Review: Whimsical and Madcap Rhyming Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 23, 2014
“Island of the Gawker” is a short story that can best be described as Dr. Seuss meets L. Frank Baum—it’s a whimsical fantasy set on an island, and the story is told in rhyme.Miss Priss, Pat, and the narrator are sent to a mysterious island by Merlin—and Drazin, a god who talks only in the third person, is also there. The problem is that they’re stuck—it’s an island from which no one can escape which is the only thing that has kept the power-hungry Gawker and his army from taking over the world. Along the way, the little band meets the drum-playing, hard-drinking Irish Air, the talkative Blabber, Besercules and his ape army, and more as they try to return safely home.“Island of the Gawker” is a light-hearted romp—it has fun with its rhymes, its creatures, and its stories. The characters are inventive and madcap, and it manages to mix some suspense and danger in as well—there are a few action scenes and some tension about whether the small group will escape from the island. If you’re familiar with Hatt’s other work, you’ll be amused to find Drazin popping up yet again and very annoyed at the predicament he finds himself in.I would recommend “Island of the Gawker” to younger readers who enjoy fantasy, but it can be enjoyed by older readers as well.