Wow. Did. This. Draaaaaaaag. On. Reading this was akin to walking in knee deep mud. I almost quit numerous times and eventually did something I rarely do while I'm still reading a book, I checked other people's reviews. One in particular mentioned the action picking up later on in the book and it did. . . At about 65%! It took well more than half the book before the posturing and posing gave way to doing and being.
One of the problems for me is I've never really liked the classics. I've read Treasure Island, Peter Pan and a few others but I've never been able to get into the language and cadence of those older stories. I likely missed a lot of subtle references. And I wondered at the lack of Tolkien and Rowling characters. If intensely reading and diving deeply into the story those two authors alone should have spawned numerous literary characters but, I guess they're too new and not classic enough. The White Witch and one other from Narina are the most modern creations.
The concept was sound, Charley can with fair ease 'read out' characters from his favorite books. Sherlock Holmes over for dinner? How delightful! He's not the only one, other people who deeply love a book or character have, since the dawn of reading (and perhaps even further back into oral traditions) have accidentally created, pulled, brought forth a character from theirs beloved book. Charles though is the only one who can control this skill or is he? When the Hound of the Baskerville shows up to attack brothers Charley and Rob he realizes there's another like him out there and they want to be the only one.
This should have been great but the slow plodding pace just put me off. Even the climactic ending went on and on.
I liked it but not that much.
Thanks go to NetGallery for providing a copy of this novel.

A wild ride through literature as mediated by fictional characters come to life. Mystery, adventure, and ongoing literary criticism pepper this Australian offering.

All his life, Charley Sutherland has been able to read characters to life. Whenever he gets deeply into a story or character, they just seem to manifest right off the page. It's a special gift that he's been trying his whole life to keep a secret. The only ones who know about this ability are his family; his older brother Rob usually being the one roped into helping Charley put these rogue characters back where they belong. Charley has always believed he's the only one in the world with this power, but he soon finds out there's another, and they have it out for him.

After discovering an entire hidden street full of fictional characters that have been read to life, Charley and Rob find themselves in way over their heads. From being attacked by the Hound of Baskervilles, to shape-shifting Dickensian villains, the brothers must join forces with a character from their past before the entire world as they know it gets rewritten.

I loved the entire premise of this story, however, I didn't love the execution. There's a ton of action in this book, yet it read like wading through molasses. I loved the idea of all these famous literary characters banding together to stop a terrible evil, and while that is basically what happens, it feels more like a master class in Charles Dickens. While I get that that particular influence really drives the main plot, I just felt it made it slightly too difficult for me to fully connect. I did still enjoy this, just not as much as I had hoped.

Definitely a must read for fans of Dickens, Conan Doyle and Austen (5 Darcys?!) and for anyone who enjoyed their English lit classes in college. A fun read that pulls from a lot of literary sources and made this former English majors heart sing.

A very good fantasy book that myself and my children loved i highly recommend to readers of all ages

I loved the premise of this book - a reader who could read characters or elements from books out into the real world?? Yes please! Unfortunately the story from there was not connecting with me. I ultimately decided to stop reading at 25% - this one wasn’t for me.

Great premise that didn't quite pull together that WOW factor that I was hoping for. However I was still entertained and believe it wasn't a wasted read.

My Thoughts
This book is touted as the “ultimate book-lover’s fantasy” and based on the synopsis, it absolutely should be. However, something about this book didn’t click with me, even though I did love elements of the story. Here are my pros and cons for The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep:

Pros

1. The author (in the end notes) states that “This book is a love letter to literary analysis…” and it is. The literary analysis was my favorite part of the book. There is a lecture on Great Expectations given by Charley in the middle of the book and I absolutely loved it! This book is worth reading for that alone!
2. There are so many literary characters brought to life and brought together in this book! The personalities and interactions between characters that really have very little in common was fun to read. I also thought it was an interesting twist that the characters that were brought to life were actually influenced by the reader who “summoned” them. In other words, while the live characters were essentially the same as their fictional counterparts, their personalities (once brought to life) were influenced by how the reader perceived the character before summoning them.
3. The book definitely has a focus on Dickens, and since he is probably my all-time most favorite author, I enjoyed that aspect of the book very much.
4. The world-building was well-done.

