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The Child Eater
Two boys, separated by hundreds of years will never know each other—yet together they will battle a great evil at the very heart of the world—The Child Eater.
One, Matyas, resides in a medieval world whose power rests with the Academy of Wizards. The other, Simon Wisdom, in present-day America. In a town described as “the fourteenth most livable city” in a national magazine. Their lives are vastly as a boy, Matyas is viciously beaten by his innkeeper father, yet he will grow up to become the greatest magician. Simon is deeply loved by his widowed father, Jack, yet even a father’s dedication is helpless against the psychic terrors that overwhelm Simon from his earliest years.
Matyas takes refuge from his father’s violence in fantasies of magical cities–then true magic enters his life when he sees a man fly. Obsessed with becoming a magician and fixated on learning to fly himself, Matyas runs away to the capital, where he learns of a mysterious, long-lost Tarot of Eternity.
Matyas and Simon both suffer the same horrific a dark tunnel, pieces of bodies, disembodied heads of children pleading for help. When a new boy’s body is found without a head Matyas learns a terrible a magician can live forever by devouring the lives of children. The magician who does this has hidden his name so no one can work a spell against him. He is the Child Eater.
Terrified of his son’s nightmares, Jack enlists the help of the mysterious Dr. Reina. Soon however Simon realizes Reina means him ill. Is this mysterious doctor really The Child Eater and Simon is his next victim? Can the spirit of Simon’s long-dead mother and the power of Matyas’ Tarrot deck save him and the world?
With a battle against evil that stretches across centuries, Rachel Pollack, has created a thrilling world of magic, memory, and desire that will enchant readers far and wide.
One, Matyas, resides in a medieval world whose power rests with the Academy of Wizards. The other, Simon Wisdom, in present-day America. In a town described as “the fourteenth most livable city” in a national magazine. Their lives are vastly as a boy, Matyas is viciously beaten by his innkeeper father, yet he will grow up to become the greatest magician. Simon is deeply loved by his widowed father, Jack, yet even a father’s dedication is helpless against the psychic terrors that overwhelm Simon from his earliest years.
Matyas takes refuge from his father’s violence in fantasies of magical cities–then true magic enters his life when he sees a man fly. Obsessed with becoming a magician and fixated on learning to fly himself, Matyas runs away to the capital, where he learns of a mysterious, long-lost Tarot of Eternity.
Matyas and Simon both suffer the same horrific a dark tunnel, pieces of bodies, disembodied heads of children pleading for help. When a new boy’s body is found without a head Matyas learns a terrible a magician can live forever by devouring the lives of children. The magician who does this has hidden his name so no one can work a spell against him. He is the Child Eater.
Terrified of his son’s nightmares, Jack enlists the help of the mysterious Dr. Reina. Soon however Simon realizes Reina means him ill. Is this mysterious doctor really The Child Eater and Simon is his next victim? Can the spirit of Simon’s long-dead mother and the power of Matyas’ Tarrot deck save him and the world?
With a battle against evil that stretches across centuries, Rachel Pollack, has created a thrilling world of magic, memory, and desire that will enchant readers far and wide.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2014
12 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Pollack
205 books341 followersRachel Grace Pollack was an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot. Pollack was a great influence on the women's spirituality movement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 15, 2014
A terrific fantasy tale for young adults, The Child Eater is intelligently constructed, magically written and as addictive as chocolate cake. With cream and sprinkles.
There are some dark themes running through the narrative, but it also has a wonderful spiritual feel to the whole thing that keeps you immersed into the magic even in the darker moments – as we follow Matyas, living in a world very different to our own, who is bound and determined to become a master wizard and fly, his journey is one of wonder and a sprinkling of horror. In our world Jack and Simon Wisdom struggle with the loss of Simon’s mother and with the strange occurrences that surround Simon. These two boys are connected in ways that they will never know and only together can they defeat The Child Eater – a creature who was born in myth and is surrounded by mystery.
Rachel Pollack has created a rich vein of mythology and magic, woven a web of enchanting and evocative storytelling and given her characters heart and soul, which makes the whole reading experience one of contemplation along with the pure adrenalin rush that comes from a novel that you sink into during the time you are there. Matyas and Simon are both very real, in their emotions, their thought processes and their individuality – Matyas walks a fine line between honour and selfishness and Simon has to find a way to accept who he is whilst not destroying his family. It is emotive stuff at times but always always fascinating and unpredictable.
For me this is the type of storytelling that is perfect for around the campfire – toasting marshmallows and jumping at shadows – and also perfect for the new generation of readers and their parents, a wonderful tale, flush with illusion and reality and overall I would highly recommend it for lovers of Fantasy everywhere.
Don’t miss out!
There are some dark themes running through the narrative, but it also has a wonderful spiritual feel to the whole thing that keeps you immersed into the magic even in the darker moments – as we follow Matyas, living in a world very different to our own, who is bound and determined to become a master wizard and fly, his journey is one of wonder and a sprinkling of horror. In our world Jack and Simon Wisdom struggle with the loss of Simon’s mother and with the strange occurrences that surround Simon. These two boys are connected in ways that they will never know and only together can they defeat The Child Eater – a creature who was born in myth and is surrounded by mystery.
Rachel Pollack has created a rich vein of mythology and magic, woven a web of enchanting and evocative storytelling and given her characters heart and soul, which makes the whole reading experience one of contemplation along with the pure adrenalin rush that comes from a novel that you sink into during the time you are there. Matyas and Simon are both very real, in their emotions, their thought processes and their individuality – Matyas walks a fine line between honour and selfishness and Simon has to find a way to accept who he is whilst not destroying his family. It is emotive stuff at times but always always fascinating and unpredictable.
For me this is the type of storytelling that is perfect for around the campfire – toasting marshmallows and jumping at shadows – and also perfect for the new generation of readers and their parents, a wonderful tale, flush with illusion and reality and overall I would highly recommend it for lovers of Fantasy everywhere.
