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Hidden Cities #1
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
You never know when you'll find yourself falling through one of the cracks in the world...
Two of today's brightest stars of dark fantasy combine their award-winning, critically acclaimed talents in this spellbinding new tale of magic, terror, and adventure that begins when a young woman slips through the space between our everyday world and the one hiding just beneath it.
Always assume there's someone after you. That was the paranoid wisdom her mother had hardwired into Jasmine Towne ever since she was a little girl. Now, suddenly on her own, Jazz is going to need every skill she has ever been taught to survive enemies both seen and unseen. For her mother had given Jazz one last invaluable piece of advice, written in her own blood.
Jazz Hide Forever
All her life Jazz has known them only as the "Uncles", and her mother seemed to fear them as much as depend on them. Now these enigmatic, black-clad strangers are after Jazz for reasons she can't fathom, and her only escape is to slip into the forgotten tunnels of London's vast underground. Here she will meet a tribe of survivors calling themselves the United Kingdom and begin an adventure that links her to the ghosts of a city long past, a father she never knew, and a destiny she fears only slightly less than the relentless killers who'd commit any crime under heaven or earth to prevent her from fulfilling it.
Two of today's brightest stars of dark fantasy combine their award-winning, critically acclaimed talents in this spellbinding new tale of magic, terror, and adventure that begins when a young woman slips through the space between our everyday world and the one hiding just beneath it.
Always assume there's someone after you. That was the paranoid wisdom her mother had hardwired into Jasmine Towne ever since she was a little girl. Now, suddenly on her own, Jazz is going to need every skill she has ever been taught to survive enemies both seen and unseen. For her mother had given Jazz one last invaluable piece of advice, written in her own blood.
Jazz Hide Forever
All her life Jazz has known them only as the "Uncles", and her mother seemed to fear them as much as depend on them. Now these enigmatic, black-clad strangers are after Jazz for reasons she can't fathom, and her only escape is to slip into the forgotten tunnels of London's vast underground. Here she will meet a tribe of survivors calling themselves the United Kingdom and begin an adventure that links her to the ghosts of a city long past, a father she never knew, and a destiny she fears only slightly less than the relentless killers who'd commit any crime under heaven or earth to prevent her from fulfilling it.
306 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2008
11 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
799 books2,974 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
dnf
March 23, 2015Meh...DNF.
I lost interest around chapter four. The main character makes no sense, she thinks one thing and does another. Jazz is supposed to be somebody that is extremely hyper vigilant, and it isn't ringing true. She does a lot of screaming when she thinks she is being followed for example.
I don't know, it feels like it's trying to be Neverwhere, and failing miserably.
I lost interest around chapter four. The main character makes no sense, she thinks one thing and does another. Jazz is supposed to be somebody that is extremely hyper vigilant, and it isn't ringing true. She does a lot of screaming when she thinks she is being followed for example.
I don't know, it feels like it's trying to be Neverwhere, and failing miserably.
July 1, 2008
I've been really looking forward to reading this book. It's a collaboration between two authors that I admire, Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon. Also, Mind the Gap has been touted as the next Neverwhere which is high praise indeed- praise that in the end is totally misplaced. Frankly, this book isn't really any good, let alone the next Neverwhere .
The story takes place in the undergrounds of London where a secret society of people and ghosts live. After the death of her mother, a young girl named Jazz is being hunted by a secret group only known as, the Uncles, who in turn want her for their own sinister and varying reasons. She has to survive while trying to put the pieces of her life back together and find out why her mother was murdered. And that's basically all there is to the book.
The main problem I had with the book is in it's protagonist, Jazz. She starts off as a selfish brat and ends up as a selfish brat after leaving in her wake a number of innocent deaths without any cares. Another problem I had with the book is that the story exposition is odd. We spend a lot of time in Jazz's head, hearing her thoughts and then hearing her words. However, what she does is totally different then what she says and thinks she will do. It's like me thinking I'm going to go run up a hill and then say "okay everyone, I'm going to run up this hill", and then I run down the hill instead. It's basically 400 pages of this. Also, there's a lot of foreshadowing that the writers use that ends up leading to nothing or something so absurd you will wonder why you stayed along for the ride. An average book at best that I can't really recommend to anyone.
