WEBVTT 00:00:01.639 --> 00:00:04.419 Did you ever hear a song with such a great sound 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:06.059 you couldn't help but love it until you read 00:00:06.059 --> 00:00:08.259 the lyrics and realized They weren't what you 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:10.960 thought at all. That's how the Nixie song hit 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.939 me It's charming on the surface. There's magical 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.000 creatures a hidden world Kids on an epic adventure 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:18.820 or unexpected adventure rather than an epic one. 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:21.399 It's I feel like the way it ends It's leading 00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:23.920 towards epic adventure in the sequels But if 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:25.620 you dig into the tone the language and the way 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:27.899 these characters treat each other the harmony 00:00:27.899 --> 00:00:31.500 starts to really fall apart for me and That's 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:34.359 a problem. This is MJ. I'm an author. I'm an 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:35.700 artist. I'm an analyzer. You can find all my 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.859 work at MJMunius .com. Prepare yourself for unbanable 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:40.659 book analysis as I talk about whether or not 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.759 this story holds a place of honor or scorn in 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.619 the Fortress fiction. What am I talking about? 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:48.100 I'm talking about the Nixie Song, which is part 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:50.679 of the Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicle series. 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:53.100 It's the first book of three. I believe it's 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:56.200 a trilogy. And it's written by Holly Black and 00:00:56.200 --> 00:01:00.109 Tony DiTillisi, and they are the original Co 00:01:00.109 --> 00:01:03.009 -artists or co -authors and D .T. Lee Z was the 00:01:03.009 --> 00:01:05.489 artist the illustrator for the book as well They 00:01:05.489 --> 00:01:07.370 wrote the original spider with Chronicles, which 00:01:07.370 --> 00:01:10.689 I thought was really good I believe it's from 00:01:10.689 --> 00:01:14.510 2005 and this book is from 2007 and Anyway, let 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:16.189 me give you a brief synopsis of it if you're 00:01:16.189 --> 00:01:18.310 not familiar with it Hopefully you'll become 00:01:18.310 --> 00:01:20.310 familiar with it through this 11 year old Nick 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.810 Vargas moves into a new neighborhood after his 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:26.140 father's remarriage Alongside his stepsister 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:29.140 Lori, he gains temporary sight via a magical 00:01:29.140 --> 00:01:32.060 four -leaf clover, discovers a Nixie named Toloa 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:34.879 whose pond has been destroyed, and must help 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:38.219 stop rampaging giants to save the rest of the 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:42.200 Fei sisters and their new home. That's pretty 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:46.639 much it. That's pretty much it. It's a... It's 00:01:46.639 --> 00:01:49.379 targeted for grades 1 to 6, which that's relevant, 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:52.079 trust me, and ages 6 to 10. And it's a middle 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:55.060 grade fantasy adventure. It's set in Mangrove 00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:56.780 Hollow, Florida, which I think is not a real 00:01:56.780 --> 00:01:58.159 place. I think they made it up for this, but 00:01:58.159 --> 00:01:59.680 whatever. It's in Florida. That's what matters. 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:05.239 And yeah, so anyway, before I really talk about 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:07.159 my biggest issues with it, I want to start with 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:09.039 what the good stuff was. So what worked in the 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:10.539 story? Well, what worked in the story, what worked 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:14.360 in the book was that... the portrayal of the 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:16.860 issues that the kids have is fairly realistic. 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:25.159 Laurie is... a girl who's 11 years old and who's 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:28.300 into things that Nick is not into, and he's irritated 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:30.539 by that. We get to see at one point that his 00:02:30.539 --> 00:02:32.300 father tells him, you know, no going up in your 00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:33.840 room and playing video games, like you gotta, 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:36.300 you know, spend time with your sister, your stepsister, 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:38.400 whatever, and you guys need to go do things, 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:41.719 and you know, I want you outside, and... that's 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:43.919 all very realistic and like there's an unevenness 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:45.939 going on like the stepmom i don't remember her 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:51.879 name um she kind of she doesn't get like okay 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:53.599 nick is mad because something happens and he 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:55.180 gets in trouble for it and lori doesn't but they 00:02:55.180 --> 00:02:57.439 were both doing the