Urban Fantasy

I’m still reading Ananzi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. So far it’s really funny and magical. As always Gaiman takes something we know and turns it over and over. With this story, Gods are real and Fat Charlie is the son of Ananzi who is a trickster in South African tales. Although I have gotten to the point where he meets his brother, Spider, who isn’t really so far to me someone you should trust. (I mean come on he smooched the crap out of Fat Charlie’s fiancé.) But I really can’t wait to see what happens from here on out, what misguided adventure is going to happen. I think Gaiman really likes misguided adventures; his characters just seem to fall into them unexpectedly.

            Of the books I have read by Gaiman, are Coraline and The Graveyard Book. Oh and Good Omens, which he wrote with Terry Pratchet. Gaiman has a real knack for blending horror, fantasy and comedy, so that his novel really does feel as though they are in reality. Like one day you could open your door and fall into one of his misguided adventures. That is the general appeal of good urban fantasy books.  We want to go into worlds of magic and mischief but when they are close to the reality of today they feel so much more tangible. I don’t ever think I would meet anyone who would be like Aragorn or Boromir, but I can imagine meeting someone like Fat Charlie or Coraline. So the stories Gaiman writes have a grounded feeling and easily relatable. We know people like the characters he presents and in some ways they could be like ourselves. They just happen to be in a world full of mystery and magic. Not to far from our own, I would say, we have magic of our own in this reality.

Spiritual Education

            Spiritual education is a part of some fantasy novels, of course usually attached to withes, wizards and magicians. Taking a close look at the most popular of these is Harry Potter and how the books are really about growing up and figuring out your place in the world. J.K. Rowling did this really well be spanning out Harry’s story over eight books, and each book basically enveloping a year in Harry’s life. We go through his innocence of childhood, his angst and angry puberty and his acceptance of what he must do as he enters adulthood. Rowling’s writing also matured with each book, knowing her audience was also growing as each book came out. This allowed readers like me when I was younger to feel the same situation Harry was in and not even notice the slight changes in tone or writing due to being in that same state. Now going back to the books is more nostalgic, knowing of course what happens in the story, but for also having a more adult point of view. It’s like looking back to when you were in middle school or high school and seeing your mistakes and your accomplishments and getting a better picture of what really happened. And of course some of the embarrassment.  But in re-reading The Sorcerer’s Stone I see why Dumbledore kept so many secrets for so long. Yes it was in a way to protect Harry because he wasn’t mature enough, but it was also I think a sense of denial that this boy would one day have to die. With this in mind, if you follow the rest of the story, you begin to realize that Dumbledore was really helping Harry prepare for his death and that Dumbledore was trying to make sure Harry had a rich life, before the shit hit the fan.

            So yeah, the Harry Potter series is awesome and will always change with every age you read it, that’s its magic.

Lud in The Mist, Hope Mirrlees

Lud in The Mist is a dense and rich book, which has left me thoroughly satisfied. Mirrlees blends together fantasy and political science so well blended that is refreshing and modern.  Unlike the fantasy books of the 1920s, that is mostly retellings of old fairytales. Mirrlees however is like the modern fantasy writer of today, although at some points her writing is definitely from the 1920s in its descriptive telling and strict grammar. This did cause me to read slower. But did not stop me from my enjoyment.

Now her blend of political science and fantasy was quite surprising, I thought it wouldn’t balance well, but it did perfectly. Her humor with how law is malleable with in class and interpretation left for the whole fairy fruit fiasco to be quite hilarious. And I think with the combination of the fantastical element, it allows the reader to be fully impressed in this actual societal problem.  Which truly still leaves me taken aback at the relevancy of this book to today. For example, the Miranda Rights, which we hold so dear, are in the end flawed by division of wealth. Due to public defenders being over whelmed and little government support for them, if you are poor it is better to plead guilty, even when innocent. This is due to the expenses of the court. Mirless reflects this in that even though the aristocracy has been thrown, the government officials and wealthy still have power like that of the aristocracy. That when the fairy fruit gets around, they hide the taboo under their wealth, while if you are poor you are blamed. This is highly modern and holds a candle to today’s law and shows that law really doesn’t change much unless the power is distributed among the classes.