(no subject)

[crantz]

We have had Aunt Maria ever since Dad died. If that sounds as if we have the plague, that is what I mean.

-The opening lines of Black Maria by Diana Wynne Jones

I just started this book, since I offered to write it for Yuletide, realized this is one of the few DWJ books I'd never read, so I found a copy and got my read on. I like it so far. It starts out as a conversational journal entry from the main character, Mig.

It quickly moves into one of the more exciting 'my parents were divorcing but my dad drove off a cliff to his death by accident instead' openings to a book I've read and things are getting... oddly sinister.

According to the summary, Mig's brother is gonna get turned into a wolf. Exciting.



Final thoughts on A Horse And His Boy now that I've finished it:

"This boy is manifestly no son of yours, for your cheek is as dark as mine but the boy is fair and white like the accursed but beautiful barbarians who inhabit the remote North."

-The moment where it all went wrong in A Horse And His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Good news, everybody! I actually liked the last few chapters a lot. The point where I went 'I can't take this anymore' and shut off the book was also, apparently the last lap it had in it for horrifying me.

It had some interesting stuff, like the god of the Calormenes, Tash, being recognized by Aslan and I got to see the other humans of the Narnia world, the Archenlanders. Talking Beasts, there were humans right next door. I think you could have dealt with your witch problem a little sooner instead of waiting for a rogue wardrobe.

The 'epic battle scene' was a little less than epic. When it was from Shasta's perspective when he rode into it, it ended within sentences as he lost his sword, lost his shield, banged his hand, and fell over.

Then a hermit narrated it like a boxing match. As one does.

But! Then the wrap up. Parents were found, futures were glimpsed, and horses rolled around in bracken. The usual.

I talked mostly about what I didn't like in my last post, so I'll talk here about what I like, which are:

1. Aravis, the Calormene main character and a warrior girl. I like Aravis/Shasta too. Two thumbs up.
2. Hwin the horse. And Bree the horse, once he smartened up.
3. C.S. Lewis' food scenes. Like I said to someone else, even knowing what Turkish delight is like, his scene in LWW always makes me crave it.
4. The journey bits. Those were actually fun. I didn't like the world building that was mostly 'what unpleasant stereotype can I use now?' (someone pointed out that he may, and I say may because I didn't ask for more info so I don't know for sure, have gotten a lot of this from reading about the Crusades and old translation of 1001 Nights, which is an explanation. Not an excuse, but an explanation) but the actual journeying and his descriptions of the gardens around Tashbaan and the way he described riding through the desert, I really truly liked that. And Shasta learning to ride was great. Especially since his horse was teaching him, as well as teasing about it after.

As you can tell from the start of this post, I've moved onto another book by my favourite author, Diana Wynne Jones. Here's hoping.

Comments

[crantz]

sure. That'll stem the 'OH MY GOD' post later down the line.

[sorchar]

Basically, it's the Narnia universe "end of the world" story, right? Which means that at some point, Aslan returns. There's this stable that has been important earlier in the storyline in a fake!Aslan scam, which then became a scam in which the scammers try to convince everyone that Tash and Aslan are one god. This is portrayed as a Very Bad Thing, very much in keeping with C.S. Lewis's brand of Christianity. So, there's a bunch of Calormene soldiers guarding the stable. When Aslan returns, the stable becomes a Gateway To Beyond: if you're a good guy, you go through into Narnia!Heaven. This is like real!Narnia, only more Narnia-y. I think bad guys who go in get eaten by Tash, but I don't recall for sure.

SO. Most of the Calormenes end up deaded one way or another. But there is one - ONE - good Calormene who chooses to go into the stable-heaven portal even if it kills him because he is Brave and Pure of Heart. He's somewhat surprised when he ends up in heaven, because you know, he's always been a devoted Muslim Tash worshipper. Not to worry, Aslan tells him - anything good done in the name of Tash is actually done for Aslan, and anything evil done in Aslan's name is actually done for Tash.

So, uh, yeah. An entire nation/race of people worshipping NarniaSatan and not even knowing it. O RLY?

I do love these books, I really do. But they sure look a whole lot different from when I was a kid and much less aware of Skeevy Race Issues. (tm)

[crantz]

Goddamnit, Lewis. Shit like this.

[sorchar]

Yeah.

[dogstar]

See, and for me, that was the one thing that I really liked. :P It was all about being a good person rather than the name you put on it. :P The race issues are faily but... DAMMIT GOOD PEOPLE = GOOD PEOPLE.

Also, I like to pretend that TLB is not really Narnian History in the way that hte other books are. :P It's fanfiction written by the fundamentalist Narnians about the way they think the world will end. Like Left Behind and that sort of weird crap.

[sorchar]

But the point of it is, it wasn't just, "It doesn't matter what name you put on it." It was "your god only accepts evil deeds, and I only accept good ones." That's what really bothers me. It's like the people who say, "Oh, it's okay that you're Buddhist/Jewish/etc. because if you're a good person, [my particular version of] God loves you." It's very much in keeping with C.S. Lewis's version of Christianity (you're Christian or you're WRONG, MISTER), but I personally find it jarring. Why couldn't it just be, "You're a good person, c'mon in," without turning someone else's god into the Narnia Satan?

Not to mention that out of all the Calormenes, this guy was the only good one. WTF was up with that?

(edited to fix omitted quotation mark)

[sorchar]

Although, thinking of it as the Narnian version of Left Behind is pretty funny. Kirk Cameron could play the good Calormene (whose name escapes me.)