According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in modern-day Los Angeles? This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation. With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army—the Children of the Knight. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and his children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo. Can right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same. The Knight Cycle Begins . . .
PLAYLIST
I mainly use music from film scores
when I’m writing to help me create the mood for certain scenes, especially
those involving action or deep emotion. Children
of the Knight and its sequels were no exception. What people often find
very odd is my choice of film scores.
People ask, “What does that movie have to do with your story?” The answer is,
“Nothing. It’s the mood created by that particular score, not the source movie,
that inspires its use.” I’ll go through some music I used and even include page
numbers, from the paperback version, if any reader out there who might like to
“read along” to these scores for the indicated sequences.
1.
King Arthur by Hans Zimmer. It would seem
an obvious choice given that my book is about King Arthur in modern-day Los
Angeles recruiting lost kids for a children’s crusade. However, it was mostly
the very poignant song “Tell Me Now” and its underlying theme that I used, not
so much the action portions of the score. This haunting melody was used
principally to fuel the scenes from page 234-247, very emotional sequences
involving Jack and Lance and key to the unfolding story arc.
2.
Backdraft by Hans Zimmer. The main
theme, highlighted in the track, “Fighting 17th” was used for some
of the scenes in Chapters 8 and 9 when Arthur and the kids traveled throughout
the city. The first half of the track “Brothers” was used for part of a scene
involving Mark and Lance that begins on page 97. “Fahrenheit 451” was my first
choice for the very emotional finale beginning on page 318, which I can’t
describe because that would be a spoiler. These themes are extraordinarily
moving and engender real sentiment in the listener.
3.
Armageddon by Trevor Rabin. The main
theme as highlighted in “Armageddon Suite” and “Happy & Grace Make Peace”
created some of the backdrop for heartfelt conversations between Lance and
Jack, most notably the one on pages 257-261. “Long Distance Goodbye” was my
second, and stronger, choice for the dramatic finale starting on page 318 and
running all the way to the final page.
4.
The Amazing Spider-Man by James Horner. The touching
track “Rooftop Kiss” fit perfectly for a significant scene involving Jack and
Lance on pages 278-281. “Saving New York,” or a large portion of it, easily
spurred my imagination while crafting the finale on page 300 to 317, which
contained both action and personal drama. “I Can’t See You Anymore” was yet a
third backdrop for the emotions engendered from page 318 on. I think you can
guess the finale is filled with emotion, and these various scores helped me to
describe those emotions in, I hope, poignant enough detail to move the reader.
5.
The Greatest Game Ever Played by Brian Tyler. This is a
period movie about golf that should in no way have helped me write my book, but
this score was the one I used the most. I used the main theme, first heard in
“Main Title Overture” and then repeated throughout, for all the triumphant
moments in the story wherein Arthur and his kids achieve great success in their
crusade. The very moving “Broken Dreams” and “Broken Dreams Reprise” were used
to highlight several key scenes, most notably when Lance reveals his past to
Arthur on pages 56-58. This theme was also an alternate for previously
mentioned scenes between Lance and Mark and Lance and Jack.
6.
In
addition to these, the song, “Shoreline” as performed by Anna Ternheim,
remained uppermost in my mind while writing, especially as I crafted the
character of Lance. This poignant and plaintive song truly seemed to capture
the essence of Lance’s lost childhood and still moves me deeply each time I
hear it.
7.
I
also thought “Say Something” by A Great Big World was very appropriate for
Arthur, Lance, Jack, and Mark because there is so much unspoken between them,
and what is unspoken leads to terrible consequences.
8.
Oh,
and just to preview the first sequel, Running
Through A Dark Place, releasing in May, check out the score to 10,000 B.C.
(yes, an off-beat caveman movie!) Then when you read that book you can
determine for yourself if the music fits.
He visto a los protagonistas de este libro como "Niños perdidos modernos de Peter Pan pero dentro de un mundo Arturico" son huerfanos,gente que no tiene un futuro, pandillas,digamos que lo peor de la sociedad en la ciudad de Los Ángeles...y tiene temas actuales espinosos para muchos autores pero no para Michael que los aborda y da forma a las mil maravillas.