Cons

1. The book was way too long. I got so bored in the first half of the book that I almost gave up several times. It took me almost a month to get through the first half of the book, then only two days to get through the last half. The book is super repetitive and verbose.
2. The book only really got fun and interesting when it actually became an adventure story – and for me that didn’t happen until past the halfway mark.
3. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. I think there were just too many to be honest.
4. The ending was too quick and too convenient and completely flat.

Summary
The love of books and literary analysis absolutely shines in this book. I loved that aspect of it tremendously. However, so much of the early book bored me that I struggled with the decision whether to DNF it or not. I kept putting the book aside to read other things. I eventually plowed through it and the second half got much better. I do not regret finishing it.

This is the author’s first book, and whether I loved it or not, WOW!! Even if I had some issues with the execution, I’m super impressed. I’m in awe of authors that can take a concept as detailed as this one was and make it work in any way at all – and this was a huge undertaking! I will read her next book for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an ending! Such a succession of shattering revelations that sent a wave through my room so strong that I felt its ripple and was rocked on its mooring. Such was the churn and whirl of my thoughts and feelings that I was genuinely incapable of putting two ideas in a row, let alone come into any kind of conclusion—other than that I desperately need more books by Parry.

The premise Parry lays out in The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep isn't shockingly original, but the relatively familiar contours of the plot do not make it any less elaborate. I had hardened myself to wonder before I started this book, but my knee-jerk skepticism was quickly knuckled under by my admiration for the way she has craftily drawn on several familiar tropes and recast them into something altogether fresh and memorable.

The Unlikely Escape does flounder somewhat until it settles into a groove. I think the novel could have been better curated, as it sometimes feels less like a story and more like a haphazard sequence of things happening. The characters could also be more deeply realized—the purpose for existing in the story for some characters is merely the degree to which they advance in main characters arc without settling into one of their own.

Nevertheless, the book successfully breezes past many of its flaws, and its own boundless creativity eventually finds its footing. Once it does, it doesn't let go.

The premise of this book is intriguing! A young man who can bring characters out of books and into the real-world. There were times when I found myself grinning in recognition and other times when I had to look up the references. However, there is much more at play in this book than just name-dropping fictional characters. The main protagonists are brothers, Charley the intellectual giant who can summon characters by thinking about their place in a story and Rob, the older brother who vacillates between support and frustration with his sibling. Soon Charley and Rob find themselves having to figure out why characters are appearing without Charley’s help and if there is a more dangerous situation on the horizon. The book mixes literary heroes, sibling dynamics, good versus evil, and sacrifice. There are times when it feels like the story might have take on too many elements, but overall it is an entertaining read for any bibliophile.

If you have studied literature you will love this book.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep brings all the classic Dickens characters to life and deeply considers how the reader has interpreted the characters from the book. Having not read any Dickens books myself I found this very interesting to begin with. Does it wear thin half way through the book when not much has happened apart from a lot of analysis of book characters from 160 years ago? Well, yes it does.

Is this the book for you if you love an action packed story? Probably not, but I still think it is worth the read. Admittedly, I did find the middle of the book very boring, it drags on a little, but I suspect that is due to me not having a secret passion for Dickens novels.

Aside from the Dickens content, the story follows two brothers trying to figure out their relationship with each other, their parents, family members and ultimately find who they are themselves. Charley, the younger brother who Rob (the older brother) has spent his entire life protecting, can read book characters to life.

The book is well written and includes a great twist which I did not see coming which is about that time where it starts to get interesting again.

This book is not a quick read, it's there to enjoy, be absorbed and appreciate good writing and a generally good story line.

This is a very fun New Adult book. I love that it is a little more of an advances read than typical YAs, And its perfect for anyone who has studied literature and appreciate books about literary figures.
Uriah Heep is the very first character we see "brought to life" by Charlie, who can read books and bring the characters into the real world.
It's a fun magical trait he holds, but also starts to create lots of trouble. Charlie, his brother Rob, and some of the brought to life characters are trying to figure out who the other "summoner" is. Basically, another person like Charlie who is trying to not just bring characters into the real world, but entire cities. They are fighting to keep this mysterious summoner from replacing the existing world with the literary ones.

It was a really cute adventure type story with the fun legendary literary characters sprinkled throughout.
I did find the story got a little slow, and seemed kind of repetitive towards the middle. It was surprisingly long and I wanted to find out what was going to happen and hurry up and get there at some points, but overall was a cute and fun adventure tale.