thing uh but his dad comes 00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:59.740 down on him and from blended family dynamics 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:01.280 i know it's easier for you to come down on your 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:02.580 own kid than it is for you to come down on the 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:05.180 other kid and give them a punishment or you know 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:08.020 yell at them or anything like that so that's 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:10.280 a very realistic thing and also like just one 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:11.460 sibling getting in trouble and the other not 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:13.719 is a very realistic thing, whether it's the natural 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:16.740 family or a blended family. Another thing is 00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:18.780 Nick has an older brother who's high school age, 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:20.879 he's got a phone, he's got a car, he's a surfer 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.319 I think. He has a girlfriend that he spends all 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:25.620 this time talking on the phone with while playing 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:27.139 video games and stuff, which is very realistic 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:29.419 because I at one point was a teenager talking 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:31.800 on the cell phone around the same time playing 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:33.800 video games while talking to my girlfriend, which 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:37.680 is funny, who's now my wife. Anyway. But so that's, 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:39.900 you know, that's interesting. Very real, you 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:41.819 know, family dynamics type of deal is going on 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:47.520 here. And beyond that, there are scenes where 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.020 we go from having normal family life to having 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:53.240 crazy family life or crazy non -family life, 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:57.560 crazy, you know, fey world stuff going on. that's 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.020 all good because it really takes you like there's 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:02.900 a there's an escalation where you go from the 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:05.580 mundane world to the world of the fantastical 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:07.659 to the world of the fey and that happens with 00:04:07.659 --> 00:04:09.439 like the synopsis said them finding this foley 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:11.740 clover nick finds it first then he passes it 00:04:11.740 --> 00:04:14.479 off to lori um you know it gives them the second 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:16.740 sight or whatever where they can see the fairies 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:22.259 and or the fey creatures and um Anyway, he kind 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.060 of teases her for her interest in Faye and unicorns 00:04:25.060 --> 00:04:26.439 and things like that, which she is interested 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:30.180 in. He's not. Although ironically, he's playing 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:31.939 a video game where he's like a knight and has 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:33.579 to help a king or whatever in those mushrooms 00:04:33.579 --> 00:04:35.360 or whatever. So like, you know, he's also into 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:36.699 fantasy a little bit too, even if he doesn't 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:38.879 want to admit it, which is kind of funny, but 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.120 from a different angle, from a more masculine 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:42.660 angle. And I guess that's what makes the difference. 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:46.279 So I found that to be funny. and realistic because 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:49.720 people are kind of hypocritical and people uh 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:52.220 say and do things one way for themselves and 00:04:52.220 --> 00:04:54.519 say and do things another way for other people 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:58.920 and that's just kind of funny so anyway um generally 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:01.860 speaking the overall arc of the story works it 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:05.060 has an escalating tension there is a developing 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:09.360 mystery there is uh like the fey are kind of 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:10.959 scary and kind of creepy like Tolo at one point 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:12.980 she gives the kids the sight so that they don't 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:14.459 need to pass the clover back and forth between 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:16.300 each other which is a really cool detail that 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:18.300 they had to and how that worked out and how that 00:05:18.300 --> 00:05:22.160 played out was interesting and like novel but 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:23.660 I did have a little bit of an issue with it which 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:25.879 is like one detail they mentioned is that when 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:27.500 you have the four -leaf clover when you have 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:30.139 the sight you can see the footprints of the nyxies 00:05:30.139 --> 00:05:31.819 but when you don't