The Owl Service
(Hardback, 50th Anniversary edition)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
The Owl Service
By (Author) Alan Garner
HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins
6th July 2017
50th Anniversary edition
United Kingdom
Classifications
Children
Fiction
Children's / Teenage fiction: Mythic fantasy / Mythic fiction
Children's / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
Children's / Teenage general interest: Ancient religions, Mythology and legends
Children's / Teenage general interest: Mysteries and the unexplained
Children's / Teenage general interest: History and the past
823.914
Physical Properties
Hardback
224
Width 141mm, Height 222mm, Spine 24mm
350g
Description
From the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Treacle Walker
Winner of both the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal, this is an all-time classic, combining mystery, adventure, history and a complex set of human relationships. Featuring a new introduction by Philip Pullman.
It all begins with the scratching in the ceiling. From the moment Alison discovers the dinner service in the attic, with its curious pattern of floral owls, a chain of events is set in progress that is to effect everybodys lives.
Relentlessly, Alison, her step-brother Roger and Welsh boy Gwyn are drawn into the replay of a tragic Welsh legend a modern drama played out against a background of ancient jealousies. As the tension mounts, it becomes apparent that only by accepting and facing the situation can it be resolved.
Reviews
A rare imaginative feat and the taste that it leaves is haunting. The Observer
"One of the first and best [novels] for and about teenagers; it remains one of the most original and gripping ghost stories timeless." Amanda Craig, The Times
Alan Garners The Owl Service is not meant only for children or anyone else; its a novel; and not many better novels will be published this yearThe power grows, throbs nearer, builds to unbearable tension, and comes to wild release in the last few pages. The Guardian
"A fascinating book The Owl Service is a fabulous, multi-layered book of mystery and suspense." The Book Bag
This book is a superb piece of architecture in which every detail plays its proper part. Growing Point
Author Bio
Alan Garner was born and still lives in Cheshire, an area which has had a profound effect on his writing and provided the seed of many ideas worked out in his books. His fourth book, The Owl Service' brought Alan Garner to everyone's attention. It won two important literary prizes The Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal and was made into a serial by Granada Television. It has established itself as a classic and Alan Garner as a writer of great distinction.
