Customer Reviews

Time and Mr. Bass: A Mushroom Planet Book

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Having read the first two Mushroom Planet books in third grade, I was very eager to read this final part of the adventures. I vaguely remember that the book dealt with the king of the Mushroom Planet coming to earth and finding descendants of the planet there, I also seem to recall that Mr. Bass is one, but I wouldn't swear to it. However, the chief thought that comes to my mind when I think of this book is how different it was from the former books of the series. The tone was utterly different-heavy and dark, and I remember that the ending was almost grotesque in its flavor. I wouldn't recommend this for young children - they'll probably find it very weird, but for fans of the series, you'll find a different, twisted look at the Mushroom Planet and its inhabitants.

This book was definitely different in tone from the rest of the series. The premise is that the inhabitants of the Mushroom Planet are related to today's Welsh, and the boys and Mr. Bass are caught up in a mystery involving the hidden grave of Arthur and Guinevere and the evil forces which caused his overthrow. The final scene in Wales is utterly chilling and still sends shivers down my spine. If you can accept the rather silly premise at face value, you have a dark and thrilling read ahead of you. Very enjoyable for those who like a little mystery to deepen their light fantasy reading.

I loved the Mushroom Planet books but my memories of this one are entirely different. I haven't read it since I was a kid but it has probably shaped my fascination for weird fiction, of stories about what might happen in parallel to the familiar world we know about. I remember being very frightened and horrified even -- I was a timid child! -- but there was also an undeniable attraction to the "dark side," which I found unexpectedly in the familiar characters.

I used to hate reading and would not ever in my wildest dreams ever read a book untill i went to the library. My dad and I were looking at book titles when he came across a funny picture. He showed it to me and I to his suprise and my own asked if i could get it out. He was thrilled that i would want to read the book. after I read the first book I wanted to read more. and when I ran out of books and the sequence was over and there were no more books I became enraged and wanted more and now for two years I have waited to buy the series the whole time my parents doubting that I would ever find it but here it is at Amazon. com right in front of my eyes. you should read it as well and you will be surpised at how interesting it is!

Many fantasy series deepen as they go along; Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Cycle and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events come immediately to mind. But this final novel in Eleanor Cameron's five-book Mushroom Planet series is truly a leap, as the other reviewers rightly indicate. The earlier books, which came out between 1954 and 1960, are good light fun, but "Time and Mr. Bass," which appeared in 1967, is rich, deep, intense, passionate, and unforgettable. The sense of evil is similar to that in Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 "A Wrinkle in Time," which may have been an influence. It would be perfectly possible to read this book before the others and still thoroughly enjoy it.

One should at least read the 'Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet' to understand the background to this book but it's probably not necessary to have read the others in the Mushroom Planet series. True, it's dated in terms of technology but Mr. Bass is the epitome of the sage teacher/philosopher in this series despite the alien appearance of the tiny green-tinged mushroom-headed spore person. You just need to suspend a little disbelief to get past the idea of a hidden planet in our solar system and the kid-sized aluminum-plated rocket ship built by two boys, David Topman and Chuck Masterson.

Spoiler alert...

In this book, more of Tyco Bass' history is revealed when he takes the boys to his home town in Wales and discovers that the wondrous necklace of Ta, the ruler of the Mushroom Planet, has been stolen along with an ancient Mycetian scroll. The thief was under compulsion by the power of the necklace and in an amusing series of events, Tyco and the boys track down the stones which have been removed from the necklace and sold to different people who have become obsessed with Mycetian styles: a doctor using mushrooms as medicine, an architect designing a frilled beehive-shaped church, an artist sculpting mushroom people as druids, and a fashion designer creating raincoats as formal wear. The people return to normal and Tyco and the boys return with the necklace and the scroll.

The scroll's recovery takes a darker turn in the second part of the book. Tyco has the power to see through time and knows that an ancient evil he calls Narrow Brain hounded and murdered his Elder Grandfather in King Arthur's time and is still present in the world. Tyco must decipher the scroll and defeat this enemy. He takes the boys with him to the Mushroom Planet, Basidium, to discover clues to help him with the unknown language. It is David who squeezes into a room in the ruins of the Lost City that holds a Rosetta Stone key to the ancient language transcribed on its walls. Tyco is able to translate the scroll which was written for him by his Elder Grandfather who also had the power to see through time. It was his ancestor's wish that Tyco urge his people once again to meet at the Great Thronging every thirteen years to share their wonderful artistry and songs together. Twelve other scrolls are also found that were hidden in the hearts of "twelve faithful supporters of all our councils". These scrolls recorded the history, legends, and songs of the Mycetians. Following the joyous discovery of the scrolls and the celebration of Tyco's 385th birthday comes a night of psychic terror and endurance brought on by Narrow Brain when the Mycetians, with the help of the scroll and David's dream vision, search for the Elder Grandfather's hidden bones. The ancient evil is finally defeated and the story ends with the bones taken to be buried in the hidden Mycetian burial ground that no human has ever seen.