Kingdom of the Golden Dragon

Rating:
Summary: Has a freaky attitude
Review: Isabel Allende's "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon" seems like a cool book at first. It has a village of yetis, indomitable Buddhist monks, and a talking statue made out of gold. Though her writing drags, she has some good ideas.

But she really puts out some weird and disturbing ideas as well. Allende seems to have a problem with Americans in general. Her ideal 'Forbidden Kingdom' is a benevolent dictatorship, where the king gets to tell people how to dress, restricts what Western influences they get to see, and generally controls their lives according to his whims. The sheep like subjects all like that. And this is shown as a good thing. Call me a materialistic, soulless Westerner, as I'm sure Allende would, but I call that a lack of freedom and rights.

Who knows why Allende doesn't think much of Americans. But it's weird that she puts forward an ideal civilization that is far from ideal. And unfortunately, the Forbidden Kingdom wrecks the rest of the book.

Rating:
Summary: captivating
Review: My mom and I both read this book and Allende's previous City of the Beasts. I read it in a few days which is very fast for me. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a great mystical adventure. I never found myself bored or not liking Allendes writing.

Rating:
Summary: This "Kingdom" doesn't rule
Review: Someone stop Isabel Allende before she writes more fantasy. The reknowned author of "House of the Spirits" is out of her element in her second excruciating fantasy for teens, "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon." Tepid thrills, horrible love stories and constant preaching bog down a thin plot until it collapses.

In the Himalayas, Buddhist monk Tensing and his crown-prince sidekick encounter the legendary Yetis, and save the meager tribe from extinction. Elsewhere, Alexander Cold (who now insists on being called "Jaguar") accompanies his grandmother to the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, a place that allows virtually no outside (read: American) influence inside. Nadia comes along with them.

But things take a nasty turn when Nadia and a bunch of other girls are kidnapped by the Sect of the Scorpion, a band of vicious warriors. Alexander goes after his friend, only to stumble into Tensing, who has rescued Nadia. Then they uncover a sinister plot to kidnap the king, and that the Sect is planning to make off with a magical statue that tells the future.

In "City of the Beasts," Allende couldn't stop preaching. In "Kingdom," she's gotten even worse. While talking about how wonderful the isolationist dictatorship Kingdom is, she condemns the materialism of (yes, again) the nasty nature-destroying Western civilization. And again, there are more hairy subhuman beastie tribes -- although the "army of Yetis" scene is more funny than thrilling.

Her preaching doesn't end there, either -- her slobbering monologues on the tenets of Buddhism get old fast, like listening to someone reading from a religious pamphlet. And with a complete lack of subtlety, she makes the villain a cartoonish megamogul, and the heroes a band of pure-hearted, nature-loving pacifists.

Does Allende's writing salvage the wilted plot? In a word... no. Her writing is tepid and lacking in detail, the pace is glacial, and the attraction between Nadia's pal and the prince turns into true love in about five pages. Perhaps the most annoying fact is that the characters are never really in danger. Whether it's invincible martial arts, healing with "the energy of the universe," telepathy or turning invisible, the heroes have a superpower for every occasion. I have yet to meet a Buddhist monk who could do half the things Tensing does.

Allende seems reluctant to spend any time actually developing the characters. Alexander and Nadia, being "pure of heart," are about as fun as dental surgery. Alexander in particular has shed any skepticism and quirks, and now believes everything he hears. In short, he has essentially become a male version of Nadia, who dazzles the idiot natives with her little tricks. And super-monk Tensing drops strings of cliches ("We are what we think. Our thoughts construct the world") before sauntering off to kick butt.

Isabel Allende's sophomore excursion into the world of young adult fantasy proves that "City of the Beasts" was not a solitary flop. With hideously bad characters, a dull plot and plenty of magical saves, "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon" is one for the reject pile.