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The Giant's Almanac
Fitz thinks he is an ordinary eleven-year-old and loves to turn simple things into mini-adventures, like sneaking next door and filching books from Mr Ahmadi's vast library of mysterious tomes, and goading the guard dog into giving breakneck chase.
But one tranquil evening three sharp knocks on the front door change everything . . .
'I said I would come for him. He is my jewel. It is time. It is past time.'
Now on the run from a threat that has been waiting his entire life, Fitz's only hope is to put his life in the hands of his enigmatic neighbour, Mr Ahmadi. Taken on as an apprentice in a secret society who keep all they really do cloaked in mystery, Fitz has to quickly learn the ropes within the most skilful, most powerful, most dangerous and wealthiest organisation in the world . . .
But one tranquil evening three sharp knocks on the front door change everything . . .
'I said I would come for him. He is my jewel. It is time. It is past time.'
Now on the run from a threat that has been waiting his entire life, Fitz's only hope is to put his life in the hands of his enigmatic neighbour, Mr Ahmadi. Taken on as an apprentice in a secret society who keep all they really do cloaked in mystery, Fitz has to quickly learn the ropes within the most skilful, most powerful, most dangerous and wealthiest organisation in the world . . .
- GenresFantasyMiddle Grade
528 pages, Hardcover
Published January 7, 2021
3 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 12, 2025
DNFed in the first couple of chapters a couple of weeks ago
April 11, 2023
I was very excited about this book, since Twelve Nights is definitely one of my favorite books. However I was a little but disappointed by The Giant’s Almanac.
The same research and magical realism I found in Twelve Nights was there, however the story was a little bit confusing at times. Sometimes I had to read several times the same chapter to actually understand what was going on. Or I figured out revelations from the characters way ahead in the book, even if these information had already been revealed.
Zurcher’s writing style still feels “melodic” at times,however I found it a little bit stingy during descriptions. To me this made the reading less fluid and more difficult to keep the concentration on
Fitz felt like a neutral character to me, he was most of the time supported by another character and he rarely joined the action,unless he was on his own. His character development felt distant too,and in the last few pages it took a sudden turn which I couldn’t really explain.
Habi was definitely my favourite character,he was the most interesting in my opinion, and he showed a different aspect of himself in each chapter. However even at the end of the book I still couldn’t guess what his true reasons were snd how he felt toward the other characters. Not sure if I missed some sort of information, or perhaps it’s open to different interpretations.
Overall,it was an alright (and challenging) reading but it didn’t surprise me a lot. Moreover I feel like there are still questions I need an answer to and this gives me a feel of incompleteness.
The same research and magical realism I found in Twelve Nights was there, however the story was a little bit confusing at times. Sometimes I had to read several times the same chapter to actually understand what was going on. Or I figured out revelations from the characters way ahead in the book, even if these information had already been revealed.
Zurcher’s writing style still feels “melodic” at times,however I found it a little bit stingy during descriptions. To me this made the reading less fluid and more difficult to keep the concentration on
Fitz felt like a neutral character to me, he was most of the time supported by another character and he rarely joined the action,unless he was on his own. His character development felt distant too,and in the last few pages it took a sudden turn which I couldn’t really explain.
Habi was definitely my favourite character,he was the most interesting in my opinion, and he showed a different aspect of himself in each chapter. However even at the end of the book I still couldn’t guess what his true reasons were snd how he felt toward the other characters. Not sure if I missed some sort of information, or perhaps it’s open to different interpretations.
Overall,it was an alright (and challenging) reading but it didn’t surprise me a lot. Moreover I feel like there are still questions I need an answer to and this gives me a feel of incompleteness.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews