Jinn, jann or djinn are frequently seen in Islamic folklore and most people know about the genie from Disney's Alladin (for me one of the late Robin Williams' best roles) and from Alladin and the magic lamp. What if a centuries old genie was awakened and bound to a middle schooler? Not just any middle school student mind you but one with issues who is in need of some guidance. This is the story of Rebels of the Lamp by Michael M.B. Galvin and Peter Speakman.Parker lives with his mom in Los Angeles California and although they love each other they frequently disagree usually due to Parker's bad choices in school. After one escapade too much Parker's mom sends him across the country to sleepy New Hampshire to stay with his uncle Kelsey. Theo his cousin isn't exactly pleased to see him nor is he happy to be attending the same school as his wayward cousin.
Theo's dad does repair work at a local college and when the boys accompany him on one such job things get very strange. Parker takes a strange metal container at just the exact moment when some strange men begin pursuing them and thus begins their adventures with Fon-Rahm the genie. at first the boys along with their friend Reece enjoy all the benefits that Fon-Rahm has to offer (think fast cars and adventure) but soon things get serious-there are other genies out there and not all of them are friendly.
The first few chapters of the book are interspersed with some entries written in a journal by a powerful sorcerer who created the genies and they allow us to see his motivation behind dabbling in such ancient and powerful magic. There is also another link between him and the genies but I won't reveal too much of the plot.
I enjoyed this book since, like most good ones it takes something I had already known about but used it in a different way. Most of the genie stories I have seen dealt with genies somewhere in the Middle East so seeing a story set in a plain New England town was very refreshing. I recommend it for readers aged 9+.
No comments:
Post a Comment