Wildwood Imperium (Wildwood Chronicles, 3)
From Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society, comes the stunning third book in the New York Times bestselling fantasy-adventure series the Wildwood Chronicles.
A young girl's midnight séance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit.... A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland.... Two old friends draw closer to their goal of bringing together a pair of exiled toy makers in order to reanimate a mechanical boy prince.... As the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.
The Wildwood Chronicles is a mesmerizing and epic tale, at once firmly steeped in the classics of children's literature and completely fresh at the same time. In this book, Colin Meloy continues to expand and enrich the magical world and cast of characters he created in Wildwood, while Carson Ellis once again brings that world to life with her gorgeous artwork, including six full-color plates.
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Community Reviews
The best of the three, this book came to an interesting and, for my part, satisfying conclusion within the world of Wildwood.
We left off during Under Wildwood with our heroes, Prue and Curtis, having a relatively clear goal but practically no way to make it happen. They have to reunite Esben, the amiable hook-handed bear, and Carol Grod, the eyeless old man, so that they can remake the departed Prince Alexei rise again and bring balance to the Force--wood, I meant wood. Meanwhile, Curtis's poor sisters, Rachel and Elsie, have been kicked out of their cruel existence (a home for "unadoptables" that is secretly a sweatshop) and into the Periphery, the magical boundary between the wood and the real world. While Prue and Curtis have Esben, Elsie and Rachel discover Carol Grod, but it's going to take several hundred pages and quite a few bumps in the road to bring everyone together. And flitting around the edges is Zita, the lost, bereaved girl whose recently deceased mother has left a hole in the life of her and her father, and she finds bizarre understanding and companionship in a ghostly woman who only appears as writing in a foggy mirror.
As always, Colin Meloy has delightful characters and surprises up his sleeve, and the amount of deus ex machina at the end of his novel seems cheeky rather than serious, as though he's using it understanding that it was the only way to solve the problems he created but not minding that he needed to do so. I found this refreshing in the face of authors like Rick Riordan, who seem to tie everything up so neatly out of a sense of duty (that's how a kid's book should be, they seem to reason) and a lack of imagination (I've written myself into a corner and have to end this thing somehow). But seriously, I know I should finish the Percy Jackson series, but I may inflict serious damage on myself before I manage it. I can just see Meloy giggling a bit to himself as he wrote the ending. It's not without loss, either, and a little bit of compassion, both of which I appreciated (though, for me, there could have been more real danger and loss. One of the major "yikes" factors turned out to be terribly tame). The tale is concluded and I feel sated.
The pace is much better on this book than even the last one. The first is tedious and a chore to get through, the second clips along pretty nicely, and this one felt effortless to glide through hundreds of pages. I had to willfully slow myself down so that I didn't gobble it all up in one sitting. Savoring it was difficult but I think I managed at least a little.
The nicest thing, I think, for me in this novel aside from Meloy's fun portrayal of kids (they're disarming in how they're blunt, especially about praise, and how they unflinchingly see the world and people around them), is his even critique of most ruling structures. Oh, and his little japes at the hipster world of Portland. He did a bizarrely nice job of reducing people's lives to what they mostly are: trivial. It felt a bit cruel to me but I doubt the majority of children will see it that way. But sometimes I enjoy a bit of cruelty. Really, it was more true than it was cruel, I say as I jot down my inconsequential thoughts to be read by exactly no one in the void of the anonymous internet, a topic which is as boring and useless as it is frequently reflected upon by myself. And yet I continue. Hmm. Narcissism? Probably. Anyhow, Meloy allies himself on the side of the oldest ruling structures, though is quick to point out that even they don't have all the answers. In the end, justice and right prevail and someone who is kind, humble, and judicious takes over, restoring balance, harmony, peace, and good to everywhere yay. That being said, every other group that tries to rule the wood is met with the same problems: shifting loyalties and moods, witch-hunts, propaganda, a smidgen of brainwashing, and mob mentality all play a role in bringing down one of several ruling structures that unsuccessfully govern the wood. It is clear that while order is necessary, it's much, much harder to do it right than it is to get it wrong.
I want more from Meloy. I think this was a good start, but I think he has a lot of polishing to do. I want to see him move on to bigger, better, but not necessarily longer. I would like more subtlety and perhaps less talking animals and more mystique, and for him to move further away from his fantasy forbears (I may or may not have shouted "the eagles are coming!" while reading this book at least once). For what this book was supposed to do, I think it succeeded, and I think it did it well. As it should be, it was the best of the three, and it tied everything up nicely, even if it wasn't 100% to my taste. It's what I wanted and it was what I needed.
I would absolutely recommend this series to people who like fantasy and children's literature but are tired of the commonplace drivel of Rick Riordan and his lackluster heroes. Let yourself be immersed in the magic of the wood. But do watch out for the ivy.
We left off during Under Wildwood with our heroes, Prue and Curtis, having a relatively clear goal but practically no way to make it happen. They have to reunite Esben, the amiable hook-handed bear, and Carol Grod, the eyeless old man, so that they can remake the departed Prince Alexei rise again and bring balance to the Force--wood, I meant wood. Meanwhile, Curtis's poor sisters, Rachel and Elsie, have been kicked out of their cruel existence (a home for "unadoptables" that is secretly a sweatshop) and into the Periphery, the magical boundary between the wood and the real world. While Prue and Curtis have Esben, Elsie and Rachel discover Carol Grod, but it's going to take several hundred pages and quite a few bumps in the road to bring everyone together. And flitting around the edges is Zita, the lost, bereaved girl whose recently deceased mother has left a hole in the life of her and her father, and she finds bizarre understanding and companionship in a ghostly woman who only appears as writing in a foggy mirror.
As always, Colin Meloy has delightful characters and surprises up his sleeve, and the amount of deus ex machina at the end of his novel seems cheeky rather than serious, as though he's using it understanding that it was the only way to solve the problems he created but not minding that he needed to do so. I found this refreshing in the face of authors like Rick Riordan, who seem to tie everything up so neatly out of a sense of duty (that's how a kid's book should be, they seem to reason) and a lack of imagination (I've written myself into a corner and have to end this thing somehow). But seriously, I know I should finish the Percy Jackson series, but I may inflict serious damage on myself before I manage it. I can just see Meloy giggling a bit to himself as he wrote the ending. It's not without loss, either, and a little bit of compassion, both of which I appreciated (though, for me, there could have been more real danger and loss. One of the major "yikes" factors turned out to be terribly tame). The tale is concluded and I feel sated.
The pace is much better on this book than even the last one. The first is tedious and a chore to get through, the second clips along pretty nicely, and this one felt effortless to glide through hundreds of pages. I had to willfully slow myself down so that I didn't gobble it all up in one sitting. Savoring it was difficult but I think I managed at least a little.
The nicest thing, I think, for me in this novel aside from Meloy's fun portrayal of kids (they're disarming in how they're blunt, especially about praise, and how they unflinchingly see the world and people around them), is his even critique of most ruling structures. Oh, and his little japes at the hipster world of Portland. He did a bizarrely nice job of reducing people's lives to what they mostly are: trivial. It felt a bit cruel to me but I doubt the majority of children will see it that way. But sometimes I enjoy a bit of cruelty. Really, it was more true than it was cruel, I say as I jot down my inconsequential thoughts to be read by exactly no one in the void of the anonymous internet, a topic which is as boring and useless as it is frequently reflected upon by myself. And yet I continue. Hmm. Narcissism? Probably. Anyhow, Meloy allies himself on the side of the oldest ruling structures, though is quick to point out that even they don't have all the answers. In the end, justice and right prevail and someone who is kind, humble, and judicious takes over, restoring balance, harmony, peace, and good to everywhere yay. That being said, every other group that tries to rule the wood is met with the same problems: shifting loyalties and moods, witch-hunts, propaganda, a smidgen of brainwashing, and mob mentality all play a role in bringing down one of several ruling structures that unsuccessfully govern the wood. It is clear that while order is necessary, it's much, much harder to do it right than it is to get it wrong.
I want more from Meloy. I think this was a good start, but I think he has a lot of polishing to do. I want to see him move on to bigger, better, but not necessarily longer. I would like more subtlety and perhaps less talking animals and more mystique, and for him to move further away from his fantasy forbears (I may or may not have shouted "the eagles are coming!" while reading this book at least once). For what this book was supposed to do, I think it succeeded, and I think it did it well. As it should be, it was the best of the three, and it tied everything up nicely, even if it wasn't 100% to my taste. It's what I wanted and it was what I needed.
I would absolutely recommend this series to people who like fantasy and children's literature but are tired of the commonplace drivel of Rick Riordan and his lackluster heroes. Let yourself be immersed in the magic of the wood. But do watch out for the ivy.
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