Books that Change the World

By: Levena Lindahl

         

   September is National Literacy Month!  I thought I would share with you one of my favorite books, and at the end of the month give you a list of reading recommendations in a variety of genres to look at and enjoy during the break between semesters.          

I am sure everyone has the one favorite book, the one that just changed things for you.  I have had a few of those over the years, from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card when I was in high school, to Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville when I was in elementary.  However, the book that still racks as one of my all-time favorites would have to be Imajica by Clive Barker, which I was introduced to in 2008, when I was first in college. 

            Imajica is not a book for the faint of heart, as it is nearly 1000 pages long.  It is a fantasy epic, based on the journey of a man named Gentle, his companion Pie, and his friend Judith.  There are planes of existence called the Dominions, and Earth is in the farthest Dominion, meaning magic here is very weak and hardly usable.  The closer a person gets to the center, the more powerful the magic gets.  There are many forces at work throughout the book, all trying to bring about the Reconciliation, which would reconnect the Dominions.  

            There are so many layers to this book.  There is the journey, there is a romance aspect, and there is magic.  There is also a really interesting parallel history and religion between the dominions and Earth, which I really loved.  The story just flows, and every time I read it I notice something new.  I read it at least once every year, and that is because even though I know where the story ends, I still fall in love with the journey every time.  To give a hint of how deeply this book moved me, I will quote one of my favorite lines from the novel; “I love you, I will love you until the death of love.”