The Hobbit Review: I Blame Radagast

Yes, like most fantasy writers, I’m a hopeless, committed, Tolkien fan. When I saw Fellowship of the Ring, I loved every minute with no reservations. I saw changes happening, but I also how they were a wise idea when changing book to film. In fact, I’m fine with changes, IF they make a good story. I enjoyed The Hobbit, but this time, some of the film’s issues were more heavily pronounced, so I can’t approach this in such a head-over-heels delighted manner. Of course, I realize Peter Jackson was somewhat backed into a corner. The studio insisted on three films, while he thought (correctly) that he had the material for about two. There must be a giant franchise or nothing, it seems. Well, it seems the franchise has returned, but a bit shakier this time around.

The movie begins with a hefty prologue explaining what happened with Thorin and Smaug’s invasion. THEN there’s a second prologue, as older Bilbo chats with Frodo and writes his book. Yes, we get to see Sting, the party sign, Frodo, and the Hobbit hole that looks incredibly messy over the dialogue about its snug tidiness. We even get Ian Hom uttering “In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit” and see Frodo set up the events in Fellowship. But none of this is really a part of the story.

I grew up loving the cartoon pair of The Hobbit and Return of the King (I was less thrilled with the oddly filmed LotR part one). Their catchy music and silly cartoons made them Disneylike, though as I learned later, they were reasonably faithful retellings. In the cartoon movie, as with the book, we are introduced through the simple, fussy, homebody of a Hobbit who hates adventures. He is us, the reader unused to the wider world. The dwarves and Gandalf usher him and us through the wider world of Middle Earth together as we come to empathize more and more with Bilbo. The cartoon Return of the King (which skips the other two books) introduces Bilbo as a heavy frame – he is celebrating his 111st birthday (or something like it) with Gandalf and Elrond (introduced to us in The Hobbit movie) and the four younger hobbits, and Frodo tells him about his epic quest in Return of the King. Gollum and the ring provide another heavy link, as do repeated songs and themes.

In this film series, LotR was our introduction, so it’s oddly framing The Hobbit, rather than the more logical reverse. Gone is our introduction to the fussy little nearly-human character, and instead, we’re introduced to the large foreign world of “Erebor,” home of the dwarves. This is a land unseen  in LotR, and even for book fans, the name comes oddly to our ears –the book dwarves are obsessed with “Lonely Mountain” as they call it.

Then comes the link with the previous movie trilogy: Ian Holm and Frodo are our guides, the party scene is just about to start, and Bilbo remembers smoking smoke rings long ago…cut to the actual story. This has been a terribly long introduction to give us a summary of past events and then link us with the other tale.  All this, especially the scenes in Erabor is beautifully crafted with cgi and the amazing detail that made LotR a favorite. But the scenes have little place in the story. As we continue, we’re thrust into D & D style dungeons and complex, unhelpful subplots. In the attempts to be epic like LotR, the story is less linear and thus less charming.

This trend continues through the film, a voice crying, “Look, it’s the same story over again, please go spend on collectible rings and goodies from the franchise. Look how every moment matches the other so well!” Some scenes like Bilbo’s green door or meeting Elrond must match up with Fellowship, that was inevitable. Even the new scenes are filmed in similar locations in New Zealand. Casual references to Bree and the First Alliance of elves seem unnecessary, but make sense.  But the number of new scenes and filming choices that ALSO echo Fellowship are truly numerous, so much so that they turned from cute to tedious:

• Gandalf whacks his head on the iron chandelier in Bag End
• Thor’s goblin battle in Moria seems nearly identical to Isildur’s battle in which he took up the shards of Narsil and avenged his father.
• Thorin himself, the deposed dark-haired king filled with nobility, who risks his life for bumbling hobbits and seems a born leader, is much more like Aragron than book-Thorin.
• Balin seems the replacement Gimli, with an older, settled wisdom. He says “laddie” a lot.
• The fact that they’re being hunted, Gandalf’s demands to know who our heroes told.
• A mass of bad guys converges from all directions in the same scenery as the Nazgul scene, our heroes flee into Rivendell
• A morgul-blade warns that Sauron is about
• The wargs attack in what looks like the LotR warg setting
• Gandalf says, “This way, you fools!”
• Saruman criticizes Radagast’s mushrooms like Gandalf’s smoking in Fellowship
• Galadriel, mysterious and somewhat imposing, offers vague comfort and strokes a hero’s hair
• Gandalf praises “the everyday deeds of ordinary folk” – this is why he recruits Bilbo in this one and Sam in Fellowship.
• After Rivendell, montages of trudging single-file over snowy mountains and other scenes.
• The storm giants versus Cruel Calhedras
• The goblins’ hole resembles the goblin factory of Fellowship
• The ring flies up into the air and lands on a finger
• The shadowy ring-world
• They all race down narrow bridges that are collapsing
• Gandalf uses the moth to summon the eagles, complete with music
• They end in the forest, as our hero makes a tough choice of what he stands for, then they’re attacked
• Azog is like the Head Uruk-hai, a big bad guy created to give the part one movie some closure.  Aragorn/Thorin has the epic battle with him.
• Boromir dies against the Head Uruk-hai, Thorin gets semi-squished.
• They look far across Middle Earth to their final destination, say something optimistic, and end part one.
• The narrow-pupiled eye (admittedly Smaug’s) that’s seeking them

Most of these moments share the same music with the original trilogy. As a fan, I enjoyed the musical allusions, but they do emphasize the repetition of the scenes. Also, after offering us these three time periods: Bilbo’s birthday, Smaug’s invasion, and the “present,” no dates are mentioned. This is also a bit disconcerting for those trying to stay focused. Much worse was the 48fps speed, which gave me a headache. More oddly, when the camera panned, everything looked blurry to me. I truly pray this style doesn’t catch on.

Returning to the story, the setup in Bag End irritated me a bit. Bilbo fails to mention Gandalf is most famous for dragging Hobbit kids off on crazy adventures, so it’s less than clear why Gandalf is there harassing him and why Bilbo assumes that’s why he’s around, until much later. The revelation that Gandalf knew Bilbo was adventurous as a child and has adventures in his Took blood is a bit too late, only after they’ve been arguing over the adventure part for some time. In the book, Bilbo invites Gandalf to tea, so there was an appointment on some level – again, this made a tad more sense in the story than the unwitting invasion in this one. The invasion itself was played quite well, however, from teasing Bilbo about his plates while juggling them expertly and singing, to our hero in his Arthur Dent bathrobe acting completely kerflomoxed, yet determined to stand up for his precious doilies.

After this, the dwarves gather to sing of Smaug’s destruction and their need for vengeance. In book and cartoon, this was the opportunity to explain to Bilbo (with colorful flashbacks in the cartoon) what exactly happened in the past. But we’ve already had the out-of-nowhere lengthy summary, so when they sing, the story just stops. Creative writing students like myself recognize the exposition moments and talking (or singing) heads scenes that do not advance the story, and thus interfere with the plot moving along. Sadly, however, Peter Jackson has left them in place. Fellowship cut a twenty-year gap between Bilbo leaving and the ringwraiths coming for Frodo (Frodo also moved house, hiked, and sang songs in the bath, all worthy of cutting). This added action and urgency to the story, changing it to a desperate flight. The Hobbit seems to have added those twenty years back in.

Radagast the Brown is partially responsible for this. As in the book LotR, he shows up to spout dire warnings of unspecific direness. He’s amusing-looking as he drives his wonderful rabbit-powered sledge (not, as far as I know, canon from anything) and loses track of all his thoughts. But again, when he comes onscreen, the plot basically stops. In LotR, when Gandalf leaves, he has a wizard war with Saruman. Even when Frodo just wanders, he stumbles into Faramir’s small-scale battles. But Radagast doesn’t take on the Necromancer — he plays with hedgehogs. (And he could’ve fought the Necromancer and gotten somewhat creamed, thus giving his plot arc a plot). Instead, he just strolled. Gandalf’s white council with Galadriel and Saruman, while a treat for fans, is just as bad. It’s no wonder the dwarves ditch in the middle of it.

The dwarves themselves aren’t very individual. In fact, most of them don’t have much dialogue at all, with nothing that sets them apart. There’s Thorin the Aragorn ripoff.  Kili the hot archer. Balin the wise advisor, Dwalin the messy eater, Bombur the fat guy.  Even after Bilbo has a long conversation with Bofur, the dwarf says nothing to particularly individuate him from his fellows. Granted, they’re all dwarves, all with the same mission. We don’t have the obvious differences of LotR with a dwarf, an elf, a man of Gondor, etc. But Merry and Pippin made an effort, to say nothing of Sam.  Aside from different weapons, these dwarves don’t seem to have different personalities. Admittedly, book and cartoon don’t separate them much either. But with this scope, there seems a missed opportunity.  In canon, Balin dreams of restoring Moria, and Gloin is father to Gimli. There must be more to show.

