The Borrible Trilogy (PB)

by Michael de Larrabeiti

Book Overview

This volume contains a trilogy on the Borribles, a tale of several street-wise Peter Pan types, setting out on three very different but related missions across the darker side of London. A fantasy... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330490850
• ISBN13: 9780330490856
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Pan MacMillan
• Length: 736 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"Fruit of the barrow's enough for a Borrible"

These books passed me by as a kid, and I only came across them by accident, not by recommendation or newspaper review. I just don't understand why they aren't better known. The first in the trilogy starts out as a fairly simplistic, even juvenile satire on 'The Wombles'. The Borrible characters are all rather alike in this volume, and I found it to be the least impressive of the three books - had I read it as a stand alone piece of work I might not have bothered trying the second two volumes. As it is, the reissue of the books as a trilogy in one volume is a brilliant move, in that it demonstrates the way the Borribles' actions in book one resonate throughout their future. The second and third books of the series become progressively darker, more violent and melancholy as the Borribles are persecuted and pursued through every corner of London, a direct result of their adventures in the first book. The characters become more defined and more heroic as their luck turns and the story moves on. By the time I was about half way through the second book, I couldn't put it down and read right through to the end of the series in one sitting. What started out as a comical, even silly satire on another children's story gradually becomes a highly original commentary on heroism, the nature of morality, the role of the police and authority in the lives of individuals, the plight of persecuted groups, the corrupting influence of money in society - I realise this might sound dull or heavy-handed, but somehow none of it is preachy, and it's all balled up in a fast-paced and exciting story, which is also moving in an utterly convincing and unsentimental way. This book is streets ahead of fantasies like the Narnia books and the Lord of the Rings, in that it rejects the status quo entirely, and sets up its own morality - you end up rooting for the Borribles as they quarrel, steal, kill, and send a box of treasure to the bottom of the river. The author's imaginative vision easily matches that of Mieville or Pullman - he finds drama, even beauty, in sewers, scrapyards, market stalls and railway sidings, and makes a palace out of a rubbish dump. All in all the book is a product of a highly original imagination. If you like cuddly stories about kids in the countryside having idle adventures and searching for buried treasure, it might not be for you. If, on the other hand, you like a bit of anarchy and cunning in your children's fiction, I highly recommend The Borribles. Pick up a catapult, pull your hat down low, and most of all remember - don't get caught!

Awesome, and stands the test of time!!!

I was a major Borribles fan back in the mid 80's when I discovered these books in my school library, and they have always stuck in my mind, throughout my adult life. When I heard the books were being released in one volume, I rushed to the bookshop to buy it straight away!!! They are AWESOME!!! Yes, there is violence, but there is also so much bravery and a moral code the characters live by. These are books for anyone interested in a good read and something to think about afterwards too!!!

Reprinted at last! All three stories in one volume!

Michael DeLarrabeiti's "Borribles Trilogy" is something of a cult classic, especially among fans of fantasy-fare like "Watership Down" and "Lord of the Rings." For years his "Borribles" books have been out-of-print, leaving fans scrambling to find used copies wherever they could. Now, at long last and after some prodding from fans, they've been re-printed into this single volume.The fantasy-inspired "heroes" of these stories are the Borribles: rebellious kids with pointy ears who live in London's deserted buildings and steal food to live. They fight with slingshots and have a culture and moral code all their own. Far from the "goody-goody" stories that children are fed these days, the stories here are sometimes violent and morally ambiguous; definitely not for younger readers. As an example of DeLarrabeiti's condemnation for goody-goody children's stories, take for a start his farcical send-up of the "The Wombles" in the first tale of this trilogy. The Wombles of Wimbledon are re-cast as the "Rumbles of Rumbledom," and the sticks which the Wombles use to pick up litter on Wimbledon Common are actually (in DeLarrabeiti's book) weapons! The Rumbles are the mortal enemy of the Borribles, so our pointy-eared heroes strike out on a quest to murder the 8 most prominent Rumbles (Wombles). DeLarrabeiti is careful to give each Womble a different (and increasingly violent) end. If you're a fan of "The Wombles" (popular with children in the UK, especially in the 70s) you probably won't appreciate this book... but otherwise, I highly recommend it! Fans of this fantasy-inspired cult classic, rejoice! The Borribles are back!