REVIEW: The Call by Peadar O'Guilin

Pages: 334
Format: ARC Paeperback
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Release Date: September 1st
Buy The Book: Book Depository

What if you only had 3 minutes to save your own life and the clock is already counting down...

Three minutes.
Nessa, Megan and Anto know that any day now they wake up alone in a horrible land and realise they've been Called.

Two minutes.
Like all teenagers they know that they'll be hunted down and despite all their training only 1 in 10 will survive.

One minute.
And Nessa can't run, her polio twisted legs mean she'll never survive her Call will she?

Time's up.

My Thoughts:

Ireland has been left cut off from the rest of the world. No one gets in or out, there is no outside help, the citizens are trapped and their numbers are dwindling. That’s because all teenagers must face the Call. At random times, day or night, a teenager will be Called to the Grey Land, the place where the Sidhe were forced to remain by the Irish centuries ago. Now they are seeking revenge by hunting the teenagers that they bring to their land in the most brutal ways imaginable. The odds of survival are one in ten. 

I’ve read a lot of stories that have thrown teenagers in the face of death, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one quite as chilling as this. The Sidhe are absolutely terrifying. Their awful ways of hunting down and ‘playing’ with their victims left a shiver down my spine whilst reading. The descriptions of the faeries and their land were vivid and real, definitely one of the creepiest locations I’ve visited in a book for a long time. 

We meet Nessa and her fellow classmates at their survival school where they train as hard as possible in the hopes of being among the lucky few who are able to survive the Call. One by one we see them disappear as they get Called and even though we’re supposed to expect it (because, ya know, that’s what the book is about), it still comes as a shock, to them and the reader. To see these characters who you get to know and learn to adore, actually thrown into this situation they’ve been training for, this nightmarish land of the Sidhe, it’s a stomach-dropping moment. 

These characters are so rich and complex. Nessa, oh my goodness, I love her. Polio leaves her unable to walk properly on her legs, making her the underdog. But she doesn’t let that slow her down for one second. She works twice as hard, being even more determined to prove that she can survive. Her fierce spirit makes it easy to root for her throughout the book. Even though you know that most of these teens won’t come out of this alive, it’s doesn’t stop you from growing attached to them and wanting them to survive. It’s desperately sad to see them thrown into the unpleasant horrors of the Sidhe. Despite their limited time together, the bonds they formed were touching, and I loved the different relationships between them.  

The Sidhe themselves, as terrifying as they are, were fascinating to read about, as was the Grey Land. It was gory and twisted, definitely not for the faint-hearted, but it was hard to turn my eyes away. I was desperate to learn more about these faeries and their history. Since I’m pretty sure this book is the first in a series, I’m highly anticipating another trip into this world that O’Guilin has created, and I’m equally excited to see and dreading what nightmares await the characters next.  

You can read my recent interview with Peadar here!

Royal Rating:

  

Read More

BLOG TOUR: Interview With Peadar O'Guilin

Today I'm excited to welcome Peadar O'Guilin to the blog, author of the chilling new novel The Call!

Hi Peadar, welcome to The Queen of Teen Fiction! Can you tell us a little bit about your novel, The Call?
Thanks a lot! It's great to be here.

Every teenager in Ireland will be Called -- kidnapped into a world of horrors, where the Sídhe, the Fairies, will hunt them down. A small number make it home alive. These are the strong, the lucky and above all, the quick. Unfortunately, Nessa Doherty was lamed by a bout of polio she suffered as a child. She won't be able to run when her turn comes. Everybody is just waiting for her to die.

Nessa, however, intends to surprise them all...

What was it that inspired you to write the story?
Part of the inspiration came from that famous thought experiment, Schrödinger's Cat. I had an image of people just disappearing, their clothing falling to the floor. And everybody who sees this happening knows there's a 90% chance their friends will come back dead. Or worse. I loved this idea, especially because there's a small possibility the victims will survive and that's enough to keep everybody checking their watches until the three minutes of the Call are up.   

You weave Irish mythology into the story. What sort of research did you have to do before writing?
I had to do very little extra research. I grew up with the mythology, after all. But I was never keen on just retelling the old stories, anyway. They're already perfect and need no help from me! Mostly, I was interested in finding a modern, "rational" explanation for the origins of the fairies and for some of their creepier behaviours. That's why, even though this is basically a fantasy book, you'll find a few mouldy old science fiction tropes in there too. They've probably started to smell a bit...

Tell us a bit about your main character, Nessa! What do you think readers will love about her?
Nessa's not a moaner. She's an ordinary girl desperate to live when everybody else has written her off. They can't even be bothered to hide their pity for her. I do think readers admire courage, I know I do!

What were the best and worst parts of the writing process for you whilst working on The Call?
The best part was all the day-dreaming I did about the story. I was tremendously excited by the ideas and loved testing some of the scenes in front of audiences in Boston and Belfast and Luxembourg. It seemed to go down really well.

But then, there were entire weeks of being stuck with the plot; when every solution seemed childish or amateurish. That's the writer's life, I guess!

Did you always intend for the book to be YA, or is that something that happened after writing it?
I didn't grow up expecting to write YA, but again and again, my natural love of fast-paced adventure with strong central concepts, kept dragging me down that path. Years ago, when I submitted my first novel to my agent, he was the one who said, "You know what, Peadar? This book is YA." Turned out he was right.

What were your own favourite books to read as a teenager?
Anything Science Fictional. Harry Harrison's "Deathworld" series. Tanith Lee's "Silver Metal Lover" and "The Books of Paradys". And of course, I read "Lord of the Rings" a dozen times.

Finally, would you survive The Call?
I'm writing this with a fractured collarbone right now, because, apparently, I can't even survive a simple bike ride! If I were Called, the Sídhe would probably catch me within minutes of my arrival in the Grey Land.

But luck definitely plays a part. Anything could happen as long as you don't give up.  

Huge thank you to Peadar for the awesome interview! The Call is available to buy here. Be sure to check out the other blogs taking part in the rest of the tour, and check back here later this week for my thoughts on the book!

Read More