“Everyone is on a path that leads them (sic) to where they belong.” That’s one of my favorite lines from The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill, a story that looks into the ideas of magic, home and family, and, most important, fate. Many fantasy novels use the idea of fate as a theme--characters are destined to be something or do something. Often the fate question is nicely woven into the plot; other times, it’s not. In a recent article in Entertainment Weekly Trey Parker and Matt Stone (speaking on how South Park episodes always have a lesson) said, “Plot should reveal the theme, and not vice versa.” Unfortunately, that’s not always the case in fantasy books. Naruto (the manga and anime) deftly delves into questions regarding fate and destiny. At least two of the characters--Naruto and Gaara--have demons (real demons) inside of them. And they must decide if they will let the demons control them or if they will learn to control the demons--in essence, they must
A blog about books ... those I've read, those I'm reading, and those I plan to read.