King Mouse by Cary Fagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story has the illustrations and feel of an old children's book. From the pencil drawings with no bright colours to the use of animals as the characters to the simplicity of the moral. It reminded me of stories that starred Peter Rabbit, Mr Toad, and others. So many of those stories were found by me in the 1980's in my Grandmother's farm house. They were on faded pages and had more complex phrases than I might have been used to at age 5; but I loved them all the same. In some ways I think I loved them because they were old and felt special. As much as I love the rainbow, bright, colourful stories of today; there is something about that old school look and feel that I will always be in love with.
The question becomes whether or not children today (in 2019) will find this vintage style story engaging enough. It seems to me that those children that love reading, old things and asking continuous questions are likely to enjoy this one. In fact you might find out if your child is an old soul just by reading them this book. And if they don't like it; then it's perfect for your own bookshelf to be read on those sleepless nights.
I am definitely going to try and find a copy of King Mouse to add it to my visiting children's library/toy box as I would look forward to this simple story (that has a snake in it!! awesome!) and it's gorgeous illustrations every time a child picks it up.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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Elevation by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First, this is not horror. Let me say that again, this is NOT horror.
Now that we've got that out of the way let's talk about Stephen King's latest short story. King has done some really great things with Elevation. We get a lovely older lesbian couple, an average middle aged man and an elderly doctor all set against the backdrop of a small town in Maine (what a shocking location for King to take us to, lol). And throughout this story we follow our fairly average man who just so happens to be losing weight, without actually losing weight. Now obviously one cannot, in reality, loose weight without it being obvious and noticeable that said weight has been coming off. And yet that is exactly our scenario is Elevation.
For me it was clear from the get-go that this was a story about aging and death. Would you change how you live your life is you were 90% sure you were going to die (or cease to exist in some unknown way) within a certain time period? Many of us think we would say yes. But like King's character I actually think (with the exception of maybe not working) that I might try to keep things somewhat normal. After all if we truly love our lives as they are today then spending the last of our days as we are should be satisfying. King does an excellent job of highlighting this and making the reader think about their mortality as our characters come to terms with their own.
The side story in Elevation is also wonderful. We have a lesbian couple running a restaurant in small town Maine. I'm guessing I don't need to tell you that not everyone in town is happy about their presence. We feel their highs and lows, and experience the mental anguish that some town members pile onto them. All I can say is that I felt very, very protective of these two women and was (many times) more concerned about their welfare than that of our leading man. Call me bias but I wanted the ladies to kick-butt and tell the town folks off. Thankfully not all of the town is ridiculous and I'm happy that in the end I didn't have to write hate letters to King.
I think the older you are the more likely you are to really 'get' something from Elevation. Or if you're like myself and my husband (who also read this one) with a morbid fascination with death. We had a great conversation at my home about this short story. At 108 pages this is an easy afternoon of reading to help bolster your reading challenge if nothing else.
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Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the tale of two books. The first half is mediocre at best. Very repetitive, cliche and just all around boring. Yet the second half of Trail of Lightning is wonderful! It has spunk, excitement, and intrigue (Coyote is sooo interesting!).
Native American Representation
Without a doubt the best part of Trail of Lightning is Rebecca Roanhorse's use of her Indigenous culture to give us a look at what a dystopian society, based in (what was) the USA which has since been taken back by the Navajo, might look like. Roanhorse gives us a truly unique and wonderful insight into Indigenous stories and beliefs. It feels natural and cyclical that in 'the end' of society as we know it the Indigenous return to the land, protect themselves and ultimately survive. Certainly no one else in North America is likely to be able to return to the land the way someone who has grown up learning about the land could.
I loved the use of myth, magic and story here to populate the Navajo land with elements and entities that currently aren't known to the world. For this reason alone I will definitely read book 2!
Writing
While the second half is much better than the first half; the one thing that doesn't change is the writing style. Unfortunately Roanhorse's writing feels a little like an early-on, amateur writer. That's not to say that she can't improve; it's only to say that this story comes off as simple in it's use of language. I know it's strange to say anything critical of the writing from someone who has been nominated for a World Fantasy Award; but to me it just lacked the depth I'm used to from fantasy writers.
For example:
""I know you never gave me an answer on that ‘being friends’ thing, but after everything that’s happened . . . ?" He leaves it hanging."
Did we really need the "he lives it hanging" comment? I feel like other authors would have left that out and allowed the ellipses to do the work of letting the reader know our character trailed off.
Overall
Here's the thing; amazing writing or not, reading Roanhorse's own voice and having her relate Indigenous culture, tellings and lore via her characters is well worth reading book 2, Storm of Locusts. While you may find many typical or cliche dystopian pieces in Trail of Lightning; what you won't find is any deities, myths or lore you've likely encountered before. And you may pick-up some Navajo words along the way! I love when authors use another language just enough to give the book a flavour and culture that helps build the setting and characters. That is one thing Roanhorse has done perfectly, in my opinion, is incorporate a level of Indigenous culture that allowed me to learn new things but also follow along (and feel fairly comfortable) in this clever dystopian world.
If nothing else read this to learn more about Coyote. I won't say anything more as I fear spoiling even a tiny portion of the magic.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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