I just started Gift of Magic, Book 6 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms.
Sometimes
the only thing to do is walk opened-eyed into what is likely a trap; in
this case beyond likely seeing as the breadcrumbs leading them are
spell-fragments that, unlike most books of magic, absolutely deserves to
be tossed into the nearest white-hot bonfire. So the questions are who
is leading Ruith and Sarah on this merry chase, and which of the many black mages after Gair of Ceangail's lifework will try to kill them
first? I have a suspicion of course, and Miach's theory must be
considered as well – and there is always the horrible possibility that both are involved – but, regardless, the Nine Kingdoms will not dream easy until this family matter is put to rest.
I just finished Spellweaver, Book 5 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms.
Evil spells stolen, mysteriously called, and laid out like breadcrumbs for Ruithneadh of Ceangail and Sarah of not-where-she-thought to follow, which means either someone is leading them on like a reluctant pony, fell magic is at work, or both – and I would bet a good mug of apple-flavored ale tis the latter. Still, at least shattered souls and lost identifies have been reassembled and found, nine of ten required princess have been danced with, and Sarah told who she was to the king of the elves who thankfully approves of her. Elves do shapechange, by the way, and so do horses – the latter of which is very useful when escaping a lunatic queen. Now I just hope a certain archmage's suspicion is unfounded but, alas, he has not been wrong yet.
"Gather Day/The Harper's Glass" from the Dragonriders of Pern series by the honored Anne McCaffrey. The lyrics are, of course, written by Anne McCaffrey. I merely used AI to provide the music and generate the image.
Umberto Eco, author of the amazing historical mystery The Name of the Rose and who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:
"It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones."
"There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion. If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice!
"Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity."
The Rose Field, the third and final volume of Sir Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust trilogy, comes out this autumn. News which, in the world I thought I would live in, I should be celebrating with fireworks. But instead it brings back all the pain that prompted me to write the October 3rd 2019 post I have re-posted below the video.
I will add here, however, that in hindsight it seems I was right. The Book of Dust trilogy is popular because, well, how could it not be, yet when I remember my reading of La Belle Sauvage and read reviews of The Secret Commonwealth, most seem to agree that while Pullman's skill has not diminished... the magic of His Dark Materials is gone, making The Book of Dust trilogy more like a Fantasy thriller. I have accidentally learned things about The Secret Commonwealth,
which I cannot include as they would be spoilers, that I simply cannot
reconcile with the Lyra Silvertongue I know and love to the end of my
soul. Nor, from a strictly plot-line standpoint, the event of The Book of Dust with His Dark Materials.
People say The Book of Dust trilogy is simply a more adult book, showing the pains of maturity as Lyra grows up. I REJECT that. Utterly. Coming of Age stories are all but inseparable from Fantasy literature, so I know from vast experience that you need not sacrifice the magic to do so. Rather, seems that Pullman has let his freely admitted more cynical, closer to despair outlook on life and our world leak into Lyra and hers.
The details behind most of this are, again, in the re-post below the video announcing The Rose Field. But I also want to say, again, how painful this all is for me as a reader. His Dark Materials was the first book that broke my heart; I slept fitfully for a week after finishing and could not even look at it for years afterwards. THAT is how much Lyra means to me, so please remember that as you read forward. (Even writing this post is painful.)
The Book of Dust
was like a myth, like a fabled mist-shrouded castle one endlessly walks
towards yet never reaches nor even sees clearly. For over a decade
nearly all we heard was that Sir Philip Pullman was "working on it,"
this message updated/rephrased every few years or so. We heard that he
hoped for it to come out in 2016, yet the year passed without a word.
Then, in 2017 after over a decade of agonized waiting, we learned that The Book of Dust would be not one book but three that that the first volume, La Belle Sauvage, would be coming out that year. We
all exploded with joy. Both when we heard the news and doubly so when
we finally got our hands on the book that had been the pot of gold at
the end of a rainbow. (And did we ever find rain.) NowThe Secret Commonwealth, volume two of The Book of Dust series has come.
