Tick-Tock time is money ... if you need a message to be delivered promptly and efficiently to anywhere in the city then Barnaby Grimes is the Tick-Tock lad to ask. One of the few high-stackers he takes the unconventional routes across the rooftops to deliver his messages. Not only does this give him speed it also allows him to get a great view of the city and all its comings and goings. Yet strange things are afoot in the city and one moonlit night as Barnaby is highstacking above the city and leaping from roof to roof ... gutter to gable ... pillar to pediment he is attacked by a huge, vicious beast. Barley escaping with his life Barnaby is then distraught to discover that his friend Old Benjamin has disappeared, are the two events in anyway connected?

Barnaby, Tick-Tock lad turned sleuth, is determined to find out more. Young readers will be familiar with the Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell writing and illustration partnership through the hugely successful Edge Chronicles series. That was a fantasy series, this new series, though remaining on the fringes of fantasy draws the reader into a murky world of semi-horror fiction. Cleverly opening the story with a glimpse of what is to come for Barnaby the authors leave their readers under no illusion as to the horrors that await their newest hero. This is however a review of the audio book and as such must reflect on the way in which the story comes across when it is being read to the listener.

 At three hours long the audio book is a word for word version of the printed book, making it an ideal accompaniment for keen readers who may find that they are helped in their understanding of the story by hearing it read whilst following it in the book. It is also ideal for dyslexic or other readers who can be assured that they are not missing out on any of the detail. The voice of the reader is very important when listening to a story being read and Paul Panting’s voice is certainly compelling, he has great intonation and does some wonderful voices for some of the characters making it both easy and fun to listen to. This is a very good, original story and being able to access it via an audio book as well as in the traditional print format opens up a new world of fantasy horror fiction for more young readers.

2008-01-11