On my way to finishing The Unfairest of Them All, with A Wonderlandiful World still fresh in my head. It’s practically 600 pages of pure, direct dialogue between so many peculiar figures, who turn out to be even weirder than they are in the series (shout-out to Humphrey Dumpty here) interacting for much longer than we're used to. Right, I’m incredibly biased, but 60 quid is well worth it for such massive volumes, especially if we’re just looking at Shannon Hale's books.
To start with, a whole bunch of characters who are watered down by the fandom seem—and actually are 50% more interesting in the books. That's because the sense of isolation among all these young people really hits you, to the point where you end up finding bits of yourself in them, you know? It's wild to grasp everyone's inner struggles while realizing you're actually just flipping through pages.
Our brains work through examples, and since I definitely play favourites, I’m going to bring up my top two characters: Lizzie Hearts and the Narrator himself. Speaking as someone who is quite insufferable, I will defend Lizzie’s development to the end. She’s slowly cutting the apron strings from her mother, she doesn't get annoying when she threatens to become Daring’s romantic interest, and there are little layers to her and other characters that make the reading genuinely charming—which, in my opinion, would be her own hobbies when she’s not cooped up with other teenagers, or in more introspective moments. Whichever way you want to put it.
For very simple reasons, the Narrator has a massive presence in the book too... duh. In A Wonderlandiful World, he luckily gets more lines than Apple White, and some of them make no sense because he’d been infected by the Jabberwock’s toxic magic, so he spent a while spewing nonsense. Here’s a bit of a dialogue between the Narrator and Maddie:
"BEND TIME!
I don't understand what you're saying! You mustn't be speaking charades, and you aren't telling a riddle. Help me, Narrator, please! Who can tell us the story?
A DANCE OF SPOONS, STIRRING CLOUDS OF MILK.
I wish I understood what you're saying. But with this little thinking cap, all I can think is that it's pinching my forehead. And that makes me think of my own head. And that makes me think of me. Me. Me?
Yes, now! You! There's no one else!
Really, Kitty? Do you think I should narrate the story? It feels like a hero's job, something Apple or Raven would do to save the day! [...] ... I'm the one who helps, not the one who does.
ASHES AND ELEPHANT PIES. ASHES AND ELEPHANT PIES!
Fine. Fine. I am the narrator."
You can't fully capture the guy's charisma in a snippet out of context, but that was just a teaser because I needed an excuse to pull this chunky book off my shelf.
Speaking of which, let’s take the chance to compare the size of Shannon Hale's books to Suzanne Selfors'. Leaving Suzanne’s writing style aside, and speaking as someone who is saving up to buy her work, I’d say Shannon’s books are more highly recommended if you’re focused on the lore, while Selfors' seem ideal if you’re curious about the daily life, academic side, and social scene at Ever After High.
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