Why all the solemnity as opposed to excitement? Because... I NEVER thought I would EVER even THINK about saying this, but I am
not sure that I will be able to read this. Not sure that I will be able to continue with The Book of
Dust😭
Frankly, I cannot picture Lyra as ANY kind of cynic. Remember, that we did NOT,
actually, leave her at the end of The Amber Spyglass but rather in the
mini-sequel Lyra's Oxford – which took place two years later. How could
five years have changed her so much? Yes, I know and recall full well how His Dark Materials ended and have visited the wooden bench at the back of the Oxford Botanic Garden. But I also recall Lyra's Oxford and how it ended. How we saw that Lyra
had grown into a mature young woman who was still the Lyra Silvertongue
we love. Older yes, matured
as I said, clearly grown-up from the wild girl we knew and tempered by
the heartbreak she endured, yet she was nobody who Pan of
all entities would call a pessimist. Hence my belief that it is Pullman, rather than Lyra, who changed 🙁That Pullman gradually lost touch with her because I do not see how five years could
have so changed the young woman we left at the end of the appropriately
named Lyra's Oxford. Recall how when La Belle Sauvage
came out Sir Philip Pullman said that the collective Book of Dust
series could be called "His Darker Materials" and that, as an author,
"I’ve got older and perhaps more cynical, closer to despair...It is a
darker book, I don’t deny that, but that’s the story that came to me and
wanted to be told.” Recall how I thought that La Belle Sauvage made little contextual sense seeing as the political/general situation was nowhere near that bad in The Golden Compass. If it was then Lyra would have been kidnapped or killed years ago while running wild around Oxford. Indeed,
the impression was not that the world was falling apart, nor was Lord
Asriel a wanted man to the same degree. Recall that he was able to walk
into and out of Oxford in The Golden Compass without the same life-threatening hassle as in La Belle Sauvage. Recall how I previously posted about an article
which revealed that, tragically, the great Philip Pullman is descending
into a very dark, cynical, place and I, for one, have always viewed
cynicism as merely a more sophisticated form of surrender; for cynics
still fight for what they believe in – but they no longer truly believe.
And how that selfsame article noted that "Pullman
is famously an atheist, although he explores myth, legend and magic in
all his writing and will do so particularly in the next book [of Dust],
which sees Lyra losing her sense of magic as an adult and will be called
The Secret Commonwealth."
"I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone," says Philip Pullman. "I’m just trying to stop myself going mad."
Hence I believe that, grievously, Sir Philip Pullman is dragging Lyra Silvertongue down with him 😔As a writer of an as-yet unpublished yet complete Fantasy series – while I am not fool enough to compare myself or work with Pullman –
I do know what it means to truly create a living world with heartfelt
characters. I learned during my writing that the mind of an author is
linked with those of their characters and the world they live, but also that that
link can be broken. Broken or warped if the mind of an author changes.
As stated above, Pullman himself said "I’ve got older and perhaps more cynical, closer to despair...It is a
darker book, I don’t deny that, but that’s the story that came to me and
wanted to be told.” Now look that the link (here it is again) that I provided above and read the extract from The Secret Commonwealth. Add that with the also aforesaid plot-line inconsistencies of La Belle Sauvage with His Dark Materials, and I see an author whose mind is in a very different place from where it was when he wrote Lyra's Oxford. I see that, over the over ten years it has taken him to finally produce The Book of Dust, his mind has fundamentally changed from the man who wrote Lyra into existence. He, by his own words, is "perhaps more cynical, closer to despair" and hence The Book of Dust reflects that altered state of mind; reflects and projects it onto Lyra, thus resulting in a distorted reflection of her.
