Entry 138: "The Worm Ouroboros" Pt. 2 End

Dear Internet,

                Well, I suspect that you most likely think I am dead or close to it by now.  I am not sorry to disappoint you.  I am well enough alive, as far as I can tell.  I have been busy with various things.  "What?" you ask?  None of your darn business is what.  Just know that even this entry does not mean that I can begin any sort of regular posting any time soon.  So, do not get any sort of ideas stuck in a loop.  All I am here to do is to finish up my review of "The Worm Ouroborous."

                The last thing that I talked about concerning the novel was the book's language.  The book can be broken down into three different types of English language that I am sure someone can define better than I can.  The most modern type of prose comes in the book's narration, which sounds the most of what we hear today.  The second is the spoken language that the characters use when communicating between themselves.  This is filled with "thee"s, "thou"s, and "thine"s.  The third type appears when the book's characters communicate through written word.  I would liken it to somewhere between Middle English and the second type I described above.  I mention all this because with each format, a modern reader would have some deal of difficulty in reading these segments.  The third format is especially difficult to get through due to the multitude of obsolete or archaic spellings of some words.  It is not impossible by any means, but it does slow down the novel, which is one of the hurdles that the book tries to overcome.

                "The Worm Ouroborous" is a thick book, but it is below that of what you could call a doorstopper.  It, however, does not move very quickly or smoothly.  There are times that the story progresses at a rather quick pace, such as the battles and the wrestling match, but at other times, it feels like the plot grinds to a halt.  These moments, usually when focusing specifically on the Witchlanders, move slow enough that I wanted to just skim over the text.  Of course, these segments are made to add exposition to the various characters.  The novel does this in strides, making sure that every character is given at least a wading pool level of depth.  The problem is that there are too many characters that just plain do not matter yet are brought up time and time again.  I think someone even got killed in their sleep at some point, but I could not even care because they were so unimportant.  Then there are a dozen or more military figures on both sides that show up at the end of the novel for the climactic battle but are either killed off or barely given any sort of information.  The point of them being there is just to make the world seem more alive.

                This is not a bad thing completely, but it causes the book to be read more like a history novel that is trying to make sure that future historians and genealogists can use it as a primary source of information rather than a piece of fiction that is trying to amuse and beguile away a number of hours.  I am reminded of T.H. White's "The Once and Future King" and how it remembered not to boggle the reader down.  During one of the last segments White's novel, he would barely go into detail about the various knights that were about to draw upon one another, citing "Le Morte d'Arthur" if the reader wanted to know everyone's names.  It was not that the names of the knights were unimportant.  It was that going into such a length of detail would have detracted from the scene, causing it to slowdown.  "The Worm Ouroborous" does what it does because it wants to world build more than anything.

                In this respect, the book delivers on all accounts.  The book goes to great lengths to ensure that all the "t"s are crossed and the "i"s are dotted when it comes to making a world that not only functions well but is also believable.  The world in the book is one that the reader can lose themselves in very easily if they wish to.  The landscape and the history within the world are fleshed out to the point that subsequent novels could have expanded upon small segments and still be folded within this novel.  Take the matter of the kings of Witchland.  We are told of at least four kings that all share the name Gorice.  That still leaves another eight or so that can be expounded upon.  These holes made evident do not detract from the plot that is progressing within the story.  Instead they show evidence of a much larger spectrum that is at play.  While the mechanics of the magic appearing in the book is usually glossed over to the point of requesting the reader to ignore plausibility, the book knows that it is not all that important, instead using that time to set up the scene.  Compare this to "Tale of the Abyss" which would constantly spend lengths of time ensuring that the mechanics of magic are so extensively detailed and plausible that it caused any scene that even mentions "fonons" to grind to a stop so it can be explained twice over.  It is alright that magic does not get explained as long as you do not contradict yourself later on.

                Then there is of course the ending of the novel that needs to be addressed.  You can just skip reading this if you do not want to spoil yourself.  At the very end, the demons wish that they could have someone to fight against since they are for all intents and purposes bored of peace time.  Their wishes are heard by the gods who turn back the world to the beginning of the novel so the war can begin all over.  This illustrates the bloodthirsty nature of the main characters who care not for their kingdom's well being but instead for their own amusements.  In the end, the only thing that separates the demons from the Witchlanders is a sense of aristocratic pride and elitist elegance.  Both of these are characteristics that you will be hard pressed to sympathize over by the end of the story.  The demon lords care not that hundreds, nay thousands, of men and women have died in the war just fought and will die again in the one coming soon.  They are a self interest lot that are more in tune with certain beheaded heads of state than the warrior kings that the book spent depicting.  I am not sure if Eddison, the writer, wanted to depict aristocracy as being so petty or if he wanted to make a criticism of the icon of the fighting hero.  In the end, it makes for an anti-resolution ending that failed to wind me back up again as it does for the characters it contains.

