WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:03.220 Wait a minute. Does this say she wouldn't feel 00:00:03.220 --> 00:00:04.839 comfortable running around without her clothes? 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:08.240 I thought this was supposed to be a children's 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:11.619 book. Oh, never mind. Okay, I get it. All right. 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:15.060 Sorry. I got distracted by this craziness going 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:17.500 on. This is MJ. I'm an author. I'm an artist. 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:20.780 I'm an analyzer. This is Fortress Fiction, where 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:22.679 I talk about books, chapter by chapter, specifically. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:25.000 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I'm on 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:27.719 chapter seven, and it's called The Trap. In this 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:31.449 chapter, Elanwee and Taryn... are trapped in 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:35.009 the tunnels sort of or they go from one tunnel 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:36.750 to being trapped in another tunnel and a lot 00:00:36.750 --> 00:00:38.390 of interesting stuff happens including along 00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:41.369 the offering to take off her dress, and I'm assuming 00:00:41.369 --> 00:00:44.030 she has an underdress, tear it up and, uh, plait 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:47.390 it into a rope, uh, and even maybe even cut off 00:00:47.390 --> 00:00:49.250 her hair and plait that into a rope if she had 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:51.789 scissors or shoes to do it with, and, uh, make 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:54.250 a rope for Taran to escape from the pit that 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:56.409 he's fallen into. Turns out the pit is a tunnel. 00:00:56.570 --> 00:00:59.329 They're in a system of tunnels in, uh, Spiral 00:00:59.329 --> 00:01:01.570 Castle, which is being held and controlled by 00:01:01.570 --> 00:01:06.069 her evil sorceress aunt. Um... Akhen. And yeah, 00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:07.849 it's a lot of interesting stuff going on here. 00:01:08.269 --> 00:01:11.650 The relationship dynamic between Tarn and Elanwi 00:01:11.650 --> 00:01:14.430 is really interesting. I think I touched on this 00:01:14.430 --> 00:01:17.469 previously, that I find it weird in children's 00:01:17.469 --> 00:01:21.989 fiction when the author seems to be, the author, 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:23.370 the director, whatever, it's a movie or whatever, 00:01:23.489 --> 00:01:26.510 seems to be like pushing the kids to like couple 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:29.049 up or whatever. And that doesn't seem to be what's 00:01:29.049 --> 00:01:33.950 going on here at all, at least not yet. yet there's 00:01:33.950 --> 00:01:35.890 a lot of weird things like honestly the first 00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:38.530 time i read about this book uh the line about 00:01:38.530 --> 00:01:40.629 her you know taking off her clothes and turning 00:01:40.629 --> 00:01:43.109 into a rope like really threw me i thought is 00:01:43.109 --> 00:01:44.650 this girl really assuming she's being you know 00:01:44.650 --> 00:01:47.670 gonna run around naked after this but i i talked 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:49.709 to somebody else and they said no like you know 00:01:49.709 --> 00:01:51.430 girls at that time they wore a dress they wore 00:01:51.430 --> 00:01:53.870 like a shift or an underdress type thing and 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:55.450 like it would have been that probably that she 00:01:55.450 --> 00:01:56.450 would have been running around it but that would 00:01:56.450 --> 00:01:57.930 have been without her clothes and that's kind 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:00.939 of just like it's like a shocking statement, 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:03.239 but in the context it's, it's okay. You know, 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:05.640 we understand. Um, and it's not a weird thing. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:07.500 Um, so I just want to kind of defend that real 00:02:07.500 --> 00:02:10.319 quick. Um, but it was kind of shocking to read, 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:12.500 uh, or hear going through again as I'm listening 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:15.319 to the audio book. But anyway, uh, this chapter, 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:17.699 it's funny, like not a lot happens. It's kind 00:02:17.699 --> 00:02:19.979 of a simple chapter, a little bit of a transitional 00:02:19.979 --> 00:02:22.199 chapter, but I still feel like it really pushes 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:26.139 forward. Uh, The narrative in a small way, it 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:28.259 gives a lot of great character moments to Tarn 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:31.460 and Eilonwy. She calls him stupid again, but she 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:33.360 says that he's kind -hearted and that's more 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.840 important than being intelligent because he, 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:41.110 I think it's when he offers to save her. like 00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:44.210 she offers for him to go and abandon him um and 00:02:44.210 --> 00:02:47.030 then come back for him later if she can uh i 00:02:47.030 --> 00:02:48.949 think honestly there's like two or three exchanges 00:02:48.949 --> 00:02:51.030 we're trying saying like it's not worth saving 00:02:51.030 --> 00:02:53.729 me at this point like save yourself uh you know 00:02:53.729 --> 00:02:55.370 make sure you get to my companion and tell him 00:02:55.370 --> 00:02:57.969 to flee and like you know leave me here like 00:02:57.969 --> 00:03:00.030 tarn constantly keeps putting the mission in 00:03:00.030 --> 00:03:02.189 front of himself he keeps putting the the deed 00:03:02.189 --> 00:03:05.590 in front of himself so like uh gideon told him 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:09.530 uh the doer of the deed or what is it the deed 00:03:09.530 --> 