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    Corbenic
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    Corbenic
    Unavailable
    Corbenic
    Ebook248 pages3 hours

    Corbenic

    By Catherine Fisher

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    It starts when Cal gets off the train at the wrong stop in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. He's stranded.

    Following a muddy path leads him to a castle that appears to be deserted. But inside is Corbenic, a magnificent hotel filled with rich people preparing for a banquet—and Cal is their guest of honor. During the meal, he experiences a disturbing vision, but when he is asked to talk about what he has seen, he denies it. What if he's becoming crazy, like his mother?

    When Cal wakes the next morning, the elegant castle turns out to be nothing more than an abandoned ruin. But something inside him has changed—he now knows he needs to right the wrongs in his life. It will be a difficult journey, and if Cal achieves his goal, it will not be without cost. The first step—he must return to Corbenic.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 31, 2012
    ISBN9780062193759
    Unavailable
    Corbenic
    Author

    Catherine Fisher

    Catherine Fisher's acclaimed works include Darkhenge, Snow-walker, and The Oracle Betrayed, which was a finalist for the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She lives in Newport, Wales.

    Read more from Catherine Fisher

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    Reviews for Corbenic

    3.5/5

    40 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I've been meaning to read this for a while. I did start it, and then I stopped, and didn't get back to it until today. But it's a quick read, really: I think it took me less than an hour, altogether. It's a reworking of the story of Percival, in a modern setting, where you're never quite sure whether it's all delusion or reality -- or some weird mix of the two. It poses more questions than it answers, and I'm not entirely sure I liked it. But I definitely found it interesting.

      I wouldn't say that you should read it for amazing characters -- I found most of them bland -- or for stunning drama or whatever, but if you're interested in reworkings of Arthurian stories, and especially of grail stories, then this is worth picking up.
    • 4/5
      Cal leaves home to work for his uncle, believing he has left the squalor and his alcoholic mother’s psychotic visions behind him. However, he accidentally gets off at the wrong train station, and finds himself with no option but to stay at Castle Corbenic with its elaborate medieval décor. The people he meets are perplexing, and the castle's owner, Bron, claims that Cal can heal him. When Cal is shown things which remind him of his mother's visions, he denies what he sees. The following morning, the castle is a ruin, and Cal is left with a sword and the feeling he has failed more than just himself.Cal resolves to dispose of the sword, and in the process meets Arthur’s Company, an odd medieval-battle re-enactment group. They confuse Cal with their talk of being immortal, and the extent to which they have embraced a life of medieval legends, but they are also prepared to help him. Cal realises that his mistakes have hurt people, including himself and as he attempts to distance himself from his past, he finds that it has more to do with his future then he ever imagined. His quest becomes more than a simple search for the Holy Grail; it is an emotional quest for self discovery which challenges his values and forces him to confront his fears. I love the way Corbenic ingeniously merges modern-day British life with the centuries-old legends surrounding King Arthur, the knights of the round table and the Holy Grail. The characters, especially Arthur’s Company, are vivid and intriguing, with believable depth and humanity. I am frustrated by things regarding minor characters which are alluded to and left unexplained, but I love how I am left free to wonder. It makes them seem real. Cal is not always an easy character to relate to, but his motivations and experiences are well explained. Even when his determination turns to desperation, I felt sympathetic, and he really grows throughout the novel.Corbenic is wonderful and slightly unusual story about about growing up, family bonds, human endurance, forgiveness, the waste land and the Holy GrailSome years ago, I said that it was "mature and complex, suspenseful and heart-warming". I have since read other books which have been all of these things and more so, yet Corbenic is still something I want to read again. It stills feels like an original retelling of familiar legends, and continues to makes me wonder. It remains my favourite novel by Catherine Fisher.