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The Mabel Gray Adventures #1
Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun
All is not well in Brightsbane, the village of eternal night. An evil wizard—the very wizard who swallowed the sun, in fact—has stolen The Boneyard Compendium, a book of powerful spells that could bring about the destruction of the entire town. When an Elder enlists the orphans of St. Crippleback’s Home for Waifs and Strays to help track down the wizard, the ever-intrepid Mabel Gray sets out to find the three keys of bone that unlock the Compendium before the wizard gets his diabolical hands on them.
Armed with only her wit and a frightfully small bit of magic in her pocket, Mabel embarks on an adventure that brings her face-to-face with talking scarecrows, high-ranking monsters, babbling witches, ill-tempered daemons, a riddlesome owl who fancies himself a raven, and more. But the wizard isn’t a wizard for nothing, and his evil magic may prove to be more powerful than Mabel ever imagined...
Armed with only her wit and a frightfully small bit of magic in her pocket, Mabel embarks on an adventure that brings her face-to-face with talking scarecrows, high-ranking monsters, babbling witches, ill-tempered daemons, a riddlesome owl who fancies himself a raven, and more. But the wizard isn’t a wizard for nothing, and his evil magic may prove to be more powerful than Mabel ever imagined...
236 pages, Paperback
First published March 19, 2015
53 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Clayton Smith
22 books149 followersClayton Smith is a writer, teacher, and entrepreneur based in Chicago. He is an assistant professor of instruction in the Business and Entrepreneurship Department at Columbia College Chicago, and he is the co-founder of Media Empire Media. His work includes the novels Apocalypticon, Anomaly Flats, and Na Akua and the comedic plays Death and McCootie and The Depths.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 4, 2015
Children are stupid. It's not their fault. They're born that way and it's our job as parents to make them smart enough to one day replace us. That brings me to Mabel Gray.
In Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun, Clayton Smith has created a fantastic world of eternal night and sent a small girl out into the dark to explore it, mostly, alone. Through Mabel we discover the bizarre and engaging history of the world of Brightsbane as she looks to defeat the wizard that swallowed the sun.
Smith's style is that of a playful fairy tale mixed with a little of the macabre—all age appropriate, of course. And through it all, Smith refuses to talk down to children. In reading this book you'll think to yourself, "That's a pretty big word for a kid. If my kid reads this, they're going to be bugging me the whole time asking 'what's this mean,' 'what's that mean,' 'what's that word?'" And that will seem like a lot of work, because you're a lazy parent. But once you get past that you'll realize that Smith created a story so engaging with characters so likable that your kid is willing to read through the hard words and learn a thing or two in the process. And, then maybe they'll get a little smarter.
So if you really think about it, Smith is doing your job for you. So you can go back to be a lazy parent. And your kids will be less dumb.
In Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun, Clayton Smith has created a fantastic world of eternal night and sent a small girl out into the dark to explore it, mostly, alone. Through Mabel we discover the bizarre and engaging history of the world of Brightsbane as she looks to defeat the wizard that swallowed the sun.
Smith's style is that of a playful fairy tale mixed with a little of the macabre—all age appropriate, of course. And through it all, Smith refuses to talk down to children. In reading this book you'll think to yourself, "That's a pretty big word for a kid. If my kid reads this, they're going to be bugging me the whole time asking 'what's this mean,' 'what's that mean,' 'what's that word?'" And that will seem like a lot of work, because you're a lazy parent. But once you get past that you'll realize that Smith created a story so engaging with characters so likable that your kid is willing to read through the hard words and learn a thing or two in the process. And, then maybe they'll get a little smarter.
So if you really think about it, Smith is doing your job for you. So you can go back to be a lazy parent. And your kids will be less dumb.
August 12, 2017
Here's a book i never would have picked up normally. It's a fantasy story, a fairy tale, and a children's book. I picked it up because i like the author. He's written some strange and interesting stories that i really loved, so i picked this up. Although i don't love the genre, i do love a good story and this is a good story. If i had to compare it to other stories, i think i would lump it in with Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Not a bad lump to be lumped in with. The story involves Mabel, a small orphaned waif, who is set on a quest to stop a wizard from opening a dangerous book by retrieving at least one of three keys which open locks to open the book. Along the way she runs into all manner of monsters and beasts. Though it's a children's story, there is plenty in it to amuse adults. It's told with lots of humor and the plot has lots of twists and turns. If i had small kids, this book would be required bedtime reading.
