Thursday, December 15, 2005
Book-Chat with RK Mortenson
Author RK Mortenson is traveling the web popping in here and there to promote his newish book (out last fall) Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle. I had the pleasure of reading the book and running a handful of questions by Randy (his middle initial is a mystery, but I think it stands for Kickbutt, 'cuz that's what his book did).First, a few words about the book. The majority of the book takes place in an unnamed world of imagination accessed through secret doors and a magical Book of Meanings. Once there, Landon Snow must solve the Auctor's Riddle:
That man eats cow eats grass eats soil
And then man dies, and when he lies
To soil he does return?
Because, y'know, there's nothing eleven-year-old boys like to do more than hunt down the mysteries of the universe in their pajamas (how the mysteries got in their pajamas, I'll never know). Along the way he befriends a chessknight/horse named Melech and meets a handful of supporting characters ranging from the oddly-strange (like the definitions guy) to the strangely-odd (like, well, the gnomish tribe of Odds).
I passed the book along to my tweenish nephew Nick hoping to get his take on it, but he was caught up in another novel on the cruise last week. I'll post his reaction when he's finished the book. My reaction? Here goes:
I really liked everything after the first couple-three chapters. The opening is slow -- car ride to your grandparents' house slow (which is not surprising since that's how the book opens). Once the first secret door opens, however, the pace picks up and the action becomes well-balanced with enjoyably witty humor.
While it's unfair to compare Landon Snow with Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket's Baudelaire orphans, it's also inevitable. Snow lacks the cynicism of his YA shelfmates, his world not being shaped by the murder of his parents and life with decidedly non-avuncular uncles. And although the slowish opening made it difficult to get into the book (a "flaw" I also found in Tolkein's Vol. 1 of Lord of the Rings, so Mortenson's in good company), accepting Landon as a well-behaved, unjaded, snarkless kid was even harder. You mean kids can be mostly polite? (He has a couple younger sisters, so there are limits.) Imagine that. And once I was able to imagine that, Landon and I got along fine.
So, my take on the book? Buy it. In fact, buy two and give one as a gift this Christmas. It looks and feels gorgeous and really is a very good read. (If you're not into the whole online-shopping thing, or can't wait for delivery, check the inventory of your local Borders and get it for 30% off through 12/19.)
And now, without further delay, Five Impertinent Questions with RK Mortenson:
- Which darling (character/scene/plot element) was most painful to kill?
I don't feel it at all now, and I was grateful even then for the suggestion, but my editor asked me to change the opening and closing scenes (the "real-world" stuff) from Grandpa Karl's POV to Landon's. Like I said, it made sense to me to do this even then, but it was painful. I had gotten to know and like "being" Grandpa Karl, but I had to let him go. At least his point-of-view in the story.
That change had a ripple effect that led to others, but they weren't as drastic overall. - Disney wants to add Landon Snow to Fantasyland, replacing Snow White (can't have too much snow in Florida or Southern California, y'know). Do you say "go for it!" or hold out for a rollercoaster in Frontierland at the Jungle Cruise site -- and why?
Yes! (That was a general response to the initial thought of a Landon Snow attraction at the park.) Hmm ... for the book's sake I'd say Landon belongs in Fantasyland near Alice's spinning teacups, which I really don't like to ride because of all that spinning and the grating whistling-kettle music. Wait, the Jungle Cruise is in Adventureland, not Frontierland, isn't it? [he is, of course, correct] I like the atmosphere in Adventureland, so let's put the ride there. Or how about we combine the two: you ride through the Book of Meanings to the chessboard in Fantasyland, and then you ride the knight-turned-horse through the "sky" and fall into some woods between Adventureland and Frontierland. I'm sure the Imagineers could handle that. - Which character or scene would you most like to see on a Topps trading card?
Well I've got to go with the knight/Melech on one of those shiny 3-D cards that zip when you scratch them. Turn the card one way: chess knight. The other way: Melech. Chess knight/Melech, Chess knight/Melech... - Landon Snow Underoos, yea or nay?
You mean besides the pair I'm wearing? Honestly though, in all truth, I am really hoping for a line of Landon Snow pajamas. - Any chance of a prequel and who plays young Bart Benneford in the movie (and should it be live action, CGI-animated or shadow puppets)?
I'm thinking maybe three prequels should do it, or perhaps a whole new series about B. G. B. Anyway, it's live action and I have to go with Russell Crowe. Or is he too old now? If he is too old, then we'll go with shadow puppets all voiced by Frank "Jedi Master I am" Oz.
For more on Landon Snow, check out Mortenson's other Blog Tour stops and be sure to stop by his website for even more fun.
Labels: Book Chat, Book Reviews
Mikesell
1 Snarky Remarks:
Aha! My favorite Landon Snow review to date... and I wrote one!
Unknown, at 10:36 AM
