Abarat · #3

Absolute Midnight

Name: Absolute Midnight
Rating: 8.3 (23 reviews)
Author: Clive Barker

8.3 / 10

“I know that many of you here have waited years for this Hour,” Mater Motley said, using that voice that, though it was barely conversational in volume, was somehow heard everywhere. “The waiting is over. Tomorrow there will be no dawn. Only midnight, absolute and eternal.”

And so begins a new chapter in the epic story of sixteen-year-old Candy Quackenbush and her journeys through the world of the Abarat, where every hour is an island in one eternal day, and nothing is as it seems.

Candy travels through the Abarat from island to island and across the sea with an unlikely band of friends: the escaped prisoner Malingo the Geshrat, the quarrelsome John Brothers, who all share the same body but never the same opinion, and the many other colorful characters they meet along the way.

The problem is that trouble finds Candy wherever she goes. And soon she discovers a secret plot, masterminded by the diabolical Mater Motley, who is obsessed with becoming Empress of the Islands. Her method is simple. She will darken the skies, putting out the suns, moons, and stars. She will bring absolute midnight.

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Published: September 23, 2011

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Abarat

The series

Full series details →

In the Abarat series, Clive Barker crafts a world where reality and imagination collide in a breathtakingly vivid way. Set across twenty-five islands, each representing a different hour of the day, this fantastical realm is as much a journey through time as it is a plunge into the darkest recesses of the human soul. With Abarat, Barker creates a world of boundless adventure, but also one where danger lurks just beneath the surface, waiting to consume.

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The series begins with Candy Quackenbush, a seemingly ordinary girl from the quiet town of Chickentown, who finds herself thrust into this strange and marvelous world. As she navigates the islands, she discovers a complex tapestry of magic, myth, and peril, all while seeking to uncover the mysteries of her own identity. With its fantastical creatures, eccentric characters, and a sense of both wonder and dread, Abarat defies easy categorization. It’s a coming-of-age tale set against a backdrop of dark fantasy and eerie beauty, where dreams and nightmares are as real as the ocean that separates the islands.

At its heart, the series delves into themes of fate, free will, and the eternal battle between light and darkness. The landscapes of Abarat, painted in lush detail, echo Barker’s talent for melding the grotesque with the beautiful, creating a dreamscape that feels simultaneously familiar and completely alien. From the terrifying to the whimsical, the inhabitants of Abarat reflect the full spectrum of humanity’s desires and fears, making each island an exploration of a different facet of the human experience.

What sets Abarat apart is its striking balance between immersive world-building and deeply emotional character arcs. The series isn’t just about the grand adventures that unfold but about the quiet, personal battles each character faces—whether it’s the unraveling mystery of Candy’s role in Abarat or the darker, more sinister plans of the evil Master of the Hour, who seeks to plunge the islands into darkness.

With its intricate plotlines and richly detailed universe, Abarat invites readers into a world where the lines between the imagined and the real blur, and every page reveals a new, strange corner of this incredible land. At once whimsical, terrifying, and poignant, the series is an unmissable odyssey into the heart of a fantastical universe that only Clive Barker could create.

In Abarat, nothing is ever quite as it seems, and the journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about adventure. For those who are ready to lose themselves in a place where time, magic, and reality bend, Abarat is a portal to a world like no other.

#1 · 2002Abarat

#2 · 2004Days of Magic, Nights of War

#3 · 2011Absolute Midnight

#4 · TBAKry Rising

#5 · TBAUntil the End of Time

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1 review

What Risingshadow readers think about this book

Xariel2012-02-14

It's been a long while since the second book and I think rereading the first one before opening this book might be a good idea. It makes you understand more subtle references in the book, although I note that the book seems very different from the first two.

The two books before this have been strolling on and focused on Candy's adventures, but this one has relatively larger scale and the events get more complicated. New characters are introduced and things a reader though sure are turned upside down. Big changes are coming...

The text itself was guaranteed Clive Barker style and I'm sure Abarat lovers will love this book, too. It has more action and more twists than I certainly expected and after it I was left with a wee bit confused expectation of the fourth book. Whereas the second book had in a way a clear cut ending, the third does not. So many things are left open-ended and questions are still unanswered.

A good read that keeps up the high quality of the series.

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