Of Giants, and Beanstalks, and Unintended Consequences

Jack the Giant Slayer 
Rated PG-13
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson,  Ewn McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsen, Ewan Bremner, Ian McShane

As a family outing, we went to see Jack the Giant Slayer a little over a week ago.  I was expecting it to be an enjoyable film, but I was surprised at how well done the whole thing was.

The film is, of course, a take on the classic fairy tale, and there was a nice piece at the very end illustrating how the story in the film morphed into the story we're all familiar with today.

The basic premise is that long ago, a group of monks tried to reach Heaven by creating some magic beans.  When they climbed the beanstalk, they discovered a land between Heaven and Earth inhabited by man eating giants.  The king at the time manages to defeat the giants by forging a crown from their blood.  When he wears the crown, the giants have to do his bidding.  He sends them home.

Years pass, and the king is long dead, the giants considered to be legend. 

Cut to the present, where the evil Roderick isn't satisfied with marrying Princess Isobelle.  He wants to control the entire kingdom.  And he's found the crown and the remainder of the beans.  Only there's a priest who knows about Roderick's scheme and steals the beans.  He gives the beans to Jack in exchange for a horse, with the instructions to keep the beans away from water.  (Where have we heard that before?)

Entering the Dark Realm of the Fey

Feyland:  The Dark Realm
Anthea Sharp
Various ebook formats, $3.99 (B&N, Amazon)

It's been a while since I read a YA novel.  Not quite as long as it's been since I was YA myself, but close.  (Don't even think about asking how long that is; I'll only plead the fifth.)  But there's been some exciting writing going on in the YA world for some time now, and much of it is either science fiction or fantasy.  Since my son will soon be moving into that age bracket, I'm going to be familiarizing myself with what's out there and passing on some of my recommendations to you. 

The first of these recommendations is Feyland:  The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp.  Before I discuss the book's plot or its themes, I want to say something up front.  I have no sisters, my wife has no sisters,  we have no teenage daughters, nor have I ever been a teenage girl.  Teenage girls are some of the hardest characters in fiction for me to relate to.  I can usually relate to children or women, but teenage girls don't think like I do.  At all.  I taught high school for a couple of years, so I have spent time around them.  They just weren't on the same planet I was much of the time.  (You could argue I'm not on the same planet as most people most of the time, but that's the subject of another post.)

Why do I bring this up?  Ms. Sharp has created two distinct characters, one male and one female, and not only made me care about them but made me see the world through their very different eyes.  I had some reservations when I first agreed to review this book because I wasn't sure I would be able to relate to the teenage female character.  I'm very glad to say those reservations turned out to be completely unfounded.