oyceter. Rushdie, Salman - Haroun and the Sea of Stories

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Haroun's father Rashid is known as the Shah of Blah for the stories he tells (I forgot the more flattering nickname), but one day, Haroun's mom leaves them, and Rashid loses his ability to tell stories. As Haroun tries to figure out what happened, he soon finds himself in a magical land where there is a very real threat to the Ocean of Stories.

I keep feeling like I should have loved this, but I didn't. It's very much like classic children's fantasy, with a lot of wordplay and punning and silly yet pragmatic creatures (or pragmatic yet silly), and it reminds me a lot of The Phantom Tollbooth. I also felt I should have loved it because I loved China Mieville's Un Lun Dun. I'm not sure; maybe on a reread, I will love this too.

Part of it may be that I'm missing many of the references Rushdie is riffing off of (though I caught the Mudra one!), and part of it may be my wanting more girls. It's hard to say.

Anyway, still recommended if you liked Un Lun Dun, and maybe I will reread some time.

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Yeah... I was thinking it would be so fun to read to kids! And I keep wondering if it's just because I read it while I was in a grumpy and/or down mood.

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lady-ganesh.livejournal.com

And it may just not grab you. It happens. :D

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