Gateways into Other Worlds: Death's Apprentice, Masked Androids, and Spicy Worms

Nothing grabbed me as a young reader quite like the sci-fi/fantasy sections. I was a lonely kid with big glasses and braces, more prone to be banged in the face by locker doors than the sort to boldly go into perilous situations filled with hostile aliens (the cafeteria at lunchtime, for example). I loved the library because no one in my middle school and early high school classes went there during their breaks - unless it was to find a spot where they could flirt quietly amidst the stacks (which meant they didn't have enough oxygen to call out insults). In this sanctuary away from teen dramas, down went my backpack amongst the myths, legends and fables of distant and imagined worlds, my face hidden behind books covered in starships, dragons and wizard hats. It was heaven. I didn't want to leave when the bell rang.

With this extended entry, I feel the thrill of an ambassador about to present the untold riches, peoples and creatures of Narnia, Middle Earth, the Federation, Discworld, Oz, Arrakis, and the Sandman's World of Dreams. In these places populated by the fantastic, one misfit child's mind felt liberated. The authors' vivid descriptions and unforgettable characters brought me to the Decameron, Shakespeare, Dante, Cervantes, Proust, Joyce, Tolstoy...they were my gateways to loving literature, in all its glorious possibilities.

There were certain novels that sparked the journeys into each land, those I heartily recommend for those new to a particular series and/or author. Here is a list of sci-fi/fantasy "gateway novels" - the literary appetizers garnished liberally with the hope they will foster a lifelong craving for some of the world's best storytellers:

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth: The Hobbit

If you haven't read much elf-and-sword lore yet, this is THE starter book, paired heavily with Edith Hamilton's Mythology (read why you should have this slim volume in your book stacks from the great Filipina writer Jessica Zafra here). I was lucky to have read this before diving into the Lord of the Rings saga and the rest of Tolkien's books, (including The Silmarillion, because I'm a huge geek like that). I don't think I would've really caught on to Middle Earth's feudal-fantasy landscape without Bilbo Baggins as my Virgil at the gates. You meet all the LOTR regulars here - from the tricky Gandalf, the glamorous Elves, the disgusting goblins, and one Ring-crazy former Hobbit called Gollum. Bilbo is not a starry-eyed Frodo - he is a lot more cunning, and I must say, quite the furry-footed kleptomaniac (keep a tally of how many magical objects his sticky little fingers manage to carry away). With evil wolves, a dragon, giant spiders and a burly bear-man, I'm surprised Peter Jackson didn't attempt to do this book first. (Ah, but would we have seen Orlando preen so prettily into the camera with his humongous bow if this book superseded LOTR in theaters? We musn't contemplate such things!) The pre-Viggo fight scenes will be hitting the silver screen in condensed form for fans soon - Guillermo del Toro is directing the prequel set for release in 2010. For readers, I do hope you'll make time for The Hobbit way before then. Tolkien was just discovering the boundaries of his created world. Beware...beyond the first page, there be dragons. And what a sight it must've been - for the very first time in Tolkien's mind.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Mort

Here's one for you job hunters out there: would you accept an internship...from Death? Pratchett's Discworld series kicks off at The Color of Magic, but in Mort, his fourth novel, is where the author's delightful satire seeps through the pages with laugh after laugh, from the audacity of the Grim Reaper owning a horse called Binky, to the insane conundrums faced by Death's apprentice, the farm boy Mort. You'll also discover Death's "family" - his adopted daughter Ysabell, his cranky manservant Albert, and Death's mini-me the Death of Rats - the Addams-like residents of the Reaper's realm Mon Repos. Pratchett's Death is one of my favorite characters in the series - he evolves from the silent figure with the scythe, to someone who could possibly take the place of Discworld's version of Santa Claus, complete with all-capped HO HO HO's. Be prepared to LIKE Death after reading this book. You will be cheering for him in Reaper Man and Hogfather, and he definitely steals the plot from the main heroes in Soul Music and the Gaiman-Pratchett collaboration Good Omens. And watch out for the cosmic struggle between Death and the Auditors, the Universe's humor-deficient accountants. Death and Taxes are the two constants in life...but at least Death gets the punchline.

L. Frank Baum's Oz: Ozma of Oz

My first Oz book was not The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - there were simply no copies at my middle school library. At that time, I didn't have access to public libraries, so I made do with the L. Frank Baum books I could find. Ozma of Oz was my first glimpse of this American-spun world of talking animals and strange, scary half-creatures. Dorothy's prevailing common sense and inner strength stands out in this book - Judy Garland may sing prettily, but she is too delicate to fill the real ruby slippers of this sturdy, farm-raised heroine. I love how the author celebrated the power of women in his fantasy land, from the determined Ozma, Billina the hen, Dorothy and even the scary Princess Langwidere (a head-exchanging villainess who would be right at home in a Frank Miller graphic novel). This Oz isn't the pastel-colored, GP-rated world we all remember from the movies - it is a menacing place with hostile inhabitants, surrounded by a Deadly Desert and under constant threat from invading enemies like the evil Nome King (watch for him in later books - the short-legged bugger just doesn't give up!). I wasn't into Oz after seeing the movie, but after reading this book, I was thoroughly intrigued by the ensemble of characters in this American "fairy country," full of warring tribes, painful transformations, and malicious magic. Maguire's Wicked has deep roots - the dark Oz was always there...but of course, it took another mega-musical to get everyone else somewhere over the rainbow.

