The strange ones

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The Strange (in the original: The Peculiar ) is a Steampunk - fantasy novel by Stefan Bachmann from 2012, which in 2014 was published in German. The book received largely positive reviews from the US and German-language press, the author was described as a “child prodigy” and “young star of the literary scene” and the content was compared with Harry Potter , among other things , although the story takes place in 19th century Victorian England . The sequel under the title Die Wedernoch (original: The Whatnot ) was released in the USA in 2013 and in German in autumn 2014.

action

The prologue is about the opening of the portal to the fairy world, as a result of which a multitude of magical creatures came into the human world. Since the portal closed, the fairies and elves have been prevented from returning and have to live side by side with the humans. Children of a human and a fairy are called "the strange ones" and are especially outlawed as crossbreeds on both sides.

Bartholomew and his little sister Henrietta "Hettie" Kettle are mixed race whose fairy father has left the family. They live with their mother on Krähengasse in Bath and are almost never allowed to leave the house, as very few people shy away from killing "mixed race children ". One day Bartholomew observes a lady in a plum-colored dress from the window of a secret attic room who is picking up another mongrel boy from the neighbors. When Bartholomew follows her, he is magically enveloped in feathers and taken into a distant, noble room, which he leaves shortly afterwards in the same way.

Arthur Jelliby is a parliamentarian and member of the Council of State in London, which also includes a fairy elite. For some time now, half-breeds have been mysteriously disappearing and then found dead, which most of the members of parliament don't care much. When Mr. Jelliby is invited to the fairy attorney general Lickerish, he gets lost in his house in a corridor and is tracked down by Mr. Lickerish's fairy butler, who suspects him to have spied. By chance, Mr. Jelliby overhears Mr. Lickerish in an office and stumbles upon a diabolical plan to open the portal to the fairy world in order to deliver England to the fairies. To do this, Mr. Lickerish needs a certain mixed-race child that the lady in the plum-colored dress named Melusine is supposed to get for him. Mr. Jelliby intercepts a mechanical bird carrying secret information from Mr. Lickerish and finds out that the next mixed breed child is to be found in Bath.

Meanwhile, Bartholomew has tried to conjure up a house ghost and instead leads Mr. Lickerish's henchmen to him, who kidnap Hettie. At the same time, Mr. Jelliby arrives in Crow Alley and comes across Bartholomew, who is desperately looking for his sister. Together they make their way to the fairy market to get weapons for defense, and then to a lonely place in the forest where an old fairy lives in a trailer and tells them about Mr. Lickerish's plans. He wants to invade all magical beings from the fairy world to England in order to subdue and rule over people.

Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby travel back to London, where they locate an old warehouse with access to an airship over the city. That is where Mr. Lickerish is holding Hettie. He is responsible for the disappearance and death of the other mixed race children because he was looking for the right one. Hettie is the portal to the fairy world and is supposed to open it that night. When it happens, Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby join them. They want to prevent the portal from opening, but fail and Hettie disappears into the fairy world together with the fairy butler. The story ends with Bartholomew's decision to bring Hettie home at all costs.

backgrounds

Bachmann wrote Die Strange in English at the age of sixteen, and was inspired by The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia , among others . According to his own statements, he needed six months for the first 400-page version, plus another six months for the revision. The manuscript was conveyed to the US publisher HarperCollins through an agent and published on September 18, 2012. According to some media reports, the novel quickly became a bestseller in the US, which also led to the film industry's interest in film rights .

Along with the publication, a book trailer was produced, the musical accompaniment of which was composed by Bachmann himself. A reading tour through the USA and a blog tour through Asia followed in 2013 and brought the author an income in the six-figure range. The book has been translated into seven languages ​​including Czech, Polish and Spanish. The German translation was published on February 26, 2014 by the Swiss Diogenes Verlag .

reception

Both of the press, as well as representatives of fantasy literature was The Strange judged mainly positive. The New York Times wrote in September 2012 that The Peculiar was “[...] a story young fantasy buffs are sure to enjoy” (“a story that young fantasy fans are sure to enjoy”). The Los Angeles Times wrote, "His [Bachmanns] prose is so elegantly witty [...]" ("His prose is elegantly witty [...]") and The Peculiar is not just for teenagers. Publishers Weekly described the novel as "unlimited reading pleasure for readers of all ages." Christopher Paolini , author of the fantasy series Eragon , praised the book as "swift, strong and entertaining, highly recommanded" ("Strong, stirring and very entertaining, absolutely recommendable") and Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan said “Stefan Bachmann breathes fresh life into ancient magic” (“Stefan Bachmann breathes new life into classic fantasy”).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tageswoche.ch “I'm not a child prodigy” article from November 7, 2014, accessed on March 23, 2015
  2. ↑ a b Tageswoche.ch Karen N. Gerig: Bartholomew Kettle gets a second chance. Article dated September 26, 2014, accessed March 23, 2015
  3. ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Anja Hirsch: When you are sixteen, write a bestseller! Article dated March 3, 2014, accessed March 23, 2015
  4. ↑ Magazine Sofatutor Interview with Stefan Bachmann
  5. ↑ Tagesanzeiger Ev Manz: The odd one. Article dated November 24, 2012, accessed March 23, 2015
  6. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung New book by the young Zurich author. Article dated February 7, 2013, accessed March 23, 2015
  7. ^ New York Times Monica Edinger: Night and Fog. Article dated September 14, 2012, accessed March 23, 2015
  8. ↑ Los Angeles Times Susan Carpenter: Not Just For Kids: 'The Peculiar' by Stefan Bachmann is a fantastical tale. Article dated September 23, 2012, accessed March 23, 2015
  9. ↑ Publisher's Weekly Review of The Peculiar , accessed March 23, 2015