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The Honours
TRUE HONOUR IS ENDLESS. JOIN US.
1935. Norfolk.
War is looming in Great Britain and the sprawling country estate of Alderberen Hall is shadowed by suspicion and paranoia. Thirteen-year-old Delphine Venner is determined to uncover the secrets of the Hall's elite society, which has taken in her gullible mother and unstable father.
As she explores the house and discovers the secret network of hidden passages that thread through the estate, Delphine uncovers a world more dark and threatening than she ever imagined. With the help of head gamekeeper Mr Garforth, Delphine must learn the bloody lessons of war and find the soldier within herself in time to battle the deadly forces amassing in the woods . . .
The Honours is a dark, glittering and dangerously unputdownable novel which invites you to enter a thrilling and fantastical world unlike any other.
1935. Norfolk.
War is looming in Great Britain and the sprawling country estate of Alderberen Hall is shadowed by suspicion and paranoia. Thirteen-year-old Delphine Venner is determined to uncover the secrets of the Hall's elite society, which has taken in her gullible mother and unstable father.
As she explores the house and discovers the secret network of hidden passages that thread through the estate, Delphine uncovers a world more dark and threatening than she ever imagined. With the help of head gamekeeper Mr Garforth, Delphine must learn the bloody lessons of war and find the soldier within herself in time to battle the deadly forces amassing in the woods . . .
The Honours is a dark, glittering and dangerously unputdownable novel which invites you to enter a thrilling and fantastical world unlike any other.
408 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
March 20, 2015
Sometimes a book comes along which, although you do not particularly enjoy that genre, you do love the story. Although I am not a lover of fantasy as a genre, I was totally entranced by this novel and found it quite unlike anything I have read before. Our heroine is a thirteen year old girl called Delphine Venner. Sent away from school, after a series of events which are gradually uncovered at the novel progresses, Delphine is a rather forlorn and misunderstood figure. It is 1935 and war is looming, but her artist father is obviously still suffering the mental affects of the last conflict. Delphine’s mother is coping badly with her husband’s condition and fails to explain anything adequately to her daughter. Shortly after returning home, the family decamp to Alderberen Hall, home of the elderly Lazarus Stokeham, 4th Earl of Alderberen. Delphine’s father was the former batman of Lord Alderberen’s son and the Hall has been opened by Lord Alderberen for the use of The Society for the Perpetual Improvement of Man.
Populated by an odd mix of characters, including Dr Lansley, Ivanovitch Propp, Professor Algernon Carmichael and Miss Patience DeGroot, Delphine finds herself an unwelcome presence. Delphine is extremely imaginative and, before long, she has convinced herself that sinister events are planned by the inhabitants of the Hall. Movingly, she is motivated by a desire to help her father but, largely ignored – or feeling disliked – by most of the adults around her, she begins to roam around the house, grounds and woods of the house. Befriended by the gamekeeper, Henry Garforth, Delphine explores the tunnels created by the previous, reclusive, Earl of Alderberen, and finds she can spy and prowl without being detected. Are the inhabitants of the house spies? Is there a prisoner within the walls of the Hall? What are the mysterious creatures that she thinks she spots in the nearby woods?
As events spiral, we find that not all is as it seems. However, the author has brilliantly interwoven a fantasy story and set it within a world still suffering the after effects of one world war, even as it faces another. The 1930’s country house setting has never been more wonderfully twisted, to create a world that is both very well known and yet completely different. With a good cast of characters, including the intrepid Delphine, this is an exciting and yet often poignant novel, about a girl attempting to make sense of the way her world has tilted beyond her control. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.
Populated by an odd mix of characters, including Dr Lansley, Ivanovitch Propp, Professor Algernon Carmichael and Miss Patience DeGroot, Delphine finds herself an unwelcome presence. Delphine is extremely imaginative and, before long, she has convinced herself that sinister events are planned by the inhabitants of the Hall. Movingly, she is motivated by a desire to help her father but, largely ignored – or feeling disliked – by most of the adults around her, she begins to roam around the house, grounds and woods of the house. Befriended by the gamekeeper, Henry Garforth, Delphine explores the tunnels created by the previous, reclusive, Earl of Alderberen, and finds she can spy and prowl without being detected. Are the inhabitants of the house spies? Is there a prisoner within the walls of the Hall? What are the mysterious creatures that she thinks she spots in the nearby woods?
As events spiral, we find that not all is as it seems. However, the author has brilliantly interwoven a fantasy story and set it within a world still suffering the after effects of one world war, even as it faces another. The 1930’s country house setting has never been more wonderfully twisted, to create a world that is both very well known and yet completely different. With a good cast of characters, including the intrepid Delphine, this is an exciting and yet often poignant novel, about a girl attempting to make sense of the way her world has tilted beyond her control. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.
June 4, 2015
This has been a very difficult book for me to review. For starters, I loved the main character Delphine. She was extremely well-built, and her personality flowed out of the pages as if she was real. Some people have compared Delphine to His Dark Materials' Lyra, and indeed, there is a very strong resemblance in their wilfulness, resourcefulness, and outright incredible imagination. She was a joy to read. Likewise, the writing of the book was captivating. Tim Clare wrote this novel beautifully, each passage wonderfully constructed, kept your attention and kept you coming back for more. On those merits, a fully get the praise given to The Honours. But here's the thing... I finished the book, and I realised that actually I didn't really gave a damn about the story. A setting so wonderfully constructed, for nothing. The book mainly spends its majority trying to keep us at our toes that a great mystery is afoot, and finally when it reaches its climax, it was m'eh. And that's a crying shame, because it feels that all the effort creating a wonderful main character and a compelling setting went to waste. I give it 3.5 for effort, and it really was a great effort, but bad execution.
May 5, 2015
Too much. Too weird. Too confusing. Too slow. Took me about 75% of the way into the book to even start to understand what was going on. After that, the action was too much and took too long to come to a conclusion. I found myself simply reading quickly to finish the book; probably skimmed the last 20% of the novel. Don't suggest it.
December 18, 2018
The Honours is set in 1935 in a sanatorium out on the remote coast of Norfolk. The place has a small staff and, I think, not very many patients . The grand house the sanatorium occupies is the family home of Lord Stokeham, last in the line of what was once a great aristocratic family. There is a distinct atmosphere of paranoia, secrecy and - I can't think of a better word - weirdness about the place. When our heroine Delphine arrives with her mother and psychologically troubled father - a veteran of the First World War and a painter - and she is determined to find out what's really going on here.
Delphine Venner is thirteen and her head is full of spy stories (I immediately thought of The 39 Steps, Riddle of the Sands and any of the gung-ho adventure comics of the time). She fears Bolsheviks taking over the country - and this is hardly surprising, the papers were pushing an agenda of threats on the horizon from Germany and Russia; there was an atmosphere of paranoia at large, a lot of fear about, and a lot of misinformation feeding that fear. Does this sound horribly familiar? It should.
Delphine is fearless, angry and is often underestimated by adults. She loves her father very much indeed, but her relationship with her mother is difficult. Delphine has some troubling history herself; a terrible event happened at her school, which she has now left. Was she to blame, is she a delinquent?. Delphine is not at Alderberen Hall for treatment, she's simply been brought along by her parents and, once there, pretty much abandoned to her own devices and imaginings.
At the start of this book I wasn't sure what to make of Delphine; she sneaks about the house in the gaps between the walls, roams the grounds and woods with a pair of ferrets on strings, gets copies of keys made on the sly, spies on people, goes where she's told not to go and takes apparently insane risks all the time. She could be quite unlikeable if she had not been written so well, could have been a bit of a brat. But she's no brat - Delphine is brilliantly clever and very loyal, especially to her father and to Mr Garforth, the gamekeeper, who becomes one of her only friends.
As the story progressed I felt more and more empathy for Delphine - a young adolescent who is not being listened to (I think we've all been there) who knows there is something bad afoot, knows that this place is not at all healthy. She's astute enough to understand that the adults living and working at the hall are hiding something, possibly something terrible.
