Kris Reads Horror, Fantasy, And Sci-Fi

While it is generally agreed that the height of Harry Potter’s popularity has long ceased, many people in my generation have still grown up and cherished these books. For many young readers, such as myself, it’s our first act of rebellion. Despite my mom loving the Harry Potter series and reading it to me as a child, going to Catholic school means that fantasy books are not looked well upon by much of the staff. At my school, reading the series was like an initiation. You had to know what house you were in so that at recess you could play pretend as the right character. I think one of the most important things the books taught little me was gray morality. Harry Potter’s target audience was the perfect age range for its content; both the reader and Harry Potter grow up at the same time. Harry’s perception of the world is very black and white in the early books, focusing on the wonder Harry has with the wizarding world and the problems of a British kid at a boarding school (something I...

Tolkien’s renowned work, The Hobbit, reflects several aspects of the classic hero’s journey. In fact, the story can be regarded as a prime example of the journey. At the very beginning, Bilbo Baggins is content with his life at Bag’s End, living the life that every hobbit yearns for: a humble, quiet life with a love for food and drink. However, this is all overhauled when the great wizard Gandalf “convinces” Bilbo to go on an adventure, this story’s “call to action”. Of course, Bilbo turns it down at first until he forced to do so, a common reaction in stories with the hero’s journey structure. As the story continues, the journey continues with Bilbo’s tests and ordeals that challenge his views, culminating into a major character change after the spider attack. After killing the spider, he even describes himself as a “different person”. Afterwards, he names his sword, which is commonly done in epic literature as a symbol of heroism. After this point, this is the first time in the s...