Journey Into Wonder
I picked up a copy of Gordath Wood by Patrice Sarath the other day. Two things drew me to it.
One, it was a first book by a new author. As one day I hope to have a first book on the shelf, I like to look at other recent releases by new authors to see what is being published these days. I don’t necessarily compare my writing with theirs but I do see what kinds of plots and characters these authors use. Then I think about my plots and the like and tell myself that they are just as interesting and if I would just finish writing the darn things, I would have a shot at seeing my book on the shelf.
Second, it is a book that involves people from our world stumbling across a passage into a magical world. I love these stories. Ever since I was a child and read stories about finding fairies in the backyard or watched Wizard of Oz, I have loved the idea that if I am patient and lucky enough, one day I could peak into one of those worlds. I think that is a lot of what set me to writing in the first place. Maybe I couldn’t physically visit a magical world, but in my mind and heart I could live there. It is a wonderful thing.
Other books that lose the protagonist in the magical include:
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol: I have read the book and seen at least three different movie versions of this story and I am still fascinated by the young girl who falls down the rabbit hole.
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean: A group of kids playing under the hedges in their yard end up in a land of wizards and royalty. Very fun and it has been too long since I read it. Note to self: reread The Secret Country.
The Barbed Coil by J. V. Jones: A woman is sucked into the fantasy world by a ring and her adventures involve the illumination of manuscripts, like in medieval times.
I am sure there are others that I have forgotten over the years but you see what I mean. Now back to Gordath Wood. I haven’t finished it yet but already it is a bit different than the previous ones. Different in a way that makes it fresh. The “passage” between worlds is the main problem of the book. I don’t want to spoil it but more than one person goes through the passage and some are exploiting it. Most of the previous stories involve the main character being trapped in a world not their own and having to deal with that worlds problems before they can make it home again. I like how this freshens up the old story.
And now back to my book. Shhh.