The adults are a rum bunch, among them Delphine's parents; cold-hearted Anne Venner (always referred to as 'Mother') and beloved though troubled Daddy, Gideon. The awful Dr Lansley - a phenomenally rude individual who immediately dislikes Delphine, or maybe children in general; Mr Propp, who we first find plotting in a room as we spy with Delphine; Miss de Groot - a waspish 'society lady' type; Lord Stokeham (Lazarus) who also appears to be in on some kind of plot; Mr Kung, a mysterious Chinese gentleman, Professor Charmichael, who becomes Delphine's rather haphazard tutor, and Mr Garforth - the gamekeeper and Delphine's comrade - she spends a lot of time with him, he teaches her how to shoot.
The very first scene of The Honours is unsettling. It drops us into the heart of later action for a couple of pages, and then we are taken back to nine months previously. As a reader I was immediately intrigued...it seemed unlikely that what had happened could be real, it's very dark. I tried very hard to second guess the writer all the way through this but it is not a straightforward tale. There are local legends about the house, about under ground tunnels and eccentric ancestors, and are there strange creatures abroad - or is Delphine imagining things?.
As the story progresses it becomes ever more extraordinary. It is fantastic in the unreal sense of the word, yet it is never unbelievable. It's about fighting for things you believe in and being brave in the face of impossible odds. It's action packed, with excellent fight scenes, races against time and lots of peril - brilliantly channeling the adventure stories a 1930s child would have read. I found myself reading it well into the night, trying to find a stopping point (luckily it has chapters, but even those prompts were hard to keep to!).
If you love a feisty heroine, a mystery and darkly fascinating happenings in a book that will really make you think while being hugely entertaining (and which has footnotes!) then I'd urge you to read The Honours.
Delphine Venner is thirteen and her head is full of spy stories (I immediately thought of The 39 Steps, Riddle of the Sands and any of the gung-ho adventure comics of the time). She fears Bolsheviks taking over the country - and this is hardly surprising, the papers were pushing an agenda of threats on the horizon from Germany and Russia; there was an atmosphere of paranoia at large, a lot of fear about, and a lot of misinformation feeding that fear. Does this sound horribly familiar? It should.
Delphine is fearless, angry and is often underestimated by adults. She loves her father very much indeed, but her relationship with her mother is difficult. Delphine has some troubling history herself; a terrible event happened at her school, which she has now left. Was she to blame, is she a delinquent?. Delphine is not at Alderberen Hall for treatment, she's simply been brought along by her parents and, once there, pretty much abandoned to her own devices and imaginings.
At the start of this book I wasn't sure what to make of Delphine; she sneaks about the house in the gaps between the walls, roams the grounds and woods with a pair of ferrets on strings, gets copies of keys made on the sly, spies on people, goes where she's told not to go and takes apparently insane risks all the time. She could be quite unlikeable if she had not been written so well, could have been a bit of a brat. But she's no brat - Delphine is brilliantly clever and very loyal, especially to her father and to Mr Garforth, the gamekeeper, who becomes one of her only friends.
As the story progressed I felt more and more empathy for Delphine - a young adolescent who is not being listened to (I think we've all been there) who knows there is something bad afoot, knows that this place is not at all healthy. She's astute enough to understand that the adults living and working at the hall are hiding something, possibly something terrible.
The adults are a rum bunch, among them Delphine's parents; cold-hearted Anne Venner (always referred to as 'Mother') and beloved though troubled Daddy, Gideon. The awful Dr Lansley - a phenomenally rude individual who immediately dislikes Delphine, or maybe children in general; Mr Propp, who we first find plotting in a room as we spy with Delphine; Miss de Groot - a waspish 'society lady' type; Lord Stokeham (Lazarus) who also appears to be in on some kind of plot; Mr Kung, a mysterious Chinese gentleman, Professor Charmichael, who becomes Delphine's rather haphazard tutor, and Mr Garforth - the gamekeeper and Delphine's comrade - she spends a lot of time with him, he teaches her how to shoot.
The very first scene of The Honours is unsettling. It drops us into the heart of later action for a couple of pages, and then we are taken back to nine months previously. As a reader I was immediately intrigued...it seemed unlikely that what had happened could be real, it's very dark. I tried very hard to second guess the writer all the way through this but it is not a straightforward tale. There are local legends about the house, about under ground tunnels and eccentric ancestors, and are there strange creatures abroad - or is Delphine imagining things?.
As the story progresses it becomes ever more extraordinary. It is fantastic in the unreal sense of the word, yet it is never unbelievable. It's about fighting for things you believe in and being brave in the face of impossible odds. It's action packed, with excellent fight scenes, races against time and lots of peril - brilliantly channeling the adventure stories a 1930s child would have read. I found myself reading it well into the night, trying to find a stopping point (luckily it has chapters, but even those prompts were hard to keep to!).
If you love a feisty heroine, a mystery and darkly fascinating happenings in a book that will really make you think while being hugely entertaining (and which has footnotes!) then I'd urge you to read The Honours.
September 6, 2022
I picked up The Honours from the library shelf because I liked the cover design. The blurb seemed sufficiently intriguing to give it a try and I’m very glad that I did. It’s essentially a combination of two bits of media I’ve very much enjoyed: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters and the netflix series Stranger Things. The setting, mid-1930s Norfolk, may differ but many delightful elements overlap: supernatural happenings, nefarious plots, secret tunnels, teenagers investigating, improvised weapons, and alarming monsters . There is an impressive sense of menace throughout, as the setting has a suitably creepy atmosphere, the adult characters are enigmatic, and the action scenes are thrilling. I don’t think it has much depth, but is huge fun.
What really makes the novel shine is the protagonist Delphine. She is a magnificently feral 13-year-old who was expelled from boarding school and left to run around a creepy isolated estate unsupervised. The chaos she creates while investigating the weirdness of the place is truly delightful. In some fantastical novels with a solitary teenage protagonist, I find it frustrating that they don’t know what’s going on. Somehow in The Honours this was not an issue at all. Possibly because of the third person narration, claustrophobic setting, and/or sense that adults don’t know what the hell is happening either? Whatever it is, I really enjoyed following Delphine’s adventures. The background conspiracy is of less immediate interest than all the immediate risks she runs by skulking around and answering back to everyone.
Only two petty details distracted me slightly from Delphine’s shenanigans. The first is the inclusion of Mars bars in a 1935 setting. This seemed implausible, but according to Wikipedia they were first sold in Slough in 1932. With a little more research, I even found a picture of a 1930s Mars wrapper. Live and learn! Neither of these niggles prevented me from greatly enjoying The Honours and I definitely want to read the sequel.
What really makes the novel shine is the protagonist Delphine. She is a magnificently feral 13-year-old who was expelled from boarding school and left to run around a creepy isolated estate unsupervised. The chaos she creates while investigating the weirdness of the place is truly delightful. In some fantastical novels with a solitary teenage protagonist, I find it frustrating that they don’t know what’s going on. Somehow in The Honours this was not an issue at all. Possibly because of the third person narration, claustrophobic setting, and/or sense that adults don’t know what the hell is happening either? Whatever it is, I really enjoyed following Delphine’s adventures. The background conspiracy is of less immediate interest than all the immediate risks she runs by skulking around and answering back to everyone.
Only two petty details distracted me slightly from Delphine’s shenanigans. The first is the inclusion of Mars bars in a 1935 setting. This seemed implausible, but according to Wikipedia they were first sold in Slough in 1932. With a little more research, I even found a picture of a 1930s Mars wrapper. Live and learn! Neither of these niggles prevented me from greatly enjoying The Honours and I definitely want to read the sequel.
March 25, 2016
This book surprised me a lot. It was so much faster-paced than I was expecting, and it definitely had many themes and ideas which I didn't anticipate. I honestly thought it was a historical fiction-style novel, but in actuality, it is more of a historical fiction fantasy blend. This book is also so incredibly fast paced. I read nearly the entire thing in 2hours which is pretty crazy, but the chapters are short and the character we follow is imaginative and fun so it's a very light easy read.
