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Fantasia: A Short Story for Children and Adults Kindle Edition
- Kindle
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Fantasia is a universal story containing humour and pathos. It is particularly suitable as an educational tool for children who are beginning to learn the science of climate change and understand the concept of social responsibility. It was originally written by Jane for her children, all big Disney fans, and first published in Jane's adult short story collection, A Modern Life. It has now been released independently so it can reach the audience for whom it was initially intended.
- Reading age9 - 18 years
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 10, 2015
Editorial Reviews
Review
"... a cute and amusing short story. Its message is a powerful one and made me weep on the train while I was reading it." NetGalley
"This book was amazing! A definite must read for old and young. Walt Disney is how I have always imagined him and he made me chuckle, a lot. Do yourself a favour and read this book now, I promise it will put a smile on your face and brighten your day." Goodreads
"A really deep story. but also very funny. I would read again and again." Goodreads
"It's great that the author managed to convey the message without sounding too serious, in a simple and clear way but building it around interesting story. I think that for that alone, the story deserves a high rating, because I haven't found many books that will touch upon such issues in a similar, accessible way. " Goodreads
Product details
- ASIN : B016H15XZM
- Publisher : Sweet and Salty Books; First edition (October 10, 2015)
- Publication date : October 10, 2015
- Language : English
- File size : 1242 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 50 pages
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Jane was born in a remote village in the Malvern Hills in England a long, long time ago. So long ago, Jane sometimes now forgets where she lives and where she has parked her car. She is, however, very friendly with her local police officer.
Whilst still a baby, Jane moved to the seaside resort of Weston super Mare, on the borders of Somerset, where she spent years gazing forlornly out of her Silver Cross Pram. Her excessive exposure to salty air and seagull poop left her deeply traumatized and possessing a bizarre sense of humour. She now inflicts her dubious wit on everyone, including passing strangers, scarecrows and stray dogs. She hasn't been invited to dinner since 1982.
There is a lot more to tell about Jane. You can find her on the net at The Witty Ways of a Wayward Woman.
www.janeturley.net/@turleytalks/www.facebook.com/JaneTurleywriter
To stay updated with Jane's news, you can follow her blog or sign up for her newsletter (via her blog) or follow her via Twitter, Facebook or by clicking the follow button on her Amazon author page on Amazon.com
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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At the outset we meet a doctor and his patient, Walt Disney, who has just emerged from a sixty-five year cryogenic suspension. The year is 2031; Disney awakes both crusty and humorous. He inquires if his film, “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” won the Oscar. Disney has much to learn about modern technology and film making. Soon he is busy reintroducing himself to this strange new world, where New York and London are flooding and viewers are able to transport themselves inside the films they are watching. As Walt grows stronger, it appears to the doctor that this first successful cryogenic resuscitation will be a total success. The ending is totally unexpected.
In less than twenty-five pages, Turley spins an interesting tale raising lots of questions for young and older minds. Great choice for parents and teachers to raise discussions on modern technology, medical science and climate change using a non-scientific story-telling format.
It's 2031 and Walt Disney is brought back to life after being in cryogenic suspension for over 60 years. But apart from his story, or maybe I should say in between, the author placed a very important message. I think that the story is well suited for both children and adults, and will serve the purpose in both cases. For children, it will be of educational value, and for adults, it will remind us of a danger of global warming, that's very real nowadays.
It's great that the author managed to convey the message without sounding too serious, in a simple and clear way but building it around interesting story. I think that for that alone, the story deserves a high rating, because I haven't found many books that will touch upon such issues in a similar, accessible way. Apart from that, I also really liked all the funny parts and dialogues which made the read fun, especially Walt Disney asking about "his Pooh" and learning things about this future world.
I would warn readers that even though this is a book about Disney, this is not a Disney book. Therefore, I wouldn't buy it with the expectation of your 5 or 6 year old enjoying it. I would guess it would be more suitable for 8+.
There's one line in the book that is vaguely sacrilegious and made me choke on my coffee when I read it. Definitely wasn't expecting it, and loved the quick hit of humor that it gave the story.
Overall, solid short story from a talented author.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
There is also a climate change message contained in this book, although it isn't preachy or political. It felt a little like it might have been inserted as an afterthought. The story would have been just as strong without it. That's my only criticism.
I'm still giving it five stars, because the character was strong enough to carry the plot (difficult in a short story) and partly because the ending was so unpredictable and yet so very Mr. Disney.
I received a copy for review through a social media review group, and have no other connection with the author.
Top reviews from other countries

In 2031, the human race is on the verge of interstellar travel. As part of his research into the neurological impact of cryonic suspension during space flight, Dr Corey revives Walt Disney. The process works, but Disney is anything but a compliant subject. As Corey’s attempts to trade privileges for test data turn into an odd friendship, he finds himself drawn into another grandiose Disney project.
As might be expected in a novelette that covers both cryonic suspension and climate change, science and future history are revealed more through exposition to the reader than deduction from events and dialogue. However, the driving force of this work is the interaction of Corey and Disney, making this more than hard sci-fi or environmentalist polemic.
Turley also carefully balances necessary exposition with brevity, giving the reader enough to understand there is an issue without requiring them to process complex data or nuances. As such, readers (whether child or adult) who are unfamiliar with the science will find it both accessible and informative; however, readers already aware of these matters might find little new on the technical side.
This brevity continues throughout, meaning that the dénouement is likely to have greater emotional impact on those readers not already aware of the complexities of the issues.
However, Turley’s use of character makes this more than an entry-point to the impacts of climate change. Stripping the supporting cast back to passing extras, she renders the story as a duologue; maximizing the page-time of both main characters, this approach provides the reader with details about their personalities without feeling rushed or instructed.
From the moment he reawakens, Disney is complex: forceful yet polite, arrogant yet brilliant, he serves both as a sympathetic analogue for the reader to explore this possible future, and as a larger-than-life force to support the good humour that stops this work becoming bleak.
Corey provides an engaging foil for both roles: his mix of scientific education and bedside manner combine to provide accessible insight into the changes, while his agreeable personality and acceptance that the future is normal make him a strong straight-man.
Overall, I enjoyed the humour and characterisation, but found the story lighter than I prefer. I recommend it to readers seeking a humorous interlude or an entertaining entry-point into a serious discussion.

In case you are not familiar with the author's work yet, Fantasia is a very good point to start as certainly Turley's SOH shines through.
The author picks up on the long-standing urban legend surrounding Disney's death, that his corpse was cryonically frozen (in reality he was cremated) and the man with the mouse is reawakened in 2031. Times have moved on and on a positive note, Disney's cancer is now cured, but sadly global warming is an even bigger issue and major cities are already flooded.
Disney tries to grasp the changes which have taken place during his "hibernation" with the help of modern technology like an ablenote (loved that one) and a cinenote, which transports the viewer directly into the movie and Walt is able to enjoy his classic 1940 film Fantasia first hand.
The whole set and the possibilities of modern movie production prove to be highly inspiring for Walt Disney and he starts to write the script for a new Disney release.
Sadly, he also has made up his mind as far as 2031 is concerned. (I couldn't help but think at this point "I'll be back".)
It helps a bit to be familiar with Walt Disney's life and his character to fully appreciate all the enjoyable little hints in the story regarding his antics and that's one of the reasons why I believe, that the story is rather suitable for older teens and adults than 9 year olds. (Story is aimed at kids between 9 - 18).
Of course, Fantasia offers the chance to talk about global warming and cryonic freezing, but for me the main (and hugely entertaining) focus is on Walt Disney.
Definitely a clever and interesting read. Recommended.


