Absolute Midnight

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Absolute Midnight is the third book in the New York Times best-selling Abarat series by Clive Barker. It is a dystopian fantasy-adventure which follows the story of Candy Quackenbush and her journeys through the world of the Abarat. The book contains more than 125 full color illustrations. The story continues Candy’s journey in the extraordinary world of the Abarat with familiar friends and new foes. With war looming on the horizon, Candy is put to the test to save the Abarat from total destruction and rescue the people of Abarat from eternal darkness.^[1]

Release date

Abarat Absolute Midnight is an imprint of HarperCollins and was released September 27, 2011.^[2]

Plot summary

Candy Quackenbush begins her adventures by visiting Lagunna Munn and asking the witch to remove Princess Boa's soul from her body. Boa is immediately revealed to be an evil character, and tries to kill Candy herself. Later in the novel, Boa is seen looking for Christopher Carrion on Gorgossium and capturing Finnegan Hob, her old fiancé, during a duel with a dragon. Candy spends the next third of the novel finding out who she is without Boa's soul. She fights her father, Bill Quakenbush, who tries to kill her by stealing all of her memories. She befriends Christopher Carrion and, later, his father, Zephario Carrion, before reuniting them both. Candy also falls in love with a boy named Gazza who immediately loves her as well. Gazza finds out that Malingo the Geshrat is also in love with Candy.

Absolute Midnight takes a darker turn compared to the previous two in the "Abarat" series, and in this installment Mater Motley, the Queen of Midnight, releases the Sacbrood from the Pyramids of Xuxux who in turn block out the light in the sky and give the book its name. The Hag is also in league with the Nephauree, a new enemy to both Candy and the Abarat. They are pure evil creatures that come from the darkness behind the stars. During the war, Mater Motley fights the Requiax in Commexo City, who have possessed Rojo Pixler during one of his jaunts undersea.

The book climaxes with a large battle on the edge of the Abarat, and readers are introduced to the Void. A Nephauree makes an appearance, Candy uses a piece of the Abarataraba to form a huge glyph to save all of the prisoners, Christopher Carrion and Malingo both prevent Mater Motley from killing Candy, and all of Christopher Carrion's siblings are released from the dolls on Mater Motley's dress. The book ends with Candy, Malingo and Gazza falling through the Void and seemingly climbing up into a new world.

Critical reception

On October 5, 2011, Gina Mcintyre of the Los Angeles Times had this to say about Candy Quackenbush, the protagonist in the Abarat Series, after reading Absolute Midnight:

"Like Dorothy or Alice before her, 16-year-old Candy is an innocent plucked from the mundanity of her everyday life and thrust into a mystical place filled with untold wonders and horrors. Barker acknowledges his heroine's literary lineage, but he also crafts a wonderfully contemporary girl who is brave, resourceful, loyal and willing to sacrifice herself for the betterment of the world."^[3]

About the author

Clive Barker is the bestselling author of twenty-two books, including the Abarat series, and is also an acclaimed painter, film producer, and director. For twelve years, Barker has been working on a vast array of paintings to illustrate the text of the Books of Abarat, more than one hundred and twenty-five of which can be found within this volume.

References