The story takes place in the undergrounds of London where a secret society of people and ghosts live. After the death of her mother, a young girl named Jazz is being hunted by a secret group only known as, the Uncles, who in turn want her for their own sinister and varying reasons. She has to survive while trying to put the pieces of her life back together and find out why her mother was murdered. And that's basically all there is to the book.
The main problem I had with the book is in it's protagonist, Jazz. She starts off as a selfish brat and ends up as a selfish brat after leaving in her wake a number of innocent deaths without any cares. Another problem I had with the book is that the story exposition is odd. We spend a lot of time in Jazz's head, hearing her thoughts and then hearing her words. However, what she does is totally different then what she says and thinks she will do. It's like me thinking I'm going to go run up a hill and then say "okay everyone, I'm going to run up this hill", and then I run down the hill instead. It's basically 400 pages of this. Also, there's a lot of foreshadowing that the writers use that ends up leading to nothing or something so absurd you will wonder why you stayed along for the ride. An average book at best that I can't really recommend to anyone.
March 8, 2024
Set in a very convincing London (ancient and modern), Mind the Gap is a fast-paced teen paranormal mystery where echoes of N.K Jemisin and Charles Dickens blend with history and a touch of magic, and a gang of teenage kids take in one new member, Jazz, without knowing how she will change their lives.
Much of the mystery centers on who knows what and why. Meanwhile a terrifying start slides smoothly into Oliver Twist-style theft and entertainment, which slides equally smoothly back into terror.
This is no sweet teen romance (though there is romance). It’s no easy teen victory (though there will be victory, of a sort). And it’s not an easy read. But it’s fast, fun, intriguing, and scary, with a curiously believable sense for what lies beneath London, and a very cool sense of magic. Teen fiction with serious edge.
Disclosure: I’d just read The City We Became when I saw this and couldn’t resist it.
Much of the mystery centers on who knows what and why. Meanwhile a terrifying start slides smoothly into Oliver Twist-style theft and entertainment, which slides equally smoothly back into terror.
This is no sweet teen romance (though there is romance). It’s no easy teen victory (though there will be victory, of a sort). And it’s not an easy read. But it’s fast, fun, intriguing, and scary, with a curiously believable sense for what lies beneath London, and a very cool sense of magic. Teen fiction with serious edge.
Disclosure: I’d just read The City We Became when I saw this and couldn’t resist it.
November 22, 2008
Seventeen year old Jazz has been raised by her paranoid mom to be aware of everything that goes on around her and to be particularly ware of the Uncles (her dead father's old friends). One day when she arrives home from school to find her mother murdered and the Uncles staking out her house, it seems as though her mother was right to always be afraid. Jazz goes into hiding underground in the subway and is taken in by a group of underground dwellers who call themselves the United Kingdom. This group of kids led by one kind adult subsist on pickpocketing and stealing from stores all over London. Other beings exist in the underground as well, although not everyone can see them. Jazz is one that can, and it becomes apparent that her special powers of sight will lead her to an unexpected destiny.
This could have been a great book - earning 4 or 5 stars. It had good characterization, fantastic page-turning suspense and an interesting premise. However, the underlying plot was somehow too unbelievable. If this one part of the story could have been changed or better explained... I just didn't get how London had to let go of the old to move on into a better future. IMHO the authors were reaching a little too far, straining towards something more than this book needed.
It was still a good read, just not great.
This could have been a great book - earning 4 or 5 stars. It had good characterization, fantastic page-turning suspense and an interesting premise. However, the underlying plot was somehow too unbelievable. If this one part of the story could have been changed or better explained... I just didn't get how London had to let go of the old to move on into a better future. IMHO the authors were reaching a little too far, straining towards something more than this book needed.
It was still a good read, just not great.