Don’t miss out!
July 4, 2014
This book is set in a fantasy world, and in our world. It follows the life of Matyas in the fantasy world. He is the son of an inn Keeper and he wants more from life. Like exploring magic and learning how to fly. Then there is Simon in our world, a troubled child. But his parts are actually more about his dad. How he grows up wanting to be normal, falling in love with someone not normal, and having Simon. And wanting him to be normal too. Cos the Wisdoms are not a normal family. They see things.
I did enjoy the fantasy part more, I do love fantasy so that makes sense. It was an interesting world, interesting magic system and how the tarot cards were everywhere. Matyas on the other hand was an idiot at times, filled with hybris and more. But that did not matter cos it was how he was and it worked.
Simon's parts were more sad. He wanted to please his dad. But nightmares, knowing things, he was just so young and his dad should have told him the truth. And it's here we see more of those missing children. What is going on? How are the worlds connected?
Conclusion:
Fantasy, and paranormal. Two worlds, different POVS, it all makes it into an interesting mix.
I did enjoy the fantasy part more, I do love fantasy so that makes sense. It was an interesting world, interesting magic system and how the tarot cards were everywhere. Matyas on the other hand was an idiot at times, filled with hybris and more. But that did not matter cos it was how he was and it worked.
Simon's parts were more sad. He wanted to please his dad. But nightmares, knowing things, he was just so young and his dad should have told him the truth. And it's here we see more of those missing children. What is going on? How are the worlds connected?
Conclusion:
Fantasy, and paranormal. Two worlds, different POVS, it all makes it into an interesting mix.
March 9, 2017
4.5 stars on my blog only because she fumbled around a little at the end to tie all plot threads together and also forgot one. An intricately woven Adult Fantasy about the origin of tarot cards, based in our modern world and an alternate dimension. I think it is a standalone. I was approved for this eARC through Edelweiss in return for an honest review. I will be back with the link as soon as I review it on my blog.
June 30, 2014
The Child Eater by Rachel Pollack is a paranormal fantasy young adult fiction beautifully written and neatly executed. The story is wonderfully paced, without ever letting up, and takes along the reader in exploring worlds hitherto unknown. Rachel’s ingenuity in creating a stunning world peopled by characters never imagined possible leaves one breathless. Though the title sounds a bit too spooky for comfort, it may be appropriate to point out that this is not a bloodcurdling novel.
Simon Wisdom is the youngest child in the Wisdom family. Yet his tender years did not prevent him from seeing the impossible. He can see the souls of the dead. These souls are begging him to help them. Simon is not the only tortured soul in the family. His father Jack also sees things but wants to be normal and act like normal. In another world, Matyas is the son of an Inn Keeper. His lowly status didn’t prevent him from dreaming about magic and found a way into the Wizard’s college. Simon and Matyas are from two different worlds, both imbued with different gifts and both wanting things to be different. But they have a common destiny: the souls of the dead crying out to them for help. And the Child Eater who co-inhabits the different worlds, on the look-out for children to kidnap and eat makes for a worthy adversary.
Set in two different worlds, The Child Eater is a fantastic journey into lives of the three main protagonists – Jack Wisdom, Simon Wisdom and Matyas, as they scramble to find a way to defeat the Child Eater. Rachel Pollack’s characters are interesting and make you want to help them as they are totally imperfect. The relationship between Jack and Simon has been vividly portrayed, and you can only sympathize with them for their deep desire to be normal. The ending of the book comes as a surprise.
Simon Wisdom is the youngest child in the Wisdom family. Yet his tender years did not prevent him from seeing the impossible. He can see the souls of the dead. These souls are begging him to help them. Simon is not the only tortured soul in the family. His father Jack also sees things but wants to be normal and act like normal. In another world, Matyas is the son of an Inn Keeper. His lowly status didn’t prevent him from dreaming about magic and found a way into the Wizard’s college. Simon and Matyas are from two different worlds, both imbued with different gifts and both wanting things to be different. But they have a common destiny: the souls of the dead crying out to them for help. And the Child Eater who co-inhabits the different worlds, on the look-out for children to kidnap and eat makes for a worthy adversary.
Set in two different worlds, The Child Eater is a fantastic journey into lives of the three main protagonists – Jack Wisdom, Simon Wisdom and Matyas, as they scramble to find a way to defeat the Child Eater. Rachel Pollack’s characters are interesting and make you want to help them as they are totally imperfect. The relationship between Jack and Simon has been vividly portrayed, and you can only sympathize with them for their deep desire to be normal. The ending of the book comes as a surprise.
November 3, 2017
*TLDR - this book is written as if it were two books in one. Great reading for fans of modern fantasy, if you can tolerate the slow pace of world building and keeping both plots in mind.
The Child Eater by Rachel Pollack is a very hopeful piece of modern fantasy, with the story alternating between modern and fantastical settings, chronicling the battle against an ancient evil; the eponymous Child Eater.
The plot is the most outstanding element of this book. Despite having two stories running in parallel, both build up, crescendo, and conclude at the same pace, with the reader finally being able to connect the threads at the very end.
Some readers may be perturbed by the horror elements in this book. Rest assured that these aren't gratuitous and are essential to the plot and setting, providing the reader with a sense of dread and empathising with the protagonists wanting to avoid them. It does mean that there will never be a video adaptation for this book, at current moral standards.
A weakness of the author writing in the first person is that the world is seen only through the lens of the protagonists, and the world building is similarly hampered by their limited view. The settings are sufficiently generic for better read readers to infer about and the author only notes necessarily unique elements.
*(c) Ahmad Syahid
The Child Eater by Rachel Pollack is a very hopeful piece of modern fantasy, with the story alternating between modern and fantastical settings, chronicling the battle against an ancient evil; the eponymous Child Eater.
The plot is the most outstanding element of this book. Despite having two stories running in parallel, both build up, crescendo, and conclude at the same pace, with the reader finally being able to connect the threads at the very end.
