The Unseen Country

by Phillip W. Simpson

Two years ago, Tom’s younger brother, Josh was kidnapped. Josh has been missing ever since. Tom saw who took him. Problem is – nobody believes him. In fact, most people think he’s mad. That’s because Josh was taken by creatures who aren’t meant to exist. Creatures from another realm - fairy creatures that only Tom can see.

In the fairy realm known as the Unseen Country, Flynn, an apprentice fairy (who is in danger of failing), stumbles upon a conspiracy that could mean the downfall of both worlds.

Together, the friendless boy and the fairy who can’t fly need to rescue a boy from a fate worse than death. And save both worlds from something even worse.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2013

About the author

Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many novels, chapter books and other stories for children. His publishers include Macmillan, Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press. He received his undergraduate degree in Ancient History and Archaeology, his Masters (Hons) degree in Archaeology and his Masters (Hons) degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. He is currently working towards his Doctorate in Education, focusing on teaching children's creative writing. Before embarking on his writing career, he joined the army as an officer cadet, owned a comic shop and worked in recruitment in both the UK and Australia. His first young adult novel, Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1), was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best Youth novel in 2012.

He is represented by Vicki Marsdon at Wordlink literary agency. When not writing, he works as a school teacher. Phillip lives and writes in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles. He loves fishing, reading, movies, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank the author for offering a copy of his book to my, through a read and review program here on Goodreads.

This was a fun yet dark fairy-tale fantasy adventure. Years after Tom's brother was kidnapped, Tom once again sees one of the creatures kidnap another young girl. He soon finds himself surrounded by various fairy creatures as he learns he isn't going crazy as others think. He finds himself in another realm, called the Unseen filled with Seelies (good fairy creatures) and Unseelies (the evil counterparts). The Counciliator is a special being who is in charge of the balance of power but has been kidnapped and Toma and his new friends Have 48 hours to save him.

This book is fast paced, right from the start. It puts you right into the story. We meet a lot of magical creatures here. Trolls, brownies, pixies and more. We have three main villains we are introduced to: Red Cap, Black Annie and Baba Yaba. These three enjoy kidnapping children to eat. Baba Yaba and Rep cap are very well described from legend. I applaud the author for his use of them in this story. Black Annie, being from an urban legend, does not formally fit the fairy creature use but being she was rumored to eat children it works. She, in particular is well described and creepy. The skulls in her long black hair that moves to her will. The sharp clawed fingers...I loved how she was portrayed

While I did enjoy the story I saw so much editing that was still needed. Also, lots of repetition throughout the book. Also, timelines often do not seem consistent.

Yet, in spite of those flaws, the story was a lot of fun to read. The author has a great imagination and story telling ability. My rating would be more accurately be a 3.5 stars.

[Sheree Bonita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unseen Country is definitely geared towards the younger YA group. I loved the character growth within Tom. A great modern bildungsroman with magic. I would have loved to read this when I was in middle school.

My complaints are few. There are several grammar errors throughout and some of them so bad that it jarred me out of the story. Also, there is a lot of deus ex machina going on throughout, which I found a bit boring. It's fine to have one or two moments of a great miracle but this book had about four or more of these instances. For the younger crowd though, they would have been much more accepting of this.


This book is nothing like Harry Potter -- so if you read that review, just disregard it. Just because a book has magic in it doesn't equate it to HP. That'd be like me saying Bram Stoker's Dracula reminds me of Twilight. The characters are very fun in The Unseen Country. I loved all the different types of faeries and the concept of good vs. evil, but there are no other comparisons with the characters of Simpson and Rowling.


The whole concept of the water poisoning was completely lame, but I loved that Simpson pointed that out in his letter. It's great when an author conveys those things within their writing, which is very British era-esk style, particularly in... BILDUNGSROMAN. It's great to see an author reverting back to those concepts. With a better editor, this book could have been a 5.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author as part of a read for review program here on Goodreads.

