Reviews and Recommendations: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

I hate it when I envy current writers’ ability to spin a tale.  Yes, I admire and even envy writers of past ages, too, but they are dead.  The become not so much rivals as masters, aspirations. However, with a current writer, or one just recently passed on, their presence is still too much felt, a rival against whom you continue to confront.  And yet, I still love their books, for I love good stories too much to discard such great material out of envy.  Brandon Sanderson’s novel, The Rithmatist, is one such story that produces such amazement, envy, and affection.

The Rithmatist occurs in an alternate 20th century America where certain people, called “rithmatists”, who, by making the right lines, can bring chalk drawings to life and even battle with them.  Within this world is a young man, Joel, a genius at math and a natural at rithmatic lines; but he is not a rithmatist.  No matter how near-perfect his circles, he cannot make them come to life.  He is just a boy with a dream that can never be fulfilled.  Then, one day, rithmatist students begin mysteriously disappearing, and Joel, along with a demoted professor and a remedial rithmatist student, joins the efforts to find the perpetrator and hopefully recover the students before it is too late.

So right off the bat I want to say that I love the main trio of this story.  I love nerd heroes.  I hate math, but I love when the hero loves math, and Joel loves math.  He’s a genius and prone to pride due to his intelligence, but not so much pride that he becomes irritating.  Also, he usually recognizes when he’s crossed the line, and when he doesn’t, he’s told by others.  Furthermore, his enthusiasm towards rithmatism is so endearing, and yet almost heartbreaking because he cannot use it.  As a foil, you have Melody, a girl who can use rithmastism but is a flunky.  She’s creative and artistic but cannot do the most basic lines, and she’s frustrated that no matter how hard she works she cannot seem to keep up.  Watching to two of them interact, the places where they are opposites and the places where their personalities meet, how they contrast and compliment each other, and how their friendship grows throughout the story, is enjoyable.  The third member is Professor Fitch, a kind-heart but nervous man, highly intelligent and cares about the students, but not very strong in personality and atmosphere.  His investment in his two teen charges is tangible, as is his desire to help the good headmaster and police locate the missing students.  Again, I loved reading his interactions with Joel and Melody.  The threesome are so enjoyable and lovable, even with their respective faults.

Of course these great characters wouldn’t go anywhere without a plot, and boy was I engaged.  Even with certain predictable points, especially concerning character development, the plot kept me hooked the entire way through.  I didn’t even stop long enough to figure out the mystery so that when mysteries where solved, I had only reached the vague guess stage rather than the “let’s see if I’m right” one. I just wanted to know what happened next.

Part of this was due to the amazing world-building.  I wish I could live in this place.  A steam/spring-punk world where chalk drawings come to life?  I would retake geometry for that!  And I hated geometry.  I can’t draw a circle with a compass, but I want to be able to do rithmatism.  Rithmatism itself is fascinating.  Circles.  Lines of forbiddance.  Chalklings.  Just the fact that the pictures remain 2-dimensional makes me love the idea more even if I don’t know why.  Why do the best concepts and arts have to be fake?   I do wish, though, that more of the world could have been experienced.  In particular, I wish we could have seen some of Nebrask, where rithmatists battle wild chalklings, and that we could know more about the origin of rithmatism and how rithmatists are made.  Of course when part of the plot to concealing rithmatism’s origins, not many questions are going to be answered.  I do have some suspicions, though, which I hope will be answered in the next book.

Yes, there’s another book, or at least this volume ended with the setup for a potential sequel.  Actually, usually this kind of ending annoys me (I can think of one example right now), but not this time.  In part, this is due to how, even with the sequel baiting, most of the ending surrounds a very satisfying and invigorating series of events (which I won’t reveal because spoilers!) that just carried me along and brought my love and investment in the characters to an even higher place, even if I had predicted the ending.  And yet, at the same time, the sequel baiting is one of the most irritating parts of the book because the sequel isn’t written yet!  ARGH!!!!!  I want more!  I want to read more!

I guess I’ll just have to sample of some Sanderson’s other works in the meantime.  Well.  Time to feed my envy.

Wow.  This is my most "bloggy" post yet!  I'll have to change that later when I'm not rushing to post on time because I took too long to decide on my post and so ended up just putting up my rough draft... I hate procrastination.

Sanderson, Brandon.  The Rithmatist.  New York: Tom Doherty Associates.  2013.  Print.

Personal Musings: Fairytale Females and Formulas

Disney got it wrong.