Star Trek The Next Generation: Masks by John Vornholt

If you read only ONE Star Trek book in your lifetime (and aren't afraid to admit it), John Vornholt's Masks stands by itself, placing the Enterprise crew in a world where everyone wears a mask denoting their social rank. The feudal society of Lorca and how these men and women of the future cope with a culture where appearance means EVERYTHING is incredibly fascinating. Usually, the new planet serves as a backdrop to the spaceship's dramas, but this is one of the few situations where the author takes the time to really build a culture that lives and breathes independently of the U.S.S. Enterprise's scandalous officers (yes, it IS a space soap after all...I lost count how many alien women Riker has romanced...he seems to want to top Capt. Kirk's record of most extraterrestrial affairs per season). There are some ridiculous moments - like how Picard's Lorcan love interest marvels at his naked bald head (I couldn't stop laughing) - but on the whole, it's an exciting, quick read for the fan and non-fan alike. I found this book (and the early Next Generation books in general) a lot more fun than most of the novels set in the original Star Trek universe. This could get me thrown out of a TrekKIE convention...but hey, I was always more of a TrekKER at the peak of my Enterprise-lovin' days (Why the emphasis between Trekkie/Trekker? If you're over twelve years old, consider yourself lucky NOT to know the difference.) This was my very first TNG book and certainly not my last - but it's the only one I've re-read more than once. Check it out. It's okay. Really. The Klingons don't bite...unless they like you.

C.S. Lewis's Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

I did not read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first - I didn't even know this book was part of a series when I received it as a gift one childhood Christmas. This is one of the earliest books I remember reading as a kid - and I confess, I loved it for the talking horses Bree and Hwin. If you saw my book shelf as a child, I was more than a little pony crazy: displayed prominently among pastel My Little Ponies were Black Beauty, The Black Stallion and one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned, King of the Wind (this equine love affair will have to be a separate entry in itself). You can read this desert-themed Narnia book without the other volumes - at its heart is the coming of age of the hero Shasta, caught in a Prince and a Pauper-like case of mistaken identity (Shasta would be the Pauper mistaken for Prince Corin, who is the heir to the throne of Archenland). In his travels, Shasta bonds with a young aristocrat Aravis, who is running away from an arranged marriage to the grand vizier. They both "own" (I say this loosely) talking horses - the image-conscious war charger Bree, and his intelligent (and more humble) counterpart, the Narnian-born mare Hwin - who are on their own quest to free themselves from human-imposed "slavery." There are Pevensie cameos, but so minimal, a first-time reader won't need to run to previous books for explanations about English children and magic wardrobes. And anyone who adores a "ta-da!" surprise ending will adore how Lewis ties up all the loose ends into a beautiful ribbon of continuing relationships, sans whiny British tots craving Snow Queen sweets (I need to add Edmund to my list of literary smackables).

Frank Herbert's Arrakis: Dune

My husband gave me this book and told me to read it. No questions. No comments. I was terrified - I had fallen asleep on the film! I had laughed at the spice! And I didn't get the (ew!) worms! This was going to be disaster, I thought, covering myself in a comfy blankie as I opened the book. I started reading the first lines. Hubby says I didn't stop reading, glued to one place. I finished it in a few hours. Holy Bene Gesserit. It was awesome. I felt completely mind-blasted. Herbert's complex societies makes this book a twentieth century masterpiece. The story hinges on the coming of a world's Messiah, the Kwisatz Haderach, based loosely on the Hebrew expression "jumping of the path." It's insane how generations of directed breeding (via the Bene Gesserit sisterhood) focused on the creation of Paul Atreides. It's also similarly insane how the melange trade - "the spice!" - is so vital to Herbert's universe. And oh yeah, Baron Harkonnen is TOTALLY insane, for sure. But you know what's really crazy? How it all - the spice, the Fremen, the worms, Paul's glowing eyes - they all make perfect sense in THIS world. You are truly taken away from your reality...and at the same time can't help seeing where Herbert found his inspirations in THIS universe. No questions. No comments. My husband hugged me after I freaked out at the last page, totally stoned on the author's creativity. It's a wild worm ride of a read.

Neil Gaiman's the Dreaming: Brief Lives

Hitting the Sandman series is like injecting your brain directly with a caffeine-packed syringe. You begin to understand why so many musicians love Gaiman's graphic novels - there's this blaze, this grinding riff of creativity sparkling off each superbly-worded, beautifully-drawn story. I was completely intimidated by it at first - a comedian-slash-musician friend of mine found out about my Pratchett obsession and immediately asked me if I liked Gaiman (these authors are like the BoGo of British fantasy). When I told him I only read the collaboration Good Omens, he scoffed (just like when I confessed I was into guitar music, but had never heard Tuck and Patti until my radio station gave us free tickets...and I sat there in open-mouthed wonder while my friend mimed chords and slapped me on the back for coming to the party so late). So now I do love Tuck's rendition of Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror..and I absolutely adore the stories of the Endless. Where had Dream/Gaiman (you have to compare photos/sketches to understand what I mean) been all my life? This was an adult discovery - I felt like I had missed out on so many years I could've shared Sandman quotes and quips - a huge continent in the fantasy world that required one very enthusiastic, guitar-playing Magellan to show me the way. Brief Lives was my first Gaiman. I was a little lost, but here is where Edith Hamilton (gods, bless her!) came into play - if you know your mythology, you won't be lost for very long. It's Gaiman's longest graphic novel, with lots of background revelations and plot twists. These are tales for grownups - the endings are not sugarcoated, the characters can be good, bad and in-between, and you'll see a bit of yourself in all of them...and that may scare you. I won't say more, because words can barely describe what's going on in Gaiman's head. You just have to read it.