This book follows the adventures of a boy named Tom, whose younger brother Josh was kidnapped 2 years prior by fairies. Tom was the only witness and everyone thinks he is crazy, including his parents, who are grieving the loss of their son and kind of detached emotionally from Tom. Tom is bullied and is an outsider and loner at school, where even the teachers are unsure of his sanity. Tom begins to question his own beliefs about what happened when he suddenly begins to see more creatures from the fairy realm. Eventually he gets drawn into this "unseen country" and sets out on an adventure with a fairy who can't fly named Flynn, his protector, to try and find his brother and bring balance back between the good fairies (Seelies) and the bad fairies (Unseelies) who are the ones kidnapping the children and the good fairies.
This story is intended for a younger audience, which I discovered after I was reading it, and I am definitely older than the target audience, but I found that I enjoyed it very much. It had an interesting plot and a fast pace. I felt like the story moved along well and the characters were well-written. I felt like I was drawn into the story and wanted to keep reading in order to find out what happened. I think that it is a great fantasy adventure story for a "tween" audience.
I did find some things to be a little frustrating. There were a lot of grammatical and spelling errors which were distracting for me, but could be corrected with a good editor. I also think there were lots of things to keep up with which could get confusing for a younger audience that is used to reading very character driven, fast paced books with few side characters. I also thought that it had a very dark undertone which almost seemed to appeal to an older audience more than middle-age, but the characters were younger and less mature which made them seem too young to appeal to an older teen. I found it a little out of place in both genres. I have a 9 year old who I feel would be freaked out by characters such as Red Cap, who is described as grotesque and has blood running down his face all the time and she would probably find the idea of fairies kidnapping children in order to eat them a little unnerving, although it isn't vividly portrayed, but she would have loved the idea of a fairy realm and I think she would have enjoyed Flynn and Tom and even the bad girls like Black Annie.
Overall I enjoyed this story and would recommend it for children around 12-14. I am thankful that I got the chance to read this book, it was an enjoyable fun adventure story.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of The Unseen Country from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Unseen Country is quite different from the books I have been reading of late and the target audience is probably around 10-14 years (quite a bit younger than me!), but even so, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would liken it to Harry Potter, but rather than wizards the story centres around Seelies and Unseelies - creatures from the fairy realm.

At the start of The Unseen Country we meet Tom, who witnessed his younger brother Josh, being kidnapped two years earlier. Despite being able to provide a very clear description of the kidnapper, people think he is suffering from the stress of the ordeal and is basically crazy. This is because the kidnapper was from the fairy realm and nobody in their right mind believes in fairies ... right?

Since his brother was taken, Tom has lived a fairly lonely existence. In their grief over their lost son, Tom's parents have withdrawn and Tom has also been ostracized at school, often the target of beatings from the class bully. Despite the doubts from everyone around him, Tom continues to see the creatures from the fairy realm, but tends to pretend he doesn't, rather than draw unnecessary attention to himself. Flynn has been assigned to look after Tom and is at risk of failing his fairy apprenticeship. Tom starts to notice other fairy visitors in and around his home and before long finds himself chatting with Flynn and his group of Seelie (or good fairy) friends.

Unbeknownst to Tom he is about to become involved in a series of events that could change the lives of the Seelies (and him!) drastically. Tom embarks on an adventure with Flynn, his Seelie guardian and a rather hodge podge crew of Seelies, to find his brother Josh and save the Seelies from banishment to the Void. Along the way, the Seelies with the help of F.O.T.S (Friends Of The Seelies) must try and protect human children from being stolen as food for the Unseelies!!

If you liked Harry Potter I think you'll love The Unseen Country. Simpson has a very engaging writing style that I find particularly enjoyable to read. Despite being much older than the intended audience for this book I was completely hooked, and couldn't wait to find out what happened for Tom, Flynn and the band of Seelies on their quest.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unseen Country is just what I expect from an accomplished author like Simpson. The plot moved at a fast pace and didn't meander. There weren't any issues of unnecessary events or stories, and all the characters had a role to play.

I really loved all the characters. Tom's insistence in what he believed in was admirable, and I relished in his stubborn refusal to believe his brother was dead. It was great that there was so much loyalty and tenacity. Rosie and Ben, for being such minor characters, resonated with me. With Rosie I loved that she was open to listening to what Tom had to say, which no one else would do. Ben I felt was glossed over a bit. He paid pretty much the ultimate sacrifice for Tom and he wasn't mentioned again; I think at least mentioning him once more would have sufficed.

I adored the villains, particularly Baba Yaga and Black Annie. The images I had in my head of the way they moved was absolutely terrifying, especially with Black Annie's hair. Maybe because I've seen my fair share of horror movies (The Grudge, anyone?) that focus on dark hair being all creepy-crawly. Red Cap was unnerving too; I think seeing blood dripping down a grotesque face continually would be damn scary.