Some readers may be perturbed by the horror elements in this book. Rest assured that these aren't gratuitous and are essential to the plot and setting, providing the reader with a sense of dread and empathising with the protagonists wanting to avoid them. It does mean that there will never be a video adaptation for this book, at current moral standards.
A weakness of the author writing in the first person is that the world is seen only through the lens of the protagonists, and the world building is similarly hampered by their limited view. The settings are sufficiently generic for better read readers to infer about and the author only notes necessarily unique elements.
*(c) Ahmad Syahid
January 6, 2016
Basic Review:
Things I like a lot: Crisp, vivid writing. Almost every scene was intriguing on one level or another. The use of Tarot was ingenuous and, simply put, COOL! Some fun concepts and images (talking squirrels, a boy obsessed by flying, brilliant descriptions of color, the tarot cards). The ending happened fast, and was a little saccharine compared to the rest of the book, but I personally found it satisfying.
Things I liked less: For me, if the novel could have maintained its fairy tale atmosphere while at the same time rooting some of the events more solidly in a logical system, I think it would have been a bit more satisfying. Some of the principle characters seem very angry for a lot of the book; that got a little old.
Things I like a lot: Crisp, vivid writing. Almost every scene was intriguing on one level or another. The use of Tarot was ingenuous and, simply put, COOL! Some fun concepts and images (talking squirrels, a boy obsessed by flying, brilliant descriptions of color, the tarot cards). The ending happened fast, and was a little saccharine compared to the rest of the book, but I personally found it satisfying.
Things I liked less: For me, if the novel could have maintained its fairy tale atmosphere while at the same time rooting some of the events more solidly in a logical system, I think it would have been a bit more satisfying. Some of the principle characters seem very angry for a lot of the book; that got a little old.
April 5, 2022
I’m a fan of Pollack’s short fiction and comics but this novel was a disappointment. The world-building was generic and forgettable, the dual protagonists weren’t very likable, and overall the story was boring. No real horror or suspense despite a plot that should have been riveting, and a nonsensical reliance on Tarot cards to tie together two disparate worlds made this a forgettable tale. It might have been better as a comic miniseries since the prose was flat and lacked poetry. The titular villain? Pure cardboard. Snooze. Win some, lose some.
December 28, 2019
Yikes... I don’t know about this one.
Honestly, nothing much happened. While I liked both Simon and Matyas’s story, the back and forth seemed unnecessary. I was expecting a little more world building and suspense. But the author let me down on that front. That said, I lied the way they write. But the plot line didn’t amount to much.
Overall, boring honestly. Some parts were interesting but for the most part, just meh.
Honestly, nothing much happened. While I liked both Simon and Matyas’s story, the back and forth seemed unnecessary. I was expecting a little more world building and suspense. But the author let me down on that front. That said, I lied the way they write. But the plot line didn’t amount to much.
Overall, boring honestly. Some parts were interesting but for the most part, just meh.
October 14, 2022
I enjoyed the fantasy parts of the story but sometimes there were very boring moments, like I get the point about what this character is going through but it continues to repeat the same point throughout the chapters. I also dislike that a lot of the world building is revealed through one single dialogue as if a wave of information is suddenly crashed on me.
But another positive thing I'd like to point out is that the book portrays the flaws of the characters well.
But another positive thing I'd like to point out is that the book portrays the flaws of the characters well.
June 2, 2020
Terifiring fantastical story with vivid writings lead the audiences toward the background of the "Child Eater"
June 25, 2023
Some cool ideas, but felt like the first draft - not the final edited version.
December 3, 2018
5/5 Stars: I absolutely adored this book. For some reason, I kept putting it off cause I got into my head that I would be really dense and boring since I found in the adult section of my local library. Although, boy was I wrong. It is was charming and whimsical in a way I’ve never seen before.
I love the way it’s set in the present and past at the same time with Matyas as a powerful, yet unsatisfied young wizard and Simon Wisdom as a broken, innocent boy with psychic abilities. I surprised at how much I was touched by Jack Wisdom’s perspective though, I was expecting find him overprotective and annoying, but once you learn about his history with Simon’s mother, it’s understandable why he is the way he is. Rachel Pollack is an amazing fantasy who is able to mix a traditional Wizards’ Academy and magic system with the modern life of a preteen boy. A beautiful story and I’m interested to see if she’s written any similar books.
I love the way it’s set in the present and past at the same time with Matyas as a powerful, yet unsatisfied young wizard and Simon Wisdom as a broken, innocent boy with psychic abilities. I surprised at how much I was touched by Jack Wisdom’s perspective though, I was expecting find him overprotective and annoying, but once you learn about his history with Simon’s mother, it’s understandable why he is the way he is. Rachel Pollack is an amazing fantasy who is able to mix a traditional Wizards’ Academy and magic system with the modern life of a preteen boy. A beautiful story and I’m interested to see if she’s written any similar books.
Read
June 28, 2014Wow, I hardly know where to start with this one. The book was very different from what I expected. The spooky title left me expecting something very dark and tense. THE CHILD EATER is not that. In fact, it only goes into the realm of creepy once or twice, and only briefly. In tone it's more magical realism with a every-day sort of feel and pacing.
The words Rachel Pollack puts together are magical. Frequently brilliant. And the reader is tugged along through two different worlds that are remarkably dissimilar.
**I don't think there is much in the way of spoilers here, but if you want to approach the book 'cold' skip the next paragraphs until you get to MY THOUGHTS**
Matyas comes from a magical world that is more primitive than our own. His parents, for example, own a grungy inn which is dependent upon his child labor. And poor Matyas is worked like a slave and he is an unhappy young man until he gets the notion to go to the big city to learn at the magicians academy how to fly. The promise of flight and the ability to escape his circumstances becomes his obsession.
In a world that is similar to our own, we meet Jack and his son, Simon. Unlike Matyas, who rejoices in the fact that he is imbued with magic, Jack and Simon are tortured by the knowledge that sets them apart from normal people. Jack shuts himself off from his magical insights at a young age, and he makes Simon a bit of a mess with his ridiculous must-appear-totally-normal attitude.