July 3, 2009
This story revolves around a girl who returns home from school to find her mother murdered and the people who have been watching over her and her mother responsible for the murder and waiting for her as well.
The girl, Jazz realizes she must find a safe haven to avoid the powerful group that is hunting for her and ends up London's abandoned underground where the adventures begin and the reason these powerful people turned on her family is eventually revealed.
Over all it was a decent read. I enjoyed the descriptiveness of the London underground especially. I found some disappointment in the books failure to close some aspects of the story. It just seemed that a bit more detail here and there could have done a good bit to satisfy me and other readers who do not want to use their imagination to draw conclusions all the time. I am also a revenge fan and was put off a bit in that it seemed some folks got off lightly by the time it was said and done.
All in all though, not a bad read.
The girl, Jazz realizes she must find a safe haven to avoid the powerful group that is hunting for her and ends up London's abandoned underground where the adventures begin and the reason these powerful people turned on her family is eventually revealed.
Over all it was a decent read. I enjoyed the descriptiveness of the London underground especially. I found some disappointment in the books failure to close some aspects of the story. It just seemed that a bit more detail here and there could have done a good bit to satisfy me and other readers who do not want to use their imagination to draw conclusions all the time. I am also a revenge fan and was put off a bit in that it seemed some folks got off lightly by the time it was said and done.
All in all though, not a bad read.
October 9, 2010
I got very mixed feelings about this book. The story starts out really suspenseful and exciting, but then suddenly turns into some kind of Oliver Twist in the Underground as Jazz meets some people who're not as much persons as rather grotesk caricatures. I was really waiting for the moment Jazz would (like Oliver Twist) run into her benefactor and swoon in his arms and was getting a bit disappointed by the story I must confess. Just when I was about to totally lose my patience however a new character turns up and steers the story away from the all too Dickensian plot and towards something more promising. From there on the story does indeed get full of action and suspense once more and leads to a cool conclusion. So.... In the end I did enjoy the story although I could have done without the Oliver Twist caricatures.
(I must say I wonder if Lebbon and Golden meant this whole Dickensian stuff as some kind of tribute as at one point one of the characters is reading a novel by Dickens.)
(I must say I wonder if Lebbon and Golden meant this whole Dickensian stuff as some kind of tribute as at one point one of the characters is reading a novel by Dickens.)
May 14, 2010
87 pages into a 368 page trade paperback and NOTHING IS HAPPENING! How the hell do books like this get made? Maybe the publisher only read the first 20 pages and didn't get to this slow, boring middle part. If you have to set something up, fine, but make it interesting somehow. Maybe some people find a gang of teenage pickpockets living in bomb shelters inherently fascinating, but I'm here to tell you that it can be made dull and tedious.
January 21, 2011
Another Great book by Christopher Golden,and even though it is subtitled as a Hidden Cities book the other books in the series are not related to one another...this book, unlike the other two ,is young adult friendly and is a unique idea with a Dickens' like tone to it. And the young heroine Jazz is superb....but be forewarned the other two The Map of Moments, and The Chamber of Ten, are more adult oriented with lots of sex and violence...great books as well but not for the younger readers.
October 1, 2009
Kind of a cross between The Matrix and Oliver Twist, if you can imagine that! I love Sci Fi so very much enjoyed this book, but not sure it's for everyone...
December 28, 2018
Jasmine Towne, Jazz has lived her life with her mother and been looked after and terrorized by those she calls her “Uncles”. This life has left her mother paranoid and had her raise Jazz to look out for things that didn’t fit. This saves her life one day as she returns from school to find the Uncles had murdered her mother and are looking for her.
Jazz runs and finds herself in the Tube. There she finds a group of kids that call themselves United Kingdom. Jazz lives with the rest pick pocketing and robbing to survive as they live in a maze of old tubes, tunnels, and fallout shelters. But Jazz has a special ability; she can see what others can’t. This is why the Uncles and others are after her.