"Lyra
just came to me entire and complete, I didn’t consciously make her up
with a list of attributes. But I had been a teacher for about 12 years
working with children of her age and there were lots of Lyras - in every
classroom in the country there is a Lyra or two. Or three. She’s a very
ordinary child and that’s the point about her. If she’s unusual it’s in
her capacity to feel affection, which she does very readily and very
warmly." – Philip Pullman
THIS is the Philip Pullman who wrote His Dark Materials
and Lyra the Beloved. THIS is a man whom I think would look
upon his older self with concern.
I know all this may sound dramatic, but Lyra has a very special place my
heart. She was the first and only book character whose sacrifice
tormented my dreams for days –
literately. I could not even look at the books for years without
feeling a deep stab of grief. And I say all this with confidence
because, as any passionate reader knows, the bond, the link, between the
minds of reader and book-character is no less great and heartfelt that
that between character and author. Like the author, we laugh and cheer
and cry with them, knowing then as friends so close that they may as
well be extended family. Finally, for all those who read this and want to throw that tired retort "We all get more cynical as we get older" line at me, then permit me to quickly nip that dark and thorny rose in the bud: "For
myself, I find I become less cynical rather than more--remembering my
own sins and follies; and realize that men's hearts are not often as bad
as their acts, and very seldom as bad as their words." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Cynicism masquerades as
wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn
anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of
the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us." -
Stephen Colbert
"A cynic is not merely one who reads
bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed
in the future." - Sydney J. Harris "Cynicism isn't smarter, it's only safer. There's nothing fluffy about optimism." - Jewel Kitcher "The greater part of the truth is always hidden, in regions out of the reach of cynicism." - J. R. R. Tolkien
I just started Spellweaver, Book 5 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms.
Evil
spells stolen and mysteriously called, evil brothers to contend with,
and a mage who is just plain evil, plus a rescue mission. Which means
Ruith will need to accomplish the fourth first if he wants any hope of
dealing with the first three and walking away with both his magic and
heart intact. Of course, both he and Sarah will have to come to terms
with themselves and their families if they are to prevent the very and
blessedly dead Gair of Ceangail's lifework from killing them and
everyone they love.
(While I usually never start the next book of a series mere moments after finishing the previous, the ending of A Tapestry of Spells required no less. Which, I might add, is why I enjoy Lynn Kurland's Romantasy. Because the evil spells, regular split-second twists, and the threat of all encompassing doom keeps the blood pumping. Ah, young love...)
I have finished A Tapestry of Spells, Book 4 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms.
Sarah of Doire would get along quite well with Morgan, falling for men full of magic and secrets and disliking each rather intensely. Of course, Ruithneadh of Ceangail's secrets were far worse than Miach's but, that little detail aside, the foul life of Gair, Black Mage of Ceangail, continues to haunt the Nine Kingdoms and his surviving family as obviously others beside Lothar are after his cursed works. Still, at least I got the timeline straight: A Tapestry of Spells ending roughly in the middle of Princess of the Sword, Book 3 of the original trilogy. Here's hoping Ruith and Sarah get themselves out of this little pickle, or a good deal more will end.
My father and I have for the second time finished Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones.
Diana
Wynne Jones: Mistress of the Multiverse and Lady of Endless Surprises –
whom I put second only to J.R.R. Tolkien himself. I know this sounds
absurd, but her wit, skill, and pure genius can even go beyond Tolkien
and J.K. Rowling at times. Read my Hidden Gems page to see my full-blown praise of her,
but even this time Dad was - who after so many years had forgotten the
key plot points - was raving about how Jones is "Shakespearean in her
genius!"
Do NOT let the seeming simplicity of her writing style or plots deceive you. As much as Hexwood, in Archer's Goon nothing is as it appears and Jones is ALWAYS not one but thirteen steps ahead of you, ready with surprises that will leave you flapping your jaw in astonishment as you try to wrap your head around the latest twist.
