Are You in The Mood for Both Escapism and Realism? These Novels Should Bridge That Gap

Portal fantasy is a genre that bridges the gap between reality world and a fantasy world. Stephen King recently had written a portal fantasy called “Fairy Tale”, about a teenage boy from our world finding the portal to a fantasy world. Portal fantasy is a popular genre, and even major bestsellers are arguably portal fantasy like “Harry Potter”.  Portal fantasy bridges the gap between real and fantasy world and allows the reader to feel that gap close. Here are some portal fantasy novels worth reading.

“Magic Kingdom For Sale – Sold!” by Terry Brooks – Terry Brooks is better known for his “Shannara” series of fantasy novels, but after he wrote his first trilogy in that series, he switched to more humorous fantasy novels. Thus, he wrote the “Landover” series, a series of portal novels about a lawyer named Ben Holiday who buys a magic kingdom out of a catalogue. At first, he thinks it’s a joke, but then he discovers it’s a real place, and finds a court wizard, a talking dog and a beautiful green woman who may not be entirely human. This book is a fun introduction to the portal fantasy genre.

“A Yankee in King Arthurs Court” by Mark Twain – One of the earliest examples of portal fantasy, A Yankee in King Arthurs Court follows an engineer from Connecticut as he falls into a portal which transfers him to another time at Warwick Castle in medieval London. This book has the great wit of Mark Twain, to boot, and is a great example of an early portal fantasy novel.

“Neverwhere” By Neil Gaiman – Neil Gaiman’s portal fantasy novel “Neverwhere” is the story of an ordinary man named Richard, who has a promising career in front of him in banking. However, one day, while going on a walk to meet his boss, he ends up meeting a girl named Door, who is hurt on the sidewalk. When he loses her, he follows her into an underground London world that challenges everything he thought he knew. His whole perception of reality is turned upside down.

“The Magicians” by Lev Grossman – Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” is often considered “Harry Potter” for adults. Quienten, a normal teenager from Brooklyn, is whisked away to a magical school with his friends. On the day he is supposed to interview for Princeton, he is instead transported to Brakebills, a school for magic. What follows is an adult variation on “Harry Potter”, where the older characters indulge in sex, drugs and other more adult pursuits. Grossman’s novel is a hoot for readers who grew up with more kid flare like “Harry Potter” but still want their magical schools.

“The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub – Stephen King and Peter Straub are two legends of the horror novel world. When they got together to write a book, however, they wrote a portal fantasy novel. When Jack Sawyer, a young boy whose mother is dying, finds a portal into a fantasy world where he is told if he finds a talisman, he can cure his mother. What follows is considered one of the best books of both horror legends.

“Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch – Much like Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere”, Black Crouch’s “Dark Matters” starts with a normal man walking down the street. He’s going to spend a quiet evening with his wife and kid. However, that all shatters when a man he never met before holds him at gunpoint. To make matters worse, the man and mysterious group inject him with a mysterious drug, and he ends up going between parallel universes, meeting different versions of himself. This is one psychedelic novel.

So, these are some good examples of portal fantasy, a genre which bridges the gap between our world and a fantasy world. So, if you want to read something that can make you feel like you could be two places at once, in our world and in a fantasy realm, these books are a good choice for you.

Author Spotlight: Mark Twain

 

For today’s author spotlight, we are going back to 1800s, to the father of American literature. Mark Twain is a name you probably know, even if you never read any of his books, and you might ask yourself if you should read his books considering how long ago, they were? Well, you defiantly should. Mark Twain is my favorite of the older authors I have read, and all-American literature owes a great debt to this all-American genius. Mark Twain, who’s real name was Samuel Clemons, has written some of the most iconic books of all times. Capturing both the nature of his time in American history, while upholding issues America still deals with even to this very day, Twain is one of the great and most iconic forefathers of American books. Here are some books and stories worth reading if you want to get into the world of Mark Twain.

