Okay, I should be strung up by my toes...or perhaps baked in a quiche :D ...for never having talked about Bone. I finished it weeks ago, and just completely forgot to mention it. And it deserves to be mentioned!
Chris said, I believe it was when he reviewed the first of these books, that he had sort of avoided Bone for a while. I was the same way. I think I had the idea that they were too cutesy or simplistic or something. ***Bad Debi! Stop making assumptions!*** Well, all that changed when I happened to pick up the prequel, Rose, from the library several months back. I read it, and loved it, and never even realized until I'd finished it that it was the prequel to Bone. At that point, I ditched my reservations and immediately went and ordered this complete collection of Bone. But then, as often happens, it went to the shelf and languished due to the fact that I have so many damn unread books. Enter Nymeth. She reads it, loves it, writes one of her unbelievably awesome reviews of it. Back on the radar it goes. I became determined to get it read over the summer. And hey, determination (and a long vacation) paid off.
So, those preconceptions I had--cutesy and simplistic--was I correct? Well, no! In some ways, it definitely is cute...some of the characters simply beg to be picked up and cuddled. But no. The story, while humorous and fun and fantastical and delightful, is not pure fluff. Not at all. There is darkness, and there is evil. There is greed, and there is misunderstanding. There are difficult decisions, and there is war. And there is friendship and loyalty and courage and love.
The story starts when three cousins, Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phoney Bone, are fun out of Boneville. They end up lost and separated in a land they know nothing about. But Fone Bone is befriended by a girl named Thorn, and comes to stay with Thorn and her grandmother, Rose. Rose is a tough, yet kind-hearted, woman. A woman with a world of secrets. Secrets that not only involve herself and her granddaughter, but really all the people and creatures of the land. And these secrets are about to come to light...
As I mentioned earlier, Bone is filled with wonderful characters. Characters I already miss dearly. I dare anyone not to fall in love with Fone Bone. And Rose is such a strong, loving, and complex woman, a woman that I wish I could be more like. And there's the wise, patient red dragon. And an adorable bug named Ted. And Bartleby. Oh how Bartleby stole my heart. I won't say more about him, because you'll want to get to know him all by yourself.
Hmmm...I really wish I could just read it all again right now.
*****
For more on the subject:
Nymeth of Things Mean A Lot
Chris of Stuff as Dreams Are Made On (Volume 1)
Beth F of Beth Fish Reads (Volume 1. Others are reviewed as well, so just search blog.)
Graeme of Graeme's Fantasy Book Review (Volume 1. Others are reviewed as well, so just search blog.)
Memory of Stella Matutina (fun post about fantasy gift recommendations)
As usual, I'm sure I've missed some. I apologize. Feel free to leave me a link in the comments, and I'll add it to the list. Thanks.
12 comments:
Debi, this is completely unrelated to this message, but I wondered if you'd be interested in my ARC of The Ask and the Answer. I've decided I'm not really interested in continuing the series after all. I thought I'd ask you since you were on a buy ban before I put it on Bookmooch. I could send it up to you at the same time as Annie's fundraiser stuff.
If you could email me at amandagignac[at]gmail[dot]com that would be wonderful. I was planning to send off Annie's stuff tomorrow (well, I WAS going to today, but now one of my kids is home sick from school so I have to wait...).
Oh Bartelby <3 He stole my heart too. And tell me, am I the only one who now giggles at the mere mention of a quiche? :P
Did you know Jeff Smith is going to write new Bone stories? Including a trilogy about Smiley Bone and Barterlby? Wheee :D
Amanda,
E-mailed you. You are oh-so-very sweet!!!! Though like I just told you, Rich, my darling enabler, brought it home for me a few days ago. Thanks again for the offer, Amanda! :D
Nymeth,
He is?!!! That is just the coolest news I've heard in ages...Bartleby and Smiley Bone...ooooh, I just can't wait!!!!
Yeah, I'm with you on the quiche...I'll never look at quiche in quite the same way again. :D Not that I really know how I previously viewed quiche. ;)
I remember reading Nymeth's review of these books and thinking they were good. Sounds like a real winner.
I read this years and years ago. My husband thought I might like it and I did. :-) I'm glad you did too!
Evil! I have been resisting this series for monetary reasons mostly, but I think I am going to have to breakdown and get it...
Oh, yay, I got the Ask and the Answer in the mail today! Now, to find time to read it...
Man, do I ever love this series! Fone Bone! Rose! Ted! Bartleby! Quiche! It's been about two years since I last read it, and I think it might be time to dive back in.
Now I just have to wrestle a middle school kid to the ground to get #1 out of his hands!! LOL!! I'm so going to read this before the end of the year!!
My kids had the same reaction to the series at first--too cute. Not for them.
Luckily, their cousin had a copy of the first book when we were staying with them and Ben was desperate for something light to read, so he picked it up. Loved it. Passed it on to Evan, who also loved it. We're waiting for book 2 to come in at the library.
I love all the baby animals and the Bones, too. They are just too cute. And quiche will never be the same! I loved this series.
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