Romantic Fantasy, or Romantasy as it is called these
days, is generally not my cup of tea, so it takes an especially gripping
one to bring me aboard. Or in this case, bring me back as I have just
started A Tapestry of Spells, Book 4 of Lynn Kurland's Novels of the Nine Kingdoms and the beginnings of its second trilogy that seems to be a sequel/companion to the first.
Two years ago this series caught and pulled me along with its ceaseless, heartfelt action, so while I of course hope to see Morgan and Miach again, I am doubly looking forward to getting to know and journeying with Sarah of Doire and Ruithneadh of Ceangail. A soul-shattering journey no doubt, filled with ruthless revelations and dark magics capable of rending the Nine Kingdoms, as the past will always find a person even as they defend the future. Particularly if the source of the evil is one's own family.
"The
Dragonkin Legacy by Ian E.S. Adler is an epic fantasy adventure that
blends historical fiction with mythical elements. I loved the
world-building and the intense action. The narrative style was perfect
to keep the pace of the story, keep the attention of readers on the
plot, and complement the development of the characters. Adler’s vivid
descriptions bring the world of Cynnahu to life, making it easy for
readers to immerse themselves in the story. I loved how the story
explored topics like the consequences of war and how it affects
countless lives. While the plot is intricate and involves numerous
subplots, Adler ties everything together in a satisfying conclusion. The
storytelling is both rich and immersive, drawing readers into a world
that is as enchanting as it is dangerous. Each member of the Team of
Five is well-crafted, with distinct personalities and arcs that evolve
as the narrative unfolds. Sakura’s quest for vengeance adds a raw
emotional edge, while Myrriden’s struggles with fatherhood and duty
provide a clear contrast. Was there ever a moment in the story that felt
lacking? Never! The ending was perfect and made me love the story more.
Highly recommended!" - Rabia Tanveer (starred review for Readers'
Favorite)
"A
fantasy novel replete with magic, lore, and epic stakes, The Last War
by Ian E.S. Adler is a classic questing adventure in the richly imagined
world of Nim-Semalf. The Order of mages and the entire archipelago
they protect faces invasion by the naga, catapulting five unlikely
companions into the fiery crucible of destiny. Amidst ancient riddles,
embattled dragon shrines, fearless storm swords, and the mysterious
motives of Archmages, the fast-moving plot is enthralling, as is this
new realm taking shape before readers' eyes. Built on an elaborate
mythology and supported by a classic fantasy plot of ultimate victory
vs. complete annihilation, this first book in The Cynnahu Saga is a
knockout start to a new series." - Self-Publishing Review (SPR) (starred review)
"Adler has built a complex and detailed fantasy world full of adventure and excitement that keeps readers turning the pages.
The author provides explanations of what people perform in their jobs
that go along with their titles, such as Dragon Guardians, Isle Masters,
Loremasters, and Mages, to name a few. A strong and ideal cast of
characters who are dealing with grief, sacrifice, tricky interactions,
and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds populate the story. The
characters also undertake risks, whether it is being involved in battles
where magic plays a part or in trying to overcome outside forces and
internal challenges when it comes to solving the secret code in ancient
writings... The Last War is a gripping fantasy story that pulls
readers into a magical world with nonstop action and suspense that
revolves around an armed confrontation of epic proportions." - Feathered Quill Reviews
"Adler
created a rich and imaginative world populated with interesting and
well-developed characters encompassing the depth of their history and
mythology. Fans of the fantasy genre will be enthralled by the level
of detail and visual delights that bring this story to life, pulling
the reader right into the action...focus[ing] not only on war and action
but the wisdom and strategy the young characters, Emrys and Sakura,
must face when solving puzzles and challenges. The author invests much
of the narration with dialogue, creating a colorful plot and development
throughout the book. This technique gives the characters more dimension
so that we understand their motives, while the storyline never falters
and will keep you turning one page after the next. While this
action-packed, strategic tale follows what many readers may find to be a
familiar fantasy storyline, it's a rich, vibrant tale with unique
characters and a fantastic world will keep you looking forward to the
next installment." - Literary Titan (starred review and winner of the Literary Titan Book Award)
I have finished Orphan's Quest, the first of Terry Ironwood's The Great Forget Series
and, as the author requested, now give it an Official Book Review. (And
if it seems like I read it surprisingly swiftly, well, the book being
only 99 pages may have had something to do with that.)
