Framed's 2007 Book Reviews

Friday, May 18, 2007

Fifth "Once Upon a Time" Challenge
"Have you ever wondered about what's on the other side of your dreams? Well if you do, this is the book for you. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Leven, who is the destined savior of Foo (a magical world where humans dreams are stored.) and with the help of his friends will keep Foo from danger. His friends are Geth (the rightful king of Foo who has been turned into a toothpick), Clover (a 3 inch tall sycophant who is the guardian of Leven), Winter (a girl who has the power to freeze things), and many other characters. " CSS Middle School Review on Amazon.com
Once I got into this novel and figured out what was going on (it's been two years since I read the first book in the series, "Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo"), I really enjoyed it, better than the first. While the first book takes place mostly in Reality, the second roams the realm of Foo. The fantasy is very creative, full of flights of imagination. It's amazing what a human's dream accomplishes in the land of Foo. There are some good heroic characters, even more evil meanies, and tons of oddities popping up along the way. Here are a couple of quotes which made me chuckle:
"It's not easy starting something new. Few things are more intimidating that walking into a brand-new situation and having to make the best of it. Maybe your parents moved during your ninth-grade year and you had to make new friends in a foreign country where everyone else spoke a different language from yours. That's uncomfortable, and, and any well-meaning adult might say, "a character-building experience." But what if you feel like you already have enough character, and you don't want to leave all your friends and go to a foreign country with different money and food and a big school where the other kids ignore you and make you wish you were a treasure chest or a dog bone or anything buried deep beneath the earth and out of sight? What then? Well, you do as your parents tell you, and hope you don't perish from too much character development." Makes you wonder about Skye's earlier year??
"The waitress looked at him as if he were the sole reason she would never date again, took the menu from him, and walked away." This cracked me up.
The biography of the author is quite unusual as well: "Obert Skye was born on a stormy night in the back of a fast-moving taxi. He is tall, but not towering, and persistent but not perfect. He once read an entire book upside down. Obert spends his time telling all who will listen about the existence of Foo and the importance of dreams. Obert presented this manuscript as a true story when he first approached the publisher; editors suggested that his recital of events would sell a lot more copies as a piece of fiction. He initially rejected the idea. Three days later, looking as if he had raced halfway across the world, he suddenly appeared in the publishing company's boardroom and agreed to the terms, saying the story of Foo was too important not to be told. Aside from that, Obert is a fairly ordinary fellow who says he is simply hoping to repair what he has mistakenly done."
While this is not the best fantasy book I have ever read, I thought it was fun to read and a great book for young teens. A few warnings: You have to read the first book first, don't wait too long before reading the second, and it's best not to dig up buried secrets.
Rating: 4
All in all, I consider this challenge to be a huge success. Each of the five books I read were wonderful in their own way. It's a hard decision, but I'm going to say "Outlander" was my favorite. Of course, I'm going to read a Neil Gaiman book as a bonus, so things may change.
Posted by Framed at 9:02 PM

5 comments:
Nymeth said...
This post has been removed by the author.
5/20/2007 5:04 AM
Nymeth said...
I daresay that reading Neil Gaiman is really likely to make things change :PWhich one are you thinking of reading?This one sounds interesting. I like the passages you shared!(Sorry about the deleted comment, that was a mistake of mine).
5/20/2007 5:06 AM
Framed said...
Nymeth, I'm reading "Stardust" and really enjoying it. He does write beautifully. I also checked out "Good Omen" which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.
5/20/2007 7:00 PM
Cassie said...
I remember you saying you didn't really like the first one so I'm glad this one was better. I don't know if I need to read it. Maybe someday.
5/21/2007 9:09 AM
Kim said...
His biography cracked me up. Thanks for sharing :)