Review: Magical and Enchanting!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 26, 2014
What a great collection!! I was mesmerized and enchanted when I read “Peter: A Darkened Fairytale” by William O’Brien and loved the poetry collection, too.  Reading the novel, I was transported to the magical worlds that Peter explored in the novel.Like the Chinese shop that the young protagonist of this novel visits, this imaginative novel by  William O’Brien is “crammed with all sorts of unusual things.” This story starts with a perfect setup for a fairy-tale: we have a ten-year old curious and smart boy Peter who is prone to daydreaming, and a mom who is preoccupied with daily tasks. Already, after the first few paragraphs, this is a perfect setup for an adventure. But this is no ordinary adventure.The author, William O’Brien,  uses his diverse experiences, from a degree in geosciences to a master’s in science communication, in combination with his childlike vision of the world, to create a fascinating, mysterious, and multi-faceted world for Peter to explore. He brings in elements from a variety of disciplines and ways of knowing to weave this tale, providing the readers with a wide scope of possibilities to explore and ponder.Peter is fascinated with boxes, especially boxes with secret compartments, holding keys to adventures. Unlike a toy designed for a specific purposes, a box is an open-ended toy that leaves it up to the child to decide what to do with it. It allows for both control and imagination – great things for any child unless that child gets trapped in a box. Then, it could be on to Skinner-style experiments.The theme of opening new possibilities seems to be central to this story: there are doors to open,  staircases to explore, strange creature to meet, and new experiences to have.And the poetry collection felt even more magical than the novel itself, perhaps because poetry tends to rely on sounds, rhymes, and hints more so than prose.I loved all the poems in this book, but here are some lines that I especially liked and my reasons:From “Drawers and Doors”: Chase the light, chosen oneDo you hear the ticking of the clock?Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tockI love these lines because they remind me of the inevitable  passage of time, of the fleeting moment that is our life, and of the need to “chase the light” or seize the day, have adventures and try to accomplish dreams while the clock of our life is still ticking.From “Wandering Twondle”Mr Twindle Twondle climbedMr Twindle Twondle crawledUp high through the towerCurly tail and allTo me, this poem feels lighter, more playful, reminiscent of old-fashioned nursery rhymes and clever poems of Lewis Carroll. It’s a fun one to read aloud.From “Frozen Magic”Hidden from all, some will seekFrozen gifts not for the meekBrave of heart soon shall findTiny glaciers worlds do bindThis poem and these lines feel very cinematic to me.  Combine these lines with the image of “sacred fire” from an earlier line, and you have a world of contradictions, of duality of fire and ice, a force that can either create or destroy. I love the reminder to us to be “brave of heart,” a quality that will help in any quest.From “Kiylore”Crashing glass, growing ivy crawlsSnowdrops push splitting clawsBreath of fire engulfs fierce and trueReturns a life that you once knewBeautiful imagery here as well. I especially like the juxtaposition of delicate snowdrops pushing “splitting claws,” all in an effort to regain a life left behind. Very powerful. A wonderful collection! Five stars!