Archivist Werfel has been chosen to play host to the elf visitor. He has prepared to be the best host possible and show off his city and kingdom to the best advantage. Things do not get off to a good start. Spurge seems dissatisfied if not disgusted by the cultural experiences Werfel shares with him.
Unbeknownst to Werfel, Spurge has been fitted with a new type of magical technology that allows him to send transmissions back to his government. He can only send images, and the images represent his own interpretation of events.
Both Wefel and Spurge believe they are serving their own nations, but it quickly becomes clear that neither understands the complete situation, and they may be lucky to get out of this alive!
M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin have created an entertaining and playful look at international politics with multiple unreliable narrators. Who is telling the truth, and how is the "truth" colored by the viewer's cultural lens? We lose Spurge's transmissions for a large portion of the book, and I think that affected the flow and the humor of the story. I really enjoyed this book, but I am curious to see how the intended audience will react. Will it be too dense and nuanced for a middle grade reader?
No comments:
Post a Comment