This follows the young girl, Delphine, as she is on her way home from Boarding School after being expelled. Delphine is an imaginative and creative child with a ton of whimsical ideas which she constantly inserts into the storyline so you're never entirely sure if what she's describing is happening or if she's imagining it or interpreting it wrong. She's only 13 and so seeing the world through her eyes is interesting becuase you have to decide what to trust and what not to, and believe me, she's got a wild, vivid imagination.
Delphine and her family are quickly moved into a strange old house filled with hidden passages and tunnels and lots of adults. Delphine is the only child there and thus quickly gets into mischief discovering the old tunnels and exploring and eavesdropping. She's a vivacious young child who is not afraid to snoop in rooms she's not allowed in or listen in to conversations. She's also very confident in her own abilities and she has one scene where she lists all the things she wants to learn from her tutor, including 'poisoning, how to skin an elephant, what plants cure fever, bomb-making' and much more (which shows you some of her character).
When Delphine beings to realise that the people in the house seem to know about something sinister she begins investigating in earnest and the story takes off from this point, gathering speed and excitement as it goes and later bringing in magical elements.
I have to say although this was a really fun ride at times and Idid like Delphine a lot as a character, I certainly felt that it was a bit too quick at times and some of the mysteries could have been expanded upon. I don't know if a sequel is planned or not, but there is for sure room for a sequel, and so I would be interested in what happens next.
I also feel as though some of the other characters within the book (in fact most) were really annoying to read about and never listened to Delphine even when she was telling them important information. I have a real problem with adults being silly and not listening, and there was a lot of that going on.
Overall this wasn't what I expected and it was a jolly fun read with some pretty crazy scenes. If you're looking for a fast, light read maybe this is for you and I gave it a 3*s overall. I will say it's not the best example of fantasy-historic blends I have seen, and it definitely has some issues, but it was a great palette-cleanser after some of the longer heavy books I have been recently reading. It gets pretty mixed reviews on Goodreads, and I can certainly see why!
This follows the young girl, Delphine, as she is on her way home from Boarding School after being expelled. Delphine is an imaginative and creative child with a ton of whimsical ideas which she constantly inserts into the storyline so you're never entirely sure if what she's describing is happening or if she's imagining it or interpreting it wrong. She's only 13 and so seeing the world through her eyes is interesting becuase you have to decide what to trust and what not to, and believe me, she's got a wild, vivid imagination.
Delphine and her family are quickly moved into a strange old house filled with hidden passages and tunnels and lots of adults. Delphine is the only child there and thus quickly gets into mischief discovering the old tunnels and exploring and eavesdropping. She's a vivacious young child who is not afraid to snoop in rooms she's not allowed in or listen in to conversations. She's also very confident in her own abilities and she has one scene where she lists all the things she wants to learn from her tutor, including 'poisoning, how to skin an elephant, what plants cure fever, bomb-making' and much more (which shows you some of her character).
When Delphine beings to realise that the people in the house seem to know about something sinister she begins investigating in earnest and the story takes off from this point, gathering speed and excitement as it goes and later bringing in magical elements.
I have to say although this was a really fun ride at times and Idid like Delphine a lot as a character, I certainly felt that it was a bit too quick at times and some of the mysteries could have been expanded upon. I don't know if a sequel is planned or not, but there is for sure room for a sequel, and so I would be interested in what happens next.
I also feel as though some of the other characters within the book (in fact most) were really annoying to read about and never listened to Delphine even when she was telling them important information. I have a real problem with adults being silly and not listening, and there was a lot of that going on.
Overall this wasn't what I expected and it was a jolly fun read with some pretty crazy scenes. If you're looking for a fast, light read maybe this is for you and I gave it a 3*s overall. I will say it's not the best example of fantasy-historic blends I have seen, and it definitely has some issues, but it was a great palette-cleanser after some of the longer heavy books I have been recently reading. It gets pretty mixed reviews on Goodreads, and I can certainly see why!
March 20, 2019
This book is a real shame. There is talented writing on show, some intriguing and likable characters, and hints of an interesting and unique world. Unfortunately, the end result is a schizophrenic mess that results in a massive waste of time.
The first 75% of the book meanders through meaningless, sluggish subplots that have nothing whatsoever to do with the final quarter, when the book suddenly and without warning morphs into a rushed and fantastical fantasy novel. This would have been fine, and in fact could have been great, if the first section of the book had laid any foundations for what was to come. A couple of sinister overheard conversations is not enough to make an mythical invasion of into our reality plausible. The whole thing jars, like the author grew bored with his novel and said, screw it, lets write a grand fantasy climax instead.
Nowhere else is this more bothersome than with Delphine's father, who is portrayed as a mental patient in the first section. What a great opportunity his supposed madness could have been to drip feed some taste of the fantasy universe we're supposed to be inhabiting. Maybe his father rambles about another world, where people are immortal and monsters are real, mumbling about The Honours, only to leave us guessing as to what is real? But no, there is none of that. He's kept almost entirely out of sight until he appears at the end, with chapters from his perspective no less, babbling about a obsession with numbers that had never been mentioned before.
Perhaps the book would have worked if the leap into the supernatural was a genuine surprise, but given "fighting skinwings" is mystifyingly mentioned on the back cover, and we see Delphine fighting a giant bat in the prologue, there is no mystery here at all, and yet we're expected to read hundreds of pages of preamble before anything mystical happens at all.
A disappointing read which I liked enough to be cross about its missed potential.
The first 75% of the book meanders through meaningless, sluggish subplots that have nothing whatsoever to do with the final quarter, when the book suddenly and without warning morphs into a rushed and fantastical fantasy novel. This would have been fine, and in fact could have been great, if the first section of the book had laid any foundations for what was to come. A couple of sinister overheard conversations is not enough to make an mythical invasion of into our reality plausible. The whole thing jars, like the author grew bored with his novel and said, screw it, lets write a grand fantasy climax instead.
Nowhere else is this more bothersome than with Delphine's father, who is portrayed as a mental patient in the first section. What a great opportunity his supposed madness could have been to drip feed some taste of the fantasy universe we're supposed to be inhabiting. Maybe his father rambles about another world, where people are immortal and monsters are real, mumbling about The Honours, only to leave us guessing as to what is real? But no, there is none of that. He's kept almost entirely out of sight until he appears at the end, with chapters from his perspective no less, babbling about a obsession with numbers that had never been mentioned before.
Perhaps the book would have worked if the leap into the supernatural was a genuine surprise, but given "fighting skinwings" is mystifyingly mentioned on the back cover, and we see Delphine fighting a giant bat in the prologue, there is no mystery here at all, and yet we're expected to read hundreds of pages of preamble before anything mystical happens at all.
A disappointing read which I liked enough to be cross about its missed potential.
December 9, 2018
As a big fan of Tim Clare's podcast, Death of 1000 Cuts, I needed to read his novel, The Honours, and I was not disappointed.
This is a fantasy novel unlike any I have ever read. Literary without being stuffy, fantastical yet tethered to reality, The Honours introduced a world I did not want to leave. Delphine, although living in 1935, is a heroine worthy of our attention in modern times. She is strong and smart, yet struggles with not fitting in to her expected gender role at the time. She is a highly interesting, relatable character, and I can't wait to read more about her.
Anyone who loves fantasy, but is tired of the endless stream of unoriginal Tolkein knockoffs, should definitely read The Honours. It is well written, strongly plotted, set in a world that feels alive, and populated with a great cast of characters.
I can't wait to read the sequel next year!
This is a fantasy novel unlike any I have ever read. Literary without being stuffy, fantastical yet tethered to reality, The Honours introduced a world I did not want to leave. Delphine, although living in 1935, is a heroine worthy of our attention in modern times. She is strong and smart, yet struggles with not fitting in to her expected gender role at the time. She is a highly interesting, relatable character, and I can't wait to read more about her.
Anyone who loves fantasy, but is tired of the endless stream of unoriginal Tolkein knockoffs, should definitely read The Honours. It is well written, strongly plotted, set in a world that feels alive, and populated with a great cast of characters.
