Monday Musings: Dandelion Fire Review

A couple of months back, I reviewed the first book in N.D. Wilson's 100 Cupboards trilogy. Today, I'm taking a look at the second book in the series, Dandelion Fire.


Dandelion Fire picks up the story in the weeks after 100 Cupboards wraps up, and although Uncle Frank has failed to follow through on his promise to seal up the cupboards once again, Henry has no desire to go exploring any more. While he's curious about his otherworldly origins, the aftermath of his fight with Nimiane of Endor has left him satisfied with life in Kansas. He could stay here forever  and be happy with his newfound friends and family. Even a strange dandelion burning away his sight isn't enough to keep Henry from wanting to stay.

Unfortunately, Henry's adoptive mother has other plans, and has sent an official letter through her lawyer that Henry will be brought back to Boston after the 4th of July. In a desperate attempt to find out where he comes from and where he belongs before he loses his chance forever, Henry embarks on a dangerous mission through the cupboards. His journeys will take him through many doors and dangers, and his friends and family are coming along this time.

Dandelion Fire wasn't nearly as slow to get moving as 100 Cupboards, though I did struggle with it at first. After the initial excitement, there is some floundering about as characters get into place for their parts in the rest of the book. However, this book fulfills the promise of adventure and excitement that the initial premise offered. We see other worlds in living, vibrant detail. The magic and politics of the world only hinted at in the first book come into the forefront. Henrietta finally grows as a character (after a moment or three of her previous foolhardiness). And many characters mentioned or hinted at in the first book are given full space in the cast and given their own arcs that fit into both the overall plot and the arcs of other characters.

There's still the sense of things being left to implication and inference throughout the book, even with all the exposition Wilson offers. The final climax in particular operates on an intuitive or implicit form of magic rather than an explicit "Deposit Ring A into volcano B" arrangement. I loved the way the magic just fit into the world without the need for a bunch of exposition and setup, but those who prefer a harder magic may find themselves frustrated. All in all, I found Dandelion Fire to be a vast improvement over 100 Cupboards and cannot wait to dive into book three, The Chestnut King.

If you read 100 Cupboards and wanted more of the story or more from the story, definitely check out Dandelion Fire. It taps into an older style of story and magic much like Uprooted did for an older audience.

If you've read Dandelion Fire, let me know what you thought of it! Do you agree that it improved on 100 Cupboards?

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