This was an interesting start to a series. I was instantly drawn in to Jazz, I wanted to know more about the Uncles and why they were after her. Then there are some areas in United Kingdom, The Hour of Screams, and such that I wanted more explanation. But the ending had me. It was an interesting ending and left me wanting to know more about this series.
I think Mind the Gap is a good start to the Hidden Cities series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Jazz runs and finds herself in the Tube. There she finds a group of kids that call themselves United Kingdom. Jazz lives with the rest pick pocketing and robbing to survive as they live in a maze of old tubes, tunnels, and fallout shelters. But Jazz has a special ability; she can see what others can’t. This is why the Uncles and others are after her.
This was an interesting start to a series. I was instantly drawn in to Jazz, I wanted to know more about the Uncles and why they were after her. Then there are some areas in United Kingdom, The Hour of Screams, and such that I wanted more explanation. But the ending had me. It was an interesting ending and left me wanting to know more about this series.
I think Mind the Gap is a good start to the Hidden Cities series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
May 13, 2018
While taking place in a world that recognizes magic as a possibility, there is nothing about this book that does not feel like it could take place - in fact that is the entire premise. Street crime, homelessness, the relationships that seem to allow the wealthy and powerful to maintain that wealth and power despite actions that would ruin anyone else are part of the common experience.
The idea that old cities tap into a current of energy, their history, which explains how the wealthy and powerful stay that way, is not necessarily magic, but it is as good an explanation as any. The bad guys are just men (and women) in black power suits who "fix" problems, and their primary mechanisms are destroying reputations, and simple violence - nothing particularly magical.
As impressive as the setting is, the characters feel real as well, and it is easy to become invested in their worries, their losses and needs. A solid experience from beginning to end.
The idea that old cities tap into a current of energy, their history, which explains how the wealthy and powerful stay that way, is not necessarily magic, but it is as good an explanation as any. The bad guys are just men (and women) in black power suits who "fix" problems, and their primary mechanisms are destroying reputations, and simple violence - nothing particularly magical.
As impressive as the setting is, the characters feel real as well, and it is easy to become invested in their worries, their losses and needs. A solid experience from beginning to end.
July 26, 2020
It was ok. A light summer popcorn book for sure. Would have liked it better if they went a little deeper into the motives of the secret society, what they were about and why they were so evil. I would have cared a little more about Terence's plight, if we knew more about the ghost's yearning to be "feed", or why they choose to haunt relics of the subway to begin with. It all kind of seemed vaguely thrown together, but still somewhat entertaining.
April 9, 2020
Very intriguing indeed. Takes you to unexpected places and a bit more paranormal than I was expecting. Has me thinking I will do some sleuthing about the underground and see if it really has old and abandoned rails like the book says. Not sure where the fiction ends there. So I shall find out! Would read another in the series although I believe it has new characters and locations
December 20, 2018
At first, I was really intrigued, but as the plot continued, I found it difficult to accept some of the directions it took. I kept reading even after I'd stopped liking any of the characters much, and then the conclusion was such a bust.
November 27, 2019
Took me a while to get into this book. It picked up about 1/2 way through. Interesting enough story of a girl hiding from her life in London’s Underground. While trying to get over her loss, she finds friends, enemies, and magic.
May 24, 2022
Wasnt to bad. Wasnt what I expected but was pleasantly surprised by what it was.
Would I read it again? Probably not but 🤷♀️
I kept envisaging 'The Uncles' as the 'Silence' from Dr Who for some reason and I feel like it made the whole thing better 🤣
Would I read it again? Probably not but 🤷♀️
I kept envisaging 'The Uncles' as the 'Silence' from Dr Who for some reason and I feel like it made the whole thing better 🤣
August 29, 2017
full of bad language
April 21, 2019
Took a bit to find its feet, but once it caught fire i couldn't put it down.
August 8, 2020
sometimes felt like an endless chase scene but hey, london! and magic!
Read
January 6, 2021DNF.
It's not that it's bad. It's just not for me at the moment.
Shelved for later.
It's not that it's bad. It's just not for me at the moment.
Shelved for later.
