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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I just finished rereading The Face in the Frost as part of an effort to revisit books I loved as a child, but have since started to forget. The Face in the Frost is more fantastical than most of John Bellairs' work, which is a bit funny since it's one of the only books he actually wrote for adults (his young adult fiction is SCARY). The plot centers on two old wizards, Prospero and Roger Bacon, who are forced to flee a mysterious foreboding presence and end up going on a quest through an increasingly nightmarish landscape to put a stop to it. Bellairs' wizards are neurotic, funny, and flawed, a characterization that was apparently Bellairs' response to Gandalf, who he thought "was not much of a person -- just a good guy."
I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed rereading this. Bellairs' word choice is so fun and descriptive that it made me wish I had someone to read it out loud to; I imagine it would make a great bedtime story for a child who likes spooky stories. Best of all, Bellairs is just as skilled at horror as I remembered. He's able to make something as simple as a cloak stirring in the wind or a moth blowing into a character's face so creepy it makes your skin crawl. While there are a few straight up terrifying scenes, the majority of his horror is almost environmental, like a subtle scary ambiance that grows and grows. If you enjoy ghost stories of any kind and you haven't read Bellairs, you should definitely pick up some of his books.
I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed rereading this. Bellairs' word choice is so fun and descriptive that it made me wish I had someone to read it out loud to; I imagine it would make a great bedtime story for a child who likes spooky stories. Best of all, Bellairs is just as skilled at horror as I remembered. He's able to make something as simple as a cloak stirring in the wind or a moth blowing into a character's face so creepy it makes your skin crawl. While there are a few straight up terrifying scenes, the majority of his horror is almost environmental, like a subtle scary ambiance that grows and grows. If you enjoy ghost stories of any kind and you haven't read Bellairs, you should definitely pick up some of his books.
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I adore this book and was so happy to find it just as delightful as I remembered! But, and this is a big but, I can't give a book five stars that has zero women. I might have made an exception for the Hobbit in the past but I wouldn't now so 4.5 it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Blood, Grief, Stalking, War
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a wonderfully quirky little book! I can’t help but think that this had a hand in inspiring Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, among other well known fantasies. It has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland/Phantom Tollbooth feel to it that I absolutely adore, as well. Definitely a great read and easy to see why it’s a classic.
Part of my Appendix N reading list, this book about the wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon details their response to… a menacing feeling? Maybe someone trying to harm them? It’s not exactly as clear as I would like, and their response seems sort of meandering. The final confrontation is also sort of eschewed, and lacks the impact you would expect. Not my favorite. Not unenjoyable in parts, but not really worthy of a re-read IMO.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
'The Face in the Frost' is one of those books that, when finished, made me shrug, and think "Well, that happened." Except, this book refuses to go away. I finished it Friday night and scenes keep replaying in my head. I hadn't appreciated the book when I first read it in middle school - I wanted more of his juvenile mysteries, not a fantasy pastiche. Now, I know better. Bellairs had been inspired by 'The Lord of the Rings', but wanted more humanity in his characters, and less archetypes, and so created his Prospero (not that one) and Roger Bacon (maybe that one) to run around a version of late medieval England.
The plot is simple: Bacon comes to Prospero for help in locating a book. An evil wizard starts tracking their movements and the two realize there's evil afoot. The genuine horror elements clash with the light-hearted, anachronistic fantasy, which leaves a reader off guard. You don't know what to expect.
My opinion of this is improving the more I think about it, but for the most part this still reminds me of 'Three Hearts and Three Lions' and other early modern fantasies that almost captured something, but leaves most modern readers equally entertained and nonplussed.
Despite the critical success of this book, Bellairs turned away from fantasy to focus on his successful juvenile books. The book was included on the reading list in the back of one of the early 'Dungeons and Dragons' manuals, too, which is a fun future list for me to explore. There was an unfinished sequel posthumously published in the 'Magic Mirrors' anthology that I may have to track down now, and a prequel short story was finished, but is considered lost after the anthology it was submitted to was never published.
The plot is simple: Bacon comes to Prospero for help in locating a book. An evil wizard starts tracking their movements and the two realize there's evil afoot. The genuine horror elements clash with the light-hearted, anachronistic fantasy, which leaves a reader off guard. You don't know what to expect.
My opinion of this is improving the more I think about it, but for the most part this still reminds me of 'Three Hearts and Three Lions' and other early modern fantasies that almost captured something, but leaves most modern readers equally entertained and nonplussed.
Despite the critical success of this book, Bellairs turned away from fantasy to focus on his successful juvenile books. The book was included on the reading list in the back of one of the early 'Dungeons and Dragons' manuals, too, which is a fun future list for me to explore. There was an unfinished sequel posthumously published in the 'Magic Mirrors' anthology that I may have to track down now, and a prequel short story was finished, but is considered lost after the anthology it was submitted to was never published.
V. enjoyable book. Whimsical! Scant in details and backstory, it kind of carries you along on this haphazard journey. Leaves out particulars because they're not important. It's a very present-tense book, meaning the reading stays with the character instead of wandering around to flesh out information. Quick read and delightful.
This fantasy was most enjoyable. It's not your typical warring wizards but more of a searching journey to stop an unseen evil. The author's writing is top-notch. Witty, concise but with fascinating descriptions.