Jim Springman and the Realm of Glory

Joshua Wright (author)

Scholastic, Australia: 2010; 310pp

ISBN: 9781741695632

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Jim Springman is the younger brother of two brilliant, if eccentric, siblings. Fletcher, his older brother is a mad scientist and inventor, virtually without morals when it comes to funding his research. But it's Jim's sister who's the real nuisance. Author of Realm of Glory, a book Jim loathes, I.V's renown is such that for many, Jim's only value is what he can tell them about his sister. So when he receives yet another copy of the loathsome book for his birthday and a measly bus pass from his parents, Jim's day just cannot get worse. Can it?

The arrival of two annoying girls next door might be manageable but then Fletcher manages to alter reality as we know it and Jim's home town of Queen's Port seems to be slipping into the fifth dimension - and becoming his sister's fantasy world. Suddenly there's a gingerbread house down the street, goblins riding the bus, a shop selling swords and armoury where the hardware store used to be, and his parents seem to have... well... disappeared. Never having read the book, Jim has no idea of the rules that govern this strange new world. And he certainly doesn't trust his brother to be of any help. Is it Jim's job to be the hero and fix it all? And if so, where's he supposed to start?

This clever novel is as much about the fantasy genre as it is a fantasy itself. Wright enjoys challenging the archetypes normal to the more formulaic novels and constantly sets the reader up to be disconcerted by the unexpected turn of events. The juxtaposition of Fletcher's bizarre scientific inventions (and their side effects) and the magical world that is consuming Queen's Port makes for some fairly manic moments. Jim himself, solidly grounded in reality and logic, yet suddenly immersed in a world where such rules don't apply, is a somewhat comical figure for a hero. An experienced writer and cartoonist, Wright's wonderful warped sense of humour shines through in a book that is sure to appeal to gifted readers.