May 23, 2021
2.5*
March 6, 2022
Seemed to start with promises but as the book progressed and little happened that promise slowly disappeared.
August 10, 2025
This book was a perfect, can't put down!
September 8, 2008
Teenager Jazz is nearing her London home one day after school when she realizes that something isn’t quite right. Her mother has always drilled into her the urgent need to stay alert and even paranoid, and to trust no one and nothing except her instincts. Jazz’s instincts tell her to scope out her house – and she discovers that the Uncles, a mysterious group of BMW-driving men who have both supported and terrified her mother since Jazz’s birth, have killed her mother and are waiting for her own arrival.
Jazz runs for the nearest Tube station, and soon finds herself deep underground and under the care of Harry, a Fagin-esque character (but with more heart) who nurtures an odd assortment of young thieves who, for various reasons, have no home other than the bowels of London’s ancient underground warren of abandoned Tube stations, air raid shelters, and still older tunnels and rooms.
Jazz soon discovers that her keen awareness of London’s old ghosts is linked to the Uncles’ relentless pursuit of her. Harry has his own mysterious agenda, as does a dashing thief named Terence whom Jazz meets while robbing the same house. There is magic in London, and it’s dragging the City down, miring it in old tragedy and sorrow while the rest of the world moves on. All the players in this story are aware of this magic and want to use it for their own purposes.
Jazz’s constant and well-founded paranoia makes this book a prickly and exciting read, even as she gains self-confidence and a sense of purpose. Her fumbling attempts to make friends and achieve a sense of intimacy are touching and bittersweet, and are balanced by breathtaking and almost cinematic scenes that take place along abandoned Tube tracks and during dangerous heists. The conclusion is both satisfying and slightly ambiguous; there is plenty of hope, but also some unanswered questions and plenty of sadness.
Although not marketed as a YA book, this is an excellent book for teens, and no wonder, considering that both Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden have written for teens. The mixture of magic, danger, and a secret underground London world had my teen daughters clamoring to read this after I finished it.
Recommended for ages 14 and up, plus Charles de Lint fans of all ages.
Jazz runs for the nearest Tube station, and soon finds herself deep underground and under the care of Harry, a Fagin-esque character (but with more heart) who nurtures an odd assortment of young thieves who, for various reasons, have no home other than the bowels of London’s ancient underground warren of abandoned Tube stations, air raid shelters, and still older tunnels and rooms.
Jazz soon discovers that her keen awareness of London’s old ghosts is linked to the Uncles’ relentless pursuit of her. Harry has his own mysterious agenda, as does a dashing thief named Terence whom Jazz meets while robbing the same house. There is magic in London, and it’s dragging the City down, miring it in old tragedy and sorrow while the rest of the world moves on. All the players in this story are aware of this magic and want to use it for their own purposes.
Jazz’s constant and well-founded paranoia makes this book a prickly and exciting read, even as she gains self-confidence and a sense of purpose. Her fumbling attempts to make friends and achieve a sense of intimacy are touching and bittersweet, and are balanced by breathtaking and almost cinematic scenes that take place along abandoned Tube tracks and during dangerous heists. The conclusion is both satisfying and slightly ambiguous; there is plenty of hope, but also some unanswered questions and plenty of sadness.
Although not marketed as a YA book, this is an excellent book for teens, and no wonder, considering that both Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden have written for teens. The mixture of magic, danger, and a secret underground London world had my teen daughters clamoring to read this after I finished it.
Recommended for ages 14 and up, plus Charles de Lint fans of all ages.
November 7, 2012
While I have enjoyed novels by both Golden and Lebbon, I'm not too sure that I would say that I enjoyed this one. Maybe that's too harsh. I didn't not enjoy it but then I didn't love it either. It was more along the lines of a solid "there," existing and potentially fun but not really.
