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
A dark but delightful read
Dazzling and haunting...a dark and deliciously macabre read with an unexpected twist
Fast-paced and gripping
Gardner's prose in Tinder is adventurous and hugely energetic ... Its a beauty
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.
Profoundly beautiful
Exquisite
A dark dream -- an exploration of memory, grief, fear, lust and love. Gardner's delicate, eerie rendering lends it a new grace
An exquisitely macabre fairy story for teenagers
David Roberts' elegant illustrations are integral to the beautiful design ... A volume to treasure and re-read
The natural elegance of Roberts' style marries perfectly with the supernatural elements of Gardner's powerful narrative -- by turns ghostly, tender, dramatic
Luminously written ... rich and rewarding
Mesmeric ... another jewel in Gardner's crown
Exquisite ... as dark and captivating as you would hope