The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England- Book Review

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England- Book Review

SPOILER WARNING

Brandon Sanderson's work rewards people who embrace their oddities and worst flaw, and The Frugal Wizard's Handbook is no different. Amnesiac John West finds himself in an alternate dimension that resembles Medieval England, but has no idea how he arrived or who he is. As memories slowly come back to him, he recognizes that he might not want to remember that last part. His relationships with Sefawynn, a storyteller, and Ealstan, a local lord, help him accept his identity.

John West's character arc from wannabe wizard to actual hero was enjoyable to read. Seeing him grow in confidence through his relationship with Sefawynn was touching. Sefawynn herself has a pretty great arc, though I think the romantic tension between her and John wasn't well developed. I understand that they accept each others' flaws, but we don't see a lot of flirting or signs of attraction. Most of the characters in this book aren't given much depth. Thokk, Ealstan, and Jen suffer the most from this. Thokk fills the kooky old lady archetype, but has very little characterization outside of that. Her status as a goddess isn't really questioned by John, but neither were a lot of things near the end of the story

Jen's characterization are especially shallow. Even though John couldn't remember much about Jen, there could've been ways to characterize her (e.g Ryan and John commiserate over what she was like, John has some sort of charm or memorabilia that reminds him of her). Instead, we don't learn about her until we learn she betrays John. Jen cheating on John only serves to server his ties to his home dimension so he can stay in Medieval England. It isn't given the time to fully flesh out John's feelings. This book would've benefitted from at least two more chapters describing the emotional fallout from what happened

3.5/5 stars - enjoyed the overall message of the story; certainly could've used more time to develop character relationships

How did someone I despise as a petty bully become a favorite character of mine? When I first saw James Doakes in Episode 1, I wrote off his suspicions about Dexter as him bullying the weird kid. In a job that prioritized level headedness, I found Doakes to be very short tempered.

My opinion shifted when I saw him mentoring Debra, who's my second favorite character. Doakes was capable and encouraging, giving Debra guidance when she needed it. Ok, so he wasn't the nicest person, but at least he was competent.

What tipped Doakes over from being a likable character into my favorite one was the episode "Father Knows Best". We get some more background about Doakes, including the fact that he was Black Op who fought against the Tonton Macoutes in Haiti. His suspicion towards Dexter clicked for me.

The Tonton Macoutes, according to Doakes, were pure evil. They were sadists who unleashed unbridled misery and terror unto the people of Haiti. Doakes has had direct experience with evil, of the likes many of the Miami PD possibly can't imagine. That explains his antagonism towards Dexter. Given his background, he probably can tell that there is something seriously off about the forensic blood splatter analyst.

This doesn't excuse the way Doakes treats Dexter, however. It's unprofessional and makes Doakes look petty. Granted, I am a bit more sympathetic towards him and I'm eager to see what is done with him later in the show.

Thank you @hozukitofu and everyone who got me to 5 reblogs!

Doll-Tearing = Loss of Innocence

In ASOIAF, doll tearing is often associated with the loss of innocence. When Arya visits a village, the village elder's daughter begs Arya to play with her. Annoyed and frustrated, Arya rips apart the young girl's toy knight, shouting "Now he's like a real knight! Torn apart and bloody!" (i can't remember which book). Arya has seen harrowing sights of violence and death that no normal adult should witness, much less a child. This incident highlights how deeply traumatized Arya is after what she has been through.

A similar scene occurs with her sister Sansa. She's building a snow Winterfell, thinking the snow has the "taste of innocence". Robin Arryn, her cousin, then destroys it with his stuffed toy. She accidentally tears it and Robin storms away, sobbing. Littlefinger then comes and kisses Sansa. This isn't Sansa's first time suffering an unwanted advance, but she truly realizes how little support she has when her aunt tries to punish her. Sansa has relied on the memory of her family for strength and the only relative she's seen after the death of her father threatens to kill her after an incredibly vulnerable moment.

Growing up is realizing that

Calvin and his dad were pretty much the same person.

Both Calvin and his father enjoy nature. Calvin relishes death-defying wagon rides and contemplating philosophy outdoors. His father, however, enjoys biking early in the morning and drags his family to go on camping trips.

They also enjoy teasing their loved ones. Calvin constantly freaks out and pranks Susie Derkins, his crush. Calvin's dad is no better. Whenever Calvin asks his dad about a topic, like time zones, his father will tease him by lying about the actual answer. Calvin then compares his mother's answer to his father's, most likely forcing his mother to clear up the misconception.

Arya had broken dreams, too

Everyone hones in on how Sansa's dreams were brutally dashed, but I don't think enough people realize how Arya's dreams were broken too. Arya wanted to become a swordfighter and have bold adventures. She never imagined the death and destruction that could result from it. She, too, suffered the loss of her idealism and sunk into a deep depression. She doesn't even believe her mother will love her after seeing what she has become. Becoming what she has wanted is costing her who she was.

Matahachi Honiden and Peter Keating

Despite being from two completely different eras and countries, the deuteragonists of the Vagabond manga and The Fountainhead share a lot in common. The Fountainhead has Peter Keating, an aspiring architect who sacrifices others and eventually his own happiness to achieve ephemeral success. In Vagabond, we see Matahachi Honiden bumble through various troubles on his quest to become an esteemed swordsman. Both of these men pursued these paths because of their mothers. Mrs. Keating guided all of Peter's career choices, from attending college to joining a firm and marrying his employer's daughter. Osugi Honiden, Matahachi's adoptive mother wanted him to be a worthy heir of the Honiden name. One of these men falls into disgrace, whereas the other accepts his failings and aspires to be better. Their maternal support is critical to their character arcs.

From the very beginning, Peter and Matahachi are pushed towards divergent endings. Peter mother frequently dismissed Keating's actual desires in favor of fulfilling a shallow version of success. This is epitomized in Keating's rejection of Katie, his true love. One day, a panicked Katie goes to Peter's home and asks to marry him the next day. He agrees, but his mother dissuades him from doing so. Instead, she advises him to marry Dominique Francon, his employer's daughter. Peter ultimately follows his mother's wishes rather than his own. This desperation to live up to his mother's standards drive him to ghastly measures. He frightens his firm's partner into dying of a stroke. Keating also plagiarizes his rival's designs. Despite owing his success to his rival, Peter still resents him Reaching all the hallmarks of traditional success leaves Keating tormented; he knows that he can credit himself for none of it.

By contrast, Osugi supports Matahachi's goal of becoming a skilled swordsman. In her eyes, this ambition makes him a better heir. However, Matahachi doesn't have the discipline to develop his sword skills. His indiscipline leads him to make the same mistakes as Keating. He cheats on his fiancee Otsu and wounds her deeply. Matahachi pretends to be the renowned swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. Admiration also sours into envy for Matahachi. He also resents his friend Musashi for becoming a better swordsman and taking his ex-fiancee.

It's Osugi's support, however, that guides Matahachi on a better path. Before her death, Osugi reveals that she knew about his failings but loved him anyways. She even compares him to Musashi positively. Even though Musashi's single-minded focus is admirable, Osugi believes that Matahachi wandering before finding his path is still beautiful. This validation and love is what gives Matahachi the strength to accept himself and his mistakes. This is the start of his redemption arc. Keating, however, never receives this same love. His mother recognizes that her constant meddling led to Peter's current misery; however, she never openly states that she accepts him for who he is.