So, to start, this is the darndest book. I started and thought "okay, I think I like this." I got a bit further and thought "This is insane, why am I reading it." and obviously couldn't put it down. As it went on I loved it I didn't like it very much, I enjoyed it, I was filled with the insanity of it and wondered what on earth it was I was reading. When I finished it I thought "Oh, it's over ..."

I've never had such mixed feelings about a book but ultimately I enjoyed it. As you know from the blurb, Charley has the ability to bring characters out of books. The first such character we come across is Uriah Heep, not the most savoury of characters to bring into the world, but Charley hadn't really intended to do it. And yes, Uriah Heep escapes. Charley can put characters he's summoned back into books as well, which is why Uriah escaped. He wants to be in the real world. So do lots of other characters who we meet along the way, the Duke of Wellington, Charles Dickens - yes, they are real people but brought to life through biographies - five Mr Darcys and many more.

There is a problem, however. There is someone else who can do what Charley can do and they want to bring about a New World. What is that world? Well, that would be a spoiler. We don't know at first we just know it's dangerous and not really something that real people would want to happen. Not really something that the majority of the characters would want either.

Rob, Charley'solder brother is so over what Charley gets up to and wishes he would just stop, but that doesn't stop him going to his brother's assistance when things go wrong. He turns up to help Charley on the night Uriah Heep is summoned and then disappears. Rob is there for most of Charley's misadventures even when he doesn't want to be because, well actually he does want to be. He sees his roll in life as protecting Charley who doesn't really need protecting, but ...

I'm not sure what genre this is. I think it's fantasy, but then it isn't really. Thus, I think it's the darndest book, as I've already said, because it's hard to pin down. There is adventure and the impossible but there is also more than that. There are two brothers who love each other and while Charley always knows that, our main narrator, Rob, takes much of the book to realise that he will do just about anything for Charley, that his resentment is not as real or as strong as his love and maybe, just maybe, love can overcome all. As for me, even when I didn't know why I was reading this strange and slightly wonderful book I was glad I was reading it.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for letting me have a copy of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep in return for an honest review.

[There is also an Amazon review but it's not up on the page yet]

This was an absolute delight and a real page-turner. Readers can definitely resonate with the squabbling siblings and the daydream they can read their characters to life. Kinda wish Parry had focused solely on Dickens characters instead of additional historical-characters-no-longer-under-copyright, especially with that Dickens click-bait title. The appearance of classical characters like Victor Frankenstein, Dracula, etc really didn't add anything. Was a wee bit disappointed with the villain reveal and the climatic showdown <spoiler>being a battle of literary criticism. Oh how I yearned for the villain to be an evil Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham, David Copperfield, Oliver, Bill Sykes, Nancy or even better, Madame Defarge</spoiler>.

Recommended: good holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the reading copy.

“We changed again, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me.”

In the acknowledgements section of her debut novel, H.G. Parry describes THE UNLIKELY ESCAPE OF URIAH HEEP as ‘a love letter to literary analysis’ and it certainly is that and so much more. Parry takes inspiration, and characters, from the great writers of the 19th century and has wonderful fun playing with the interactions between her protagonists and the likes of the titular Uriah Heep, Dorian Grey, Sherlock Holmes, Mr Darcy and many more. But as well as fun, Parry also demonstrates a keen understanding of these classic characters and they always feel like themselves and never pastiche.
Set in Wellington, New Zealand, the story concerns Charley Sutherland and his ability to bring characters from books to life, and it is important that the reader accepts this key conceit at the start - Charley just can do this. The novel is largely narrated by Charley’s older brother, Rob who, as the book begins, is called in the middle of the night to the university where Charley has ‘lost’ Uriah Heep. It would be unfair to detail any more of the plot than that but it is a fast-paced adventure. The story is also about family and the relationship between Charley and Rob is the real key to making the novel work. It is authentic and moving, full of the love and petty jealousies that siblings share.

I enjoyed the novel immensely. It is exciting and full of wonderful inventions and at times laugh out loud funny.
"Heathcliff isn't much on specificity," Millie said. "If he wants a boiled egg, he'll hint darkly at the metaphorical properties of chickens, and rage at the body's need for sustenance despite the ravages of the soul."

An excellent debut.

Parry has created an intricate and interesting tale that book lovers will quickly take to their hearts. She is obviously very knowledgeable & passionate about literature and it shows through every page of the story. It’s a perfect read for fans of Charles Dickens. Though a particular highlight for this reader was the Sherlock Holmes references.

I adored this book, and couldn't put it down. If you love reading, especially Dickens, you will want to enter the wonderful world evoked by this story. The main characters are wonderful, and the literary characters are even more interesting than their original authors envisaged. I will definitely be recommending this book.