The worlds of Matyas, Jack and Simon would remain forever separate if not for The Child Eater. He's a character that moves between worlds and who kidnaps delicious children. I won't say more but the book reveals his past and present, and the worlds' histories interweave at the end to bring the story to fruition.
My Thoughts
There are parts of this book that are brilliant. The wordsmithing is rich. The concept is wondrous. I didn't however ever like any of the adult male characters, nor the pacing. First there was Jack and the fact that we got to revisit the same situations over and over as he realistically anguishes over his personal foibles.
Then there was Matyas, who like Jack, just seemed incapable of moving on. Matyas is uneducated and untrusting at the beginning of the book, and semi-educated and untrusting in the middle of the book, and educated and untrusting at the end. I hated him for that. For heaven sake's, you've been with your mentor for a good long while, stop trying to second guess her and wonder what she's scheming! What an asshat.
I'm sure this is all sophisticated literary-device-stuff that literary readers like that silly Ruth Graham will lavish praise on, but I just like a good simple story with characters that don't annoy the hell out of me, and the artfulness got in the way of that.
The story in THE CHILD EATER is WONDERFUL. A I sincerely believe that if had read it along with three or four of my bestest reading buddies that I'd be giving it 5 STARS. The author's wordsmithing is excellent. She uses THE best imagery and tone for this story, and I think if I had had someone to discuss the literary devices with I'd be more overwhelmed than I currently am. As it is, I feel like a good 50 - 75 pages could have been omitted without any harm.
Miscellany:
THE CHILD EATER is not a scary book. It's not even a book that is fraught with tension. It is instead a book of magic and mythology and the reader will come out at the end having felt like he has learned about another world.
THE CHILD EATER, imo, will require readers of more patience than I have. Readers who can tolerate imperfect characters. (You can see from my comments how I feel about them.) To be honest I skipped from the 53% point in the book to the 80% point and felt I had missed nothing. I was caught up in a few paragraphs.
I do recommend the book to the patient and mature. Of which I am neither.
--review copy
The words Rachel Pollack puts together are magical. Frequently brilliant. And the reader is tugged along through two different worlds that are remarkably dissimilar.
**I don't think there is much in the way of spoilers here, but if you want to approach the book 'cold' skip the next paragraphs until you get to MY THOUGHTS**
Matyas comes from a magical world that is more primitive than our own. His parents, for example, own a grungy inn which is dependent upon his child labor. And poor Matyas is worked like a slave and he is an unhappy young man until he gets the notion to go to the big city to learn at the magicians academy how to fly. The promise of flight and the ability to escape his circumstances becomes his obsession.
In a world that is similar to our own, we meet Jack and his son, Simon. Unlike Matyas, who rejoices in the fact that he is imbued with magic, Jack and Simon are tortured by the knowledge that sets them apart from normal people. Jack shuts himself off from his magical insights at a young age, and he makes Simon a bit of a mess with his ridiculous must-appear-totally-normal attitude.
The worlds of Matyas, Jack and Simon would remain forever separate if not for The Child Eater. He's a character that moves between worlds and who kidnaps delicious children. I won't say more but the book reveals his past and present, and the worlds' histories interweave at the end to bring the story to fruition.
My Thoughts
There are parts of this book that are brilliant. The wordsmithing is rich. The concept is wondrous. I didn't however ever like any of the adult male characters, nor the pacing. First there was Jack and the fact that we got to revisit the same situations over and over as he realistically anguishes over his personal foibles.
Then there was Matyas, who like Jack, just seemed incapable of moving on. Matyas is uneducated and untrusting at the beginning of the book, and semi-educated and untrusting in the middle of the book, and educated and untrusting at the end. I hated him for that. For heaven sake's, you've been with your mentor for a good long while, stop trying to second guess her and wonder what she's scheming! What an asshat.
I'm sure this is all sophisticated literary-device-stuff that literary readers like that silly Ruth Graham will lavish praise on, but I just like a good simple story with characters that don't annoy the hell out of me, and the artfulness got in the way of that.
The story in THE CHILD EATER is WONDERFUL. A I sincerely believe that if had read it along with three or four of my bestest reading buddies that I'd be giving it 5 STARS. The author's wordsmithing is excellent. She uses THE best imagery and tone for this story, and I think if I had had someone to discuss the literary devices with I'd be more overwhelmed than I currently am. As it is, I feel like a good 50 - 75 pages could have been omitted without any harm.
Miscellany:
THE CHILD EATER is not a scary book. It's not even a book that is fraught with tension. It is instead a book of magic and mythology and the reader will come out at the end having felt like he has learned about another world.
THE CHILD EATER, imo, will require readers of more patience than I have. Readers who can tolerate imperfect characters. (You can see from my comments how I feel about them.) To be honest I skipped from the 53% point in the book to the 80% point and felt I had missed nothing. I was caught up in a few paragraphs.
I do recommend the book to the patient and mature. Of which I am neither.
--review copy
August 27, 2015
http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
The Child Eater is a story about two worlds that come together to stop an ancient evil. One of the worlds is like our own world, where we have electricity and everything is cleaner. In this world we have Jack Wisdom and his son Simon. Since Jack was young, his father always told him to be more than normal as their family wasn’t super intelligent as their name said. After an incident where people made fun of them because of Jack, his tries all his life to be normal and to not pay attention to the dream he had, the voices of children he heard, and the lights he saw. In the other world, a more medieval one, where magic exists, wizards are feared and precise, lives Matyas. At the age of fifteen he leaves his family Inn, where his father treated him like a slave, along with his only friend behind. After seeing a man flying and hearing voices calling him a Master”, the way wizards are called, he goes to the capital and enters the Wizard Academy. Without knowing it, what Matyas imagenes or sees, Jack dreams it.