I can't wait to read the sequel next year!
August 8, 2019
Completely captivating and truly awesome. I was lucky to win a proof copy of this book, and lapped it up in a couple of days, staying up till 4am to finish it as I couldn't wait till the next day. A brilliant main character, Delphine (who I wish had been at 13) and amazing attention to detail throughout the book. It's the first of three books, and although it will probably be a couple of years till the next, I can't wait for it.
Similar in fantasy style to the Philip Pullman His Dark Materials books, but better.
Similar in fantasy style to the Philip Pullman His Dark Materials books, but better.
March 22, 2015
Well, the hype is all totally justified, EXCEPTIONALLY well written, just beautiful in fact. Well paced, excitement is always round the corner, great characters - Delphine is especially brilliant. A triumph!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!
February 29, 2016
I wanted to like The Honours so, so badly. I truly did. It's a first novel so I will be a bit more friendly than I would be otherwise.
I like a lot of aspects of the story. A plucky teenage heroine who's good with guns, stylish 1930s setting, a good mystery. The last third of the book flew by and I found myself staying up til 4am because I just HAD to finish it.
The first two thirds though... The pacing is very off. It took me two weeks to get through the first three hundred pages because I just couldn't be bothered. The only reason I plowed through was because I was intrigued about the ending.
Delphine is a good enough character, I GUESS. She reminded me a bit of myself as a 13 year old - a bit gobby, always thinking that The Adults were up to something and convincing myself that everything was part of a larger conspiracy (and inevitably sticking my nose in it). She's one of them characters that's automatically good at things, though, which doesn't scream "great character building" to me. She's VERY smart, great with guns, an adept map-reader...
The other characters are all a little bit interesting, but there is a whole damn lot of them. There are so, so many Mr Somethings that I quickly lost track of who the hell I was supposed to be paying attention to. Everyone has maybe one interesting thing about them that is mentioned and never really built on. Other characters are unbelievably hyped and then.....
Ultimately my biggest problem with The Honours is that it asks so many questions that it doesn't answer. Maybe it's just me being silly and not reading between the lines and being oblivious to things, but I'm certain that it's not just me.
I know a lot of writers create stories with richly woven mysteries that leave things to your imagination, and that can be very rewarding to readers, but when I finished The Honours I did not have that rewarded feeling.
Questions of mine include:
I dunno. Maybe it's just me being a dullard. I just think that you could have cut a hell of a lot out of The Honours and have a tighter, more fun and dynamic story. I look forward to whatever Tim Clare comes up with next as he obviously has a great imagination, but maybe his next effort will be more accomplished.
Oh, and!!!
I like a lot of aspects of the story. A plucky teenage heroine who's good with guns, stylish 1930s setting, a good mystery. The last third of the book flew by and I found myself staying up til 4am because I just HAD to finish it.
The first two thirds though... The pacing is very off. It took me two weeks to get through the first three hundred pages because I just couldn't be bothered. The only reason I plowed through was because I was intrigued about the ending.
Delphine is a good enough character, I GUESS. She reminded me a bit of myself as a 13 year old - a bit gobby, always thinking that The Adults were up to something and convincing myself that everything was part of a larger conspiracy (and inevitably sticking my nose in it). She's one of them characters that's automatically good at things, though, which doesn't scream "great character building" to me. She's VERY smart, great with guns, an adept map-reader...
The other characters are all a little bit interesting, but there is a whole damn lot of them. There are so, so many Mr Somethings that I quickly lost track of who the hell I was supposed to be paying attention to. Everyone has maybe one interesting thing about them that is mentioned and never really built on. Other characters are unbelievably hyped and then.....
Ultimately my biggest problem with The Honours is that it asks so many questions that it doesn't answer. Maybe it's just me being silly and not reading between the lines and being oblivious to things, but I'm certain that it's not just me.
I know a lot of writers create stories with richly woven mysteries that leave things to your imagination, and that can be very rewarding to readers, but when I finished The Honours I did not have that rewarded feeling.
Questions of mine include:
I dunno. Maybe it's just me being a dullard. I just think that you could have cut a hell of a lot out of The Honours and have a tighter, more fun and dynamic story. I look forward to whatever Tim Clare comes up with next as he obviously has a great imagination, but maybe his next effort will be more accomplished.
Oh, and!!!
June 23, 2019
Poet Tim Clare’s debut novel, The Honours is everything I want in fiction: there’s a good build up, a layered plot, some surreal bits, memorable characters and , most importantly, it is playful. I forgot to add that this is a fantasy novel so it’s slightly out of my comfort zone – also a good thing.
The setting is 1935 and Delphine Venner and her mother have moved into a sort of sanatorium/mansion in order to wait for the arrival of her father, who is suffering from PTSD.
Delphine accidentally discovers a key in a vase and that leads her into a life changing adventure. In the process she uncovers a lot of secrets behind the house she’s living in and the inhabitants as well. To reveal any more would spoil the book as the plot unfolds gradually.
One thing I look out for in fantasy books is how the author builds their world. In The Honours, this is pulled off perfectly Clare tells us gradually about the world he has created until the final chapter when we readers have a clear idea how Clare’s world looks like. I also did like the fact that there were a lot of loose ends in the story so that further developments will occur with the sequel.
The Honours is an enjoyable read and is a decent primer for readers who are just starting to cross the fantasy foray or not too sure about the genre. Just a note that the follow up, The Ice House is out now and will be reviewed later on this week.
The setting is 1935 and Delphine Venner and her mother have moved into a sort of sanatorium/mansion in order to wait for the arrival of her father, who is suffering from PTSD.
Delphine accidentally discovers a key in a vase and that leads her into a life changing adventure. In the process she uncovers a lot of secrets behind the house she’s living in and the inhabitants as well. To reveal any more would spoil the book as the plot unfolds gradually.
One thing I look out for in fantasy books is how the author builds their world. In The Honours, this is pulled off perfectly Clare tells us gradually about the world he has created until the final chapter when we readers have a clear idea how Clare’s world looks like. I also did like the fact that there were a lot of loose ends in the story so that further developments will occur with the sequel.
The Honours is an enjoyable read and is a decent primer for readers who are just starting to cross the fantasy foray or not too sure about the genre. Just a note that the follow up, The Ice House is out now and will be reviewed later on this week.
dnf
December 16, 2021- The main character is...interesting. She randomly starts walking around with ferrets on a leash?
- So many things happen without explanation that is was simply too vague to follow.
- So many names. Stop it.
- I was genuinely intrigued by it but there just came a point where it was only going to get worse.
- The only upside of this book was the smell that came from the pages. It's a loan from my library and omg it smells like academia. Only for that reason did I keep trying.
- So many things happen without explanation that is was simply too vague to follow.
- So many names. Stop it.
- I was genuinely intrigued by it but there just came a point where it was only going to get worse.
- The only upside of this book was the smell that came from the pages. It's a loan from my library and omg it smells like academia. Only for that reason did I keep trying.
July 19, 2019
I found this a difficult and frustrating read. It just never seemed to deliver a cohesive story. When it started to gather pace (3/4 of the way through), the story seemed to become totally fantastical.
June 13, 2019
The Honours is an imaginative, ingenious fantasy set in the 1930s, with a fierce heroine raised on a diet of Boys Own adventures. The historical setting is well-grounded and convincing, and the mystery teased out very effectively, but the book suffers from being a lot of buildup and only a modest amount of conclusion.
It's still worth reading, and I expect the second book to answer the questions left by the first.
It's still worth reading, and I expect the second book to answer the questions left by the first.
January 29, 2019
Jeepers, what a story.
The Honours is the tale of gun-and-war obsessed Delphine Venner, a girl sent to live on a manor where all sorts of strangeness seems to be afoot. Secret passages. Conspiratorial meetings. Bolsheviks? Maybe not that last one, but the residents of Alderberen Hall are all part of a secret society - Delphine's father, a veteran of the Great War, is as well - and Delphine immediately begins to dig into the odd happenings.
