Is it penance? Cockiness? A final burst of youth? Whatever the
reasons, in recent years, several middle-aging horror authors have
written children's books (rarely marketed as such): Whitley
Strieber's Wolf of Shadows (1985); Stephen King's The Eyes of the
Dragon (1987); Dean Koontz's Oddkins (1988) - and now, from Barker,
a "fable" about a wish-granting house that may be the weakest of
the lot. Barker's adult novels (Imajica, 1991, etc.) deal with the
play between our world and fabulous alternate realities. Here, too,
the hero - ten-year-old Harvey Swick - encounters another world, by
having his cry of boredom answered by a yellow-skinned man named
Rictus who flies through Harvey's bedroom window and offers to take
him to "Holiday House." The boy agrees and, led through a wall of
fog, finds himself in a magical place where, during each 24 hours,
all four seasons pass (hot, sunny afternoons; snowy winter nights,
etc.) along with their holidays, including Christmas mornings that
find Harvey's most cherished wishes answered beneath the tree. It's
paradise, Harvey thinks at first, but soon wonders: Why is
fellow-visitor Lulu so morose? What kind of fish are those, with
eyes like "prisoners," lurking in the pond out back? And where is
Mr. Hood, the House's wish-granting owner? In time, Harvey senses
evil at work and flees, only to find that, back home, his parents
have aged a year for every day at the House. And so he returns to
the House, to find and battle Mr. Hood and win back his stolen
years.... The House is a splendid conceit, but Harvey (Barker's
first child hero) is as real as a Norman Rockwell kid, and the
studiously simple narration - leached of Barker's usual X-rated,
riotous imagery - lacks spirit. If this were a limited edition,
it'd be a minor collector's item; with a 100,000 first printing,
it's a major miscalculation. (Kirkus Reviews)
Mr Hood's holiday house has stood for a thousand years, welcoming
countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a
blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childish whim may
be satisfied. But there is a price to be paid. Harvey Swick finds
out about the dark side.
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