This is the second in a series of five books, but can be read without having read the first novel. It involves a young boy who is the seventh son of a seventh son, and on his eleventh birthday discovers he has magical powers, being the last of the Old Ones, servants of the Light…
“The Father Christmas Letters” is a collection of letters and accompanying pictures written by JRR Tolkien for his children. Of course it is traditional in many countries for children to write letters to Father Christmas, but Tolkien’s children were lucky enough to receive letters back. (What a great dad Tolkien must have been, with so…
Once upon a time There was a castle, a palace, a kingdom There was a beautiful princess, a handsome prince There was a king and queen, wicked, or benign A wizard counsellor, a fairy godmother A dark forest, a magical tower A witch, an elf, a dwarf Mystical creatures and charmed artifacts Once upon a…
“Cat People” is a fantasy/horror B movie, directed by Jacques Tourneur. It is one of the films of the period produced by Val Lewton, who has become well-known for his production of these types of films that are a cut above the quality of this sort of film. While “Cat People” has many flaws, it…
And so I lie upon my bed Having adventures inside my head Making up stories where I’m the star Who loves and is loved both near and far Who carries on in the face of death Who keeps on fighting til my last breath Who wins the day and slays the beast Is guest of…
“Piranesi” is a novel about a House, with no end, and no exit. The main character, referred to as Piranesi (though this is not his name) lives in the House, and is alone except for one other living person and thirteen dead ones. The story is told through a series of journal entries he makes.…
When I was a kid, we read books by the author AA Milne, “Winnie the Pooh”, “The house at Pooh Corner”, “When we were very young” and “Now we are six”. Disney currently owns the rights to Winnie the Pooh and friends, so many youngsters these days might be more familiar with the characters via…
Book Two of the ‘Duncton Chronicles’ trilogy follows the son of the main characters Bracken and Rebecca from the first book, Tryfan. It describes a violent struggle between two warring factions, the moles who follow the Stone, revering the standing stones near their dwellings, and the moles of the Word, a heretical cult that wants…
I have been a reader and lover of Tolkien’s work since I was a child, so when the first film came out I remember a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Excitement to see his masterpiece on the big screen, apprehension that it might be as big a mess as the animated attempt in 1978. Thankfully,…
Recently I finished watching a fantasy tv series called “Carnival Row”. It was heavily influenced by themes of racism, the plight of refugees, slavery and even genocide. I was surprised to learn it had been criticised for this, with some people insisting that such ‘politics’ had no place in a fantasy story. However this is…
Eclectic Assemblage 