Delphine as a character is a powerhouse. She's bullheaded, paranoid, sharp-tongued, and delightful, an obstinate force in the face of the society. Clare writes characters beautifully. His antagonists are frustrating, cunning, but never cartoonish; his supporting cast feel real and flushed out (especially the groundskeeper, Mr. Garforth). Delphine is, of course, the shining star of the novel, but it is by no means an otherwise empty sky.
The book takes an interesting tack with pacing. For the first two thirds, it's all slow build, pieces coming together here and there bit by bit as our young hero slowly uncovers the mysteries behind Alderberen Hall. In the last third the doors are kicked in, the book flies off the rails, and the story goes full tilt, breakneck pace. It worked for me, though, and I didn't feel cheated or rushed. I got caught up in the excitement of it and that allowed the huge tonal shift to work.
I really enjoyed this read and demolished it in three long binge sessions. I'm very much looking forward to the release of the sequel, The Ice House, and I'll be recommending this story to quite a few of my friends.
The Honours is the tale of gun-and-war obsessed Delphine Venner, a girl sent to live on a manor where all sorts of strangeness seems to be afoot. Secret passages. Conspiratorial meetings. Bolsheviks? Maybe not that last one, but the residents of Alderberen Hall are all part of a secret society - Delphine's father, a veteran of the Great War, is as well - and Delphine immediately begins to dig into the odd happenings.
Delphine as a character is a powerhouse. She's bullheaded, paranoid, sharp-tongued, and delightful, an obstinate force in the face of the society. Clare writes characters beautifully. His antagonists are frustrating, cunning, but never cartoonish; his supporting cast feel real and flushed out (especially the groundskeeper, Mr. Garforth). Delphine is, of course, the shining star of the novel, but it is by no means an otherwise empty sky.
The book takes an interesting tack with pacing. For the first two thirds, it's all slow build, pieces coming together here and there bit by bit as our young hero slowly uncovers the mysteries behind Alderberen Hall. In the last third the doors are kicked in, the book flies off the rails, and the story goes full tilt, breakneck pace. It worked for me, though, and I didn't feel cheated or rushed. I got caught up in the excitement of it and that allowed the huge tonal shift to work.
I really enjoyed this read and demolished it in three long binge sessions. I'm very much looking forward to the release of the sequel, The Ice House, and I'll be recommending this story to quite a few of my friends.
May 6, 2018
* For the first half of this book it was on track for a five star rating. I really enjoyed learning about the characters and locations and wondering how on the earth the plot was going to develop. The locations were beautifully drawn and fascinating, especially the secret passages.
* Although I noticed a tiny bit of foreshadowing of the major change of genre part way through the book, I did not anticipate the change and found the second half of the book ok, but not anywhere near as enjoyable.
* I continued to the end, as I really wanted to learn more about the characters and what happened to them and there was a tiny bit of me that kept thinking right to the end that the second half of the book was a very long dream, but I knew in my heart that it wouldn’t be. This disappointment and lack of enjoyment of the extensive descriptions of the fantasy animals and violence probably made me less tolerant than in the first half of the book, so I was irritated by things like the change in Mrs Venner’s character from cold and hard to warm and loving, the lack of follow up on her relationship with the doctor, and the late reference to Delphine’s stammer which I had not noticed referenced at any time earlier in the book.
* Unfortunately the second half of the book was a 2 star for me, and since I wouldn’t recommend it without a careful check on whether the person minded the change of genre part way through, I am going to have to push the overall rating down to a three.
* Although I noticed a tiny bit of foreshadowing of the major change of genre part way through the book, I did not anticipate the change and found the second half of the book ok, but not anywhere near as enjoyable.
* I continued to the end, as I really wanted to learn more about the characters and what happened to them and there was a tiny bit of me that kept thinking right to the end that the second half of the book was a very long dream, but I knew in my heart that it wouldn’t be. This disappointment and lack of enjoyment of the extensive descriptions of the fantasy animals and violence probably made me less tolerant than in the first half of the book, so I was irritated by things like the change in Mrs Venner’s character from cold and hard to warm and loving, the lack of follow up on her relationship with the doctor, and the late reference to Delphine’s stammer which I had not noticed referenced at any time earlier in the book.
* Unfortunately the second half of the book was a 2 star for me, and since I wouldn’t recommend it without a careful check on whether the person minded the change of genre part way through, I am going to have to push the overall rating down to a three.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 13, 2017So that was weird, no idea what to say about this one. Picked it up in a charity shop a while ago and read it now because I'm trying to work my way through all the physical books I own but haven't read before I go back to uni and no longer have access to my shelves. Anyway. Don't know how to review this, so won't.
May 15, 2025
Got to the last 20 pages and just gave up because I realised I just did not care at all. This is what I imagine it would feel like to read a book written by chatGPT.
May 26, 2015
Ο Τιμ Κλερ παρουσιάζει μια καλλιτεχνική ταυτότητα ετερόκλητων συγγραφικών επιδιώξεων: ποιητής, κωμικός και, με τούτο το βιβλίο πεζογράφος φανταστικής λογοτεχνίας. Το βιβλίο, φρέσκο-φρέσκο, ήδη εγκωμιάζεται για την λογοτεχνικότητά του και τον πλούσιο, ποιοτικό λόγο του. Και έτσι τοποθετείται απέναντι από την υπόλοιπη σοδειά φανταστικής λογοτεχνιάς.
Τι έχουμε εδώ, λοιπόν;
Η πρωταγωνίστρια, κοριτσόπουλο σιωπηλό αλλά με πνεύμα εξερευνητικό και ατίθασο, δρα ως φιλοξενούμενη με την οικογένειά της σε μια έπαυλη μιας καταραμένης οικογένειας από τις δυστυχίες, γεμάτη διφορούμενους χαρακτήρες, υπό την σκιά ενός Παγκοσμίου πολέμου. Πολυμήχανη και αγορίζουσα Ντελφίν περιδιαβαίνει σε εκείνο τον κόσμο, κάνει φιλίες, από μακριά εντοπίζει εχθρούς, ανακαλύπτει μυστικές διόδους και ξεχασμένες σήραγγες, προσπαθεί να ξεσκεπάσει μηχανορραφίες. Μέχρι την μέση ο αναγνώστης θα νιώσει πως διαβάζει μια μίξη μυστικών εφτά, Τεν-Τεν και Χάρι Πότερ. Ωραίες περιγραφές τοπίων, ατμόσφαιρα, πασπάλισμα παιδικής νοσταλγίας, γαρνιρισμένο με αυτό τον ασαφή κόσμο των μεγάλων. Τελικά, κάποια στιγμή, γίνεται το μπαμ και το βιβλίο γίνεται βίαιο, το φανταστικό εφορμά και ζούμε μια περιπέτεια.
Η αλήθεια είναι πως η γλώσσα η πλούσια, οι ζωντανοί χαρακτήρες, η οικονομία στον λόγο – αρετές της καλής λογοτεχνίας είναι πράματα στα οποία χωλαίνει τα φανταστικό μυθιστόρημα. Με τους τυποποιημένους, επίπεδους χαρακτήρες, τους κλισές διαλόγους και τις τετριμμένες περιγραφές, χάνει πόντους. Προσπάθειες στο παρελθόν έχουν γίνει να γίνει περισσότερο εμβριθής σε μια προσπάθεια να πιάσει μεγαλύτερη αναγνωστική μερίδα, μα για μένα αποτυχημένες παταγωδώς. Χαρακτηριστικά τα παραδείγματα της Ρόμπιν Χομπ και του Τζορτζ Μαρτιν, οι οποίοι εκλαμβάνουν ως απόδοση χαρακτήρων την βραδύκαυστη, ανούσια πλοκή και τα τραβηγμένα από τα μαλλιά, βαρύγδουπα δράματα – εν είδει ρεαλισμού, η πραγματικότητα καταλήγει φάρσα. Εδώ, στο βιβλίο του Κλερ, τα πράγματα αλλάζουν δραματικά και παρουσιάζεται κάτι φρέσκο, αναζωογονητικό: ο αναγνώστης έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με καλογραμμένους χαρακτήρες, που αναπνέουν, ζουν, μιλάνε με προσωπικότητα και λένε πράματα ουσιώδη και κάνουν πράγματα όμορφα αλλά και λογοτεχνικά.
