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The Book in the Bottle
A family finds a mysterious bottle. Within the bottle, a book. Within the book, a story. And within the story is a city built of pieces. In that city is a beggar who became a duke, a rat who becomes a cat, a song that became a promise. Ghosts, assassins, kings and cobblers shift and dance across this city, finding who they are by what story they tell of themselves. And in the very center of the dance, a man stands balanced on a wheel.
From the book:
I consider. "A good adventure story has a chase through a graveyard. There shall be a duel on a cliff by moonlight or firelight or lightning. There must be treasure. A magic ring. A haunted tomb and a ruined castle. Guards tricked, villains confounded. A lost heir, disguises, an assassin, ghosts, revenge, mutant tigers -"
"What?"
I ignore that. "- mutant tigers, an ancient battle between good and evil, an execution, a daring escape. There must be a prophecy that actually surprises, a final battle with an unexpected ending. There must be dull villagers, street-smart orphans and an impossibly clever-but-wicked noble villain."
"What book is this?"
I brush that aside. "No one book. It is my list of pieces from the best. Adventures by night in a graveyard are in Tom Sawyer, in Great Expectations, The Horse and His Boy, in Harry Potter. Duels are in The Three Musketeers and The Princess Bride. The Westing Game and The Three Musketeers have mystery and disguises. The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn and The Hobbit and Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer have treasures and a mystery. The High King and The Mouse and His Child have a prophecy that actually surprises. Lord of The Rings has magic rings and ghosts and the lost heir and mutant tigers -"
"Does not!"
" -and The Beggar Princess and The Prince and The Pauper have the clever street-wise kids. Harry Potter and The Black Cauldron and The Sword in the Stone and Momo and The Wizard of Oz all have the crazy wizard and the orphan with a destiny and The Last Unicorn and Lud in the Mist and The Thirteen Clocks and Three Musketeers and The Princess Bride have the sly noble villain."
I have to stop for breath. I must be getting old.
From the book:
I consider. "A good adventure story has a chase through a graveyard. There shall be a duel on a cliff by moonlight or firelight or lightning. There must be treasure. A magic ring. A haunted tomb and a ruined castle. Guards tricked, villains confounded. A lost heir, disguises, an assassin, ghosts, revenge, mutant tigers -"
"What?"
I ignore that. "- mutant tigers, an ancient battle between good and evil, an execution, a daring escape. There must be a prophecy that actually surprises, a final battle with an unexpected ending. There must be dull villagers, street-smart orphans and an impossibly clever-but-wicked noble villain."
"What book is this?"
I brush that aside. "No one book. It is my list of pieces from the best. Adventures by night in a graveyard are in Tom Sawyer, in Great Expectations, The Horse and His Boy, in Harry Potter. Duels are in The Three Musketeers and The Princess Bride. The Westing Game and The Three Musketeers have mystery and disguises. The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn and The Hobbit and Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer have treasures and a mystery. The High King and The Mouse and His Child have a prophecy that actually surprises. Lord of The Rings has magic rings and ghosts and the lost heir and mutant tigers -"
"Does not!"
" -and The Beggar Princess and The Prince and The Pauper have the clever street-wise kids. Harry Potter and The Black Cauldron and The Sword in the Stone and Momo and The Wizard of Oz all have the crazy wizard and the orphan with a destiny and The Last Unicorn and Lud in the Mist and The Thirteen Clocks and Three Musketeers and The Princess Bride have the sly noble villain."
I have to stop for breath. I must be getting old.
- GenresFantasy
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2016
5 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 11, 2020
3.5/5
The Book in The Bottle is the tenth St. Elmo's book I've read. Tenth out of ten so I score a bingo. Now he has to write something new.
While I enjoyed the book, I don't think it's the best starting point to get into St. Elmo's wacky oeuvre. It lacks higher stakes, meanders a bit, and feels a bit rough compared to his other books. It has plenty of memorable lines, and subtle nods to well and not-so-well-known literary works.
A family finds a bottle, and within the bottle, a book. Once they free it, they read and comment on the story together. The narrative follows both storylines - the one written in the book and one of the family's interactions. The family story is much more than the framing device, but you should discover it yourself.
I liked both storylines, but, at the same time, I wasn't in love with the story. The story within the bottle is well-written and "classic". Family interactions enrich it but, ultimately, don't make it thrilling.
All told, a pleasant read with great and memorable lines.
The Book in The Bottle is the tenth St. Elmo's book I've read. Tenth out of ten so I score a bingo. Now he has to write something new.
