Book of Lost Things

Every once in a while we come across a book that's just kind of magical. Memorable characters and villains, kind of "transports" us to another time or place, and we end it with that kind of sigh that means we wish it hadn't ended as soon as it did. That was my reaction to John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things, a new fantasy coming out in November. (I was lucky enough to land an advance reader's copy of this one.) It's the same way I felt about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and Kindred recently. Just kind of swept away, couldn't put it down.

This falls in the adult fairy tale realm, reminiscent of the writing of the late-great Angela Carter, or higher praise yet, Isak Dinesen, one of my all-time favorites (if you've never read Seven Gothic Tales, you really owe it to yourself to pick it up, but that's whole other entry...), or even Neil Gaiman. It's the story of a boy in 1940's London who enters an alternate reality after all the books on the shelves start whispering to him, and he has a mythic destiny to work out. Beautifully crafted, with vivid episodes throughout and a very satisfying ending -- and all this from an author who is known for his mysteries. Go figure. If you get a chance, and your stack of "to be read books" isn't too high, you'll definately want to check it out. So far, and for what it's worth, this easily gets my vote for Favorite Book of the Year.