This film also seemed to have too many villains. Azog hates Thorin’s family, the Necromancer is filling the woods with evil, the goblin king (played by the Marshmallow Man?) knows all about Thorin and hates him on principle. The storm giants are too long and too realized for a force with no personality and no foreshadowing, who, it seems, is out to get them too. The moose-riding wood elves hate the dwarves; they’re just waiting for movie two. And of course, the dragon’s coming. While there are hints a dark evil may have sent the dragon, we lack the certainty of LotR –you are either on the side of life (though elves and dwarves may squabble a bit) or you work for Sauron (like Saruman the traitor and his spells on Cruel Calhedras). In this one, everyone’s out to get Thorin, who, let’s face it, isn’t actually as important as Aragron. Only the meeting with the elves, wary but courteous, felt like a normal encounter. The book has the dwarves mostly encountering strangers and having isolated adventures with them. There are hints of a larger world and backstory (“Bilbo, the Necromancer’s so nasty, I know even you have heard of him” or “We punished Azog for what he did to my grandfather”) but they don’t tell all those stories – that would distract from the main plot. Here, all those stories have been added. It’s cluttered.

Fans will be happy to note that Gandalf’s silvery scarf appeared. However, he seemed rather a bumbler. “Is he [Radagast] a great wizard or is he more like you,” Bilbo asks, and after Gandalf’s not very persuasive of anyone back in Bag End, he seems to deserve that. The flaming pinecones he hurls at the wolves are a disappointment, as I expected colorful fireworks or at least small explosions (he’s a wizard, not Bilbo with a matchbook!) His light-filled rescue in the goblin cave likewise lacked much of special effects or pyrotechnics. Sting glows, but it seemed a disappointment that Glamdring doesn’t.

This seems like a lot of negativity, but honestly, I enjoyed the film and would see it again. Unlike some fans, I’m not desolated by heresies committed on the adaptation. It was fun and clever, with great tie in moments to the first set of movies. Thorin is very different (and very Aragorn) but noble and likeable as he risks his life repeatedly for the useless hobbit, since that’s what a king does (like Aragorn). While Thorin’s and Bilbo’s relationship isn’t identical to the book, it has some interesting room to develop, and I can’t wait to see how they feel about each other in the War of the Five Armies. Our hero, who played befuddled terribly British Arthur Dent and terribly puzzled  British John Watson seems ideal for proper English gentleman Bilbo. I’d always pictured Bilbo as pudgier, but there was enough roundness to get the point across. His power of “hiding” is not really addressed with the LotR hobbits, but it works well here, laying the groundwork for current and future heroic deeds.

Gollum seemed straight out of The Two Towers, with his split personality and fish song. That said, he was fantastic and delightful in every way. The riddle game was realistic, with the right blend of playful and truly creepy.  The moment where Bilbo showed pity was beautifully done…though Bilbo somewhat spoiled it by kicking him in the face. Nice pitying.

There were other delightful moments: The elves were not as “silly” as in the book, but they did try to entertain the dwarves with fresh salads and graceful harping, to predictable results. I loved that the dwarves wanted chips (though those seem more British Hobbit than Germanic dwarf to me). The White Council was believable as they bickered over whether the current peace was real, or foreboding of darker times to come. And I’m sure fans were thrilled to see this scene, which was absent from the book but important in the bigger picture. It was also interesting to get into Gandalf’s touching reason for recruiting Bilbo (and presumably other hobbits): “[It’s] the small things – the everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay.” Very nice, and it links with LotR themes and Bilbo’s future.

Should you see this film, LotR part four? Sure, if LotR part four’s what you’re in the mood for. But I should warn you, its attempts to be “more epic” and tell a “big LotR story” have robbed it of some original Hobbit charm.

I’m Back!