DNF @ ~40%

This is another case of me DNFing a book not because it's bad, but because I was bored (yes, there's a difference). And I mostly blame it on Rob, the main character. He's the less extraordinary of the two brothers--no magical abilities and a very "straight man" vibe--and I found his narration dry and ill-fitting. I mean, this is a story about literary characters coming to life and mingling with modern society. A story about the complexity of stories. And I figure such a story should be told from the POV of a character who exudes a bit more passion, and less blandness, than Rob Sutherland.

Like his brother, Charley.

See, there's this one little section that utterly blew me away. It's an excerpt from Charley's notebook, so it's written entirely from his POV and it lasts a only handful of pages, and reading it was like stepping up to the gates of heaven and watching it open. I mean that with zero hyperbole.

Here are three things that this section accomplishes:

1) It puts us in the head of Charley--this beautiful, sensitive person--and we get a glimpse of the way he views the world. The things he value and how he approaches his power. It's the most concise snapshot of a character I've come across this year.

2) It neatly explains the ins-and-outs of Charley's power.

3) It describes, with aching clarity and lyricism, the act of reading. How we process a story, and how that processing affects every part of us, and how fucking magical that is. It's beautifully introspective and so, so on-point. I mean, look at this:

"So I"ll be drifting in words, absorbing, and the words I absorb will be racing through my bloodstream. Every nerve, every neuron will be sparking and catching fire, and my heart will be quickening to carry it through faster, and my eyes will be tearing ahead to take in more and more.

This isn't magic yet, or whatever the word is...This is just reading a book."

I realize I'm using half of this review to gush about six pages worth of words, but that's how good it is. It's also relevant because that was the moment I realized that I'm stuck with the wrong brother as the narrator. Charley's words are emotional and raw in a way that Rob's aren't, and I'll bet my right arm that I would have loved the book if it'd been told from Charley's POV. It just feels like such a lost opportunity.

But I know the book is, and will be, a hit with a lot of people. It's got all the right ingredients: a very solid, very flowy style of writing; a plot that's unique and attention-grabbing; fairly interesting side characters; and a sibling relationship at the heart of the story, which is always welcome.

I loved this book. The situation was fascinating, and very cleverly done. I enjoyed the chance to spend some time in Wellington, NZ as well as to remind myself of some literary characters such as Uriah Heep and David Copperfield. Though there are mystery elements I'd classify this as meta-fiction.

Charles Sutherland, a prodigy professor of Victorian literature, has the ability to summon characters out of books. He develops a deep connection with the story and the characters, and then voila! one of them is there in his living room.

The book kicks off when he accidentally summons Uriah Heep, and then discovers that there is a secret street where characters from various books live. Lots of Dickensian references and thrilling sequences-- the Hound of the Baskervilles attacks early, and Charlie must "read him back" into the non-horrific version at the end of the Conan Doyle story.

While the genre of book characters coming to life in the real world is not a new idea,this author has some interesting twists. That said it is a slowly twisting tale with not so happy ending. I dare say if you are not familiar with british literature especially Dicken none of the book will make sense. I found the book to be rather disappointing.

Sometimes you just need to escape into a good book. But if you’re Charles Sutherland, sometimes you inadvertently facilitate the escape of fictional characters into the real world. Imagine being able to read out your favorite character from a story and have an actual conversation with them. That sounds like a dream come true for most bookworms, but it’s been a nightmare that Rob, Charley’s big brother and our first person perspective character, has spent his life trying to avoid. He’s had to clean up Charley’s fictional messes a multitude of times throughout his life, but the current fictional mess they find themselves in is the zaniest and more far reaching, and frankly the most dangerous, that the Sutherland family has ever faced. Their world is going to be changed forever if they can’t figure out a way to thwart what’s coming.

When I first started reading this book, I was strongly reminded of some of my favorite pieces of children’s fiction, most specifically Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. That book also involves the reading out of fictional characters from their books. However, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep takes this concept a few steps further. Whereas the characters in Inkheart came from an imaginary book of the same name, Parry used real books and real characters from them to populate her fictional cast. We have Dorian Gray and Heathcliff, the White Witch from Narnia and Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Sherlock Holmes and five different incarnations of Mr. Darcy and a plethora of Dickensian characters who make themselves known in this novel. It was a delightful inclusion that made me actually want to read more Dickens, especially David Copperfield and Great Expectations. I’ve only ever read Oliver Twist, Bleak House, and A Christmas Carol, but I now find myself looking forward to remedying that lack.

