Synopses & Reviews
A 2014 New York Times Notable Book! A Kirkus Best Teen Book of 2014 A New York Times Book Review Editor's Pick! A Publishers Weekly Indie Pick: Big Books from Small Presses! Welcome to Heap House, the sprawling, slipshod maze of a mansion, built on the "Heaps," a collection of forgotten trash and curios. Young Clod Iremonger and his eccentric family, the "kings of mildew, moguls of mold," made their fortune from this collected detritus. The Iremongers are an odd old family, each the owner of the birth object they must keep with them at all times. Clod is perhaps the oddest of all--his gift and his curse is that he can hear all of the objects of Heap House whispering.
Review
A 2014 New York Times Notable Book! A Kirkus "Best Teen Book of 2014"
A New York Times Book Review Editorand#8217;s Pick!
A Publishers Weekly Indie Pick: Big Books from Small Presses!
and#160;
and#8220;Heap House is weird, yes. Spectacularly so.and#8221;
and#8212;Pseudonymous Bosch, The New York Times Book Review
and#160;
and#160;
and#8220;Heap Houseand#8212;the first in a trilogy set in Victorian Englandand#8212;is a witty, fantastical, sometimes terrifying world, like the best kind of fairy tales. And like many fairy tales, itand#8217;s suitable for children as well as adults.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Austin American-Statesman
and#160;
"How do I even begin to talk about this exceptional, astonishing book? Reading Heap House I was reminded of Edward Gorey, Lemony Snicket, and Roald Dahl; it's a grimy world with a sepia glow, a Victoriana of malicious clutter. It's an intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate book.and#160; It's also gorgeously written. Heap House is, its heart of trash notwithstanding, an absolute treasure."and#160;and#160; and#8212;Amal El-Motar, NPR
and#160;
and#8220;Whimsically gothicand#8230;and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Los Angeles Times
and#160;
"Careyand#8217;s Heap House is blanketed in the delicious gray gloom of his native England and#8230;Apt comparisons will be drawn to Charles Dickens, Lemony Snicket, and Edward Gorey. Fans of creepy and macabre literature will be drawn to Careyand#8217;s illustrations, and fans of brave and whimsical literature will love his wordplay and his fantastical world.and#8221;and#160;and#160; and#8212;Bookpeopleand#8217;s Blog
and#160;
and#8220;This book is funny and charming, and even scary, and so full of wonderful words, it's amazing Carey has any left to use. He also did the fabulous illustrations. I adored it.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Book Riot
and#160;
"Edward Careyand#8217;s new novel Heap House is his first for younger readers; itand#8217;s also a magnificently creepy work regardless of what age you are when you encounter it.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Vol 1 Brooklyn Blog
and#160;
"Heap House is the first volume in theIremonger Trilogy, and its cliffhanger ending is perfectly maddening. It's cruel, really, of the publisher to release just one.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Sonja Bolle, Newsday
and#160;
and#8220;Full of strange magic, sly humor, and odd, melancholy characters, this trilogy opener, peppered with portraits illustrated by Carey in a style reminiscent of Peakeand#8217;s own, should appeal to ambitious readers seeking richly imagined and more-than-a-little-sinister fantasy.and#8221; and#8212;Publishers Weekly (starred review)
and#160;
"The first in a deliciously macabre trilogy . . . channels Dickens crossed with LemonySnicket. . . . a Gothic tale in turns witty, sweet, thoughtful and thrillingand#8212;but always off-kilterand#8212;and penned with gorgeous, loopy prose. Suspense and horror gradually accumulate into an avalanche of a climax, leading to the most precipitous of cliffhangersand#8230; Magnificently creepy.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
and#160;
"What an astonishing book this is! A novel for children so good, so peculiar, somagical that it bears comparison to classics like The Hobbit or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Golden Compass or the Green Knowe books. That is to say, adults should read it too, in order to be given the uncanny, wrenching sensation of visiting a new and strange placeand#8212;and finding a home there."and#160; and#8212;Kelly Link, award-winning author of Magic for Beginners
and#160;
and#8220;Heap House is delightful, eccentric, heartfelt, surprising, philosophical, everything that an novel for children shouldbe.and#8221; and#8212;Eleanor Catton, winner of the Man Booker Prize for The Luminaries
and#160;
and#8220;Heap House torques and tempers our memories of Dickensian London into a singularly jaunty and creepy tale of agreeable misfits.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Gregory Maguire, best-selling author of Wicked
Review
"Heap House is weird, yes. Spectacularly so." Pseudonymous Bosch
Review
"Heap House--the first in a trilogy set in Victorian England--is a witty, fantastical, sometimes terrifying world, like the best kind of fairy tales. And like many fairy tales, it's suitable for children as well as adults." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"How do I even begin to talk about this exceptional, astonishing book? Reading Heap House I was reminded of Edward Gorey, Lemony Snicket, and Roald Dahl; it's a grimy world with a sepia glow, a Victoriana of malicious clutter. It's an intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate book. It's also gorgeously written. Heap House is, its heart of trash notwithstanding, an absolute treasure." Austin American-Statesman
Review
"Whimsically gothic..." Amal El-Motar NPR
Review
"Carey's Heap House is blanketed in the delicious gray gloom of his native England ...Apt comparisons will be drawn to Charles Dickens, Lemony Snicket, and Edward Gorey. Fans of creepy and macabre literature will be drawn to Carey's illustrations, and fans of brave and whimsical literature will love his wordplay and his fantastical world." Los Angeles Times
Review
"This book is funny and charming, and even scary, and so full of wonderful words, it's amazing Carey has any left to use. He also did the fabulous illustrations. I adored it." Bookpeople's Blog
Review
"Edward Carey's new novel Heap House is his first for younger readers; it's also a magnificently creepy work regardless of what age you are when you encounter it." Book Riot
Review
"Heap House is the first volume in the Iremonger Trilogy, and its cliffhanger ending is perfectly maddening. It's cruel, really, of the publisher to release just one." Vol 1 Brooklyn Blog
Review
"Full of strange magic, sly humor, and odd, melancholy characters, this trilogy opener, peppered with portraits illustrated by Carey in a style reminiscent of Peake's own, should appeal to ambitious readers seeking richly imagined and more-than-a-little-sinister fantasy." Sonja Bolle Newsday
Review
"The first in a deliciously macabre trilogy . . . channels Dickens crossed with LemonySnicket. . . . a Gothic tale in turns witty, sweet, thoughtful and thrilling--but always off-kilter--and penned with gorgeous, loopy prose. Suspense and horror gradually accumulate into an avalanche of a climax, leading to the most precipitous of cliffhangers... Magnificently creepy." Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW
Review
"What an astonishing book this is! A novel for children so good, so peculiar, somagical that it bears comparison to classics like The Hobbit or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Golden Compass or the Green Knowe books. That is to say, adults should read it too, in order to be given the uncanny, wrenching sensation of visiting a new and strange place--and finding a home there." Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
Review
"Heap House is delightful, eccentric, heartfelt, surprising, philosophical, everything that an novel for children should be." Kelly Link, award-winning author of Magic for Beginners
Review
"Heap House torques and tempers our memories of Dickensian London into a singularly jaunty and creepy tale of agreeable misfits." Eleanor Catton, winner of the Man Booker Prize for The Luminaries
Review
"Whimsically gothic..." Austin American-Statesman
Synopsis
"Astonishing! So peculiar, so magical that it bears comparison to The Hobbit or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Golden Compass or the Green Knowe books." --Kelly Link, award-winning author of Magic for Beginners
About the Author
Edward Carey is the author and illustrator of two