The story follows a teenage Jasmine "Jazz" Towne who comes home from school one day to find her mom killed by her "Uncles." Her Uncles, also called BMW men, came by at irregular intervals while Jazz was growing up; they would talk with her mom for a while and then leave. My first thought was that her mom was turning tricks but there was actually a conspiracy that happening instead. A conspiracy that made her mom raise Jazz to be very paranoid about everything. This is what gets Jazz to run before she can be caught. She ends up in the Underground and hiding out at old, unused stations. Down there she meets up with another outcast group led by someone who has ties to her past.
As you can see from my summary attempt, there is a lot happening and some thought put into the characters. My problem ended up being that the novel had too many parts that weren't pursued. There was a mystical and supernatural element that was part of the whole story but it wasn't really used. It was more like a ghost that screams out and then goes away. There were some psychic elements that in hind sight seemed to be introduced to make things easier. And there was a conspiracy that left just as many questions at the end of the book as in the middle. Maybe those questions are addressed in the other Hidden Cities novels but considering those are based in other cities (New Orleans, Venice, Boston) I'm not sure if they do. One other thing that I wasn't aware of when starting the book was that it seems to be a Young Adult novel. Nothing wrong with that but I wasn't quite expecting it. If I had known, then I would have set my expectations differently from the start. Overall I'm glad that read it because you never find new things to like if you stick with the same old thing all the time. However, I won't be buying or reading any of the follow up novels.
The story follows a teenage Jasmine "Jazz" Towne who comes home from school one day to find her mom killed by her "Uncles." Her Uncles, also called BMW men, came by at irregular intervals while Jazz was growing up; they would talk with her mom for a while and then leave. My first thought was that her mom was turning tricks but there was actually a conspiracy that happening instead. A conspiracy that made her mom raise Jazz to be very paranoid about everything. This is what gets Jazz to run before she can be caught. She ends up in the Underground and hiding out at old, unused stations. Down there she meets up with another outcast group led by someone who has ties to her past.
As you can see from my summary attempt, there is a lot happening and some thought put into the characters. My problem ended up being that the novel had too many parts that weren't pursued. There was a mystical and supernatural element that was part of the whole story but it wasn't really used. It was more like a ghost that screams out and then goes away. There were some psychic elements that in hind sight seemed to be introduced to make things easier. And there was a conspiracy that left just as many questions at the end of the book as in the middle. Maybe those questions are addressed in the other Hidden Cities novels but considering those are based in other cities (New Orleans, Venice, Boston) I'm not sure if they do. One other thing that I wasn't aware of when starting the book was that it seems to be a Young Adult novel. Nothing wrong with that but I wasn't quite expecting it. If I had known, then I would have set my expectations differently from the start. Overall I'm glad that read it because you never find new things to like if you stick with the same old thing all the time. However, I won't be buying or reading any of the follow up novels.
January 9, 2010
Mine is a limited edition (1000 copies), signed by both authors, and released by Cemetery Dance Publications in January of 2010 as the first book of their Book Club 3.0.
Mind the Gap follows Jasmine “Jazz” Towne as she discovers a secret society of underground dwellers led by a semi-Fagin-esque character (ala Oliver Twist); her family’s secrets, leading to secrets about herself; and her own importance to a world ready to move on.
She returns home to find her mother slain and the “Uncles” who killed her waiting for Jazz to return. Jazz has a sixth sense about these things and “hears” her mother’s paranoid plea to listen to that voice. Jazz flees.
She runs into a group living under the “Tube” who call themselves the United Kingdom. They survive by thieving from people living above ground.
The sequence of events that follow appear to be a series of coincidences but she is reminded by her inner voice, prompted by her now deceased mother’s paranoia, that there are no coincidences. Jazz remains aware of other’s motives and plays some of her cards close to the vest to great effect.
This story is filled with ghosts of London past, the last vestiges of the magic of time gone by, friendship made and lost, betrayal, bad guys in black, intrigue, mystery, and destiny.
Chris and Tim have a great page turner here that is well paced and a great journey. The main character, Jazz, learns to listen to mom’s lessons and her own gut feelings and to trust herself. As the story progresses, Jazz gains self confidence and an understanding of the people around her.
In the end she does the right thing which is all any of us can hope for.
