Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (9 out of 10). Hardcover, 396 pages, Published January 14th 2014 by Quirk Books.
Continuing the imaginative, unique story that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs’ novel Hollow City is even better than his first book in this series. Familiarity with the different characters, time loops and the ymbryne makes this book far more enjoyable and readable than its predecessor. The development of the story is unimpeded by the former book’s necessity to define the talents of the peculiars and the danger posed by the wights and the hollows; that book is really the foundation of what appears to be a series involving the peculiar children.
New peculiars join familiar ones as the children attempt to find the ymbryne Miss Wren and to have her aid restoring Miss Peregrine to her human form. Set in London in 1940, Hollow City may be a reference to that metropolis and its underground tunnels or to the possibility that Hollows, evil supernatural beings, have taken over London, rendering it a hollow city. This book truly is a perfect balance of quiet, emotion filled moments, and fast paced, edge of your seat, manic moments. The characters continue to evolve in Hollow City- individually fighting their own internal battles, and collectively sharing in both triumphant victories and gut-wrenching defeats. All concluding in the mother of all cliff hangers. The main character Jacob in particular experiences enormous growth both personally and as a peculiar – as he gains significant ground in understanding his “gift”. Ransom Riggs does an outstanding job of maintaining the reader’s interest and, in the end, creating the beginning of his next book in the series.
Riggs certainly is a talented writer with an eye for strange and wonderful characters. Readers who enjoy unique, creative stories that are particularly imaginative may find Hollow City is a novel they will want to read. I do recommend reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children before delving into Hollow City. By doing so, the reader will be able to understand and appreciate all the developments taking place throughout Hollow City.
As was done in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City is filled with vintage photographs that enhance the story and pique the reader’s curiosity. This truly unique aspect of Ransom Riggs’ books elevates his peculiar children books to a level not regularly seen by readers. Further, Riggs uses more complex language than many current works of contemporary fiction/fantasy; this, too, makes his novels well worth reading.