Okay, I realize I haven’t posted in quite some time…but I’ve been writing a book! I’ve been so busy writing, in fact, that I haven’t had time to write. Meanwhile, The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen should be out this summer (though it may have a title change)! It explores the main character and her trilogy across many genres, analyzing Katniss as a dystopian heroine, a warrior woman, a leader in kid power, a child soldier, a character on the heroine’s journey, and so forth. It’s been fun to write, and I’ve been reading tons, from all the popular dystopias, to Collins’s Gregor the Overlander series, to other teen favorites, like Cassandra Clare. Piling on the steampunk novels and fairytale retellings too, so my list is getting quite long.  Many I’ll include lists of all these in the appendix of the book…

Had three conferences in November (National Women’s Studies Conference, ConVolution, LosCon). In December I’ve had a California Writer’s Club one-day workshop and the delightful Steampunk invasion of Dickens Fair. Also fighting off a nasty ailment which is really slowing me down.  So keeping busy as always. Trying to sell books on Game of Thrones, Avengers, and any number of other topics. Meanwhile, my next book after Katniss should be The Heroine’s Journey for Young Readers (almost certainly not the real title). It’s under contract with a small press, and writing’s in progress. I’d also love to finish the Steampunk novel and maybe the fantasy novel that have been cooking on my back burners for FAR too long.

All that said, I want to post lots more on pop culture up here, so The Hobbit film seemed like a good place to start. I’ll be writing that review next. Good to be back…

 

But Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t do that!

 

I spent too much time during the episode thinking exactly that to myself.

All right, in the original series, Watson, a doctor, does keep an eye on Holmes’ drug intake (Holmes takes drugs because his amazing, superhuman brain is bored. When he’s on cases, he’s fine). But Watson is now Holmes’ babysitter.

 

Her being played by Lucy Liu isn’t an automatic problem for me—I could live with a female Watson, who is supposed to be the “normal, relatable” character who helps us understand the mad genius. On House, Wilson is so terribly nice that he doesn’t totally work as the modern Watson of the story, though his role as the genius’s soundboard certainly works. Wilson is just as foreign to us as House is, and it’s his team who become the relatable figures of the story. This Watson is the classic fish out of water—a normal character dealing with Holmes’ abnormal behavior. She has demons in her past, but so does Doyle’s original Watson, surly and depressed from his war wound and the horrors of Afganistan. The Show Sherlock has a sinmilarly wounded Watson, who blogs about Holmes’ adventures as a kind of therapy. SO far we’re all right, by Liu has suggested in interviews that Holmes and Watson have a chemistry and they make hook up soon. This is NOT the original story, or any possible permutation of it (Though several movies and the show Sherlock have observers believing they’re gay, this is the tale of two true friends, more like House and Wilson than a couple.)

 

While BBC’s Sherlock does an amazing job of modernizing the story, much of its charm is in how directly it updates the adventures—Sherlock texts constantly as a form of distancing, since his old favorite the telegram is passé. He uses a network of homeless instead of street urchins. Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime, breaks into the Tower of London and wears the Royal Jewels. It all fits. Even more delightful for fans are all the clever references and teases—“The Speckled Blonde,” not “The Speckled Band,” as case, the many reversals of “A Study in Pink” and the book it’s based on. Experienced fans are delighted by the allusions and the surprising updates alike, as the footprints “of a giant hound” are more than quote, but a secret clue buried in the odd phrasing.

 

Elementary isn’t quite so cunning. The first episode’s mystery has sensational, violent murders, and clever clues to unravel the pieces. Watson dives into the world of mysteries, delighted and intrigued by Holmes’ deductions even as she helps him reach a solution. But there are plot holes. A saferoom the husband had no knowledge of, built for no particular purpose? Worse yet, Holmes has an actual temper tantrum, destroying property through rage rather than a ruse. It felt wrong. Will the characters become another valid Holmes/Watson pairing in truth, or will the show vanish along with all the unsuccessful crime dramas? It remains to be seen. But this pair will have to work harder if they want to convince me they’re THE Holmes and Watson.

Thoughts on Casual Vacancy

 

Potter fans aren’t gonna like this one…

Not to say it’s badly written—far from it. It’s a series of character sketches done from many individual viewpoints, done in a thoughtful, convincing fashion. But it’s dark. More to the point, it’s everything Potter wasn’t—serious, contemporary, adult, depressing.

