The Stranger's Guide to Talliston

by John Tarrow

Hardcover, 2019

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Publication

Unbound (2019), 384 pages

Description

Abandoned and alone, thirteen-year-old Joe's world is shattered when he enters a deserted council house and becomes trapped within a labyrinth protecting the last magical places on earth. There, Joe discovers a book charting this immense no-man's land, without time or place, its thirteen doors each leading to a different realm. Hunted by sinister foes, the boy is forced ever deeper into both the maze and the mystery of his missing parents. What will he find at the labyrinth's centre, and can it reunite him with the family he so desperately needs?

User reviews

LibraryThing member GRgenius
We begin as all stories do...with foreshadowing of bigger things to come while we try to outrun the current situation we're in. Here, we've a young lad nervously awaiting his parents return after an ambush in the woods and explicit instructions were issued for him to GO, STAY, and WAIT. Well, can
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you guess how THAT turned out? Yeah...probably...but in truth, it wasn't completely his fault. Things got out of hand, and when he ran, he HAD to run; he just didn't know the open arms he was running into belonged to a mysterious house that seemed ordinary enough, and yet was beyond ordinary to the umpteenth degree! What happens after he crosses over the gate, the people he meets, the places he goes...are beyond explanation, but not comprehension. It's a place where the past, present, and future are somewhat fluid, and yet there is a method to the seemingly unending madness that circles within. There are puzzles to solve, souls to save, friends to make, and hearts to break, but above all, there's the truth of YOU to discover (or rather the truth of those within the tale...maybe...but then again)...and once the maze's path is seen for the treasures it holds, there's no turning back.

By book's end, I felt like I had traversed seven worlds and the great beyond...and I regretted nothing! Well, okay...so maybe I would have liked to see a little more detail in some areas when different lands/times were being explored, but yeah...it would have definitely needed to be made into two or more books to dive in that deeply. Then again, I wouldn't have complained about having more time in this world! Joe was an amazing lead, even when he wasn't so much leading as being guided, and traversing the many lands of the labyrinth with him while uncovering the truth of the lessons he was discovering made this journey one to remember.


**ebook received for review; opinions are my own
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

384 p.; 9.57 inches

ISBN

1783527242 / 9781783527243

Local notes

Abandoned and alone, thirteen-year-old Joe's world is shattered when he enters a deserted council house and becomes trapped within a labyrinth protecting the last magical places on earth. There, Joe discovers a book charting this immense no-man's land, without time or place, its thirteen doors each leading to a different realm. Hunted by sinister foes, the boy is forced ever deeper into both the maze and the mystery of his missing parents.

Signed via golden sticker at the back, limited to 500 copies.
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