In both of the worlds, children between the age of 8 and 10 years old disappear and later their bodies are found without their heads. Matyas, Jack, and Simon hear their cries for help but are unable to know what to do or how to stop the Child Eater.
I will say that I have mixed emotions with this book. For one part, I loved all of the theories of how the world came to exist, the types of magic and ways to use them. Also, I liked how both worlds were intertwined. What I didn’t like sometimes was Jack and Matyas. In his quest to be more normal than normal, something his family had been trying to be for a long time, Jack seems to hurt his son without knowing it. Matyas made me mad because of his pride and paranoia.
I really like when authors do their research and combine them in their story. In this story, Rachel Pollack has created a combination of different theories of how the universe and the Earth came to exist. She takes the idea of the world being created in seven days and combines it with the idea that the Earth has been created five times. I liked how all this came to combine and how Matyas is taught about it. It creates a story inside the story that we are reading.
The story shows many points that can make the reader relate with the characters. There is love and friendship; the expectations from our parents; the need to learn everything we can; the need to show those who look down on us that we actually made it; and, most of all, to want power. Both Matyas and Jack experience these things, and even Simon with his friend Jimmy has had a hard time being his friend. It got to a point that I understood what the characters were feeling.
The Child Eater is one of those books that are hard to put done once you’ve started, and even when the narrative would go back and forth between Matyas and Jack/Simon, this made the reader want to get faster to next chapter.
If you are a fan of Rachel Pollack’s work, or you like stories that talk about Tarot cards, magic, and eternity, then I recommend you the Child Eater. Here two worlds are joined by an evil without a name that has terrorized them for a long time, but with many events made by Matyas and Jack the end is near and the children are free.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
The Child Eater is a story about two worlds that come together to stop an ancient evil. One of the worlds is like our own world, where we have electricity and everything is cleaner. In this world we have Jack Wisdom and his son Simon. Since Jack was young, his father always told him to be more than normal as their family wasn’t super intelligent as their name said. After an incident where people made fun of them because of Jack, his tries all his life to be normal and to not pay attention to the dream he had, the voices of children he heard, and the lights he saw. In the other world, a more medieval one, where magic exists, wizards are feared and precise, lives Matyas. At the age of fifteen he leaves his family Inn, where his father treated him like a slave, along with his only friend behind. After seeing a man flying and hearing voices calling him a Master”, the way wizards are called, he goes to the capital and enters the Wizard Academy. Without knowing it, what Matyas imagenes or sees, Jack dreams it.
In both of the worlds, children between the age of 8 and 10 years old disappear and later their bodies are found without their heads. Matyas, Jack, and Simon hear their cries for help but are unable to know what to do or how to stop the Child Eater.
I will say that I have mixed emotions with this book. For one part, I loved all of the theories of how the world came to exist, the types of magic and ways to use them. Also, I liked how both worlds were intertwined. What I didn’t like sometimes was Jack and Matyas. In his quest to be more normal than normal, something his family had been trying to be for a long time, Jack seems to hurt his son without knowing it. Matyas made me mad because of his pride and paranoia.
I really like when authors do their research and combine them in their story. In this story, Rachel Pollack has created a combination of different theories of how the universe and the Earth came to exist. She takes the idea of the world being created in seven days and combines it with the idea that the Earth has been created five times. I liked how all this came to combine and how Matyas is taught about it. It creates a story inside the story that we are reading.
The story shows many points that can make the reader relate with the characters. There is love and friendship; the expectations from our parents; the need to learn everything we can; the need to show those who look down on us that we actually made it; and, most of all, to want power. Both Matyas and Jack experience these things, and even Simon with his friend Jimmy has had a hard time being his friend. It got to a point that I understood what the characters were feeling.
The Child Eater is one of those books that are hard to put done once you’ve started, and even when the narrative would go back and forth between Matyas and Jack/Simon, this made the reader want to get faster to next chapter.
If you are a fan of Rachel Pollack’s work, or you like stories that talk about Tarot cards, magic, and eternity, then I recommend you the Child Eater. Here two worlds are joined by an evil without a name that has terrorized them for a long time, but with many events made by Matyas and Jack the end is near and the children are free.
January 7, 2016
The Child Eater is BRILLIANT. It may just be the best book I have read all year.
The Child Eater is a fantastical story about two boys, born in different worlds and centuries apart, who are bound together by magic and fate, and a monstrous creature known only as The Child Eater. He has preyed on generations of children and their ghostly voices cry out for help, cry out for someone to end their curse.
In a world of magic and myth, Matyas runs away from home to attend the Academy of Wizards, determined to learn how to fly. Matyas is unexpectedly talented at magic, and quickly surpasses other students and even his Masters to become the greatest Master of his time. I found that Matyas was never really likeable or sympathetic throughout the book. His hubris and quick anger annoyed me greatly. Despite this, I have to admit that he is one of the most well-crafted characters I have ever read!
The brilliance of Matyas is matched by Simon Wisdom, who lives in a world like our own but is plagued by phantom voices and weird lights. He has to keep his paranormal sensitivity a secret, however, because he is a Wisdom, and the Wisdom motto is to be 'more normal than normal'. You see, the Wisdoms have always had the power to see things that others can't. Simon is a lot more likeable than Matyas: he's young and naive and doesn't really understand his powers or why his father hates them so much. Jack Wisdom, on the other hand, is largely annoying because of his obsession with normalcy and how he stifles his son. (In his defence, Jack didn't know he was inside a fantasy novel, and acted like a concerned parent).
I loved the pacing and how slowly everything came together. However, I think other readers will get a little bored. The Child Eater is a book that rewards patience and diligence, for example, readers who want to know who The Child Eater is and why he's connected to our protagonists will need to read through about 70% of the book before they get the tidbits of information they crave.
