Review: A dystopian Christmas tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
This is a short endearing Christmas tale. If anyone can create a dystopian Christmas, it has to be James Chalk. There are three facets to this story which come together at the end. Elsie, a nun initiate is coming back to the orphanage after taking the children out for the day. She is having doubts about the path she has chosen and wonders if God is testing her. The Reverend Mother at the orphanage muses over the way the world is changing, making the line between right and wrong, thinner.And then there is Baihu, the majestic Bengal tiger, ferocious one minute and gentle the next, who is the ultimate hero of this Christmas tale. This book is a milder offshoot of The Meat Market, with some of the well known characters like Jonathan and Baihu, but it feels like a teaser for bigger things to come. I love the settings, the promise of suspense and maybe of romance, a future to be explored. Children will love Baihu and his adventures! I hope there are more Baihu tales in store for us, James Chalk!