I'm sorry this post has been so late in coming. The last few weeks have been the busiest of this year so far, and it's hard to find time to get on the computer. But anyhow, my family finished reading Dandelion Fire, Book 2 in the 100 Cupboards series, over two weeks ago now, and I think it's the best fantasy by a living author that I've ever read. Once again, N.D. Wilson surprised me, enchanted me, enthralled me, and generally blew away all my expectations. Why can't all modern authors be like that?

*Caution: This review may contain spoilers from the first book in the series, 100 Cupboards. If you haven't read it yet, I would suggest that you exit this blog immediately, go to the nearest library or bookstore, acquire the book, and read it as soon as possible. I would hate to be guilty of spoiling the end for you.*

The story begins about a week or so after 100 Cupboards left off. Henry's adopted parents have returned, and he has only two weeks before one of them comes to take him back to Boston. He is desperate to get away - preferably to Badon Hill - before that can happen. But soon going back to Boston is the least of his worries. An encounter with a flaming dandelion leaves Henry blind and with a strange scar on his palm. He starts having unsettling dreams about a huge man called Darius. Naturally it isn't long before Henry is back inside the cupboards - only this time, he's caught up in the fight against an evil that he helped unleash. Along the way, he learns the secrets of his own past - and what it means to be a "pauper-son".

If you were a little bored with 100 Cupboards, I can guarantee you won't have the same problem with the sequel. The plot in Dandelion Fire is extremely fast-paced and exciting, with surprises in almost every chapter. In fact, if it has a fault, it's that there are too many twists and turns to keep up with. I'm going to have to read it again before the next book comes out, just to make sure I understood everything. But in spite of that, this book is just plain fun. It has everything I want in a fantasy story: adventure, magic, imaginative new worlds, a strong hero (actually there were several of those), and an exciting battle between good and evil.

What I really love about it, though, is the characters. In addition to the ones I came to love in the first book, in this one I was introduced to a host of new and interesting characters from beyond the cupboards. But the person I really came to love in this book is Henry. In Dandelion Fire he finally pulls away from his old, timid self and becomes a true hero. He's brave, determined, and loyal, with an excellent sense of the difference between good and evil. And, yes, those dandelion tricks are pretty cool.

Dandelion Fire is, I think, the most overtly Christian out of the N.D. Wilson books I've read. There were some subtle references to the Bible in 100 Cupboards, but they become much more obvious in this book. Many of the "good guys" from the cupboards talk and act surprisingly like Christians, and virtues like courage and honesty are valued throughout the story. I think the overall message, though, is that we really can't explain how the world works the same way we can explain how a machine works. The world isn't "tame". One of the amazing things about the 100 Cupboards series so far is that it makes the real world seem almost as magical as - well, the magical ones. Honey bees are just as amazing as raggants; baseball is just as fascinating as a magic cupboard; and even dandelions have a special power. The "ordinary" things that surround us are really so complex that only God knows exactly how they work, and I think that's what N.D. Wilson is trying to show us in his books. He certainly makes the world seem more interesting!

I realize that if you're in your late teens, like I am, or older, you might not be too enthusiastic about reading a kid's book like the ones N.D. Wilson writes. Well, I think the best kid's books are the ones that can be enjoyed by older people; but I don't think Dandelion Fire is necessarily for kids. There are some pretty intense (even violent) scenes, the villains are genuinely creepy, and the world where most of the action takes place is closer to Middle Earth than Narnia. Plus, young children will probably have a hard time keeping up with all the names and plot twists. My nine-year-old sister certainly did. No, in spite of the twelve-year-old hero and the fact that it's on the "young readers" shelf at Barnes & Noble, I think Dandelion Fire will be enjoyed most by teens, or even young adults - especially those who are somewhat familiar with Herodotus, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the Bible.

Long story short: go buy Dandelion Fire! If you like fantasy at all, I can almost guarantee that you'll like this one. I'm going to have a hard time finding another recent novel to equal it. And one thing's for sure - I'll never look at a dandelion the same way again.