The world-building is amazing in The Child Eater. Both worlds are ripe with magic and mystery, and Pollack uses evocative, lush language to bring them to life. Although the action is set in two different worlds, they are linked together by an enchanting magic system involving tarot cards. The two stories (of Matyas and Simon) stand alone for a large part of the book, but come together in wholly unexpected ways near the end. I enjoyed it immensely because it was obvious how the author meticulously (and very cleverly) planned the book and then subtly wove in all the connections so we'd could better appreciate them when we finished the story.
The Child Eater is a deliciously creepy, decadent read. It is not for the faint of heart, but it isn't overtly scary either. An excellent novel that muses on the nature of dreams, reality, mortality, and truth, it will be loved by all those who look for something new and exciting in the fantasy landscape.
The Child Eater is a fantastical story about two boys, born in different worlds and centuries apart, who are bound together by magic and fate, and a monstrous creature known only as The Child Eater. He has preyed on generations of children and their ghostly voices cry out for help, cry out for someone to end their curse.
In a world of magic and myth, Matyas runs away from home to attend the Academy of Wizards, determined to learn how to fly. Matyas is unexpectedly talented at magic, and quickly surpasses other students and even his Masters to become the greatest Master of his time. I found that Matyas was never really likeable or sympathetic throughout the book. His hubris and quick anger annoyed me greatly. Despite this, I have to admit that he is one of the most well-crafted characters I have ever read!
The brilliance of Matyas is matched by Simon Wisdom, who lives in a world like our own but is plagued by phantom voices and weird lights. He has to keep his paranormal sensitivity a secret, however, because he is a Wisdom, and the Wisdom motto is to be 'more normal than normal'. You see, the Wisdoms have always had the power to see things that others can't. Simon is a lot more likeable than Matyas: he's young and naive and doesn't really understand his powers or why his father hates them so much. Jack Wisdom, on the other hand, is largely annoying because of his obsession with normalcy and how he stifles his son. (In his defence, Jack didn't know he was inside a fantasy novel, and acted like a concerned parent).
I loved the pacing and how slowly everything came together. However, I think other readers will get a little bored. The Child Eater is a book that rewards patience and diligence, for example, readers who want to know who The Child Eater is and why he's connected to our protagonists will need to read through about 70% of the book before they get the tidbits of information they crave.
The world-building is amazing in The Child Eater. Both worlds are ripe with magic and mystery, and Pollack uses evocative, lush language to bring them to life. Although the action is set in two different worlds, they are linked together by an enchanting magic system involving tarot cards. The two stories (of Matyas and Simon) stand alone for a large part of the book, but come together in wholly unexpected ways near the end. I enjoyed it immensely because it was obvious how the author meticulously (and very cleverly) planned the book and then subtly wove in all the connections so we'd could better appreciate them when we finished the story.
The Child Eater is a deliciously creepy, decadent read. It is not for the faint of heart, but it isn't overtly scary either. An excellent novel that muses on the nature of dreams, reality, mortality, and truth, it will be loved by all those who look for something new and exciting in the fantasy landscape.
July 3, 2014
In The Child Eater, we have a novel that follows two separate strands of a story, two different sets of characters, in two worlds separated by time and magic. The stories are linked by The Tarot of Eternity (much, much more than a pack of cards), and by the threat of The Child Eater.
The villain of the piece is well named, and the book contains some descriptions of body parts and mutilation, and a sense of threat and helplessness. Despite the age of the protagonists, this is not a book for teenagers, although it should not be beyond the reach of the keen young reader.
Pollack presents us with three imperfect heroes. In the modern day, 'real world' strand of the story, we are introduced to Jack Wisdom, a child with unusual abilities who learns to stifle his gifts, and grows up to become father to Simon, another extraordinarily talented child who hides his skills because of his father's fears and insecurities. Both characters are prey to enormous self doubt and guilt, which works to the advantage of their fated enemy, The Child Eater.
Meanwhile, way back in the past, we meet Matyas, the battered and unloved child of an innkeeper, who one day discovers his destiny and goes in search of it. Matyas has a good dollop of self loathing in his psyche too, but is blessed with a lot more confidence than Jack and Simon, and as he rises to his own power, he encounters the story, and the reality, of The Child Eater and the Tarot of Eternity that ties everything together.
The two stories work in different ways. Whilst Jack and Simon seem to be helpless in the face of danger, Matyas is blithely unaware of it, as he grows in knowledge, power and rank.
In contrast to the human and imperfect men in the story, the female characters are spiritual and almost supernaturally forgiving. The women and girls are there in supporting roles, and the support they give is vital and integral to the plot.
I found this an easy book to read, and although it wasn't a gripping page turner, I was drawn back to it consistently, admittedly more for the plot than the characters, who I found to be unsympathetic. My main problem with the characters was that they didn't grow or learn much from their experiences until the end of the book. It was frustrating to see them make the same mistakes again and again. The plot made up for it. I wanted to know who The Child Eater was, why he existed, and if he could be defeated. I'm happy to say that all these questions were answered in a very satisfactory manner. I would recommend this book to the reader of fantasy, but beware, there are no dragons here.
The Child Eater is published by Jo Fletcher books and is available now.
The villain of the piece is well named, and the book contains some descriptions of body parts and mutilation, and a sense of threat and helplessness. Despite the age of the protagonists, this is not a book for teenagers, although it should not be beyond the reach of the keen young reader.
Pollack presents us with three imperfect heroes. In the modern day, 'real world' strand of the story, we are introduced to Jack Wisdom, a child with unusual abilities who learns to stifle his gifts, and grows up to become father to Simon, another extraordinarily talented child who hides his skills because of his father's fears and insecurities. Both characters are prey to enormous self doubt and guilt, which works to the advantage of their fated enemy, The Child Eater.
Meanwhile, way back in the past, we meet Matyas, the battered and unloved child of an innkeeper, who one day discovers his destiny and goes in search of it. Matyas has a good dollop of self loathing in his psyche too, but is blessed with a lot more confidence than Jack and Simon, and as he rises to his own power, he encounters the story, and the reality, of The Child Eater and the Tarot of Eternity that ties everything together.
