Hiba Ajaz Khan Ajaz Khan থেকে Chak No. 1/P, پاکستان
Following close on the heels of my embarrassing review about how much I love the novelization of Hook comes an embarrassing review about how much I love the novelization of Willow. Now, some of you might have some objections. "But Monica," you might say, "Willow was a terrible book! It was cumbersome and predictable! It blatantly drew on elements of every other fantasy novel ever written! Character names were laughable, plot development was almost nonexistent, and the brownies Franjean and Rool were topping the list of most annoying sidekicks ever, until Jar Jar Binks came along! And my God, what about the photos from the movie? They’re cropped so badly it looks like they may have actually been done by an untrained chimpanzee!" Which are all valid points, which is why I will not be offended but will instead calmly pull out my wand, chant Tuatha luminockt tuatha! and turn you into a gopher. Because seriously, Willow is not about good writing, or brilliant new plots. It’s about a farmer who mostly just tries to be a good father, who has to go off to the middle of God knows where trying to save someone he has no real duty towards, because dammit, it’s the right thing to do. And his daughter might have magical powers, and his best friend really isn’t cut out for adventure, and he can’t trust anyone (especially that tall dude who occasionally dresses like a woman), and he keeps being screamed at by an angry opossum. So sure, it’s a little bit The Hobbit and it’s a little bit Miscellaneous Sword and Sorcery Novel, but I loved it when I was ten and so far that love has not abated.