Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Wildwood

Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book I by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis:




I had high hopes for this one, and maybe my expectations were too high. The book itself feels special - - it's slightly and endearingly undersized, and it features a charming cover by Carson Ellis. The first 100 pages or so offer a terrific fairy tale start - - a young girl sees her baby brother abducted by crows, and sets off into the mysterious forest surrounding Portland to rescue him. You can read the first 100-something pages here.

But after that fast start, the book settles in to be little more than a competent remix of elements from the Wizard of Oz and The Hobbit. Your enjoyment will probably depend on how many other fairy tales you've already read. I was hoping for a fairy tale with a hipster edge, but really the main character is just a generic fairy tale heroine in a hoodie. $11 at Amazon.

There are some cute items at the companion webstore:




And I'm definitely now a Carson Ellis fan.

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