                In the end, "The Worm Ouroborous" is one of those books that I like when I am done with them.  It is not that I am happy because that it is over, as one could say about a kidney stone.  Instead, the novel is one that shines best as a whole rather than in parts.  The problem with me, at least, was just slogging through it.  I just wonder if the story could have been condensed a little to save on unneeded plot elements that fell a bit like padding.  Then there are the number of characters whose names all swirl around because they are similar in spelling. I could recommend the book, but make sure you bring a notebook to make a few family tree diagrams.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

Entry 137: "The Worm Ouroboros" Pt. 1

Dear Internet,

                Now, I am as much of a fan of fantasy stories as the next person down the line.  Stories of exiled and kidnapped kings, elven folk parading across the forest, dwarves smelting alloys lost to the knowledge of man, and magic being used at the risk of the life, or very soul, of the user are tales that capture not only my own imagination but also those of many others.  There is something wonderful about a narrative that goes far into the depths of human wonder while going far off into the realms of the impossible.  A fantasy story, specifically the kind that need to create another world to be told, must remember not to weigh the reader's thoughts down but also remember to allow for some imagination to occur naturally from the information put forth.  But what does this have to do with "The Worm Ouroboros" you ask?  Well, I may be getting ahead of myself.

                I came across this book in the most shameful way possible.  I was pulled in by a praising quote printed on the cover.  I know, I know.  Being taken in by one of the cheapest tricks out there is a terribly pathetic excuse to reading a book.  For this, I should perhaps lose my critic license.  Thankfully, my critic license is already overdue for a renewal after having not blasted any piece of work as being "a detriment to society" for some time, so it does not matter much.  The only thing that I can offer in my defense is that the cover quote is from J.R.R. Tolkien, and he says "[T]he greatest and most convincing writer of 'invented worlds' that I have read."  Hopefully, Internet, you can understand why my curiosity was piqued from such a quote.  It did not help my curiosity at all that the back cover had even less to say about the book's content, instead chronicling more of the book's influences than its actual plot.  With that being said, let me try and fill in some of the holes that the cover leaves open like potholes in a back-street.

                "The Worm Ouroboros" tells of the four lords of Demonland and the kingdoms around them.  The lords Juss, Goldry Bluszco, Spitfire, and Brandoch Daha rule their kingdom of men peacefully after having finally put the final sword to the Ghouls, a race that had razed the land time and time before.  During the celebration of the birthday of Lord Juss, an ambassador from Witchland requests an audience with the court.  The lords allow the audience and welcome the ambassador in.  Once in, he delivers a message from the king of Witchland, Gorice XI.  The message dictates that the lords of Demonland swear allegiance to Gorice XI before the world and that the realm of Demonland belongs to Gorice XI.  Naturally, the rulers of Demonland are furious at this proclamation of subjugation.  They in turn give a message to the ambassador.  They challenge Gorice to a wrestling match with Lord Goldry being the representative of Demonland.  The winner would determine if a war should break out between the two kingdoms.  What occurs during the match and the events following lead to a conflict that splits the land apart.

                The book has got a few things going for itself right out of the introduction.  First and foremost is the book's language.  Having been written almost one hundred years ago, the novel is going to instantly separate itself away from modern works or even modern speech.  A good number of the words contained here are no longer spelled in the same manner.  The use of "wrastling" made me do a few double takes at first and made me wonder if the book was written a few years ago in Alabama rather than in England in 1922.  Written tics aside, there is still an eloquent use of language here.  The manners that the individuals speak reflect the fantastical setting that the book sets forth.  But the book takes one step more than just interjecting a few "doth"s and "thine"s.  A number of lyrical breaks made by the characters reciting poetry or song are written more in the manner of Chaucer than in Shakespeare.  It can be a bit subtle, but the impact is there with the much older spellings and usage.