Mind the Gap follows Jasmine “Jazz” Towne as she discovers a secret society of underground dwellers led by a semi-Fagin-esque character (ala Oliver Twist); her family’s secrets, leading to secrets about herself; and her own importance to a world ready to move on.
She returns home to find her mother slain and the “Uncles” who killed her waiting for Jazz to return. Jazz has a sixth sense about these things and “hears” her mother’s paranoid plea to listen to that voice. Jazz flees.
She runs into a group living under the “Tube” who call themselves the United Kingdom. They survive by thieving from people living above ground.
The sequence of events that follow appear to be a series of coincidences but she is reminded by her inner voice, prompted by her now deceased mother’s paranoia, that there are no coincidences. Jazz remains aware of other’s motives and plays some of her cards close to the vest to great effect.
This story is filled with ghosts of London past, the last vestiges of the magic of time gone by, friendship made and lost, betrayal, bad guys in black, intrigue, mystery, and destiny.
Chris and Tim have a great page turner here that is well paced and a great journey. The main character, Jazz, learns to listen to mom’s lessons and her own gut feelings and to trust herself. As the story progresses, Jazz gains self confidence and an understanding of the people around her.
In the end she does the right thing which is all any of us can hope for.
April 6, 2011
Jazz gets the feeling one day something is wrong.
Raised by her single mother to follow her instincts, Jazz embarks on a skulking, slippery path through London where she finds her mother with her throat slit open and written in blood "Jazz Hide Forever."
Jazz goes underground, meeting up with a band of young outcasts led by a an old thief named Harry, and commences upon a new life of more skulking and thievery...and revenge upon the "uncles" who killed her mother.
Underground she is haunted by London's ghosts, and topside she is hunted by the uncles who seem to want her for some nefarious purpose.
When she meets Terence burgling the same house Harry chose for Jazz, a plan is set into motion that will result in death and the changing of London's magic soul and ghosts forever.
This could have been really cool. The skulking parts were cool. The idea of how magic slowly drew together Jazz, Terence, and the parts of the apparatus really formulated into a believable plot.
However, it lacked soul. I never really got into Jazz's character, and while she had potential, she came off as kind of flat and disconnected from her actions.
Even the potential romantic interest led nowhere. Since Lebbon is a horror writer, I was expecting more chills, but this is a book I could let me third grader read with no issue.
The prose is readable, the descriptions nice, but ultimately Jazz didn't sink her hooks into me.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Frozen fish sticks for having all the trappings of a compulsively eatable story but lacking in flavor and meat when you chomp down.
Raised by her single mother to follow her instincts, Jazz embarks on a skulking, slippery path through London where she finds her mother with her throat slit open and written in blood "Jazz Hide Forever."
Jazz goes underground, meeting up with a band of young outcasts led by a an old thief named Harry, and commences upon a new life of more skulking and thievery...and revenge upon the "uncles" who killed her mother.
Underground she is haunted by London's ghosts, and topside she is hunted by the uncles who seem to want her for some nefarious purpose.
When she meets Terence burgling the same house Harry chose for Jazz, a plan is set into motion that will result in death and the changing of London's magic soul and ghosts forever.
This could have been really cool. The skulking parts were cool. The idea of how magic slowly drew together Jazz, Terence, and the parts of the apparatus really formulated into a believable plot.
However, it lacked soul. I never really got into Jazz's character, and while she had potential, she came off as kind of flat and disconnected from her actions.
Even the potential romantic interest led nowhere. Since Lebbon is a horror writer, I was expecting more chills, but this is a book I could let me third grader read with no issue.
The prose is readable, the descriptions nice, but ultimately Jazz didn't sink her hooks into me.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Frozen fish sticks for having all the trappings of a compulsively eatable story but lacking in flavor and meat when you chomp down.
April 18, 2012
I find the loosely connected theme in this series to be utterly brilliant. Instead of necessarily focusing on the characters, each book in the Hidden Cities set of novels deals with the secret, magic aspects of a particular city. With our first foray, authors Golden and Lebbon take us into the underground sprawls of London and the centuries of history that are buried there.