Da lecciones de moral ,pero lo que más me ha sorprendido es como el autor recrea la ciudad de Los Ángeles, me quedo corta, es una maravilla la imaginación que tiene este autor.
Es el primer libro de una trilogía y aunque al final cierra muchos temas otros los deja abiertos y me va a gustar mucho conocer como va dando forma al siguiente libro.
Leyendo esta historia te planteas tantas cosas que miras a tu alrededor y piensas ¡Estoy haciendo las cosas mal!
Hay muchos personajes, es una novela coral pero me quedaré con un personaje, el de Lance por tener esa capacidad de liderazgo, por ser ese personaje que guia al resto, por luchar por lo que quiere y por ser tan tierno aunque también.
Si os digo que Michael ha escrito el libro basándose en el tema "Arturico" si, del rey Arturo el del clásico , ese mismo y aportará un poco de magia,de mano izquierda a una ciudad caótica, una utopía sería la palabra correcta para definir a "Children of the Knight".
La pluma de Michael es ágil y mordaz, describe a las mil maravillas y es detallado pero no para nada se hace pesado.
No sabría que deciros más respecto al libro sin desvelaros muchas más cosas, pero ¿si lo he disfrutado? si, mucho y tengo ganas de leer el segundo.
Da lecciones de moral ,pero lo que más me ha sorprendido es como el autor recrea la ciudad de Los Ángeles, me quedo corta, es una maravilla la imaginación que tiene este autor.
Es el primer libro de una trilogía y aunque al final cierra muchos temas otros los deja abiertos y me va a gustar mucho conocer como va dando forma al siguiente libro.
Leyendo esta historia te planteas tantas cosas que miras a tu alrededor y piensas ¡Estoy haciendo las cosas mal!
Hay muchos personajes, es una novela coral pero me quedaré con un personaje, el de Lance por tener esa capacidad de liderazgo, por ser ese personaje que guia al resto, por luchar por lo que quiere y por ser tan tierno aunque también.
Si os digo que Michael ha escrito el libro basándose en el tema "Arturico" si, del rey Arturo el del clásico , ese mismo y aportará un poco de magia,de mano izquierda a una ciudad caótica, una utopía sería la palabra correcta para definir a "Children of the Knight".
La pluma de Michael es ágil y mordaz, describe a las mil maravillas y es detallado pero no para nada se hace pesado.
No sabría que deciros más respecto al libro sin desvelaros muchas más cosas, pero ¿si lo he disfrutado? si, mucho y tengo ganas de leer el segundo.
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Michael J. Bowler is an
award-winning author of three novels––A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time,
and Children of the Knight––who grew up in San Rafael,
California.
He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara
University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount
University, a teaching credential
in English from LMU, and another master's in Special
Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.
He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or
director on several ultra- low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,”
“Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the
actual movies.
He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for
twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning
disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to
Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.
He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven
different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a
thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is
a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in
California, something that is sorely lacking in this
state.
He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year,
YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000
National Big Brother of the Year.
The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little
Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval
Office.
He has already completed the two continuations of Children
of the Knight that complete the trilogy - Running Through A Dark Place
& And The Children Shall Lead.
Both will be released in 2014.
Gracias por la reseña, es curioso cuanto menos :D
ResponderEliminarBesos desde Andrómeda.
No lo conocía pero se ve interesante n.n
ResponderEliminarGracias por enseñarlo y que lo descubrieramos n.n
Besos!
Gracias por la reseña, pero no me llama mucho :/ no se como que no jajajaja pero bueno...
ResponderEliminar¡Un abrazo! ^^
Muchas gracias!
ResponderEliminarAhora mismo empezar otra saga más no me apetece, aunque no tiene mala pinta.
ResponderEliminarBesotes!!!
Siempre es grato encontrar un autor que heche mano de la imaginación, asi que este libro pinta bien para mi, me gustan, parece algo de distopía, mezclaodo con fantasía, genial...
ResponderEliminar