                The language of the novel goes further with the settings and their descriptions.  The halls of kings are not the straw huts that house peasants.  Flawless marble, amethyst, jasper, pearl, and many other materials decorate the walls and ceilings.  Pillars of stone seem to make the ceiling as high as the sky while stone sculptures hold aloft support beams upon their backs.  The clothes that decorate the characters are not of low leather or tin melt plates.  They are elaborate gold stitch works that reflect the person's standing within the kingdom.  The book is not afraid to describe such rarities or even let them be.  Too many works, even fantasy genre ones, attempt to paint a drab picture where the ruling class have no wealth, no color, no beauty, and are as dirty as goats.  While I do not wish to attempt to discredit such a view, which is best left to historians to squabble about like stockbrokers, I will say one thing about such a written portrayal.  It is drab.  It is the kind of drab where the lack of luster ends up affecting any sort of extravagance that the plot wishes to showcase.  If you make a drab world with no glimmer of glamour, you make a drab story.  It is perhaps one of those Modernist inventions that try and trick the reader into thinking they enjoyed the work when they clearly did not.

                I shall leave you with this small letter for now, Internet.  I hope to write to you again, soon.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

Entry 098: "A Connecticul Yankee in King Arthur's Court" Pt. 2 End

Dear Internet,

                "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is a wonderfully whimsical book that rarely takes itself seriously.  It does on occasion do so but let me hold off on that for a second.  The novel is one of wit and humor, which should be expected from Mark Twain.  The humor comes from a number of different sources, but the bulk comes from the narrator himself, the Boss.  The Boss is a collection of silly mannerisms and thought processes that rival the simplicity that he sees in the English peasants.  For example, the very first thing that Boss does when he is given power is to make a Patent office.  Making schools and telegraph lines comes afterwards, but he wants to make sure that there is an office that can prove that he thought up the various inventions he makes.

                The Boss is a constant source of humor, usually when he himself does not realize it, which is more a showcase of Twain's ability to make a comical protagonist.  Near the end of the book, Boss must face up against a number of knights in armor riding horses.  He disposes of them one by one using nothing more than a lasso.  The image of a cowboy facing off against men in plate armor wielding lances and swords is enough to cause the work to have a surreal set up.  Just moments later, Boss is popping one left and right using side arms while the populace claim witchcraft.  Later on, the book details the final hurrah that the Boss creates when his technological empire begins to crumble beneath his feet.  We all knew it could not last considering that there are no traces of such an outlandish story being true, even within the confines of the book.  This last stand is one that would otherwise be morbid if it were not for the fact that the narrator is doing most of his plotting off the duff and nonchalantly.  His ego is what makes it so comical.

                However, the book is not entirely a barrel full of monkeys.  There are times that the book knows to pull at the reader's heartstrings.  The most notable one in my mind is one that occurs when King Arthur travels the countryside alongside Boss while in the disguise of a peasant farmer.  In their travels, Arthur sees many things that he would otherwise not.  From slavery that is an indignity against humanity to the actions of lords who act against a human, Arthur sees firsthand the kingdom that he rules.  The amount that he absorbs into his mind is questionable and can be argued to not have made much of an effect on him.  I digress, for the segment that I want to mention is the one that lies in the chapter called "The Smallpox Hut."  Within this chapter, a woman is found to be diseased by smallpox, and her family is touched by the malice as well.  She recounts her situation which has led to her abandonment by the other villagers and the clergy.  It is filled with hardship and misfortune.  The single chapter can stand on its own ability, and I recommend it to you to read it.

                Even the book's final ending of the Boss knows how to make a tragedy out of a comedy.  I have said that the narrator is a fool and is made fun of by his actions.  The book does not take him seriously nor should we.  He is a smart dumb man, if that is possible.  The fact that his downfall stems from the superstitious tendencies of the populace or at least the unwilling nature to learn the truth of science highlights the fact that he himself is unwilling to learn and remember the nature of those people.  If he was as willing to learn about the people around his as he wished for them to learn, he probably would have foreseen and prevented the eventual downfall.  But the end of the book remembers to not paint him as a one sided coin.  Even in his last moments upon his deathbed, the Boss's positive qualities are highlighted just enough to make the reader remember that even he had some good qualities about him.  In fact, nearly every character is given this treatment of well-roundedness.  King Arthur is a simpleton that does not know where vegetables come from, but he knows warfare and how to rule.  Morgan le Fey is a tyrant that knows no mercy, but she keeps a clean house.  Sandy has a way with words that never seems to end, but she has some qualities that even the narrator found admirable.  "Yankee" does not paint a picture with flat colors.  Instead it uses shades to remind the reader of the many facets of people.

                "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is an enjoyable book to say the least.  It made me laugh and cry, albeit quietly lest I come across as being weirder than I already am.  It is a book that remembers to not take itself too seriously while at the same time takes its topic as serious.  It is a rightful paradox through and through.  It entertains and provokes thought, which is essential to a book.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S Next is "K-On!" and "K-On!!"  Why in the world is this in my Backlog?