March 11, 2015
Clayton Smith is the most innovative fairytale storyteller in ages. Mabel is a genuine heroine ready to take the place of Harry Potter and Katniss for the next generation of kids. The world he has created if stocked to overfilling with brilliant characters, beasties and perilous adventures. Creatures and people have names that bring smiles to your face that I haven't encountered in any fictional world since JK Rowling. If you have a young reader in your family, this should be at the tp of your list for their next read. Or, give yourself a treat ad read it for yourself. It's a wonderful ride!
May 22, 2015
I'm now used to the darker, more morbid side of Clayton Smith's work, so despite having read the other short Brightsbane tales (which were decidedly more macabre), I was surprised by this lighter novel. It still had a twinge of sadness, but it was immensely enjoyable. I look forward to the next installment.
April 4, 2015
After blessing readers with Apocalypticon last year, Clayton Smith also released a few short stories to introduce everyone to his new and interesting world of Brightsbane. Now I'm not saying these stories are necessary reading for those looking to pick up Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Because not only has Mr. Smith crafted a beautiful world full of interesting characters, he also managed to carefully weave in a few familiar faces for those who read "The Boy Who Trucked With Crows" and "Two Former Rogues." (Plus they're only 99 cents, but I digress.)
But enough of me trying to convince you to give this man more money, because Mabel Gray has arrived and her first adventure is wonderful, and exciting, and fun, and any other positive adjective you can think of. Prior to the release of Mabel, Smith informed his readers that, yes, this was technically a children's story, which meant the violence from his former novel had to be taken out, which was fine with me because that was my biggest issue with the book in the first place. However, the humor is still in tact, and Mabel Gray is just as funny as Apocalypticon. In fact, the comedy is more subtle this time around, which only makes it better, in my opinion.
Little did I know going in, The Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun is the first in a series of books about Mabel Gray, which meant this was as much an origin story as it was a quirky adventure. After first meeting the titular Wizard--who is never given a name--the reader finally meets Mabel, a young orphan with no family (Why do these kids always have no parents? I guess this is a discussion for another time, huh?) She has a yearning for adventure, she has a good heart, and the only thing she truly desires is a family of her own. She's pure and honest, which makes her the perfect heroine.
But what of the book? Well, it is good--it is really good, actually--but I would be hard-pressed to call it "great" or "amazing." With Mabel Gray, Clayton Smith very much went out of his way to create a fairy tale, which is fine, but my problem is I never felt like the story ever tried to be anything more than that. It is a fairy tale that is trying to be a fairy tale, and you're probably thinking it sounds like it accomplished its goal, but not really. What I mean is, I occasionally felt like Smith was trying to emulate what he felt a fairy tale is supposed to be instead of telling us a new story in an interesting way.
As a world, Brightsbane is a compelling place that obviously has a lot of lore for Smith to detail in future works, but it never feels alive. There are too many areas that feel shoehorned in simply because of the genre, like the Briarbranch Woods, which is where the witches live. Also, Smith details many locations throughout the book, but without the help of a map of some sort, I found it hard to determine where everything was in relation to one another. Mabel is constantly commenting on how far she has to travel from place to place, and the reader has to basically take her word for it.
Another thing I took issue with was the occasional stiffness and helplessness of Mabel. At times, her dialogue feels stilted and unnatural for someone her age. She talks and behaves older than she is, which could be fine, but whenever she gets put in a tough situation there is always someone there to rescue her. After a while I went from "How is she going to handle this?" to "Who or what is going to save her now?" It's just another minor thing that took me out of the story and made me cognizant of the fact that I was reading a book.
At this point you're probably thinking, "Well this doesn't sound very good at all." but don't. There are little things that bothered me about this particular story, but there were also little things that bothered me about his previous novel, too. Mabel's shortcomings should not take away from what it does well. As an adult, this story's narration took me back to my childhood and reminded me of Lemony Snicket's quirky storytelling in A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's quick, fun, and completely self-aware, which makes it charming and unforgettable. It is far from perfect, but when I finished that last page I desperately wanted the second book in my hands, so that should tell you something.
