HarperCollins Children's Books (9+) 9780008724788 (Paperback)
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Immersive world building and parallels between magic and AI drive this richly packed novel where the cleaners are left trying to sort the chaotic mess left by magicians. Ward is part of the Spick and Span crew, a cleaning agency of magically resistant children striving to be the best of the best. A multi-strand plot gives richness and complexity and allows exploration of contemporary issues in this furiously paced fantasy.
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Pil Van Martin is an author and illustrator who grew up in Somerset but now lives in London with their husband and dog. Their alter-ego works as a bookseller in Hackney, and loves to undercover hand sell their book (when appropriate, of course…) In their early thirties they read Terry Pratchett and were blown away with his empathy and humour and now endeavour to emulate that in their own work. Their book, The Spick and the Span, was born from their unironically enthusiastic beliefs about the positive effects cleaning has on one’s psyche, merged with their love of fantasy and magic.
‘The Spick And The Span’ by Pil Van Martin is a decent read, as it has some interesting characters, good story, and a pretty great, if not wholly surprising, twist. I also enjoy when the protagonist does not know they are part of the bad guys - how the lure happens to the narrator, instead of one of side protagonists. As for my favourite character, I’d say it would be Magda, because her rather unique worldview (just having been dropped out of a portal into a world whose rules she doesn’t know, with things I don’t understand, and concepts that are completely alien) allows for some interesting dialogue and character not present in other characters, at least in the main group. One little niggle I have is how one of the main plot twists had already been revealed halfway through. I would also say that the concept is an excellent one, as not only has it possibly has never been thought of before, along with it being reasonable and delving into something that is not really cared about in the magical realms – who’s going to clean up the mess after a magician has been there? Overall, I would give this book a solid 3-4 stars out of 5. It’s a solid story, even if it isn’t outstanding.
Carter
Lincoln Readers