There's an obvious homage to "Oliver Twist" to be found here in this book, and sometimes I felt the details of thieving took too high a priority over the mythology of London. I would have liked less about the gang of children calling themselves 'The United Kingdom,' and far more about The Blackwood Club and The Hour Of Screams. In many ways, I believe this book could have been an additional 100 pages.
Now, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I found the characters wonderfully three-dimensional and realistic. The teenagers were portrayed as REAL teenagers, not as small adults or slightly larger toddlers. You cared about them, their situations, and relationships. And while I saw the climax coming, it was no less intense. In fact, I found the conclusion wonderfully done in a manner that was almost poetic.
I have no doubt I will read the other books in this Hidden Cities series, not only because it's a fascinating concept, but because Golden and Lebbon create vivid characters. I think any fans of honest, uncluttered Urban Fantasy would enjoy this particular novel. I think even more YA fantasy fans would as well.
There's an obvious homage to "Oliver Twist" to be found here in this book, and sometimes I felt the details of thieving took too high a priority over the mythology of London. I would have liked less about the gang of children calling themselves 'The United Kingdom,' and far more about The Blackwood Club and The Hour Of Screams. In many ways, I believe this book could have been an additional 100 pages.
Now, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I found the characters wonderfully three-dimensional and realistic. The teenagers were portrayed as REAL teenagers, not as small adults or slightly larger toddlers. You cared about them, their situations, and relationships. And while I saw the climax coming, it was no less intense. In fact, I found the conclusion wonderfully done in a manner that was almost poetic.
I have no doubt I will read the other books in this Hidden Cities series, not only because it's a fascinating concept, but because Golden and Lebbon create vivid characters. I think any fans of honest, uncluttered Urban Fantasy would enjoy this particular novel. I think even more YA fantasy fans would as well.
November 28, 2012
I am not really a fan of dark fantasy. And there is a YA feel to this book, maybe to most fantasy, despite the "dark" trappings.
So there is this clever, self-sufficient girl named Jazz, a teenager, raised by her mom to "trust no one!". One day this girl is coming home and senses something wrong, sneaks into her house via her neighbor's attic, finds her mother murdered, and manages to evade the bad guys even though they are in the house. She hides in the London Underground (which is so strange and was the only part of the book that actually captured my interest, it is hard to believe that so much space was created and then abandoned underground, the subject deserves further study). Anyway, Jazz has all sorts of strange experiences, including with ghosts, groups of thieving teenagers, people who live underground, and men who drive black BMW's. Guess who the bad guys are? I'm not a fan of stealing or the F word, but the people who do those things aren't the bad guys of course, they are just your normal teenagers. Except they live underground which is bizarre, but kind of suits England. Here in the States the homeless live under freeway overpasses. Different culture. So back to the story, people get murdered, the missing "battery" to release England from the grip of the past (eyeroll) is discovered, and someone ends up in the park, acting as... you will have to read the book and see for yourself.
So there is this clever, self-sufficient girl named Jazz, a teenager, raised by her mom to "trust no one!". One day this girl is coming home and senses something wrong, sneaks into her house via her neighbor's attic, finds her mother murdered, and manages to evade the bad guys even though they are in the house. She hides in the London Underground (which is so strange and was the only part of the book that actually captured my interest, it is hard to believe that so much space was created and then abandoned underground, the subject deserves further study). Anyway, Jazz has all sorts of strange experiences, including with ghosts, groups of thieving teenagers, people who live underground, and men who drive black BMW's. Guess who the bad guys are? I'm not a fan of stealing or the F word, but the people who do those things aren't the bad guys of course, they are just your normal teenagers. Except they live underground which is bizarre, but kind of suits England. Here in the States the homeless live under freeway overpasses. Different culture. So back to the story, people get murdered, the missing "battery" to release England from the grip of the past (eyeroll) is discovered, and someone ends up in the park, acting as... you will have to read the book and see for yourself.
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