Your Highness by Sean Phillips

Your Highness, a two comic collection, is the prequel to a film called, you guessed it, “Your Highness”.

In these pages, Fabious, the elder prince, goes on a quest to slay a monster who was unleashed by an evil sorcerer. The younger brother, Thadeous, is sent by his father, the king, to secure a treaty with a nearby dwarven kingdom.

Both princes encounter adventures that they were not prepared for.

I wish, in preparation for reading this slim tome, that I had had the chance to rewatch the movie. But I didn’t. So, until then, I’ll just have to rely on my memory of the film from twelve plus years ago.

In the comic, as in the movie, both princes are caricatures of the angel/devil archetype of consciousness.

Fabious, the elder brother, stands in for our “angelic nature”. He is driven to bring justice and safety to those around him while carefully protecting his honor throughout the quest. The flipside to this personality is he suppresses his baser urges, leading to some amusing innuendo with his fellow knights.

(Sexual innuendo and clever word play isn’t something I necessarily find funny, but for those who do, Fabious provides this in spades.)

The other brother, Thadeous, represents humanity’s shadow mode of consciousness. He delights in excess whether that is food, marijuana, or sex. And though he is tasked by his father with as important a mission as his brother, readers know immediately that he will probably fail- not because he’s is incapable of doing what is required, but because he will most likely chose to indulge in his baser instincts to the detriment of his goal.

Overall, I liked the artwork in Your Highness. I thought the panels flowed nicely and the dialogue was well done too.

As for the story itself, I felt it was a tad predictable, but still enjoyable.

I wish, in the Thadeous storyline, the dwarves’ weed had had some magical properties that elevated it beyond bringing an excellent high. Maybe using it could cause one to see where minerals were hidden beneath the earth?

Anyway, recommended for fans of the movie and readers who enjoy fantasy comics in general.

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman

Quentin is miserable in the real world, but he’s unsure why. When he is suddenly recruited for a secret school and realizes magic is real, he thinks it will bring him happiness.

“… you will be a magician, Quentin. It is not the obvious career path, I know. … No one will know what you’re doing here. You would be leaving all that behind.” pg 37, ebook

When his training, new friends, and experiences fails to bring Quentin joy, he looks even further into magical theory and stories. What he discovers, the existence of other worlds, is more fascinating and terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

“Most people carry that pain around inside them their whole lives, until they kill the pain by other means, or until it kills them. But you, my friends, you found another way: a way to use the pain. To burn it as fuel, for light and warmth.” pg 216, ebook

This was my second time reading The Magicians. I first read it about ten years ago and loved it then.

It stood up to the test of time for the most part, but I think I enjoyed it more the first time around because of the small reveals written into the story.

“Nobody wanted to admit they were frightened, so they took the only other option, which was to be irritable instead.” pg 298, ebook

I still loved Lev Grossman’s homage to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I also loved his magic system.

The magical students all have different strengths and that affects how they are able to use magic to change the world around them.

The worlds Grossman has created are both fascinating and scary to explore. As you move through the book, you have a sense of uneasiness because you have no idea what is going to come next.

And when you juxtapose that feeling with reading The Chronicles of Narnia or the Harry Potter series, this story becomes something else.

Some readers have shared they couldn’t connect with Quentin. He was too moody and unlikeable for them.

I liked Quentin because he feels authentic like someone I could possibly know in the real world. Don’t we all sometimes wish there was more to life than there appears to be on the surface?

Don’t we all wish some of our favorite stories were real?

Highly recommended for fantasy readers. It doesn’t get much better than The Magicians.

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

In The Mountain Between Us Ben Payne and Ashley Knox are in a plane crash in the middle of nowhere. As they fight to survive, the reader learns about their pasts and probable futures.

It is a survival story and also a romance.

“I dumped the bottle and looked around as best I could. Nothing but snow and mountains.” pg 65, ebook

I picked up this book because my book club is going to be discussing it on Monday. It’s not my usual type of read, which veers strongly towards science fiction and fantasy.

That being said, I expected more from this book- more adventure, more near death moments.

At first, I was reminded strongly of Hatchet by Gary Paulson, which I read in grade school. I remember enjoying that book quite a lot and learning about survival techniques along with the protagonist.

The Mountain Between Us has some of that, it’s true, but it is mainly about what’s going on in Ben’s mind. I found the story to be repetitive after the first hundred pages or so.