I wish I could just stop there, but I suppose I’ll need to explain and support my assertion, won’t I?

First, we need some clarification.  What do I mean by “Disney got it wrong”?  This question is best answered by another question: what is the stereotypical “fairytale princess” (from now on FP)?  Some of the most common descriptions I hear go along the lines of “waiting for prince charming”, “helpless”, “an accessory or prize”, “love at first sight”, “true love’s kiss”, “flawless”, and the list goes on.  A good summary of the stereotypical FP is Disney’s song from Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”:  “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing/  The dream that you wish will come true.” ¹ In other words, just believe and it will all work out.  This is the idea splashed upon every fairytale female (FF), whether she’s actually a princess or not.  They are then stuck into a formula of “FP is in trouble but does nothing, Prince Charming comes to the rescue, they live happily ever after despite the FP having done nothing to earn her own ending”.  Simple, right?

As I’m sure you know, starting most notably with the Disney Renaissance (though really present earlier), and continuing on till today in such films as Shrek and Frozen and so many books and games I could never count them all, the FP and this “fairytale formula” has been “subverted” and replaced by more complex stories and characters, to the praise of the people at the toppling of weak angels who need men to solve all their problems because they can’t do anything… which would be fine except for one little detail.

The stereotypes are WRONG!

Helpless?  In “Rumpelstiltskin”, the girl makes a deal with the devil to get out of a life-threatening situation forced upon her by her stupid father and a not-so-charming prince and then does all she can to fight the devil himself.  And that’s only a negative example of an FF taking action.

True love’s kiss?  Almost non-existent (fyi, there isn’t a kiss in “Snow White”)

Prince Charming to the rescue?  Puh-lease!  In the few stories which actually contain him, the prince is almost always a tool.  Not to mention the numerous times it’s the girl who saves the day (“Handsel and Gretel”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Wild Swans”, “Rapunzel”, “The Snow Queen”, need I say more?).

Flawless?  Read “The Virgin Mary’s Child”.

Happily ever after?  “The Little Mermaid”.

I could go on, but I think it’s time to go a little deeper.  How about one of the stories Disney got mostly right and which I mentioned earlier, “Cinderella”.*

“Cinderella” has become a poster child of sorts for the anti-FP stance.  Typically, I’ve heard her described as a girl who doesn’t anything to help herself, just waiting for her fairy godmother and the prince to rescue her, and if you’ve only see Disney’s movie, with Cinderella staring at the castle, singing her “just believe” song, I can understand.  I won’t even argue against Cinderella being basically flawless and only getting out of her situation because someone else rescues her.  However, these “flaws” are either non-existent or actually positives, not problems.  What do I mean?

Let’s begin with Cinderella herself.  In the story, she is not waiting for anyone to save her.  There’s none of this “oh, just wish and believe” or “if only Prince Charming would come save me”.  No.  Cindy isn’t waiting to be rescued; it doesn’t even occur to her.  “But,” you might ask, “doesn’t this mean she’s just passively accepting her fate and not doing anything to change her situation?”  Well, yes and no.  Yes, Cinderella isn’t really doing anything to change her situation, at least not outwardly, but that doesn’t mean she’s passively resigning herself to whatever comes her way.

This brings me back to Cinderella as “flawless”.  In the story, Cinderella is a virtuous person.  Cinderella's father has died.  Her stepmother holds rightful authority but then abuses her power and treats her stepdaughter as a servant while allowing her own daughters to behave cruelly against Cinderella.  Cinderella, in contrast to our heavily individualistic, rights-driven culture, obeys her mother.  Yes, her mother is treating her horribly, though not nearly so bad as her step siblings do, but they are not threatening her life, only insulting her.  In submitting to proper authority and not repaying insult with injury, Cinderella does the right thing.

I’m sure many of you have had a bad boss.  He (or she, see stepmother above) might treat you like trash, call you names, infringe upon your “rights”, but so long as he doesn’t (a) illegitimately endanger life (which includes sexual and physical harassment) or (b) demand violation of the Moral Law, Christ made the proper response clear: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (NIV Mark 12: 17) and “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also.  If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt” (Luke 6: 29).  Paul then expands on these responses in his letter to the Romans, saying, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge… for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12: 18-19) and “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established…. Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13: 1, 7).  Christianity demands proper submission to authority and overcoming “evil with good” (Romans 12: 21).²

Now, clarification time for myself.  I’m not a pacifist, nor do I support letting government run rampant and destroy society.  If you are being sexually or physically harassed or threatened, defend yourself.  Paul fled from those who wished to kill him (Acts 9: 23-25), and Christ Himself used violence in response to the mistreatment of God's house (John 2:13-16).²  However, I am against rebellion or fighting unless  in extreme cases like self-defense and when other avenues have been exhausted.  Fight abuse of power, but do so through lawful means and persuasion, through virtue.  Rebellion and violence are last resorts.

