Wildwood Imperium - (Wildwood Chronicles) by Colin Meloy (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society, comes the stunning third book in the New York Times bestselling fantasy-adventure series the Wildwood Chronicles.

A young girl's midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit.... A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland.... Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince.... As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.

The Wildwood Chronicles is a mesmerizing and epic tale, at once firmly steeped in the classics of children's literature and completely fresh at the same time. In this book, Colin Meloy continues to expand and enrich the magical world and cast of characters he created in Wildwood, while Carson Ellis once again brings that world to life with her gorgeous artwork, including six full-color plates.

From the Back Cover

A young girl's midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit . . .

A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland . . .

Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince . . .

As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.

The third book in the Wildwood Chronicles is a rich, moving, and dazzling story, by turns funny and profound. Both Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis are at the height of their gifts with Wildwood Imperium.

Review Quotes

"Droll and ornate, elegiac and romantic--the sequel to Wildwood (2011) brings readers deeper into and under the pine-scented, magical world tantalizingly close to Portland, Ore. . . . The incomparable Ellis more than rises to the challenge--her sly, wistful, abundant illustrations provide an emotional through line." - Kirkus Reviews, about Under Wildwood
"The numerous types of creatures in the wood will keep readers' attention, as will the dramatic tension that fills every corner of this Empire Strikes Back-type sequel." - School Library Journal, about Under Wildwood
"A richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy." - New York Times Book Review, about Wildwood
"Meloy's debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced." - ALA Booklist (starred review), about Wildwood
"Meloy has an immediately recognizable verbal style and creates a fully realized fantasy world. Ellis's illustrations perfectly capture the original world and contribute to the feel of an instant timeless classic." - School Library Journal (starred review), about Wildwood
"Meloy's storytelling skills, honed on his epic ballads for The Decemberists, translate well to prose. Ellis's precise, detailed style evokes a folksy charm that is just right for the overgrown natural world of Wildwood and its inhabitants." - The Atlantic, about Wildwood
"A satisfying blend of fantasy, adventure story, eco-fable and political satire with broad appeal; especially recommended for preteen boys." - Kirkus Reviews, about Wildwood
"Drawing from wildly original tropes and paradigms and populated by a wide cast of characters old and new, this portrait of a magical world just outside mundane reality brings the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. Meloy gives his antic imagination full rein to produce work that...is brilliantly sui generis." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Meloy gives his antic imagination full rein to produce work that...is brilliantly sui generis." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This book is like the wild, strange forest it describes. It is full of suspense and danger and frightening things the world has never seen, and once I stepped inside I never wanted to leave." - Lemony Snicket, about Wildwood
"Wildwood is an irresistible, atmospheric adventure--richly imagined and richly rewarding." - Trenton Lee Stewart, about Wildwood
"Dark and whimsical, with a true and uncanny sense of otherworldliness, Wildwood is the heir to a great tradition of stories of wild childhood adventure. It snatched me up and carried me off into a world I didn't want to leave." - Michael Chabon, about Wildwood
"Wildwood is a beautiful object and a beautiful read. One part fairy tale, one part coming of age story, one part unrepentantly gorgeous work of art, this book is overflowing with gifts." - Jonathan Safran Foer, about Wildwood
"The impeccable world-building, carefully developed characters, and effective pacing easily keep this from being a preachy novel wedged into a fantasy setting. Liberally sprinkled throughout are intricate but accessible illustrations that primarily reflect but occasionally distort the text in intriguing ways." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, about Wildwood
"A quick, compelling read, smoothly written with a perfect balance of middle-school-age-appropriate simplicity and more challenging writing that makes the book adult accessible. An iconic children's novel that embraces fantasy adventure rather than modern dystopian coming-of-age anguish." - A.V. Club, about Wildwood