Tag: Retelling

Spike Milligan – Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan | Review

Title: Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan

Author: Spike Milligan

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 132

Rating: 4/5

This book is literally Spike Milligan’s take on Frankenstein, essentially a retelling that’s told in his unique brand of humour. Because of that, you’re probably going to want to read Mary Shelley’s original before you read this one, though I suppose it isn’t mandatory.

Milligan’s humour is farcical and funny, at least to me, and I’m also a pretty big Frankenstein fan and so I thought I should go ahead and dive in. It’s strange, as you might expect, but it’s also pretty good. If you’re into the Mel Brooks style of comedy horror, you’re probably going to like it. It certainly made me laugh a few times.

Learn more about Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan.


Philip Pullman – The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ | Review

Title: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

Author: Philip Pullman

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 252

Rating 4.5/5

 

 

Finally, a retelling that I can get on board with! I’ve never been a fan of retellings as a general rule because I don’t really see the point. Sure, sometimes they can be disruptive, but as a general rule they seem to be used to crowbar inclusivity into fiction, and it seems to me that the best way to be truly inclusive is to create original stories featuring minorities, rather than just rehashing the same story but changing the gender, sexuality or ethnicity of the main character. But perhaps that’s just me.

Here, though, Pullman basically uses a retelling to investigate our attitudes towards religion and ultimately poses some uncomfortable questions for those who follow the Christian faith. Luckily, I’m an atheist, and so I pretty much just read this in the same way that I’d read the bible: as a work of fiction. Except that this has much better story telling.

But I do think you could still enjoy this if you were religious, too. In fact, Pullman’s spin on biblical tales is kind of refreshing, taking a subject matter that I’m not particularly fond of and bringing it to life. I also liked how he managed to make both Jesus and Christ feel like two very different characters, and I know which one I prefer. Read it.

 

 

Click here to buy The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.