But enough of me trying to convince you to give this man more money, because Mabel Gray has arrived and her first adventure is wonderful, and exciting, and fun, and any other positive adjective you can think of. Prior to the release of Mabel, Smith informed his readers that, yes, this was technically a children's story, which meant the violence from his former novel had to be taken out, which was fine with me because that was my biggest issue with the book in the first place. However, the humor is still in tact, and Mabel Gray is just as funny as Apocalypticon. In fact, the comedy is more subtle this time around, which only makes it better, in my opinion.
Little did I know going in, The Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun is the first in a series of books about Mabel Gray, which meant this was as much an origin story as it was a quirky adventure. After first meeting the titular Wizard--who is never given a name--the reader finally meets Mabel, a young orphan with no family (Why do these kids always have no parents? I guess this is a discussion for another time, huh?) She has a yearning for adventure, she has a good heart, and the only thing she truly desires is a family of her own. She's pure and honest, which makes her the perfect heroine.
But what of the book? Well, it is good--it is really good, actually--but I would be hard-pressed to call it "great" or "amazing." With Mabel Gray, Clayton Smith very much went out of his way to create a fairy tale, which is fine, but my problem is I never felt like the story ever tried to be anything more than that. It is a fairy tale that is trying to be a fairy tale, and you're probably thinking it sounds like it accomplished its goal, but not really. What I mean is, I occasionally felt like Smith was trying to emulate what he felt a fairy tale is supposed to be instead of telling us a new story in an interesting way.
As a world, Brightsbane is a compelling place that obviously has a lot of lore for Smith to detail in future works, but it never feels alive. There are too many areas that feel shoehorned in simply because of the genre, like the Briarbranch Woods, which is where the witches live. Also, Smith details many locations throughout the book, but without the help of a map of some sort, I found it hard to determine where everything was in relation to one another. Mabel is constantly commenting on how far she has to travel from place to place, and the reader has to basically take her word for it.
Another thing I took issue with was the occasional stiffness and helplessness of Mabel. At times, her dialogue feels stilted and unnatural for someone her age. She talks and behaves older than she is, which could be fine, but whenever she gets put in a tough situation there is always someone there to rescue her. After a while I went from "How is she going to handle this?" to "Who or what is going to save her now?" It's just another minor thing that took me out of the story and made me cognizant of the fact that I was reading a book.
At this point you're probably thinking, "Well this doesn't sound very good at all." but don't. There are little things that bothered me about this particular story, but there were also little things that bothered me about his previous novel, too. Mabel's shortcomings should not take away from what it does well. As an adult, this story's narration took me back to my childhood and reminded me of Lemony Snicket's quirky storytelling in A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's quick, fun, and completely self-aware, which makes it charming and unforgettable. It is far from perfect, but when I finished that last page I desperately wanted the second book in my hands, so that should tell you something.
April 5, 2015
The genius author behind the world-end skewering Apocalypticon brandishes his whimsical imagination upon fairy tales, and the form becomes fresh again because of it! Mabel Gray is a waif full of pluck and cleverness as she makes her way through the ever-night village of Brightsbane in hopes of foiling a dastardly wizard’s evil plan to destroy the town. Smith puts his irreverent spin on treasured fairy tale archetypes and adds some new ones with grand character-creating flair (the Boneyard Warden is a favorite)! The story sparkles as Mabel traverses the Brightsbane terrain, gaining courage and working to get one step ahead of the wily wizard – and, of course, the dialogue is winsome and masterful. Smith carries readers of all ages along on Mabel’s journey as only he can do: with incredible charm, amazing heart, and a sense of magical playfulness that are his stock-in-trade. Three cheers for Mabel Gray and Brightsbane, and three more for all their stories yet to come!
August 24, 2015
Ah, Mabel Gray. Once again Clayton Smith has woven an engaging enjoyable story. I read this to my 4 yo and 5 yo. Both of them enjoyed the story and were intently interested with what happened to Mabel Gray. As the adult reading the story, I was entertained and loved Smith's humor. It was Simpsons-esque in that one joke/comment expressed a simplicity for children and complexity for adults.
This is a well crafted story from start to finish.
I'm looking forward to Smith's next novel.
This is a well crafted story from start to finish.
I'm looking forward to Smith's next novel.
July 7, 2017
An evil wizard has swallowed the sun over Brightsbane, draping the town in darkness. Now the same wizard has stolen the Boneyard Compendium, a book of powerful spells that the wizard plans to use to destroy Brightsbane completely. Luckily, the wizard doesn’t yet have the three bone keys that he needs to unlock the Compendium. Can little Mabel Gray find all three in time to save her world?
