Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half beast half man gives him shoes and dice which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire – pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires?
Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; in this exquisite novel Sally Gardner writes about great love and great loss.
Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all; in this exquisite novel Sally Gardner writes about great love and great loss.
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Reviews
Profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking ... mesmeric ... ultimately, we are in the hands of a consummate storyteller who provides her readers with nothing less than a meditation on desire, maturation, reality and death.
A dark but delightful read
Exquisite ... as dark and captivating as you would hope
David Roberts' elegant illustrations are integral to the beautiful design ... A volume to treasure and re-read
Dazzling and haunting...a dark and deliciously macabre read with an unexpected twist
Luminously written ... rich and rewarding
Profoundly beautiful
The natural elegance of Roberts' style marries perfectly with the supernatural elements of Gardner's powerful narrative -- by turns ghostly, tender, dramatic
Mesmeric ... another jewel in Gardner's crown
A dark dream -- an exploration of memory, grief, fear, lust and love. Gardner's delicate, eerie rendering lends it a new grace
Gardner's prose in Tinder is adventurous and hugely energetic ... Its a beauty
Exquisite
Fast-paced and gripping
An exquisitely macabre fairy story for teenagers