While I enjoyed the book, I don't think it's the best starting point to get into St. Elmo's wacky oeuvre. It lacks higher stakes, meanders a bit, and feels a bit rough compared to his other books. It has plenty of memorable lines, and subtle nods to well and not-so-well-known literary works.
A family finds a bottle, and within the bottle, a book. Once they free it, they read and comment on the story together. The narrative follows both storylines - the one written in the book and one of the family's interactions. The family story is much more than the framing device, but you should discover it yourself.
I liked both storylines, but, at the same time, I wasn't in love with the story. The story within the bottle is well-written and "classic". Family interactions enrich it but, ultimately, don't make it thrilling.
All told, a pleasant read with great and memorable lines.
September 6, 2021
I think this is my sixth book by this self published author in recent months. Normally staleness would be creeping in for me, with so much in such a short time from one author, but that’s just not happening here. Not one bit. Yet another beautiful imaginative story.
This one is very different from others I’ve read to date, maybe because it seems to be earlier in publication date. It’s a straightforward story which tells of a modern day book reading family who find a mysterious book contained within a bottle in their backyard -like a model ship in a bottle. Most of the tale is about their reading of the book as a family, coincidentally close to Halloween. The story itself, without giving away plot details, is a fairy story of sorts. Not a saccharine Disney version, but one that treats the children listening to it as adults (well, almost). Maybe flavours of Roald Dahl, Princess Bride, even a less gruesome angle on the original Brothers Grimm stories. Accepting the story as a fairytale (with a wizard, nasty duke, ghosts, cats, sinister crow, beggar children, etc.) I enjoyed it for its imagination, cleverness and the author’s trademark beautiful prose.
I think the best scenario for reading the book is one that exactly mirrors the plot; for a family where regular book reading is a habit, reading this together and enjoying a clever, original, fairytale. In fact, it’s a manifesto for family reading and celebrates a family, admittedly the stereotypical two parents and two kids, where everyone in it reads. If the father in the family could avoid getting into a fight, as in the book, then that’d be better for the real family! And I think the author is trying to give fathers a positive spin since in such children’s stories they usually get a bad press. There’s nothing dark about the story as a whole despite the dangers experienced by many of its characters.
Not even going to bring up the author’s usual ‘magical realism’ style of writing, a ‘serious genre’ that wins literature prizes and which has been an education for me in his other books. This is a rather more straightforward family story. It’s ‘literary’ only in its important celebration of children’s stories. Very low on any weirdness scale which might be applicable to his other books. Though I note that whatever the genre his stories are always basically upbeat and highly imaginative.
Despite the strong family theme, and it’s fairytale nature, it’s still a fun read for adults alone, especially if you have fond memories of any inspirational fiction of your childhood. I enjoyed reading it alone (and hoping my wife will give it a go too).
Once again my highlight sharing from my Kindle is not working so I’ll hide under the Spoilers section here just some of the many quotes I could have shared…
This one is very different from others I’ve read to date, maybe because it seems to be earlier in publication date. It’s a straightforward story which tells of a modern day book reading family who find a mysterious book contained within a bottle in their backyard -like a model ship in a bottle. Most of the tale is about their reading of the book as a family, coincidentally close to Halloween. The story itself, without giving away plot details, is a fairy story of sorts. Not a saccharine Disney version, but one that treats the children listening to it as adults (well, almost). Maybe flavours of Roald Dahl, Princess Bride, even a less gruesome angle on the original Brothers Grimm stories. Accepting the story as a fairytale (with a wizard, nasty duke, ghosts, cats, sinister crow, beggar children, etc.) I enjoyed it for its imagination, cleverness and the author’s trademark beautiful prose.
I think the best scenario for reading the book is one that exactly mirrors the plot; for a family where regular book reading is a habit, reading this together and enjoying a clever, original, fairytale. In fact, it’s a manifesto for family reading and celebrates a family, admittedly the stereotypical two parents and two kids, where everyone in it reads. If the father in the family could avoid getting into a fight, as in the book, then that’d be better for the real family! And I think the author is trying to give fathers a positive spin since in such children’s stories they usually get a bad press. There’s nothing dark about the story as a whole despite the dangers experienced by many of its characters.
Not even going to bring up the author’s usual ‘magical realism’ style of writing, a ‘serious genre’ that wins literature prizes and which has been an education for me in his other books. This is a rather more straightforward family story. It’s ‘literary’ only in its important celebration of children’s stories. Very low on any weirdness scale which might be applicable to his other books. Though I note that whatever the genre his stories are always basically upbeat and highly imaginative.