The Adventures of Tom Swayer – One of Twain’s most iconic books, this 1876 book is simply about a boy named Tom Swayer and his friends, including another iconic character, Huckleberry Finn. Tom Swayer is an orphan who lives his Aunt Polly, in Missouri. While living with his aunt, he gets into all sorts of mischief, including running away to the woods with his friends, trying to impress his crush, Becky, and tricking unsuspecting neighbour kids into doing his chores. This includes the iconic scene where he tricks the kids into painting that white fence. Tom Swayer was one of the first books to be written in an American dialect, something Twain is known for. Also, according to Twain himself, the first novel ever to be written on a typewriter.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – The most iconic book of Twain’s bibliography, the 1884 novel is considered by some scholars and readers to be the best American novel ever written. Huckleberry Finn is a trouble making boy, who runs away from his guardian, and starts rafting the Mississippi river. While on the run from both his guardian, and his abusive alcoholic father who comes back to town, Finn meets a runaway slave named Jim. This leads to an unlikely friendship, as the two unite against trouble on the riverfront, all the while Huckleberry Finn must confront his prejudges himself and see Jim as a person. Does Huckleberry sell out his new friend to a slave owner or does he continue their journey to freedom? To this day, the book is controversial for his expensive use of the N word. However, this book was controversial in its day for its anti-racism message. Hemingway himself would say “all American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn.”

 

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – A fantasy adventure novel, Twain deals with time travel in this comedy. A Yankee engineer, named Hank Morgan, from Connecticut suffers a blow to the head and is transported through space and time back to England, during King Arthur’s rule. After some confusion, Hank realizes he had time travelled and starts to cause mischief in England during the rule of King Arthur. This includes becoming a ravel of Marlin, who he quickly realizes is a fraud, and gaining the trust of King Arthur. However, he also starts to see how the common people during this era were treated and is disguised by it. While this book is a time travel novel, it also pokes fun at the modern era during which Twain’s writing took place.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County – One of Twain’s most famous short stories, the story takes place as a flashback. The narrator is sent to interview an old man, Simon, who might know the location of an old acquaintance named Leonidas. While there, he finds the man at an old mining camp. While the narrator is sent to find the location of Leonidas, he instead tells the man a truly off the topic story about a frog everyone was betting on. Everyone in Calaveras County bets on a found frog and if the frog was going to jump or not. The story goes on for a while, and while by modern standards, this story might sound plain, it’s one of Twain’s funniest stories. The story is included in an 1867 collection called “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches”.

 Extracts from Adam’s Dairy - One of my favorite Mark Twain stories, the story is narrated by Adam himself, as he is introduced to this new creature, Eve, and how annoying he finds her at first. He tries to figure out what exactly Eve is. Is she a fish, a kangaroo or a bear? However, as the story progresses, he finds out Eve is a human like himself. A long short story, at 89 pages, Extracts from Adam’s Dairy is well worth reading for Twain’s unique take on the biblical story.

The Prince and the Pauper – Yet another example of Twain’s fascination with class and times past, The Prince and the Pauper is the story of Tom Canty, a young boy living in England during 1547. During a royal event, he meets Edward Tutor, who is the prince of Wales. Edward invites Tom to his royal quarters, and they get to know each other. The two boys notice they look alike and decide to switch clothes and switch each other’s lives. While they are exploring each other’s lives, they find there are both good and bad to being rich and poor. Class and society were a constant theme in Twain’s works, and this is yet another example of a work that explores this. This is also the first attempt Twain made at historical fiction, but the same themes he has in all of his works is still present.

These are some works to start with to explore the world of Mark Twain. Twain is one of the greatest and most influential writers of all times. It would be fair to say that American storytelling would not exist without Mark Twain’s giant contribution to writing. It’s well worth checking out.

 

 

Author Spotlight: Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks is the king of accessible fantasy. Many current day fantasy authors cite Brooks as their gateway to the fantasy genre when they were kids. Despite a mixed reception of his work, as some critics have accused Brooks of lifting many plot points and character types from Tolkien, many readers still have affection for his work. Brooks is a great way for a first time reader to get into fantasy. So here’s a beginners guide to Terry Brooks.

The Sword of Shannara - Brooks’s first book, the 1977 The Sword of Shannara, is notable for being the first fantasy novel to be a bestseller since The Lord of the Rings. Before The Sword of Shannara came out, fantasy was considered to be a dying genre. The story of Flick and Shea, living in a quiet valley of Shady Valley, they have their world turned upside down when druid Allanon shows up to inform them of their dynasty. Shea is adopted, and doesn’t know much about his past. However, Allanon informs Shea that he is the one heir to the Shannara dynasty and is the only one who can yield the infamous Sword of Shannara against a dangerous warlord. Thus Flick and Shea put together a merry band of men and go on a quest to find the magical sword. This would lead to Brooks’s longest running series, the Shannara chronicles. 