The two stories work in different ways. Whilst Jack and Simon seem to be helpless in the face of danger, Matyas is blithely unaware of it, as he grows in knowledge, power and rank.
In contrast to the human and imperfect men in the story, the female characters are spiritual and almost supernaturally forgiving. The women and girls are there in supporting roles, and the support they give is vital and integral to the plot.
I found this an easy book to read, and although it wasn't a gripping page turner, I was drawn back to it consistently, admittedly more for the plot than the characters, who I found to be unsympathetic. My main problem with the characters was that they didn't grow or learn much from their experiences until the end of the book. It was frustrating to see them make the same mistakes again and again. The plot made up for it. I wanted to know who The Child Eater was, why he existed, and if he could be defeated. I'm happy to say that all these questions were answered in a very satisfactory manner. I would recommend this book to the reader of fantasy, but beware, there are no dragons here.
The Child Eater is published by Jo Fletcher books and is available now.
July 1, 2014
I absolutely loved this book! There were apparently two short stories originally that have been reworked to meld them into this book. It works superbly well. You hear the story of Matyas and also the story of Jack Wisdom and then his son Simon. Matyas lives in another world to our own, a fantastical world of talking heads on poles and wizards and old lady's who are not what they seem. Jack and Simon live in our world and try to be as normal as possible (because you have to with a surname like Wisdom) but they have strange dreams.........
The characters are delightfully crafted and Pollack's style of writing is both engaging and compelling. I love it when an author combines a great plot with a flowing style and this book does that admirably. No clunky seams between the two narratives, they segue beautifully and gradually, piece by piece, you reach the denouement where their commonality becomes clear. I really felt for Jack, trying to do the best for his son but not always being sure what "best" was, nor how to achieve this. Simon was wonderfully written; the way in which he soon learns to hide what displeases and suppress his real self to make his dad happy. The descriptions of the dreams they all have were vivid and disturbing as a consequence. I wanted to adopt Matyas, you forget how young he is at the start and then on top of this, every now and then you get an insight into his early childhood. As a mother of a 20 month old, it made me want to cry and give him a massive hug - his father was horrible to him but her description of him when Matyas sees him in later life (he is now grown up) is so accurate - the ogres of our childhood can be so small and ordinary when we find them again as adults. Look out for the squirrels, especially towards the end - I loved them and wish they had been developed a little more perhaps or maybe a book from their own perspectives would be good!
If you love fantasy, you really ought to read this book - I am glad that I had the opportunity and was sad when the story ended!
*I was provided with an ARC by Quercus via Netgalley - thank you Quercus*
The characters are delightfully crafted and Pollack's style of writing is both engaging and compelling. I love it when an author combines a great plot with a flowing style and this book does that admirably. No clunky seams between the two narratives, they segue beautifully and gradually, piece by piece, you reach the denouement where their commonality becomes clear. I really felt for Jack, trying to do the best for his son but not always being sure what "best" was, nor how to achieve this. Simon was wonderfully written; the way in which he soon learns to hide what displeases and suppress his real self to make his dad happy. The descriptions of the dreams they all have were vivid and disturbing as a consequence. I wanted to adopt Matyas, you forget how young he is at the start and then on top of this, every now and then you get an insight into his early childhood. As a mother of a 20 month old, it made me want to cry and give him a massive hug - his father was horrible to him but her description of him when Matyas sees him in later life (he is now grown up) is so accurate - the ogres of our childhood can be so small and ordinary when we find them again as adults. Look out for the squirrels, especially towards the end - I loved them and wish they had been developed a little more perhaps or maybe a book from their own perspectives would be good!
If you love fantasy, you really ought to read this book - I am glad that I had the opportunity and was sad when the story ended!
*I was provided with an ARC by Quercus via Netgalley - thank you Quercus*
June 23, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book from Quercus Books Publishers, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
So... I was really gripped by the plot of this book, hence why I requested a copy from NetGalley. I'm happy to say that, when I received a copy of this book, it lived up to my expectations.
The two storylines running parallel to each other were quite intriguing. I'm not sure if they were different worlds or different times, though, but I really liked both of the storylines and how different questions were answered by the end of the book.
The use of the tarot cards was a pretty good one and I felt the idea with them was a pretty unique one.
I did like the characters in the book, particularly Matyas and Simon. Matyas was an interesting character, because I felt that he was quite well-rounded and came across as a real person, complete with imperfections and times when he failed. I liked him more by the end of the book. Simon was also quite an interesting character and although there were mistakes he made, I could understand why he acted the way he did.
I did like Simon's relationship with his father, though I did think that there was a bit too much summarising at certain points in the book.
I liked the fact that I could recognise some myths in this book, too. It was good to see some of that inspiration.
I think this book is worth reading and I would definitely look at more books by this author in the future. I felt that everything fit together really well and it made sense in the end. Plus, it kept me reading throughout and I liked the characters. There were some creepy scenes in the book that worked really well, too.
(This review may contain spoilers).
So... I was really gripped by the plot of this book, hence why I requested a copy from NetGalley. I'm happy to say that, when I received a copy of this book, it lived up to my expectations.
The two storylines running parallel to each other were quite intriguing. I'm not sure if they were different worlds or different times, though, but I really liked both of the storylines and how different questions were answered by the end of the book.
The use of the tarot cards was a pretty good one and I felt the idea with them was a pretty unique one.
I did like the characters in the book, particularly Matyas and Simon. Matyas was an interesting character, because I felt that he was quite well-rounded and came across as a real person, complete with imperfections and times when he failed. I liked him more by the end of the book. Simon was also quite an interesting character and although there were mistakes he made, I could understand why he acted the way he did.
I did like Simon's relationship with his father, though I did think that there was a bit too much summarising at certain points in the book.
I liked the fact that I could recognise some myths in this book, too. It was good to see some of that inspiration.
I think this book is worth reading and I would definitely look at more books by this author in the future. I felt that everything fit together really well and it made sense in the end. Plus, it kept me reading throughout and I liked the characters. There were some creepy scenes in the book that worked really well, too.
