Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O"Brien (Read-a-thon # 4)

[rachelmanija]

Sponsored by fadethecat.

This is another re-read after many years, and another one which holds up. I'm not surprised that I loved it as a kid, nor that I love it now, as it has so many elements that I like: a detailed and atmospheric setting, heroism and tragedy, science fiction, society-building, an ordinary heroine discovering her own courage... and rats.

Recently-widowed field mouse Mrs. Frisby is raising her children in an abandoned cinder block in a farmer's garden. Through a sequence of events too complicated to detail, she ends up having to ask the mysterious rats living under the rose bush for help, and finds that they are escaped experimental super-intelligent lab rats building a secret rat society... and that not only is she connected to them in a way she didn't know about, but she is just as essential to their survival as they are to her son's.

A great concept beautifully executed, complete with an unusual structure in which the story of the rats' origin takes up about a third of the story. There's some weird unexamined sexism (the experimental rats are first stated to include some females, but the only superintelligent rats we ever meet are males) but Mrs. Frisby is a good example of a US-traditionally feminine character (a mom) who is quite genuinely heroic. I liked her, I liked the melancholy touches and the unknown hero of the climax, the rats' Plan is more pragmatic and less knee-jerk Luddite than I had recalled, and the rodent-eye-view is beautifully done.

There are sequels by O'Brien's daughter; I never read them because I like preserving the ambiguity of the ending.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Comments

[oyceter]

Awwww! I love that book and it is probably very responsible for my rodent love today! I suspect that odd structure may partially be why I am so in love with the extended flashbacks in books.

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

Huh! I had not realized the sequels were by a different author.

The first sequel, Racso and the Rats of NIMH, was the first book I ever bought for myself; I got to choose one book from an order form, and was delighted to find out that the book I loved had even more to it. The sequels after that were...disappointing, at best.

I try not to think about the animated version. I loved Mrs. Frisby, and turning her bravery, and the dependable, sensible rats, into Trust The Force Luke + Magic Crystals felt like a horrible betrayal of the whole point of the book.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I cleverly avoided the movie as well, after seeing a preview and going, "BZUH???"

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

You were wise. Wise indeed. I'm not sure I've ever seen the whole thing, but having seen the climax was enough to prompt me towards a dramatic falling to my knees, fist shaking at the sky, while I demanded to know what I had done to justify such a blot upon my childhood.

...I didn't actually do this, because I caught it playing in an electronics store, and that would've been awkward in public. But I wanted to. MAGIC CRYSTALS. Ugh.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I was fortunate enough to watch the movie first, and then discover the book, which was of course even better.

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

I love how the book is all "talking animals having adventures and LOOK IT'S SCIENCE." Sure, the science is iffy, but everyone approaches things in such a sensible "We can figure things out if we work on it and test things and do some research" way.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

My husband's favorite book as a child. He never had his own copy, so he checked it out of the library so many times that the librarian eventually had to ask him to let the other kids have a chance to read it.

If I could go back in time, one of the things I'd do is buy that kid a copy of Mrs. Frisby.

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't read the book until a few years ago and coming from seeing the movie first and loving it, I'll say it is one of the few movies I like better than the book, which I found a little disappointing.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

I adored this book, and read my copy until it fell apart. I'm glad to hear it holds up.

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

At this point I shamefacedly admit that - Mrs Frisby/Justin? I shipped it.

Oh deviant eleven year old self...

[oyceter]

OMG ME TOO!

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

Sister!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

...I sometimes... um... forgot that Justin was a rat. Let's just leave it at that!

nobody wants to hear about my childhood crush on Kermit, I'm sure

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

thank god not just me

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Some of us may have shipped Justin/MarySue rat. I'm just saying.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

...what, didn't everyone?

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

...some of us shipped Justin with different characters.

*eyes Nicodemus fondly*

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Oh, Nicodemus. Man, what a great cast.

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

And poor Jenner... A great cast indeed!

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

Man, I had such a crush on Justin as a kid.

[inkstone]

What's to be ashamed about that?!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

You mean there were people who DIDN'T ship that?

(Um, I may not have liked the book that much after seeing the movie four times, but I'm sure it would have been a great book if I'd read it first. *cough*)

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I actually very much enjoyed the sequels, you might want to try thinking of them as excellent fanfiction. (I'm not sure they'd hold up as well as the original book.)