This past Christmas, I first heard of wunderkind Christopher Paolini. I had seen his debut novel, Eragon, at the bookstore for some time, but I never paid too much attention to it until I heard about the young author behind it. Eragon
has enjoyed incredible success and is being called the new “it” book of
children’s literature. I think that has to do with several factors
aside from the quality of the book itself. For one thing, between Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings
films, fantasy is very big right now. For another, Paolini was
fortunate in that he was in a position to self-publish and promote his
own book; if he’d had to go the traditional route he could have ended up
in a slush pile like so many other promising writers. By the time Knopf
picked up his book, the company knew that his novel would be embraced
by the public. There is also the matter of his age. When I heard he was
only 19, I was both quite impressed and duly jealous, and I was eager to
see what kind of an epic this teenager could have come up with. I’m
sure his youth has drawn the curiosity of other readers as well.
I had the opportunity to read Eragon
this past week, and while I still think it’s quite an accomplishment
for a teenager, for me it failed to live up to the accolades it
received. I know that many people have drawn comparisons between this
novel and Lord of the Rings. Avid Tolkien lover that I am, I don’t think Eragon comes anywhere close to the mastery and enchantment of Lord of the Rings, but I have no doubt Paolini was influenced by the Professor’s work.
Eragon’s name bears a striking resemblance to Aragorn, the rightful
king of Gondor, and he has more in common with Aragorn than with any
other LOTR character. He is raised primarily by someone other
than his parents and as a young man he learns that he is destined for a
position of greatness that has long been abandoned. He also has an
increasingly strong command of the Elvish language, and his relationship
with the Elven beauty Arya seems to carry the potential of an Aragorn
and Arwen-style romance. The Urgals which pursue Eragon could just as
easily be orcs. Elves and Dwarves both have similar characteristics to
their Tolkien counterparts, but then pretty much any fantasy that
includes them depicts Dwarves as gruff, short, bearded miners and Elves
as ethereal, immortal, breathtaking beings.
Brom is a wise old
man who assists Eragon in his quest and as such could be taken as
similar to Gandalf, but I think a much better comparison would be to
Obi-wan Kenobi. Indeed, the novel reminded me much more of Star Wars than Lord of the Rings.
Eragon, like Luke, is a teenager living with his uncle until a host of
unpleasant creatures attack his home while he is away, leaving him
alone. Brom’s instruction in sparring and magic is akin to Obi-wan’s
Jedi training, and Eragon’s vision of Arya is like Luke’s holographic
encounter with Leia. The role of the Dragon Riders is not unlike that of
the Jedi, and both elite groups have diminished almost to the point of
nonexistence. And, of course, there is the evil Empire and the rebel
force determined to oppose it.
Then there is the whole matter
of Eragon’s dragon. Saphira chooses to hatch while her egg is in
Eragon’s possession, and the two are immediately bonded for life. Though
Saphira cannot talk, she and Eragon communicate telepathically, and
they work together to rid Alagaesia of evil. This aspect of the novel
strongly echoes Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders, and to a lesser extent
Mercedes Lackey’s Heralds. As an aspiring writer, one of my greatest
frustrations is what literary critic Harold Bloom refers to as “the
anxiety of influence.” It seems that no matter what I write, it ends up
sounding too much like something I’ve already read to be original, even
if I am not aware of a resemblance while I am writing. I am well
acquainted with the difficulty of creating a truly unique piece of
fiction, and I don’t think it’s a hurdle Paolini has quite managed to
clear. As I read, I kept thinking the book reminded me a bit of this or
that, but at no point did it draw me in like a McCaffrey or Lackey
novel, let alone Star Wars or LOTR.
It’s a dark
tale, and while Eragon is supposed to be the hero, I didn’t find him all
that likable much of the time. It’s clear that he does have emotional
attachment to certain people and empathy for others, but his grief and
pity always lead him to the same place: rage. He spends a good portion
of the book slashing enemies. Even when we first meet him, he’s
preparing to kill a deer, though in that instance it’s for sustenance.
