As before, this blog entry accompanies chapter ten of A Children’s Crusade and should be read in conjunction with it…
The title The Age of Exploration is alluded to in the previous chapter and is intended to suggest that this is the novel as adventure story. Following American television convention we’re into the second part of a three part story; for this reason the narrative is rather heavy on exposition.
The slightly archaic speech patterns of the children are a deliberate echo of the classic children’s adventure stories that the first part of Lights in the sky pastiches (a sort of ‘Five go Mad in Space’!). But there is a reason for why they speak this way, (to be revealed in chapter twelve), and the formality of their use of Standard English is counterbalanced by the extreme informality of their use of the slang argot, Grok!
(NB the website boasts a complete glossary of all the unfamiliar Mission and Grok words used in the novel)
Following the convention set in the previous chapter, the passages in italics indicate action seen from Jorja’s POV; although again I’m using third person limited narration rather than first person (that will come later!). In this chapter Jorja begins to realise the serious of their situation; as Marta comments,
‘…they’ve really got themselves in a fix!’
By the start of the chapter Rai has apparently regained his equilibrium and has made an important discovery, while Jorja has concluded that the whole adventure is a terrible idea; the discovery of the sleeping pseudo-crustacean in the pod grove only adds to her conviction. This puts her at odds with her best friend.
It’s not clear from the format of the website, but A Children’s Crusade is divided into two parts (note to self, must fix this!). The subtitle of chapters one to eleven is the first half of a commonplace Latin tag, per ardua, and I think you’ may be able to guess what part two is called! I’d like to point out that this is not a reference to the Royal Air Force, and in fact I got the idea from a short story by Isaac Asimov…
In this chapter the children’s difficulties do become a bit overwhelming, and Marta expresses their growing apprehension when she says,
‘…I’m not sure I like the Equatorial regions…’
Essentially the kids are now completely out of their comfort zone as they are forced to take on adult roles and face their first real crisis as an expedition. Marta, in particular, is tested and and steps up to the plate showing true courage, initiative and resolution, but then we always knew she would…
Hope you enjoy the chapter, until next time…