Αλλά τελικά ό, τι κι αν είχε στο μυαλό του ο Κλερ για εμένα δεν λειτούργησε. Γιατί;
Κατά πρώτον τα πράματα τραβάνε πολύ. Ο Κλερ πατάει πάνω στο εύρημα της ματιάς ενός νέου παιδιού στον κόσμο των μεγάλων. Ο οποίος στο αρχοντικό είναι πολύπλοκος, διφορούμενος στα μάτια ακόμα και της έξυπνης πρωταγωνίστριας και αινιγματικός. Αυτό το βασικό μηχάνευμα, το μυστήριο που δημιουργεί σύγχυση στην πρωταγωνίστρια η οποία παρερμηνεύει πράγματα, ενώ άλλοτε πέφτει πάνω σε εξωφρενικά και φρικιαστικές καταστάσεις, τραβάει. Οι σελίδες περνούν, και όπως είναι φυσικό ο αναγνώστης, ή τουλάχιστον εγώ που χάνω την υπομονή μου με την αναποφασιστικότητα, γεμίζει από μια πυρετώδη νευρικότητα. Και κυλάνε οι σελίδες και ο αναγνώστης μένει να ξύνει το κεφάλι του, απορώντας τι διάολο είναι αυτό που υποτίθεται αναζωπυρώνει την ανησυχία του κοριτσιού. Όταν πια κορυφώθηκε η αγωνία και την σκυτάλη πήρε η δράση εγώ ποτέ δεν ήμουν σίγουρος για το τι διάβαζα, τι συνέβη και ξέσπασε μια κανονική κόλαση από την εισβολή πλασμάτων μιας άλλης διάστασης. Κι όταν έρθουν οι απαντήσεις, γίνεται τόσο αργά και τόσο λιτά που συνειδητοποιούμε γιατί μας τυράννησε έτσι ο Κλερ: το βιβλίο μάλλον είναι ο πρώτος τόμος μια πολυλογίας.
Περνώντας την μερική αφλογιστία της πλοκής, η γλώσσα του, προσεγμένη, ατού του βιβλίου, μπορεί να γίνει βραχνάς με το εξεζητημένο λεξιλόγιό της. Και οι περιγραφές είναι πολλές. Καλογραμμένες, ναι, γιατί ο Κλερ είναι ποιητής. Μα είναι τόσες που στην νιοστή σελίδα, που χτυπάω νευρικά το πόδι, θέλοντας εξέλιξη, δε με ενδιαφέρει πιο κάδρο κρέμεται από τον τοίχο. Ξέρει να φτιάχνει όμορφες, μεγάλες περιόδους, δίχως περιττά πράματα, όταν οι άνθρωποι μιλούν. Μα όταν μένουν μόνοι, με τις σκέψεις τους, τον πιάνει μια αμετροέπεια συλλογισμών και αναθυμήσεων. Η γραφή είναι πυκνή. Είναι πυκνή ύστερα από 200 σελίδες, όπου η αγωνία μου και το ενδιαφέρον μου υποβαστάζονταν από την καλή μου διάθεση και την βιβλιοφιλική μου αυταπάρνηση: έπρεπε να είμαι υπομονετικός. Κι ήμουν όσο μπορούσα. Διάβαζα τις περιγραφές. Όταν το βλέμμα μου παρασυρόταν νευρικά, το συμμάζευα και ξαναδιάβαζα όλη την σελίδα σαν καλό παιδί.
Είμαι αχάριστος, γιατί ο Κλερ είναι ταλαντούχος. Έχει χάρες, οι οποίες όμως πλακώθηκαν από το βάρος μια αφήγησης σύνθετης, αργής, ενώ θα μπορούσε να γίνει ένα εξαιρετικό ενήλικο παραμύθι. Αν ο Κλερ συμμαζέψει τις ιδέες του και τις βάλει στην κατάλληλη φόρμα, ώστε το ύφος του να αναπνεύσει σε μια άλλη ροή, τότε θα μεταμορφωθεί σε έναν καταπληκτικό συγγραφέα. Μέχρι τότε, τουλάχιστον εγώ, δηλώνω ερεθισμένος αλλά εκνευρισμένος.
Τι έχουμε εδώ, λοιπόν;
Η πρωταγωνίστρια, κοριτσόπουλο σιωπηλό αλλά με πνεύμα εξερευνητικό και ατίθασο, δρα ως φιλοξενούμενη με την οικογένειά της σε μια έπαυλη μιας καταραμένης οικογένειας από τις δυστυχίες, γεμάτη διφορούμενους χαρακτήρες, υπό την σκιά ενός Παγκοσμίου πολέμου. Πολυμήχανη και αγορίζουσα Ντελφίν περιδιαβαίνει σε εκείνο τον κόσμο, κάνει φιλίες, από μακριά εντοπίζει εχθρούς, ανακαλύπτει μυστικές διόδους και ξεχασμένες σήραγγες, προσπαθεί να ξεσκεπάσει μηχανορραφίες. Μέχρι την μέση ο αναγνώστης θα νιώσει πως διαβάζει μια μίξη μυστικών εφτά, Τεν-Τεν και Χάρι Πότερ. Ωραίες περιγραφές τοπίων, ατμόσφαιρα, πασπάλισμα παιδικής νοσταλγίας, γαρνιρισμένο με αυτό τον ασαφή κόσμο των μεγάλων. Τελικά, κάποια στιγμή, γίνεται το μπαμ και το βιβλίο γίνεται βίαιο, το φανταστικό εφορμά και ζούμε μια περιπέτεια.
Η αλήθεια είναι πως η γλώσσα η πλούσια, οι ζωντανοί χαρακτήρες, η οικονομία στον λόγο – αρετές της καλής λογοτεχνίας είναι πράματα στα οποία χωλαίνει τα φανταστικό μυθιστόρημα. Με τους τυποποιημένους, επίπεδους χαρακτήρες, τους κλισές διαλόγους και τις τετριμμένες περιγραφές, χάνει πόντους. Προσπάθειες στο παρελθόν έχουν γίνει να γίνει περισσότερο εμβριθής σε μια προσπάθεια να πιάσει μεγαλύτερη αναγνωστική μερίδα, μα για μένα αποτυχημένες παταγωδώς. Χαρακτηριστικά τα παραδείγματα της Ρόμπιν Χομπ και του Τζορτζ Μαρτιν, οι οποίοι εκλαμβάνουν ως απόδοση χαρακτήρων την βραδύκαυστη, ανούσια πλοκή και τα τραβηγμένα από τα μαλλιά, βαρύγδουπα δράματα – εν είδει ρεαλισμού, η πραγματικότητα καταλήγει φάρσα. Εδώ, στο βιβλίο του Κλερ, τα πράγματα αλλάζουν δραματικά και παρουσιάζεται κάτι φρέσκο, αναζωογονητικό: ο αναγνώστης έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με καλογραμμένους χαρακτήρες, που αναπνέουν, ζουν, μιλάνε με προσωπικότητα και λένε πράματα ουσιώδη και κάνουν πράγματα όμορφα αλλά και λογοτεχνικά.
