Otherworld Wednesday: Kingkiller

Ok, so here's the thing about Patrick Rothfuss--he has off-the-charts world-building powers.  I mean, seriously, all of his countries have histories and languages and folk heroes, and his laws of magic--don't even get me started.  I have never read a series with a more explainable means of magic.  And hey, the archive doesn't hurt either.  The books are told in epic flashbacks from gifted young magician Kvothe as he grows from an idyllic life traveling the roads with his artistic parents to a time in the future where he becomes infamous by ...well, I don't want to ruin it for you.

So, start with the first book The Name of the Wind where you get to know Kvothe, and go from there.  But be warned in case you're a Westeros fan--if you're angry with George RR for making you wait for more GoT books, you may be similarly upset with Rothfuss.  Word is, he auctions off his writing time for fundraisers.


How to Commemorate

• Keep iron on-hand.
• Sing a song, play an instrument, or act out a story.
• Climb onto a rooftop (bonus points for being barefoot).

Works Cited    

The Name of the Wind

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Point Home

“All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken." 

-From Thomas Wolfe.  Of Time and the River: a legend of man’s hunger in his youth

How to Commemorate

• Go to sea.
• Walk along walls and fences, fields and hollows.
• Love someone you have forsaken.

Works Cited    

Of Time and the River

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The Robinson family gets lost in space aboard the Jupiter 2 (Oct 16, 1997)

After Star Trek, Lost in Space was one of the most influential sci-fi shows of the century--and no, not just because it gave us “Danger, Will Robinson!” Though that’s awesome.  The show took the tale of Robinson Crusoe--time-tested trope of an adventurer waaay off course--added a family and a flying saucer and tossed the whole thing up into space.

One of the things that sets the story apart from others of the time is that the crew kept their antagonist around.  Dr Smith was only supposed to be in the first episode or so, but they kept him on, which I (and others in the LIS-verse) think added great dimension and kept the show from being too nicey-nice like Star Trek could sometimes be.  Plus, it made a great role for Gary Oldman when the series was rebooted into a movie in 1998. With my favorite robot of all time.

How to Commemorate

• Get lost.
• Identify “Danger! Danger!”
• Alliterate all day long (my fictionally fervent fool!).

*In the TV series, the Jupiter 2 launches on Oct 16, 1997, but the movie had the launch date as Oct 1, 2058.

Works Cited    

Lost in Space (movie)

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Works Cited    

Lost in Space (TV show)

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Other World Wednesday: Silbrica (the Darwen Arkwright series)

Darwen Arkwright is an eleven-year-old boy who is orphaned in modern-day England and is sent to live with his aunt in Atlanta (perhaps the least-magical city I’ve ever visited.). But he finds that the mirror in his closet is an entryway to a magical land called Silbrica where dangerous creatures ride motorbikes and try to capture children.  Forces within Silbrica are searching for something in our world, though, and only Darwen and his friends can stop them.

I first read this book when I was on the committee for a state-wide literature award.  The book can feel a little forced at points, but by the end it had totally evolved into its own unique story and I was cheering the characters. I also especially applaud the author’s handling of Darwen’s parents and their participation in his current story.  See, it’s because they… but I won’t tell you that.  You’ll have to read it for yourself.

How to Commemorate

• Buy a mirror.
• Drink cold tea with a huge soggy teabag in it.
• Go to the mall and look for magical creatures.

Works Cited    

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley

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Happy Birthday to twins Hallie and Annie! (October 11)

Hallie and Annie met at a prestigious summer camp, and they became immediate rivals even though they looked exactly like each other (and had equally matched fencing skills).  Finally, their hoaxes and hi-jinks went too far, and the camp isolated them in their own cabin.  That’s where they learned (duh, duh, DUH!) that they were actually identical twin sisters.  Clinching the case was the fact that they were both born on October 11^th.  …And that picture of their parents, but whatever.

 

How to Commemorate

• Dress like someone’s identical twin.
• Pull a prank on someone.
• Swap places with someone. Just for a day.  Don’t be creepy.

Works Cited    

The Parent Trap (1998)

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The Parent Trap (1961) (in case you’re hard core and want to see the version where the dad smokes all the time)

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