Still, it wasn’t the best way to win my affection. He seems hardened
even then, and throughout the novel he shows very little levity or
humor. Likewise, everyone in the book is deadly serious nearly all the
time, and when the occasional moment does arise that fills a character
with mirth, the scene is not nearly as funny for the reader as the
character. The most light-hearted character is probably Angela, the
witch who Eragon encounters about halfway through the book. The only
character with a name one might encounter today, she is modeled after
Paolini’s sister and probably shares some of her traits. But she appears
in the book too briefly to add much reprieve. As I read, I kept
thinking of J. K. Rowling’s witty narration and host of colorful
characters, of Tolkien’s jocular hobbits and idyllic locales. I felt
very little attachment to any of the characters and none to the world in
which they were situated.
I found Eragon descriptive,
well thought out, an impressive achievement for a 17-year-old… but,
ultimately, pretty boring. Will I pick up his sophomore effort?
Probably. Who knows how much his skills will have improved by then? I
doubt most of my favorite writers could have pulled off a masterpiece in
their late teens. He’s just lucky to have gotten a head start. I won’t
say that Eragon is a bad book, and I wouldn’t dissuade anyone
from reading it, but I think the praise for it has been overstated. Read
it, enjoy it, and anticipate the next volume and the possibilities it
entails. Just don’t expect the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
A Must-Have for Anyone Who Loves Winnie the Pooh
As you may have guessed by my name, I am a big fan of the bear of very
little brain known as Winnie the Pooh. So when I recently received Winnie the Pooh: A Celebration of the Silly Old Bear
as a birthday gift, I was duly delighted. I had never heard of this
book before, but it presents a wonderful history of my favorite ursine
fluff ball through informative prose and dozens of artistic renderings.
The author’s name, appropriately enough, is Christopher Robin Finch. He
confesses in the book’s Foreward that he used to believe he was
the Christopher Robin referenced in A. A. Milne’s stories. Clearly this
is someone who has a particular passion for the book’s subject, and
readers are rewarded with the rich details he provides from every step
of Pooh’s evolution.
The book is published by Disney Enterprises, so its primary concern is with Pooh’s incarnation as a Disney creation. But it does devote its early pages to a discussion of Milne’s life and work and the popularity his characters began to enjoy long before they were Disneyfied. Chapter One: In Which The Origins of Winnie the Pooh Are Discussed features photos of Milne, his famous son, and the original stuffed animals which inspired the Pooh stories. Also included are some of Ernest Shepard’s illustrations. Although Milne wrote many works for adults, his most famous stretch of writing began in 1923 with a poem called Vespers, which featured the young Christopher Robin. Next year he published the volume When We Were Very Young and used to proceeds to purchase a home near the Ashdown Forest, which would serve as the model for the Hundred Acre Wood. After watching Christopher Robin act out stories involving his beloved stuffed bear, as well as his stuffed pig and donkey, Milne allowed himself to become lost in the world of his son’s imagination. He added to the cast Rabbit and Owl, who might reasonably live in the forest, and later bought Tigger and Kanga and Roo to complete the cast of characters. One unfortunate note in all of this is the fact that Christopher Robin himself grew to resent the fact that he could not escape his fictionalized identity as the young lad in the Pooh tales. While the silly old bear and his friends brought happiness to countless people, he haunted Christopher Robin for the remainder of his life.
Chapter Two: In Which Walt Disney Becomes Involved focuses on Disney’s development of Winnie the Pooh. After finally securing the rights to Milne’s characters, Walt Disney decided to introduce them in a featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, so that American audiences could get to know them gradually. So concerned was he with the inherent Britishness of Pooh that he turned over the making of the cartoon to a team of writers and animators with no particular passion for the project in hopes that they would feel free to take liberties in Americanizing the cast. As a result, Christopher Robin sounded American and his room looked American. Most noticeably, a new character, Gopher, was introduced. The presence of this very American creature as a resident of the forest is a particularly significant alteration, though he does not appear for very much of the featurette. The final result was a great success, and the chapter goes on to detail the creation of three more featurettes: Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. These remained more true to the original and also enjoyed great success.
The third chapter focuses on each of the individual characters and their attributes, as well as information on who animated them and who provided their voices. The pages are rounded out with illustrations ranging from sketches to full-color movie cels. The fourth chapter presents each of the films, first with a synopsis and then with 20 or so pages of scenes, in various stages of completeness, from the films. The fourth chapter takes up nearly half the book and is a treasure trove of art for fans like myself. Many of the cels take up an entire page.
