The Book Report By A Bae Hel
Bear
By Julia Phillips
Do children still read fairy tales? The Disney-fication has certainly altered much of the original messaging, but the magic and hero’s journey of fairy tales remain.
Rose Red and Snow White (no relation to the one with the 7 dwarves) is the tale of two poor but happy sisters and their mother living in the woods. The girls are of course unfailingly kind and devoted to each other, and one night a bear knocks on their door seeking shelter. Being such kind girls, they befriend the bear and ultimately the magic spell is broken and the bear turned prince marries one of the girls and his brother the other and everyone lives happy ever after.
Bear, is a tale of two poor sisters and their very ill mother living in a house in the forest on a San Juan island. The girls work fairly menial jobs and have no future out on the island, taking care of their mother and trying to get through the days. One day a bear shows up on their doorstep. What follows is a tale of how fantasy can become the glue that holds you in place and together. Until it doesn’t any more. The writing is delicious. We are given more of the inner life of the one sister, Sam, and glimpses of the other through the eyes of Sam. Her inner world is rich in an imagined future based on adolescent dreams of escape. Her teenage self absorption has grown into an adult resentment of everything and everyone except her mother and sister. Her sister’s world however is grounded in the back breaking responsibility of their lives. The bear steps into this disconnection between the two sisters’ reality; the childhood magic and the utter banality of existence. The bear forces the journey out of childhood.
This is a short novel, recently published (2024) and I consumed it over two days. A strong recommendation, especially if you were a heavy fairy tale reader.
The Inevitable Ruin
Book 7 Dungeon Crawler
The Syndicate Powers have pitched 9 alien armies against the crawlers. The alien war lords pay for the privilege of entering the war and trying to capture and hold the castle. The crawlers of course, are just trying to survive another floor. The AI has escaped the controls and is the biggest threat to all life. Maybe. It’s complicated.
Each book in the series I read I am in awe at the ability to create such a complicated world. There must be flow charts on his walls to keep it all straight. Carl has developed into a complex character and even Donut the cat has some layers. Burn it all down seems like a reasonable life strategy given a world where you are subject to continual lies, cheats and indignities. Carl is the leader we need for the revolution we want.
Again, lots of gore, (his imagination for gore is also awe inspiring and more than a little disturbing) and may not be suitable for young children, but the series is very good reading and hasn’t gotten stale yet.
