Eva Ibbotson Puffin Fiction, CH Fantasy/Humor Themes: Portal Adventures **+
Description
Subway Platform 13 has been abandoned for so long that most living in London have forgotten all about it, but there is a secret to its cobwebbed depths. In the back
of the station lies a magical doorway to another land, where mermaids and fairies live with humans and hags on an enchanted island. For nine days every nine years, the
doorway opens, allowing people who know of it to cross over as they will.
On the ninth day of the last opening of the door, the young Prince of the island was taken to London by his nurses for a holiday, and was promptly babysnatched by the
greedy Mrs. Trottle, who wanted a child of her own. Now, the door is open again, and a small team of odd but brave rescuers is setting forth into the unknown streets of
the city to find the Prince and bring him home... but, after nine years in our world under Mrs. Trottle's care, is the young boy the same loveable scamp he used to
be?
Review
This really wasn't a bad book. There just wasn't very much to it, and it was extremely predictable. Some fun characters and throwaway lines, but all in all the
story was bland, with flat and obvious characters doing flat and obvious things. Young kids who are just beginning to read longer books might be more amused by it.
Personally, I've read better stories aimed at the same target age.
Eva Ibbotson Puffin Fiction, CH Fantasy/Humor Themes: Merfolk, Witches **+
Description
Arriman Canker is the most famous black wizard of England. Living in his haunted keep of Darkington with only the ghost of Sir Simon (famous for slaying all seven
of his wives), Mr. Leadbetter (who decided long ago he must be some sort of demon because he was born with a stub of a tail), and the ogre Lester (a one-eyed muscular
being who, unlike most of his species, actually has a brain), Arriman has worked tirelessly to darken the countryside for years... but he grows weary of bearing the
mantle of most wicked wizard of the North. Arriman reluctantly decides to marry, to sire an heir. He is reluctant because, as everyone knows, a wizard must marry a
witch if he is to have any hope of fathering a magical child himself.
The witches around Todcaster are not only black magicians (like him), but invariably hideous to look upon (unlike him.) The local coven includes such members as ancient
Mother Bloodwort (with a cloud of flies as familiars and a tendency to turn herself into a coffee table), Mabel Wrack (the scaly-legged child of a mermaid, whose octopus
familiar has far more going for her in the looks department), and other equally gruesome companions. It also includes Belladonna, the only white witch for miles, who
considers herself a failure for not living up to the black ways of her coven-mates. She doesn't even have a familiar, though all the animals of the woods are constantly
about her, offering help. She can't help but love Arriman, but her magic is simply not evil enough to attract his attention, let alone affection.
Of the seven witches of Todcaster Coven, only one will win the hand of Arriman, the one who pulls off the blackest, vilest, and most evil magical feat of them all. Can
Belladonna hide her white ways and become the wizard's bride?
Review
I had a very mixed reaction to this book. On the one hand, there were some interesting ideas and characters presented, and some absolutely hilarious throwaway lines.
On the other... well, for one thing, there were the extremely outdated and stereotypical black witches. Hand-in-hand with that was how Ibbotson went out of her way to
describe, in repulsive detail, just how dark, evil, and ugly each were, with lots of guts and squirming maggots and flaking scabs and such that makes one sick to read
about. Some of the spells described.... well, there's one toward the end especially that didn't really fit in an otherwise whimsical story, if you ask me. I'd be laughing
one minute, and in the next squeamishly picking my way through stomach-churning and unnecessary bits, wondering why I was exposing myself to such hideous mental images as
old hags coughing up dead flies and ghouls collecting scabby used bandages. Ibbotson also violated her own in-story rules for the plot; black magicians, in her world,
should be incapable of love in any form, so the idea of romance or even friendship among any of the characters is implausible. In the end, there was just enough humor in
between the guts and grime to partially salvage it from a flat Bad rating.
The book cover has a quote saying how this one's "perfect for fans of Harry Potter." If you ask me, fans of Harry will take one look at the disgustingly ugly witches and
their terribly malicious magic and head straight back to the boy wizard.
As a closing note, this is yet another exceedingly British young readers' fantasy book. I think I must make it my duty to write an American young adult fantasy book. Nothing
against the Brits, mind you. It just grates on my national pride that so few Americans seem to come up with memorable or widely-distributed fantasy worlds, though that may be
my skewed experience.
