Escape to Witch Mountain, by Alexander Key (Read-a-thon # 9)

[rachelmanija]

A classic psychic kids novel which I somehow failed to read until now.

Tony, who is telekinetic, and Tia, who can talk to animals, open locks, and has perfect recall - but can't speak - are brother and sister psychic orphans, hated and feared by a world that doesn't understand them, and pursued by the parts of the world that understand them all too well. They flee an evil orphanage, are helped by an athletic Irish priest (who looks like a zombie trying to conceal his undead state with way too much eyeliner in the illustrations), rescue bears, and seek their origins.

I've liked some of Key's other books better - this was a bit unsubtle and slight, with a seriously rickety plot, though it did have one good twist at the end (why Tia can't speak.)

Sadly, the best bits consisted of unintentional comedy:

A cold finger of doubt crept suddenly into Tony's mind.

That reminds me of the classic "And then the hand of fate stepped in."

When Tony and Tia explain how their uncle died in a revolution and plaintively ask why people are violent and cruel, the kindly Irish priest explains, "Because human rights and human suffering mean nothing to a communist."

Five pages later, Tony and Tia explain about how their people managed things, without money, greed, or conflict. The kindly Irish priest says, "Imagine! A small group, advanced far beyond the idea of personal profit, coming to a greedy commercial world..." He rhapsodizes on in this vein for some time, unaware that he seems to be describing... communists!

No, I've never seen the movie.

Escape to Witch Mountain

Comments

[kore]

the kindly Irish priest explains, "Because human rights and human suffering mean nothing to a communist."

I....don't remember that bit. Bzuh. Then again I think when I read that I was seven or eight....

[jesuswasbatman]

I suspect that the priest character associates communists with atheism more than with their economic beliefs.

[ellen_fremedon]

...which still doesn't make that comment make any sense.

[jesuswasbatman]

I'm suspecting the belief common among some theistic people that morality can only come from gods and atheists obviously have no reason to behave in a moral way and not commit any appalling depravity they feel like.

[jonquil]

Wah! I loved that book so much! (I am not wahing at your review, just at the apparent creakiness.)

[genarti]

Oh dear! I loved that book as a kid -- at age twelve or so, I remember spending ages staring at pencils and things in a desperate hope that I might manifest telekinesis, and this book is one of several to blame for that -- but I haven't read it since. It's a shame to hear it doesn't hold up all that well.

Mind you, I suspect "psychic orphans on the run" hits enough of my narrative kinks that I'd still enjoy a reread, but it's nice when one's not reading in spite of the prose.

I at one point read a novelization of the movie sequel, without realizing that it wasn't in fact by Alexander Key, and was vastly disappointed by the downturn in quality. Tia can speak now! There are evil doctors! And a psychic goat! And hijinks with a telekinesis-powered schoolbus full of Tia's pet truants! I kind of think I'd find it awesomely cracktastic now.

[lanerobins.livejournal.com]

How funny! I don't remember any of the clunkiness. Or the communism. I do remember that his book The Forgotten Door was preachy; even as a child I found it so. Didn't stop me from reading it about once a week.

I'm enjoying your readathon.

[larryhammer]

I'm currently watching an anime television series directed by Miyazaki, Future Boy Conan, adapted by him from another Alexander Key novel, The Incredible Tide. He handles Key's preachiness in an interesting way, by swapping the political ideologies of the good guys and bad guys.

---L.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I loved the book as a kid, but even as a kid I winced at the Communism bit. I just loved it for the adventure of it. I guess maybe I haven't read that many chase books or something, but for me, their various flights, putting the mud on the license plate, eating the raw corn, making the phone call to their people at the very end--all of that was just so exciting to me. When I think of escape stories, I think of that one.

The movie was a huge disappointment to me. It substituted Disney cute for the leanness and hardness (such as it was) that I got from the book. In the book, they were teenagers; in the movie, cutsie kids.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I liked the movie! But I too never read the book.

[sovay]

I've liked some of Key's other books better - this was a bit unsubtle and slight, with a seriously rickety plot, though it did have one good twist at the end (why Tia can't speak.)

My problem with the novel—although I will admit I read it in seventh grade—was that it felt entirely ripped off from Zenna Henderson's People.