I’m next out the compilation gate with a middle-grade post.
In this entry, you’ll find mythology and a legendary, magical chocolatier.
<This is a sequel novel.>
What would life be without Lugal (Mesopotamian word for war
leader), the Mesopotamian god of madness, and his dear old mum, Tiamat, the
great dragon goddess of chaos and mother of all monsters? Vacation. Definitely
a vacation. Instead, Sikander (Sik) Aziz’s first time in London is anything but
a vacation with his brother’s blemish-averse best friend, Daoud, his sort-of
demon friend Rabisu and fierce, Kasusu-wielding Belet. They retrieve an ancient
clay tablet, the mythic tablet of destinies, amidst a castle of chaos and
fire. Sik unwittingly uses it to bring his brother, Mo, back, not initially
realizing at what terrible cost. Sik’s troubles only increase alarmingly when
the tablet is stolen and Belet’s taken, too. He tries to save her once and is
alarmed when she doesn’t recognize him as the Sik whom she defeated Nergal
alongside. She doesn’t remember Kasusu, either. Sik gets buried alive in
concrete with no one but the ghosts of Bethlem Hospital (better known as
Bedlam, a real place, and “a word now forever associated with uproar and
discord,” p. 212) to keep him in mind-spiraling company, making it a very long
two days. While Sik thinks someone else should take on the ancient gods of
Mesopotamia, the fate of the world will, once again, rest on 14-year-old Sik’s
shoulders.
This
follow-up to “City of the Plague God” packs in tidal waves of action and
earth-shattering adventure of the Mesopotamian mythology sort, where readers
encounter terms that are Arabic, Islamic and Mesopotamian (Per Chadda: While
all Islamic terms are Arabic, not all Arabic terms are Islamic). “Fury”
contains emotional range (not only fury, mind you, though there is that) and
humanity amidst danger and chaos. Chadda doesn’t hold back, sprinkling in
scenes containing xenophobia and Islamophobia and calling out Western theft of
cultural artifacts with deftness that doesn’t take away from the action and
adventure of the story. He also deftly and delicately explains the Muslim
belief in one God (Allah) alongside the Mesopotamian deities: “There is no god
but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger. Mama calls them djinn, and that works
well enough. She sees them as spirits that decided to defy Allah and make
mischief among humanity” (p. 135). For fans of mythology, this
multitudes-containing epic tale written by a master storyteller is a must!
Notable
lines: “The desire to make the world a better place. That is the ultimate jihad”
(p. 237). (A jihad is “a righteous struggle.”)
Book One:
City of the Plague God.jpg)
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The Spirit Glass (Sept. 5, 2023) by Roshani
Chokshi.
<This is a standalone novel.>
Age 12 cannot come fast enough for Corazon Lopez, for that
is the age that she can finally begin training as a babaylan, a
rare mortal who guards the boundaries between the human world and the realm of
spirits, under the teaching of Aunt Tina. When her magic awakens, she plans to
bring her parents, Emilio and Althea, back to life, no longer needing to rely
on the soul key that allows them to visit for a few hours every Saturday
evening. A regular visit to the Midnight Bridge – a bridge between the human
and spirit realms – brings an encounter with a vengeful ghost, who steals
Corazon’s precious soul key. Aunt Tina tells her she must retrieve the key, so
they can help the ghost move on, but the ghost refuses to rest. She’s looking
for her “light.” With her on this quest is Saso (short for Samson), her
companion anito. “They are the spirits of mountain rivers, streams
and trees. The more powerful the babaylan, the more powerful and impressive the
companion anito.” (Possibly the most impressive thing about Saso is his
imagination. He says he’s a crocodile, but he looks like a small, blue gecko.)
They also encounter Leo, a spirit guide who wants to write a ghost story. The
spirit realm is imbalanced, and it must be restored, so says Librarian Bulosan,
a kapre, which is “a tree giant who is often depicted as
exceptionally hairy and fond of cigars.” Corazon will have to get two blessings
and, at one point, calls on the assistance of a manananggal,
depicted as beautiful (as opposed to hideously scary), and looks like a flying
torso carrying Legs. Yes, her legs are named Legs. They must overcome
insurmountable odds and right what is imbalanced.
Imagine my disappointment when I
learned that this was a standalone novel and not the start of a new series
delving into Filipino mythology! I didn’t think Chokshi could create a
character more entertaining than Aru Shah, but she achieves that with this
story that contains laugh-out-loud humor, but also imbues sorrow. Saso’s
bloodthirsty personality is what had me in stitches. Just as magical
transactions are known when they’re fair trades, a system of bargains and
balances, so this story is well-balanced with comedy and tragedy. It’s a
spellbinding middle-grade novel with an adventurous plot and excellent prose.
Standalone though it is, it’s a new fantasy classic!
P.S. I want to live in a sentient
house that sneaks pancit defiantly into my lunch bag!
Inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory.
Based on the screenplay by Simon
Farnaby and Paul King.
Story by Paul King.
<This is a media
tie-in novel.>
Before there was Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka’s
giant-yet-mysterious chocolate factory, before there were Scrumdiddlyumptious bars
and golden tickets, there was a much younger Willy Wonka. A Willy Wonka full of
magical, chocolaty dreams, where a “little orange man with the green hair” (an
Oompa-Loompa) is real to Wonka but make-believe to everyone else, and
chocolate creations such as the Hoverchoc, which will cause a person to
levitate, exist. This Wonka is far from his chocolate factory. His reality is that
he doesn’t even own a small kiosk, much less a storefront. He can’t with the
Galeries Gourmet a.k.a. the Chocolate Cartel. Slugworth, Fickelgruber and
Prodnose keep a record of their dirty deeds in a green ledger. It’s kept in a
secured vault, guarded by a corrupt cleric and 500 chocoholic monks. The Chief
of Police’s face isn’t clean, either. His face is stuffed with chocolate. To
make matters worse, when Wonka neglects to read the fine print (Noodle, an
orphan, did try to forewarn him), he winds up as a washhouse worker. It’ll take
him 27 years, 4 months and 16 days to make up what the crooked Mrs. Scrubitt
and Mr. Bleacher claim he owes in silver sovereigns. Wonka has company with
others who failed to read the fine print: Abacus Crunch (Chartered Accountant),
Piper Benz (plumber by trade), Larry Chucklesworth (professional clown) and
Lottie Bell (switchboard operator). Wonka is full of dreams. How can he turn
those dreams into reality?
Although I’ve
yet to watch the film of the same title, Willy Wonka is a classic character.
When I spotted this movie tie-in novel at my local library, I jumped at the
opportunity to be the first checkout. This origin story, written by Pounder, is
a delectably fizzy blend of magic and mayhem, cocoa-filled dreams and hearty
emotion with sprinkles of humor and dashes of cunning. The story’s adversaries
are as easy to despise as lima beans (I simply don’t like them), while Wonka
and his washhouse cohort are easy to root for. The storyline can be followed
with ease, and the sugary magic is intoxicating. The worm water, on the other
hand, I’d keep a great distance from. In fact, I’d eat lima beans instead.
Happy trails as you live in a world of pure imagination!
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