Taking and eating the children was a bit harsh, but I think it was handled brilliantly. It could have easily turned into a tacky point just to get a jarring feature into the book, but that didn't happen. Instead, we are aware of it, and it's present enough for me as the reader to feel uncomfortable with it, yet doesn't take away from the story. Plus I know that it's in plenty of old fairy tales. I have a friend that was just telling me last month about the krampus, a creature originating in her country (Austria). Guess what it does? Steal children.

It's not a new idea, but the depth that was added to the story is fantastic. I couldn't ask for a better fleshing out of a fairy tale kind of story.

[Tegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be given a copy of The Unseen Country for free to read and give my honest opinion.

The Unseen Country is about magic and magical creatures one could only dream of. Tom a young boy who 2 years ago witnessed his younger brother Josh being kidnapped and hasn't seen his brother since. Tom had seen who took his brother but when he told the police and his parents who it was they all thought he was crazy.

Tom endured two years of being bullied at school, his mum basically having a nervous breakdown due to the disappearance of his brother and his father ignoring him. Tom's father had been sending Tom to see a therapist, who had Tom starting to believe that the creature he saw kidnapping his brother and disappearing into thin air was just due to the trauma and it was his way of dealing with things. Until it all started happening again when Tom see's a little girl being kidnapped by the same creature who kidnapped his brother.

That's when Tom starts to notice more creatures around his house than usual. Including Flynn who has been assigned to look after Tom and keep him safe. Tom goes on an adventure into the Unseen (Fairy Realm) with his new Seelie friends (Good Fairies)To help bring back balance to there world and his and to find his brother Josh Who had been kidnapped by the Unseelie's (Bad Fairies). The Unseelie are trying to steel the worlds children for there food and to trap the Seelie in the void where they will be stuck for ever.

This book was thrilling to read with such imagination and detail which really brought this book to life. It is written in such a way that the suspense just kills you and makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens. The Unseen Country is written with a younger audience in mind and despite myself being an adult I loved every minute of it and highly recommend it to all ages.

[D.C. Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a story with an identity crisis – caught halfway between Enid Blyton and Neil Gaiman. Was it a fairy story or something more sinister or both? I wish it could have decided.
It started out well, the premise building on that basic child’s fear of there being goblins under the bed. In this case they moved between two worlds by rending the air and just appearing and equally easily disappearing. Tom’s brother was a victim of one of these goblins. So far so good.
Then we enter the Unseen Country itself and we meander, meeting characters, some of whom double up – why have one evil hag when you can have two? Ditto for evil hags’ sidekick. More people go missing, a Conciliator is kidnapped, help is required. Back to the Real. At last, the inciting incident when Tom and Flynn meet for the first time – page 96 on my ereader, I’d just about given up by this stage.
For a book for 8-12 years old I found there were too many meandering and unnecessary story threads, too many characters to keep track of and too much fluff that needed to be cut back to par the story down to the essential elements that would keep a young reader hooked. There were also a few plot holes that had me going – what? It’s a pity because in amongst the fluff is a really good story just busting to get out.
I wanted to give it 2 and half stars as it does have moments of brilliance and than I gave it 3 stars because I know this author can do so much better.

[Trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I would like the thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read his book in exchange for a review. Second, I know my rating is harsh but I cannot emphasize the importance of a good editor enough. Third, this is in no way a "young adult" novel. This is a novel that would be great for 10-14 year olds. I was put off by the fact that this was deemed a YA and it's part of the reason I gave it such a low rating. Obviously Mr. Simpson wanted this to go to a YA audience or it wouldn't have been labeled as such. You have to know your audience and this is not YA caliber. It is most definitely a good children's story. The characters are well thought out and there is good character development throughout.

Another major problem I had with this book was the flow. There were too many times things were repeated. It reminded me of the scene in Legally Blonde when she decides to become the defendants lawyer. It is stated redundantly that the witness was in the shower. In the movie it was done for comedic effect. This was just a case of poor editing.

Overall, the story is a good story and with a few editing tweaks I feel that Mr. Simpson could have a career that rivals Mr. Riordan's. (Percy, if you didn't know)

*** just found out from the author that, even though he offered the book to a YA group, this book is actually meant to be for a younger audience so I have changed my rating from a 2 star to a 3 ;)

[Tanya Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out with Tom who’s younger brother was kidnapped right out of their room, no traces of entry and only Tom saw who did it, however no one believes him because he saw someone who isn’t supposed to be real.