Harry Potter is the seven-book adventure of a boy wizard—a large epic that even at its darkest moments of the final book remains whimsical. Fred and George crack wise in the heat of battle, Harry interrupts Ron and Hermione’s kiss with a protest at their timing. Readers became truly invested in the characters, so much so that Dobby’s final moments and Luna’s poignant goodbye produced actual tears.

This single volume cannot provoke the same level of emotion. True, it’s the story of how everyone in a small town reacts to the passing of one man, emphasizing everyone’s interconnectedness. Each character appears in the lives of others, offering clashing perspectives that are especially true to life as each conceals secrets and woes from the others, even their closest friends. Characters are selfish, fallible, frail, and all too human. But we can’t become quite as invested as before. Not only do we lack the seven books of discovery, but these characters lack the childlike wonder, love, and pureheartedness that made readers fall for tormented Snape, conflicted Draco, woefully clumsy Neville. The casual Vacancy’s characters feel relatable, but edgier—humanity’s petty, abusive, neglectful, worst characters rather than its best…In a book of Dursleys, whom would we love?

Rowling has thrown herself into adult literary fiction wholeheartedly, with the mild satire and heavy misery and dissatisfaction with modern life that characterizes so much of the genre. Teens tormenting one another on Facebook underscores how modern this fictional space is—no more gothic locale where cellphones and computers won’t function. If Harry Potter, as many think, is a nostalgic gateway to similar times, this is the stark, unadorned present. In Harry Potter, even the cruelly-meant teasing coasted under a lighthearted layer—“Mudblood” was a made-up racial epithet only used by awful Slytherins, and Hermione shrinks her buckteeth before the dance. But this book offers racial epithets blurted by even the more sympathetic characters, and a teenage girl tormented daily with Facebook postings of circus freaks to emphasize her embarrassing facial hair. Abuse of several kinds permeates the story, from bullying to harmful and neglectful parents ridden by anger and drug abuse.  Unlike in Harry Potter, characters’ hands are tied and there’s no clear right answer–There’s no Hagrid to swoop Harry off to wizard school here. Harry Potter teaches that the darkest of evil can be defeated with a pure heart, that those who love us never leave us. Casual Vacancy suggests the opposite—that in our troubled world no heroes will step forward to defend us, that we are merely a conglomeration of conflicting personalities that damage one another and rub other people raw. It’s a world without Harry the Hero…or perhaps he died on the first page.

Is it a good read for fans of literary fiction? Probably. But as shown through the above review, Potter comparisons are inevitable, and this book will suffer by comparison. We want heroics, not reality.

Thoughts on Snow White and the Huntsman

The beginning of the movie begins with all the innocent of the kingdom sacrificing themselves to save Snow White–the maiden the queen drains, the white horse, the scarred women and girls in their village. Not only is the same scene played out over and over, but the number of innocents dying because of Snow White herself was getting disturbingly high.

The forest in most fairytales is the dark, shadowy frightening place, enemy of civilization. However, since civilization, power, and authority are the queen’s domain, Snow White must channel the wild, foreboding power of the forest. In fact, if the civilized world of law and order is the masculine sphere (as it is traditionally), Snow White is connecting with the wild, mysterious, unexplored feminine sphere of nature and its wild magic. When she meets the forest troll, who submits to her and departs, it’s clear that Snow White has power over the forest.

 

Like Voldemort, the queen snatchers the magic of people’s blood, trying to capture the love, innocence, and life their youth and beauty offers, but without understanding. The devourer of life, slayer of the innocent is the classic villainess on the heroine’s journey, like the Wicked Witch of the West or ice queen of Narnia. Her minions are lifeless monsters, reflections on her inhuman self. Snow White connects with the innocent, as we see her playing with a child and her doll, or speaking with the seven dwarves. Like Harry Potter, Snow White has power from her birthright and the blood of her parent. the ancient theme of the true ruler healing and renewing the land, which suffers under the tyrant comes into play here.