have it you can't see the 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:34.800 footprints of the nyxies later on this is you 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:37.170 know full spoilers for the book it ends up You 00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:38.509 know, I mentioned it already, there's giants, 00:05:38.930 --> 00:05:41.569 there's sleeping giants that are awakening and 00:05:41.569 --> 00:05:45.129 they... Find salamanders and eat them and then 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:47.230 blow fire out to destroy things for some strange 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:49.209 reason I don't really understand why they do 00:05:49.209 --> 00:05:50.709 that, but it's something giants apparently like 00:05:50.709 --> 00:05:54.430 to do and I'm pretty sure the Giants are a giant 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:57.290 that had woken up and was like destroying a little 00:05:57.290 --> 00:06:00.649 water gathering is what ruined Toloa's pond and 00:06:00.649 --> 00:06:04.310 put her seven sisters in danger and like it Seems 00:06:04.310 --> 00:06:06.370 very much clear that like, you know, the stakes 00:06:06.370 --> 00:06:07.970 are real the dangers real because I'm pretty 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:09.750 sure they find the corpses of three of her sisters 00:06:09.750 --> 00:06:15.139 So that's pretty sad and it was a very well -played 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:16.959 moment because it had tension. I don't know if 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:18.459 the kids got sick or anything from it, but they 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:20.980 were definitely shocked by it. Rightfully so 00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:23.399 so it it handles that those stakes properly and 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:26.459 it makes the loss and the death, you know real 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:28.920 and matter but at the same time with the way 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:30.560 the sight works the way the faith things work 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:32.560 like there's these weird mounds that have showed 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:35.000 up that are bothering his dad Nick's dad because 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:36.600 they're like in the way of construction. So mr 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:38.620 Vargas is like I'm gonna have some guys go over 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:40.199 there and you know hit him with bulldozers and 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:42.519 take him down and It's cool because it creates 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:44.699 like tension in the moment. But the longer I 00:06:44.699 --> 00:06:47.540 thought about that. I thought well, I Know like 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:50.000 the fake creatures are actually there you can't 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.699 see them but you can't see their footprints either 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:54.439 like that doesn't make sense to me and it should 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:55.699 be kind of like one or the other like either 00:06:55.699 --> 00:06:57.839 you can't see them but you can see their footprints 00:06:57.839 --> 00:06:59.319 you're like oh those must be bird footprints 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:03.939 or whatever or like something else like the way 00:07:03.939 --> 00:07:06.000 the the mechanics of the site don't really make 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:07.920 sense to me and they kind of make it seem i don't 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:10.180 know like hokey or silly um because then like 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:11.920 what you're gonna send guys over there with bulldozers 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.720 to deal with the giants and they're gonna be 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:17.980 like attacked by the giants when they wake them 00:07:17.980 --> 00:07:20.939 up or they'll They'll dig up the giants, they'll 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:23.160 be killing them with the machinery, I don't know. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.899 Can giants be killed by regular means or not? 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:29.079 Again, spoilers, you know, you should have read 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.060 the book. If not, it's okay. There's a guy, Nosey 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:33.980 and Jack, which I assume is like Jack the Giant 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:36.319 Slayer, Jack the Giant Killer, a reference to 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.639 that. He ends up killing a Nick, sorry, a giant 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:41.379 because the kids are being attacked by a giant 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:44.680 and they find a trap that, a trap or a snare 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:50.139 or whatever. A snare is a trap. Anyway, in Arthur 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:53.079 Spiderwick's notes that were sent to this address 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:55.819 that they were at, it's too complicated to get 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:57.519 into, but just trust me, just go with me here. 