00:03:11.310 is more important than the doer so like getting 00:03:11.310 --> 00:03:12.849 the mission accomplished is more important than 00:03:12.849 --> 00:03:15.449 who accomplishes it and that can be taken a couple 00:03:15.449 --> 00:03:18.110 different ways um i don't remember if in the 00:03:18.110 --> 00:03:21.810 original context uh like charne was almost like 00:03:21.810 --> 00:03:26.129 wanting the honor of doing whatever deed or or 00:03:26.129 --> 00:03:30.310 what it was but here he's clearly um prioritizing 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:32.909 the mission getting accomplished and like he's 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:35.000 willing to sacrifice himself and get killed uh, 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:37.479 and be left, yeah, he's willing to lose all hope 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.319 and just, like, basically be a prisoner, be tortured, 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:42.800 be killed, uh, in order that the others may escape 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:44.740 and the mission can get done, which is really 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:48.740 great and wonderful and noble. And Alami mentions, 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:51.860 uh, she doesn't go as far as I'm going, probably 00:03:51.860 --> 00:03:53.939 because they're in a tense situation and they 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.360 gotta keep moving, but, uh, she definitely acknowledges 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.120 that nobility and, uh, she appreciates that, 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.300 so that's cool to see that the boy's got something 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:04.370 to offer her. Uh, at least as a character, uh, 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:06.370 or, you know, as, as a person, uh, not, you know, 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:07.870 again, romantically, cause that's, again, that's 00:04:07.870 --> 00:04:10.069 weird. And I'm not shipping kids in this, uh, 00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:12.909 you know, in this book, especially, uh, well, 00:04:13.009 --> 00:04:15.930 just cause that's weird anyway. Um, but it's 00:04:15.930 --> 00:04:18.629 nice to see characters have moments where they 00:04:18.629 --> 00:04:21.269 can't endure themselves to each other and where 00:04:21.269 --> 00:04:23.910 you can see the other characters in the cast, 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:26.170 like getting emotionally attached to them. Um, 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:29.689 this is a quick aside. I happen to listen to, 00:04:29.790 --> 00:04:34.269 uh, Treasure Island. And there's moments in there 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:38.610 where Silver endears himself to Jim Hawkins and 00:04:38.610 --> 00:04:41.829 Jim endears himself to Silver. And seeing those 00:04:41.829 --> 00:04:43.629 little moments was really interesting, really 00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:48.870 fun and enjoyable. So similarly here, it's enjoyable 00:04:48.870 --> 00:04:50.589 to see those moments between these characters 00:04:50.589 --> 00:04:56.170 as well. So anyway, they move from, they're moving 00:04:56.170 --> 00:04:59.879 through the tunnels of Spiral. castle and they 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:02.300 go through a pit hole or pitfall and they end 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.199 up in another tunnel and a laundry goes in there 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:06.660 with him uh and when she goes in there tarn is 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:08.360 so upset with her he's yelling at her calling 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:11.379 her names basically and he's doing this because 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.420 he cares but he doesn't quite know how to express 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:18.000 his concern um that she be trapped with him and 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.180 that she would you know end up dying because 00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:23.879 she went to help him and i don't know if that's 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:26.949 because he well, I don't quite understand that 00:05:26.949 --> 00:05:29.889 whole dynamic. I mean, the concept makes sense 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:33.069 to me. Don't risk yourself for me. You can save 00:05:33.069 --> 00:05:35.129 yourself, whatever. Very noble, very self, you 00:05:35.129 --> 00:05:37.629 know, self -minimizing, self -sacrificing. That's 00:05:37.629 --> 00:05:41.470 good. That's what you want. But it's just funny 00:05:41.470 --> 00:05:44.129 because like he can't, he's so caught up, Tarn 00:05:44.129 --> 00:05:47.970 is so caught up in the dangers and in the negative 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:51.430 reality of what's going on that he is closing 00:05:51.430 --> 00:05:53.410 himself off to. He's giving himself blinders 00:05:53.410 --> 00:05:55.769 so he can't really see. the rest of what's going 00:05:55.769 --> 00:06:03.310 on um along he tells him that it's a tunnel so 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:07.129 all tunnels have a way out and he then he um 00:06:07.129 --> 00:06:10.189 and you know so let's go together in this tunnel 00:06:10.189 --> 00:06:13.209 and uh you know it's a nicer taller tunnel and 00:06:13.209 --> 00:06:16.949 i don't know why the tunnels that she was taking 00:06:16.949 --> 00:06:19.360 him through originally was so cramped because 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:21.660 they were crouching and had a hard time moving 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:24.379 through it um and then this tunnel it's like 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:26.779 fully you're able to stand up in it so i don't 00:06:26.779 --> 00:06:29.939 know she says spiral castle is kind of like honeycombed 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:31.980 with all these different entries and tunnels 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:35.360 and passages um and i don't know maybe that's 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:38.720 hinting at maybe that's a textual ruin um to 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.319 quote a term i've used from uh a tolkien analysis 