Despite the strong family theme, and it’s fairytale nature, it’s still a fun read for adults alone, especially if you have fond memories of any inspirational fiction of your childhood. I enjoyed reading it alone (and hoping my wife will give it a go too).
Once again my highlight sharing from my Kindle is not working so I’ll hide under the Spoilers section here just some of the many quotes I could have shared…
January 1, 2026
This is the second book I've read by this author and I continue to love whatever is wrong with Raymond St Elmo's brain. In fact I liked this one more than the one I read previously.
Lovely layered storytelling. Especially as a parent.
Lovely layered storytelling. Especially as a parent.
October 30, 2019
I should've reviewed this years ago when I first read it, but never found the time. Now that I've reread it, I remember why I loved it so. This is a book about the wisdom in buying Little Mermaid Band-Aids in bulk. Seriously, the next time you go to Sam's Club or Costco, be sure to get the size that hospitals buy. ☜(ˆ▿ˆc)
April 3, 2017
St. Elmo's The Book in the Bottle is a story within a story, a format for which I've always had a weakness. It's reminiscent of The Princess Bride in some ways. The inner story--City of Changes--concerns, among other things, a Duke, an assassin, a great wizard, a shoemaker and his son, and a war. The outer story relates a couple of days and nights in the (mis)adventurous life of a story-loving family.
This is well written and crafted, as St. Elmo's books always are. The inner and outer stories are tied together by the love between fathers and sons, something that's touched on much too rarely these days. But City of Changes disappointed me a bit. There were some great scenes of magic and mystery (one particular chapter that takes place in a graveyard stood out for me), but also a fair amount of political intrigue, which mostly leaves me cold. Also, I have a hard time seeing assassins as sympathetic characters. This is a matter of taste, and doesn't reflect on the quality of the writing, which is excellent. But for me the outer story, with its twists and turns, surreal situations and especially its humor, offered more of what I like most about St. Elmo's writing than the more overtly fantastic City of Changes.
An interesting point at the end is that the outer story here turns out to be a prequel, of sorts, to another of St. Elmo's books (but you'll have to read it to find out which one).
This is well written and crafted, as St. Elmo's books always are. The inner and outer stories are tied together by the love between fathers and sons, something that's touched on much too rarely these days. But City of Changes disappointed me a bit. There were some great scenes of magic and mystery (one particular chapter that takes place in a graveyard stood out for me), but also a fair amount of political intrigue, which mostly leaves me cold. Also, I have a hard time seeing assassins as sympathetic characters. This is a matter of taste, and doesn't reflect on the quality of the writing, which is excellent. But for me the outer story, with its twists and turns, surreal situations and especially its humor, offered more of what I like most about St. Elmo's writing than the more overtly fantastic City of Changes.
An interesting point at the end is that the outer story here turns out to be a prequel, of sorts, to another of St. Elmo's books (but you'll have to read it to find out which one).
October 3, 2020
My first adventure with Raymond St. Elmo. Overall enjoyed the book, but it took me about half way mark to get comfortable with author's style. I don't think I got all the subtle hints and nods to literary references, but the intention is easy to grasp. By the end of the book, you can't but help wishing to be part of the family who found the bottle ;)
December 14, 2025
Raymond I’m crying in an airport and I need to hug my dad extra tight when he picks me up tomorrow
January 13, 2020
For me, this is more like 3.5 stars (in between "liked it" and "really liked it") because there were parts I really liked and others I just liked. The summary is fairly sufficient, though it highlights some things that are on the periphery while other, more important (but less dramatic) things are left out. Still, it works.
I do love that story-within-a-story aspect of this book. You get two plot lines for the price of one, and both mostly work. The characters are pretty well defined and until the end of the book everything seems to go as you'd expect/hope. However, the ending (to both plot lines) left me a little unfulfilled. It seemed like there should have been a greater conflict to one and more drama to the other.
One thing that bothered me about this book was the number of references to other books. I don't mind a few, but there were whole pages devoted to details about other books and stories. I have read or am familiar with most of them, but there were many I wasn't familiar with and the way they were tossed in there seemed more like the author bragging about the number of books he's read rather than keeping the reader involved. In contrast, I did like how St. Elmo kept both plots moving along, which can be a hard thing to do with two such different stories.
All in all, this was an enjoyable book that stays light (no gore and no swearing) and makes for nice reading in just about any location (bed, in front of a fireplace, back patio, etc.). If you're looking for a nice diversionary book, this is one to consider.
I do love that story-within-a-story aspect of this book. You get two plot lines for the price of one, and both mostly work. The characters are pretty well defined and until the end of the book everything seems to go as you'd expect/hope. However, the ending (to both plot lines) left me a little unfulfilled. It seemed like there should have been a greater conflict to one and more drama to the other.