Cinderella provides an example.  Her case isn’t so extreme she must fight.  Yes, she’s being mistreated and humiliated, but rather than repay evil for evil, Cindy does something unexpected and instead endures everything with grace, showing herself superior in virtue.  In other words, Cinderella symbolizes fortitude, a kind of courage that involves patient endurance.  It’s a quiet, subtle way of fighting.  Another way of putting it is Cinderella is the Martin Luther King Junior of fairytales, and we would never call him “helpless” or “lacking initiative”.

For anyone still doubting this characterization of Cinderella, consider this.  Although Cinderella allows herself to be mistreated, she never lets this treatment impact her dignity.  When the invitation comes to attend the ball, she asserts her position as a member of the family, showing she still views herself not as a servant, but as a proper member of the household.  Then, it is only when her step sisters try to strip her of her identity and dignity does the fairy godmother arrive.

Okay, let’s recap.  Cinderella as a character is not a passive do-nothing waiting for someone to come save her.  She isn’t expecting to be saved.  Instead, she exhibits fortitude, patient endurance, by properly submitting to authority and refusing to avenge herself without letting herself be degraded as a person.  Now, after her stepfamily attacks even that, a miracle happens.  Her fairy godmother arrives and offers Cinderella the chance to go to the ball (and notice, our “passive princess” doesn’t sit in her tower waiting for her prince but takes the chance when given), Cindy meets the prince, loses her slipper, is locked away when her stepmother realizes it was Cinderella at the ball, Cindy breaks out (again, active resistance when the line is crossed), the shoe fits, and that’s the end.  Right?

Not exactly.  You see, Disney can get a little… squeamish at times and reject aspects of the fairytale that might seem “too dark”, which, unfortunately, can distort the theme of the story.  This is where Disney really got “Cinderella” wrong.  See, “Cinderella” is not a story of “believe and it will all work out”.  It’s a story about perfect justice: everyone gets what they deserve.  In Cinderella’s case, she has repaid humiliation and mistreatment with virtue and is rewarded (note: the prince is a reward, not a rescuer) with stability and honor for the rest of her life.  What about her stepsisters?  Well in the original fairytale, the stepsisters are convinced by their mother to cut off parts of their feet to fit the slipper and/or get their eyes gorged out by birds…. Yeah.  In the end, everyone gets what they deserve.

Unfortunately, “Cinderella” is not the only fairytale with a weakened protagonist and/or themes.  “The Little Mermaid” is actually a cautionary tale about a foolish girl who desires a human prince so much she resorts to witchcraft.  When things don’t turn out how she wants though, she wants to return to the sea, but to do so, she must kill the prince.  Instead of murder someone to reclaim her own happiness, the little mermaid throws herself into the sea and dies.  In “Snow White”, the titular character is an innocent 6-year-old who is loved for her beauty, kindness, and innocence, the same strengths that end in her nearly being killed three times by her wicked stepmother; the story is a tale of true beauty vs. false beauty and, again, justice (the wicked stepmother is executed at the end).  “The Princess and the Frog” is a story about honesty and keeping promises, not winning a prince through a lucky draw or how what you need most is a significant other (apparently Tiana doesn't love her mom and friend?).  And I could just go on and on about fairytales that don’t really fit the “fairytale formula” in terms of message, plot execution, characters, etc.  It’s not hard at all.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love Disney movies, and I'm not at all against adaptations or retellings.  Involving different interpretations of the characters or incorporating different themes can be fine, too.  However, when the theme is significantly weakener, or even false, because the changes made, I think we might want to take a step back and examine things a bit more.

In conclusion, the original subverters of the “fairytale formula” and the “fairytale princess” are, actually, the fairytales themselves.  Fairytales are far from the formula often attributed to them, as are their famous “princesses”.  I only wish I could cover more details on the complexity of these “simple children’s stories”: the building of plots, the happy ending, more on family dynamics and symbolism, fairytales with male leads, dangers, morals, the subtle hints at strengths and flaws of characters, and so much more.  But that’d need a book, or at least a 70-page essay; fairytales are a bit too diverse and complicated to contain within a single blog post.