Αλλά τελικά ό, τι κι αν είχε στο μυαλό του ο Κλερ για εμένα δεν λειτούργησε. Γιατί;
Κατά πρώτον τα πράματα τραβάνε πολύ. Ο Κλερ πατάει πάνω στο εύρημα της ματιάς ενός νέου παιδιού στον κόσμο των μεγάλων. Ο οποίος στο αρχοντικό είναι πολύπλοκος, διφορούμενος στα μάτια ακόμα και της έξυπνης πρωταγωνίστριας και αινιγματικός. Αυτό το βασικό μηχάνευμα, το μυστήριο που δημιουργεί σύγχυση στην πρωταγωνίστρια η οποία παρερμηνεύει πράγματα, ενώ άλλοτε πέφτει πάνω σε εξωφρενικά και φρικιαστικές καταστάσεις, τραβάει. Οι σελίδες περνούν, και όπως είναι φυσικό ο αναγνώστης, ή τουλάχιστον εγώ που χάνω την υπομονή μου με την αναποφασιστικότητα, γεμίζει από μια πυρετώδη νευρικότητα. Και κυλάνε οι σελίδες και ο αναγνώστης μένει να ξύνει το κεφάλι του, απορώντας τι διάολο είναι αυτό που υποτίθεται αναζωπυρώνει την ανησυχία του κοριτσιού. Όταν πια κορυφώθηκε η αγωνία και την σκυτάλη πήρε η δράση εγώ ποτέ δεν ήμουν σίγουρος για το τι διάβαζα, τι συνέβη και ξέσπασε μια κανονική κόλαση από την εισβολή πλασμάτων μιας άλλης διάστασης. Κι όταν έρθουν οι απαντήσεις, γίνεται τόσο αργά και τόσο λιτά που συνειδητοποιούμε γιατί μας τυράννησε έτσι ο Κλερ: το βιβλίο μάλλον είναι ο πρώτος τόμος μια πολυλογίας.
Περνώντας την μερική αφλογιστία της πλοκής, η γλώσσα του, προσεγμένη, ατού του βιβλίου, μπορεί να γίνει βραχνάς με το εξεζητημένο λεξιλόγιό της. Και οι περιγραφές είναι πολλές. Καλογραμμένες, ναι, γιατί ο Κλερ είναι ποιητής. Μα είναι τόσες που στην νιοστή σελίδα, που χτυπάω νευρικά το πόδι, θέλοντας εξέλιξη, δε με ενδιαφέρει πιο κάδρο κρέμεται από τον τοίχο. Ξέρει να φτιάχνει όμορφες, μεγάλες περιόδους, δίχως περιττά πράματα, όταν οι άνθρωποι μιλούν. Μα όταν μένουν μόνοι, με τις σκέψεις τους, τον πιάνει μια αμετροέπεια συλλογισμών και αναθυμήσεων. Η γραφή είναι πυκνή. Είναι πυκνή ύστερα από 200 σελίδες, όπου η αγωνία μου και το ενδιαφέρον μου υποβαστάζονταν από την καλή μου διάθεση και την βιβλιοφιλική μου αυταπάρνηση: έπρεπε να είμαι υπομονετικός. Κι ήμουν όσο μπορούσα. Διάβαζα τις περιγραφές. Όταν το βλέμμα μου παρασυρόταν νευρικά, το συμμάζευα και ξαναδιάβαζα όλη την σελίδα σαν καλό παιδί.
Είμαι αχάριστος, γιατί ο Κλερ είναι ταλαντούχος. Έχει χάρες, οι οποίες όμως πλακώθηκαν από το βάρος μια αφήγησης σύνθετης, αργής, ενώ θα μπορούσε να γίνει ένα εξαιρετικό ενήλικο παραμύθι. Αν ο Κλερ συμμαζέψει τις ιδέες του και τις βάλει στην κατάλληλη φόρμα, ώστε το ύφος του να αναπνεύσει σε μια άλλη ροή, τότε θα μεταμορφωθεί σε έναν καταπληκτικό συγγραφέα. Μέχρι τότε, τουλάχιστον εγώ, δηλώνω ερεθισμένος αλλά εκνευρισμένος.
May 10, 2019
Everyone who says that this book reads like two books in one, the first a historical fiction about interwar England, the second a monster book, is correct, but the split between them was not terribly jarring. Delphine is a joy to read about, though I wished that we learned more about the fantasy world around hers. This might be in the sequel, The Ice House, so I'll check that out next.
November 11, 2018
This is easily one of the best fantasy books I have read in recent years.
When thirteen-year-old Delphine and her parents relocate to Alderberen Hall to join a strange and elite society for the ‘perpetual improvement of man’, she is immediately suspicious. Within minutes of entering the estate, Delphine overhears a conversation that has her convinced the society is a front for some nefarious plot to facilitate an invasion (by communists? Germans?!) into England. But, before long, the true intent of the league is revealed and it is nothing quite so pedestrian…
The style of the writing is wonderfully fluid and the descriptions, the turns of phrase that Clare uses are spot on without being clichéd, often conveying a feeling of a sinister foreshadowing.
The phrasing reflects a poet’s observation and makes each sentence a pleasure to read, something that holds true for the dialogue as well. Particularly enjoyable are the interactions between Delphine and Mr Garforth, and the professor’s awkwardness and dialogue also quickly make you grow fond of him.
Delphine is an insatiably curious and impish protagonist, easy to like and constantly keeping the action moving. Frequently dismissed by the adults at Alderberen Hall, she spends her days in espionage, trying to discover the society’s secrets. The young heroine comes across as a little unstable at times, eager for glory and obsessed with guns and combat, but the reality is that she’s alone amidst a clique of strangers and adults who don’t so much ignore as overlook her completely.
What should be noted is that this isn’t a gritty realist novel.
The characters, while sure of themselves and vividly portrayed, are just that – characters. This isn’t a bad thing, by any means: I for one enjoy a book that is comfortable in its incarnation. I only mention this because, looking at a couple of other reviews of The Honours, I want you to know what sort of story you’re in for here. There will be dirt and grit and blood, and there will be thrilling escapades. Personally, I adored every minute and it only racks up excellence as it hurtles on, like a daring ball of adventure tearing down Fantasy Hill.
I have seen The Honours heralded as ‘one of the most exciting pieces of fantasy fiction in recent years’, and this is far from a generous assessment. The book is simply a pleasure, through and through.
Well-paced and richly painted, Clare’s debut lives up to the hype and I can only hope that we can expect more content of this calibre in the future.
The Honours is available to buy as of today, 2 April 2015. I was send an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For the complete review, together with a short extract, visit The Little Crocodile
When thirteen-year-old Delphine and her parents relocate to Alderberen Hall to join a strange and elite society for the ‘perpetual improvement of man’, she is immediately suspicious. Within minutes of entering the estate, Delphine overhears a conversation that has her convinced the society is a front for some nefarious plot to facilitate an invasion (by communists? Germans?!) into England. But, before long, the true intent of the league is revealed and it is nothing quite so pedestrian…
The style of the writing is wonderfully fluid and the descriptions, the turns of phrase that Clare uses are spot on without being clichéd, often conveying a feeling of a sinister foreshadowing.
The phrasing reflects a poet’s observation and makes each sentence a pleasure to read, something that holds true for the dialogue as well. Particularly enjoyable are the interactions between Delphine and Mr Garforth, and the professor’s awkwardness and dialogue also quickly make you grow fond of him.
Delphine is an insatiably curious and impish protagonist, easy to like and constantly keeping the action moving. Frequently dismissed by the adults at Alderberen Hall, she spends her days in espionage, trying to discover the society’s secrets. The young heroine comes across as a little unstable at times, eager for glory and obsessed with guns and combat, but the reality is that she’s alone amidst a clique of strangers and adults who don’t so much ignore as overlook her completely.
What should be noted is that this isn’t a gritty realist novel.
The characters, while sure of themselves and vividly portrayed, are just that – characters. This isn’t a bad thing, by any means: I for one enjoy a book that is comfortable in its incarnation. I only mention this because, looking at a couple of other reviews of The Honours, I want you to know what sort of story you’re in for here. There will be dirt and grit and blood, and there will be thrilling escapades. Personally, I adored every minute and it only racks up excellence as it hurtles on, like a daring ball of adventure tearing down Fantasy Hill.
I have seen The Honours heralded as ‘one of the most exciting pieces of fantasy fiction in recent years’, and this is far from a generous assessment. The book is simply a pleasure, through and through.
Well-paced and richly painted, Clare’s debut lives up to the hype and I can only hope that we can expect more content of this calibre in the future.