Why The Ten-Year-Old thinks you’ll like it:
“Mabel Gray is perfect for anyone who likes fantasy, really crazy stuff. Not scary, just weird sort of post-apocalyptic stuff, like when they trade the sun for a potato. Anyone who likes crazy stuff like that would like this book a lot.”
February 12, 2018
Not since A Series of Unfortunate Events
Has a book captured the imagination quite so perfectly.
The narrative is full of warnings, the story full of danger and the hero full of courage, though she's not quite certain that it's courage, exactly.
Mabel sets out to retrieve the Compendium for Elder Alder and her journey leads to many discoveries about herself, her family and her world.
Looking forward to the rest of the tale!
Has a book captured the imagination quite so perfectly.
The narrative is full of warnings, the story full of danger and the hero full of courage, though she's not quite certain that it's courage, exactly.
Mabel sets out to retrieve the Compendium for Elder Alder and her journey leads to many discoveries about herself, her family and her world.
Looking forward to the rest of the tale!
February 24, 2018
A grand adventure by a smart young woman
This endearing tale covers all of the bases: danger, quests, dragons, witches, wizards and young orphans with dreams. Mabel Gray is an intelligent and brave girl who hopes to become more than just an orphan. She takes a chance to fulfill a quest and learns many things about the world around her. She tries her best to make things better and affects everyone she comes in contact with. An enjoyable, entertaining read.
This endearing tale covers all of the bases: danger, quests, dragons, witches, wizards and young orphans with dreams. Mabel Gray is an intelligent and brave girl who hopes to become more than just an orphan. She takes a chance to fulfill a quest and learns many things about the world around her. She tries her best to make things better and affects everyone she comes in contact with. An enjoyable, entertaining read.
February 12, 2018
Very cute children's fanatasy, written well enough to keep me turning pages until late at night. No foul language though it has a few sinister characters and some mildly scary scenes as Mable tries to outwit an evil wizard. There is a delightful twist at the end and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
May 4, 2018
Great story!!
I read this to my kids, ages 7, 5 & 3. They enjoyed it. But I might caution against reading it to such a young crowd as there are some scary things that I had too work through with my kids. Probably better for 6 and older. As an adult I very much enjoyed the story which is mostly why I kept reading it to my kids!
I read this to my kids, ages 7, 5 & 3. They enjoyed it. But I might caution against reading it to such a young crowd as there are some scary things that I had too work through with my kids. Probably better for 6 and older. As an adult I very much enjoyed the story which is mostly why I kept reading it to my kids!
September 29, 2018
Delightful
What a wonderful tale. I’m anxious to read this with my Granddaughter who is in the 3rd grade. She enjoys a good story, which this one certainly is, but isn’t much of a reader. I look forward to traveling Mabel’s journey with her.
What a wonderful tale. I’m anxious to read this with my Granddaughter who is in the 3rd grade. She enjoys a good story, which this one certainly is, but isn’t much of a reader. I look forward to traveling Mabel’s journey with her.
September 27, 2017
So much fun!
Clayton Smith is an insanely original storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, and I can't wait to read what's next!
Clayton Smith is an insanely original storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, and I can't wait to read what's next!
November 19, 2018
Wonderful
Well written, take well told. Want to find the second and continue the story. Recommend this to all ages shapes & sizes
Well written, take well told. Want to find the second and continue the story. Recommend this to all ages shapes & sizes
January 8, 2017
A Terrifically Engaging Heroine
Plucky, practical, polite and steadfast, with a keen appreciation of irony, and an appealing touch of wistful melancholy, Mabel is a heroine you can really take to heart and root for.
She's launched on her adventure because she really wants a "Letter of High Station", the reward she's been promised and the item she needs in order to advance in her socially regimented world. But like Dorothy in Oz, what she really needs is to find her home and her family. So, sent on a hopeless quest to frustrate an evil Wizard's evil plans, she charms, reasons, argues, and lucks her way from adventure to adventure, always tantalizingly close to realizing her dreams.
