West & Windy
By: Courtenay Kaspar / Narrated By: Grayson Davila
Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
A good story for the kidsters, and adults will find some charm in it also
West & Windy has what other tales of woodland creatures battling evil don’t have: Steampunk. The Publisher’s Summary (I know—what the HELL am I doing still reading those blasted things?!?) brands the book as Steampunk, but I rather think it has elements of it rather than IS it.
Mostly this is a story of two young foxes on the run, trying to rescue the parents they believed lost forever (And Mom and Dad just happen to be the Real King and Queen, making West and Windy a prince and princess respectively). Desperately evil King Rancid will stop at nothing to KIIIIIILL them. Actually, he’ll kill ANYbody who stands in his way, who poses a threat, who simply ticks him off. The bear will kill at the drop of a hat, so THAT should be exciting for the kiddos listening to the story.
The story is full of animals of all ilks—an Auntie bunny, a feisty bobcat, loony monkey pirates, bats who’ll enslave so that they might get shiny treasures (which, come to think of it, strikes me as odd as bats are hearing creatures more than seeing ones… so hmmm…).
And mostly, this book kinda sorta runs in the vein of the Narnia books in that it definitely has religious overtones. The Creator and His Son are prayed to constantly, and having faith in them, starting to believe in them, come up time and time again. Mostly it’s Windy who has the golden faith that shines its way into the hearts of those around her. And a bat on the fence between evil and good has to determine if this entirely new sense of spirit is real, is for him or not.
Grayson Davila does a very good job voicing the many creatures in the many situations they’re in, whether they’re plotting something or they’re in full battle. His delivery of the main narrative sometimes falters, but he’s golden as far as dialogue goes (tho’ the Scottish bobcat’s accent sometimes morphs into something vaguely Russian?).
All in all, this book differs from other epics featuring woodland creatures because of those Steampunk elements. You might be looking for bows and arrows, for carts and sleighs when actually there are mighty acts of sabotage and steam trains and balloon airships.
Get ready for a few twists and turns that’ll have your kids excited. And while this isn’t one of those stories that is good for adults too, you won’t find it desperately boring—it does indeed have its charm.
Who, after all, can say no to a rabbit named Dandelion?!?
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