For more on fairytales, I highly suggest reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s fabulous essay “On Fairy Stories”.

For an expansion of proper submission to authority and responses to ills done to us, I suggest this radio recording by Dr. Robert B. Sloan: https://hbu.edu/About-HBU/General-Information/University-Leadership/Presidents-of-HBU/Dr-Robert-B-Sloan-Jr/Sloan-Radio/A-Higher-Education-radio/March-2015/Obligations-of-Patriotism-pt-1.aspx

*Note: In this post, I describe only a common version of the tale of "Cinderella". There are variations of this story, such as Cinderella’s father not dying, the ball lasting three nights instead of one, and Cinderella getting her clothes and slipper from birds rather than a fairy, but none of these differences impact the theme “Cinderella” or her character.  I have found the same applies to most, if not all, variations on fairytales.

¹Woods, Ilene.  "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" by Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, Mack David. Cinderella.  Walt Disney Records: Burbank,  2012.  CD.


²The Holy Bible, Today's New International Version TNIV.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.  Print.

Reviews and Recommendations: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Once upon a time.  These are magical words that whisk us away to the land of fairytale.  For centuries, fairytales have enchanted the minds of children and adults, which perhaps helps to explain not only their endurance but also the prevalence of retelling these classic stories in longer and/or more modern settings.  Some, such as Disney’s movie empire, have been embraced, others fade into obscurity.  Most probably deserve such treatment, but some of these lesser knowns deserve to be recognized far more than they are.  Heather Dixon’s novel, Entwined, is one such as these.

Entwined retells the fairytale of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”.  For details on the fairytale, I suggest reading it yourself.  It’s short, magical, and should be easy to find.  As for Dixon’s novel, here’s the description from the back of the book

 Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her--beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing--it’s taken away.  All of it.  And Azalea is trapped.  The Keeper understands.  He’s trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace.  So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost.  The Keeper likes to keep things.  Azalea may not realize how tanged she is in his web until it is too late.

The first point which I should probably address is this story as an adaptation.  Personally, I think Dixon did a great job.  While this is a story about the twelve dancing princesses, it’s not a mere copy due to Dixon’s skillful expansions.  She expanded on many points and changed or added motivations, but all the key points of the fairytale remained.  She did not drop any necessary element or try to force anything in.  Furthermore, the methods with which she incorporated the important elements were very well thought out and executed.

Another positive element of the story is Dixon’s writing.  Throughout the story, her story feels like a dance.  It is fluid and I could almost feel a twist, a step, or a swing in the writing. With almost every paragraph, Dixon’s love of dancing shines through, which not only makes the descriptions of dances engaging even for a two-left-feet person like myself but also carries the reader along through this magical story.  The magic she weaves into the tale is also nearly as enchanting as the original fairytales.  The reason I say “nearly” is due to some less skillful execution near the end.  I won’t give details, for fear of spoilers, and I won’t say the concepts were bad, just not done as well, which made those points some of the few parts of the story that felt like a stumble in an otherwise beautiful dance.

Another of these problems is also at the end, so again, I won’t detail it, but it’s an example of missed opportunity.  There was an excellent chance to do a powerful parallel which would have not only tied together some hanging plot threads (lesser ones, I’ll admit) and also tied together some of the themes.

The third major stumble I think was the middle of the story.  It should have been condensed, or maybe some of the lead up shortened.  My copy is almost 500 pages.  For most of the book, it didn’t feel that way.  In fact, I finished it in a day.  However, there were points in the middle where I felt the length of the book.  I’m not sure where or how it should have been edited (I’d have to read the story again with pencil in hand), but it would have benefited from some tightening.

Okay, let’s finish this review sandwich with two more positives.  One other thing I enjoyed in the story were the characters.  Each princess has a distinct personality, as do all the men.  They aren’t necessarily deep, and some of the princesses are definitely more fleshed out than others, but you can generally tell who is talking.  There are even a few surprises in there, which turn previously predictable characters into fun little subplots.

My final positive is really what I think to be the strongest element of Entwined: the themes.  Entwined is about love.  But not just romantic love.  In fact, romantic love is almost non-existent for large portions of the story.  Much more important are the familial love of the royal family and the friendships between the twelve daughters, and they are done so well!  Just a story focussing on those aspects alone, done as Dixon does, would have made a great story.  However, they are further enhanced by their place in the fairytale.  Another love that is touched upon at times is sacrificial love, and it does play a major, in rare, role in the story.  So, C. S. Lewis fans, for those of you looking for a good book containing The Four Loves, here’s one for you.

