than everyone else in the school as she requires crutches in order to walk everywhere she goes. It was rather refreshing to see a character that has a disability and that she was able to turn that disability into a strength. As you can imagine, due to Nessa's need for crutches she isn't expected to survive long in when she is called and so her instructors don't give her much attention. However, that just makes her a stronger individual. One minor complaint is that Peader makes her disabled he also makes Nessa the most attractive girl in the school; while I can see the juxtaposition that this creates from a writing prospective, it cheapens the character a little bit in my opinion.
The call is compelling, as the suspense gets ramps up as more of Nessa's classmates are sent to the Sidhe lands. There is also something strange going on at the school itself as there seem to be attacks coming from the Fae as they test the schools defenses. It should also be noted that while this is a book targeted at young adults, there are a few scenes that could be a little too gory for some readers; however, it is done in such a way that young readers may not even notice just how graphic the Sidhe have been with some of the young children that have entered into their realm.
The Call was an interesting book and one that would make for a creative movie. I think it is worth a read as it gives readers a chance to explore Irish folklore, a mythology that rarely sees the light of day.
Overall 8/10
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