The Word and Void Trilogy - Starting with Running With the Demon, Brooks’s 1997 novel, this trilogy would become one of Brooks’s most acclaimed works. The story of Nest Freeman, a teenage girl, meets a man named John Ross, who is plagued by nightmares of a dystopian future. He comes to Nest Freeman’s town to warn her she has powers she does not yet understand. This leads to a massive battle between good and evil. This trilogy is considered by many publications to be one of the best fantasy series of the modern era.

Landover - One of Brooks’s more humorous series, starting with Magic King For Sale - Sold, his 1986 series, this 6 book series follows Ben Holiday, a unhappy lawyer in Chicago who one day gets a mysterious catalogue in the mail, telling him they are selling a magic kingdom. Believing the catalogue to be a joke, he goes ahead and buys the magic kingdom. Next thing he knows, he is whisked away to a magic world, Landover, which includes a wizard, a talking dog and a mysterious green woman named Willow, who he falls for. This series is a fun adventure filled series, while at the same time, a spoof of fantasy convictions of the very gerne Brooks writes for.

Street Freaks - A rare science fiction novel by Brooks, this 2018 novel is about a boy named Ashton Collins who is left behind by  his father and is forced onto the streets of a future dystopian Los Angeles. He finds a group of teens, who are outcasts, and discovers a life he never knew. As he settles into life with this new found family, he has to unveil the mystery of why his father left him behind.

These are some of Terry Brooks’s novels to start with. I think of his novels as fantasy adventure novels, as they are jam packed with action and move very fast. If you want to read fantasy, but don’t want Tolken-ish descriptions that tend to go on for a while, Brooks is a good choice. His works are page turners, and he writes a lot of books in a series. The Shannara series alone has 30+ books. So, he’s a good choice for a fun fantasy novel.

Other Magic Schools Besides Hogwarts: Un-Problematic Alternatives to "Harry Potter"

 J.K. Rowling’s reputation has taken a hit over the last couple of years. Going from one of the most beloved authors of a generation to a problematic transphobic author, as you can see by her tweets and the the internet’s reaction to her transphobic thoughts, one has to wonder if one can still read “Harry Potter'', knowing that Rowling is so problematic towards the trans community. I believe you can still read “Harry Potter,” as one needs to often separate the artist from the art. However, if you are uncomfortable reading “Harry Potter '' due to J.K. Rowling’s views, here are some unproblematic alternatives.

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan is one of the most obvious alternatives. Percy Jackson is about a boy who discovers he’s a half god and heads off a magic camp for other kids like him. The book is also notable for having a main character having ADHD and dyslexia. Disability inclusion is also something worth noting, and often isn’t talked about enough in literature circles, and this series has that going for it. Also, Riordan is considered one of the most beloved authors in the children’s author community, who has defended the LGBTQ+ community through his various tweets.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger is notable for having a female lead in this fantasy series. Sophia is a normal girl who discovers she is an elf, and is thrown into a magical world she didn’t know about. This series is very Harry Potter-ish, but it’s still a good read. With 11 books, this fast paced series should keep kids reading for a while. And like Hogwarts, the characters all attend a magic school themselves, called FoxFire. 

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is yet another female led series, this one being a trilogy. The story is about a girl named Lara, who discovers a whole kidnapping ring when her friend disappears. This story takes place in an alternative universe where kids have magical animals attached to them. She quickly starts to uncover the conspiracies around this magical world. Pullman’s trilogy is also a good introduction to a subgenre of fantasy called Steampunk, which focuses on alternative worlds that have Victorian scenery mixed with modern technology. It’s a cool thing for younger readers to get into.

Eragon by Christoper Paolini is about a boy named Eragon who finds a magic blue stone in the forest, and soon discovers it’s a dragon egg. This leads him into a magical adventure. The book was self published in 2002 by a then 18 year old Paolini, and became a bestselling sensation. A lot of literary critics have called this series Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars, and have cited it as a good read for younger readers with the magic of a Harry Potter like series. 

Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell will be recognizable to anyone who read her novel, Fangirl. Fangirl was about a girl who writes fanfiction of a fictional Harry Potter knock off called Simon Snow and gains a following online, while also dealing with her first year of college. Rowell decided to make this character real, and wrote an actual novel about Simon Snow. Snow isn’t only the chosen one at a magic school, but Rowell adds the twist of inclusion of making Simon Snow bisexual. So, already, this book has good inclusion. Also, on a side note, Rowell is one of the best romantic comedy writers I’ve read recently. Her stories are very witty and very real.

These are good alternatives to Harry Potter. Whether you want something truly magical, or something that is more inclusive, these books should be a good choice for you. While the legacy of “Harry Potter'' will probably go untarnished as a classic of the fantasy genre, it’s also worth noting that if you want to read other books in that genre, these books are good alternatives, and are by authors who support all communities.

Nerdy Novels To Read For Non-Nerds

 

Nerd culture has become mainstream in the last dozen years. From Harry Potter to The Big Bang Theory, un-cool is the new cool. So, what if you want to know about nerd culture? A great way to start understanding it is to read novels that explore this subculture. Here are some great novels to read that explore nerd culture.

The Short Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is a novel which explores the life of uber nerd Oscar de Leon, and his quest for love and acceptance. Jam packed with references to nerdy things like actual books, anime, and television shows, Oscar Wao is one of the nerdiest books I have ever read. It’s also a brilliant representation of not just nerd culture but American and Domeian culture as well. Even more interesting is if you don’t understand the references presented in this book, the author supplies cliff notes to explain the book further. This novel is a brilliant read, and won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Ready Player One by Ernst Cline is basically what it would be like if Seth MacFarlane wrote a cyberpunk novel. Packed with 80s references, this cyberspace adventure takes place in a future where everyone is addicted to a visual reality game called OASIS. Wade, a nerdy guy, finds solace from his everyday life in this game. However, when a competition is put out by the company which runs OASIS, he finds more than he thought he would. He finds friends, a love interest and a mystery that unlocks the past of the game’s mysterious creator. He also finds that maybe real life isn’t so bad.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is about a girl named Cath who writes fanfiction on the internet. She is also starting her first year of college with her twin sister, Wren. She writes fanfiction based on her favorite fantasy book series, Simon Snow (an obvious play on Harry Potter). While she does this, she gets a following online, and continues to post more and more chapters. However, as she continues to write, she gets a first boyfriend, a couple more friends and starts to find life beyond her nerdy comforts.

The Rosie Project by Gaeme Simon askes the question: what if Sheldon Cooper starred in his own rom-com? Don Tilman is a professor, who decides it’s finally time for him to find a wife. However, being a nerd and being on the autism spectrum, he isn’t sure where to start. He creates his own questionnaire, and starts a research targeted approach called “the wife project”. He meets a bartender named Rosie, introduced to him by his friend, Gene. However, he finds true love isn’t as simple as filling out a scientific questionnaire. 

It by Stephen King is taking a darker turn here than the lighter novels I just mentioned above. However, it is still about the un-cool kids, and still has a special place in nerd culture, as shown by how much it influenced the uber nerdy Netflix show, Stranger Things. The characters, a group of kids who call themselves the losers, have to battle a mysterious supernatural clown who they blame for all the problems that befall their town of Castle Rock. 

Friendroid by M.M. Vaughan is a middle grade novel, but it’s still a great guide to nerd culture. It is the story of a kid named Danny, who isn’t popular at school. He meets a good looking kid named Eric, who’s new at school. He’s a bit shocked Eric wants to be his friend, and can’t quite figure out why. Who would want to be friends with a nerd like him? As he digs deeper, the novel takes a Stranger Things-like turn as Danny starts to suspect Eric and his parents are actually robots. 

So there are some novels you can read about nerd culture, which aren’t just nerdy, but actually about nerds. There’s a clear difference between simply nerdy books and books actually about nerds. A lot of nerdy books are actually about people who aren’t nerds, like wizards and warriors. However, these books are about people who are actually nerds. So, if you want to know more about nerd culture from nerds themselves, these are good novels to start with.

