Magic Moon by Wolfgang & Heike Hohlbein

Life is rarely easy. Unfortunately, while most fairytales spin exciting and engaging tales, they tend to wrap up a little too nicely—the happy couple and their kingdom live happily ever after; the bad guy(s) are vanquished and the land is forever graced with peace and prosperity; grand parades and celebrations are held for the conquering heroes, who have, once again, returned victorious. While that may sound all good and well and give us warm and fuzzy feelings inside once we’ve completed the book, life tends not to wrap up so smoothly all the time.

Magic Moon is a fantasy book separate from the rest—life and death are part of this novel. You won’t see the storm trooper effect here every time the bad guys come storming in. (Given, the characters make rather miraculous and otherwise impossible escapes sometimes, but not every one gets away). Although the main characters got away a little too easily in sometimes for my taste, I’m glad this book did not let everyone escape unscathed. One can only wish that life could be a ball and that everyone could sail through life, dispelling all problems and obstacles that get in the way. But to read a book that showed that life is not always that easy, but rather, even glorious heroes must face hardships, was refreshing. While Magic Moon may seem like just another fantasy story, there’s more to it, if you’re willing to look just a bit closer.

Kim and his family are stuck by disaster one day when they learn that Kim’s younger sister has slipped into a coma after surgery. Devastated, Kim tries to escape into his comic books, which he loves so dearly, but cannot keep his mind on the adventures of the great space captain, Commander Arcana, while pictures of his sister alone and unreachable on the hospital bed plague his mind. Just when his frustration over his inability to help his sister threatens to overwhelm him, a visitor from another world pays him a visit. Themistokles tells Kim that his sister had been visiting his land, Magic Moon, for a while, but had wandered too far one day, and had fallen to the dark lord Boraas and his shadowy kingdom, which is why her spirit cannot return to Earth. Themistokles asks Kim to come to Magic Moon to help the people get rid of the dark lord Boraas and to free his sister, to which Kim agrees instantly.

Thus, Kim is off on an unforgettable adventure! His journey is bumpy from the start and just to reach Magic Moon, he must find his own way in, and even then, the dangers will not stop. He must escape and outwit Borras and his minions time and time again, if he wishes to save his sister and Magic Moon—can a mere boy outwit cold and cunning foes who hold no value for life?

There were several times when things seemed to come too easily for Kim to be believable, but the last third of the book was fantastic. The ideas and philosophy behind the book was extremely interesting and kept me hooked. It seemed a little sluggish at first, but Magic Moon most definitely got better as I got further along and I absolutely loved the last few chapters. The different ideals that people hold in the land of Magic Moon are very different and interesting—they give you a lot to think about. The one criticism I have (besides the fact that Kim and Co. got away a little too easily on some occasions) was that the obvious was stated many times and there was way too much repetition on certain points, which got irritating. Other than that, Magic Moon was a very interesting read and it’s a book I would recommend to everyone who’s looking for a thought-provoking adventure.