Author: M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Genre: fantasy
Similar books: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
The Enchanted Files: Trolled by Bruce Coville
Rating:
 |
| more political than magical |
Summary (provided by publisher): Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom — from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain’s host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them — and war for their nations. Witty mixed media illustrations show Brangwain’s furtive missives back to the elf kingdom, while Werfel’s determinedly unbiased narrative tells an entirely different story. A hilarious and biting social commentary that could only come from the likes of National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin, this tale is rife with thrilling action and visual humor . . . and a comic disparity that suggests the ultimate victor in a war is perhaps not who won the battles, but who gets to write the history.
My opinion: Given the combination of Anderson and Yelchin, it should come as no surprise that this book is complex and dense. It's clearly a fantasy world with elves and goblins and assorted mythical beasts. It's also a heavily political allegory. We have two nations at war for generations with a long history of invations, slaughter, subjugation, espionage, and misinformation. Both parties are forced to face their biases and the lens through which they view the world. The interplay between the way the narrated passages differs from the visual passages and the two perspectives those sections represent adds to the depth. This is a book that a middle grader could enjoy as a fantasy adventure and then read again as an older teen and get more of the political commentary.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
No comments:
Post a Comment