Leven Thumps

Ladies,

At the get-go, let me say that I found Leven Thumps to be a quick and an enjoyable read. However, as a fan of fantasy literature, my expectations were probably too high. If I were to put Tolkien and CS Lewis at the top and JK Rowling somewhere in the middle, then I would put Leven Thumps down toward the bottom of the continuum.

In fact, after reading the bio of the author, I wondered if it had been written by a committee or as a publishing house ploy to see just what it would take to get a book to sell. Maybe the book was written simply to create an interactive opportunity for readers to “Begin their own adventure in Foo at LevenThumps.com." (This is something Orson Scott Card has done with some of his books.) Maybe its target audience is young adolescents with no attempt to reach mature adults. I don’t know how or why it was written, but let me explain why I was so aggravated by the time I finished the book.

On a positive note, I thought the comments about coincidences on page 60 and discouragement on page 144 were profound. I also thought the moral to the story about Geth being powerful even though he was a toothpick (don’t judge a book by its cover) was instructive. And I thought the idea of “casting” a shadow was clever. The fact that Sabine’s shadows: sought those who minds entertained selfish or conspiring thoughts (page 114), used self doubt as their most powerful tool, and could be dismissed with the snap of a finger was pretty neat.

However, there was way too much borrowing from other literary works. I noticed that some of you mentioned the similarities, too, but I felt like it was a cop-out from the author, copying rather than creating:

from Harry Potter: being raised by a mean aunt, sleeping on the porch (or under the stairs), Clover is like Doby the House Elf, Winter swells up just the Mr. Dursley’s sister, getting to Hogwarts is done in a similar manner as getting into Foo.

from Lord of the Rings: Sabin is a lot like Saron; Morfit sounds a lot like Mordor

from Celestine Prophecy: fate will make things turn out like they should

from Paradise Lost: Sabine / Satan don’t understand that what they want to do will not get them what they want; it will actually destroy everything

from XMen/Superheroes: Winter can’t touch Leven and the Earth Monster is something right out of the movies.

Plus the Chapter 30’s “The Occidental Tourist” was a “cute” play on Anne Tyler’s book, The Accidental Tourist.

I felt like the author was almost mocking the reader: the Gateway to Foo(l), those who have special gifts are “nits,” the king is a toothpick (page 132, 133, etc.) In fact, the scenes involving Geth are almost cartoon-like.

The writing is very good in places but sloppy and clichéd in others: page 197 “They hit the ground running and took off like there was no tomorrow,” page 199 “Leven had grown to sort of like the little guy . . . he couldn’t bear to just leave him for dead.”

And the author never convinced me of the whole premise for the book. In Lord of the Rings, I knew the ring had to be destroyed to stop Saron from taking over the world. In Leven Thumps I really didn’t buy the premise that there was a world where dreams exist and that without it the world would fall apart. I didn’t arrive at the literary state of “willing suspension of disbelief.” And the author didn’t give any real reason (except he said so) to explain why destroying the Gateway to Foo had to be done by a blood relative.

My copy of Leven Thumps was a gift from a friend who reviews children's lit. Next time I see her, I will get her opinion on the book and pass it on to you. I would love to see an interview with the author. In fact, I have a few questions I would like to ask him myself! I’m not sorry I read it and I will probably read the sequel. Actually, it was kind of fun to have an opportunity to really sink my teeth into literary analysis again. Thanks, Laurenda :)

Leven (not Levin as I've been spelling it) Thumps

Yay! I really liked this book the first time I read it and am glad everyone so far has enjoyed it. I have to say that I suggested it because I wanted to re-read it before I read the sequel (and I had checked it out from the library instead of buying a copy the first time!). You know, ironically, the reason I read the book in the first place is that I saw it advertized in a Deseret Book Catalog I got in the mail, and I was looking for something to read to take my mind off of Harry Potter mania!!! :)

There are so many aspects of the book that I liked or appreciated, so, just to name a few: I love that Geth just lived in faith, believing that Fate would make everything allright or else it wouldn't...like he'd either figure out a way through stuff or it was simply his time to die. The end. That's the way it was. I think I would be in such a better mindframe about my own problems if I could really live like that...trusting the Lord that things would work out, one way or another--and I mean really trusting that. Instead, I start to worry and fret (and the big earth monsters start to stalk me!) lol. Anyway, enjoyed that even as a toothpick, he accepted the way he was and where he was and worked with what he had. Loved it.

I loved Winter and her special abilities of freezing stuff. And I loved Clover and thought the conversations between Leven and Clover were a hoot and a half. I sometimes wish that I, too, had a Void and then I think, oh wait...I do...my purse. lol. (did anyone ever see that episode of "Mad About You" where Helen Hunt's Jamie and her sister switch purses, and by the end of the day Jamie is a disaster and her sister seems totally put together? lololol...ahem). I agree with Katrina that even the sinster characters served a purpose and I'm curious to read more about life in Foo with them there (do we really think Sabine is gone???? all aspects of him?????hmmmm), and I'm thrilled that Leven was reunited with his Grandma. (How many of you realized that it was Grandma who placed Winter in the hospital? I didn't until this reading. Interesting, no?). The one downer of reading was I didn't quite picture the climatic battle scene in my mind as clearly as I would have liked, but it might have been because I was reading it so fast, so engrossed was I in the story.

So, I also loved the dedication...it made sense the second time around...lol. "For those who saw me slip thorugh and held their tongues--your part in this is just beginning." :) (cue foreshadowing here!)

ANYWAY! Enjoyed the book the second time around (which to me is a great sign of a good book) and am going to be heading out to get the sequel sometime this week!!!!!! Yeehaw!

Have a great day, everyone (and can I just say, am loving the emailed blog entries! Wahoo, Miss Katie for "making it work"!).

:) Laurenda

ps. Katie, can I tell you I never made the corrolation between Leven's hair and Harry's scar??? Yegads. lol. Hooray for other book club readers sharing insights. :)

Leven Thumps - Gateway to Foo

I found several similarities between Leven Thumps and Harry Potter (which may be why I liked it so much):
Young boy, parents having been killed, being raised by relatives that really don't want him.
Said relatives mistreat him.
The young boy has a "mark" of some kind that distinguishes him from others (Harry - scar, Leven - white stripe of hair).
Then, at a given age, this young boy is told he is "special," and has a special destiny different from the world he knows.
I liked the fact that Leven had a hard time coming to grips with his new reality, his "special-ness." I tried to imagine a boy his age (my 16-year-old nephew comes to mind) all of a sudden being told he has magic-ish powers. He wouldn't believe it and he would rebel against it. That brought a certain je ne sais quoi - I mean a certain reality to the book. However, to bring a little religion into it, I imagine another 14-year-old boy who helped bring about a religious revolution. There is a reason change starts with people so young - because they probably have an easier time believing in their destiny - so I'm changing my previous opinion about my nephew. I still liked that initial "who me?"
It was very imaginative - I loved the way they took the car across the Atlantic, and I can't wait for the sequel.