In "Red Shift", conventional time means even less, and physical space even more. Lives which appear to be lived in different historical periods are bound together by a power that is outside space and time. "At the bottom level, my stories have to work as entertainment, keep a reader turning the page to find out what happens next. At the top level, they have to work for me, say what I want to express. In fact, I must write poetry, making words work on more than one level, subjecting myself to the poetic disciplines - pace, compression, simplicity." Alan Garner's book "The Owl Service" was widely acclaimed: "Without doubt, Mr. Alan Garner is one of the most exciting writers for young people today. He is producing work with strong plot structure, perceptive characterisation and vivid language." - Times Educational Supplement". ""The Owl Service" is not meant only for children or anyone else; it's a novel; and not many better novels will be published this year." - John Rowe Townsend, "The Guardian". "Alan Garner is one of the outstanding present-day writers for children; and "The Owl Service" takes him a step further into more magical, legendary adult worlds than he's gone so far." - Isabel Quigly, "Catholic Herald". "No confirmation of the stature of Alan Garner as a writer of children's fiction is needed; if it were, his latest novel, "The Owl Service", would establish it beyond doubt." - "Financial Times".
Alan Garner was born and still lives in Cheshire, an area which has had a profound effect on his writing and provided the seed of many ideas worked out in his books.
His fourth book, ‘The Owl Service’ brought Alan Garner to everyone’s attention. It won two important literary prizes – The Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal – and was made into a serial by Granada Television. It has established itself as a classic and Alan Garner as a writer of great distinction.