But positive love is not the only kind present.  As so many great fairytales do, Dixon’s novel incorporates touches of the cautionary tale, warning of attraction to that which is dangerous and of loving something or someone too much and hurting others for it.

One last theme I will mention is forgiveness.  Through her tale, Dixon highlights the dangers of pride founded on self-pity and bitterness and how healing is found in forgiveness.  It’s beautifully executed.  Again, just that theme in the way she wrote it would make a great story on its own, but within its casing of fairytale, Dixon brings it to life in ways only magic can do.

Entwined, Heather Dixon’s retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, is a wonderful adaptation of the fairytale.  With fluid writing, fun characters, and fantastic themes, she pulls together a story that dances across the page, gently pulling the reader into the flow of the tale and, like its source material, enchants the reader.  With a book like that, I think we can say, “And they lived happily every after.”

Entwined.  Dixon, Heather.  New York: Greenwillow Books.  2011.  Print.

Personal Musings: Influential Quotes

With all the talk about story and it’s importance and power, I thought I’d give a few quotes from fiction that have influenced me, whether in my approach to literature, to life, or both.  Now just to be clear, I’m not ranking these; that’s not the point of this list, and I am only dealing with fiction because to include non-fiction would make the list way too long.  To be more specific, I’m only dealing with primarily printed fiction, so no movies (unless the quote in a movie is also in the book).  Finally, I will be confining one quote per author, again to keep this list a touch more concise.  So with those parameters, let’s get going.

(1)

The part of philanthropist is indeed a dangerous one; and the man who would do his neighbor good must first study how not to do him evil, and must begin by pulling the beam out of his own eye. 

-Lilith by George MacDonald (p. 67)

The influence of this quote is much more confined than the others as it was this quote that changed my mind and my reading of MacDonald.  Before, I’d read some of his work and found great teaching in his work, but the full force of his skill came in his seamless inclusion of Scripture in this quote above.  Never before had I found such a well-done insert, one so smooth, and it made me reconsider my opinions of George MacDonald and begin a more ernest investigation into MacDonald.  Since reading this quote, he has since increasingly earned my admiration.

(2)

Abbot Bernard folded his paws deep into the wide sleeves of his garb.

From a viewpoint on the threshold of Redwall Abbey’s west ramparts he watched the hot midsummer day drawing to a glorious close.

-Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques (p.3)

The influence of this quote is not so much in the quote itself as that it is the first lines of the first Redwall book I ever read.  Yes, I had watched the tv show before and got into the series through the show, but in reading Jacques writing in Mariel and then Martin the Warrior, I entered the world of 300+ page books.  From then on, I gobbled up every Brian Jacques book I could find, which impacted my writing style and raised the bar of what my 9-year-old self sought in her reading.  The full list of impacts Jacques books made on me I don’t even know, but whatever they are, they began with these two sentences.

(3)

Mine had been a life of shame.

I’m like the one black sheep born into a pure white flock.  Unable to enjoy the things my peers enjoyed, unable to grieve the things they grieved, unable to eat the things they ate-- being born an ignoble black sheep, I didn’t understand the things my friends found pleasent, such as love, kindness, and sympathy.  I simply dusted my dark wool in white powder and pretended I was a white sheep, too.

I’m still wearing my mask, still acting in this farce.

-Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime by Mizuki Nomura (p. 1)

Wow.  Yeah.  Sorry for the long quote, but I really needed to include it all.  This quote, first read when I was 14 and two years into a deep depression, complete with daily thoughts of suicide, stands as the first time I truly felt a book speak to me.  I had never felt so connected to words on a page as when I read those.  Not exactly a healthy first connection, but, ironically, it helped me.  It put to words something I felt but could not express.  I know that everyone says “I’m different; you just don’t understand” and all that, but no one truly does understand the feelings and impressions of someone encaged by depression.  Added onto that this quote still is a bit accurate of a description of me.  I am totally different from all my siblings: the straight-man born into a family of comedians, the first black sheep (rebellious) child, someone who literally couldn’t understand why my siblings would laugh or cry at certain things.  I have/had difficulty sympathizing with others, and was not very kind (I’m much better now).  Even with my friends, by middle school all my male friends had moved away and I hated, to a stubborn degree, discussing fashion and boys and those girly small-talk topics that always seemed to pop up among my female compadres.  In the end, I became an outsider.  For two years (14 in my family), I had lived in a state of disconnect, and finally I found a connection, something to which I could relate.  It was something I needed so desperately, and here it was in this book.  From this quote onward, I began to connect more with literature, learned better how to immerse myself into the story, to relate with the characters.  This quote, though depressing, I think helped open my door to sympathy.  And, yes, I’ve since grown beyond the quote, but it’s impact I cannot deny.