The Honours is available to buy as of today, 2 April 2015. I was send an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For the complete review, together with a short extract, visit The Little Crocodile
July 9, 2015
Firstly, I would encourage you to go into this book knowing as little as possible. Trust me when I say that the feeling of blindness will heighten your enjoyment of this strange novel greatly.
Nathan Filer's The Shock of the Fall was a completely unique novel that still stays with me to this day. Therefore, in my mind, an endorsement by Filer goes a long, long way. Indeed, that was one of the reasons I picked up The Honours and I'm so glad I listened to him.
In the tradition of old-school horror, the novel begins as a girl, along with her mother and mentally ill father, move into an old, creaking estate with an elusive Earl and many hidden passageways. What's particularly masterful about the way Clare writes is the impending sense of dread he weaves into every paragraph. There are a few glimpses of true supernatural elements but, for the large part, the fantastical element is simply there because you inhabit thirteen-year-old Delphine's mind and she believes it to be. Moreover, rather than doubting the narrator as unreliable, I got so caught up in the world she described that I immediately believed her to be correct which, of course, she was.
I think fantasy novels are often, unfairly, dismissed as having sub-par writing but I truly hope that Clare reaches a wider audience and convinces others to pick up more of the genre - it's certainly a shining example of this style done right. Even though the location itself is made-up, the feel of the salt marshes stretching out endlessly towards the sea perfectly evokes Norfolk (where I'm actually from) and therefore manages to ground such a strange tale in the real and achieve what can occasionally be impossible - making it feel possible.
One star is removed simply for about the last fifty pages. The conclusive is incredible and kept me gripped, however, I got a bit lost with the multitude of new characters introduced and felt that the mythology could have been slightly better fleshed out to make it a truly immersive experience. Nevertheless, it certainly wasn't to the extent that my enjoyment was lessened at all.
If you've read to here and not yet picked up the book, first of all shame on you for not heeding my advice but secondly go and read it now. If you've read to here and have read the book then I would absolutely love to talk to someone in more detail about it. Above all else, I can't wait to see what Clare does next.
Nathan Filer's The Shock of the Fall was a completely unique novel that still stays with me to this day. Therefore, in my mind, an endorsement by Filer goes a long, long way. Indeed, that was one of the reasons I picked up The Honours and I'm so glad I listened to him.
In the tradition of old-school horror, the novel begins as a girl, along with her mother and mentally ill father, move into an old, creaking estate with an elusive Earl and many hidden passageways. What's particularly masterful about the way Clare writes is the impending sense of dread he weaves into every paragraph. There are a few glimpses of true supernatural elements but, for the large part, the fantastical element is simply there because you inhabit thirteen-year-old Delphine's mind and she believes it to be. Moreover, rather than doubting the narrator as unreliable, I got so caught up in the world she described that I immediately believed her to be correct which, of course, she was.
I think fantasy novels are often, unfairly, dismissed as having sub-par writing but I truly hope that Clare reaches a wider audience and convinces others to pick up more of the genre - it's certainly a shining example of this style done right. Even though the location itself is made-up, the feel of the salt marshes stretching out endlessly towards the sea perfectly evokes Norfolk (where I'm actually from) and therefore manages to ground such a strange tale in the real and achieve what can occasionally be impossible - making it feel possible.
One star is removed simply for about the last fifty pages. The conclusive is incredible and kept me gripped, however, I got a bit lost with the multitude of new characters introduced and felt that the mythology could have been slightly better fleshed out to make it a truly immersive experience. Nevertheless, it certainly wasn't to the extent that my enjoyment was lessened at all.
If you've read to here and not yet picked up the book, first of all shame on you for not heeding my advice but secondly go and read it now. If you've read to here and have read the book then I would absolutely love to talk to someone in more detail about it. Above all else, I can't wait to see what Clare does next.
July 30, 2025
I know there is an audience for this book, but that audience isn't me. Without spoiling anything, it should be stated explicitly that this is not a mystery novel but a dark fantasy novel, and a brutally violent one at that. I believe the author intended to blend in mystery elements and mix genre, but the mystery elements — the secret passageways, the estate secrets — are pathways to something else.
In my opinion, the pacing of the second half of the novel is exhausting and could've been ~100 pages shorter, but like I said, fans of the genre might enjoy it. The language is rich in metaphor, and every moment takes some time to describe the scene. For me, the language sometimes made it difficult to understand the actual plot points, but I'm not the strongest reader and not too familiar with types of trees and guns.
My rating might be lower because, being a fan of Tim Clare's podcast, I unwittingly carried some expectations to the book that were not met. I say all that to say I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading it, just for readers to be aware of what they're getting.
In my opinion, the pacing of the second half of the novel is exhausting and could've been ~100 pages shorter, but like I said, fans of the genre might enjoy it. The language is rich in metaphor, and every moment takes some time to describe the scene. For me, the language sometimes made it difficult to understand the actual plot points, but I'm not the strongest reader and not too familiar with types of trees and guns.
My rating might be lower because, being a fan of Tim Clare's podcast, I unwittingly carried some expectations to the book that were not met. I say all that to say I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading it, just for readers to be aware of what they're getting.
October 1, 2015
A plucky heroine helps to save the day in 1935 Norfolk.
Wonderfully British and very evocative of the 30's when the country was still recovering from the aftermath of WW1 and the upease and paranoia as WW2 looms.
The book opens with a bang, and sent a shiver up my spine as I settled in for the adventure.
The writing was beautiful and lyrical with some gorgeous descriptions. This did mean, however, that the first half of the story did move slowly, and that the action at the end of the novel felt rather rushed. The initial thrill of the book was never really recaptured for me.
I am giving the book 3 stars because it actually felt to me like 2 separate books that didn't quite mesh together in a satisfying way. One book was a coming of age story set amidst the upper class, the other was a sci-fi piece that was a little confusing.
Wonderfully British and very evocative of the 30's when the country was still recovering from the aftermath of WW1 and the upease and paranoia as WW2 looms.
The book opens with a bang, and sent a shiver up my spine as I settled in for the adventure.
The writing was beautiful and lyrical with some gorgeous descriptions. This did mean, however, that the first half of the story did move slowly, and that the action at the end of the novel felt rather rushed. The initial thrill of the book was never really recaptured for me.
I am giving the book 3 stars because it actually felt to me like 2 separate books that didn't quite mesh together in a satisfying way. One book was a coming of age story set amidst the upper class, the other was a sci-fi piece that was a little confusing.
August 18, 2018
I liked so much about this. The prose, the details, the setting and the clash of genres. Sentence by sentence it was excellent.
Overall, not so much. What I didn't like was the pacing, with so much description between sudden and erratic jolts of the plot. And while it might just be me being thick, I was confused quite a lot of the time as to who was who, when was when, whether the cult front was really a cult or not, why certain characters did certain things to each other (not to get spoilery about it). There was also too much convenient getting knocked out/exposition/overheard important conversation.
And yet...I believe there is a sequel on the way I think I may very well read.
Overall, not so much. What I didn't like was the pacing, with so much description between sudden and erratic jolts of the plot. And while it might just be me being thick, I was confused quite a lot of the time as to who was who, when was when, whether the cult front was really a cult or not, why certain characters did certain things to each other (not to get spoilery about it). There was also too much convenient getting knocked out/exposition/overheard important conversation.
And yet...I believe there is a sequel on the way I think I may very well read.
July 23, 2016
This was a great first novel, and the characters were quite interesting and well presented. This being said, I felt like the first part was a little "slow-paced", while the last third or quarter of the book was much too fast and I had some difficulties at times understanding or following everything which was happening. I was also somewhat surprised when the "magical" creatures appeared within the story as I was under the impression it was more of a historical fiction type book. But overall, I would recommend it.
May 3, 2016
The language is gorgeous and evocative; It's the most beautiful thing I've read in a long time. However, the plot felt hazy and I found the subtle, dreamy text made it challenging for me to pick up on important plot details.
July 7, 2015
The Honours takes a little while to get going, but it's worth sticking with it. There are elements of mystery and fantasy, the writing is beautiful and the central character Delphine is one of the most interesting 13 year old girls I've read in ages.
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