A Wild Ride Through The Night
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
Using twenty-one drawings from the work of Gustave Dor-, the most successful illustrator of the 19th century, Walter Moers has created a wondrous and utterly delightful tale. In a world between legend and dream, in a time between childhood and adulthood, A Wild Ride Through the Night describes the exhilarating and comic adventures of 12-year-old Gustave, a boy who aspires one day to be a great artist. But before he can achieve this, Gustave must first tackle Mysterious Giants and a Siamese Twins Tornado; he also finds himself encountering the Greatest Monster of All, freeing a maiden from the claws of a dragon, riding through a forest full of ghosts, navigating a Galactic Gully and meeting a dream princess, a talking horse, scantily-clad Amazons and even his own self. Having made a wager with death for nothing less than his life and his soul, he must travel from the earth to the moon and back in a single night.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
German author Moers has constructed a surreal adventure story inspired by 21 woodcuts by 19th-century French illustrator Gustave Dor , which are interspersed throughout the novel. Readers follow the exploits of a boy named Gustave, the captain of a ship that's destroyed by a storm. After he's blown to high heaven, Gustave meets Death, but instead of going quietly into the arms of the Grim Reaper, Gustave opts to be sent on a quest to complete six impossible tasks. Soon the young adventurer is in the company of naked damsels who hunt dragons, a group of malevolent giants, a crocodile who seduces his prey before he eats them and a huge winged talking pig. Moers infuses his tale with humor and life lessons (the benefits of leading a full life, the necessity of focus and the importance of staying in touch with your imagination). Still, the narrative relies too much on the conceit of plot points being connected through the art, and the material seems like the stuff of children's adventure novels. The illustrations are beautiful, and worth the time to stop and consider.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!!
Walter moers has made every other book for me un-readable I can't get into a book now without hoping to find a zamonian character having a crazy adventure somewhere I LOVE his books and a wild ride did not disappoint Walter moers is crazy, inventive and his imagination defies all odds. I can't wait for his next book!!