The Wildwood Chronicles - Colin Meloy Audiobook

Written by Colin Meloy
Read by Amanda Plummer, Colin Meloy
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Wildwood
The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: August 30, 2011
Duration: 15:52:47

In Wildwood, Prue and her friend Curtis uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval—a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much greater as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.
Wildwood captivates readers with the wonder and thrill of a secret world within the landscape of a modern city. It feels at once firmly steeped in the classics of children’s literature and completely fresh at the same time.

Two reviews—
The lead singer of the indie folk group The Decemberists has written a complex, sprawling fantasy. It’s a massive undertaking for narrator Amanda Plummer, whose narration is strangely flat and unemotional. Voices for characters are inconsistent and often inappropriate. Sometimes Brandon, leader of the Bandits, seems to have an Irish accent; at other times the accent is gone. Perhaps the most puzzling character of all is Septimus the Rat, whose lilting Southern voice is jarringly inconsistent with his cunning personality. Fans of the Decemberists may be enthralled by this tale, but the target audience of 8-12-year-olds may be flummoxed by this lifeless production of a complicated story. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2011

Meloy, the lead singer of the band the Decemberists, delves into middle-grade fiction with a story that pairs classic adventure novel tropes with cool, disaffected prose. The book opens as 12-year-old Prue McKeel loses her baby brother to a murder of crows, and sets off to rescue him from the Impassable Wilderness, …. It becomes apparent that Prue and Curtis have landed on opposite sides in a warâand neither side may be right. Without a good side to cheer for (disappointments and betrayals abound), the story lacks a strong emotional center, and its preoccupations with bureaucracy, protocol, and gray-shaded moral dilemmas, coupled with the book’s length, make this slow going.. Ages 8-12.

Under Wildwood
The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 2
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: September 25, 2012
Duration: 13:20:28

Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness after rescuing her brother from the malevolent Dowager Governess, life has been pretty dull. School holds no interest for her, and her new science teacher keeps getting on her case about her dismal test scores and daydreaming in class. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training.

But all is not well in that world. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work his machine shop, all the while obsessing over the exploitation of the Impassable Wilderness. And, in what will be their greatest challenge yet, Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood.

Gr 4-7- After the death of the Elder Mystic, Prue learns that she has a powerful destiny and that she must somehow reanimate the mechanical prince before the other side does or it could mean the end of Wildwood. On top of all this, Curtis’s sisters, who he left behind to join the bandits, are trapped working in a machine parts factory. The sisters could hold the key to Prue’s success, but the two sides are not destined to meet in this book. At times the story is heartbreaking, but the characters are resilient and strong. The ending is not a happy one, but it holds the promise of hope for the future.

Colin Meloy narrates his own story (2012, both Balzer + Bray), eloquently capturing the accents and personalities of his characters. Fans of the first book as well as those who enjoyed Trenton Lee Stewart’s “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series will be drawn to the vocabulary, moral dilemmas, and clever humor here.

Wildwood Imperium
The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 3
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: February 4, 2014
Duration: 14:00:12

“Drawing from wildly original tropes and paradigms and populated by a wide cast of characters old and new, this portrait of a magical world just outside mundane reality (here represented by Portland, Ore.) brings the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.”

A young girl’s midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit…. A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland…. Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince…. As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.

The Wildwood Chronicles is a mesmerizing and epic tale, at once firmly steeped in the classics of children’s literature and completely fresh at the same time. In this book, Colin Meloy continues to expand and enrich the magical world and cast of characters he created in Wildwood,

With smart dialogue and excellent world-building, Meloy, as author and narrator, develops each character’s personality and gives dimension and depth to his words. The author shows the struggle of revolution and the uncertainty that occurs in the early stages of remaking a world, drawing from the violence of the French and Russian Revolutions as well as providing terrific fantasy elements. This latest installment is an excellent addition to the series.-

The covers were designed by Carson Ellis.