This book has a lot of moving parts, but they all fit together seamlessly. The narrator is ever present, frequently confiding to the reader or wandering off on whimsical digressions. This device is often, ultimately, cloying or distracting, but Smith pulls it off, and manages to use this narrator's voice to keep the younger reader focused and on track, while amusing the older reader. The world in which the action is set is nicely imagined and realized without being so overbuilt and overexplained that it becomes top heavy or tedious. Interestingly, most adults are a bit unreliable and a bit devious, and it's the supposed bad guys, (Riddle Raven, Bad Witch, the Viceroy, Reginald the Dragon, and so on), who are more forthright and honest. That's a neat trick to pull off.
On top of all that there is some really funny, dry and deadpan, throwaway business that is not in any way essential to the story, but just punches it up enough to make fun of the material in an I-kid-because-I-love sort of way. (For example, there's a Good Witch, a Bad Witch, and a "Witch of Neutral Position". I'm sorry, but that just cracks me up.)
There's also just enough of an edge in some of the throwaways and narration to make this more than a love and kisses homage to fairy tales and storytelling. Between the sometimes tart dialogue, the deviousness of some characters, and the ambiguity of some of the fixes in which Mabel finds herself, there is plenty to think over here.
So, for any younger reader this should be a treat. For the right, or ready, younger reader this should be a feast. An absolutely compelling Kindle find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Plucky, practical, polite and steadfast, with a keen appreciation of irony, and an appealing touch of wistful melancholy, Mabel is a heroine you can really take to heart and root for.
She's launched on her adventure because she really wants a "Letter of High Station", the reward she's been promised and the item she needs in order to advance in her socially regimented world. But like Dorothy in Oz, what she really needs is to find her home and her family. So, sent on a hopeless quest to frustrate an evil Wizard's evil plans, she charms, reasons, argues, and lucks her way from adventure to adventure, always tantalizingly close to realizing her dreams.
This book has a lot of moving parts, but they all fit together seamlessly. The narrator is ever present, frequently confiding to the reader or wandering off on whimsical digressions. This device is often, ultimately, cloying or distracting, but Smith pulls it off, and manages to use this narrator's voice to keep the younger reader focused and on track, while amusing the older reader. The world in which the action is set is nicely imagined and realized without being so overbuilt and overexplained that it becomes top heavy or tedious. Interestingly, most adults are a bit unreliable and a bit devious, and it's the supposed bad guys, (Riddle Raven, Bad Witch, the Viceroy, Reginald the Dragon, and so on), who are more forthright and honest. That's a neat trick to pull off.
On top of all that there is some really funny, dry and deadpan, throwaway business that is not in any way essential to the story, but just punches it up enough to make fun of the material in an I-kid-because-I-love sort of way. (For example, there's a Good Witch, a Bad Witch, and a "Witch of Neutral Position". I'm sorry, but that just cracks me up.)
There's also just enough of an edge in some of the throwaways and narration to make this more than a love and kisses homage to fairy tales and storytelling. Between the sometimes tart dialogue, the deviousness of some characters, and the ambiguity of some of the fixes in which Mabel finds herself, there is plenty to think over here.
So, for any younger reader this should be a treat. For the right, or ready, younger reader this should be a feast. An absolutely compelling Kindle find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
January 8, 2017
A Terrifically Engaging Heroine
Plucky, practical, polite and steadfast, with a keen appreciation of irony, and an appealing touch of wistful melancholy, Mabel is a heroine you can really take to heart and root for.
She's launched on her adventure because she really wants a "Letter of High Station", the reward she's been promised and the item she needs in order to advance in her socially regimented world. But like Dorothy in Oz, what she really needs is to find her home and her family. So, sent on a hopeless quest to frustrate an evil Wizard's evil plans, she charms, reasons, argues, and lucks her way from adventure to adventure, always tantalizingly close to realizing her dreams.
This book has a lot of moving parts, but they all fit together seamlessly. The narrator is ever present, frequently confiding to the reader or wandering off on whimsical digressions. This device is often, ultimately, cloying or distracting, but Smith pulls it off, and manages to use this narrator's voice to keep the younger reader focused and on track, while amusing the older reader. The world in which the action is set is nicely imagined and realized without being so overbuilt and overexplained that it becomes top heavy or tedious. Interestingly, most adults are a bit unreliable and a bit devious, and it's the supposed bad guys, (Riddle Raven, Bad Witch, the Viceroy, Reginald the Dragon, and so on), who are more forthright and honest. That's a neat trick to pull off.