(4)

There is no such thing as coincidence in this world; there is only hitsuzen.

-Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles/xxxHolic by CLAMP (p. 104[TSR]/19[Holic])

Okay, so this if from manga (Japanese comics).  I never said I was limiting myself to prose, only to print.  Oh man has this quote stuck with me.  With this quote, my entire though process on fate, destiny, determinism, coincidence, etc. shifted, which of course impacts how you view the rest of the world.  Till reading this quote, I hadn’t thought much about fate, but now I had to.  My philosophically-oriented mind demanded it!  I’m no sure I entirely agree with it, but it still gets me thinking even to this day.  By the way, if you don’t know what hitsuzen is, here’s a link that gives a good explanation.  Definitely worth checking out.

(5)

In other words, the basics of alchemy is the "equivalent exchange"!  That means that to obtain something, something of equal value much be lost.

-Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (p. 26)

Again, another manga.  FMA.  Man.  You have done so many numbers on me!  I shouldn’t have read you so early into my manga journey.  You set the bar too high.  Anyway, this is another quote that really got me thinking about my view of the world.  It made me consider the concept quoted above (equivalent exchange) into life to test it.  Again, I don’t entirely agree with it, but it really got me thinking about how the world works and my own place in everything, and encouraging thought, self-examination, and investigation into the foundations of how the world operates is more than many stories could ever claim.

(6)

“So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

-The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (p. 82)

Yeah, you probably knew this would be here.  But it truly is one of the most powerful truths ever stated.  I first encountered this quote (or rather its slight variation) in the Peter Jackson movie; unfortunately, my young mind missed it in the excitement of my first exposure to Middle Earth.  It was only when my church’s pastor used the quote in one of his sermons that I really heard it, and it blew my mind.  The simple truth of it, the obvious yet moving reality, indeed the freedom in living with this as your mindset, I can’t properly describe it.  I can’t tell you how much I love this quote and how much it’s already influenced my thoughts and the encouragement it gives me in my daily life.  And it’s only one of Tolkien’s amazing truths.  I just wish I had the space to list them all.

(7)

All of Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

Okay.  I’m kind of cheating, but really I don’t know of any specific quote to summarize my experience.  The truth of the matter is the whole book changed my life, specifically how I relate to others.  To give details would require a post all its own, and I’m sure no one cares about that story.  Seriously, though, I just can’t say enough about this wonderful novel.

So there are a few quotes that have influenced me through my life.  Hope it’s been fun, and see you next week for another review.


Edit: Added a link I'd forgot to put in.  Oops.

All works mentioned here belong to their respective owners.

Reviews & Recommendations: The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

My childhood from about 9-15 could be described with one name: Brian Jacques.  More specifically, I read and reread his Redwall series.  It was Brian Jacques and his abbey of Redwall that hooked me on reading, and it was his style that I first imitated when I developed an interest in writing.  Even today, when I pick up one book of this series, I end up in a tale of amusing characters, fun adventure, and mouthwatering food all wrapped up in nostalgia and skillful storytelling.  I love traveling to the western sea coast, to gaze upon the fire mountain of Salamandastron.  I love entering Redwall Abbey, to walk beneath the light streaming through stained glass windows as I cast my eyes upon the legendary tapestry.  I love exploring Mossflower Wood, seeing places that have changed from countless season prior, as well as the surprises hidden throughout.  I love journeying down the River Moss or the meadow streams in Gousim longboats, seeing the fish and dragonflies as paddlers belt out river songs.

But I’m probably getting ahead of myself.  First comes the mind behind the 25-volume Redwall series.

Brian Jacques was a British jack-of-all-trades and storyteller.  His author debut occurred after he wrote a book for a school for blind children.  The story found its way to the printing press, and then to the general public, beginning a long children’s series that would end up being named after this first book, Redwall.