Time goes on and Tom finds himself pulled into a the Unseen Country to help Flynn, the fairy assigned to Tom, to figure out what is happening there that could ultimately affect the Real (Earth realm) as well as the Fairy Realm. While doing this Tom also hopes that he will find his brother who has now been missing for two years.

Tom learns things that he didn’t know existed except in fairy tales, learns to use his inner strength something he didn’t know he had and making friends along the way. He learns that he is special but doesn’t understand how but knows he will do whatever it takes to help protect the Real, the fairy realm and his new friends.

I thought the story was good however it bugged me that it a piece of information was held until the end however I know that it couldn’t have been given earlier because if it did, the story line would be totally different. The story had everything I liked in it, fairies, goblins, trolls and adventure but I don’t think it’s one that I would pick up again to read. All in all a good story!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read. In the wake of the news of the three missing girls suddenly found after 10 years or more, this book is relevant where it looks at a family torn apart by a missing child. Simpson did a good job of showing the disconnect that a family feels after the loss of a member. Not knowing what happened is the worst form of torture for a parent. How does one react to the disappearance of a child? Tom's parents become distant which is an understandable reaction. I would imagine that you don't want to feel anymore; that numbness is a welcome relief to the sharp pain felt. I only have one child, and I know that if something happened to her (God forbid), I would not be able to function. If I did have another child, how in the world would I be able to summon the strength to meet their needs? I don't know, and I cannot imagine.

This book could use some more editing. There were some sentences that jarred me out of the story. It was tough getting into the story, but once I realized that this was a middle grade novel meant for a younger crowd, it was easier to read. I do think that some of the more intense fighting scenes and descriptions (such as Red Cap's physical description) lend itself toward a more mature middle grader.

[Sweetp-1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fastpaced adventure story for older children featuring the fairy realm and the ageless fight between good and evil. Tom is able to see folk from the Unseen realm and witnesses the kidnapping of his brother by an Unseelie. Everyone of course thinks he is mentally unstable, but two years later Tom begins to see fairy folk again and ends up on a quest to find his brother in the Unseen Country.

The baddies in this book harken back to traditional Grimm fairytales - gruesome monsters that eat children, with hair alive with the souls of the dead, and blood dripping from their skin. It is a little dark in places, however at the heart of the book is a story of friendship and adventure and being true to your beliefs. A fast and enjoyable read that I probably would have rated higher if I was middle grader encountering a fairy realm story for the first time. Am tempted to see what my 11yo thinks of it.

[Siva Kumar S A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unseen Country is a fantasy filled with wild imagination for children.It is filled with mythical characters of various kind and most of the story takes place in another dimension filled with magic.
The story has an ensemble of characters and moves simultaneously in multiple directions mainly it follows Tom a human with ability to see the faeries and Flynn an elf who cant fly.they stumble into a conspiracy to upset the balance between good and evil each while on different mission Tom searching for his missing brother and Flynn looking for his master.With the help of Flynn's friends and many other powerful characters they take the adventure to save the world.
The story is interesting and keeps interest till end.There are lots of different characters all of them are well written.

[Trista Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.

When I was first offered the opportunity to read for review, I checked out the blurb and the cover and I loved it! It definitely had my attention and I couldn’t wait to dive in. Once started, I quickly found it difficult to read.

One of the major things I noticed about this book was that it needs to be edited more. The sentences felt choppy and disconnected so I found myself re-reading them a few times.

All in all, this storyline has potential to become a great book with some fantastic ideas and plots, it just needs some more work!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this to read and review. When I first started this book I want sure if I was going to like it or not. This book really isn't what I am use to reading. As the book went on I decided that I really did like the story line. It described the characters very vividly. I loved how he describes the journey and the obstacles he goes through to try and bring hid brother home and to try to make people believe what he day and what head happened to all the children that were missing. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unseen Country is a great mix of the real world of humans and the fantasy world of faeries. Overall I like the story line, but thought it got muddled a little by having too many different fantasy creatures. Referring to all of them as different types of faeries didn't ring true to my previous readings of different fantasy books. I thought it was a little too gruesome for the younger middle grade readers, but was probably okay for the 12 and up crowd.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast paced, magical story written in a style that easily built images of scenery and characters. There were no incidental side-stories and all characters had an importance in the storyline.

I really enjoyed it.