The Windvale Sprites
Mackenzie CrookPublisher - Faber and Faber - 2011
Paperback - £6.99
That bloke from The Detectorists has written a children's book. Who knew! Well, I didn't not until I read a review for it in the first Issue of Waiting for You: A Detectorists Zine back in 2021, and even by then, the book was almost 10 years old.
When a storm sweeps through the country, Asa Brown wakes up the next day to find that his town is almost unrecognisable - trees have fallen down, roofs have collapsed and debris lies everywhere. But amongst the debris in his back garden Asa makes an astounding discovery - the body of a small winged creature. A creature that looks very like a fairy.
So whats it like? It's pretty good actually, charming, old fashioned, gently humorous, warm and affectionate. All the words you might use to describe The Detectorists or Crook's excellent take on Worzel Gummidge. On top of that it's absolutely stuffed with illustrations, which turns out to be something else that Crook is very good at as they too are by him. Have we declared him a national treasure yet? If not then why not. He's clearly a very talented chap, but more than that he's a man of artistic integrity who sets a high quality bar for himself that I don't think he has yet failed to surpass.
The Windvale Sprites as been a lovely distracting read from my usual darker fair although it occurs to me now its finished, that its roots are as much in landscape, history and the arcane as M R James or certain Doctor Who stories that have called to me recently.
There's prequel to The Windvale Sprites, called: The Lost Journals of Benjamin Tooth, which I'll get round to later in the year.
And now there are four Waiting for You: A Detectorists Zine published by Temporal Boundary Press, which I heartily recommend along with their other publications, which are bound to get further mentions in futures blog posts. To go shopping, follow the link here; https://temporalboundary.bigcartel.com/products
What's left to add, other than I think The Windvale Sprites would make a cracking TV adaption but in case that never happens, I'll take some more Worzel Gummidge please Mr Crook, sir.
Steve
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