The romance in this story is way over the top, which I suppose romance readers may like. As for me, an occasional romance reader if at all, I found myself cringing at some of Ben’s revelations.

There’s a twist at the end which I won’t spoil here, but I saw it coming from the way author Charles Martin wrote some of the passages. I wish it had been sign-posted a little less.

Overall, there’s quite a few things for book clubs to dissect. There’s the survival aspect, relationships, the beauty of the outdoors, the disconnect between modern society and nature, and what it means to be human. I think we’ll have a lively discussion.

Recommended for readers who like their romances syrupy with a wilderness aspect thrown in.

This book has been made into a movie. I’m curious as to how they adapted the story.

Thanks for reading!

A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L’Engle

**Spoiler alert: for those who haven’t had the chance to read this classic tale. Please read before you enjoy this review!**

A Wrinkle in Time begins in a deceptively normal way: on a night with wind-tossed trees and a howling rain storm. From there, award-winning author Madeleine L’Engle takes readers literally to the stars and beyond in this extraordinary coming-of-age fantasy novel.

I first read about the adventures of Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin when I was eleven or twelve years old. It was during my early bookworm phase, when I was still learning there were genres that I enjoyed more than others.

I was swept up in the adventure part of this story- facing down the shadows and ‘It’ in my subconscious mind and heart. I remember thinking the Aunt Beast portion of the story was boring and being disappointed Meg’s father was a real man with flaws rather than a superhero who could solve all of her problems.

Looking back on that interpretation now, I see my own burgeoning psychological development and the belief that my parents were some kind of godlike beings- something that most if not all children pass through at some point or another. When did you discover that your parents were real and fallible, just like you?

However, listening to the audiobook as a fully grown adult with a daughter of my own, I was struck by Meg’s strength and bravery. It takes a great deal of inner resolve to face down society’s expectations and the numbing experience of living soullessly every day, following someone else’s school or work schedule and agenda. (A real life version of the pulsing, all-encompassing brain of L’Engle’s fantasy world.)

Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels.com

How many days have I awoken only to race off to the hamster wheel of the work week- toiling away so the highly-paid minds of the CEOs could rest easy, knowing that the company was producing product (whatever industry that may be) and providing value for the shareholders? More than I’d care to admit, before I discovered the safe haven of the librarian’s world.

In my own effort to find my calling, I was reminded of Meg’s struggles to survive her encounter with It, not just survive but decide how her body and mind should function. In some ways, the modern work experience feels like someone else dictates how many breaths you should take per minute or what rhythm your heart should beat.

I had the good fortune of listening to an audiobook that has L’Engle speaking a brief introduction and then an afterword read by one of L’Engle’s granddaughters.

The granddaughter (I’m embarrassed I don’t remember her name) shared the details and struggles of L’Engle’s life- including the rejection of her manuscript by numerous publishing houses and the shade some readers threw her way for their own interpretations of her story. Some claimed the book was too overly Christian while others thought it promoted witchcraft. Her granddaughter said L’Engle was baffled by the hate mail.

Photo by Abstrakt Xxcellence Studios on Pexels.com

Curious how a reader’s lens of perception shapes the experience you have with a book. As I mentioned earlier, as a child I thought this book was a grand adventure. As an adult, I see it as a metaphor for living in the modern world.

I’m keen to have my own reluctant reader try this book and share what she thinks about it.

Recommended for everyone but especially those who find themselves a beat or two out of step with the proverbial Its of the modern world. This book reminds you that you’re not alone.

I enjoyed the book more than the movie- but here’s the trailer for those who like movies more than books.

Thanks for reading!

Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski

In a fantasy realm where the races of humankind, elves, dwarves, and gnomes have ceased to co-exist peacefully, there lives a princess whose inner power, if left uncontrolled, could destroy the world. Geralt of Rivia, also known as the Witcher, and his friends, are tasked with not only protecting this girl but also instructing her so that her abilities don’t destroy her mind from the inside-out.

“Ciri had heard such reassurances in the past. … Now she believed it. Because it was Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, the Witcher, who said it. The man who was her destiny.” pg 11, ebook

But there are forces in this world who are seeking Ciri for other reasons. She has the potential to be a force for the greater good or a weapon of chaos.

