Summerland

Rating:
Summary: A coming of age fantasy baseball quest
Review: "Summerland" is Michael Chabon's entry into the youth fantasy genre, and it's not a bad read, but I would really call it an adult's kid book. It's not "Harry Potter" or "The Thief Lord" which are geared toward a youth market.
The story is set on fictitious Clam Island in Washington state's San Juan islands, where there is a place on the western side of the island that never sees rain during the summer. This is Summerland, and it is where the local little league teams play their games.
An eleven year old boy on one of the teams, Ethan Feld, is not much of a ballplayer, but he's friends with Jennifer T. Rideout, one of the best players on the team. There's also Thor Wignutt, a player who thinks he's an android and talks like Data from Star Trek. One day Ethan begins having strange visions of bushbabies near the field and on the roadside. The creature is actually a werefox named Cutbelly, and meeting him is the beginning of Ethan's adventure.
Ethan's father is an inventer and tinkerer who has come up with a material used in a portable blimp that they fly around the island. It turns out that a certain character wants to use the material to hold a substance so that he can bring about the end of the world. Once Mr. Feld is kidnapped, it's up to Ethan, his friends, and an odd assortment of characters that they meet along the way, to save the day.
It's kind of like "The Lord of the Rings" meets "The Bad News Bears" with a liberal dose of random mythologies thrown in for spice.
For example, we have the "ferishers" who are dimunitive creatures (faeries?) that excell at baseball and scampering between the various world/dimensions known as the summerlands, the winterlands, and the middling (our world) with the gleaming as the great world shut off from the rest. The ferishers call humans "reubens" or "rubes." It's a takeoff on a greenhorn ballplayer.
The end of the world is called "Ragged Rock" which comes from the Norse mythology "Ragnarok."
And, the antagonist is Coyote, popular in Native American lore and akin to Loki, a trickster and master of change. Coyote also invented baseball, and Chabon uses baseball both literally and metaphorically to move the story forward.
I liked the blending of the various mythologies, especially the sequence involving Ethan's team playing against a team made up of the "liars" which are characters from tall tales like John Henry, Paul Bunyan, etc.
Ethan must save his father, and the world as well, while developing his new position of catcher and dealing with an unfinished magical "bat" made from an ash wood branch taken from the great tree of the universe. There's another link in that baseball bats are made from ash and this type of wood allegedly holds magical properties.
Jennifer must develop into a pitcher, and deal with some of her family issues.
I enjoyed the story, but I'm not sure if kids in the 12-15 age group will grasp all of the literary subtleties, but then again maybe so. I enjoyed Chabon's use of the language and thought the story was well-told, although the characters did not always come off as wholy sympathetic. If you like baseball and fantasy, and are looking for an escape, this is a pleasant read.

Rating:
Summary: Not really for adults, and derivative of Gaiman
Review: Ok I give it 3 stars, but that was with high expectations. A first time author would have got 4 stars.

This might be a great book for kids (really precocious well-read kids), but as an adult, it wasn't really for me (although I did read and enjoy the Harry Potter books, so I am probably part of Miramax's target market).

If you have read Neil Gaiman's American Gods (or Sandman series) -- you will immediately feel like you are on old ground here. Chabon does exactly the same trick -- He explores various American myths and legends, but couched in a framework of Norse Mythology. Thus, just as in American Gods we have Loki, and Ragnorok (here Ragged Rock) and various American icons, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Billy the Kid, that kind of thing. And since Chabon is a professed comic geek, I expect he has read Gaiman as well, so I hold him somewhat culpable.

The difference -- this story is told from the perspective of an 11 year old boy -- sort of American Gods meets Harry Potter (or The Talisman).

Fine...it is a quick read, and Chabon is still a great writer-- but the book seemed to me to be written in haste, and his plotting felt messy and haphazard: for example some of the minor characters such as Cutbelly and Thor seem to be entirely mutable, changing their allegiances and personalities throughout the book, until you have no sense of them at all. Transitions were frequently abrupt, as if the author just wanted to get on to his next idea.

Far be it from me to belittle the considerable gifts of Michael Chabon -- Kavalier and Klay was one of the most exceptional books I have read in recent memory, (and he did win the Pulitzer Prize, after all). But part of what made that novel so delightful was that Chabon did not turn down the volume on his vocabulary and erudition, even when traipsing through the backyard of such beloved juvenalia as comic books. And since that book was essentially using comic books as a trope, some of the one dimensional characters and sudden transitions made sense. But in Summerland it doesn't work as well.