Entry 097: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" Pt. 1

Dear Internet,

                It is somewhat comical about the juxtaposition of the random cards I pick.  Ignoring the middle man of "Genocyber," which is rather recommendable even outside the context of this entry, I pulled "Stranger in a Strange Land" and then "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain.  The two books do very similar things but take two completely different roads about it and end in completely different paths, or at least I think they will since I only got half way through "Yankee" today.  But I am getting ahead of myself again.

                "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" follows the self narrative tale of a man that claims to have traveled to the days of knights and tables round.  Twain starts off with the story being not from his own hand but a manuscript from another person.  The man who narrates the tale is a factory engineer and foreman who, after receiving a blow to the head from one of his workers, was thrown back some 1300 years into the past.  There, he is captured rather passively by Sir Kay and is brought to the court of Camelot.  Sir Kay tells an elaborate story of how he had to fight off numerous wizards for hours on end and that the narrator was the last one whom Sir Kay decided to spare.  That is to say he lies.  The narrator is marked as a spell weaver and thrown into the dungeon to be burned at the stake.  He thankfully remembers one tiny bit of information concerning a total eclipse that just so happens right when he is going to be burned.  He uses this information to make the populace fear him as a powerful wizard just when the sun becomes obstructed by the moon the next day.  Afterwards, he receives a place of power next to King Arthur and is thence referred to by the title "The Boss."

                The novel is filled with satire and humor, which is expected of Mark Twain.  The characters that populate the story are some of the simplest minded individuals that you will meet.  They are like children with their level of reasoning.  They lie to one another with reckless abandon and believe another's lie just as quickly.  The tall tales that the knights brag to one another make the knights boarder somewhere between habitual liars and pathological liars.  The fact that the narrator almost was burned at the stake for one of these bragging lies shows how dangerous these lies can be.  However, the narrator comes to sympathize with them for having being ignorant rather than being stupid.  He thinks that with a little education, the lot could be made civilized to the point of the then modern America.  The joke here is that The Boss is neither more civilized than those that are around him, only more knowledgeable in the field of science.  It is even more comical when The Boss sympathizes with Morgan le Fay's choice to hang a group of poorly playing musicians.

                The book, and by proxy the narrator, knows how to make a theatrical scene.  Numerous times already, The Boss has had to go toe to toe against the book's Merlin.  The Merlin in "Yankee" is one far removed from the traditional one that we hear in our bedtime stories.  He is simply made as a charlatan witch doctor with all the trappings of a superstitious old coot.  His magic can do nothing other than make a few puff of smoke and chant some nonsense words that he believes will fix the world's problems.  The narrator is pretty much the same with the exception that what he does for the audience that views his works he does not believe to be magic because he knows it is not.  The narrator will create billowing plumes of smoke of various colors that are followed by rockets and water pumps made to illicit the fears and imaginations of the populace.  His first display of "magic" was a solar eclipse, so it is easy to see why the people are ready to believe him.  Whether or not this stems from their ignorance or because of their gullibility does not change the fact that The Boss is constantly pulling the wool over people's eyes.

                But what does all this have to do with "Stranger in a Strange Land" you ask?  It boils down to the fact that they both are a story with some outsider entering into a society with the intent of improving the society the meet.  "Stranger" had Smith, the superman with psychic powers and a penchant for half bakes philosophies that require a new breed of man to partially work.  "Yankee" has The Boss, a scientific conman that has yet to fall for his own con.  The second half of the book might prove me wrong, but the natures of the books could not be father apart.  "Stranger" plays the story straight with all seriousness under the mask of being lighthearted so that it can capture the reader unprepared.  "Yankee" is a silly science fiction tale (remember that it is a time travel story so far) that does everything tongue in cheek with a serious narrator who thinks of himself as important.  Both books want to poke holes in society through the use of a proxy society, by really talking about the society that the author is coming from.  Both books even try to tackle the topic of religion.  "Yankee" does a far better job than "Stranger" in this aspect for the standalone fact that is actually marks the Catholic Church as its target.  "Stranger" does things half heartedly with its fingers crossed behind its back when it says it is not attacking any one religion in particular when it clearly does so if one reads between the lines.  Both works have a main character that believes he is going to improve the people of those around him through the use of science.  "Yankee" admits to the futility of such an endeavor.  "Stranger" actually thinks this is possible.  This is the difference between satire and serious intent that I mentioned in my first post of "Stranger."  The difference is laughter, a laughter that "Stranger" wants to make the reader feel guilty to laugh with.  "Yankee knows that it is not only healthy to laugh but that it is right to laugh.

                And I suspect that I will laugh for some time tomorrow.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop