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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a little too much silliness, December 17, 2009
This review is from: Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (Pals in Peril Tale) (Hardcover)
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This is the third book in M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series. The first two, Whales On Stilts and The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen, were wacky with silliness. I enjoyed them, even though it's not my favorite kind of humor.
The Flame Pits of Delaware is in the same vein - much silliness with crazy characters, lots of unpredictable plot twists, and purposely contrived situations. It's a story to be taken lightly, and it helps to check your idea of reality at the front door.
Even though I did this, I didn't like Flame Pits as much as the other two, and that's mostly because of the length. I can only take so much mindless silliness, and I'd reached my limit about two thirds of the way through.
Also, there were a few odd things added, like conflict between the main characters, and the beginnings of a love interest. Those elements felt strange, because this kind of story isn't meant to delve into typical kid problems. Stories like this work best when it's a good, plain adventure, like the first two. As a result, this story was just okay. For me, anyway.
Still, I can see middle grade kids going for a book like this, though even they also might prefer a shorter version.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A giddy triumph, November 3, 2009
This review is from: Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (Pals in Peril Tale) (Hardcover)
I'm not sure why those who did not enjoy this book describe it as overlong or unplotted or poorly written. I suspect that the majority of Anderson's wit went right over their heads. I found it to be a complete delight, giddy in its determined inventiveness and rapturous in its assault on the world of children's series.
Nearly every page contained a sly reference to some great children's book or other cultural signpost. (In the description of Lily's boring town, there was even a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"!) And Anderson's loopy, grotesquely exotic world of Delaware was hysterical from beginning to end.
I was astonished at the end of the book, during the celebration at the monastery, when the narrator turned rhapsodic about joy and the sense of place. For a book that had kept me laughing out loud for the majority of its pages, I was surprised to be brought to tears.
Those who suggest that the author of "Feed" and "Octavian Nothing" has come up short in this book have failed to get the point themselves. This book is a fine work, one of dense style perhaps, but a huge reward to those who are willing to submerse themselves in Anderson's subversive world.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dover and Out, September 28, 2009
This review is from: Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (Pals in Peril Tale) (Hardcover)
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A mixed bag of tricks, PALS IN PERIL: JASPER DASH AND THE FLAME-PITS OF DELAWARE has its funny moments and its tedious moments. The extended opening sequence -- a stare contest called Stare-Eyes -- runs 92 pages and sets up the action in Delaware. We also get a lot of illustrations, sight gags, and funny footnotes. For instance, on p. 79, a footnote about an ancient concrete bunker finishes with the lines: "There were probably routes to places like the Diamond Realm and the Court of the Fungus Lords. But that's not what this book's about. It's about Stare-Eyes. Okay? All right? If you're so bloody interested in the bunkers, why don't you go write a story about them yourself?"
Later, in Chapter 33, we get more fun and games in the form of the author guest-starring in his own book. Here M.T. Anderson writes, "I am afraid that now comes the part in the novel of foreign adventure that I really can't stand. We have a lull in the action, so the characters get informative about local industries: weaving, pottery, major imports and exports, farming techniques, etc." More? Whole pages will be taken up with one word (e.g. BAM!) or by words moving up and down (as opposed to the garden-variety left-to-right, I mean).
Does it work? To a point. At 423 pp., JASPER DASH's silliness begins to age a bit. The plot gets lost now and again, too. Not that this is terribly important. What's more important is why M.T. Anderson, who puts out such outstanding books as FEED and OCTAVIAN NOTHING, is slumming like this. I know, I know. Have fun. Get silly. And don't worry about it (Jasper Dash's laser will come to your rescue... Dover and Out).
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