“Difficult times are approaching,” she said quietly. “Difficult and dangerous. A time of change is coming. It would be a shame to grow old with the uncomfortable conviction that one had done nothing to ensure that these changes are for the better.” pg 23, ebook

I picked up Blood of Elves because I recently watched most of the Netflix show based on the video games and also these books. I thought Blood of Elves was the first in the series, but apparently I missed a short story collection prior to this book.

That didn’t lessen my enjoyment of this tale, but I do enjoy having context. Andrzej Sapkowski does a good job of dropping bread crumbs about who Witchers are, who Ciri is, and the complex interactions of the different powers in the world, so newcomers to the book-version of the story, like me, can keep up and it doesn’t feel like an information dump.

“You are not learning in order to kill and be killed. You are not learning to kill out of fear and hatred, but in order to save lives. Your own and those of others.” pg 59, ebook

A small complaint though, and I had this same comment about the Netflix show, is that the storyline bounces around quite a lot. If you’re not paying attention, or reading carefully, you’re in danger of losing the thread because this isn’t a simple world nor is it populated by one dimensional characters.

Sapkowski shines in the dialogue between these characters, especially during the action sequences. It is easy to see why a video game was created using this material.

“Remember,” she repeated. “magic is Chaos, Art and Science. It is a curse, a blessing and progress. It all depends on who uses magic, how they use it, and to what purpose.” pg 147, ebook

Highly recommended for fans of the genre, the games or show. Blood of Elves delivers.

Thanks for reading!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon follows the exploits of a boy, a dragon, and their fight against an evil king, and his henchmen, who would plunge the world into darkness.

Prophecies of revenge, spoken in a wretched language only he knew, rolled from his tongue. He clenched his thin hands and glared at the sky. The cold stars stared back, unwinking, otherworldly watchers.” pg 14, ebook

Though it is written for children, Eragon is a charming tale that I thoroughly enjoyed as an adult reader. The pace was snappy, the characters were written quite well, and the story itself was a fun, adventure and fantasy.

“Eragon found the stone both beautiful and frightening. Where did it come from? Does it have a purpose? Then a more disturbing thought came to him: Was it sent here by accident, or am I meant to have it?” pg 16, ebook

I did a little research about the author, Christopher Paolini, and was surprised to discover that this was one of the first books he published and he was in his teens when he wrote it. How impressive is that?

“Dragons will constantly amaze you. Thing… happen around them, mysterious things that are impossible anywhere else.”

There were a couple things I didn’t enjoy about Eragon, but they didn’t ruin my appreciation for the overall story. For example, I wanted Saphira the dragon to have a different personality. She has some character traits that I felt were incongruous with how an immensely powerful, magical being would act.

When I think carefully about it, what a silly quibble to have with a story based in fantasy. But readers will have their preferences, and I like to picture dragons as either wise and benevolent, Buddha-like beings or demonic treasure hoarders along the lines of Smaug.

Paolini’s version of them is different from both of these extremes. He makes dragons fallible, like humans. Which, at the end of the day, makes this a better story for children. A lesson like, even the most powerful among us can make mistakes or experience unpleasant emotions like jealousy, is a good lesson to learn.

“These books are my friends, my companions. They make me laugh and cry and find meaning in life.” pg 153, ebook

Highly recommended for young adult fantasy readers or the young-at-heart.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City is a snappy, humorous and heart-felt look at the intersecting lives of several people living in San Francisco in the 1970’s. As they struggle for love, money and happiness, they establish friendships and create a new kind of family- one of their choosing rather than one they were born into.

“Mary Ann Singleton was twenty-five years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time.” pg 9, ebook

One of the main characters is Mary Ann from Ohio. She came on a vacation to San Francisco and decided to stay because she loved the people and the general vibe.

But her mid-western upbringing didn’t prepare her for the work and dating scene of San Francisco.

His smile was approaching a leer. Mary Ann chose not to deal with it. “She’s a little strange, but I think she means well.” pg 47

On a hunt for the perfect apartment, Mary Ann meets Mrs. Madrigal, the unconventional and slightly mysterious owner of a large place on Barbary Lane.

Once the other residents of the apartment are introduced, the story really takes off. The breakneck pace is probably due to the fact that Tales of the City was originally written as a serial with cliffhanger endings each week to bring readers back to the publication.

It works incredibly well in a novel format. The chapters are short and punchy. Although most of the tension of the story is created through the dialogue rather than action, it is gripping stuff.

In some ways, this book is rather like life. Everybody is mixing together, trying to find their own way and lifestyle that feels right to them.