Talk about a whirlwind! Epic Fantasy in the classic tradition is my bread and butter, as is said, yet I am used to them being epic in length as well. So while many could reasonably argue Orphan's Quest would benefit from many more words and pages, it did not waste a single one that was there: Instantly drawing one into the life and plight of the young orphan Chip in the Kingdom of Vanalon where all young men are sworn to defend humankind and which happens to be ruled by a fat idiot of a king. Thanks goodness for Queen Charlotte and Princess Eleanor! A very readable book, the pages seemed to turn of their own accord as the weapons master Garth Stone imparted his wisdom – "Everything you want is on the other side of fear" and "self-disciple is freedom" – are my favorites, while watching Grand Wizard Xander handle fools brought instant smiles. Ah yes, and the battle scenes. A reviewer of my own The Last War once said "that every battle-scarred vista becomes cinematically real in the reader’s mind", so I now take great pleasure is saying the same thing of Terry Ironwood's Orphan's Quest. Chip's journey to the Pass of Death and battles against the demons were like watching a film in my head, flowing swift and clear as the Rocky River. In short, if you are looking for Epic Fantasy of the classic tradition that is actually (instead of comparatively) short then you will likely find a home in Terry Ironwood's The Great Forget Series.
(P.S. If you, dear reader, are an author/publisher and reading this review makes you want to ask me for a review too then PLEASE read my Contact Me? page.)
At the author's request I have started Orphan's Quest, the first of Terry Ironwood's The Great Forget Series.
An
orphan with untold power. A wise wizard. A princess who is thankfully
far brighter than her idiot brother and father, and an ancient evil
rising. Sounds like a classic Epic Fantasy in the Tolkien tradition,
which, by the way, is exactly what Ironwood says it is (both in the
intro to the book and to me personally), which makes it hard to resist.
Yet I foresee more than a few surprises since the back cover begins with "Long ago, a mysterious event known as The Great Forget ravaged Earth. Magic was born." The Great Forget. Now if that does not invite mysteries and revelations by the dozen I do not know what does.
(Naturally the Official Book Review will come after I finish the book.)
"Fantasy can provide us with simple entertainment and escapism, but it goes deeper than that. It provides different perspectives, explores themes such as the power of friendship, love, and honour, evokes a sense of wonder, lets us partake in adventures we can only dream about, and teaches us valuable truths to apply in our own lives. More importantly, it allows us to imagine." - Terry Ironwood
"It is the duty of those with power to protect those without." - Sòng Méi
I finished Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White, the second book of the Song of the Last Kingdom Duology by Amélie Wen Zhao.
"Yin
and yang. Good and evil. Great and terrible. Two sides of the same
coin, Lián'ér, and somewhere in the center of it all lies power. The
solution is to find the balance between them," once said Dé’zì,
grandmaster of School of the White Pines. A balance Lan and Zen,
creation and ruin, found on the razor-thin, razor-sharp, path between
Demon Gods and Elantian colonizers, past and present, love and hate,
morality and necessity, truth and lies, betrayal and reunification. A
race along that devastating path to a battle where foes hereditary and
foreign clashed that returned the Four to the sky and made the Last
Kingdom what it was meant to be all along: A land of Ten Thousand
Flowers. Though the price, as I feared, was high.
