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Bezig met laden... Kalifax (1999)door Duncan Thornton
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 Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek.  xicanti | Jun 12, 2009 |  geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Onderdeel van de reeks(en)Kalifax (1) Prijzen
A dazzling fantasy tale about a brave crew attempting to sail north to the eaves of the world, fighting snow-goblins and finding Grandfather Frost, all the while guided by the magical legend of Kalifax. The Captain wants to sail his ship, the Volantix, to the other side of the West, into spice winds and lazy islands that bloom like summer flowers. He'll have to take his crew under the rifters of the sky, past strange squeaking beasts, and through narrow icy seas. None of the sailors want to go, until Tom tells them the story of Kalifax, the magical elfin torch that burns brighter as danger gets greater, and will always keep you warm. Trapped in the ice, the crew encounters the fearsome snow-goblins and ice-trolls. All looks grim until Grandfather Frost himself appears, down from the very roof of the world to see to their keep. Kalifax is a magical, allegorical trip through the Northwest Passage, told in a lilting and lively language that will keep readers of all ages enthralled. Accompanied by a dozen fantastical drawings to illustrate the voyage, Kalifax is the first step in a campaign to mythologize Canada and its history. Duncan Thornton is the author of three juvenile fantasy adventures: Kalifax, a finalist for the Governor-General's Award for Children's Literature, the Mr. Christie Book Award program; and two Manitoba Book Awards; Captain Jenny & the Sea of Wonders and The Star-Glass. He has also written radio drama, theatrical drama and several screenplays, in addition to his fiction and non-fiction prose. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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 Google Books — Bezig met laden...GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999WaarderingGemiddelde: (3.25)
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I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this. Thornton's style owes a great deal to traditional fairy tales; there are some lovely turns of phrase and some entertaining scenes, but the heart just ain't there.
I think my main problem with the book was that I never had a chance to get to know Tom. Thornton throws us straight into the story; we see these people decide to try for a northwest passage, but we get little to no idea of who they actually are. There are few details, and none of them really show us anything about the characters. We do get a bit more information as the story progresses, but I never found it enough.
On the plus side, Thornton does make some stylistic choices designed to draw younger readers in and keep them engaged with the text. I felt that the scenes in which each member of the crew offers suggestions on the situation at hand were particularly well done; they were handled in such a way that children were practically invited to throw their own ideas out there.
I think this would have worked very well as short fiction. I might have engaged with the story itself over a shorter stretch, but the lack of character development made it hard for me to stay interested in it in the long term. The book clocks in at only 168 pages, but I'd say that was at least 130 pages too many.
To be fair, plenty of others have enjoyed this, and there are a couple of sequels/interrelated stories. Personally, though, I prefer children's lit that does a bit more with its characters and their world. (