Book Love - Wildwood by Colin Meloy

I'm not sure where I first heard about this book (probably Twitter) but I instantly pre-ordered it. It sounds magical. Here's the synopsis: -

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows. And then things get really weird.

You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.

And this is where the crows take her brother.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.

A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

Wildwood is a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling as the lead singer of the Decemberists. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, Wildwood is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.

Doesn't it sound brilliant? Well, my copy arrived the other week and although I knew it was a hardback I wasn't quite prepared for just how beautiful it would be. It has deckle edged pages and I'm a sucker for those.

There's a map and a whole host of beautiful illustrations by Carson Ellis. Look!

I'll report back with a full review as soon as possible but I just wanted to share this with you. (Just a quick note about availability. I pre-ordered mine from Amazon UK but they don't seem to be stocking it now. Instead they have a publishing date of January 2012 which is a little disappointing. With a bit of luck Book Depository will have it in stock soon and I've found that it works to fill in their "notify me" request).