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    Under Wildwood
    Under Wildwood
    Under Wildwood
    Audiobook13 hours

    Under Wildwood

    Written by Colin Meloy

    Narrated by Colin Meloy

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    For fans of the Chronicles of Narnia comes the second book in the Wildwood Chronicles, the New York Times bestselling fantasy adventure series by Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists.

    The three books in the Wildwood Chronicles captivate readers with the wonder and thrill of a secret world within the landscape of a modern city. The books feel at once firmly steeped in the classics of children's literature and completely fresh.

    In Under Wildwood, Colin Meloy reveals new dimensions of the epic fantasy-adventure series begun with the critically acclaimed, bestselling Wildwood.

    Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness after rescuing her brother from the malevolent Dowager Governess, life has been pretty dull. School holds no interest for her, and her new science teacher keeps getting on her case about her dismal test scores and daydreaming in class. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training.

    But all is not well in that world. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work his machine shop, all the while obsessing over the exploitation of the Impassable Wilderness. And, in what will be their greatest challenge yet, Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood.

    The bestselling trilogy from Colin Meloy consists of Wildwood, Under Wildwood, and Wildwood Imperium.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 25, 2012
    ISBN9780062047076
    Author

    Colin Meloy

    Colin Meloy is the author of The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid and the New York Times bestselling Wildwood Chronicles as well as two picture books, The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger and Everyone’s Awake. He is also the singer and songwriter for the indie rock band the Decemberists. Colin lives in Oregon with his wife and frequent collaborator, illustrator Carson Ellis, and their sons.

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    Reviews for Under Wildwood

    3.5/5

    73 ratings32 reviews

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    • 5/5
      What a great series so far. I love reading it out loud to my son. He is hooked too.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it.
    • 4/5
      A grand book that takes place in our lovely NW Portland. I live by the wildwood trail and often when hiking I get to imagine the great divide, southwood, northwood, etc. This book has many similarities to Narnia but is very different too. The talking animals, the magical land, the split between good and evil are all very much comparable to Narnia. However, the characters in this book are very different. I did like this book, but I wan't totally engaged with it at all times like I have been with other novels like it. I can compare it with a novel similar in length and reading level, "The Mysterious Benedict Society," which I found to be a more gripping read. USE: entertainment; storytime
    • 3/5
      A bit of a slow start gave way to a beautifully imagined, deliciously described world of wonders living parallel to our own. It was fanciful and interesting, keeping close to the middle grade perspective of the two main characters. I will be glad to read the next installment and see what is in store for Prue and Curtis.
    • 5/5
      Terrific fantasy set mostly in Widlwood, a fantastical world outside Portland, OR, across the Impassable Wilderness, starring Prue and Curtis, and an assortment of talking animals, heroic bandits, etc etc. Delightful
    • 5/5
      Wildwood by Colin Meloy with illustrations by Carson Ellis starts off the Wildwood Chronicles series which as far as I can tell consists of 3 books (although some websites confusingly say there are only 2). The first book follows Prue McKeel, an average 12 year old living in Portland...until one day her baby brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows. She and a semi-friend from school, Curtis Mehlberg, venture into the Impassable Wilderness in search of the baby and stumble across an entirely different world. It turns out that inside the I.W. there exists a magical place full of talking coyotes, magical sorceresses, mystics that commune with trees, and a gang of roving bandits. There is also a postman, a corrupt government, and territory wars. Maybe things aren't so different from what she's used to after all? No, it's completely different and Prue finds out that she's not as normal as she once thought...
    • 4/5
      Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book. It promised to be lovely from the very beginning, and the writing was delicious. It was very obviously written by Colin Meloy - in fact, too much so. The writing was sometimes so beautiful that it was distracting (something I never expected to say). Otherwise, (but mostly therefore,) it was an excellent read and I'm looking forward to the next.
    • 4/5
      A lovely book. I love that it is written to challenge young readers. Abstract ideas, corrupt governments, power struggles and family problems all taking place in a beautiful fantasy world. It's something that kids cannot only relate to, but learn from. Loved it.
    • 4/5
      Amazing Book!a bit slow at the beginning, but when the action starts,it is almost impossible to put down!
    • 4/5
      My husband and I are currently listening to the audio of this novel. We are close to finishing. The story is about a young girl named Prue who looses her baby brother to a flock of birds. She sets out on an adventure with her friend Curtis to find him. They enter a world just on the outskirts of the city called Wildwood. They come to find out Wildwood is a completely different world, filled with various creatures and awful government.
    • 4/5
      This is a book about Prue, a girl from Portland, OR, who finds herself on an adventure into Wildwood when her little brother is kidnapped by a flock of Crows.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this! Many of the reviews seem to be downers so I'm glad I hadn't seen them before this impulse buy. Sweet fantasy, delightful illustrations, and I particularly liked Prue.
    • 2/5
      I found this book a bit of a slog, to be honest. I guess I found it to be a rip-off of "The Chronicles of Narnia" in many places. I think my favorite part about it was using my Justin Bieber bookmark (this book is written by the lead singer of the Decemberists.)
    • 3/5
      I picked this book up on the author's name alone. I'm a big Decemberists fan so there was no way I couldn't grab it. I have to say though that I was a bit disappointed.