July 18, 2015
I feel like I should have enjoyed this book more than I actually did. Set in our world today, and also in some other magical one, the book features primarily two narrators, Simon and Matyas. Simon is a child with the ability to read minds and Matyas is an apprentice magician whose greatest ambition is to learn to fly. In their respective worlds they must learn to deal not only with their powers but also with the spirits of the dead children who call out to them , begging them to put a stop to the Child Eater whose evil straddles bot worlds.
The central mythos of the book revolves around the creation of the world using the first ever set of Tarot cards, which were so powerful they were hidden forever. Then it gets a little complicated, with guardians and angels and magic trees- it was this that definitely lessened my enjoyment of the book as it seemed unnecessarily complicated and confusing. Suffice to say that one of the creators apprentices has devised a way to live forever by consuming the flesh and energy of special children and now he has Simon in his sights.
I really liked the portions of the book that dealt with Simon and his father Jack, they were compelling and well written but I could feel myself losing interest in the Mathyas chapters.
The central mythos of the book revolves around the creation of the world using the first ever set of Tarot cards, which were so powerful they were hidden forever. Then it gets a little complicated, with guardians and angels and magic trees- it was this that definitely lessened my enjoyment of the book as it seemed unnecessarily complicated and confusing. Suffice to say that one of the creators apprentices has devised a way to live forever by consuming the flesh and energy of special children and now he has Simon in his sights.
I really liked the portions of the book that dealt with Simon and his father Jack, they were compelling and well written but I could feel myself losing interest in the Mathyas chapters.
August 22, 2014
In some ways expected from this fantastic writer of science fiction/magical realism. Unexpected in the ways this book kept me glued to the story. A crowning achievement and one which I hope receives much attnetion and accolades and awards. I'm hoping that there is a follow-up, though this book stands alone against and with any on my bookshelf. A major addition to the genres (there could be more than one here) that sparked my interest in reading fiction again. Let's have more of these characters that were so interesting and surprising as the book went from modern day story to earlier times that were as full of mystery as we imagine them to be and know them to be the basis of all we wonder about in our modern musings on mystery and magic. A very skillful underpinning of psychology and dreams and the reality we can find in them. Oh, Ms. Pollack, you have done it again. Don't let the title put you off. It seemed a bit scary to me but the reader should not find all the horrors that can be imagined from the title because Ms. Pollack handles the suggestion of events with great skill and subtlety though it is the underpinning of the book's story or stories. A masterpiece!!!
July 8, 2014
The Child Eater is fascinating to read. Although I had issues with father figure Jack Simon and his inability (or was it more of a compulsion?) to deal with things happening around him and Rebecca, his wife, in the end the characters all have very sympathetic, human reactions which make it easy to care for them. The tone of the Child Eater almost seems like a fragmentary Grimm's Tale or folk tale that is mysteriously modern with dark undertones that expand upon the sentences and hang about the reader's brain like echoes of evil shadows. Deliciously creepy. This is not just the tale of the Simons, however. It is also the tale of low-born, ill-raised, stable urchin Matyas and how he rises to a pinnacle of magic over all other wizards and his role in history. To say more would be to spoil things and this is a tale best entered into wide-eyed and concerned about what's behind the next page.
January 5, 2016
4.5 stars. I agree with another reviewer who felt the ending was a little bit forced and muddled in light of how Pollack let this beautiful mythic tale grow and branch in unexpected ways. It was the RIGHT ending, but I would have been cool with 20 more pages to get there.
Otherwise...man, what an amazing read. Full of allusion, magic, the fear of magic, betrayals...everything. I loved this so much and just was THERE with Simon and Jack and Matyas and Veil. I was even regularly frustrated at all the characters and still found myself sympathetic to all of them. (Okay, not the Child Eater, who was scary as heck, but all the main characters) This was a sheer delight to read.
Otherwise...man, what an amazing read. Full of allusion, magic, the fear of magic, betrayals...everything. I loved this so much and just was THERE with Simon and Jack and Matyas and Veil. I was even regularly frustrated at all the characters and still found myself sympathetic to all of them. (Okay, not the Child Eater, who was scary as heck, but all the main characters) This was a sheer delight to read.
August 2, 2015
I really liked this book. It had the feel of a fairy tale. It bounces back and forth between the story of Matyas, a boy who's only dream is to be able to fly, and Jack and Jack's son Simon. While there are some elements that connect the two stories , it does take a long time to figure out how they are connected. This is not a bad thing, however, as both of the stories are interesting and made the anticipation of how they were intertwined that much more intriguing.
August 13, 2015
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.]
This was EXTREMELY difficult to follow. I understand the author was trying to show that there are two worlds here that are connected, but the result was a bit of a jumbled mess of keeping track of who was who and who was where at any given time. It made it hard to enjoy the story.
This was EXTREMELY difficult to follow. I understand the author was trying to show that there are two worlds here that are connected, but the result was a bit of a jumbled mess of keeping track of who was who and who was where at any given time. It made it hard to enjoy the story.
September 21, 2015
One character spends most of the book being a total jerk and another spends it being stupid. It all comes together in the last 20 pages and has a happy ending, but if the universe she created wasn't so interesting it would be difficult to get through. But the story is spooky. And that makes it easier to deal with two abrasive characters.
owned-to-read
November 26, 2014*I received a free ARC of The Child Eater from Jo Fletcher Books via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review*
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
July 29, 2015
I don't really like fantasy that much, but this was recommended on some website I like. It was okay. Probably more a 2.5 for me, because I didn't think the writing was great, and one of the main characters was INCREDIBLY annoying.
September 10, 2015
Mostly enjoyable but the end was something of a let-down.
September 17, 2015
A-fricking-plus-plus-plus.
Loved this to bits.
Loved this to bits.
October 12, 2015
Dark, spooky fantasy a little heavy on the angry-adolescent-protagonist but otherwise very readable.
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