The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides by Ben Tripp
The Accidental Highwayman is the first swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp. This thrilling tale of dark magic and true love is the perfect story for fans of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.
In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.
Bound by magical law, Kit takes up his master’s quest to rescue a rebellious fairy princess from an arranged marriage to King George III of England. But his task is not an easy one, for Kit must contend with the feisty Princess Morgana, goblin attacks, and a magical map that portends his destiny: as a hanged man upon the gallows….
Fans of classic fairy-tale fantasies such as Stardust by Neil Gaiman and will find much to love in this irresistible YA debut by Ben Tripp, the son of one of America’s most beloved illustrators, Wallace Tripp (Amelia Bedelia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Ben has woven illustrations throughout the story.
I LOVE ALL THE THINGS about THE ACCIDENTAL HIGHWAYMAN. Look at it! A magical highwayman! Redcoats! Fairy princesses named Morgana! MAGICAL MAPS! And I can’t even with how much this reminds me of the Dread Pirate Roberts, with the way Kit dons his former master’s cloak and unwittingly becomes Whistling Jack. YES PLEASE.
Also, this cover is amazing. I love the red so much. I’m very much ecstatic about the illustrations as well. You don’t encounter many YA books with artwork inside, but the few I know of all feature outstanding images (I’m thinking right now of the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated by Keith Thompson). But Ben Tripp illustrated this one himself and that just sounds perfect.
I’ll never, ever turn down a historical fantasy, friends. NEVER. I’m certainly not going to start with THE ACCIDENTAL HIGHWAYMAN.
THE ACCIDENTAL HIGHWAYMAN comes out October 14, 2014 from Tor Teen.