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:00.600 And they end up trapping the giant and they're 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:02.720 all excited at first and then they like realize 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.639 like, oh my gosh, we're killing this thing. Like 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:05.959 we're killing this giant creature that was trying 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:07.579 to kill us, which it's self -defense so it should 00:08:07.579 --> 00:08:09.560 be fine. But still the kids like taking the life 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:12.160 of a human looking creature, mystical, you know, 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:13.839 fey creature. It's understandable that it would 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.420 like... Freak them out and then no seeing Jack 00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:18.420 comes along. He's like, oh good job. You guys 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:20.379 did pretty good job kill this guy Let me help 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:22.120 you out if you're not gonna finish him yourselves. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.980 He's black. He's obviously black Anyway, and 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.339 then he goes or maybe he's just very southern. 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:30.100 Um, and then he goes and like stabs the thing 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:31.519 in the eye Yeah, I think he stabs it through 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:33.759 the eye and kills it which like the violence 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:36.480 the like the horror of them like oh my gosh We're 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.379 killing something is good, it's appropriate. 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:40.000 Him killing it by stabbing it through the eye 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.279 also, it's fine. It's not like gratuitous and 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:43.679 he's not like, you know, licking the blood off 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:45.679 the blade or anything like that. So it's not 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:48.980 like, you know, too intense in that way. But 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:53.779 it's just interesting how we go from like normal 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.240 world to the revelation of this other world to 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:00.399 like seeing how scary it can be and how severe 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:02.580 it can be and how like serious it can be. And 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:04.240 that's a good thing because I do think that danger 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:06.620 and the stakes in the story should escalate even 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:09.039 for children's stories, but it's just some of 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:10.779 the ways that things were done did not please 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:14.320 me. So I kind of talked about what worked generally. 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:17.559 I mentioned like this weird relationship with 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:20.139 the site, like what can't it see, what can it 00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:22.639 see, why can it see in some ways, and the logical 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:25.759 inconsistencies there. I talked about that a 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:27.539 little bit, so I'm satisfied with that, but my 00:09:27.539 --> 00:09:31.240 biggest problem is probably that, again, spoilers, 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:34.259 the Grace Kids, who aren't actually Grace Kids, 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.019 they have some other name, from the previous 00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:38.700 book series show up in this, and they're like, 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:41.019 oh yeah, our mom made them change our last name 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:44.679 in the book, but it's Mallory and not Jason. 00:09:45.990 --> 00:09:48.809 Whatever it's the guys and they're in the book 00:09:48.809 --> 00:09:51.429 Like one at a time they're like switching off 00:09:51.429 --> 00:09:53.789 ones at home one takes a cab to go meet them 00:09:53.789 --> 00:09:56.070 and He ends up finding them and he like wants 00:09:56.070 --> 00:09:58.250 to recover the drawings that Arthur their uncle 00:09:58.250 --> 00:10:03.269 or great uncle whatever had sent to No seeing 00:10:03.269 --> 00:10:05.950 Jack's dad or granddad or whatever who was also, 00:10:05.950 --> 00:10:07.529 you know who was killing there were collaborators 00:10:07.529 --> 00:10:10.399 in doing stuff with fave Apparently hunting and 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.279 killing Giants because every 500 years Giants 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.500 awaken and you have to kill them before they 00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:17.480 cause all this damage Or that's the idea at least 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:22.500 anyway so What I have a big issue with is that 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:25.429 Jared is who it is. Jared whatever his last name 00:10:25.429 --> 00:10:27.970 is. He's like sullen and violent and like I think 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:29.269 he's getting into fights and stuff or you're 00:10:29.269 --> 00:10:31.470 lying or like he's just like his mom basically 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:32.970 thinks this kid's like borderline psychopath 00:10:32.970 --> 00:10:35.029 or sociopath since his dad left because they're 00:10:35.029 --> 00:10:35.990 getting divorced or whatever. I can't remember 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:37.629 if they had actually officially divorced if they 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:39.350 were on the outs or what but they ended up getting 00:10:39.350 --> 00:10:40.870 well anyway but it ends up being a part of the 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:43.070 story and it's like that personal aspect of their 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:45.070 lives is very much involved with the story and 00:10:45.070 --> 00:10:47.330 it like it makes things matter and like at some 00:10:47.330 --> 00:10:50.139 point The mom's like I can't trust