This is identified as one of the influences on Harry Potter, and it’s easy to see parallels with the start of that series. That said, the influence is less about Platform 9 3/4, and more for the initial characters. We[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Posts Tagged contemporary fantasy
The eighth Suzumiya book is structurally different from before. The series has been a combination of short story collections and novels. This time, we get two novellas. The first one circles back around to the start of the series and[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I know what you’re thinking. And no, the book isn’t about that. This isn’t a conspiracy of Arthurian legend. In this case, “Merlin” is an office title in an alternate-universe Britain (The Isles of Blest), and the conspiracy centers around[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
When you look at a book in a contemporary fantasy series, and it name drops “Mars”, and has a tripod on the cover, you have to wonder if someone’s gone insane. And the title, “of Mars” implies, well, people, on[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Tea With the Black Dragon had crime/mystery as part of its central thread, and in this sequel, it’s basically the main plot in classic ’80s fashion, with a murder, no clear sense of who could have done it, plenty of[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
A Wrinkle in Time hits several time-honored traditions of the YA novel. Of course, it helped establish some of them. Meg is the outsider at school, she can’t help being a bit different, and can’t find the patience to do[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
In the nearly 35 years since it was published, Tea With the Black Dragon has nearly become a period piece. The book opens in San Francisco, which doesn’t feel too different, but moves down to Silicon Valley, which has changed[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