I also deeply appreciated how much textual interpretation influenced the appearance and character of any fictional entity read from the page into reality. While each character took on a life of the their own once they were read into being, their identity was shaped by how their reader viewed them. I love that Parry used this to show how radically two people can view the same character, and how that dichotomy can completely change how different people understand the same story. And yet, each character who appeared in this book felt very true to their character in their original work, and often quoted either themselves or their author, which was a delightful inclusion. So while interpretation definitely matters, it can’t change the core of the character as written by the author. Also, the fact that certain characters were summoned by readers who only ever had this one moment of connection to and clarity regarding a fictional character was a fun addition, because that means that everyone is capable of magically connecting to a novel. It’s a lovely thought that I firmly believe is representative of the truth about reading; it really is for everyone, and there’s no magic quite like it.

This is one of the first books I’ve ever read that was set in New Zealand and written by an author native to the area, which added a fun element that I didn’t know I’d be getting from this book. The settings, both of the Wellington of reality and the fictional Street that hides within it, were very atmospheric. The Dickensian Street was incredibly easy to visualize, and I can see why so many fictional refugees made their way to said Street and settled there. I also loved how these characters built their own motley family, and how tightly knit they were.

Both Parry’s original characters and those she pulled from other works of fiction were delightful and uniquely their own. However, I have to confess that it took me a while to connect to Rob, Charley’s brother and our only first person perspective character. He seemed so irrationally close-minded and judgmental when it came to Charley and what he could do that I couldn’t bring myself to like him. However, he truly grew as the story progressed and as Parry showed us more and more the reasoning behind his mentality. While he still wasn’t my favorite by the end of the book, I did appreciate and respect him. But Charley takes the cake. He is one of the most precious characters I’ve come across in adult fiction, and I just wanted to both protect and delight in him.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is such a fun ode to books. Books about books always spark joy in me, and this particular book fanned that spark into a cheery and inviting fire. Stories matter, and Parry’s debut celebrates that fact. If you’re a lover of the written word and believe that there’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book, this book is so definitely for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I've been a huge fan of the idea of being able to read characters out of books since I first read Inkheart, so I immediately knew I was going to have to read this.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep is Inkheart for adults, replete with famous Victorian characters, a bookish protagonist, a disillusioned older brother (aren’t they all?!), and relatable sibling struggles. Oh, and a hellhound named Henry.

My Thoughts:

- The story is told from the non-bookish character’s point of view … and it works really well, somehow? Telling this story from Rob’s point of view was a great choice, because it’s something new and fresh. I’ve read so many books told by bookish characters, and while I love them, this was a bit of a novelty. Rob doesn’t hate books, per se, but he just doesn’t understand Charley’s obsession with them.

- Charley is a lovable, squishable marshmallow who deserves all the love and maybe a hug or two. His arc is a wonderful one: of a younger brother learning to not always lean on his older brother; as a son bearing the burden of his parents; as an adult trying to find his way in a world that he doesn’t feel like he belongs to.

- Parry gives the “reading characters to life” trope an interesting spin by including the fact that interpretation matters. I loved all the different forms this takes, and it really makes you stop and think about the characters. It gives them a new life and depth.

- Despite knowing the characters from their respective works, they take on a new depth in this book and become entirely new characters, while still retaining their original charm. At their essence, all the characters were recognizable from their roles in their respective books, but each one had been changed, to some extent, by both their reader’s interpretation and their experience in the real world.

- There’s a marked lack of romance, and instead, the focus is on the (sometimes strained, oftentimes stressful) sibling relationship. And if I’m honest, thank goodness. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a romance subplot, but not every book needs a love interest. As a younger sibling to several older siblings and also an older sibling to younger siblings, I can 100% confirm the relatability of Rob and Charley’s relationship. While Rob and Charley each have their own separate character growth, there’s a whole arc just about their relationship, and this is what I live for.

- This book has a little bit of everything, wrapped in a neat bow: mystery, supernatural, bookish people, non-readers, family secrets, stressful family dynamics, comedy, moral dilemmas, existential questions, reluctant heroes, people just trying to live their best lives without getting mauled by characters thank you very much. There’s actually several mysteries and subplots, which really kept me guessing. It was funny and thoughtful at the same time and just so relatable.

