Peter Pan in scarlet

When I saw Peter Pan in scarlet touted as the "official sequel" I wondered what that presumption was based on. What makes any post-humous sequel official? J.M. Barrie clearly didn't select Geraldine McCaughrean to write this book. Just inside the book, all was made clear in a brief explanation.

In 1929, J.M. Barrie gave all rights to "Peter Pan" to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. Every royalty penny earned from every copy or production of "Peter Pan" went to the hospital. In 2004, the hospital decided it was time for a sequel to this well-loved classic so they launched a contest soliciting plot outlines and sample chapters from authors around the world. McCaughrean was the winner and Peter Pan in scarlet is the resulting book. That made it one I had to read.

Peter Pan in scarlet is a playful book and very visual in its descriptions. The descriptions are not long and drawn out so young readers are not likely to skip over them, but the language is clear and evocative. The plot is new with the return of many familiar characters and the introduction of new ones. (Be warned, some "new" characters turn out to be familiar ones in disguise.) There's a lovely mix of magic, imagination, and dreaming and the lines between them are blurred leaving you wondering what is truly real. There are references to the first book but they are not so dependent that I felt I should have re-read the first book just before reading this one.

Despite all those wonderful qualities, I found this a rather dark and foreboding book. Much of the drama is psychological rather than swashbuckling. Neverland has been poisoned and the effects pervade the land, its inhabitants, and people outside its borders. The weight of that destruction coupled with the personal struggles of several characters clashes with the light and friendly writing style. We see bullying, social ostracism, poor leadership, and harsh, irrational decision-making all coming from a childhood hero. The resolution at the end doesn't erase those memories and I found myself feeling betrayed even after the book was finished.

If you're looking for a launchpad to initiate some difficult discussions with a child, this would be an excellent place to start. If you're looking for a light-hearted sequel to a treasured favourite, I would look elsewhere.

Peter Pan in scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean. Published in 2006 by Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-272620-9.

Elantris

I enjoyed Alcatraz versus the evil librarians so much that I had to see what else Brandon Sanderson has written. That's how I ended up with his 622 page first novel, Elantris.

Elantris entered the fantasy market in 2005 with wonderful reviews. Sci-fi/fantasy veterans like Orson Scott Card and Simon R. Green are quoted as saying this far surpassed their expectations. Independent reviewers like Publishers Weekly called it "outstanding" and "refreshing." All of this gave me hope because I don't generally like fantasy, I like science fiction even less, and here I was with a whopper.

I think what discourages me most about sci-fi/fantasy is that so much needs to be defined at the beginning. Instead of setting the scene as Paris, 1933, or backwoods Canada, 19th century, the author has to spend pages and pages on description. It's not just the details of setting and characters, it's everything. Who and what are the characters? What is the landscape? Is it on Earth? Is it in our version of time or completely separate? How do creatures relate? Does Earth exist? How do communities work? Who holds power and why? How are right and wrong determined and judged? Is there history that characters (and reader) know about? The questions go on and on and all of them need to be settled before much of the story can happen.

Not only is that a lot of description to get out of the way right at the beginning, but it's a lot for the reader to keep track of. Add to that names that look unpronounceable and secrets that are revealed as the story develops, and it's a lot of work to keep the story straight.

I kept that in mind as I waded into the first 125 pages. I was introduced to characters, settings, social, political, and religious history, and secrets on all sides. It was a steep learning curve but the storyline caught my interest. I read in short bursts until I got about 200 pages into the book. By then, I was hooked and ended up finishing the rest in just two evenings.

So what do I think? As I said the story caught my interest but that's not all I enjoyed. Elantris doesn't consist of one story but of several, all intertwined. I was often surprised at how situations turned and how the resolution of one issue would affect another part of the story. I was also impressed by how the characters change and grow through the course of the novel. Not only did I learn new things about them, but they learned new things about themselves.

This is a story that examines lots of deep questions without feeling like an introspective tale. It asks questions like "What is faith?" and "What makes a person good or evil?" and "How should power be allocated and used?" and "What does a person truly need to be happy?" and "Where does pain come from?" and "What does dead mean?" If it weren't 622 pages long, it would be wonderful for a novel study. Its very length makes it hard to become familiar enough with the text to facilitate active discussion but the discussion would be fascinating.

If you liked Lord of the rings and would like to see a strong female protagonist, you might want to give this one a try. I still wouldn't call myself a fantasy fan but I'm considering reading the sequel. In case you're interested, it's called Mistborn and it came out in 2006.)

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. Published in 2005 by Tor. ISBN: 0-765-35037-8.

Uncharted

Angela Hunt is an author who likes to play with your mind. The cover of Uncharted says "expect the unexpected" and that could be said of any of her novels. The stories aren't always pretty, and you won't necessarily agree with her theology/worldview, but that's part of the attraction.

There are authors I read for their luscious writing, and others I read when I want to spend some time in someone else's head. Some are good for a laugh, some make history come alive, and some play games with you. Angela Hunt is definitely a game player.

I started Uncharted, thinking I knew where this story was going, but discovered that my ending was really just the introduction for the real story. Basically some 25 years after college, a formerly inseparable group of friends re-united. The cast includes your typical prom-queen, a jock, an over-achiever, a rebel, Mr. Ambition, and the peacemaker who held the group together. The friends went out on a boat and ended up in trouble on an island...but the similarity to Gilligan's Island ends there.

I can't tell you a whole lot more about the plot without ruining it for you. I can tell you that I've seen people get mad reading this book, and I've seen people who loved it. I haven't met anyone who read it without reacting to it. You won't be blown away by her writing style or her characterizations, but if you want to play head games, Angela Hunt is an author for you.

Uncharted by Angela Hunt. Published in 2006 by West Bow. ISBN: 0-8499-4484-8.

Alcatraz versus the evil librarians

The target market for this book may be pre-teens but put "evil librarians" in the title and I had to at least take a look. I saw Alcatraz versus the evil librarians on the audiobook shelf at work and took it right home to listen to. Author, Brandon Sanderson, is the reader and does an excellent job. Like the best children's movies, there was lots of humour for the adults too. The premise was innovative, the plot fun, and the details made it all work.

Take a ward of the State, who has been bounced around from foster home to foster home, and tell him that the klutziness that drives him and his guardians crazy, is actually his greatest asset. Tell him that he is not a societal misfit, but a hero in the making with undeveloped superpowers. Tell him that the rule makers and enforcers who have governed his life and made him miserable, really are evil. Tell him that he is surrounded by friends and people who need him. - Tell him all that and then watch the story unfold.

That's Alcatraz - It's fun, it's subversive (in a fun way), and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Alcatraz versus the evil librarians by Brandon Sanderson. Published by Scholastic in 2008. ISBN is 987-0439925525.