From day to day, it doesn’t seem like much happens. But taken altogether, it encompasses the growing pains accumulated through weeks, months and years of a lifetime.

“No wonder you’re miserable. You sit around on your butt all day expecting life to be one great Hallmark card. … You’ve got to make things work for you, Mary Ann.” pg 111

Recommended for readers who enjoy their fiction with a big helping of soul-searching and humor, delivered at the speed of life.

This book has been made into a show at least twice now. Both versions can be viewed on Netflix.

Thanks for reading!

Peanuts Treasury by Charles M. Schulz

Some works of fiction, after enchanting countless readers, become classics, a touchstone of culture for generations. I would submit “Peanuts”, created by Charles Schulz, as one of these classics.

The existential struggles of the boy named Charlie Brown, the adventures (real and imagined) of his beagle, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang, seem timeless.

Charlie Brown wants to fly his kite, but it is always getting “eaten” by the “kite-eating tree.” He pitches for a baseball team that never wins. He tries to kick a football, but it is always removed at the last moment.

And yet, Charlie Brown soldiers on.

I first read Peanuts in dusty paperback books kept in the spare bedroom at my grandparents’ house. Through lazy Sunday afternoons or the occasional sleepover, I learned the names of all the Peanut characters and their defining traits.

My favorite was Schroeder, the virtuoso on his tiny piano. I even had a watch with piano keys on the plastic band and Schroeder on the watch face, pounding out his music as the second hands ticked by. I loved that watch so much – I wore through the plastic wristband, replaced it, and wore through it a second time.

When I read Peanuts Treasury, it transported me back to a time when my biggest concern was finishing my homework before the end of the weekend and to a sense of comfort that family members who loved me were just in the next room. It was a nice escape from the current reality, where my biggest concerns seem so impossibly out-of-my-hands and loved ones are all in their separate spaces.

Recommended for readers who are looking to spend a few hours away from this world and in the life of a boy who never succeeds and never ever gives up.

Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang

Fresh Off the Boat is the life story of Eddie Huang.

After learning about his various exploits, some of which were extremely dangerous, I was amazed that he’s still around to recount them.

I picked up this memoir because I’ve seen almost every episode of the network family comedy, “Fresh Off the Boat,” and wanted to read the source material behind it.

As sweet as the show is, I think it does Huang a disservice.

I guess because it’s on network television, writers have essentially edited Huang’s life story. In the television show, the character of Eddie loves rap music, basketball and eating, (like he did in real life) but it leaves out the more real portions of Huang’s history.

His classmates called him racial slurs on an almost daily basis. He was subjected to physical abuse from his parents. He got mixed up in drugs and selling name brand shoes. He was arrested for fighting.

The reason why his grandmother is in a wheelchair, which is depicted on the show though the reason is never given, is because her feet were bound as a child.

All of that realness is completely missing from the television show. But it is so important to creating the man Huang is today.

The differences between the book and the tv series aside, Huang has a fascinating voice. He’s, at turns, funny and real. He explains his more obscure slang references at the end of each chapter in footnotes.

“I think my mom is manic, but Chinese people don’t believe in psychologists. We just drink more tea when things go bad.” pg 12, ebook

The window Huang opens into his culture is an enlightening one. He’s the first generation of his family to be born in the United States, but he doesn’t ever really embrace being American. He exists in a realm in between because he is never truly accepted by his European peers.

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas on Pexels.com

“Since kindergarten my parents had been sending me to Christian schools, where the teachers would feed me soap and made me use my right hand even though I’m a lefty, because we supposedly got a better education at parochial schools even if we weren’t actually Christians.” pg 26, ebook

In an effort to get along better with his teachers, Huang even acts as if he embraces Christianity when in reality he was just trying to survive. I felt sad that he had to pretend to be something other than who he was to make his way in the world.

“They’ll never let someone with a face like you on television.” To this day, I wake up at times, look in the mirror, and just stare, obsessed with the idea that the person I am in my head is something entirely different than what everyone else sees. pg 41

I highly recommend this memoir for readers who want to learn about another person’s life experience. Huang has penned an engrossing memoir about someone who took some unexpected turns on the way to his destiny — creating a wildly popular eatery in New York City. I enjoyed every story and learned so much.

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Category: Page-to-Screen: Books Made Into Movies

Your Highness by Sean Phillips

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L’Engle

Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Peanuts Treasury by Charles M. Schulz

Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang

Menu

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Menu