One of the many things I loved about this book was the way that the author creates different settings throughout the story. It’s a tall order to superimpose an interpretation of Dickensian London onto modern New Zealand but Parry not only pulls it off but does it exceptionally. Now that I read a lot more, I don’t get that sensation of falling through the pages of a book nearly as much as I used to, so when I find it I savour every moment. I toppled through these pages into academic offices, cosy suburban homes and cobbled fantastical streets filled with roaming copies of Mr Darcy (someone’s dream I’m sure). The description and ‘scene-setting’ is such that you don’t notice it while it is happening, but it gives you such a good mental picture. Honestly, writing this I want to fall right back in again.

I was wary at first, reading a book with not one but two male protagonists - normally a huge no for me. But in this case, I think Parry crafts two characters who are genuinely enjoyable to read. I won’t get into the relationship between Charles and Rob, because to really talk about it I’ll need to get spoilery, but it was really pleasant to read a book with two brothers who, for the most part, really care about each other. In the world of fantasy fiction, more often than not brothers are spending most of their time trying to kill one another - so this was some welcome relief. 

The only possible character critique I would make is that I would have liked it if Robert’s wife had a little more substance - made even more apparent by the fact that I can’t actually remember her name… She’s still a good character, I would have just liked her to be a tad more fleshed out. 

I did adore the character of Millie - who I think you’ll have to discover for yourself when you read this. She captured my imagination and my heart and I would happily read 100 more books just about Millie please and thankyou. 

You also get to meet a host of characters from classic fiction - ever wondered what it would be like if Heathcliffe met Dorian Gray? Well now you have - and you can find out in this book!

One thing I particularly liked about this book is how it was constantly developing the way the magic worked. Initially, the assumption is that Charles brings out characters from books based on his literary analysis of those characters. Again, I won’t spoil things but I will say that this is a book all about discovery and interpretation, and the book doesn’t get bogged down in rigidity and regulation. 

I find it hard to reconcile the opening chapters of this book with the way that it ends - but it’s a testament to just how amazing the writing is that I didn’t even blink when I was reading it. This book takes you on an amazingly well-planned journey, you reach the ending because that’s obviously where you were heading the whole time. I just thought it was wonderful and this has gone straight on my ‘re-read when I have time’ list. 

Overall, I thought this book was wonderful and I’m going to be recommending it to pretty much everyone I know. I read this digitally and now I need to obtain a physical copy I can lend out!

My rating: 

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep Publishes January 23rd!

Such a charming, beautiful, interesting story. I absolutely adored it. I'd read from this author again for sure.

Thanks a lot to netgalley and the publsiher for this copy.

When Robert gets a middle-of-the-night call from his little brother Charley, he feels justifiably aggrieved: he’d been promised that it wouldn’t happen again. He had a case to take to trial in just a few hours, and instead of getting a decent night’s sleep he was dragging himself out of bed and driving to the University where Charley worked as an English lecturer to help deal with yet another emergency.

Robert was possibly going to kill his little brother, but first they had to track down the obsequious clerk from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. You see, Charley has a slight advantage over other lecturers; they may bring a story to life metaphorically, but Charley can go one better.

This is primarily the tale of two brothers and the relationship between them; it just so happens that their relationship is complicated by a literal cast of characters, and the stress of the secret kept by the Sutherland family since Charley was born. Prosaic Robert needs to reconcile with whimsical Charley and decide whether fictional people are real enough to be worth fighting for.

I want to say that this is the best book I have read all year, but it’s only mid-January, which removes any real accolade from that statement. Instead, I’ll just have to say that it’s the best story I’ve read in a long, long time. I was expecting something along the lines of Jasper Fforde but got something more sincere instead. Every now and again you come across a story which makes you almost mourn when you finish it. This was one of those books.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is a certain kind of magic that you get from books about books -- regardless of age range or genre, these kinds of stories will always warm my heart. I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to read The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep before the UK publication date and was totally charmed by this fantastic book!

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep focuses mainly on Victorian literature, particularly the works of Charles Dickens, however I do not think you need to have read -- or studied, in my case -- classics in order to comprehend the wonder of this book. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fantasy fan, I think you’ll love this book if you’re a reader.

For me, this book can be summed up in one word: charming. You can really feel Parry's passion not only for these classic tales, but for the original characters she creates as well. Parry does a fantastic job of taking beloved and well-known characters and breathing life into them -- each was recognisable from the source material yet felt like an original creation. She adds layers of creativity and innovation with the magic that brings these characters into the real world -- they manifest with certain aspects of their readers' imagination so no two individual characters (or five, in some cases) are quite the same.