Author Spotlight: Kurt Vonnegut Jr

 

Kurt Vonnegut Jr is one of the great authors of the second half of the 20th century. While he might not be as well known to younger audiences today, they are missing a treasure trove of great writing. He was an anti war activist, who held a liberal worldview and was an important figure in the counterculture in the 60s, 70s and 80s. His writing was unusual in prose and scope. Other authors, including John Irving, have cited Kurt Vonnegut as an influence and mentor. Where to start with the offbeat world of Kurt Vonnegut Jr? Here’s a beginner’s guide to reading Kurt Vonnegut.

Slaughterhouse Five is Kurt Vonnegut’s most iconic novel. Published in 1963, an anti war themed novel, it follows a character named Billy Pilgrim, who keeps flashing back to his survival during the bombing of Dresden, Germany. It’s simply not a straight flashback novel, though. Billy Pilgrim experiences time travel, meeting aliens, and going back and forth between different eras. This all makes the reader question what is real and what is fantasy. What is in Billy Pilgrim’s mind and what isn’t. However, the undercurrent of the novel can’t be denied. This is one of the best anti war novels ever written. 

Breakfast of Champions is Vonnegut’s 1973 novel which follows the events that lead up to the meeting between Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut’s iconic recurring character. Hoover is a wealthy businessman who is slowly going insane and Kilgore Trout is a struggling science fiction writer. What follows is a story of two characters who are struggling in their own unusual ways, all told in Vonnegut’s unusual style of writing. There’s even a cameo from Vonnegut himself, talking to his characters. It’s worth a read, as it’s quite a trip.

Mother Night is Vonnegut’s 1962 novel about a Nazi living in New York City. It is framed as the memoir of Howard W. Campbell who is waiting for his trial for crimes as a Nazi propagandist. As he waits for his trial, he flashes back on his entire life. However, he is also a double agent for the United States in the impending world war. Once again, war is a big theme in a Vonnegut book, and the book has an anti war tone to it. 

Vonnegut wrote over 14 novels overall, as well as short story collections, non-fiction and plays. However, these three books I just mentioned are his most iconic. Vonnegut is worth a read, and should not be forgotten in time. He is one of the greatest American writers.

"Split Image" Is Two Novels In One

 

The late Robert B. Parker was one of America’s greatest mystery writers. He wrote in the tradition of Raymond Chandler, with quirky private eyes, sparkling dialogue and dry humor. In one of his last novels, “Split Image”, Parker pairs up two of his characters, Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone. They are both working on separate cases, as Sunny Randall is solving two murders at once, and Jesse Stone is trying to get a kid out of a weird cult. They both throughout the novel, report to eachother how their cases are going. They also start to see sparks fly, as they are both detectives who have things in common.

As usual, the book is fast paced with short chapters, and tons of dialogue. Parker sometimes had so much dialogue in his books that it shortens the amount of words on the page. This makes the pages fly by faster. Parker writes great sparkling dialogue, with a very dry wit. The mystery almost seems secondary to the characters and dialogue, but there is a mystery. In this case, two mysteries. Something James Patterson does a lot in his books. It can seem at times that Parker had two books that were too short, and threw them together. He saw an opportunity to not only throw these two plots together, but pair up two of his characters as well. 

The only thing that might link up the two mysteries was the weird amount of sex talk in these two cases. The two murders were linked to a pair of married twins who slept around, and the cult case was linked to a coverup of young girls being forced to sleep with the elders of the cult. At times, the sex talk in this novel got to be a bit much. Like too much. However, sometimes mysteries need a lurid detail to make them interesting. Plus, this one was a  romance between Randall and Stone, so I got it to an extent. There was also a subplot about Stone and Randall trying to figure out why their marriages didn’t work, and this is the novel’s connection to the Spencer universe, as Sunny Randall’s therapist is Susan, Spencer’s girlfriend.

All in all, “Split Image” is about what you would expect from a Robert B. Parker novel. Not bad, if a bit forgettable. The mysteries in Parker’s novels always felt secondary to his very good characters, and that’s not a bad thing. Parker was a master at the quirky dialogue and memorable characters, and used the mystery genre as a way to move his formula along.