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:45.060 podcast the prancing pony podcast um i don't 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:47.040 know if it's a textual ruin uh and they didn't 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:48.319 make that up there was a guy who wrote a book 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:50.420 about textual ruins and he says that tolkien 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:52.959 had them all over the place in his books i guess 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:56.100 maybe anyway um maybe it's a textual ruin that 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:59.100 alexander put in there that's implying that there's 00:06:59.100 --> 00:07:03.339 like a long twisted history of uh spiral castle 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:05.819 that's funny i just kind of came up with that 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:09.139 on accident anyway and that like throughout the 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:10.420 years different people have done different things 00:07:10.420 --> 00:07:12.980 there including putting all these secret passageways 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:17.759 as well as full -on like publicly known or well 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.660 -known tunnels and i guess they've stumbled into 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:23.779 one of these uh good tunnels from an from a so 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.439 -so tunnel and you know that's uh kind of interesting 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:28.379 so you know plot -wise like i said not a lot 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:30.259 happens here but you get a lot of character moments 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:33.759 so like um In the beginning of the chapter when 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.139 Elanri finally comes back for him after he thinks 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:39.360 she's abandoned him, after he thinks she's betrayed 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:41.600 him and all this stuff. He's just like having 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:43.779 his own reality going on in his head, not really 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:45.800 knowing or acknowledging like what other people 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.819 are actually doing. You know, she's gotten Melengar 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:51.000 and his companion out, which is great. And they're 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:54.660 hiding in the forest. And she was not able to 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:56.540 get the weapons. And she's just like, do you 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:58.839 expect me to do everything for you? Which I thought 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:02.439 was a real funny moment. and yeah i mean i just 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:04.560 i i enjoyed it like i thoroughly enjoyed it i 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:07.620 had a lot of fun listening to it and uh the end 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:10.680 of it is a great uh lead -in to the next chapter 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:14.579 it ends with the line uh something like uh like 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:18.300 doubtful tarn follow her and um they're going 00:08:18.300 --> 00:08:21.339 uh i think they're they're about to get out of 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:25.420 the tunnel um No, they're still traversing through 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:27.019 the tunnel, I believe, at the end. But still, 00:08:27.100 --> 00:08:28.600 it's like, oh, OK, they're in this new place. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.100 They've had these moments together. They've had 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:34.399 this like back and forth. And, you know, now 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.879 as the reader hearing their exchanges, you're 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.200 in a certain place with them, a place of uncertainty 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.759 and doubt and a place of not knowing what's coming 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:45.179 next. And yet you're in a place where there's 00:08:45.179 --> 00:08:46.879 this new opportunity. You're in this tunnel with 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:49.980 them and there's a way forward. And, you know, 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:53.940 the way out is through. And you're. excited and 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:55.720 like, uh, primed to see what's going to happen 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:00.059 next. And that's it. I'm primed to see what happens 00:09:00.059 --> 00:09:01.820 next. I'm primed to see what happens in the next 00:09:01.820 --> 00:09:04.440 chapter, which is, uh, chapter eight, the barrows, 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:06.440 which, you know, that's always exciting. Um, 00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:10.779 so anyway, uh, that's all for now on my actual 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:13.940 review of this book, my reaction to it. Um, I 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:15.360 have a short you can check out too, which is 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:16.940 actually a long, because the shorts are longer 00:09:16.940 --> 00:09:20.399 now. Um, you can check that out. You should be 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:21.620 able to find it here. I don't know if it'll pop 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:23.679 up or if I have to link to it or whatnot. But 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:25.559 more than that, I've been working on my book, 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:32.720 Mocking Mayhem. It's finished. My cover is coming 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:38.610 along. It's being worked on by somebody. I just 00:09:38.610 --> 00:09:41.230 went through and I revised a couple more things. 