Book Review: The Castle in the Attic

 

Along with Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three, this story was instrumental in establishing my childhood love of fantasy literature. I remember my mother reading it to me, and later reading it on my own. I loved each and every page, and not just because of the story itself. The main character was someone I identified with on several levels, the most significant being his abiding love of gymnastics (a passion of mine from age 5 until age 17).

Ten-year old William Edward Lawrence has been cared for all his life by Mrs. Eleanor Phillips, an English widow who is preparing to return home at the end of the month. Having no children of her own, as a parting gift she bequeaths to William a scaled-down, fully functional stone model of a medieval castle, complete with a figure of a knight in silver armor, that has been in her family for generations. While dreading the departure of his beloved caretaker, William is given the biggest shock of his young life. At his touch, the figure of the silver knight mysteriously comes alive and reveals an incredible story: Sir Simon (the knight) was cheated of his kingdom by an evil wizard who murdered his father and turned Sir Simon into a lead statue. Eventually, using magic stolen by Sir Simon from the wizard himself, William enters the enchanted kingdom of the Silver Knight and embarks on a quest to defeat the tyrant wizard once and for all.

In addition to my personal gymnastics aspect, William was a character who was very easy to relate to. His feelings of anger, sadness, courage and even social awkwardness are things that all children go through at some time or another. In addition, what little boy doesn't enjoy stories of knights, castles and magic?

Overall, The Castle in the Attic is a touching, poignant and very human story about the joys and sorrows of growing up. You could even say that it was my very first introduction to the classic "hero's journey" archetype so important to my later storytelling interests (Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings ect... ect...). I would highly recommend this story to any child with a love of fantasy, or an adult who wants to recapture some of that sweet, literary magic they enjoyed in their own childhoods.  

Book Review: The Greatest Knight

Sometimes in life and often completely at random, we stumble onto an item or situation that profoundly affects out tastes, mindset and even personal choices. Such a thing happened to me when I came upon the marvelous writings of Ms. Elizabeth Chadwick.

As author specializing in the Plantagenet dynasty of the Middle Ages, Chadwick crafts spellbinding tales woven through with wonderfully rich and historic detail. One day I saw her book at Barnes & Noble and decided to try it. By the end of that summer, I was completely hooked.

The Greatest Knight tells the story of William Marshal, an English-born low-ranking nobleman who won great renown through his considerable skill at arms, but also through his many years of service to nearly all the members of the royal family in the second half of the 12th century. A model of integrity and chivalrous behavior, William's steadfast character earns him as many enemies as it does friends, and multiple times he must draw on all his strength and sense of honor in order to prevail.

Chadwick draws heavily on both historical commentary and primary source material (according to her "Author's Note", William Marshal was the first Englishman about whom a secular biography was written) to create a story unparalleled in richness and beauty. One that has earned her numerous accolades from some of today's most prominent historical and literary critics.