Magic Realism - Lost Mission

I mentioned that I didn't really know what magic realism is when I first read Lost Mission by Athol Dickson. A reader's comment sent me searching the internet for a definition. Here is what I found

Latin-American literary phenomenon characterized by the matter-of-fact incorporation of fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. The term was first applied to literature in the 1940s by the Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier (1904 – 1980), who recognized the tendency of his region's contemporary storytellers as well as contemporary novelists to illuminate the mundane by means of the fabulous. Prominent practitioners include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Amado, Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel Angel Asturias, Julio Cortazar, and Isabel Allende (born 1942). The term has been applied to literature and art outside of Latin America as well. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia


A literary mode rather than a distinguishable genre, magical realism aims to seize the paradox of the union of opposites. For instance, it challenges polar opposites like life and death and the pre-colonial past versus the post-industrial present. Magical realism is characterized by two conflicting perspectives, one based on a rational view of reality and the other on the acceptance of the supernatural as prosaic reality. Magical realism differs from pure fantasy primarily because it is set in a normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of humans and society. According to Angel Flores, magical realism involves the fusion of the real and the fantastic, or as he claims, "an amalgamation of realism and fantasy". The presence of the supernatural in magical realism is often connected to the primeval or "magical’ Indian mentality, which exists in conjunction with European rationality. According to Ray Verzasconi, as well as other critics, magical realism is "an expression of the New World reality which at once combines the rational elements of the European super-civilization, and the irrational elements of a primitive America." Gonzalez Echchevarria believes that magical realism offers a world view that is not based on natural or physical laws nor objective reality. However, the fictional world is not separated from reality either.

http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html
This sight has examples and more information that is helpful.So there you have it.

I discovered the book I have coming out next October, Two Tickets to a Christmas Ball, is Magical Realism.

Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

Lost Mission

review: This isn't the type of book I generally pick up and read. I wasn't even sure I knew what "magical realism" meant. I am familiar with Athol Dickson because we are on the same author loop, and I had been impressed with his thinking through his posts. So I was delighted to get the chance to read Lost Mission, and after reading it, I was eager to share what I found with my Dragon Bloggin friends.

First, the writing style is more literary than most books written today. That doesn't mean that it is less readable, but more fine-tuned. Some literary pieces use words and syntax that erect a wall between the reader and the story. The art of storytelling is obscured by the language. Athol doesn't cross the line. The story is strong and the reader doesn't stop to focus on the writing instead of the tale. In other words, Athol's style does not relegate the story to second place.

The story rings true, both in the historical setting and present day California. The characters are such that the reader gladly invests in their predicaments. In my mind, the mark of a better than average book is that I continue to think about the characters and their problems for days after I finish the book. Lost Mission held my attention beyond the last page. And last but not least, I want to feel good when I get to the end. I want to feel satisfied with the outcome, encouraged by the theme of the book, and eager to read something else by the author. Lost Mission qualifies as a good read.

Athol Dickson's university-level training in painting, sculpture, and architecture was followed by a long career as an architect—then his decision several years ago to devote full time to writing. River Rising, named one of the top novels of 2006 by Booklist magazine, received a Christy Award; and his novel They Shall See God was a Christy Award finalist. Athol's haunting mystery novel set on the most remote inhabited island off the coast of Maine, Winter Haven, released in Spring 2008. His novels are known for their richly evocative settings, unforgettable characters, intense suspense, and pervasive sense of “magical realism.” He and his wife, Sue, live in California.

For a very interesting bio of Athol Dickson, go to http://www.atholdickson.com/bio_reviews.html

*Lost Mission - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416583475
Author Web site - http://www.atholdickson.com/
Author blog - http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/

*Participants’ links
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

CSFF Blog Tour Lost Mission

I'm late posting this today because I was up until 2:30, polishing edits that were due this morning. This reminded me how very, very hard it is to produce a good book. So many craft components go into the telling of the tale on paper. And if the author uses all the techniques at his disposal without having a fascinating story to hang it on, then all the work is for naught. And if the story is compelling, and the craft is executed with finesse, but no universal truth is mined for the reader to discover, then the work is reduced to a nice bit of entertainment. Classics are read again and again. They're studied in schools. But most importantly, they move a reader from on place of understanding to a better place.

Athol Dickson writes these kind of books.

Lost Mission

Buried beneath the poverty-stricken barrios and wealthy enclaves of Southern California, a Spanish mission is uncovered during a construction project---along with evidence of a crime. When four people begin work on unraveling the mystery, they each face a moral dilemma. Will their choices perpetuate the very crime that doomed the mission hundreds of years before?

*Lost Mission - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416583475
Author Web site - http://www.atholdickson.com/
Author blog - http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/

*Participants’ links
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

Tomorrow, I'll give my review of Lost Mission.