I thought Chabon was best in Summerland when he was writing about baseball (which is clearly another passion of his). The first chapter, for example, was terrific. Its too bad he didn't keep the magic and mythology solely to that subject.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than Harry Potter
Review: This is the best children's book I have read in a long time. I am an adult but I think this book fits best in "read it to you child at bedtime" book category. It would be fantastic. It is as some others said baseball, the quest and American middle earth all wrapped up in one. I couldn't put this book down after starting it and I bet you will not be able to either. If you like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Baseball, Narnia, etc. then you will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Be Fooled by the Writing Style or Topic
Review: This may look like a children's book but don't be fooled. Hidden underneath the simplistic style is a complex and interesting deeper meaning rooted in the author's deep love of baseball and mythology. The baseball part is obvious, but the mythology is more impressive. Chabon has an obvious knowledge of the Greeks (Chiron), the Native Americans (Coyote) the Europeans (fairies), the Americans (Saquatches, Tall Tale Heros) and most importantly Norse (Ragnarok, Odin, Midgard's Serpant, Yggdrasil, and Loki who is equated with Coyote, and is the villain of the tale). This idea of modern myth writing has been proven to work (Tolkien) and Chabon again executes well. This could easily have been written as a darker story (It has been done with baseball, see "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" by Steven King) but I liked Chabon's approach. It would be a shame to deprive young baseball fans, just discovering the game, the oppertunity to read this great fantasy. Conversely, it is a shame that adult baseball fans are depriving themselves. Sure the plot is weird, but it is unique and engaging, more than you can say of the plots written by some "adult" fantasy writers. The characters are everyday kids, just what you would want, and the "petty" story takes on great significance as you read. It no longer seems so petty. Granted, it does not feel as serious as the Lord of the Rings, but it's likely that you'll be able to get over your internal reaction of "this makes no sense". Read this book baseball fans. You just might discover something.

Rating:
Summary: More Magic by Michael
Review: It was always apparent that Michael Chabon had a fantasy novel in him. From the vivid imagery of the Cloud Factory in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" through the fact/fiction world of Kavalier and Clay, Chabon's ability to create worlds with words has been unparralled in so called "modern fiction". What's suprising is the ease with which he leaps from serious writing to whimsical storytelling, without missing a beat.
"Summerland" was rumored to be a book for youths, but the crisp language and artful plotline are hallmark Chabon. Set in parallel worlds of Little League baseball, the story speaks to the kid in all of us that doesn't have all the talent, but finds in the end that faith can put tickmarks on the scorecard. Ethan Feld, the hero of "Summerland" is clearly a younger version of Art from "Mysteries", playing a part he feels wholly unsuited for, yet Chabon doesn't allow him to fail. One of my favorite things about Chabon's writing is his method of creating this type of character, and then nurturing him through rough waters. The other role players in this story include a legendary baseball bat ("Splinter"), ferishers, a werefox (a play on Chabon's Werewolves in Their youth?)and other fantasy sorts that are richly drawn and highly stylized. Ethan's friend, Jennifer T. Rideout is also a great character, with a knowledge of baseball lore that accompanies a golden throwing arm, and she is probably Chabon's best female creation to date (sorry Phlox), owing to her youth and love of baseball.
By the time you reach the "Home" section of this 500 page novel, you are reminded why, if you are a fan of his, you love Chabon's writing. His stories always close neatly, and leave you wondering just what happens to his cast on page 501. He's truly one of our greatest writers, and "Summerland" is a worthy successor to his achievements to date.

