Books › Un Lun Dun
Un Lun Dun
First published 2007 · 567 pages
A delightfully weird, trope-smashing portal fantasy where the sidekick takes charge in a wonderland of discarded junk.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like tumbling into a delightfully bizarre funhouse mirror of traditional portal fantasy. It moves at a brisk, adventurous clip, pulling you through a surreal, atmospheric wonderland built entirely from the discarded detritus of the real world. The prose is exuberant and packed with clever, pun-heavy wordplay that constantly surprises and delights. Instead of playing it straight, the narrative gleefully subverts the chosen one trope, offering an empowering emotional arc where the supposed sidekick must forge her own path. It is quirky, slightly eerie, and deeply imaginative, wrapping themes of environmentalism and fierce friendship in a wildly inventive package. This is a perfect read for anyone who loves their magic weird, their heroes unexpected, and their worlds bursting with eccentric whimsy.
- Mood
- surreal
- quirky
- wondrous
- slightly eerie
- Tone
- playful
- subversive
- wry
- inventive
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- subverting destiny · environmental decay · fierce friendship · magic in the mundane
- The writing
- Exuberant and pun-heavy, densely packed with bizarre imagery and clever wordplay.
- The arc
- Moves from bewildered wonder to determined rebellion against prophecy, culminating in triumphant, self-made heroism.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love weird, subversive portal fantasies and stories that turn classic chosen-one tropes upside down.
Content notes
- mild peril
- creepy imagery
- environmental disaster themes
About the book
What is Un Lun Dun?It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up... and some of its lost and broken people, too--including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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