The fairy sanctuary represents the beautiful magical feminine–Snow White can reach it but the queen cannot. There Snow White, like Harry Potter (in the final book) meets the magical white stag, conferrer of spirituality. Following this, Harry descends into the pool and emerges with the Sword of Gryffindor. Snow White sinks into sleep and awakes stronger than before. Both rise and lead an attack on their ultimate enemies. Ending the story with no wedding to either prince or huntsman feels odd for the fairytale and odd for a story of reviving the realm through life and fertility (contrasting this tale with, say Aragorn’s wedding at the end of Lord of the Rings, another story of the rightful king reviving the land). But there is a reason for this ambiguous ending, found in a recent movie with a similar series of events:

 

There are some interesting parallels with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland—both heroines travel through the frightening woods to reach the sheltering fairy garden of femininity, growing in feminine perception and strength all the while. However, after this, both don concealing, featureless armor and ride to battle, switching from the heroine’s journey of perception and saving the innocent to the hero’s journey of conquest and battle. Both heroines end the tale winning power in the male world of power and rationality, but little feminine understanding, demonstrated most strongly by the fact that neither weds. Before they can commit to another person, both must discover who they are as women, something not to be found under their smooth armor.

The classic warrior woman’s quest involves winning this armored battle and conquering the male realm, and then setting out once more to understand femininity, as Eowyn does in the House of Healing, or Buffy does in the later seasons (discussed in my book Buffy and the Heroine’s Journey). Without this, the warrior woman has indeed closed herself off in armor, becoming a conquering hero but not a balanced woman.

In a world of “strong women” like those in The Hunger Games and Brave, it’s important not to show only the one path to power—strong women fight and don’t want a man and all others are weak victims is a problematic message appearing in increasingly more of the movie industry. The scarred victimized women with their little girls and the young woman drained by the queen are sad sacrifices, with their courage downplayed in the movie. Snow Whtie is a fighter—she lives, the others, like her own sweet mother, die. Buffy, with a warrior woman and her friends who are witches, researchers, and vengeance demons shows alternate paths to power, as do many great fantasy novels. Here’s hoping the movies can catch up.

Twilight in India

I’ve been reading the Tiger’s Curse series (Tiger’s Curse Tiger’s Quest, Tiger’s Destiny by Colleen Houck with a fourth book coming soon), and I’m struck by how similar it is to Twilight. Perhaps that accounts for its popularity.

This book really feels like Twilight: India in so many ways. In this first person account, a moody teenager starts working for a circus and feels a strange connection with a  tiger. When she’s asked to be the tiger’s handler on a trip to India (despite her total lack of qualifications) she learns that the tiger is actually a cursed prince. Her arrival has partially broken his curse, and now he can regain his hot, smoldering human form for twenty four minutes a day. She’s welcomed to his sumptuous mansion, where she and the tiger embark on a rather jingly poem of a prophecy to break the spell and turn him human. In the forest, his brother, also a tiger, seems a bit more conniving and calculating, compared with the almost-shy, romantic Prince Ren.

Rather than being revolted by his savage tiger side, she’s terribly drawn to it. She’s less trusting of the prince in his human, form, though hse soon succumbs to that side as well. Much like Bella, she platonically cuddles him each night, protected by the fact that he must stay a tiger most of the time.

“Ren’s death was unbearable. If he was dead, then so was I. I was drowning in sorrow; I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t have any will left to drive me”  (193). Her all-consuming passion for Ren is the biggest link with Twilight. Back home, Kelsey has only a foster family, and no friends or activities of note. She’s likely to give it all up to become an Indian princess.

Kels watches in repelled fascination as the two tigers hunt an antelope, admiring the grisly spectacle. She feels incredibly deep, instant, heedless love for Ren, but also an attraction to his brother. She often finds herself in the role of peacemaker between them, though she also incites their competition by allowing them both to show affection and even kiss her. Meanwhile, they both treat her as the helpless, skillless maiden who must always have one of them to babysit her. He also carries her many times, as he has a magical strength she lacks and sings her lullabies to soothe her to sleep. From her fainting spells to her vision of Ren as her protective warrior angel, she has far too much damsel about her. Like Edward, he lived over a century ago, and has spent far too much time not being quite human. He seems to consider her his link to humanity, the only woman he has ever or could ever love. Meanwhile, she’s certain they can never be together, since if the curse is broken, he can marry an Indian princess or supermodel. They have fights and breakups as one is determined not to burden or tie down the other. When she pulls away, he becomes aggressive and pushy, physically grabbing her and tricking her into going on a date with him, for which he threatens to hold her on his lap and force feed her if she won’t talk to him. She even complains that he’s eying her as if she’s an antelope he’s going to hunt. We’re in Tiwlight all over again.

