Once Again, Tony DiTerlizzi Shows Us How Fairy Tales Can Tackle Adult Themes While Remaining Vividly Imaginative
A force to be reckoned with in the artistic community, Tony DiTerlizzi has worn many hats. From constructing brilliant sci-fi worlds to construing creepy crawlies in Dungeons & Dragons, Tony DiTerlizzi has refined his craft to the point of absolute mastery, which is clearly visible in the WondLa trilogy.
The main protagonist of this story is a 12 year old girl named Eva Nine. She is devoid of super powers, practical experience, and innate human knowledge- an anti-hero thrust into a world that is at times beyond her child-sized understanding. At times she falters, overwhelmed by the monumental obstacles she faces. But Eva perseveres, understanding her immediate situations and refusing to roll over, all the while demonstrating incorruptible compassion. Being forced to think her way out of not just practical problems, but political problems as well is one of the many ways this series tackles adult themes.
These books are rife with Tony DiTerlizzi's sketches, showing us not only his amazing ability, but the amount of thought Tony has put into these environments. They aren't just there to tell a story, either; Tony provides a background to their formation, and their history is incredibly metaphorical.
Speaking of metaphors, I want to talk about possibly my favorite metaphor in the book: the character Gen Pryde. I don't want to ruin it, but Gen is not only a modern metaphor; as our dependence on technology grows, she is a perennial metaphor. But she's more than just a cautionary tale about over-dependance on technology and over-conformity; her character's transformation shows how man can never un-learn technology but we can learn from our mistakes.
The way Tony has set up some of the cities in this book is a perfect spin on previous allegories such as Edward Scissorhands and Fahrenheit 451. However, the bulk of the series doesn't take place in cities, but in a mutated nature-themed landscape. Not only does it tell a story, but it's also a reflection of how powerful nature is and how overwhelming it can be. Another one of the facets in this book is the telepathy. While the entire series takes place from Eva Nine's point of view, some of the characters in this book possess a way of communicating telepathically with Eva. The creatures don't have a lot of things to say, and the brilliance of Tony's writing is that they don't need to say a lot- they say so much with so little,
The first book in the series, The Search for WondLa, is about the coming of age of Eva Nine. Raised in a sterile and controlled underground environment, Eva was being prepared to visit the surface world- which turns out to be quite literally a whole new world. The plot of this book is very similar to Pulp Fiction in that it has a simple overall plot, but tons of complex mini-plots. Eva spends the vast majority of the book looking for a mysterious Shangri-La known to her only as WondLa. Upon the way, she learns that she may very well be the last human on the planet. While she's hardly ever alone, Eva is almost always lonely. She is accompanied by a sentient robot known as Muthr and a vagabond alien named Rovender Kitt, who teach not only Eva, but also each other that home is where the heart is. The book ends on an amazing note followed by a rather bittersweet cliffhanger, but the 2nd book picks it right up.
The second book, A Hero for WondLa, is about Eva Nine's shocking discovery of another human, a pilot named Hailey Turner. Hailey tells Eva that he knows of an entire city of humans, offering Eva sanctuary. This book introduces a cast of new characters, including the anti-heroes Hailey Turner and Eva Eight. This book is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, tackling many more adult themes such as social classes, war, over-dependence on technology, man vs nature, and man vs self. There is a lot more moral ambiguity in this book, making it very difficult to clearly define who's a villain and who isn't. The true mark of Tony's oracular ability is how he made this world something even young children can enjoy.
The final book in the trilogy, The Battle for WondLa, is a lot alike Tolkien's Return of the King- this isn't just the last installment in a group of chronicles, it's the result of everything before it coming to a head. There is much duality between this book and the first one, with layers of intelligent writing. It's at the same time an ending and a beginning. The depth to this book is astounding, showing how important imagination truly is.
The way Tony has set up some of the cities in this book is a perfect spin on previous allegories such as Edward Scissorhands and Fahrenheit 451. However, the bulk of the series doesn't take place in cities, but in a mutated nature-themed landscape. Not only does it tell a story, but it's also a reflection of how powerful nature is and how overwhelming it can be. Another one of the facets in this book is the telepathy. While the entire series takes place from Eva Nine's point of view, some of the characters in this book possess a way of communicating telepathically with Eva. The creatures don't have a lot of things to say, and the brilliance of Tony's writing is that they don't need to say a lot- they say so much with so little,
So that's the series as a whole, but how does each individual book stack up?
The first book in the series, The Search for WondLa, is about the coming of age of Eva Nine. Raised in a sterile and controlled underground environment, Eva was being prepared to visit the surface world- which turns out to be quite literally a whole new world. The plot of this book is very similar to Pulp Fiction in that it has a simple overall plot, but tons of complex mini-plots. Eva spends the vast majority of the book looking for a mysterious Shangri-La known to her only as WondLa. Upon the way, she learns that she may very well be the last human on the planet. While she's hardly ever alone, Eva is almost always lonely. She is accompanied by a sentient robot known as Muthr and a vagabond alien named Rovender Kitt, who teach not only Eva, but also each other that home is where the heart is. The book ends on an amazing note followed by a rather bittersweet cliffhanger, but the 2nd book picks it right up.
The second book, A Hero for WondLa, is about Eva Nine's shocking discovery of another human, a pilot named Hailey Turner. Hailey tells Eva that he knows of an entire city of humans, offering Eva sanctuary. This book introduces a cast of new characters, including the anti-heroes Hailey Turner and Eva Eight. This book is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, tackling many more adult themes such as social classes, war, over-dependence on technology, man vs nature, and man vs self. There is a lot more moral ambiguity in this book, making it very difficult to clearly define who's a villain and who isn't. The true mark of Tony's oracular ability is how he made this world something even young children can enjoy.
The final book in the trilogy, The Battle for WondLa, is a lot alike Tolkien's Return of the King- this isn't just the last installment in a group of chronicles, it's the result of everything before it coming to a head. There is much duality between this book and the first one, with layers of intelligent writing. It's at the same time an ending and a beginning. The depth to this book is astounding, showing how important imagination truly is.
Final Verdict: This is one of the greatest sci-fi series ever created, easily on par with SF/F writers such as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Michael Crichton, Do not discount this series solely because its target audience is children- this is something people of all ages can enjoy, it demonstrates the intrinsic joy of reading.
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