A welcome modern-day return to a classic form, this fable lives up to the publisher's billing as a tale for all ages. Barker's own illustrations convey the story's deceptively sweet appeal. Harvey must heroically battle what is gradually revealed to be the malevolent force behind the Holiday House in order to save not only himself but all its previous young guests. Barker masterfully embroiders this fantasy world with a mounting number of grim, even gruesome details. Rictus takes Harvey to the Holiday House, where every morning is spring, every afternoon is summer and every evening offers Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession. When archetypal 10-year-old Harvey Swick desperately wishes to be delivered from a boring February afternoon, he is miraculously rescued by Rictus, a smiling (if somewhat sinister) creature. In a tale that manages to be both cute and horrifying, bestselling novelist and screenwriter Barker ( Imajica ) puts the dark side back into childhood fantasy, recalling the violent undercurrents of the Grimm Brothers' tales and other classics.
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