      Firstly I don't know who this book was truly made for. At 560 pages it's not a small book. Much too long for young children as well as quite dark and violent in places. For older children I don't think it is quite realistic in terms of characters or fantastical enough in setting. The lead character listens to vinyl and does yoga and is pretty much a hipster child. It just doesn't work. And for adults it's too cliche. This book reads like so many others before it. It's compared a lot to the Narnia books and I can see that and it's not a good comparison. The Narnia books were fine when I was young but this is not a homage it's a rip-off. Aslan has been replaced by Mother Nature.

      This book really dragged for me. It would have been much better at half the size. If all the volumes in this trilogy are the same size I can't see many sticking it all the way through.

      I think Colin Meloy does far better as a songwriter. He tells marvelous stories in them whilst keeping them short and sharp. I wouldn't say don't read it but don't do it just for the Decemberists.
    • 1/5
      Ugh, I HATED this book. But at least it was really long. Now, there are two possible things coloring my reaction - 1. It's set in Portland, so I REALLY wanted this book to be awesome and 2. I listened to the audio version of this book and the reader, Amanda Plumber, has THE WORST voice, interpretation of phrasing, sound effects, she should seriously be banned from reading books aloud. Even for free. This book was convoluted, violent, and long. The girl's parents were useless - when they find out their baby is gone, they're like, "Oh well, that's too bad." And when the girl insists on going back into the forest they're like, "No don't. You're going anyway? OK." I do not think this is a very accurate or believable portrayal of parents. I have no interest in pursuing the other books in the series. Maybe the author develops his skill, but he had 9 million pages to do that in this book, so he used up all his chances in my mind.
    • 4/5
      Mythic to a large degree this is an interesting read. Prue goes after her brother who has been kidnapped by crows into the Wildwood where no-one goes in Portland, but she finds that she can go, and her friend Curtis comes with her, they both find that everything is not as they assumed and that things will never be as they were before.The illustrations added to the enjoyment. And while I enjoyed it I'm not sure where it's supposed to go, it's a bit long for a kid's book and a little childish for an adult. Still I'm looking forward to the next one
    • 4/5
      An epic tale of Prue, the twelve year old girl from St. Johns whose brother has been flown away by a murder of crows. Prue follows them into the forbidden forest across the river known as Wildwood. The mysterious forest unveils a wide array of anthropomorphic animals, political intrigue and oppression, war and redemption of character.This is a great book as a choice for strong 4th grade readers and up. It could work as an ongoing read aloud or as a book for some sort of book report. It poses many questions about the use of force in conflict, loyalty and perseverance. A great book for discussion with fellow readers.
    • 2/5
      Beautiful design and illustrations but the story itself didn't grip me at all.
    • 3/5
      I started reading this book, becoming engaged, until I came to the talking animals. Oh the talking animals. Even as a kid I had little patience for talking animals. There is a lot to like about this book- the two main characters are likable,overall the book is warmly realized with amazing detail. There was a lot that irritated me- the aforementioned talking animals, the slightly hipster wordiness, the length- it probably could have benefited from some editing. Overall it felt like it was written by a very talented creative writing student. The drawings are exquisite- they are the the best part of the book for me. I'm not sure if kids- the intended audience- have been as interested as the adults who have come into the library- the author is in a very popular local band.
    • 3/5
      This was an enjoyable children's book, but more than that, I thought this would be a wonderful gift book: it is lovingly put-together, with deckled pages, sturdy binding, and Carson Ellis' delightful illustrations throughout. It's the kind of book to hang onto if the recipient wants to keep a boxful of childhood possessions to pass on to their kids and the story, though fanciful, has a bit more "hey, bad things happen" than a lot of stories geared toward this age. Also, Wildwood is steeped in Portland's character and its protagonists, a boy and a girl, are both independently resourceful and make mistakes (and learn from them).
