I’ve been thinking about The Pagemaster a lot recently, mostly because I think the idea of a library coming to life is just about the coolest thing ever. Here’s the movie trailer, in case you have no idea what I’m talking about:
Right. Everyone on the same page now? Hahaha. Get it? Page? Because … Pagemaster?
Never mind.
Anyway, what reader hasn’t dreamed of getting sucked into a book … or better yet, bringing the contents of a book into our world! Here’s the premise I set for myself: If you could bring one aspect of one book into our world, which would you choose? By one aspect, I mean a character, or an item, or a particular setting — bringing an entire book to life might be a bit overkill.
I think I would bring Harry Potter’s magic wand into this world. How awesome would it be to be able to do magic? Then again, I would be the only witch, since I would be the only one with a magic wand, which could get lonely. Or dangerous. And then if the government found out I could do actual magic, they would either recruit me forcibly to their cause, or steal the wand for themselves, or just kill me outright as a threat to national security. So maybe not a magic wand after all.
Perhaps I should choose something less conspicuous. Or maybe I’m in the wrong genre altogether. I could think of worse things than flying around the galaxy in the starship Enterprise. Although again, that would involve leaving everyone I know and love here on Earth, since “Hey, want to come fly away forever with me in my interstellar spaceship?” probably won’t do much convincing.
Or I could be more practical. I could pop into one of the hundreds of fantasy books that has a philosopher’s stone / holy grail / eternal-youth-and-health-contraption and grab that up. I could live forever! But again, loneliness. Awwwwwwww.
I guess the lesson to be learned here is that being too special means you’ll be lonely. Alternatively, the lesson here is that I suck at hypothetical exercises.
Your turn! You can bring one aspect of one book into this world. What do you choose?
Unrelated video of the day:
Tee hee …
Michelle Proulx - Author 
“Being too special means you’ll be lonely.” You’re waxing philisophical, Michelle. 😉
Well, I did take a philosophy course in high school, and I have some shoe wax in my cupboard, so I believe that qualifies me to wax philosophical.
Your unrelated video has made me want two things: to watch the entire LOTR cycle again, and also to really really wish the video itself was a real movie. Absolutely brilliant!
*wipes eyes*
It’s only 7.30 am here and already I know I’m not going to be doing anything else today but playing that video on repeat. 😀
Did you ever play the LOTR drinking game? You take a shot every time one of the characters does something that could be construed as gay. It’s best to do small shots, with beer, as if you try it with hard liquor you’ll be passed out by about 30 min in 😀
I never have played that game, but it’s now on my ‘to do as soon as possible’ list.
Also, in relation to ‘things from books that I’d bring to life’ – well, in keeping with the LOTR theme, I think it’d have to be the Entwives. I was always really sad that they just disappeared without trace.
Or maybe Legolas. Yeah, actually, scratch the Entwives. I want me an elf. 🙂
Ooooh yeah, Legolas all the way. And while bringing out the Entwives would be awesome, I think they’d be sad because they wouldn’t have their Ent husbands. So it’s probably best to stick with our super smexy archer elf.
Hey, *I* brought him to life, remember. What’s with this *OUR super smexy archer elf* business? 🙂
Oh dear. I knew it was only a matter of time before the bloodbath ensued. I challenge you for the heart of Legolas! My weapon of choice is a spatula. Do your worst!
A SPATULA!??
I fold. You win. Enjoy the elf.
*runs away trembling*
VICTORY IS MINE!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHA.
C’mere Legolas, you little smoochy pie. ❤ ❤ ❤
*Legolas runs away trembling, straight into your arms*
Dammit.
😀
Hot dang, I’m good.
It helps that I constantly self-sabotage myself. I need to work on that … 😀
Ooo! I know. would definitely like to bring Time travel into my world. Imagine being able to actually be a spectator to the past and future. Although I think that I would prefer to visit the past. Not the huge, big whoop-de-doo events like kings and Queens, battles and spectacles. But I would love to go back far enough to check out the King Arthur story, was he real? and where is he buried?. What was it like to be a peasant in Medieval Britain, was it all just mud and dung as Monty Python says?
