Jessica
The story follows office drone Linus Baker. He works as a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He checks on the magical children in government-sanctioned orphanages. Although he believes he is making a difference in the lives of the children that he checks in on, the life he leads is very dreary. Not only does it constantly rain and look bleak outside, but he is not much liked by his neighbors or co-workers. His only companions are his cat Calliope, who is quite mischievous, and his old records.
Suddenly, he is given a Level Four classified assignment from the Extremely Upper Management to investigate the Marsyas Island Orphanage. All the information they would tell him upfront is that the company has stopped receiving communication from the orphanage, and they wanted Linus to check it out. The children there are highly unusual and possibly dangerous magical creatures. Extremely Upper Management wants to know if the children are okay and more information about the mysterious head of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus.
Extremely Upper Management gives Linus a file on the six children and the head of the orphanage, but he is told not to open the file until he arrives at Marsyas Island. They give him a ticket that leaves the next morning, and he is to evaluate the residents of the orphanage for a month. Bristling, Linus goes forward with the assignment, and he and Calliope head to the orphanage by train.
Linus noticed the immediate change between the city and Marsyas Island. The sun is shining, and the sea is shining brightly, cerulean. It seems like the perfect vacation spot. When Linus gets off the train, he realizes that he doesn’t have a way to get through the island. Suddenly, he hears the phone ring at the station. He looks around and finds an orange phone. Linus picks it up and is informed by Zoe Chapelwhite, caretaker of Marsyas Island, that he is later than he was supposed to be and that she will pick him up in an hour.
Flustered, Linus decided to finally check out the files about the children and Arthur Parnassus, but he didn’t make it past the first page. He faints when he sees the first child mentioned at the orphanage: Lucy, also known as Lucifer. If the Antichrist is at the orphanage, what other great magical children could possibly be there? Even though Linus is absolutely terrified, he continues forward to find out.
There are several things that I find interesting about the book. One is that Linus is challenged about the rules that he follows so closely for his job. There are posters everywhere that say. “See something, say something.” It is mentioned quite a few times in the book. I didn’t think anything of it at first. However, it starts to have a nasty undertone. It is shown that it is often used to refer to magical creatures. If you see one, report it. In this world, magical creatures are segregated from the population, even in the orphanage. Linus has always thought of it as the right thing to do, but his time at Marsyas Island challenges that notion. Should magical creatures be separate? Shouldn’t magical beings be afforded the same opportunities as humans?
Another thing that was challenged in the book is the concept of a monster. You have the Antichrist, who is prophesied to destroy the whole world and other dangerous magical children at the orphanage. Does that make them automatically destined for evil and need to be eliminated? Or can nurture and family changes all that?
I also like how it explores the concept of hate. The village next to the Marsyas Island and the Extremely Upper Management has a very loose understanding of the inhabitants of the orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus. Mix that with the fear and apprehension of the general population, and you get hatred based on the unknown. Linus has to decide if he should agree with what society thinks about magical children or make up his own mind based on his interaction with them.
I found this a very interesting read. Given all the hateful things that are going on in society, I like it when a book forces us to examine how we treat people, especially when the law enforces stereotypes to keep portions of the population down and secluded. There are quite a few lessons that can be learned from this book.
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.
The story follows office drone Linus Baker. He works as a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He checks on the magical children in government-sanctioned orphanages. Although he believes he is making a difference in the lives of the children that he checks in on, the life he leads is very dreary. Not only does it constantly rain and look bleak outside, but he is not much liked by his neighbors or co-workers. His only companions are his cat Calliope, who is quite mischievous, and his old records.
Suddenly, he is given a Level Four classified assignment from the Extremely Upper Management to investigate the Marsyas Island Orphanage. All the information they would tell him upfront is that the company has stopped receiving communication from the orphanage, and they wanted Linus to check it out. The children there are highly unusual and possibly dangerous magical creatures. Extremely Upper Management wants to know if the children are okay and more information about the mysterious head of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus.
Extremely Upper Management gives Linus a file on the six children and the head of the orphanage, but he is told not to open the file until he arrives at Marsyas Island. They give him a ticket that leaves the next morning, and he is to evaluate the residents of the orphanage for a month. Bristling, Linus goes forward with the assignment, and he and Calliope head to the orphanage by train.
Linus noticed the immediate change between the city and Marsyas Island. The sun is shining, and the sea is shining brightly, cerulean. It seems like the perfect vacation spot. When Linus gets off the train, he realizes that he doesn’t have a way to get through the island. Suddenly, he hears the phone ring at the station. He looks around and finds an orange phone. Linus picks it up and is informed by Zoe Chapelwhite, caretaker of Marsyas Island, that he is later than he was supposed to be and that she will pick him up in an hour.
Flustered, Linus decided to finally check out the files about the children and Arthur Parnassus, but he didn’t make it past the first page. He faints when he sees the first child mentioned at the orphanage: Lucy, also known as Lucifer. If the Antichrist is at the orphanage, what other great magical children could possibly be there? Even though Linus is absolutely terrified, he continues forward to find out.
There are several things that I find interesting about the book. One is that Linus is challenged about the rules that he follows so closely for his job. There are posters everywhere that say. “See something, say something.” It is mentioned quite a few times in the book. I didn’t think anything of it at first. However, it starts to have a nasty undertone. It is shown that it is often used to refer to magical creatures. If you see one, report it. In this world, magical creatures are segregated from the population, even in the orphanage. Linus has always thought of it as the right thing to do, but his time at Marsyas Island challenges that notion. Should magical creatures be separate? Shouldn’t magical beings be afforded the same opportunities as humans?
Another thing that was challenged in the book is the concept of a monster. You have the Antichrist, who is prophesied to destroy the whole world and other dangerous magical children at the orphanage. Does that make them automatically destined for evil and need to be eliminated? Or can nurture and family changes all that?
I also like how it explores the concept of hate. The village next to the Marsyas Island and the Extremely Upper Management has a very loose understanding of the inhabitants of the orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus. Mix that with the fear and apprehension of the general population, and you get hatred based on the unknown. Linus has to decide if he should agree with what society thinks about magical children or make up his own mind based on his interaction with them.
I found this a very interesting read. Given all the hateful things that are going on in society, I like it when a book forces us to examine how we treat people, especially when the law enforces stereotypes to keep portions of the population down and secluded. There are quite a few lessons that can be learned from this book.
Originally posted at jdavismallory.substack.com.