I Write - Decade Edition - Roaring 20's

January Book Reviews - 2022

January Review's for Rach's Reading Club 2022

I have only read 1 book this month for the Fantasy / SciFi theme because I signed up on the 30th of January and only had a short time to get reading.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
I liked this novel better than A Wrinkle In Time. I am not sure if that's because I am becoming more familiar with her style or because this book has not been made in to a movie that coloured my thinking. I also liked the contrast of going inward - a universe within, whereas A Wrinkle in Time went expansive - out into the universe. I found I was able to wrap my head around the concepts of being a universe or galaxy within a single mitochondria. I loved the concept.

The story unfolded around three quests or ordeals that Meg, working in concert with Proginoskes, must solve. Each of these ordeals have huge consequences if met with failure. For Proginoskes he will be faced with a choice - to be X'ed or to X himself. To be X'ed if far worse than choosing to sacrifice or X yourself.

The best passage, though there were man I liked, was on page 423 of A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy.

"...for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse the rider was lost; for want of a rider the message was lost; for want of a message the battle was lost; for want of the battle the war was lost; for want of war the kingdom was lost; and all for the want of a horseshoe nail."

Even the smallest thing matters. We are all connected. We all matter. This was a theme of the story.

In A Wind in the Door the battle is being fought against the Echthroi, the Un-Namers. As I was reading I was thinking this thing was like that of the serpent in the Garden of Eden - spreading lies to bring the downfall of humanity. It was doing this at the tiniest level within the smallest bits of a Mitochondrion cell.

Like C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle uses Christian elements within the tale and I was able to see those elements reflected in her prose. I think that is why I enjoyed this story so much. Love, sacrifice, connection... those are things that resonated with me. The story sank deeper into me that a mere children's tale and for that I am glad to say I enjoyed it and will be only too happy to read it again.