Did Richard the third murder the princes in the tower or was it Henry VII. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to solve all these mysteries and really know what happened.
And imagine the stories you could write ….
That would be incredibly cool. I guess my only worry with time travel would be that I might change the past … or contract some horrible disease, or get into trouble because I’m an outsider and don’t speak their language or know their customs.
I think I’d pick one of those ancient, magical forests out of some epic fantasy… so many to choose from, though.
I was at first tempted to choose the one character I permanently have a crush on, but the darn guy is just too noble… he’d just want to get back to serve his prince…
Ooooh, magical forests are very fun. Although … wouldn’t people start to talk if a giant magical forest suddenly popped up in the middle of nowhere? 😀
And that is the problem with bringing characters to life, isn’t it? There’s no guarantee they’d fall madly in love with you. Ah well. Maybe I should change this exercise and make it 2 things you can bring to life — then you could pick the character, and a love potion 😀
I’d just have to put it somewhere there already is a giant forest and hope nobody notices it’s magical now… nobody but me, that is…
The problem with this character is, I couldn’t even steal him from the book, because he’s really important to the plot. And he dies (which is why I won’t name him here… no spoilers), so I can’t just wait until after the end of the book. Yes, I’ve given this quite a lot of thought while rereading those books.
Oooops! got carried away and forgot to detail the book. It is The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. In this book time travel is used at oxford university to send post grad students back in time to research ‘their’ period in history. Kivrin, a young women is sent back but an error is made in plotting the trip and she ends up in the middle of the Black Death. I love this book, even though it usually makes me cry every time I read it.
That’s a fun idea! Well, except for the Black Death part. I used to dream about having a time machine back when I was in university (History major here). I would be slogging my way through my stack of books on whatever and then relax back in my chair and daydream about time travel. And then, of course, it would be three hours later and I’d have accomplished nothing. Still, good times 😀
Hogwarts. Totally. 🙂
How did I not think of that????
Of course, I would also have to receive an invitation.
Meh. You brought the darn thing to life. The least they can do is let you in!
The Spice from Dune, definitely.
It leads to everything else I want – near-immortality, computer-like mental capabilities, super-immunity, space-time travel, and prescience.
No more blue Mondays.
See, I would have gone with a sand worm. They’re so cuddly, and excellent transportation if stuck in a desert.
I’d bring Varrin into the world!!! And we would run off to some remote part of the Caribbean where nobody could find us … and he couldn’t sell me for profit. LOL.
One scene I’d love to live through is in James Patterson Angel Experiments with the avian kids. I’d just love to be a flea on their wings and experience the flight.
Haha yes, being sold would somewhat put a damper on the vacation, wouldn’t it? And flying would be fantastic. In that case, you could grab one of the broomsticks from Harry Potter and go flying yourself! That would be awesome.
The broomstick wouldn’t work. I have horrible balance. That could go all bad fast.
It would have to be one of Anne Rices Characters I would have said Louis from Interview with a vampire but her werewolf is damn sexy aswell maybe I could have both and have an unholy threesome just don’t tell my other half 😀
Hahahaha I promise I won’t tattle on you. You wouldn’t pick Lestat? I was given to understand he was the most awesome vampire ever. But then, I haven’t read any Anne Rice novels, so it’s possibly I have no idea what I’m talking about.
Lestat is a little arrogant and loves himself a little too much for my tastes I can imagine him having a mirrored ceiling and headboard to watch himself while he ravished you 😀
A library coming to life would be pretty awesome. Jumping from world to world…oh, the possibilities. I agree, I think some things are meant to stay in books/fiction just because they’d be too dangerous in the real world. And sometimes I’m even glad things stay in fiction (like dragons and the Kraken!). I think I’d love to bring flying to life, like in Peter Pan. Or maybe just some magical flying boys/men, haha. Great question!
Haha yeah, it’s probably a good thing that dragons, kraken etc. don’t exist. Then our lives would be like a Godzilla movie, which wouldn’t be terribly fun. Flying would be just about the coolest thing ever!