Ben Holliday is a lawyer in Chicago who is still grieving over the death of his wife and unborn child. He has no motivation in his life except for work and he is miserable. Looking through a Christmas catalog only for the uber wealthy, he spots a peculiar add about a Magic Kingdom for sale for 1 million dollars. What kind of heist is this? Who would fall for that? Well, when he can't get it out of his mind, he inquires with the add agency and it's a legitimate add. He actually purchases it. 1 million isn't that much to him, especially with a full refund guarantee if he's not satisfied. Any change would be good for him now. Anything is better than this stagnant feeling and dwelling in grief. So he goes, and finds out that it is for real. The first moment he steps into Landover where his first contact is a demon that tries to chase him down and then a dragon that he has to sneak by. The court wizard, who is really bad at magic, named Questor Thews takes him to his rundown and tarnished castle that is being run by a man who was turned into a dog and two kobolds. Not the welcoming parade and fanfare he might have assumed would accompany a king to a magical kingdom. With no authority other than the medallion he was given and the ragtag team of counselors, he decides he's not going to give up. Well, at least he has 10 days to fully decide.
My rating of a 4 Star is generous. I'd probably give it more of a 3.75, but I haven't done quarters in my rating system, so....
Magic Kingdom For Sale:Sold! is an old school fantasy book, published in 1986 and it feels it. It's as if back in the 80's only guys read fantasy (which they might have) and it was very much published for them. There are two whole girls in this story, one is beautiful and fanciful, devoted with her entire heart (after just one meeting) and the most gorgeous being he's ever seen; while the other is an ugly old witch who is one of the three most powerful beings in Landover. There is no in between, it is simply two extremes. Willow did fall in love at first sight because it was fated to be and would willingly die for him if it would save him even though they had only met for about five minutes. Upon their next meeting of another five minutes she pledged herself. This is extremely unrealistic, fantasy or not, and I didn't like it. She has no personality besides her devotion to him. "I must stay with you, Ben" is something she says often in almost every book I've ready thus far. It most defiantly, in my opinion, fails the Bechdel Test which I honestly didn't think was much of a problem (probably because I mainly read more recent publications or those written by women).
The character development for pretty much anyone besides Ben is extremely minimal. Many feel very two dimensional. Most of the quirks that the characters have are surface level (dogman, bad at magic, green lady, dragon, evil witch). They feel almost like caricatures or stereotypes who are happy to stay in the stereotype. Nothing really happens to them.
The plot of the book is very simple. *spoilers* He comes into Landover, finds it's rundown but is willing to work through it, goes to different people to help him gain some authority which kind of works, and then has to fight a demon who would try to kill him at the end of a year anyway. It's not complicated at all and is kind of a let down.
I feel like this book hasn't aged well and if it weren't for my husband liking as much as he did the last time he read it and the fact that I can listen to it as an audiobook, I probably wouldn't have read on. But I have.
The Black Unicorn is better.
No comments:
Post a Comment