Finally, the book closes with a chapter about Pooh’s continued popularity. Although it is the shortest of the chapters, it provides a great deal of information on Pooh’s further adventures and the types of merchandise he has been a part of. In addition to the four featurettes, Pooh has appeared in four educational films, the Disney Channel puppetronics show Welcome to Pooh Corner, and the exceptional Saturday morning cartoon The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This show gave rise to several holiday specials, and two full-length Pooh movies – Pooh’s Grand Adventure and The Tigger Movie – appeared in 1997 and 2000. The chapter’s list of Pooh merchandise ranges from books, toys, and clothes to cookware, collectibles and games. Some of the most treasured of these items are, not surprisingly, the stuffed animals themselves, which have enjoyed numerous manifestations by a number of manufacturers from Disney and Gund to the intricate doll makers Agnes Brush and R. John Wright.
Finch leaves the readers with his thoughts on why it is that the world of Pooh is so well-loved. Simple enough for children but engaging enough for adults, idyllic with no real villains to be found, the stories transport readers and audiences to a setting of bother-free simplicity. Finch beautifully puts into words Pooh’s enduring appeal, and the oodles of information and artwork in this 176-page book make it a must-have for anyone who loves the silly old bear as much as Mr. Finch and I do.
The book is published by Disney Enterprises, so its primary concern is with Pooh’s incarnation as a Disney creation. But it does devote its early pages to a discussion of Milne’s life and work and the popularity his characters began to enjoy long before they were Disneyfied. Chapter One: In Which The Origins of Winnie the Pooh Are Discussed features photos of Milne, his famous son, and the original stuffed animals which inspired the Pooh stories. Also included are some of Ernest Shepard’s illustrations. Although Milne wrote many works for adults, his most famous stretch of writing began in 1923 with a poem called Vespers, which featured the young Christopher Robin. Next year he published the volume When We Were Very Young and used to proceeds to purchase a home near the Ashdown Forest, which would serve as the model for the Hundred Acre Wood. After watching Christopher Robin act out stories involving his beloved stuffed bear, as well as his stuffed pig and donkey, Milne allowed himself to become lost in the world of his son’s imagination. He added to the cast Rabbit and Owl, who might reasonably live in the forest, and later bought Tigger and Kanga and Roo to complete the cast of characters. One unfortunate note in all of this is the fact that Christopher Robin himself grew to resent the fact that he could not escape his fictionalized identity as the young lad in the Pooh tales. While the silly old bear and his friends brought happiness to countless people, he haunted Christopher Robin for the remainder of his life.
Chapter Two: In Which Walt Disney Becomes Involved focuses on Disney’s development of Winnie the Pooh. After finally securing the rights to Milne’s characters, Walt Disney decided to introduce them in a featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, so that American audiences could get to know them gradually. So concerned was he with the inherent Britishness of Pooh that he turned over the making of the cartoon to a team of writers and animators with no particular passion for the project in hopes that they would feel free to take liberties in Americanizing the cast. As a result, Christopher Robin sounded American and his room looked American. Most noticeably, a new character, Gopher, was introduced. The presence of this very American creature as a resident of the forest is a particularly significant alteration, though he does not appear for very much of the featurette. The final result was a great success, and the chapter goes on to detail the creation of three more featurettes: Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. These remained more true to the original and also enjoyed great success.
The third chapter focuses on each of the individual characters and their attributes, as well as information on who animated them and who provided their voices. The pages are rounded out with illustrations ranging from sketches to full-color movie cels. The fourth chapter presents each of the films, first with a synopsis and then with 20 or so pages of scenes, in various stages of completeness, from the films. The fourth chapter takes up nearly half the book and is a treasure trove of art for fans like myself. Many of the cels take up an entire page.