00:09:41.289 --> 00:09:44.730 Again, I'm finding that the more I'm writing 00:09:44.730 --> 00:09:46.929 this book, the better it's getting. And the more 00:09:46.929 --> 00:09:49.289 time goes on, I'm revising it more and more. 00:09:49.370 --> 00:09:54.350 I also submitted like a bid for it to be worked 00:09:54.350 --> 00:10:00.149 on with a professional editor. And yeah, so my 00:10:00.149 --> 00:10:01.750 book's done. I feel really good about the manuscript. 00:10:01.909 --> 00:10:05.509 The editor has been contacted and the book cover 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:09.100 is... in process and i have the book out to a 00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:13.820 beta reader or two and i'm very excited to see 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:16.440 what their feedback is and anyway mocking me 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:18.799 him sorry i should have led with this is about 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:21.039 magical bugs battling monsters and those monsters 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:22.740 find out where the magical bugs live and they 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:25.320 go to kill them all in their hidden fort and 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:27.879 uh two of the young uh grow bugs in training 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:29.539 that's what they're called grow bugs this type 00:10:29.539 --> 00:10:32.720 of magical bug um want to save their master and 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.860 they end up having to fight a one of these creatures 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:38.720 a mockwing and the challenge is will they survive 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.480 because they're not strong enough to take this 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:42.200 thing out on their own but together they might 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:44.100 have a chance but if they survive that will they 00:10:44.100 --> 00:10:45.940 be able to save their master who's fighting other 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:48.419 mockwings at this time and if they can survive 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:50.740 that will they survive the rest of the flock 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:53.100 being there and possibly overwhelming them and 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:55.929 killing them all You can find out by checking 00:10:55.929 --> 00:10:57.669 out Mocking Mayhem, which will come out at some 00:10:57.669 --> 00:11:00.330 point soon. I'll let you know when. And you can 00:11:00.330 --> 00:11:01.830 find out when it's coming out by signing up for 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:03.669 my newsletter. You can also get a guide to Mocking 00:11:03.669 --> 00:11:05.929 Mayhem and the world of the grow bugs. You can 00:11:05.929 --> 00:11:09.789 get a short story for free. And yeah, you can 00:11:09.789 --> 00:11:11.950 find out more about the book. I'm seeing stuff 00:11:11.950 --> 00:11:13.730 I'm going to be talking about and all sorts of 00:11:13.730 --> 00:11:16.110 little different things that I'll be offering 00:11:16.110 --> 00:11:18.289 in exchange for you coming and checking out what 00:11:18.289 --> 00:11:21.000 I'm doing there. and you can find the links to 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.100 it on the show notes check out mgmovers .com 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:26.519 and mgmovers .com book specifically to find uh 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:28.860 you can see my my my cover that i made for the 00:11:28.860 --> 00:11:32.320 book um it's like a placeholder cover uh and 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:34.779 you can learn more about the book there and uh 00:11:34.779 --> 00:11:38.480 again access those uh cool free things and get 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:40.440 ready for that book to come out i think it's 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:42.379 gonna be a lot of fun i've poured a lot of uh 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:44.860 thought and energy and heart and soul into this 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:48.149 thing and um Yeah, I'm excited to write this. 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:49.490 I hope it'll be a success because I'd love to 00:11:49.490 --> 00:11:51.110 write more in this world as well. But it's definitely 00:11:51.110 --> 00:11:54.049 a standalone book that has a beginning, middle, 00:11:54.090 --> 00:11:56.029 and end and tells, I think, a very satisfying 00:11:56.029 --> 00:11:59.210 story. And I think it's a lot of cool. I think 00:11:59.210 --> 00:12:00.809 it's a lot of fun. A lot of cool stuff happens 00:12:00.809 --> 00:12:02.669 in it. So I'd love it if you would check that 00:12:02.669 --> 00:12:04.669 out. Again, MockingWayham at MJMorninger .com. 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:08.190 Stick around for more book reviews. I will get 00:12:08.190 --> 00:12:10.789 back to Secret Garden very soon. And I'm going 00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:13.750 to be switching things up because trying to be 00:12:13.750 --> 00:12:16.220 a full -time writer while you're... uh having 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:17.820 a full -time job and everything else is very 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:19.600 difficult and i'm trying to tweak things but 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.220 i'm definitely going to keep going with um these 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:24.919 lloyd alexander books and secret garden off to 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:26.899 see how i handle that and the rest of the books 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:29.500 on my big long list and i might be uh amending 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:31.480 my big long list to cover stuff that's similar 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.759 to mock ring mayhem and checking those books 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:37.679 out and seeing how i like them and how people 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.240 who um might enjoy mocking mayhem would like 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:42.879 them as well so that's just kind of a preview 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:45.120 of what's coming in the future so until next 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.500 time folks take care and be well