Rating:
Summary: Chabon should go back to writing adult stories
Review: Summerland by Michael Chabon
If I had to describe this book in 5 words, it would probably be a spin- off of the Harry Potter series. This book was not one of the best books I have read to say the least. I mean, sure it was "ok" and it did have some originality into it, but it didn't live up to its praise by Publisher's Weekly review stating that "Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon hits a high- flying home run." I wasn't impressed by Chabon's writing; the book didn't hold my attention; the most attention-grabbing parts were the color less pictures at the beginnings of each chapter. This book took me a lot to get into it and nothing to get me out of it. I highly anticipated this book when my 7th grade language teacher told me that after reading "Time Magazine" article on the adult author, Chabon is going to be the next J.K Rowling. But obviously, Chabon should go back to being an adult writer. Chabon is an adult writer so maybe adults would like to read a children's book written by an adult writer, I presume why the ratings for this book are so high. I would find it to be an insult to J.K Rowling's work because her work was being compared to his. Summerland is about a boy, Ethan, who lost his mother at a very young age, (like Harry Potter) and is having trouble playing baseball in which he is forced to play by his father. His Father is an inventor and invented a flying car. At this point the author doesn't clarify if this is in the future, past or present. From there, Ethan meets a creature by the name of Cutebelly and tells him of the other secret worlds in, which he lives in, that nobody knows of which might be vanished by an evil dictator named Coyote. Then Ethan discovered his father mysteriously disappeared (who was really kidnapped by Coyote). Along goes Ethan and friends to stop the evil Coyote from ruling the world(s) and possibly killing his Father by traveling through the worlds using his Father's old flying car and winning baseball games to defeat enemies that cross their path. This book is filled with morals, adventure and sickening amount of baseball games, so many that it makes you literally want to jump out of your chair and get a bat in order to play baseball using the book as a baseball. On a more serious note, I enjoyed how the author incorporated the metaphor of summer having its own world since during the summer it feels like a whole different place. I enjoyed his various and descriptive characters that he put in the book, but it may be overwhelming to some people. This book is arguably bad or good considering the person. My opinion on this book when recommending it would be not to read it, but if you enjoy Michael Chabon as a writer and have an obsession with baseball I would definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Suspend your Disbelief
Review: I have spent a number of incredibly enjoyable hours over the past few days devouring Summerland (when I should have been writing, playing with my kids, etc.,). Chabon has pulled from a variety of mythologies, Native American legends, and a remarkable storehouse of baseball lore in order to create an engrossing world of fantastic creatures and thrilling adventures. If John Irving, Stephen King, and Susan Cooper decided to write a book together, they just might come up with one as compelling as Summerland. Yes, Summerland is quite different from the magnificent Kavalier & Clay, but it is still uniquely Chabon--with its funky humor, in-depth characterization, and unusual vision, all steered by a questing morality. Suspend your disbelief, sit back, and enjoy. Incidentally, although Summerland is classified as adolescent lit, I found it in the adult section at my local library.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing coming from Mr. Chabon
Review: Michael Chabon is my favorite author, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is my favorite novel, so I tackled Summerland with much anticipation. Unfortunately, it does not live up to Chabon's previous works. The novel is horribly paced and the American mythologies, the use of which which others have lauded, were integrated poorly. Save on rare occassions, Summerland fails to grasp the magic of such children's novels as The Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter. As an adult novel, it is a near-complete failure. I can't help but think that this novel was written before any of Chabon's previously published work and could be published only now that its author is famous. Still this book was somewhat enjoyable, although I would only reccomend it to a Chabon completist.

Rating:
Summary: ***Summerland Rocks***
Review: This book by Michael Chabon is so great, it has a very interesting storyline. Summerland has some pretty graphic details including eating werewolves and having blood seep down the giants beard and more detailed sentences. I have to say I was a little disapointed when I found out that this book does swear quite frequently. This book deserves a 5 because it is a very detailing interesting fantasy like story with abnormal creatures. Although it is really long it is the right type of dialogue for ages 10 and up. It is worth buying even I have read it mor than twice and I hope another book comes out following in this one's footsteps.

Rating:
Summary: Home run by Michael Chabon
Review: I expected a funny interesting book from the writer of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, but I didn't give Chabon enough credit. Summerland is great if you like baseball or fantasy, or if you enjoy any story with an active imagination.

This book is 1 part fable (explaining why there is never any rainfall on this small corner of Washington), 5 parts adventure (Ethan Feld is on a quest - not only to improve his pitching, but also to save Summerland, baseball, and the world), and 2 parts baseball, bringing in not only detailed information about the game and some of the best players, but also a genuine love of the sport.

A kid at heart, I love reading kids books, but this is really a book for all ages. I bought two copies of this book after reading it (in hardback because this book is so good it can't wait for the paperback version) - one for my 10 year old sister and one for my 28 year old sister. It is really that good. I loved this book.

Thank you Michael Chabon for writing it. Summerland is wonderful.