Book review:Losing a faher is a nightmareto Garland, when Yves replaced her father in the Fantasia, it gets even worse. Garland wished her father will come back, and will do anything for her father to come back. Her wish might come true when three mysterious children came and joined the Fantasia: Timon, Eden,and baby Jewel, most important,they came from the future. But they came froman important place and they are important people to their greedy Uncle,which made troule to the Fantasia and themselves... My favorite character is Boomer. Because he can be confident in which route he chose, even if some one is against him. Like the main character, Garland, is always said that Boomer is wrong of judging Timon becoming a 'demon',but Boomer still beleive in himself. The book is alright, tough the first few chapters doesn't really make you excited or emotional, which can let you close the book easily. but if you continue reading, the book will take you throught a 'fanasic' adventure. And now, i still have a question:" At the end, The silver girl turns out to be baby Jewel, but does that mean Jewel is a teenager when Timon and Eden is back in their own time,or she is still the baby at that time?"And there is something in this book I really disliked. Surely the author can use other words to describe the scene, because it feels like she is using the same words everytime, and the author kept on using the word 'cried', she can use mybe even moan or shrieked. But after reading the vivid description on the inside cover of Maddigan's Fantasia, I was intrigued by the story lines. I would change the ending, I would turn it into Timon, Eden, and Jewel on Timon's hands, they haad a chat, to know more about each other and laughed around like ordinary kids. then The Silver Girl suddenly appeared and said it is time to go home, they still have lots to do. Saying their last goodbyes, Timon, Eden, Jewel and the Silver Girl whisked away. Then 100 years later, Garland's great-great grandchild, which is 11 years old, met Timon, Eden and Jewel.And the Fantasia eventually stopped. But Garland's tale is still noe forgotten, and became part of the family history. so she told the tale to Timon, Eden, and Jewel. At the corner of her eye she can see Timon and Eden gave each other winks and Jewel laughed... Maddigan's Fantasia is actually a great tale, but if they replace the boring words, it might be perfect!Natasha(MS. Ingram,this is my first book review, so please give any tips or corrections, and anything i've did wrong.)
Garland Maddigan is part of the travelling circus known as Maddigan's Fantasia. Travelling through a post-apocalyptic world that is slowly remaking itself after the Destruction and Chaos, this trip they're on a mission to find a Macguffin and bring it back to their home city of Solis. When two young boys appear in front of Garland out of nowhere, claiming sanctuary in the Fantasia, the trip suddenly becomes even more fraught with adventure and danger.This was quite a frustrating book. There's a good story in there but it's let down by niggling inconsistencies, duex ex machina and inconsistent characters. Protagonist Garland's mood swings with the chapters, as does her apparent intelligence, although this can be somewhat excused as grief for her lost father, Ferdy, the Fantasia's ringmaster (not a spoiler, it happens right at the start of the book and the first chapter is entitled 'Losing Ferdy'), but I felt that Garland and her mother's grief were clumsily handled.The villains following the runaway boys start off as menacing, but their threat is reduced as they are soundly beaten by the Fantasia in every encounter whereas the 'Big Bad' pulling the strings in the background, the Nennog, always feels somewhat abstract, even when he appears "on screen".The book could have done with one fewer set piece to provide more time for the conclusion which was rushed and confused. In particular, the actions of the Duke of Solis came completely from nowhere and there were no reasons given for him behaving as he did, leaving me feeling confused and cheated.There were some fun set pieces, and cool bits, and Garland's final farewell to her father was nicely handled but this is a book that failed to deliver on its possibilities.
What do You think about Maddigan's Fantasia (2007)?
This book was so FREAKING huge! When I first got it from the library, I literally gasped out loud. It was kind of boring in the beginning, but I came to like Garland as the book went on.I never liked Timon And Eden. They were too damn mysterious. They don't explain any thing. I didn't understand anything, not the plot, not the resolution, not the bad guy, not ANYTHING. I only gave this book another star because i liked Garland. Her character, her resolution, her attitude. But there just too many questions. WHO are the boys? WHY did they come? WHAT the HECK is going onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn?! So much could've been done, and I just had to hate those future jerks who don't understand the meaning of dang privacy. Like, they had her diary for God's sake and would casually peer in there, hey I wonder about her deepest most private thoughts today? And then the time traveling confuse me even more. Third times the charm though! on my third attempt, I completed the book Maddigan's Fantasia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! La-dee-freaking-da. I was truly dissapointed by the utter confusion it left me in, and despite the one worthwhile character and an amiable plot, and the fact Margaret Mahy is one of my favorite author just left me sad.
—Teenage Bookworms
This was exactly the type of adventure book I was looking for. After all of the romance books I had been reading, I found some well needed action and adventure in Maddigan's Fantasia. I am confused about what happened to Jewel when Garland was walking the tightrope. Did she disappear the was Timon, Eden and their elder sister did when as their time changed, or what??? The first few pages were boring and kind of confusing. I had to reread those first few pages a couple of times before I realised
—Courtney
I love Margaret Mahy. Her book The Changeover is one of my all-time favorites. So I was excited to see a new fantasy by her. However, it is not a very good fantasy - it tries to hard to have a fantasy tone. And boy, is it overwritten.Garland Maddigan travels with her family's circus, called Maddigan's Fantasia. After her father dies in an attack by Road Rats, she meets two boys, one holding a baby, who is their sister Jewel. They are from The Future, and they have come back in time to save the world. They join the Fantasia, and travel from town to town discovering dire situations in each and every one of them. Until they get to their main destination and have the big showdown climax.I enjoyed the tunnel episode, and the monster in the lake part. But the book suffers from repetitious dialogue, and an irritating main character, Garland, who is very full of herself.The worst part of this book is how many times Garland says she's a Maddigan, of Maddigan's Fantasia, and a Maddigan has always been in charge of the Fantasia, and she's the last true Maddigan. After a while, I grew inured to it, but I think the book could have been shorter by about a third if most of that had been cut out. The second worst thing is how loooong this story stretches out - to 499 pages, with many episodes that didn't further the plot. I guess I might have rated this higher if it hadn't been Mahy - my expectations for her are pretty big. Maybe I'm being too harsh. I did finish it...Great cover art.
—Jackie "the Librarian"