any of you 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:51.720 kids like I'm so scared of you and like you're 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:54.159 horrible And it was like a very real moment and 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:56.120 it was really impressive that they like had the 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:57.779 guts to put that in the book But they had another 00:10:57.779 --> 00:10:59.980 very real moment where it's like this is a realistic 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:01.720 thing that could have happened Nick says the 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:03.059 beginning of the book that he's out of shape 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.559 and he's not very athletic and by the end of 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:09.029 the book he closes out by saying like I The world 00:11:09.029 --> 00:11:11.210 is changing things are changing I need to change 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:13.190 and the implication to me is that he needs a 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:15.570 loose weight and get fit and get athletic in 00:11:15.570 --> 00:11:17.269 order for them to because they're being dragged 00:11:17.269 --> 00:11:19.009 into this slaying Giants thing because if they 00:11:19.009 --> 00:11:21.389 don't the Giants are gonna kill Everybody they're 00:11:21.389 --> 00:11:23.289 gonna destroy their home and kill a bunch of 00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:26.230 people in Florida and it's gonna be bad So they're 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:27.870 gonna get involved in this and he's saying like 00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:29.289 I'm inadequate right now basically, which I think 00:11:29.289 --> 00:11:31.350 is very good It's a very healthy. It's wonderful 00:11:31.350 --> 00:11:33.710 that this Chubby kid is seeing like yeah, I'm 00:11:33.710 --> 00:11:36.090 not good enough to be like he almost got them 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:37.470 killed earlier They were on a bike and there's 00:11:37.470 --> 00:11:39.970 a whole thing where the girl Laurie lost her 00:11:39.970 --> 00:11:42.610 necklace and whatever just they discovered the 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:47.710 dead The dead nixies and stuff. But anyway, it's 00:11:47.710 --> 00:11:50.509 uh, I Mean, I feel bad like it's a very short 00:11:50.509 --> 00:11:52.730 book. It's like an hour and a half read probably 00:11:52.730 --> 00:11:55.090 So I don't know what that is like a maybe 20 00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:58.029 ,000 word read 20 ,000 word book probably anyway 00:11:58.029 --> 00:11:59.409 somewhere around that which I'm fine with the 00:11:59.409 --> 00:12:01.590 book being that short. That's okay It can be 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:03.509 good and like overall it was good But what really 00:12:03.509 --> 00:12:05.049 took me out of it what like kind of messed it 00:12:05.049 --> 00:12:08.409 up for me And what makes it part not part of 00:12:08.409 --> 00:12:09.909 the fortress fiction like I will not recommend 00:12:09.909 --> 00:12:15.090 this to my kids to read and It's just like it's 00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.070 just like it's lacking these characters not aspirational 00:12:17.070 --> 00:12:20.649 because like Jared in particular He he like gets 00:12:20.649 --> 00:12:23.129 mad and he grabs Nick and he's gonna slug him 00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:28.159 and he calls him Lord And I try to be as family 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:31.059 -friendly as I can on this show, but that's not 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:32.720 a family -friendly moment, and I just don't know 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:35.240 how else to say other than saying it the way 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:37.159 I did. That's not okay for him to say that in 00:12:37.159 --> 00:12:39.100 this book. That's a little too rough, it's a 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:41.299 little too intense, a little too much, and he 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:43.919 could have called him a fatso or a lardo or a 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:45.740 wide load or anything like that. That would have 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:47.580 been appropriate, it would have conveyed the 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:49.559 message, and it would have affirmed that this 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:50.860 is a true thing about Nick and that it's something 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:53.419 that Nick has to fix for the sake of not dying. 00:12:54.649 --> 00:12:57.309 but it's just very interesting that they went 00:12:57.309 --> 00:12:59.509 with that and that that was allowed to get into 00:12:59.509 --> 00:13:01.870 this book because it just seems too off -color 00:13:01.870 --> 00:13:04.929 and too much for me and like It just kind of 00:13:04.929 --> 00:13:06.289 ruined my enthusiasm for the book because like 00:13:06.289 --> 00:13:09.250 showing the edginess between like the older brother, 00:13:09.570 --> 00:13:10.990 you know, he's a teenager and wants to do whatever 00:13:10.990 --> 00:13:14.289 and like even the Nick and Lori like conflict 00:13:14.289 --> 00:13:15.909 that they have and like the jealousy and the 00:13:15.909 --> 00:13:18.169 hurt feelings and like all those like real raw 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:19.789 moments that they showed that was all wonderful 00:13:19.789 --> 00:13:21.889 and I liked all that but like getting into just 00:13:21.889 --> 00:13:24.629 like straight out calling this kid, you know, 00:13:24.830 --> 00:13:27.429 and like in Narnia when they say that Edmund 00:13:27.429 --> 00:13:29.789 is being an ass like it just feels very different. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:32.960 Whereas this it just feels like it's part of 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:34.779 a meanness that's like they're baked into the 00:13:34.779 --> 00:13:37.000 book that like the authors like or Kind of want 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.000 to indulge in maybe or maybe it was just like 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:41.000 a decision they made that I don't agree with 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.539 but I can understand Well, like I said, there's 00:13:43.539 --> 00:13:45.679 plenty of other ways to do it And I think either 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:47.419 they are editorial should have pushed them to 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:49.360 do a different way I think it's too bad. They 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.220 didn't because it really brings it down for me 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:54.159 is something like ah Okay, great. I just won't 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.259 suggest this to people and when I I kind of want 00:13:56.259 --> 00:13:57.980 to go back now and check out the original spider 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:00.220 with Chronicles and see like does this have stuff 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:01.919 in it that I would say definitely you should 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:05.220 shy away from because like I want stories that 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:06.799 I want stories with spine that's my whole thing 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:08.519 my whole shtick is you know fortress fiction 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:10.159 I'm supposed to be curating and collecting and 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.100 creating myself stories with spine stories that 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:13.500 means some of the stories that stand up and stand 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:16.559 out against the crowd and like have a strong 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.139 moral center to them and they can have danger 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:20.320 and stakes and all these different things but 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:21.799 it's just like it's a different type of team 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:24.779 And that's what I want. So anyway, it's too bad 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:26.559 It didn't that this book was lacking in that 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:28.559 way for me I'm wondering if you think I'm blowing 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:30.460 out a proportion if you think I'm overdoing it 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.820 because this one thing makes me say Maybe it's 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:35.059 not so great for the fortress fiction like it's 00:14:35.059 --> 00:14:36.539 definitely on the outs, but it's not like in 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:39.759 the dungeon so to speak and I'm curious to hear 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:41.379 what other people think about it, but they think 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:44.580 about my opinions on it and my review of it overall 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:47.659 and If it gets worse or better or different or 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.299 whatever. I feel like this is the start of an 00:14:49.299 --> 00:14:52.259 arc character arc and like it needs to be there 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:55.960 for for the sake of the arc but like doesn't 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:57.580 need to be done in that way that's the problem 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:03.059 it's the execution so anyway I like I said I 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:04.799 don't want to just complain about things I want 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:07.000 to write them to be the way I want them to be 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:08.899 I want stories with spine I want things to be 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:10.860 done according to a certain quality in a certain 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:13.940 caliber with a certain like you know mindset 00:15:13.940 --> 00:15:15.960 and that's what I've done with my book Mockering 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:18.220 Mayhem which you can watch the trailer for here 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:22.429 after the rest of the credits, which are like 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:25.169 this. I hope you enjoyed that. Please remember 00:15:25.169 --> 00:15:27.450 to like, share, subscribe. I invite you to comment, 00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:29.009 ask questions, and share your thoughts with me. 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:30.710 It's always more fun when you're part of the 00:15:30.710 --> 00:15:32.230 conversation. Until next time, keep reading, 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:34.129 be well, and do good things. Visit MGMooners 00:15:34.129 --> 00:15:36.750 .com for more of my work and help me build up 00:15:36.750 --> 00:15:38.330 the fortress fiction. Until next time, folks, 00:15:38.409 --> 00:15:42.870 take care. Magical bugs battle monsters in this 00:15:42.870 --> 00:15:45.730 exciting fantasy adventure. Grimlings prey upon 00:15:45.730 --> 00:15:48.840 children. Grow bugs, protect them. When a Grimling 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.240 finds a hidden Growbug fort, the whole flock 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:53.779 makes a surprise attack. How will the Growbugs 00:15:53.779 --> 00:15:58.639 survive? Find out in Mockwing Mayhem. Learn more 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:00.580 at growbugs .com where you can find out more 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:02.740 about our mailing list, receive behind the scenes 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:05.700 information, and get all the latest news on the 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:06.100 Growbugs.