Reflection of the Book of the Dun Cow
on Reflection on The Book of the Dun Cow
My Review on The Book of The Dun Cow
Equal parts allegory and fable, The Book of the Dun Cow is one of those rare books that transcends genre boundaries to appeal to a broad range of readers. Key to this unique trait are the theological underpinnings Walter Wangerin, Jr., embedded in the very heart of the book. Christian in outlook from page one, The Book of the Dun Cow owes much to the Narnia cycle of C.S. Lewis half a century before. Clearly, Wangerin's novel is a literary descendent of Lewis' much-loved fantasies.
The premise of the story is one that should be familiar to anyone who has ever picked up a fantasy novel. In a purer, more innocent time before the emergeance of man, an ancient evil — Wyrm — entombed within the Earth seeks to break free and destroy all of Creation. Standing between Wyrm and freedom are the animals of the world, Gate Keepers charged by God with keeping the faith, literally. When Wyrm discovers a flaw in his prison in the form of the old, heirless rooster, Senex, he acts quickly to exploit the weakness and take revenge upon all of his captors, bringing a reign of darkness over the world.
The execution of this story, however, is where Wangerin truly shines. In comics today, there is a never-ending debate over continuity — whether What Has Gone Before is an asset to storytelling, or if it's a hinderance, placing unnecessary shackles on creativity. Wangerin faces his own, prosaic version of that question, and his response to the challenge is marvelous. To escape his confinement, Wyrm dupes Senex into fathering Cockatrice — a mythical half-chicken, half-serpent creature hatched from an egg laid by a rooster and incubated by a toad. Evil and powerful, Cocatrice enslaves Senex's subjects and abuses Senex's harem of hens, forcing them to breed him an army of basilisks. The land is polluted and ruined, and when the animals finally revolt, it is far too late. Their opposition is mercilessly crushed,
My Review on The Book of The Dun Cow
Equal parts allegory and fable, The Book of the Dun Cow is one of those rare books that transcends genre boundaries to appeal to a broad range of readers. Key to this unique trait are the theological underpinnings Walter Wangerin, Jr., embedded in the very heart of the book. Christian in outlook from page one, The Book of the Dun Cow owes much to the Narnia cycle of C.S. Lewis half a century before. Clearly, Wangerin's novel is a literary descendent of Lewis' much-loved fantasies.
The premise of the story is one that should be familiar to anyone who has ever picked up a fantasy novel. In a purer, more innocent time before the emergeance of man, an ancient evil — Wyrm — entombed within the Earth seeks to break free and destroy all of Creation. Standing between Wyrm and freedom are the animals of the world, Gate Keepers charged by God with keeping the faith, literally. When Wyrm discovers a flaw in his prison in the form of the old, heirless rooster, Senex, he acts quickly to exploit the weakness and take revenge upon all of his captors, bringing a reign of darkness over the world.
The execution of this story, however, is where Wangerin truly shines. In comics today, there is a never-ending debate over continuity — whether What Has Gone Before is an asset to storytelling, or if it's a hinderance, placing unnecessary shackles on creativity. Wangerin faces his own, prosaic version of that question, and his response to the challenge is marvelous. To escape his confinement, Wyrm dupes Senex into fathering Cockatrice — a mythical half-chicken, half-serpent creature hatched from an egg laid by a rooster and incubated by a toad. Evil and powerful, Cocatrice enslaves Senex's subjects and abuses Senex's harem of hens, forcing them to breed him an army of basilisks. The land is polluted and ruined, and when the animals finally revolt, it is far too late. Their opposition is mercilessly crushed,