However,  the book doesn't just focus on fictional favourites. Rob and Charley had just as much spark to them as characters like Uriah Heep or Heathcliff, and the interactions between the fictional characters and real people were just wonderful. There was so much humor and banter and I got so much joy from reading this book -- it's the prefect thing to snuggle up with on sofa in the evenings.

But this book isn’t just fluff and literary love. My favourite aspect of the book is actually the deep and complex relationship between Rob and Charley -- in a way, this book is really all about the complexities of familial relationships, especially between siblings who are just dramatically different people. I really loved the fact that the story is told from Rob’s point of view rather than Charley's -- who would maybe be the more obvious choice for a POV character. This gave a much more interesting perspective on the narrative because of his complicated feelings about Charley and the amazing and unique power he possesses. Giving the reader the complexity of his point of view helped shape this book from a good one to a great one.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is a lovely, complex, and charming book that is sure to delight any book lover. I couldn't recommend it more highly, regardless of whether you're a reader of classics or not.

4.5 out of 5 stars

The first Uriah Heep I saw on the screen was the admirable Martin Jarvis in a BBC production of David Copperfield, subsequently I've always had a bit of a fondness for the character. So the title of this book caught my attention, and although Uriah is not one the main protagonists he does prove an important part of the story and generates a little more sympathy.
There is a theme running through this book of restriction. The characters from the books that are bought out don′t want to go back to being trapped in personalities and plots that never change, and the characters in the ″real″ world are stuck in interactions which are recognisable to anyone who′s been part of a family with siblings.
One thing I really liked about this book was that the main narrator is the older brother Rob who does not have the magical ability to summon characters from books. Somebody reading this book is likely to be a person who really enjoys reading, and would appreciate how fictional characters can leap off the page and become real. Rob provides a voice of reason which is taken up by other scenes in the book about how fictional characters would actually manage out of their books – for most of them, the answer is not well. I also found it refreshing that the important bond in the book is one between brothers. Sometimes I become weary with stories where the main characters are working towards a relationship, where they should be getting on with the plot. (Obviously, sometimes that is the whole point of the story!) This time the connection is a given, but it still grows and changes.
I don′t think you need to know Dickens′ work in detail to appreciate this book, but if you have a distaste for his work then this would not be the book for you. Other characters from literature do appear, I particularly enjoyed a shy Fitzwilliam Darcy who was paranoid that there was going to be a dance, and a Miss Matty from Cranford who gets a chance to show her underlying courage by stepping up to sew wounds. I found it a satisfying read, definitely one of those that I devoured in almost one sitting.

The story appealed as I'd never really read anything like it. I found it well written, despite my childhood hatred of Dicken's characters!

I'm a fan of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series and am losing hope that he will ever return to it to, so I was very excited to get hold of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap. It's centred around a book summoner who can invoke fictional characters into the real world, where of course, chaos ensues.

During the story we meet many delightful characters, including Sherlock Holmes, Matilda, and Dorian Gray. There are many, many more but to reveal them would be to spoil the surprises that pop out every few pages. (Quite literally!) Each book-bound incarnation is written perfectly - capturing the essence of their known character but with added new idiosyncrasies in response to the action and adventures taking place.

Outside of the legendary cameos, you may find Rob, brother of the book summoner and narrator, to be one of those characters that you just want to yell at but hopefully you'll come around to him by the end.

This book feels as though it is a love letter to the written word, classic novels and literary criticism - and the fantasy adventure element is handled superbly making it a rare treat.

I hope there will be more books in this vein from H.G. Parry - I'm sure we haven't seen the last of that slippery Uriah Heep.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book group for the advance eBook for review purposes..

How many of us readers have experienced the kind of immersion and connection to a story, its setting or its characters, which made us wish that it was real? I'd gander a guess that it covers pretty much all of us. H.G. Parry's marvellous debut novel, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, perfectly illustrates the magic of stories and words on a page.

"That's how the story works, the way the sentence and metaphor and reference feeds into the other to illuminate something important. That explosion of discovery, of understanding, is the most intoxicating moment there is. Emotional, intellectual, aesthetic. Just for a moment, a perfect moment, a small piece of the world makes perfect sense. And it's beautiful. It's a moment of pure joy, the kind that brings pleasure like pain."

Pardon the long quote above, but it was such an excellent description of why we love to read that it has to be shared. The basis of the story in The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is exactly how that perfect connection can result in a reader pulling a literary character out of the book into the real world. That magic arising from reading a story that resonated completely with your heart and mind. I loved this concept which superbly depicted in the book; reading it was tremendously enjoyable.