Durga gives Kelsey a gada, a golden club, but tells her it’s mostly for “the warrior at her side” to use to protect her. She give Kelsey a cobra who is “sensitive “and longs to be loved for who she is,” a clear reflection of Kelsey herself. Kelsey is terrified of it.

The author seems to know her mythology, from appointing Durga as the goddess of their quest to inserting obscure fairytales like the legend of the golden fruit. Likewise the foods and lifestyle of India are presented with lots of believable, interesting detail, free of condescension. That said, the introduction of Japanese kappa demons seems unnecessary.

The writing is alluring, but a bit clumsy and teenagerish, with unlikely ccolloquiolisms from the ancient Indians. It’s heavy on Kelsey’s thoughts and emotions. Since they’re going on a fairytale-style quest, with a good chunk of Indiana Jones action-adventure, there’s far more plot than in Twilight. I guess we’ll see if the heroine gets more girl power than her competition…

Asian-Inspired Fantasy Novels

I’m speaking at Mythcon about Asian-inspired fantasy novels, and I thought I’d post the ones I’ve been reading, along with a few of my comments:

• Tiger Moon Antonia Michaelis
• A fairytalelike Indian adventure of a hero boy sent by the gods to rescue a princess
• Thirteen Orphans Jane Lindskold
• Urban American fantasy with mah-jong magic
• Fox Woman Kij Johnson
• Sensual fairytale retelling from the fox wife’s point of view
• Detective Inspector Chen novels Liz Williams
• He battles demons and solves magical mysteries, freeing spirits and defending his demon bride in Singapore.
• Under Heaven Guy Gavriel Kay
• An epic struggle with amazing description and detail
• Ladylord Sasha Miller
• Sensual tale of magic and intrigue
• Imperial Lady Andre Norton and Susan Shwartz
• A girl-power fantasy like many of Norton’s as the bride seeks power and romance far from her native China.
• Shwartz, Susan, Silk Roads and Shadows
• Travels and ancient legends in a Byzantine quest.
• Interesting Times Terry Pratchett
• A Discworld novel follows Rincewind to ancient China, or close enough
• A Heroine of the World Tanith Lee
• Dragon in Chains by Daniel Fox
• A violent, fast-paced epic of the one boy who can tame the waking dragon
• Lord of Light
• On a futuristic world, characters reenact the Indian pantheon
• Naamah’s Kiss and Naamah’s Curse Jacqueline Carey
• One of Carey’s sensual heroines travels to China, Mongolia, and then India to rescue a dragon trapped in a princess and free her beloved from the power of love.
• Tamora Pierce, Trickster’s Choice, Trickster’s Queen  (southeast asia)
• A destined queen must discover her path, along with a raven-god and a thief’s daughter
• The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander
• A child’s fairytale as a prince trades six magical gifts for wisdom
• Suzanne Fisher Staples, Shiva’s Fire
• Pleasant tale of a girl who finds magic through dance
• Tiger’s Curse Tiger’s Quest, Tiger’s Destiny Colleen Houck
• A Twilight-style fantasy romance as an American teen quests to free her tiger-prince from his curse
• Spirit’s Princess Esther Freisner
• Following Helen of Troy and Nefertiti, Freisner writes a girl power tale of ancient Japan
• Sandman: The Dream Hunters
• A retold fairytale of a fox offering her life for the priest she loves, urged by the King of Dreams.
• Across the Nightingale Floor Lian Hearn
• A teen tale of revenge and intrigue blended with forbidden love.
• Silver Phoenix
• Lovely Chinese girl power fantasy
• Shadows on the Moon Zoë Marriott
• The Japanese Cinderella must choose between happiness and a powerful revenge
• Cinder Marissa Meyer
• Dystopian science fiction Cinderella featuring a metal-footed cyborg
• Bound Donna Jo Napoli
• Chinese Cinderella classic retelling
• Cybele’s Secret
• A fairytale of Anatolia/Turkey and sequel to the author’s Romanian 12 Dancing Princesses
• Toads and Diamonds
• Delightful version of the Grimms tale, set in mystical India
• Additional Resources:
• http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/306.Chinese_and_Japanese_Fantasy
• http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/asian-fantasy
• http://www.swantower.com/misc/settings.html.
• http://moonsong.us/mythcon43/mc43panel.html