I just happened across this book, and was very impressed with it. An odd and individual voice; knowing and familiar, who has read all the things I have read, and who can tell a good story. Mal Peet was first a writer of children’s books, who ventured into the grown up world for the first time with this book–and unfortunately, died shortly thereafter. A fatal enterprise for him, it seems. It is an inventive and witty book, which starts in a very different world from where it ends. The protagonist is a failing writer whose agent encourages him to write fantasy (only it’s often spelled ‘PHANTASY’, she tells him).
Her wry and wonderful summary of how to write a successful fantasy was the first hint that this book was more than a typical struggling writer story.
“The world–“Realm” is the proper term–of High Fantasy is sort of medieval. Well, pre-industrial, anyway. Something like Devon, I imagine. Vaguely socialist, in an idyllic, farmerish–is that a word?–sort of a way. But the Realm has fallen under the power of a Dark Lord who wants to change everything. . . Anyway, the Dark Lord is served by minions. That’s a word you must use, OK?. . . The young hero lives in a remote village in the furthest Shire–that’s another must, Shire, OK–of the Realm. He thinks he’s an orphan, but he’s a prince, of course. He’s being brought up by nice doddery old sort of humans. They probably get slaughtered by the Dorcs and he has to flee…”
I was enchanted by the cynical treatment of the publishing world. Reminded me of Edward St. Aubyn’s Lost for Words, a wonderful satire of the world of literary prizes.
The book is much darker than I initially supposed, and I regretted having praised it so highly while still in the midst of it. With the whole of it read, I would temper my enthusiasm with a warning: there be monsters here.
[…] « The Murdstone Trilogy, by Mal Peet […]
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[…] yes, science is involved–and, OK, it is fiction–nor is it fantasy, really: no Realm, no Dark Lord. But it is a delightfully silly and well written book, which made me larf. For which I am very […]
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[…] Not brilliant, but mildly entertaining. A little too too PHANTASY (according to Mal Peet’s excellent description in theMurdstone Trilogy) . Though the Dark Lord is somewhat trifling, and there is perhaps a little too much stodgy […]
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