    • 1/5
      A story about a girl who goes into the forbidden forest, Wildwood, to rescue her baby brother who is kidnapped by a murder of crows. Along the way, a classmate follows her and joins her in her quest to find her brother. There are a lot of talking animals and unnecessary scenes. It was long.
    • 2/5
      Promising first work. Mr. Melot should have been sent back to the editing table at least one more time. And someone should have taken away his thesaurus. It is one thing to use a challenging vocabulary and quite another to use the words correctly.
    • 3/5
      I really couldn't get into this one. I only read about 50 pages of it and then put it down because it was so predictable and nothing about it was interesting enough to keep me going. Another lesson to writers: you may have a unique and fabulous ending, but if the beginning is weak then your readers won't stick with you that long.
    • 4/5
      when this book came into the store, I knew it was a must-read. Colin Meloy is one of my favorite storytellers (via song), so I knew that any tale he wove on page would be just as beautiful. I am six chapter in, and I am loving the adventure. it really feels like a modern-day Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve seen Wildwood questioned as a kid’s fiction book - ‘Meloy uses his thesaurus too heavily’ was one particular criticism I’ve read online. I think it’s fantastic. more children should be reading challenging and engaging stories like Wildwood. if some of the words cause them to pick up a dictionary (who am I fooling? visit dictionary.com), then that’s a good thing. let’s not forget a bibliophile’s criticism that the digital age (is that what they’re still calling it) has severely hampered the young generation’s vocabulary. Meloy gives us a space to revel in it and our own imagination at the same time.
    • 4/5
      great adventure in this fantastical new fantasy
    • 4/5
      A cautious four stars, maybe four and a half, until I read it again. I rather enjoyed it but, well, that was only once through. I hope to get back to it.
    • 4/5
      I was excited to see a book out by Colin Meloy because I've long been a big fan of the Decemberists. A song is like a poem- it's short, so its stories and ideas are distilled. A book's ideas are stretched out, and the prose could be a bit heavy and took a while to get into. I think the tipping point where I really went at it was about half way through- that's when I started to become really eager to know how things would sort themselves out. Now I've got to get ahold of the next book in the series.
    • 3/5
      Actually a 2.5 if half-stars existed. Rounding up to a three because the book got off to SUCH a strong start, and Meloy's eloquent language has to count for something. The book reminded me of a velvet dress that could have been gorgeous if it had been more simply cut, but that kept getting added to and added to beyond the point of beauty, and then got caught in a downpour and became watterlogged. It just kept going on and on and ON. This Decemberist-turned-author has obvious talent, but hopefully his editor will discourage him from going off on quite so many tangents in future books.
    • 2/5
      It was an OK read. Not particularly engrossing and far to political and advanced for being a junior fiction novel. The idea of the novel, having a secret magical land hidden inside the local forest, is fantastic and I expected a lot more than what I got out of it. The characters didn't blow me away and the plot felt a bit thin. I felt like there was too much talk of politics and not enough actual story to keep me wanting to read more.
    • 4/5
      While charming and very Narnia-esque, nothing in this book really stood out for me. (Colin Meloy's strength as a songwriter is writing songs that could very well be traditional folk songs; it works better in music than in fiction.) I admit to zoning out a lot during the battle scenes. But I'm not really the target audience - as Baby's First Fat Fantasy Novel, this would have blown my mind as a ten-year-old. I'll definitely be foisting it on kids who've run out of Narnia.