All marking the end
of an absolutely stellar and original Fantasy that has all the
breathtaking elegance, beauty, heart, and cultural distinction of
Chinese calligraphy. So much so that I felt it ended too quickly, for
there was so much more of the Last Kingdom to see, to say nothing of the
lands beyond the Emaran Desert and across the Sea of Heavenly Radiance. More to learn about practitioning, metalwork magic, and the Clans and gods and other entities who populate this amazing world. I can only only hope for a sequel someday, for even as gods have endings so does that lead to new beginnings. In the meantime though, for this ending, I can only now offer the same salute as given to the legendary heroes who once walked the lakes and rivers of the Last Kingdom:
Kingdom before live, honor into death Sòng
Lián & Xan Temurezen (may the red thread of fate forever bind you), Yeshin Nora Dilaya, Shàn'jūn & Chó Tài, Master Nur,
Nameless Master, and all the Clans who fought a won a land where your
differing customs and heritages can be celebrated in peace and
freedom.
"Blood draws more blood. Power desires more power. A vicious cycle cannot be broken. Unless it is destroyed." - Xan Alatüi, First Shaman of the Eternal Sky and the Great Earth, Classic of Gods and Demons
Saturday, March 29, 2025
News gathers into a gale in the sails of the red ship. Not the four winds, but the fifth.
It is no secret that song
and poetry are close cousins; indeed, song is effectively rhyming poetry
that has been put, or was made to fit, music. That being said, poets,
novelists, playwrights, singers, and musicians have different names for a
reason. No one would call Taylor Swift a poet, for example, anymore
than they would call Sir Arthur Conon Doyle a singer.
But are the boundaries between song and literature so firm?
William
Shakespeare is called "the Bard" due to his masterful plays which are
weddings between stellar stories and sophisticated yet simultaneously
evocative wording. A union of skill so great that Early Modern English
is also called Shakespearean English. What I am getting at, however, is
his title: Bard. In ancient times Celtic bards were poets, musicians,
and storytellers whose sacred task was the preservation history,
mythology, and genealogies through oral tradition. Bards often served as
advisors to kings and chiefs, using their poetry and music to praise or
satirize rulers, ensuring their influence in society. Poets, musicians,
and storytellers. All three. Alas, the Bardic profession died long ago.
Yet some authors keep it alive by writing songs for their books while
some musicians and singers do the same by playing those songs or making
songs out of time-honored poems.
“There
was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the
Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they
were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them,
propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he
was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few
together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part
of the mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of
their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they
came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
Any who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
know that J.R.R. Tolkien designates many pages to song. Whereas other
authors typically write something along the lines of "_______ sung a
song telling the realm's founder and founding" along with maybe a few
lyrics, Tolkien actually writes and includes in full the songs his
characters sing. Better yet, he wrote songs in the Elvish language he
invented.
Remember
that Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon
and a Fellow of Pembroke College, both at the University of Oxford.
Which in regular English means a renowned scholar and professor. One who
poured his love, his fascination and delight with and of languages into
his legendarium - his songs and languages bringing Middle-earth to life
almost as much the story itself.
Thus it is that more modern singers have brought his songs to life, or created ones of their own: such as I See Fire - a song written by Ed Sheeran for end credits of one of The Hobbit movies and, here, performed by the internationally acclaimed Grammy-nominated all-female Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman.
Where
music and literature meet is a harmonious place indeed, and other
authors have also created songs and verses for their works, two examples
being Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey.
Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock" and is part his novel Through the Looking-Glass, sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"It
seems very pretty," she said when she had finished it, "but it's rather
hard to understand!" (You see she didn't like to confess, even to
herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.) "Somehow it seems to
fill my head with ideas—only I don't exactly know what they are!
However, somebody killed something: that's clear, at any rate." - Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
Jabberwocky is considered one of the greatest nonsense poems written in English, for it gave English the words "chortle" and "galumphing." That is correct, these two words did not exist until Lewis Carroll made them up for Jabberwocky. Like riddles, I consider Nonsense verse
a sadly ignored poetic form in education - which is odd seeing how
titanic, influential and beloved a literary figure Dr. Seuss is. It
fosters creativity while challenges the writers and readers alike to
make sense of the playful, whimsical language.
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