laurenransom

Far exceeded expectations! An urban twist on the "fantasy quest" theme. Hearing that the story contained cockroaches and rats, I had not been eager to pick it up. But by the end of the story, I was crying when a cockroach died. That's storytelling power. John Eldredge notes that humans have always loved the story of the epic quest. Certain archetypical elements reappear time after time. Suzanne Collins has used many of the standard themes of the epic quest, but in an original way, and scaled to fit the interest of the contemporary child. Check it out: 1. A small, unlikely hero, who surprises everyone by being more than he seems (like the Hobbit). 2. A portal into a fantasy world (like Alice in Wonderland) 3. A long-lost father (like A Wrinkle in Time) 4. A mysterious hidden city (like City of Ember) 5. An ancient prophecy (like Susan Cooper's series) 6. A quest by diverse companions (like The Fellowship of the Ring) 7. A character with a choice to give up his life so others may be saved (Like the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Sure, the treatment is a little juvenile, but that just means I can highly recommend Gregor the Overlander to children as well as adults!

2020-09-11 19:34