So what is Redwall?  The Redwall Series unfolds in a fictional, medieval-style world occupied by anthropomorphic animals.  The protagonist of the first book is Matthias, a young mouse living in Redwall Abbey, who wants to be a warrior like his hero, Martin the Warrior.  When his home is attacked by the sea rat, Cluny the Scourge, Matthias sets out to find Martin’s legendary sword to combat Cluny’s horde and save his beloved home.

From that Abbey and its surrounding forest of Mossflower Wood, the world expanded.  Prequels were written, detailing the life of Martin, how he became a warrior and came to live in Redwall, and other characters influential in the formation of the world of Redwall.  In the tale of the founding of Redwall Abbey, we are introduced to the dormant volcano, Salamandastron, ancient fortress of the badger lords, fierce fighters and skilled weapon smiths, and their British Royal Air Force-inspired soldiers, the Long Patrol Hares.  Multiple times, characters travel across the sea, whether to distant lands or to escape from them.  From the North and the East come enemies and go heroes.  Slowly, over each volume, more of the world is formed, or what is known expands.

Of course as the heroes travel, whether to distant lands or just around their own homes, they encounter different creatures and what might be called cultures.  The sensible moles, whose earthy ways include lots of solid wisdom, the sailor otters, fun-loving in peace but fierce in war, the rambunctious hares, perilous on both the battle field and at the dinner table, the argumentative and short-tempered shrews, and many more, including the variations of each group depending on their location.  Sea otters and river otters aren’t quite the same, and never mistake a pygmy shrew for a Guosim shrew.

As you might have picked up from my descriptions so far, there are many ties throughout the stories, and not just geography or character type. In each story, there is always a riddle or puzzle to be solved, whether it be a map to the heroes’ goal or the location of a hidden item, for an example.  Understandably, some people might find some of the elements a bit too repetitive.  As might be expected of such a long series, sometimes these riddles overlap.  What’s more, at times plot elements get recycled, resulting in two books that, while definitely different, feel very similar to each other.  This could make the stories a bit tiresome to some readers.

Also, I will not claim that every volume is excellent.  Some stories, such as Taggerung and Rackety Tam, I liked more than others, like Pearls of Lutra.  Some I have only read once.  Some I’ve reread multiple times.  That’s just how series are.

In addition, as Brian Jacques initially wrote his stories for blind children, he uses a lot of descriptions, particularly for food, often toughing on taste, smell, and texture.  Some people might find this tiring.  I never did, nor do I now.  To me, the food is part of the culture of Redwall, a symbol of prosperity, friendship, peace and goodness; where good food is absent or wasted, so they are as well.  Still, if you hate descriptions of food that will make your mouth water, I’m sorry; Redwall is full of them.

One final issue some readers might have with the story is the binary nature of good and evil.  Creatures such as mice, squirrels, moles, badgers, and the like are 99% good.  In contrast, animals like rats, weasels, ferrets, and foxes make up the bulk of the villains.  Sometimes you might end up with a vole that’s lured into helping the villains for his own gain, but these are rare.  This does not mean good characters are without flaws or villains lack strengths, but the lines are clearly drawn  Like with the food descriptions, I’m not bothered by this.  I think having basic good-versus-evil stories are, in fact, healthy.  However, this post is long enough already, so I won’t go into it here.

A final point I wish to bring up about Redwall is how, for a children’s book, it brings up tough topics.  Sure, it’s not the deepest series, but it’s certainly not completely shallow.  For example, in every book characters die.  Good characters, even main characters, die.  Sometimes it’s from courageous sacrifice, sometimes they are a casualty of war, sometimes they are killed only because they, harmless and kind though they are, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Characters die, and it hurts, and this exposure to death within literature opens the door to thought on the universal experience of mortality.  

Besides death, the Redwall series also covers topics such as revenge and killing, which can lead to important conversations.  Is revenge okay?  Should we ever seek revenge?   What about killing?  When, if ever, is it permissible?  Brian Jacques gives his own answers to these questions, and I think his answers need to be examined and contemplated.  Good, evil, death, revenge, killing, these are important topics and ones I wish more children’s stories today engaged.

To finish up, I love Redwall.  I love the characters, the world, the food, and the stories.  Any chance I get, I recommend this series because, Brian Jacques, you made my childhood, and you made it an adventure.

Redwall (c) Brian Jacques

Reviews & Recommendations: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

“Is It Good Enough for Children?”

