Saturday, December 12, 2009

Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse

Author: Kaleb Nation
Genre: Fantasy

Summary
(Note: Since a good synopsis of this book already exists from the publisher at barnesandnoble.com, I copied the following section from that site. My own evaluation of the book starts with the section "Positive Elements.")
Bran Hambric was found alone in a locked bank vault when he was six years old. He doesn’t have a clue how he got there, or any memory of his past. There’s only one explanation: Magic. But magic is outlawed in the Great and Glorious City of Dunce.

Eight years later, a twisted, hissing creature confronts Bran and his foster father, Sewey, on their rooftop. Sewey believes it’s a gnome, but not Bran. (Sewey isn’t the brightest Duncelander to begin with.) Bran soon discovers that whatever leapt onto his roof is connected to the mother he never knew…and that Bran himself is the missing link in a plot so secret and evil that those behind it will stop at nothing to hunt him down.

Armed with wands and weapons, Bran’s enemies are about to attack — with all the power of a horrible curse and a terrible crime. Magic won’t be the only law broken in the City of Dunce…

Positive Elements

Bran is an orphaned child who desperately wants to learn all he can about the mother he never knew. Once he learns that she had a criminal past, he still loves her, but refuses to accept an offer from Basyln to complete the work she had started. Rosie Tuttle (a cousin of Mabel who lives with, and works for, the Wilomas family) is very kind to Bran and he thinks of her like a mother. She dreams of writing stories for the newspaper about heroes defeating evil, fighting fire, and rescuing children, but muses that heroes have practically disappeared. She asks Bran what type of person he will be - one who gives up when things get hard, or one who finds the courage to be a hero. Bran later uses this same line to encourage Rosie, and he recalls it again in the climax battle of the book.

Spiritual Content

Since magic of any form is outlawed in the city of Dunce, there is a group of parents that calls themselves Decensitists (the name came about by "butchering the word decency"). They are strictly anti-magic, and make up stories for their children telling them such things don't exist. Someone gives Bran a silver, moon-shaped pendant from his mother and when he puts it on, he is immediately mentally transported to another place - a room containing a lifeless body. When he removes the pendant, he returns to where he was before he put it on. Invisible "forces" or beings seem to be in Bran's room. He senses movement and sees shadows, but nothing ever comes of this. When Bran encounters a gnome hidden in the city, he learns about an old religious custom ("Sevvenyears") where gnomes risk capture to come back to Dunce every seventh year of their lives to visit a sacred Givvyng Tree. Later, that same gnome "murmured a few prayers into the air" and knew what he was to do once he finished. On a different occasion, in desperation, he prays "deep within himself" that his friend is still alive. Bran is told, while being instructed by a mage hidden in the city, that magic comes from a place deep inside, and if you reach deep enough you can feel it, pull it out, and wrap it around your fingers. The story includes a definition of 5 different types of magic that revolve around the elements. They are: 1) Archon - powers in fire, water, earth and air; 2) Comsar - powers revolve around things of the mind; 3) Netora - physical powers including the ability to lift objects telekinetically, and to teleport; 4) Illian - power to make conjurations; and 5) Drimra ("mages of the mortal") - powers deal with the very being in each person, the power to bring forth life. The main nemesis hid his spirit in Bran so that one day when he died, his spirit would live on and he could be brought back to life. He mentally communicates with Bran at several points in the story (his is the lifeless body Bran sees in the vision). Bran is forced to touch his corpse, at which point Baslyn takes back his soul and comes to life.

Sexual Content

None

Violent Content

For a book about magic, there is a surprising amount of gun violence. In the prologue, Bran's mother is shot to death and the scene is witnessed by a young girl. Sewey carries a revolver in his briefcase. Bran and Astara are shot at, but use magic to deflect the bullets. Adi (the mage who taught Bran) is hit in the head with the butt of a gun, and then shot at. Astara uses magic to try and stop the bullet, but thinks she was unable to do so (we later learn she succeeded and Adi survives). Elspeth (the powerful mage who also shot Bran's mother) holds a gun to Astara's head, threatening to kill her if Bran doesn't obey a command. Even Baslyn, the powerful mage nemesis, points a gun at Bran and Astara, about to shoot, but someone steps in to save them just in time. There are several occurrences of characters being seized by the neck and nearly choked to death. Bran is viciously attacked by a raven but discovers it was something of an hallucination - when he comes to, he realizes no one else saw it occur and his injuries have disappeared. When fearing an intruder in the Wilomas' home, Bran carries a kitchen knife with him to explore the basement. The family views a news report describing violence against gnomes. One of the bad guys hits Astara twice across her face.

Drug/Alcohol Content

Mrs. Wiloma (Mabel) is a hypochondriac and takes a large assortment of herbal remedies and other preventative medicines with non-sensical names. She sees an alternative medicine practitioner. A community picnic is likened to a circus or the mayor's birthday - "both of which were very much the same after the kegs of Duncelander Ale had been cracked open." Sewey decides to visit a pub to cool his nerves, and brings Bran with him. Bran asks if he is sure a pub is the best place for that, to which Sewey responds: "Who do you think you are: my father? I'm an adult, I can do what I want!" Sewey orders ale, but is told the sale of intoxicating beverages ended 5 minutes earlier (they both have water). The pub waitress arrives at their table with two cigarettes hanging from her mouth, and one of the bad guys also smokes.

Crude/Profane Language

The phrase "shut up" is used once. Balder (the Wiloma's son) calls Bran a "serf" as he cleans the house.

Other Negative Elements

The Wilomas family is a mess. The dad is arrogant and idiotic, the mom is a manic hypochondriac, the daughter eats candy non-stop, and the son is demanding and lazy. Both children are extremely spoiled. The parents readily give in to their demands and temper tantrums. There are childish displays between husband and wife (at one point when angry, Sewey sticks out his tongue at Mabel). When a bad guy forgets his cell phone in a pub, Bran steals it to try and learn more information.

Conclusion

It is generally my goal to be as objective as possible when I write these reviews, so that readers can use the information I present to decide whether or not to read a book, and then form their own opinion of a story. However, I'm finding it difficult to keep quiet about my opinion of this book! I really did not like it! Only my desire to give every book a fair chance and my commitment to writing this blog kept me turning the pages. It is evident, based on a number of obvious similarities, that the author was heavily influenced by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. The story is just nowhere near the quality. I thought there were many scenes the author could have left out because they did not contribute anything to the story other than making the book longer (430 pages!). I dreaded any scene involving members of the Wilomas family (besides Rosie) - they were SO over the top. Also, the fact that the gnome prays "deep within himself," and that Bran is instructed to reach deep inside himself to find his magic is, I believe, a postmodern teaching. The only redeeming element of this story, for me, is the message of choosing to do the right thing even when the cards are stacked against you. Unfortunately, there is just too much noise to get through in order to receive it.