- I think you’ll get more out of this book if you’re familiar with Dickens and Victorian-era literature. It’s not a requirement (I don't know a lot about Dickens' work myself). But given how many characters come from Dickens (and the fact that Charley specializes, basically, in Dickens as a professor), I think you would probably get more from the book if you do.

Sticking Points:

- I was so sure that a certain character was going to play a big role in the climax, and he was set up to have a bigger role in the story, and then he just … didn’t. And this. Freaking. Irked. Me. Really badly. His arc seemed to be contrary to his entire character, and it just left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

- The climax was SO SURPRISING … and then it was over. Just like that. Super easily. Which was extremely disappointing, because I had been so amped up and actually squeed just a teensy bit, like you do, with some of the reveals and such. The denouement didn’t feel earned at all. The villains weren’t so much defeated as they just sort of fizzled.

For most book lovers, books come alive and are portals to a new world and new people from inside of these worlds. For Charlie Sutherland this is his reality. He can bring characters from books into our real world. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This could go one of two ways. For Charlie it has always gone very well until one day it doesn't. I can't say enough great things about this book. I can't love it anymore if I tried. It is full of magic and wonder and imagination that allows one to escape the world.

For as long as he’s been alive Charley Sutherland has had the ability to bring forth literary characters from the books where they reside into the real world.

For as long as Charley has been alive his older brother Robert has been picking up the pieces and cleaning up the messes that usually occur when bringing a literary character into the real world.

On one such occasion, Rob is called to the university where Charley works to help apprehend one Uriah Heep (of David Copperfield fame). Before Uriah can be sent back, he alludes to the fact that something big is on the horizon. Something that will change the world forever.

Rob and Charley soon learn there is another Summoner in their midst. Someone who has been calling forth characters and using them to commit crimes. When a portal leading into a mysterious Dickensian London street appears, Charley will finally have to use the powers he’s tried suppressing his entire life in order to keep the real world from getting edited out.

There is a lot to unpack with The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. With so much, it’ll be difficult to talk about everything this book can/could/should/did allude to, but we’ll give it a try.

I really think that this is one of the best literary mashups I’ve read in quite a while, giving me real Thursday Next vibes. I loved seeing all the familiar characters popping up. Most of them were expected (Darcy, Heathcliff, Dorian Gray, Artful Dodger etc.), some were a little unexpected (such as the Jabberwock), but all were fun to encounter. The best thing about these characters is that their personalities are often based upon the Summoner’s interpretation of the text which may vary from language translations or be influenced by a movie adaptation (I’m looking at you Darcy, who jumps into pools). H.G. Parry pulls the literary analysis together really well, in a way that’s accessible to any type of reader you might be.

In the center of everything you have Charley and Rob, who fill in the roles of “chosen one” and “non-magical sidekick” respectively. Through that we see what is perceived as the certain responsibilities both roles often require within the literary world, but we also see how it’s not necessarily always easy to be the person in which the world’s safety rests or being the person who supports them. Rob and Charley have never had an easy brotherly relationship. Besides pulling characters from books, Charley is also extremely intelligent. Graduating high school at the same time as his older brother has been cause for accolades, but also for more attention because he was so young. So there’s a jealousy factor to their relationship, but there’s also the idea of the older brother wanting to protect his younger brother, to keep him safe. It’s instinctual for Rob, yet he also feels like it’s his obligation. I really enjoyed seeing the push/pull between them. Definitely a very familial focused story.

Overall, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep was a fun, interesting, adventurous read. Perfect for booklovers. I cannot wait to see what H.G. Parry has for us next.

Who wouldn’t want to help their favorite fictional characters escape from the books that entrap them? Even with the occasional blunder like the Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, a villain from Dicken’s David Copperfield, being a summoner still sounds fun.

However, when Charley realizes he is not the only summoner in the world, he and his quite normal brother must fight the other to protect the world from its most famous literary villains.

While I don’t have a PhD in English Literature like the author, I enjoyed this romp through British classics. I recognized most of the literary characters—even if some were met in graphic novels based on famous books. The book only references older works so no need to worry about wishing Hannibal Lector upon the world. My favorite part of the Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep was the dynamics of the sibling rivalry and loyalty between the brothers. Overall, an excellent choice for Victorian book nerds and readers everywhere who would like to hang out with their favorite characters if only for an evening. 4 stars!

Thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.