For those who don’t know, is the title of a short article by children’s author Madeleine L’Engle, most famous for her novel A Wrinkle in Time.  As you might expect, the article addresses the topic of children’s stories, concluding that (spoilers) “if a children’s book is not good enough for all of us, it is not good enough for children.” ¹ Of the articles I’ve read so far on children’s literature, this one and C. S. Lewis’s “On Three Ways of Writing for Children” are my favorites to the point that I consider them “must reads” for any writer and “should reads” for any reader.

Both articles confront the idea of what I call “childish literature,” stories (often for children) where nothing really happens.  There is no danger, no tension, and everything is safe and quiet.  You know what stories I mean.  In contrast, there’s what I call “children’s literature,” stories that are “good enough for all of us” and don’t lose their power as we mature, but rather increase in power and meaning.  Included in these ranks are such titles as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, and the subject of this week’s post: The Chronicles of Prydain by Llyod Alexander.

To paraphrase an “About the Author” section in one book, Alexander was an American author from Philadelphia with a deep passion for reading and writing.  Among his favorite narratives were classic mythology and folklore of knights and bravery, like King Arthur.  After training for World War II in Wales, he fell in love with the land and its language, a love he transferred and transformed into his own world, Prydain.²

The Prydain Chronicles are a series of five books following the adventures of Taran, assistant pig keeper and wannabe hero.  After an attack on his home by an evil sorcerer and the escape of the pig he keeps, Henwen, Taran chases after Henwen to try and retrieve her.  However, he receives more than he bargained for as he stumbles upon an adventure that changes his life forever.

I really wish I could say more, but further description would give way to spoilers, and we don’t want that, now do we?  In this review, I will address the story as a series rather than individual books because I don’t think I could properly describe my experience unless I discuss the Chronicles as a whole.  Yes, the stories are stand alone, in a way similar to the Harry Potter series, with each novel containing a complete story.  However, the real impact the series has on me involves the narrative as a whole.  You shall see why later.  (Though if I had to pick a favorite, it’d be the second book, The Black Cauldron.)

There really is so much to love in Prydain.  I love all the recurring characters, even those that start out annoying.  They all have such different personalities, and while they aren’t as fleshed out as, say, Potter and his friends, the characters don’t feel like cardboard.  Each character has a different manner of speech and interaction, so that I never confuse one character for the next.

The plots for each volume are different, as well.  There may be some repetition here and there, but each trip to and through the world of Prydain is distinct.  Again, I really wish I could say more, but you should just read them for yourself to see what I mean.

I do have some issues, though, first of which being that the land of Prydain is a very generic “fantasy world” setting.  I wish Alexander had fleshed out his world more.  The other issue, and really my biggest one with the whole series, I will not say here, as it is a major spoiler.  However, even with these two issues, I enjoyed the stories and how distinct each one was from the others.

So, characters and plots, I love them both.  However, as much as I enjoy them, these two aspects are not my favorite part of the stories, which brings me to a third element: themes.  With Alexander’s handling of themes, he wrote stories that became, for me, more than just children’s stories, but the kind of children’s stories that made me wish there was more children’s literature!  What impressed me most is that there are really only two themes in the whole series: identity and what it means to be a hero.  There’re sub-themes that pop up at times about loss and the importance of sacrifice, but it’s really these two themes of identity and heroism that shape the stories.  It is with these two themes that we see and experience Taran’s transformation.

At the story’s beginning, Taran is a teenager desiring to be a hero.  He wants honor and prestige.  He wants to be somebody, somebody great.  Over the course of five books, however, Taran’s understanding of heroism and identity change, as does ours.  Although the question remain the same (What is a hero?  What is honor?  Who am I?), Taran’s answers do not. Each sequential book takes these two themes and unpacks them, adding more layers and maturity with each volume, so that the character of Taran in book one is a different person from Taran of book five.   With The Chronicles of Prydain, Lloyd Alexander taught me not just about heroes and identity, but also about the power of recurring, maturing themes.  Just for that, I cannot recommend this series enough.  

Combining likable characters, varied plots, and a common thread of themes, The Chronicles of Prydain has earned itself a place among my most recommended children’s stories because, if you ask me, this story is definitely good enough for children.



¹L'Engle, Madeleine.  "Is it Good Enough for Children?"  The Christian Imagination.  Leland Ryken.  Colorado Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2002.  427-431.  Print.

²Alexander, Lloyd.  The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain.  New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1999.  Print.


The Chronicles of Prydain (c) Lloyd Alexander