by Jane | Aug 28, 2019 | Books
Inkspell is a young adult fantasy by Cornelia Funke. It is set both in our world and in Inkheart, a land of fiction created by author Fenoglio. In Funke’s previous book, Inkheart, Meggie and her father discovered that they had powers which allowed them to read people into and out of the book. Inkspell begins with Dustfinger, who is from the land of Inkheart, being read back into the book. He is a fire eater and is training an apprentice named Farid in the art of controlling fire. Farid, who was read from another book, is still very loyal to Dustfinger. When his mentor leaves him in our world, Farid seeks help from Meggie to find him. Looking for a adventure herself, she decides to accompany him and immediately regrets it.
Meanwhile, back in our world, her family is taken captive by some people from Inkheart who wish her father harm. Meggie must find Fenoglio (also caught in Inkheart) in order to return home, help Dustfinger battle an evil prince, and figure out how to help her father
Across two worlds, Meggie and her family battle Inkheart’s worst, some who wish harm for her and her friends and family, and others who merely want to take control of Inkheart. This is a delicious romp. I love Funke’s writing style and complicated plots. If you haven’t read Inkheart, don’t worry. There are plenty of references to the previous book, and even without them, Inkspell works well as a stand-alone book. You should pick it up today.
by Jane | Aug 1, 2019 | Books
Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul is a young adult fantasy novel. Kale is a 14-year-old ex-slave on her way to the big city of Vendala to develop her ability to find dragon eggs. Of course, as often happens in books of this sort, she never makes it there, but instead gets in trouble with some big, bad creatures, only to be rescued by some smaller creatures who know how to do these things. Then, still not having reached her goal, she is asked to go on a quest.
Dragonfall has seven high races (good guys) and seven low races (bad guys), which we must keep track of. The bad guys seem to differ by height, coloring and amount of hair, and type of clothing, though the good guys are much more diverse. It makes it a little tricky to keep everyone straight but doesn’t detract too much from the plot.
This is a fun book, Kale is a great character, naïve but
capable and willing to learn. Her friends are sometimes helpful, sometimes obstacles,
but you will enjoy them.
As Kale is 14, you won’t
be surprised that the book is probably best for 12- or 13-year-olds, but
if you’re an adult with a lightness in your heart, you will enjoy it as well.
by Jane | Jul 18, 2019 | Books
In the Land of the Everliving by Stephen R. Lawhead is the second book in the Eirlandia series. It’s a fantasy story of a man on a quest – not unusual for fantasy, except that the setting is in the Celtic tradition and the book is interlaced with Celtic words and Celtic-like names. The protagonist is Conor mac Ardon, who is recovering from injuries in the land of the fairies, along with two members of his wargang. As soon as he is healed, they return to their home to fight the Scala, enemies who had invaded their land. Falsely branded as a traitor, he is denied access to his castle by his brother and seeks refuge in a friendly realm. He offers his sword to the queen, but when she becomes corrupted, he must find another way to fulfill his quest.
I enjoyed this book, but it is obvious that it is the second in a series of at least three books. I had not read the first one, In the Region of the Summer Stars, and although there was enough information to enjoy this book on its own, it’s generally best to read the books in order. I’m sure I would have enjoyed In the Land of the Everliving more had I done so.
Series can be tricky. As I said, I enjoyed this book even though I hadn’t read the first. However, I found myself wanting at the end. Simply put, it was the end of a battle but not the war, and while the war must continue to the end, I would have appreciated something more substantial at the end of Book Two.
Having said all that, the characters are strong, especially that of Conor, the interrelationships work well, and there is plenty of action for those who crave that. My advice? Start with Book One and read all the way through.
by Jane | Jun 29, 2019 | Books
The fifth book of The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass is entitled Pilgrim. By this point in the story, the Timekeeper Demons have invaded Tencendor and Faraday has joined forces with Drago to find a way to stop them. Meanwhile, Caelum, his father Axis, and his mother Azhure set out on a different path.
Surprises await for the Starson, who it is foretold will
defeat the leader of the Demons. He must discover his true path and do whatever
it takes to defeat him and his followers, no matter where it leads him.
The second book in a trilogy (and I do consider the second three books of this series as a trilogy) is often rushed and merely trying to set up for the final book. Pilgrim doesn’t do this. There is action throughout and tons of surprises. But my favorite part are the character interactions in this book, as in the others. Douglass does a great job of developing characters, and even the ones you think you know will change and make decisions you would never expect. Read the book – you won’t want to put it down.
by Jane | Jun 13, 2019 | Television
Once Upon a Time is a fantasy series which ran from October 2011 to May 2018 on ABC. It takes place in Storybrooke, Maine, where all the inhabitants are fairy tale characters who have forgotten who they are. They are under a curse cast by the evil queen of the Snow White story, and the only one who can break the curse is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who, of course, does not know who she is.
At the beginning of the show, this Savior, Emma Swan, is living in Boston chasing down bail jumpers, when she is visited by Henry Mills who tells her she’s his mother and Snow White’s daughter. She takes him back to Storybrooke and decides to stay despite the objections of his adoptive mother Regilla, the evil queen.
The show goes back and forth between flashbacks to the
fairy tale world of the Enchanted Forest to present day Storybrooke. The
writers play fast and loose with the tales we all know, which is a large part
of the fun. A lot of the fairy tale characters draw on their portrayals in
Disney films, sometimes even including snippets of songs.
Characters across stories interact in interesting ways with each other and include not only fairy tale characters such as Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, but also Disney characters like Mular and Merida and characters from the books Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, and Peter Pan, to name a few.
Throughout all the stories, one character who plays a
major role is Rumpelstiltskin (known as Mr. Gold in Storybrooke), played
brilliantly by Robert Carlyle (a Scottish actor, whose accent sometimes comes
through, if you listen hard enough.). He’s probably the most interesting
character in the show because he vacillates between the gold-skinned Dark One
of the Enchanted Forest to a man trying hard to be good for the woman he loves.
I was captivated through the first six seasons. Season
seven took a different turn. Using a subset of old characters joined by some
new ones, it follows an adult Henry Mills in Seattle under another curse, where
everyone has forgotten who they are. (Sound familiar?) I felt it was just a
rehash of Season one with the same characters in different roles and cannot
really recommend it. However, if you make it through to the end, there is an
amazing and fitting conclusion to the series.
I had a lot of fun with this show, enough that I’m ready
to go back to the beginning and do it again. I’m sure you will, too.