Finally, the book closes with a chapter about Pooh’s continued popularity. Although it is the shortest of the chapters, it provides a great deal of information on Pooh’s further adventures and the types of merchandise he has been a part of. In addition to the four featurettes, Pooh has appeared in four educational films, the Disney Channel puppetronics show Welcome to Pooh Corner, and the exceptional Saturday morning cartoon The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This show gave rise to several holiday specials, and two full-length Pooh movies – Pooh’s Grand Adventure and The Tigger Movie – appeared in 1997 and 2000. The chapter’s list of Pooh merchandise ranges from books, toys, and clothes to cookware, collectibles and games. Some of the most treasured of these items are, not surprisingly, the stuffed animals themselves, which have enjoyed numerous manifestations by a number of manufacturers from Disney and Gund to the intricate doll makers Agnes Brush and R. John Wright.
Finch leaves the readers with his thoughts on why it is that the world of Pooh is so well-loved. Simple enough for children but engaging enough for adults, idyllic with no real villains to be found, the stories transport readers and audiences to a setting of bother-free simplicity. Finch beautifully puts into words Pooh’s enduring appeal, and the oodles of information and artwork in this 176-page book make it a must-have for anyone who loves the silly old bear as much as Mr. Finch and I do.
Monday, March 22, 2004
Solitaire Clay Aiken's Solitary Best Recording to Date
The second season of American Idol introduced the new feature of
guest judges once the competition was whittled down to twelve finalists.
For the most part, these celebrities, drawn from many parts of the
music world, added little to the night’s proceedings. But once in a
while, a guest judge contributed to one of the most memorable moments in
the season. For Ruben, the most memorable guest judge encounter was
with Gladys Knight; after his smooth performance of A Whole New World,
she dubbed him “the world’s velvet teddy bear.” The moniker stuck and
became as much a Ruben trademark as the "205" he always wore. For Clay,
the encounter most emblazoned on the minds of fans was with Neil Sedaka.
After being moved to tears by Clay’s performance of his song Solitaire, Sedaka announced that he had lost the song forever to Clay Aiken.
Later that week, I visited his website to find the guestbook flooded with hundreds of messages thanking him for his appearance on American Idol and begging him to team up with Clay for an album. Solitaire became the most anticipated track on his album, and I know I was not the only one disappointed when the news came that it would not be included. After the album came out, however, I learned that the song would be released as the B-side to the Invisible single early in December. My anticipation soon turned to dismay when the day arrived to no sign of the single in stores. I soon discovered that its release had been delayed indefinitely.
By the time a new release date was announced, Invisible was no longer the A-side. Instead, the first track of the CD would now be The Way. I’m not sure what the reasoning behind this was. Perhaps Invisible had already gotten so much attention and airplay that the producers wanted people to take notice of other songs from the album. Or it could be that the softer edge of The Way was more compatible with Sedaka’s legato song than the louder, more effects-laden Invisible. Maybe fans just seem to like The Way better (I know I do; Invisible really isn’t my style of song and the lyrics are a bit creepy and stalkerish). Whatever the reason, the A-side doesn’t really matter, because the fans who so highly demanded Solitaire are obsessive enough that they already own at least one copy of the album at this point. This single is all about the B-side. So is it worth it?
When I reviewed Clay’s Measure of a Man and American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics, I observed that I was far more impressed with his tracks on the Christmas album than with his own album on the whole. A large part of the reason, I think, is that he was simply dealing with better songs on the Christmas album. There’s a reason they used the word “classics.” These tunes have stood the test of time. His performances of those carols are classy and showcase his voice extremely well. When I think of Solitaire, I again am blown away by how much better this track is than those on his album. They just don’t write songs like they used to…
Solitaire is a whopper of a track, clocking in at more than five minutes. The accompaniment is appropriately sparse and complementary; it’s hard to go wrong with the piano, and the wave of bass percussion adds a dark undertone that fits the lyrics well. One of my complaints with Clay’s version of Bridge was that it starts triumphant and maintains the tone throughout, not allowing for the gradual buildup that is so effective in the original version. When Clay does make use of such dynamics, he does so with great effect. The best example prior to this recording is his demo of Open Arms, which starts out subdued and pole-vaults into exhilarated anguish at the entrance to the chorus. Here in Solitaire, he nails the technique again, beginning quietly and with an air of detachment before launching into the first of his impassioned choruses. The crescendo reaches its height, however, towards the end, when he pulls out of a moment of whispery despair with the lengthy, agonized wailing of the song’s title. Just thinking about holding that note so long makes me giddy. This is clearly a guy with incredible breath control. And for someone who has never been in a serious romantic relationship, he certainly comes across as authentic in this sad song about a lost love once eloquently covered by Karen Carpenter.
