by Patrick Ogle
House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a worthy start, beyond worthy in fact, to a new fantasy series. There is SO much to love about this book.
The main character is a sort of apparatchik, a bureaucrat....but he is also, kind and brave and decent. I won't give away too much plot but the book mostly takes place at an orphanage for ...special....children. You may hear comparisons to "Harry Potter" but that is just because there are children and a bit of magic. I think this has more in common with books by Christopher Moore than JK Rowling. I also wonder about why this is called "young adult" fiction. How much young adult fiction that you know of has main characters that are middle aged men? It has kids in it ...so BAM, it is "young adult." That is just marketing and probably smart marketing.
Klune is also known as a writer who focuses on LGBTQ characters and issues. There are many metaphors here that are obviously relate to the tribulations of the community, past and present. But these also apply to the neurologically divergent, political and religious dissenters....etc...There is a whiff of Orwell in the book but it is a kinder, gentler version and it works wonderfully.
There are gay characters in this book. Good and bad. The fact they are gay is really neither here nor there in the context of this world. Everyone accepts them and their sexuality isn't an issue. It is a subtle, clever bit of writing. For years whenever a LGBTQ character appeared in a book or movie they were either comic relief or the book/movie was about how they SUFFERED. It seemed to imply that all they had in their lives was hardship (this is also true of black folks in film and publishing to some extent). There is something to be said for just telling a story where characters HAPPEN to be LGBTQ--even when the plot of the book is something of a metaphor.
But I prattle on, this is a lovely book with a wonderful heart and a ton of memorable characters. I wish I had discovered Klune earlier. One of the reviews I saw of this book said that it was a "feel good book about the Anti-Christ" and there is a great deal of truth in that.
House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a worthy start, beyond worthy in fact, to a new fantasy series. There is SO much to love about this book.
The main character is a sort of apparatchik, a bureaucrat....but he is also, kind and brave and decent. I won't give away too much plot but the book mostly takes place at an orphanage for ...special....children. You may hear comparisons to "Harry Potter" but that is just because there are children and a bit of magic. I think this has more in common with books by Christopher Moore than JK Rowling. I also wonder about why this is called "young adult" fiction. How much young adult fiction that you know of has main characters that are middle aged men? It has kids in it ...so BAM, it is "young adult." That is just marketing and probably smart marketing.
Klune is also known as a writer who focuses on LGBTQ characters and issues. There are many metaphors here that are obviously relate to the tribulations of the community, past and present. But these also apply to the neurologically divergent, political and religious dissenters....etc...There is a whiff of Orwell in the book but it is a kinder, gentler version and it works wonderfully.
There are gay characters in this book. Good and bad. The fact they are gay is really neither here nor there in the context of this world. Everyone accepts them and their sexuality isn't an issue. It is a subtle, clever bit of writing. For years whenever a LGBTQ character appeared in a book or movie they were either comic relief or the book/movie was about how they SUFFERED. It seemed to imply that all they had in their lives was hardship (this is also true of black folks in film and publishing to some extent). There is something to be said for just telling a story where characters HAPPEN to be LGBTQ--even when the plot of the book is something of a metaphor.
But I prattle on, this is a lovely book with a wonderful heart and a ton of memorable characters. I wish I had discovered Klune earlier. One of the reviews I saw of this book said that it was a "feel good book about the Anti-Christ" and there is a great deal of truth in that.
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