I was hoping to be able to read and review something new for the wonderful 1968 reading club, hosted by Simon and Kaggsy, but my best intentions have been swallowed up in thesis writing. I therefore thought that rather than miss out on contributing entirely, I would schedule a review for one of my favourite books, Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man, which just so happens to have been published in 1968.
The Iron Man tells the story of a ‘man’ made entirely of metal, thought at first to be an enemy of the people. He is found by a group of local villagers whilst snacking on their farm equipment, and they decide that the best thing to do in such circumstances is to build an enormous pit and lure the Iron Man inside. This they do. What they don’t factor into the equation is that the Iron Man is able to escape. This he does. A friendship with a young boy named Hogarth ensues, and to prove his worth to the sceptical adults, the Iron Man is tasked with saving the earth from an evil space creature.
This sounds very sci-fi, I know, and my wariness of choosing this as my first Hughes book to read was based purely upon the fact that I don’t overly enjoy science fiction as a genre. All of my apprehension about it dissipated on the first page however, and I found The Iron Man to be an incredibly enjoyable little novel. The story is one of the most inventive which I’ve come across in a long while, and I loved the way in which Hughes crafted his tale. Despite the other-worldly beings, the writing style and descriptions throughout made it appear almost believable.
As a character, I adored the Iron Man. He was wonderfully invented, and the passage about how his destroyed body rebuilt itself was so beautiful and startling that I read it numerous times. Hughes’ imagination is a marvellous one, and Andrew Davidson’s monochrome illustrations which accompany the volume are beautiful. The prose throughout is enchanting and vivid, and is certainly no less fascinating to read as an adult than I imagine it would have been to read as a child.
As a youngster, in fact, I would have been both terrified and utterly enchanted by the brilliant and memorable story and its characters. There is nothing at all in the novel which I feel could be improved, and it has become a firm favourite of mine.
I feel that I should end on the wonderfully heartwarming message of the book:
“You are who you choose to be.”
theliterarysisters 
I’ve never taught a class of children who didn’t love The Iron Man. It isn’t just the story but the magnificent poetic prose that Hughes employs. They always responded to the rhythm in it.
It’s ages since I read this but you remind me how good it is. Thanks for joining in! 🙂
I love this little book, I read it to one of my classes a few years ago and immediately went and bought a copy for my nephew.
Oh, I loved this book so much at school!
It was also made into an animated movie, The Iron Giant. Cynical geeks have been known to say you’re not human if you don’t cry during the movie.
Pingback: #1968Club – Stuck in a Book