I love everything about this recording and hope that Clay – or, possibly more to the point, his producers – decides to record more covers like this. Between demos, show performances, and concert selections, he’s sung a variety of classic songs that I’m sure would enjoy similar success as singles, or as components of a second album. Elton John’s Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Sting’s Fields of Gold, and James Taylor’s Carolina in my Mind are just a few I would love to see him do in the studio. For now, though, I’m just thrilled that the wait for Solitaire is finally over and it was worth the eleven months I had to endure since he provided that exquisite teaser on last year’s show. If you buy nothing else Clay has done, buy Solitaire. It’s his finest recording to date, and hopefully an indicator of what is to come.
Later that week, I visited his website to find the guestbook flooded with hundreds of messages thanking him for his appearance on American Idol and begging him to team up with Clay for an album. Solitaire became the most anticipated track on his album, and I know I was not the only one disappointed when the news came that it would not be included. After the album came out, however, I learned that the song would be released as the B-side to the Invisible single early in December. My anticipation soon turned to dismay when the day arrived to no sign of the single in stores. I soon discovered that its release had been delayed indefinitely.
By the time a new release date was announced, Invisible was no longer the A-side. Instead, the first track of the CD would now be The Way. I’m not sure what the reasoning behind this was. Perhaps Invisible had already gotten so much attention and airplay that the producers wanted people to take notice of other songs from the album. Or it could be that the softer edge of The Way was more compatible with Sedaka’s legato song than the louder, more effects-laden Invisible. Maybe fans just seem to like The Way better (I know I do; Invisible really isn’t my style of song and the lyrics are a bit creepy and stalkerish). Whatever the reason, the A-side doesn’t really matter, because the fans who so highly demanded Solitaire are obsessive enough that they already own at least one copy of the album at this point. This single is all about the B-side. So is it worth it?
When I reviewed Clay’s Measure of a Man and American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics, I observed that I was far more impressed with his tracks on the Christmas album than with his own album on the whole. A large part of the reason, I think, is that he was simply dealing with better songs on the Christmas album. There’s a reason they used the word “classics.” These tunes have stood the test of time. His performances of those carols are classy and showcase his voice extremely well. When I think of Solitaire, I again am blown away by how much better this track is than those on his album. They just don’t write songs like they used to…
Solitaire is a whopper of a track, clocking in at more than five minutes. The accompaniment is appropriately sparse and complementary; it’s hard to go wrong with the piano, and the wave of bass percussion adds a dark undertone that fits the lyrics well. One of my complaints with Clay’s version of Bridge was that it starts triumphant and maintains the tone throughout, not allowing for the gradual buildup that is so effective in the original version. When Clay does make use of such dynamics, he does so with great effect. The best example prior to this recording is his demo of Open Arms, which starts out subdued and pole-vaults into exhilarated anguish at the entrance to the chorus. Here in Solitaire, he nails the technique again, beginning quietly and with an air of detachment before launching into the first of his impassioned choruses. The crescendo reaches its height, however, towards the end, when he pulls out of a moment of whispery despair with the lengthy, agonized wailing of the song’s title. Just thinking about holding that note so long makes me giddy. This is clearly a guy with incredible breath control. And for someone who has never been in a serious romantic relationship, he certainly comes across as authentic in this sad song about a lost love once eloquently covered by Karen Carpenter.
I love everything about this recording and hope that Clay – or, possibly more to the point, his producers – decides to record more covers like this. Between demos, show performances, and concert selections, he’s sung a variety of classic songs that I’m sure would enjoy similar success as singles, or as components of a second album. Elton John’s Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Sting’s Fields of Gold, and James Taylor’s Carolina in my Mind are just a few I would love to see him do in the studio. For now, though, I’m just thrilled that the wait for Solitaire is finally over and it was worth the eleven months I had to endure since he provided that exquisite teaser on last year’s show. If you buy nothing else Clay has done, buy Solitaire. It’s his finest recording to date, and hopefully an indicator of what is to come.
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