On top of all that there is some really funny, dry and deadpan, throwaway business that is not in any way essential to the story, but just punches it up enough to make fun of the material in an I-kid-because-I-love sort of way. (For example, there's a Good Witch, a Bad Witch, and a "Witch of Neutral Position". I'm sorry, but that just cracks me up.)
There's also just enough of an edge in some of the throwaways and narration to make this more than a love and kisses homage to fairy tales and storytelling. Between the sometimes tart dialogue, the deviousness of some characters, and the ambiguity of some of the fixes in which Mabel finds herself, there is plenty to think over here.
So, for any younger reader this should be a treat. For the right, or ready, younger reader this should be a feast. An absolutely compelling Kindle find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Plucky, practical, polite and steadfast, with a keen appreciation of irony, and an appealing touch of wistful melancholy, Mabel is a heroine you can really take to heart and root for.
She's launched on her adventure because she really wants a "Letter of High Station", the reward she's been promised and the item she needs in order to advance in her socially regimented world. But like Dorothy in Oz, what she really needs is to find her home and her family. So, sent on a hopeless quest to frustrate an evil Wizard's evil plans, she charms, reasons, argues, and lucks her way from adventure to adventure, always tantalizingly close to realizing her dreams.
This book has a lot of moving parts, but they all fit together seamlessly. The narrator is ever present, frequently confiding to the reader or wandering off on whimsical digressions. This device is often, ultimately, cloying or distracting, but Smith pulls it off, and manages to use this narrator's voice to keep the younger reader focused and on track, while amusing the older reader. The world in which the action is set is nicely imagined and realized without being so overbuilt and overexplained that it becomes top heavy or tedious. Interestingly, most adults are a bit unreliable and a bit devious, and it's the supposed bad guys, (Riddle Raven, Bad Witch, the Viceroy, Reginald the Dragon, and so on), who are more forthright and honest. That's a neat trick to pull off.
On top of all that there is some really funny, dry and deadpan, throwaway business that is not in any way essential to the story, but just punches it up enough to make fun of the material in an I-kid-because-I-love sort of way. (For example, there's a Good Witch, a Bad Witch, and a "Witch of Neutral Position". I'm sorry, but that just cracks me up.)
There's also just enough of an edge in some of the throwaways and narration to make this more than a love and kisses homage to fairy tales and storytelling. Between the sometimes tart dialogue, the deviousness of some characters, and the ambiguity of some of the fixes in which Mabel finds herself, there is plenty to think over here.
So, for any younger reader this should be a treat. For the right, or ready, younger reader this should be a feast. An absolutely compelling Kindle find. (Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. It is currently a kindleunlimited choice. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
March 17, 2015
To imagine Clayton Smith as an author with such an array of ideas is to imagine a mad scientist with crazy white electrocuted hair, wearing an oversized lab coat that's too long, but yet somehow is never tripped over. There will be bunsen burners with assorted colors of boiling liquids and test tubes smoking, all while lifting a fog above the laboratory's floor drowned by maniacal laughter. He keeps searching for that missing piece that eludes him but always gives birth to new ideas. At least this is how I imagine his creative process.
Fantasy is not my genre. I'm just not a fan. But I like Clayton Smith. So... either after reading this I will not like Clayton Smith or I will like fantasy. Well, I tried my best to not like Clayton Smith, but I failed. I really enjoyed this story, I mean, I read it in one sitting on a six hour flight. Now, as I was confined to 12F for six hours, I did have other options of entertainment, but I chose to read this and then couldn't put it down. It was incredibly entertaining and full of intelligent wit. Mabel is a character you adore and root for, someone you wish you knew as a friend that you could carry around at all times in your back pocket. It's fast paced and just well worth your time.
Fantasy is not my genre. I'm just not a fan. But I like Clayton Smith. So... either after reading this I will not like Clayton Smith or I will like fantasy. Well, I tried my best to not like Clayton Smith, but I failed. I really enjoyed this story, I mean, I read it in one sitting on a six hour flight. Now, as I was confined to 12F for six hours, I did have other options of entertainment, but I chose to read this and then couldn't put it down. It was incredibly entertaining and full of intelligent wit. Mabel is a character you adore and root for, someone you wish you knew as a friend that you could carry around at all times in your back pocket. It's fast paced and just well worth your time.
October 20, 2018
Very enjoyable little tale about a adventurous waif
January 20, 2020
This is our third time through and my 8 year old keeps asking me to read it again!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews