the harbour's destruction by Abaratian authorities. Thereafter the story follows her adventures as she discovers the crises affecting the Abarat, and gains intimations that she may be destined to conclude these. The story also introduces her chief antagonists: the sorcerer known as Christopher Carrion, his grandmother Mater Motley, and the industrialist Rojo Pixler, all of whom seek to dominate the Abarat. Critical reception In 2002, Abarat was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. In 2003 it won 2nd place in the Locus Poll for the Best Young Adult Novel. Publishers Weekly reviewed it as "the author's imagination runs wild as he conjures some striking imagery ("Dark threads of energy moved through her veins and leaped from her fingertips" says one of the three women in the opening scene) and cooks up a surreal stew of character portraits (rendered in bold colours and brushwork, they resemble some of Van Gogh's later work). But much of the novel feels like a wind-up for the books to follow and, after this rather unwieldy 400-page ride, readers may be disappointed by so many unresolved strands of the plot". School Library Journal said "Barker is obviously more comfortable in the Abarat than he is in our more mundane world; the chapters that take place in Chickentown don't seem fully developed. Once Candy is safely in the fantastical realm, however, the story takes off. The rendering of the Abarat's locales, cultures, and mythology, combined with the author's own full-color illustrations and well-realized characters, allows readers to become quickly immersed in this beautiful and frightening world. In spite of a less-than-credible, almost preternatural calm in the face of the bizarre, Candy makes a fine protagonist, displaying strength, vulnerability, and a lack of the forced spunkiness displayed by some adventurous heroines. This first book in a series of four sets the stage nicely for what is sure to be a rollicking, epic ride". Proposed adaptations Before the first book was published, Disney bought full rights to the series for $8 million, intending to produce a film series to rival Warner Bros.' Harry Potter series. There were also preliminary plans for theme parks based on the Babilonium island from the books. References External links Barker, Clive - Abarat, HarperCollins publishers, 2002 The Official Clive Barker Resource The Official HarperCollins Abarat site The Beautiful Moment – The Official Clive Barker Website for All Ages