The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

I enjoyed this story, but I didn’t love it. I felt like there was a little too much repetition and parts drawn out at times. Otherwise, respectable read and story.

Loved the plot and the telling. An excellent “romp” through literature. At first I thought this might be a YA novel but it is not. To enjoy it most is to love literature but also love those questions that come from it and are often reflected by it - who has a right to be here, who can immigrate, what makes a person an actual person - that are psychological, physiological and philosophical. Really great read. Had to finish at 1AM!

Did you ever want to be able to have tea with one of your favorite book characters? Or visit a street in Victorian London? In The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, you can do those things. Dr. Charles Sutherland is an English literature professor with an unusual skill; he can “read” characters from books into existence. While this would be a fabulous skill to have, sometimes it can lead to unexpected consequences. What if the character is a fire-breathing dragon or a pre-teen girl detective who decides she’d rather not be in the story any longer? When Charles encounters these situations, it’s up to his brother Robert to try to intervene and help him catch the escaped character. Part fantasy, part mystery, this novel fills a lot of genres. The novel takes place in New Zealand, but really could be based anywhere. New Zealand is not a character in this story. Charles is a very unique character and concept. His ability to bring book characters to life is a fun escape for the reader. When characters suddenly appear to be doing wrong, that’s when this book takes a turn for the worse and the mystery and suspense begins. Charles and Robert find themselves in a battle for good and evil from the pages of a book. I loved this book. The concept was so unique and fun to imagine. Robert is the perfect older brother who is exasperated with his younger brother. Charles is an enigma. Parry brings forth both classic English fictional characters and characters of her own making. The world created is exactly what one would expect from the classic literature referenced. Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray and Heathcliff are all exactly what would be expected from their own authors. Clearly Parry is an expert in English lit herself. While this novel is long, it’s a fun and entertaining ride through a fantasy world many of us would love to visit. Parry has done a wonderful job. This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.