The Troy Game

1939-1941

Druids Sword

The next book is actually the fourth and final book in a series. I would describe the genre as Chick Fantasy, if you'll excuse my crass. By Chick Fantasy I mean a book that includes magic and fantasy, but also big handsome guys with their shirts off on the cover, and an over-emphasis on romance. (By the way, do not Google "Chick fantasy". That's not what I meant.)

Hey, nothing wrong with a little romance- and a little centaur love, if you know what I mean. But I'm not kidding about the over-emphasis bit. No one in real life spends so much of their time brooding and pining and obsessing about the other people in their lives. And even if they do- why do I need to read 2,000 pages about it? 2,000 pages of any one thing is mind-blowingly boring. Even soap opera/chick fantasy/Harlequin romance fans probably got bored in parts of this series.

But knowing me, I read the whole damn thing. And here's why. Timeline awesomeness. The premise is pretty cool, especially in the context of my chronological book list. Here's the deal. The first book takes place in the 11th century BC and is rich in the Greek mythology of Theseus and the Minotaur as well as Troy and the establishment of what would one day become London. The key factor is that the main characters have a magical ability to reincarnate. So the second book features the same main players but reborn into the time of William the Conquerer (1035). The third book takes place in the mid-seventeenth century.

I started my timeline with Star Wars and moved quickly into ancient Eqypt and Stonehenge. So naturally I did not read this series consecutively. I read it on the heels of Homer and Dr. Who hiding in the Trojan horse. I read it side-by-side with the Doctor's version of London burning. I read it spread over years of reading other things- so, in short, long enough to forget about the characters between each book. Which sucks, because the characters are reborn each book with different names and often different personalities. Which makes it quite confusing.

There are some very cool aspects to the story. I enjoyed the transformation of Brutus to Jack Skelton. The female witches are exciting and evil for every time they swoon and lament being a victim. The use of juxtopositioning the mythological symbols and characters over the history of London into modern times mostly lived up to my expectations. But overall it was a whole lot to read for a limited payoff and the pages and pages of deliberation and anxiety with little to no action, especially in the final book which should have rocked considering the setting of the bombing of London, drove me to sleep more often than captivating my imagination. I am sure there is a hardcore audience for Ms. Douglass, but I won't be looking into her other work or recommending the Book of Troy series to anyone I know.

Maus

Mid-1930's to Winter 1944

By now I hope that most folks have at least heard of this duo of graphic novels. Maus holds the distinction of being the only comic book ever honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Briefly put, it's a re-telling of the Nazi concentration camps in which Jews are portrayed as mice and Nazis are cats. The first book is subtitled 'My Father Bleeds History'. As a title alone this is prize worthy, but it also reflects a dual storyline of the author's relationship with his father, a camp survivor, on whom the graphic novel is based on. The complexity of our relationships with our loved ones can be as hard to explain to younger generations as trying to make sense of genocide.

This book will convert anyone still underestimating the graphic novel medium as "funny books". I can't say enough about how great it is, certainly considering what's already been written and the awards it's received. 'Watchmen' may have re-invented the art form, but 'Maus' solidified it as art.

My initial reaction to both books was in no way muddled- I marked it as some of the highest rated reading material to cross my path in years. This series should be required reading. A frank and direct recollection of the concentration camps with details most people are afraid to look in the eye. And yet, the animal charactizations perfectly serve to deliver a dose of unexpected humanity to the story, and even a lot of humor in parts. Well, the kind of humor that lets the human race chuckle in even the most dire of circumstances.

My wife is neither a comic reader nor a history buff, so I knew I was asking a lot when I dropped a copy on her nightstand and encouraged her to give it a try. She read the whole thing in practically one sitting. And even said it was good! That's high praise indeed.

This book is really an autobiographical piece of non-fiction, despite the anthromorphic symbolism. It bears no relevance to my timeline concept, aside from the markings of history and the second world war, much like a lot of my readings around this era. Doesn't matter. Check my book club profiles- they list Maus as the best thing I've read in recent years- period. I don't know when is an appropriate age for youngsters to read it-there is a lot of graphic violence, all real of course. I've had this debate with friends online, and feel it's a parent's choice when and how to expose their children to some of the ugliest parts of world history, but I would guess that by middle school interested readers could be exposed, with the assistance of a parent and / or teacher.

NEXT BLOG POST: Magick and WWII collide in a pretty hardcore way.