Aran's Medley

Teya Rosenberg is an assistant professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at Southwest Texas State University.

Clive Waterbury has lived a miserable, hermit-like existence during the
10 years since his parents and fiancée died. The appearance of an odd
trunk containing crystals belonging to Aran, a short, round,
nasty-tempered genie who soon comes in search of them, upsets the quiet
misery of Clive’s life. Aran’s actions cause Clive to leave his home
and travel to another planet called Tan Lan. There, he is reunited with
his fiancée and embarks on a quest to save Tan Lan from the barbaric
Zandar and to retrieve the stolen “O,” a powerful talisman.

This novel is structured like most fantasies, with an unlikely hero
discovering the strength to save both himself and a larger community.
Unfortunately, the narration is overwhelmed by details, and the
characterization and setting, which are not well developed, make it
difficult for the reader to visualize the people and places presented.
Why Tan Lan is being threatened is a mystery, since all its inhabitants
seem to have magical powers that make them superior to the Zandarians.
And further, these powers are mentioned only when it is necessary to
advance the plot. Despite the maps, tables, and lengthy explanations of
how things work, none of the story coheres into a whole. Not
recommended.