Bookish

So, I've started reading again. It feels good, I like reading. I don't spend nearly enough time doing it.

I've been reading Fablehaven. Mia bought the book a few weeks ago, for us to read on the trip out to Utah. We didn't end up reading it then but once we got home I decided to pick it up.

As I was doing a little reading online today about it, I discovered that the writer graduated from BYU around when I did. He was also part of a comedy troupe on campus so I totally recognized his picture. At first I thought I might know him; I don't think I did though.

I was reading through some of the reviews around the Internet. I have to say that I was disappointed with the quality of the reviews that are being produced. Most of the are simple plot summaries with a paragraph or two at the end with their feelings about it.
Fortunately, I did read a review by Orson Scott Card (that's a big score) that wasn't for a publication, besides his own site, and so gave a more honest, though not much more in-depth review. I recommend reading it here.

So, I thought I'd write down a few of my own thoughts on the book so far. I haven't quite finished it, so I can't give a full review. However, I do want to talk about a couple of things that I think are interesting about his book.

One part of the book that tripped me up for the first few chapters was the narrator. It felt like a mix of 3rd person and 1st person. Obviously, the narrator was trying to pull you in, trying to connect you with Kendra the main character. The omniscient 3rd person viewpoint always seemed focused on giving the reader the 1st person perspective for Kendra.
The narrator felt like an actor or character but was also obviously supposed to be absent from the story. It made my first days of reading somewhat confusing. Then I realized that the narrator was acting as a storyteller. Literally, like someone sitting with you around a campfire telling you a story. After that, I quite enjoyed his approach.

Now, I should say that fantasy descriptions can make the world more alive, especially when it's a foreign world. In Fablehaven the description is very detailed. Sometimes more detailed than necessary but always well-written. There were scenes that he described down to the individual actions as people moved through the scene. It slowed the book down in places but for the most part wasn't a large distraction.

Because this is a fantasy novel, I don't feel that I'm giving much away by telling you that there is a battle near the end of the book. However, I really liked Brandon's approach to the fight scene. It was handled creatively and appropriately for his audience. I was very impressed by it.

However, the climactic scene, or at least the one teased on the book jacket about Kendra facing her greatest fear was somewhat disappointing. While I suppose that the situation could be related to more by a younger audience, I didn't feel there was an intensified sense of danger because of Kendra's backstory revealed in this scene to indicate why it was her greatest fear. (Wow, that is a convoluted sentence. Read the book and it will make more sense.)

In conculsion, this was a fast read and a fun one. I would recommend it to someone who wanted to read something light, interesting, and very creative.