The real world setting was modern Wellington, New Zealand and the story centred around two brothers, Robert and Charles Sutherland. Charles is the prodigy of the family and the one who has the uncanny ability to summon characters and even important objects out of books. The narrative was written mainly in the first person perspective of Robert, who came across as being highly protective of his brother - sometimes to be point of being quite irritating in my opinion. As a result, I wasn't particularly fond of Robert for quite a while, even though I did sort of understand his reasons. Charles, on the other hand, was simply precious. How could one not adore a character whose home overflows with books, and would perhaps occasionally leave one in the fridge absent-mindedly.

The fictional characters and their setting are decidedly Victorian, specifically Dickensian given that is Charles' specialisation. One of the 'shortcomings' of my reading repertoire had been the lack of adult classics which I've been trying to address in the last couple of years; Dickens was definitely one of those which I've yet to read. I have to say that after reading this, I am most keen to read David Copperfield and Great Expectations - both which featured prominently in the narrative. I was so glad that I've read enough in the last couple of years to at least identify with several key literary characters like Dorian Gray, Mr Darcy, Dr Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes (well, this came from both reading and watching the superb TV series). One of the remarkable achievements of Parry's writing of these characters was the fact that I didn't feel alienated by the characters or books which I was not familiar with. The well-written narrative enabled me, as a reader who hasn't read Dickens, to appreciate said author's writing and his commentary around social injustices during the Victorian era.

Let's see if the extract below doesn't make you want to read David Copperfield.

"The opening lines of David Copperfield may be the most perfect in the history of literature; certainly they are among the most well-known, and the most well-loved. Because they are all our opening lines. They are how our stories all begin.
"Chapter One. I am Born. Whether I shall turn out to be hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.""

The author wrote this book as a love letter to literary analysis. However, even 'normal' readers like us are performing some form of analysis of our own when we read a book. The way we view or shape the characters in our minds, the commentary or allegory or themes that the author was trying to communicate through the story. This is why there is not a single book out there which is for every reader. Our personal experiences and preferences will necessary shape our view and interpretation or analysis of the narrative. As such, the fictional characters who have been pulled from books have different nuances about them depending on the reader who did it - intentionally or otherwise. (I found this to be such an important message to all readers out there. No two persons read a book in exactly the same way. Opinions differ - so let's all agree to disagree at some point or another.)

What this means in the book is that these literary characters that we know might not completely conform to our own understanding. The best illustration of this was that there were five incarnations of Mr Darcy, each shaped a bit differently by its reader. The best part, however, was how Parry maintained the core characterisation of each of these Mr Darcy. The voice of each character in this book remains true to how they were written by the author. Sometimes even quoting themselves from the books; which makes for some really funny moments when put in context. In the case of Dorian Gray, he thoroughly personified the flamboyance of Oscar Wilde. As Oscar Wilde was one of my favourite author, Dorian was one of my favourite characters from the book.

"I don't really do living or daylight," Dorian said. "I'm a Gothic masterpiece."

The importance of words, stories and books was not the only significant theme in this narrative. Brotherly love forms the emotional backbone of Robert and Charles' story. It was enough to make me tear up a bit towards the end.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is delightfully clever and fun celebration of books. I've not read many books about books yet, but I can safely recommend this to pretty much all bibliophiles, who appreciate stories about the wonder of reading.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is a fantasy novel set in Wellington, New Zealand and focusing on 2 brothers, Charley and Rob Sutherland. Rob is the older brother, a sensible lawyer who gets drawn into the exploits and misadventures of his younger brother Charley. Charley, or Dr Sutherland, is a university lecturer and a former child prodigy with an astounding gift for reading, and a love of Victorian authors, especially Charles Dickens and Conan Doyle.
But there is more to Charley's gift than that, as he is able to bring forth characters from the fiction world into the real world. Charley accidentally summons Uriah Heep who mentions the coming of a "new world" and Charley and Rob find themselves battling against the clock to protect their world from a criminal mastermind intent on establishing a Victorian underworld in Wellington.
The book examines the fraught relationship between Rob and Charley, as Rob becomes increasingly frustrated with his gifted brother seemingly allowing his magical gift to run out of control. As a bookwork myself, who has always loved reading, I really related to Charley, the quiet, sensitive boy lost in a world of books.
The books features a cast of well known fictional characters from Dickens and beyond, and is by turns hilarious and emotional. There is a neat twist at the end of the book, and I was in tears over the final confrontation between Charley and his nemesis.
It's pretty clear that the writer loves the books and characters they have included in The Unlikely Escape, and their love of Wellington itself is clear on every page. I visited New Zealand several years ago and reading this had me yearning to go back!
I loved this book from the start, it had me hooked. In general I don't really like comparing books and authors, but fans of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde will enjoy this book.
Highly recommend for fans of fantasy fiction and don't worry if you haven't read any Dickens, it won't affect your enjoyment of this book.