“I have read 3 other fantasy books by Card. I felt the best of the lot was Enchantment. Treasure Box was so-so. The other book was something about a living house (I think that it was called something like An Open House). This book was slightly better than Treasure Box and seemed to be more like a Stephen King fantasy, specifically Eyes of the Dragon.
Also, having recently seen The Chronicles of Narnia, this book piqued my interest because it borrowed ideas from that story. Max Street is mysteriously born to a couple that weren't even planning on children. He is taken away by a mysterious homeless man, who is first called Bag Man (later Mr. Christmas and then Puck) who leaves him in a pipe in a public park.
Some boys playing near the pipe find the baby and take him to someone who can help. One of the boys (Cecil or Ceese) takes baby Mack to a lady nurse who is a friend of his mother. They then take baby Max to a hospital. Wierd things start happening such as the presence of a mysterious biker woman who seems to bewitch Ceese, and make him fight an incredible urge to kill baby Mack.
Later on Ceese becomes Mack's regular baby sitter. Mack seems to be able to share the dreams of people in the neighborhood and also knows their wishes. If he thinks too hard about the wishes, they come true but like the story of The Monkey's Paw, the wishes always have a bad catch to them.
Mack later finds the Bag Man in a house that nobody can see but Mack. The house has a whole world behind it where you can spend lots of time but then return and it is almost the same time you left (like The Chronicles of Narnia).
Mack learns that the world is inhabited by faeries and two of them (Bag Man and the Biker woman) play a big role in what is about to happen.
The story builds to a climax with a battle between good and evil (like King's Eyes of the Dragon or The Stand). The book is not Card's best work but it is a good book that will keep you interested throughout.
”
Katamaster wrote this review Tuesday, September 18 2007.
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