genre: graphic novel/non-fiction
This mixed-genre graphic novel is about the lives of and relationship between the authors of The Chronicles of Narnia books and The Lord of the Rings. I already had some background knowledge (though not much) but I learned a lot here as well. I truly was intrigued by their early lives and experiences in the Great War, and while this book doesn't get gratuitously gorey, it doesn't shy away from the horror either.
What I loved most though, was the way that this book teaches us about STORY - the power of story and myth and fantasy and how these genres morphed during the careers of these two men. I found the "portals" (a bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure device) to actually be both clever and informative.
I bought this for my sons, who are twelve, but neither of them was that into it enough to finish it. I think if maybe if it wasn't so text heavy in between the graphic novel sections, it might have pulled them in better, but again, I found those sections to be just as engaging. There is a lot about faith and the way that Lewis's faith journey impacted both his writing and his way of seeing the world. The ending of this book was so tender to me that I actually got a little teary! I think in terms of explaining the impact of these two authors and the way that they each impacted each other - that made this a really good read for me.
If you like unique narrative formats and have a tenderness for either these particular authors or any of their (in my opinion, astonishingly good) books, I do truly recommend this one. The time I spent reading it was time well spent.
No comments:
Post a Comment