Candy is pursued through this strange world by the minions of Carrion, but the plot, as in Alice in Wonderland, is mainly an excuse for an excursion through the fertile and bizarre imagination of the author, an imagination considerably edgier and more gruesome than Carroll's. This first book gives every indication of an author obsessed: he spins out ideas, creatures, and places with a reckless abandon that indicates he's just getting warmed up. In addition to more than 400 pages of text (including a 25 page appendix with information on each of the islands), Barker has created over 100 vividly colorful illustrations. When the book first came out there was a free poster-map of the world available at bookstores, and there is an interactive version on the website (http://www.harperchildren.com/abarat), though why they didn't print the map on the endpapers is a mystery in an otherwise gorgeous and lavishly produced book.

Such plot as there is meanders around considerably, and there are no characters vivid enough for readers to identify with or care much about. This is a book that appeals to children who like to be fascinated, rather than emotionally invested. Though the story lacks the heart (and the satisfyingly tight plotting) of the best children's books, children with a taste for the wild and grotesque will by enthralled by this travelogue of the weird.