I have been aware of this review of Monster-Blood Tattoo: Foundling by Elizabeth Bird for a little while now and, happy to find it as the Review of the Day over at Fuse 8 on the School Library Journal site, thought some might like to head on over and see. She has also posted a review of Lamplighter for those who are interested. They are both astounding in its breadth and the level to which Ms Bird understands and appreciates the whole Half-Continent thing, and also very helpful to encourage me as I wrestle with some tough bits in Book 3. Thank you, EB!
Speaking of Book 3, I received this email from Conner Ernst:
"A few people at my school have read book two and they like Numps and I am trying to convince you to have Numps in the third book and make Europe have more hatred."
Hmmm, very pertinent notions, Conner, and things I am tackling with even as I blog to procrastinate. What do other people think? What to do with Numps? Should Europe be meaner? more of an invidist or less?
Less than a week till official Lamplighter release - counting down the days!
7 comments:
Nice review of Book 1.
I very recently re-read Foundling to refresh my recollection in advance of Lamplighter coming out -- reading about 15 pages aloud to my son every night. We finshed on Thursday, the night before Lamplighter was released here in the States. The re-read made me appreciate Foundling all the more. As we were reading through it, I caught a lot of details that raised suspicions in my mind about how the plot of the series would eventually play out. Some very subtle and well-done foreshadowing.
I picked up Lamplighter on Friday and read it over the weekend, and found out I was somewhat right in my suspicions -- I had the general concept figured but not the details. I'll stop here so as not to spoil things for anyone who hasn't finished Lamplighter. Anyway, it was a great read, and it left me wanting Book 3. Like Foundling, I suspect I will gain a deeper apreciation for Lamplighter as I reread it with my son.
Great job -- I still want bigger maps though!!!
So do I!
Thanks for the link, m'dear. And from my own viewpoint, you have to have some Numps. He's a sweetheart of a character. Haven't a clue how you'd work him into the narrative, but I'm assuming he's with The Sparrow King at this point and I'm hoping to high heaven that The Sparrow King makes an elegant entrace in Book 3. Badda bing, badda boom, as they say.
It *would* be interesting to look at the meaner side of Europe - for instance, her association with Licurious (argh, have I spelt that correctly from memory? Many apologies!) doesn't exactly hint at an entirely kindly and lovely past, though she herself never seemed as ruthless as he was. What kind of person is she really when it comes to monsters? She seems at heart to be quite a decent person, but she's been surprising us with less ruthlessness through Lamplighter (although I think that surprises her as well?).
It must be a hard conundrum for a writer - it's relatively easy to just make her nicer and nicer (I assume?), and to have her dig her heels in might take the story into some strange places?
That doesn't really offer much of an opinion, I guess, haha! But as for me, I like her so much because she's a troubling and sometimes objectionable character, not because she's nice. I'm still working on starting that fanart, this reminds me...
For my view, I've always been fond of the idea that while you may be the progenetor of this fine world, it is yet a world unto itself and its machinations no more or less than what they would; you have wound the clock, but it's ticking true to itself and not maintained by your hand directly. I could be naive in this as my own attempts to release the stories within seem childish and ill-equiped. However, that idea that you might contrive a perspective that may not be true to the story and/or characters is disheartening. I've read both books, happily I might add, and not only enjoy them but am impressed with their quality. Not that I necessarily have the right or qualifications to make such judgements, but some books of this ilk are mildly interesting if not ultimately trite; yours is, however, enormously interesting and anything but trite. You seemed willing to tell the tale as it is rather than glaze over those more uncomfortable bits. I hope that in that, and in your construction of the 3rd book, you continue to tell the tale as it is, regardless.
As for Europe, she seems disheveled in her self, her recent contrary nature seems driven more by some unknown compulsion than decision. Granted that does seem to leave itself open to her "coming to her senses" and turning on her contrarian ways. And yet, is there not some eloquence in the turning of a monster to a man?
And Numps... well, how does he know what he knows anyway? Certainly intriguing to investigate.
Jeffrey Bryan
GruvyBckts@yahoo.com
I could tell you what I am doing in Book 3, Arabel, but then that would be spoiling... (oh but I so want to!)
"And yet, is there not some eloquence in the turning of a monster to a man?"
I heartily agree, Master Bryan - well put.
i just want to know, where can i find some pictures that are in the books that are on the internet? i dont have the book here but i want to look at the pictures. Set up a picture gallery or something! it would look really good... plz? grant a "wish" for me?? please?
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