The collectors - Softcover

Carter, Robert

3.88

26 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0207178283 ISBN 13: 9780207178283

Publisher: Angus&Robertson, 1993

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Was their society doomed? An unlikely bunch of collectors set out on an impossible quest. A cynic, a singer, a kitchen-war veteran, a criminal, an innocent and a coward all seek a way to save their souls. They undertake a journey into the drains, glasshouses, libraries and sanctuaries of the world.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-8-A highly unusual blend of adventure, fantasy, insect lore, and discourse on the meaning of life. The cockroach hero, Edwud, is too uncomfortably thoughtful and idiosyncratic for his fellow "collectors" in the Longley family's backyard. He persists in questioning their economic structure (the rich get richer) and their values (rigid and conformist). He departs the colony and experiences various ordeals on his semi-religious quest-he is pinned to a bulletin board in the humans' kitchen, nearly swept away in storm drains, threatened by species of collectors with wildly differing values, suffers the loss of his best friend, is nearly gassed in a greenhouse, and almost swept out to sea. There's plenty of action here, and the unlikely characters come to life as real, distinct, and sympathetic. World-building is thorough and convincing, right down to a vocabulary with footnotes. But in spite of the book's numerous virtues, the plot only sporadically takes flight, just as Edwud can only fly when he's under an updraft of hot air. The story line lacks a certain unity and is too often weighted down by overt philosophizing. Nonetheless, this is a good choice for readers looking for a thoughtful and challenging novel.
Kathy Fritts, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Australian author Carter's dark ode to the inner life of bugs and the intricate wonders of insect society resonates with depth, insight and compassion, but the tale is so idiosyncratric that it may lose much of its intended audience. A renegade band of "collectors," cockroach-like insects, have organized themselves into territorial "circles" and raid their human cohabitants for food scraps (described in fantasy vernacular as "chumps" and "spills"). Edwud K, on a mission from the Director, strikes out with a small cadre of followers to search for the crucial "Monoocal," which reflects the image of "our otherselves." The group's adventures include recovering from a near-fatal dose of insecticide while finding asylum in a greenhouse; a mystical encounter with a camera lens in a movie theater; and a visit to a church. The bug's-eye view of the world, the delicate interdependence of the insect colony and the inner monologues of various characters are a steady source of amusement, but the density of the language may present a serious challenge for the younger members of the targeted age bracket. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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