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Liked It “My rating for this book: 3.5 stars (rounded to 4) |
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“My rating for this book: 3.5 stars (rounded to 4)
ghost of a rose wrote this review Tuesday, October 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book is actually two books bound together in one volume: Jack the Giant Killer, and Drink Down the Moon. I would have preferred them separately, as I wasn't so totally enthralled by the first book that I immediately wanted to plunge right into another by the same author. I felt strong-armed into reading the second novel in order to finish the book, and that made me a little resentful.
I'm not a serious fan of fantasy, although a few of my all-time favorite books are fantasy. But those books are special, and I love them for the same reasons that I love books of any genré. I thought that this would be a special one, as it is associated with Teri Kindling's outstanding series of highly original fairy tale retellings by various authors.
However, I was disappointed to find Jack The Giant Killer a pretty typical fantasy novel. It does make an attempt at originality, but the modern twist was just a thin veneer plopped on to a traditional fairy tale. It reads like a classic fairy tale, albeit in more detail. I was bored by it for the same reasons that I'm bored by traditional fairy tales: too many fights (whether physical or magical), too much action and too little character development, and too little emotional involvement between the story and the reader.
It does have several good points, though, and that's why I added an extra half star above average. It is very well-written. Making Jack female (short for Jacqueline) is an original idea. And the knowledge of folklore and mythology (particularly Celtic/British Isles) is extremely impressive.
As reluctant as I was to read the second novel (Drink Down the Moon), it turned out to be the better of the two. The characters were more interesting, the plot is an original one rather than a fairy tale retelling, and the modern elements meshed much more successfully with the traditional. The music theme was also a nice touch.
I'll still probably read more of de Lint. I've heard some great things about some of his other books, and their plots sound more creative than this one.”
“de Lint takes the story of Jack into modern times.”
Korin R wrote this review Saturday, June 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'll review it later”
Naju wrote this review Monday, June 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A great book (compilation of two separate books). I really like this author. This is another take on the Jack and the Beanstalk story. Well told and well worth the read!”
Margie W wrote this review Friday, December 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This story took a little to "get into" but I thorough enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the writing style. I also savored the celtic undertones. ”
Illibets wrote this review Saturday, September 8 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Jack the Giant Killer was my very first de Lint book and I haven't stopped reading him since. It was funny and exciting and a great introduction to urban fantasy.”
rsmith8194 wrote this review Wednesday, July 4 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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