One thing that bothered me about this book was the number of references to other books. I don't mind a few, but there were whole pages devoted to details about other books and stories. I have read or am familiar with most of them, but there were many I wasn't familiar with and the way they were tossed in there seemed more like the author bragging about the number of books he's read rather than keeping the reader involved. In contrast, I did like how St. Elmo kept both plots moving along, which can be a hard thing to do with two such different stories.
All in all, this was an enjoyable book that stays light (no gore and no swearing) and makes for nice reading in just about any location (bed, in front of a fireplace, back patio, etc.). If you're looking for a nice diversionary book, this is one to consider.
August 16, 2019
A family discover a mysterious book that is inside a bottle. After some doing, the book is freed and the family reads the story together. This novel follows both plot lines – the family who is reading the book, and the story of the book itself. At first I assumed the family story was just a framing device, but it turned into more than that, more of a story within an (equally important) story instead of a merely decorative intro.
The book: The City of Changes is a wild adventure that is inspired from many other wonderful tales. There are scheming dukes, grand wizards, skillful assassins, beggar children who run the streets, ghosts, sentient animals, and more. The first few chapters in this story did feel a little rough – I had trouble following who was who and what was going on at first – but once I got settled in to this world it felt familiar and comfortable. These sections reminded me of The Princess Bride, and Willow, and Stardust, and even The Last Unicorn (which is one of the highest compliments I know how to give).
The family: I was surprised by how much I liked these sections, and the bits of interaction between family members we see sprinkled throughout the book as a whole. There are a lot of homages to many other stories – sometimes it tiptoes to the edge of being overly referential, but it always backs away from that fine line again. I wish we’d have gotten to know these characters a bit better; sometimes their actions seemed to come out of left field and I think it’s because I never completely felt like I understood them. There’s an overall sense of magical realism in this section... things get a bit surreal at times. Surprisingly the biggest emotional punch of the whole book comes in the denouement – I was caught off guard by how powerfully I reacted to the last few pages.
This book touches on so many different themes: the nature of growing up and changing; the power of stories – how the stories we feed ourselves with shape us, how the stories we tell others shapes how we are seen; fatherhood, how Dads are thought of, how to let go of your growing kids; more. It’s not preachy or anything, it just gives you a lot to think about.
Also, this book has made me so excited for a time when I can read longer stories to my kid! We’re still in the “Kitten’s First Full Moon” stage right now but something about this mom reading out loud to her whole family while they drink cocoa and snuggle under blankets warms my heart. It’s a wonderful tradition. You feel so much love between all the family members.
I really, really liked this book.
The book: The City of Changes is a wild adventure that is inspired from many other wonderful tales. There are scheming dukes, grand wizards, skillful assassins, beggar children who run the streets, ghosts, sentient animals, and more. The first few chapters in this story did feel a little rough – I had trouble following who was who and what was going on at first – but once I got settled in to this world it felt familiar and comfortable. These sections reminded me of The Princess Bride, and Willow, and Stardust, and even The Last Unicorn (which is one of the highest compliments I know how to give).
The family: I was surprised by how much I liked these sections, and the bits of interaction between family members we see sprinkled throughout the book as a whole. There are a lot of homages to many other stories – sometimes it tiptoes to the edge of being overly referential, but it always backs away from that fine line again. I wish we’d have gotten to know these characters a bit better; sometimes their actions seemed to come out of left field and I think it’s because I never completely felt like I understood them. There’s an overall sense of magical realism in this section... things get a bit surreal at times. Surprisingly the biggest emotional punch of the whole book comes in the denouement – I was caught off guard by how powerfully I reacted to the last few pages.
This book touches on so many different themes: the nature of growing up and changing; the power of stories – how the stories we feed ourselves with shape us, how the stories we tell others shapes how we are seen; fatherhood, how Dads are thought of, how to let go of your growing kids; more. It’s not preachy or anything, it just gives you a lot to think about.
Also, this book has made me so excited for a time when I can read longer stories to my kid! We’re still in the “Kitten’s First Full Moon” stage right now but something about this mom reading out loud to her whole family while they drink cocoa and snuggle under blankets warms my heart. It’s a wonderful tradition. You feel so much love between all the family members.
I really, really liked this book.
December 22, 2023
The lesson we can take from this book is punch college kids
This book deserves a full review that I will update someday just not now.
Notes in rabbit notebook
3.9/5
This book deserves a full review that I will update someday just not now.
Notes in rabbit notebook
3.9/5
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews