<u>The Borribles</u> Trilogy by Michael de Larrabeiti

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I was hopelessly obsessed with the first 2 of this series as a 10-11 year old... a friend turned me onto the series and I spent quite some time re-reading the books over and over and over again.

despite three or four THOROUGH purgings of my book collection, these two ratty paperbacks remain despite not having read them in many, many years. i'll even admit that it made my first visit to battersea park a tad uncomfortable as an adult...

I say first two CLASSIC (despite the 2nd one going all "emo" (cf, empire strikes back)) and the finale a disappointing, resounding DUD.

But what do I know, I haven't read the stories in ages. What's your take?

― gygax!, Friday, 27 September 2002 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

I only ever read the first one (I never knew there were three) and loved it. Must hunt down the other two...

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 27 September 2002 12:30 (twenty-three years ago)

three months pass...

</revive>

― gygax!, Wednesday, 22 January 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

My god, I thought it was just me! I've never know of anyone else to have heard of them. I spent hours of my childhood in front of the mirror inspecting the tips of my ears, I have never wanted anything more than I wanted my ears to grow pointy when I was 10.
I recently re-read one and three (I've lost number two, allthough I remeber it being my favorite,) still ace!

― Weekly Weekly, Sunday, 2 February 2003 02:52 (twenty-three years ago)

i think that mark s should read these.

― gygax!, Tuesday, 11 February 2003 00:55 (twenty-three years ago)

maybe dr vick did, she's more euro than me

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 00:59 (twenty-three years ago)

who is dr vick and does she like husker du's "eight miles high"?

― gygax!, Tuesday, 11 February 2003 01:05 (twenty-three years ago)

i'll ask her

a doctor writes

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 01:07 (twenty-three years ago)

thank you, some of these pieces are as long as the borribles books.

― gygax!, Tuesday, 11 February 2003 01:12 (twenty-three years ago)

two weeks pass...

ok gygax! i bought the first one

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 3 March 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 3 March 2003 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

so far i have mixed feelings

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 10 March 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

which later eps may assuage

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 10 March 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

oh come on you can't just leave me at that!

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 10 March 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

i need to think abt it some more

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 10 March 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

it isn't the elmer fudd voice of the rumbles is it? (i admit that was the hardest part for me to get past)...

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

the general weakness of the rumbles as villains is a problem (why the hell didn't the borribles try something like this before?)

also there's a weird feeling of plot being thought up as he goes along, then tossed aside (what's adolf FOR? just to be killed?) — but i don't know if all this is turned around in a later volume (or if he gets better at it) so i'm reserving judgment

the idea of fantasy which engages with real-time UK class diff is interesting, esp. for the date: i don't think he entirely pulls it off (borrible language is sometimes a bit gor-blimey guvner), but it feels like he's breaking ground as he's doing it, so fair enough, and the sense of a love of a real-time london is lovely

OK more when i've read the other ones

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

someone just lent me these. should i?

did mark s get any further?

― mullygrubber (gaz), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

london.
the future.
don't get caught.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

ok, i am giving up on my current read and will start this.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

These books are great. Gygax otm about the third one sucking; tho I wasn't sure if it was just because I read the other two when i was little, and I only just read the third one now. Their whole value system was very very different from most of the kid's books I was reading at the time. Also more gruesome than most anything else I was reading.

― Sym (shmuel), Thursday, 25 March 2004 10:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic! Classic! It was absolutely riveting when I was a child, and it was still pretty good when I reread the books recently.

I think what was lacking in the third was the presence of a foe just as cunning (i.e. Flinthead) as the Borribles and perhaps not as many cool subterranean bunkers/sewer tunnels where terrible danger lurked. But on the other hand, I think London was an even bigger "character" in the third than it was in the first two, and I love it for that reason.

― syntaxfree, Thursday, 25 March 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and call me easily manipulated but I really wanted to RIP CHALOTTE APART at the end of the second book.

― syntaxfree, Thursday, 25 March 2004 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

haha, me too!

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 25 March 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

i never got any further no

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 21 November 2005 00:38 (twenty years ago)

Classic for vivacity, grimness, general page-turneriness. Dud for satirising the Wombles, which undermines the whole concept. Definitely worth a read though, especially if you're not a Womble lovah.

― Zora (Zora), Monday, 21 November 2005 15:53 (twenty years ago)

love love love these books, though not read them since i was a teen. the first books that made me fall in love with london.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 21 November 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

Just found this: http://www.michaeldelarrabeiti.com. All about the man himself... he sure has had an interesting life and has written loads more than just The Borribles!

Also, can anyone confirm the rumours I've heard about a Borribles film? There's nothing on imdb.com but I have heard talk from various unconnected sources so am trying to check it out.

― JayBee (jim0203), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:43 (nineteen years ago)

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The Borribles Trilogy by Michael de Larrabeiti - C/D