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A review by surfpark
Beyond the Kingdoms by Chris Colfer
2.0
"Beyond the Kingdoms" attempts to weave a lot of story in a small amount of time. Colfer attempts to expand his fictional world by allowing the characters from his establish fairy tale world to also magically enter the literary worlds of other classics such as "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," "Alice in Wonderland," and "Robin Hood". As in the other books of the series, outsiders are throw into a familiar story in which they must adapt.
The best part of the book is the characterization the newly introduced characters, such as the Arthur and Peter Pan, each which plays off each of the main protagonists (Alex and Connor) nicely. As a multi-tiered adventure story, it becomes a bit confusing as the party grows and changes with the introduction of each new character. The group is on a mission to travel between various books/worlds and loses or gains characters as they progress.
The most tiring aspect of this book is the fact that the Masked Man, whom turned out to be the twins' uncle, is attempting to overtake the fairy tale world again. The stakes seem less now. Although this could be considered a continuation of the last book, it seems inevitable that Uncle Lloyd will be defeated by the efforts of all these new characters. Do we really need another army to storm the castle?
The characters from the selected books, such as Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, and Dorothy, are included to give context to the characters/books selected as other "worlds" but don't help the plot much. With an already hearty list of characters, the hand picked selections new ones are often crammed in and only serve to substitute existing characters. Trade Froggie, Goldilocks, and Jack or Peter Pan, Tin Woodman, and Arthur, and it's virtual the same character dynamic as previous books in the series. Although it is interesting to select these new worlds to visit, I cannot help but noticed Colfer's choices just happen to mirror the stories Disney had made popular through their films. He avoids any direct references to Disney or other films, and cites original text when possible (the Wicked Witch of the West for example), but he doesn't stray too far from the film canon as far as scope. I understand the book is written for a young audience, but it missed an opportunity to bring lesser known characters to life.
The biggest takeaway I get from this book is that it's attempting to cover ALL stories now, which is a difficult feat. It started with fairy tales, and has now gone onto various fantasy stories. I almost fell out of my chair when the Sisters Grimm organization attempted to link in connections to mythical creatures. The scope of this magical land is vast and all the pieces seem to fall too neatly as narrative devices to explain almost all fiction in the "real world". To take this at face value implies that "real world" has no imagination, just diluted retellings other dimensions.
"Beyond the Kingdoms" is long and slightly confusing. I'd avoid reading this unless you've read all previous volumes in the "Land of Stories" series. This is the most ambitious book so far, but is the least interesting. With so much happening, this book services as an Act II or a larger story and doesn't have a satisfying conclusion. Only the devout should bother.
The best part of the book is the characterization the newly introduced characters, such as the Arthur and Peter Pan, each which plays off each of the main protagonists (Alex and Connor) nicely. As a multi-tiered adventure story, it becomes a bit confusing as the party grows and changes with the introduction of each new character. The group is on a mission to travel between various books/worlds and loses or gains characters as they progress.
The most tiring aspect of this book is the fact that the Masked Man, whom turned out to be the twins' uncle, is attempting to overtake the fairy tale world again. The stakes seem less now. Although this could be considered a continuation of the last book, it seems inevitable that Uncle Lloyd will be defeated by the efforts of all these new characters. Do we really need another army to storm the castle?
The characters from the selected books, such as Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, and Dorothy, are included to give context to the characters/books selected as other "worlds" but don't help the plot much. With an already hearty list of characters, the hand picked selections new ones are often crammed in and only serve to substitute existing characters. Trade Froggie, Goldilocks, and Jack or Peter Pan, Tin Woodman, and Arthur, and it's virtual the same character dynamic as previous books in the series. Although it is interesting to select these new worlds to visit, I cannot help but noticed Colfer's choices just happen to mirror the stories Disney had made popular through their films. He avoids any direct references to Disney or other films, and cites original text when possible (the Wicked Witch of the West for example), but he doesn't stray too far from the film canon as far as scope. I understand the book is written for a young audience, but it missed an opportunity to bring lesser known characters to life.
The biggest takeaway I get from this book is that it's attempting to cover ALL stories now, which is a difficult feat. It started with fairy tales, and has now gone onto various fantasy stories. I almost fell out of my chair when the Sisters Grimm organization attempted to link in connections to mythical creatures. The scope of this magical land is vast and all the pieces seem to fall too neatly as narrative devices to explain almost all fiction in the "real world". To take this at face value implies that "real world" has no imagination, just diluted retellings other dimensions.
"Beyond the Kingdoms" is long and slightly confusing. I'd avoid reading this unless you've read all previous volumes in the "Land of Stories" series. This is the most ambitious book so far, but is the least interesting. With so much happening, this book services as an Act II or a larger story and doesn't have a satisfying conclusion. Only the devout should bother.