Osbert
the Avenger by Christopher William Hill, Tales from the Schwartzgarten #1
Meet Osbert Brinkhoff, the unlikeliest of
avengers. His is a tale of dark delights and ghastly goings-on, of injustice and
revenge. The villains are vicious. The settings are sinister. And good does NOT
always prevail...If you prefer cleavers to kittens and fiends to fairies...then
welcome to the GRUESOMELY FUNNY Tales from Schwartzgarten.
Chirstopher
William Hill was one of the authors in the Books For Keeps feature on rising
talents. Osbert the Avenger is his debut novel and the first book in the Tales from the Schwartzgarten series. When I first saw the front cover of the book I
actually had imagined that this story would be a bit of a children’s detective
book, with Osbert being a young version of Sherlock Holmes. But was I wrong. I
think you are in for quite a surprise when you start in Osbert the Avenger.
Osbert
the Avenger takes place in the Gothic, dark town of Schwartzgarten. What you
can make up of the names of the places and the people who live there it
reminded me a bit of a German/Scandinavia inspired town with the strudel,
beetroot and lingdon foodstuffs. Though the setting of the story is pretty
dark, Christopher William Hill strikes just the right cords in describing the
city itself, to make it spring to life to the right setting. Inspiring you,
especially during the night time, to constantly look back over your shoulder to
make sure your not being followed.
Though
the town of Schwartzgarten is being ruled by a mayor he doesn’t have much to
say. The famous Institute (a school) with the Principle rules Schwartzgarten.
Osbert the Avenger revolves more or less around what happens at this Institute.
The Institute is a school for the best of the best and you have to get through
some though exams to be submitted. And here you meet up with the main
protagonist of the book, Osbert, an 11 year old boy, who is pretty smart, and
maybe too smart for his own good. But from the start Osbert is a bit bullied by
the teachers of The Institute about the fact that his father hadn’t made the
cut. However Osbert doesn’t let this sit with him and does everything he can to
pass the exams. And when he finally is excepted as a student his story only
just begins, because The Institute has some pretty awful and even sadistic teachers!
And let’s not forget the Principle who is only in for his own good and can’t
stand even less when someone is better than him.
Now I
think that so far you can quite understand that Osbert the Avenger isn’t anything
like a Sherlock Holmes type of story. The Avenger part of the book really comes
to show about halfway where you have the innocent Osbert, doing his utmost best
in being all he can be, and is worked against by all the other teachers who
just can’t stand it. Here comes the bullying part again, the Institute takes
away everything from the Brinkhoff’s and expel Osbert from the Institute as
well and this fact, Osbert just can’t stand. By some wise word of his Nanny “Do
unto others, before they can do unto you” Osbert becomes the Avenger. Firstly
be a mere happenstance but later he grows more the part…
When I
was reading this book and after I finished it, I was wondering if it could
actually be classified as a children’s book because some of the avenging parts
of Osbert might seem a bit rough. I must say yes, it is a children’s book but
for a bit of the older ones. It introduces the reader to two important things:
1. Treat everyone in way that you would like to be treated and you will likely
see it pay off and 2. Showing what is right and what is wrong to do. There is
good and calculated plotting as to how Osbert plans to carry out avenging what
happened to him and his family. In devising his plans, Christopher William Hill
shows this in a more funny and light way suited for the younger audience, I
especially like the part with Dr. Zilbergeld in the strudel factory, how it all
was planned and executed.
As for
the ending of this book I was again in quite of a surprise as the tables are
turned for our avenger, when you read that single sentence at the end of the
page, someone doesn’t like to share and this again throws the story around for
a final time to keep the ending really unpredictable. And even more so, I could
totally picture Osbert with his cleaver glinting in the moonlight, with his
glasses and the gleam in his eyes! Nicely put together.
I am
going to leave it at this because telling more would really spoil the story for
you. All I can say about Osbert the Avenger is that you are in for quite a surprise.
Your first assumptions and second
assumptions will probably be wrong. Christopher William Hill has created a dark
gothic inspired story that has a spot on setting creating a very gruesome,
eerie and creepy feeling at night, but manages to create also, by Osbert part a
funny and witty side to the book. Added to this there was for me also the
introduction of some other themes that you can never learn to young. With a
most unlikeliest avenger, Tales from the Schwartzgarten starts of in the right
direction. Osbert the Avenger is just wickedly funny. Watch out for book two "The Woebegone Twins"!