![]() He is initially repulsed by what Roger is trying to do, but then becomes caught up in the illusion and responds the way most people would. Moreover, Ben's response to the project his brother-in-law Roger is working on is about as human a response as is possible. Often, especially in the first few chapters, characters begin talking about something and we know, just as Ben knows, that there is something they are not saying, something they know but we do not, and this works beautifully to keep us empathizing with Ben's predicament. This is the story of a man who has no idea what is going on pretty much the entire book. But it's sci-fi for us pedestrians, for those who don't want epic space dramas or overly complicated mythologies. Instead, The Wishing Stone is pure sci-fi, unapologetic, balls-to-the-walls sci-fi. Gone is the slightly wonky genre-mashup of Book 1. It simply wasn't as good as I've come to know Maus can be.īook 2, The Wishing Stone, blows the hell out of Book 1. In short, I enjoyed the book, but it felt like Maus-lite. I said it was a solid story and a great way of passing a few hours, but it was a trifle confusing and lacking in the humor department. I said it was good, but not as good as the other works by Maus I've read. A few months ago, I reviewed Machines of the Little People, Book 1 of The Eve Project. Maus is a gifted storyteller, a go-for-broke storyteller. He can take something as common as UFOs, as in Bob, and put such a spin on it that the reader has no choice but to be delighted by every page. Maus can take a seemingly banal setup, such as the handyman service of Service Before Self, and fashion it into a compelling, comedic character study. The plot's on the thin side, so Rodriguez employs lots of gimmickry to fill the gaps, like explosions, kids turning into giant bugs and the aforementioned booger monster.A Tegon Maus novel is a celebration, not only of storytelling but of the very act of creation. When the rock ends up in the hands of Toby's neighbour, Nose Noseworthy, chaos and a giant booger ensue after an upset in his dad's laboratory. Black wants his device in every house and has pitted Mr and Mrs Thompson (Leslie Mann) against each other in a race to develop an upgrade that will quash the competition. Toby's workaholic parents are employed by Carbon Black and spend most of their lives attached to the high-tech all-purpose Black Box device made by their company. Toby "Toe" Thompson is regularly bullied by Carbon Black's son, Cole, and daughter, Helvetica, (Cole and Helvetica Black, get it? Probably not if you're six or seven.) who uses the wishing stone to conjure some tiny aliens who clean up his room but cause havoc when they arrive in the school science lab via his backpack. As always, several of Rodriguez's progeny also feature. Macy as germaphobic inventor Dr Noseworthy and Two and a Half Men's Jon Cryer as Mr Thompson, a workaholic employee of James Spader's devious Carbon Black. Some of America's best-known actors are among the cast, including William H. Soon, everyone wants a piece of the action, from the greedy head of the Black Box technology corporation (played with sleazy aplomb by James Spader) to the kid who wants a castle with a moat full of crocodiles. The residents of Black Falls have their lives changed in different and dramatic ways when the magic rainbow-coloured stone lands in their hands. Rather it is a collection of scenes involving interconnected characters and their experiences with a colourful wishing stone. Shorts is not, as the title implies, a collection of self-contained short films or stories. Thankfully, there's just enough humour, action and high jinks in Shorts to amuse the kids and adults, even when they are a bit confused about the out-of-sequence events. ![]() Non-linear story-telling can be a risky at the best of times, especially so when children are the target audience.
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