Tempering My Enthusiasm for J.K. Rowling's 'Ickabog'

Hello there!

I've got to temper my enthusiasm for J.K. Rowling's 'Ickabog.'

I'm not even sure if I read it to my kid before or after the Harry Potter series, but the fact is, I read it to my six-year-old son, and I regret it - now I'll tell you why...

First, I checked out the plot and reviews:

New good, exciting story by J.K. Rowling about a scary monster, incredible adventures, and hope that remains no matter what. Once upon a time, the kingdom of Cornucopia was the epitome of wealth and happiness. The king was famous for his incredibly beautiful mustaches. Bakers, butchers, cheesemongers, and winemakers invented such delicious treats and drinks that those who got to taste them cried from happiness. The country was thriving, the people were happy. Everything would have been fine, but in the misty, gloomy Smurland, located in the north of the kingdom, rumors about Ickabog, a scary bog monster, were spreading. Nobody believed in the existence of the monster from the children's fairy tale, until one night's nightmare became reality. Will the fairy tale monster defeat the king and destroy the well-being of the entire state? Will the bedtime story turn into a deadly adventure for two small children? Will hope, truth, and loyal friendship be able to overcome even the most terrible disaster? If you've got the courage, open the book, flip the page, and dive into the new, mysterious world of Joanne Rowling - one of the best storytellers in the world!Wow, it's captivating! A fairy tale, how can anything be bad? The reviews are full of the same - enthusiasm, all that's good, magical! Only once did they mention that there's too much politics.

Too much? It's almost the whole book, and the actual fairy tale is just the last fifth part!

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ABOUT THE SOURCE...

I read it on the online resource 'loveread'. The book is available for free. They even inserted illustrations, just like in the printed book - the ones drawn by kids after reading 'Ickabog'. I'll insert one complete screenshot to demonstrate the way it's presented:

The story revolves around a few central characters: 'friends' of the naive and self-absorbed king - Lords Slumbrum and Flapoon, and two children who have been friends since childhood - Daisy and Bertie. They lose one of their parents each in early childhood and have to grow up too quickly. Their lives are torn apart, but later brought together - to help each other survive in hard times.

As for the lords, they try their best to maintain their comfortable position with the king, and so after one careless mistake with severe consequences, they start an epic of lies that grows like a snowball.

Lies, as the reader understands, are connected to Ickabog - a mythical creature said to inhabit the bogs. What the inhabitants of the kingdom believe to be True and what is actually a lie will be revealed in the book.

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MY IMPRESSIONS...

The storytelling is straightforward, almost childlike. Maybe it's just the translation, but the narrative is geared towards a young audience. The way it's written reminds me of the first Harry Potter books. A six- or seven-year-old kid will understand everything, excluding the motivations.

There are also kids' tantrums, admiration for 'cool' authorities in the kid's company, and other kid-like traits, but mostly, it's just a factual account - without much emotional depth. That's why the narrative doesn't feel dragged out - the events unfold quickly.

But the deaths at the beginning, the murders, the threats of revenge, no matter how they're written, aren't kid-friendly, especially in such large quantities. The description of the behavior around the 'cold body' of a loved family member is heavy. There's no graphic detail, but the fact that it's described at all is unsettling.

The entire book is an attempt to maintain power by unscrupulous individuals. Fear for one's life, snitching, harsh treatment of kids - it only gets worse. It's nice to see some characters keep their dignity and humanity, but they're the ones who suffer the most for it.

The hierarchy and organization of the social order are also well-portrayed, where significant benefits for the minority come at the expense of significant sacrifices from the majority. It's something that reminds me of the world we live in - as we learned in school: 20% of the global population consumes 80% of the world's resources.

And, of course, there's a 'happy ending', slightly marred by the 'slightly sinister' appearance of new monsters. I was even taken aback by the events that unfolded at the end. The description is restrained and fairly tasteful, but it's still terrifying! And the rest of it, against that backdrop, is a joyous celebration. Justice prevails! If only it were like that in real life...

There's very little fantasy. It's mostly at the end (about a fifth of the book). And yet, the events continue to unfold quickly, without emotional embellishment - like in books for the youngest readers. Think 'he broke the egg, and inside it was a needle, he broke the needle, and then Koshcheev's death arrived' or the more recent one: 'and one day she saw something new, and... SHE DIED!' (who watched 'The Grudge Family'). Come on! Everyone quickly understood the point, got inspired, and went off to do it! And the scoundrels got what was coming to them.

I get it when it's a fairy tale. Short, 'edifying', like folk tales. But here, there's so much brutality, politics, and organization of subjugation and punishment (about 80% of the book) that it doesn't quite fit into a children's fairy tale. We have our 'great' things too:

I still remember the stories my parents used to tell me when I was a kid. There was this one about a little rabbit who outsmarted a sly fox, and another about a girl who didn't listen to her mom and got eaten by a wolf. But then the hunters came and cut open the wolf's belly, and out came the girl and her grandma unharmed. And then there was the story about a man who believed the lies a sly goat told him and kicked out all his family. Or the one about a stepdaughter who was sent into the forest to die, but not to pick wildflowers. And don't even get me started on the queen who wanted to eat the heart of her beautiful stepdaughter to stay young and beautiful. I even remember a king who wanted to marry his own daughter after his wife died! And then there was the cloak made of a thousand animal skins...

It's amazing how many stories like these there are. And that's exactly why we need stories like these to explain the world to kids. They're a great way to teach them about right and wrong, and about how to be good people. But 'Icarus' is a bit too old for that. My son found it boring for 4 out of 5 books. It wasn't until the legendary monster showed up that he got interested. The language is simple, but I had to explain everything to him because he lost interest and couldn't follow the story.

I'm reading him a series of books called 'The Pack' by Erin Hunter right now, and before that, we read her 'Warriors' series. The language is more complex, and there are some tough themes, but the author does a great job of putting you in the animals' shoes. You feel like you're right there with them, experiencing everything they do. It's not just a bunch of animal adventures in the forest - it's about the animals' lives, their struggles, and their relationships with each other. And it's not just about the animals - it's about the humans too. You grow and learn with the characters, and you feel a sense of responsibility for the pack. You feel happy when new members join, and you cry when someone important dies. And the way the story unfolds is just masterful. It's like you're right there with the characters, experiencing everything they do. Although, given some of the tough themes, I might have waited a year or two before reading it.

I got a bit carried away...

I was talking about how my son, despite the complex language and themes, was able to follow the story and even recreate the scenes in his own games. But with 'Icarus', that didn't happen. We read it and forgot about it. I found it dull from the start, and my son was even more bored. Even after re-reading it to refresh my memory, I still didn't have a very positive impression. I think the problem is that the book is aimed at the wrong age group: it's too childish for older kids, around 10-12 years old, but the themes and events are too mature for younger kids. There's too much lying and negative behavior, and not enough fantasy elements. If the language were a bit more complex, it might be suitable for a school book. But as it is, it's just too much for younger kids. It's a shame, because there are some interesting themes and ideas in there, but they're not developed enough.

I've got to say that the storytelling in this book is way too childish for teenagers, but too heavy for kids. As an adult who's still a kid at heart and loves watching cartoons, I found the book to be readable on my own, but not detailed or interesting enough to give it a four-star rating. Honestly, I'd barely scrape together a three-star rating for the story alone, and the rest of the book just doesn't hold up, considering the amount of time I spent reading it. All in all, I'd give it a three-star rating. I'd recommend it, but more for kids aged 10-11, rather than pre-teens.

Thanks for reading! Hope you found something interesting!

Check out my reviews of the overhyped book series, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. And he's still not even done writing it!