“Green Rider” by Kristen Britain

This is one of those stories that I have read again and again. My school holds a little event called a book swap every year, and last year, while digging through piles of relatively dull-looking books, I came across a (rather battered) copy of this book. I took it home, read it once, then read it again, and again, and I am reading it once more! This book is fabulous!

It tells the story of Karigan G’ladheon who, following a fight that will likely lead to her expulsion, runs away from her school, hoping to return home and explain things to her father. Her otherwise uneventful journey takes a shocking turn when a Green Rider, messenger to the King, appears crashing through the forest with two black shafted arrows protruding from his bloodied back. As he lies dying on the road, he charges Karigan with the task of seeing that the all-important message he carries reaches the King. Karigan, unaware of the dangers this mission will entail, promises to complete his journey, but she soon discovers that there are many who wish to waylay her message, and that they will destroy her if they can.

A rather vague and boring description compared to the actual book, I can tell you! Though the paperback version of the book (not sure if you can find it in hardcover) is a good 471 pages long, you will never be bored. The sequel to this is “First Rider’s Call”, which my sister has a copy of. (I am seething with envy.) The third in the series is ”High King’s Tomb”.

The thing that I most enjoyed about this book was its readability. Simply put, I was never once bored with it! (And I am someone who can get quite bored very easily.) Whereas some books I have read in the past have a great storyline, some writers simply drag it out for too long, if you know what I mean, and there are occasional lulls in the story. This isn’t something I encountered when I read “Green Rider”. It follows what seems to be the “tradition” of magic and danger, and the fair folk, of course (herein called “Eletians”) but Britain puts her own spin on things. She has her own voice, which comes through in the writing, and you get a good combination of humor mixed in with action.

This is something I would definitely recommend. It’s a lengthy book, but well worth reading! If you wish to read more about the story and the author, check out www.kristenbritain.com.

My Dear Muse, Drat Him!

Yes, ladies and gents, we all have a muse, or at least we think we do. I was bored and decided to draw a quick sketch of what my muse might look like, if I had one. IF!

The picture that came into my head was of a sleeping fairy of some sort. He’s about five inches or so tall, and when he’s angry, he not only witholds all inspiration, but he shouts quite a bit. Of course, a shouting fairy sounds a bit like a peeved cricket. But I digress.

Not quite sure what I was thinking with the swirly tattoos. My muse having free rein in my head. I find having a muse gives you someone to blame when a picture or writing isn’t turning out as you planned. =)

Yes, I was thinking of Peter Pan. Ah, well. I got no other inspiration other than a black-and-white. When I get my hands on a Photoshop program (as I do not trust myself with markers yet) I may add color. This was a quickie sketch on computer paper in a B graphic pencil. Lots of wee smudgies, but I think it came out looking rather nice. I find my muse is friendlier when asleep, or when one is on a long car trip and he’s too bored to be disagreeable.

Either way, behold my cute little doodle. I call it “Slumbering Muse”, though an alternate title might be “When Pencils Attack”. Enjoy!

Image © Sarah E. Charles, 2008

Prince Caspian- From Page to Screen

Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and talking mice, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was finally released on May 16th, and I finally got the chance to see it on Monday the 26th. (Ten days, Caspian the Tenth, ha ha… never mind).

The film definitely lived up to my expectations. For those of you that have seen “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”, fear not, this film was awesome! I cannot give away any spoilers, partly because that would be unfair, and partly because I enjoy withholding them, so you’ll have to see the film for yourself. I can, however, give you a synopsis of the book!

It has been one year since the four Pevensie children first visited Narnia, and they are back in England, getting ready to spend another dreary year at school. That is, until they are summoned by Susan’s magic horn, and are yanked right off of the train platform into Narnia. The difference is, whereas it has been only one year for the children, it has been thirteen hundred years for Narnia, and the Telmarines have taken the throne. Caspian the Tenth is the rightful heir to the throne, but when his aunt gives birth to a son, his uncle, Miraz, decides it is time that HE took the throne. Caspian is forced to flee into the wild lands, where he stumbles upon the Narnians, those that he has long been taught were extinct. It is up to Caspian to take back the throne and return the Narnians to their homeland, but he cannot do so alone. In an effort to put an end to Miraz’s, he summons the four great Kings and Queens of old, hoping that they will be able to help.

I was a bit concerned, as I was with the first film, as to how the authenticity would be retained from the books. I was definitely NOT disappointed. It turns out that Ben Barnes, a 26-year-old actor from England who is famous for his stage performances, played an excellent Caspian. I always sort of saw Caspian as a young boy, but I think that the way he was portrayed here, as about the same age as Peter, worked so much better. (He’s a young-looking guy!) The old gang’s all back together, minus a faun and two talking beavers (*sob*), and have kept up their great performance from the first film.

Apparently, a lot of fans think Aslan is too small (sacrilege!). I actually think he’s a good size for the films. He’s larger than the average lion, but not too large as to be incredibly imposing and unapproachable. If he were any bigger, Lucy wouldn’t go near him! He is still voiced by Liam Neeson, who makes up for his size (bah!) with the same powerful voice found in the first film.

To sum it up, I would DEFINITELY suggest putting this on your list of must-see films for the summer. For those of you who have yet to read the books, I would also recommend doing so. “The Chronicles of Narnia” is something that you can’t grow up without reading at least once. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is due to be released in 2010. CHECK OUT “PRINCE CASPIAN”!