Anasasi Boys

Anasasi Boys, written by Neil Gaiman, is an epic fantasy novel that tastefully incorporates African myths into a contemporary setting. The story introduces us to the life of Charlie (and more menacingly named Fat Charlie by his father), a downtrodden Londoner who leads an exceptionally unenthusiastic life. One day, he hears of his father’s death in Florida, which halts him to make plans for his wedding with Rosie, which he has already had hesitations about. He travels to Florida and discovers that his father is actually an incarnation of the West African spider god, Anasasi - and his powers have been passed down to his kindlings. However, Charlie has not inherited any of his father’s power; this leads to the discovery of his other brother, a confident and incredibly charming man named Spider who is the complete opposite of Charlie.

Spider proceeds to make quite the mess of Charlie’s life - from impersonating Charlie at work, and having an affair with his life, Charlie’s problems only exacerbate when his boss, Grahame Coates, frames Charlie for embezzlement. Charlie, enraged and bitter towards Spider and the turn of events, seeks help from ancient gods who are similar to his father. However, none agree to help except for Bird Woman, who concedes to helping him expel Spider in exchange for Anasasi’s bloodline. The plot escalates into Charlie and Spider fighting, the emergence of Grahame Coates and his murder of Maeve Livingstone, and Tiger, Anasasi’s longtime enemy, who seeks to kill both Spider and Charlie. Ultimately, Spider and Charlie pair up to defeat Tiger, and Charlie discovers his powers in the form of storytelling to alter reality. The story ends with Charlie becoming confident in his own abilities and himself, and both Spider and Charlie lead their lives with mutual harmony.

Anasasi Boys was an incredibly enjoyable read; the myths that Gaiman incorporated in the story are tastefully reinvented, and although Gaiman has used the myths for his own purposes, he the true nature of the myths are not undermined by his own fictional writing. The myth was made relevant to the contemporary world by incorporating African deities into the story - for example, Anasasi is the actual African god of tricks, and Anasis’s son in Anasis Boys reflect that trait.

Night Circus

After reading Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, it is no wonder why the novel is acclaimed as a derivative of the world renowned novels of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. Moregnstern writes in a fantastically imaginative manner , and her descriptions of the circus and the environment that the reader finds themselves in is nothing short of magical. Also, I enjoyed the incorporations of romance in that wasn’t overly contrived or forced - perhaps cliche, but ultimately the Night Circus proves to be more than just a romance. It makes the reader reflect on their own free will and the choices that one might make to be free of control.

Night Circus tells the story of two magicians, Celia and Marco, who are obligated to perform a perpetual duel to the death from a twisted agreement made by their caretakers years before. They must outperform each other in terms of creating new and fantastical creations for the circus - this proves to be an enormous strain on the both of them, as their magic is not only the complete opposite (Celia’s is alive and spontaneous, where Marco’s magic stems from academia), but the two begin to fall in love despite their fates.

Marco’s girlfriend, Isobel, discovers that Marco is in love with Celia - and out of revenge, removes the spell that tempers the Night Circus. The peace of the Night Circus becomes open to danger, and creates a number of horrible events such as the owner of the Night Circus accidentally killing an innocent clockmaker. Horrified, Celia begs for the game to end - but her caretaker tells her that the game can only end if either Marco or herself die. Marco is prepared to kill himself as well; however, Celia discovers that she can remove herself and Marco from the threads of reality and live in the world of ghosts, where both of them practice free will for the first time and are no longer destined to duel one another. The story closes with a happy-ending-after, where Marco and Celia watch over the Night Circus together, forever.

The moral complexities I saw present throughout Night Circus included the theme of free will; Celia and Marco don’t have any, because if they refuse to duel one another, they will lose and die. However, it was a nice touch by the author to allow the both of them to live by sacrificing themselves to help the Night Circus, and gain control of their own lives.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit, written by the J.R.R. Tolkien, is the prequel to the epic fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit follows the protagonist Bilbo Baggins, who leaves his comfortable life in the Shire behind and into a journey of a world filled with adventure and peril. Bilbo is accompanied by the extremely powerful wizard, Gandalf, and the company of treasure-loving dwarves. Thorin, the leader among the dwarves, seeks to not only reclaim his lost treasure, but his kingdom, which has long since been lost to Smaug the dragon…

The novel reflects many elements of the classic journey of the hero: while Bilbo Baggins is well into his adulthood, he holds the physical qualities characteristic of a child. Bilbo is also content with his quaint and peaceful lifestyle in the Shire. However, Gandalf sets him on a path to an adventure that will forever change Bilbo’s life. In the course of the book, Bilbo follows archetypes and elements of what is typically seen in the hero’s journey. The supernatural aid throughout Bilbo’s story is Gandalf, who helps him and the dwarves at the most dire of times. The magic flight includes the eagles, who help Bilbo when they are nearly trapped by the goblins and in the battle of the five armies.

