Invitation (Turtleback)

First he travels to the past with the Stranger where he sees the creation of the Earth and different ages through time, including a meeting with Merlin. Then he travels through the present with John Constantine, who whisks him off to New York City to have his fortune read and then to San Francisco to meet the world-famous magician Zatanna. From there, Dr. Occult takes him to visit the world of Faerie where Tim is kidnapped by Baba Yaga and the Faerie Queen tries to keep him in her court. Then Tim is on a trip to the future with Mister E, where he discovers what the future will be like if he turns to dark magic. After his whirlwind trips to the 4 realms, Tim must decide if becoming a magician is worth the price that he must pay.

This was an okay story, but nothing really spectacular happens in it. It feels like nothing happens, really, except Tim keeps going from place to place meeting new people and seeing new things. I found that I didn't really care for Tim a whole lot and I certainly had no feelings for the 4 mysterious people who took him on his journeys, but maybe they are more developed in the next story. Anyway, I am sure that the fantastic trips that Tim takes look much better in the comic book story, but they do not do as well here in this novelization. I don't even really feel like it is the author's fault, necessarily, but with other books out there about teenage wizards (such as Harry Potter), this book really pales in comparison.

Aidez d'autres clients à trouver les commentaires les plus utiles   Ce commentaire vous a-t-il été utile ?

Signaler ce commentaire

Timothy Hunter seemed like an ordinary boy, an average boy with a depressed father and a sprightly best friend. But that was until he ran into a strange man called John Constantine. Constantine reveals that Timothy is more than he appears -- he is a powerful mage, perhaps destined to be the most powerful in the world. And he's there to show Timothy the world of magic that he can choose -- if he dares.

To show Timothy this, Constantine takes him to the beginning of time, through space to the United States, to the land of Faerie, to one of many possible futures in his own life. He meets Merlin, Baba Yaga, and the queen of Faerie herself. But there are evil forces that want Timothy dead, and will chase him to the end of the universe (literally) to make sure he ends up that way.

Jablonski's novelization of the first "Book of Magic" is a competant one, neither excellent nor bad. If you've never read the comics, you'll still understand what's going on, and probably look forward to future adventures involving Timothy, Molly, Zatanna and the rest. Gaiman's dark, sometimes sinister brand of magic is well-translated into the novelization, and he includes a foreword on Jablonski's work.

The writing style is pleasant, not very descriptive but gives some good insights to Tim's thoughts. Fortunately, she never goes off-the-wall or out-of-character. The simplicity of the writing wasn't always okay; I had trouble picturing some of the characters (the only real description of Titania is "beautiful" and "green"). The characterizations are pretty well-done; Timothy in particular is well fleshed-out.

Fans of the "Books of Magic" comic series may not bother with "The Invitation," but it's definitely worth reading for both newcomers and fans.

Aidez d'autres clients à trouver les commentaires les plus utiles   Ce commentaire vous a-t-il été utile ?

Signaler ce commentaire

Jablonski does a good job of taking Gaiman's original comic book and distilling it to a novel. She strips the most overt elements of the DC universe (while Zatanna, Constantine and the Phantom Stranger are all DCU characters they aren't nearly as well-known or iconic as the likes of Superman, who made a cameo in the comic but was wisely left out of the novel). I'm curious as to whether this series is intended to follow Tim as far as the comics did, to his later teenage years in the "Hunter: The Age of Magic" series.

Unfortunately, no matter how good this series is, it'll probably be overlooked as a Harry Potter clone, even though Tim and Yo-yo predate Harry and Hedwig by at least six years by my count. If you dig Harry Potter, give the Books of Magic a fair shot.

Aidez d'autres clients à trouver les commentaires les plus utiles   Ce commentaire vous a-t-il été utile ?

Signaler ce commentaire