However, there are also aspects of The Hobbit that do not fit for Bilbo Baggins’ journey. This includes the master of the two worlds. Bilbo is not necessarily a strong individual; it is his wits and cleverness that help him through many events, and because of his stature. Bilbo never really becomes a god-like figure throughout the novel either. He is a rather ordinary individual. Perhaps most admirably of all is while Bilbo matures in The Hobbit, by the end of the book his personality is the same as it has always been. The strife he has faced has not changed him for good.

Black Maria

Black Maria, or Aunt Maria for American audiences, written by Diana Wynne Jones, certainly challenges the norms and stereotypes labeled on not just witches, but women in novels. The novel begins with two children who are sent off by their mother to visit their relative aunt Maria, who is not a witch in the stereotypical sense - no, she does not incorporate magic in the way we all think of when we hear that word - for example, J.K. Rowling’s idea of spells is completely different from the way Diana Wynne Jones portrays witches. Rather, Mig and Chris eventually come to realize that the sweet, teddy-bear appearance of their aunt is actually a powerful and villainous matriarchal witch who controls the village of Cranbury-on-Sea and its inhabitants.

The gender roles in Black Maria is perhaps the most eye-opening revelation of this novel; rather than the women being suppressed, the men of Cranbury are nothing more than zombies, who are expectant to the manipulations of the women who live there. However, the men are not the only ones oppressed by Aunt Maria’s awful regime; the women are also expected to play a certain role, disconcerting Mig, the main character, as she does not want to be treated any differently or better. Mig and Chris’s relationship dissipates throughout the course of the novel as a result of these gender roles - Chris is suspicious of Mig’s actions, and believes her to be like their aunt. The themes in this book practically are begging for recognition.

Ultimately, I’d like to think that Diana Wynne Jones was challenging the viewer’s perception of their own stereotypes and our own expectations that have been taught to us ever since we were born; the roles of women and men, and how society is still a dominantly male controlled environment. Although it improves each day, I believe she wrote this not to undermine men (Aunt Maria is not necessarily someone you look up to…), but to reassert her belief that the true power is equality.

The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door, written by Jack Ketchum, does not just evoke weirdness. It is genuinely terrifying. I recently learned that the book was written on true events, which is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of his novel. One would believe that such events could never happen in today’s world. But Ketchum’s novel is a bitter reminder that the weird and the crazies are still out there, looming over and threatening the pace humanity has managed to achieve, if ever so slightly. Ketchum’s novel is loosely based off the murder of Sylvia Likens in 1965 - while the book is disturbing, it is not nearly as shocking as the true events that claimed Likens life.

I found myself questioning whether or not it was morally right to be writing a novel based off such a horrendous atrocity. However, I came to realize that events of a horrible nature are quite often the basis of many novels – Jack the Ripper, for example, was adapted into the musical, Jekyll and Hyde. Perhaps I do not feel any moral affliction with the musical in the same way I felt for the novel because the events were from long ago. I cannot criticize someone else for wanting to base off creative work from true events, even if it verges on tasteless. It also brings recognition to the case, which I think is important.

There were many examples throughout the book that were weird… the torturing of Meg, the hapless and uncaring nature of Ruth and her appalling actions. Although it was a difficult book to read, I am grateful for the awareness it has brought into my life, and I certainly think it is important for others to read as well.

J-Horror: Asian Supernatural Narratives

The first I heard of Battle Royale, I was thirteen years old and incredibly invested in the world of manga and anime. Perhaps it was the brutally disturbing aesthetic that drew me to reading a manga I knew I shouldn’t have at that age, but I was on the Internet and naïve and compelled to read the story, from start to finish. Needless to say, I was deeply disturbed by what I had read – saw, and proceeded to shove down all the horror I felt as I read it throughout the next couple of years. I came across the manga again a few years later. It sparked my interest, and I delved into its Wikipedia page to discover that not only was there a manga, but a film (I haven’t bothered), and novel! What was most surprising to me, was that the novel had come before the manga. Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale, is much more substantial in its novel form. While the manga is visually disturbing and enjoyable to read, the book is considerably more brutal because the reader actually gets to follow the characters and their intentions throughout the story. The book is much more psychologically and emotionally driven as well, compared to both the manga and the film.

As an avid horror fan, Japan’s horror genre does feel different than what Western’s portrayal of horror is. Personally, while I’ve enjoyed many Western horrors, such as The Exorcist, The Babadook, and It Follows, Asian horror is much more subdued and in-your-face about terrifying its audience than the Western horror. A perfect example of this is Pulse (Kairo). There is a scene where a man watches a woman in an incredibly awkward position twitch ever so slightly. The music creates an eerie atmosphere that is only heightened when the viewer is forced to watch this slow and uncomfortable event take place. In Western films, patience is most certainly not a virtue. The ambiguity of the scene is what makes it so scary – there is a churning evil beneath the surface, but it is never revealed so explicitly. The audience is forced to endure the evil until the bitter end.