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The Marvellous Land of Snergs
Located somewhere in "a world apart," just beyond the reach of current navigational tools, lies the land of the Snergs, a haven for countless neglected children, all of whom are watched over by maternal women. Also inhabited by a sturdy race of generous people no taller than the average table, the realm is surrounded by a forest occupied by friendly bears.
Into this unusual kingdom come Joe and Sylvia, two youngsters who have slipped away from home in search of excitement and adventure. They get more than enough of both as they come upon the children, as well as kings, knights, an evil witch, and a cap of invisibility (which doesn't seem to work.) Accompanied by Gordo, a dwarfish Snerg with a reputation for being a lovable klutz, the trio leapfrogs from one fantastic adventure to another.
Tolkien called this forgotten classic a "sourcebook" for The Hobbit. A whimsical delight for readers of all ages, this E. A. Wyke-Smith's enthralling adventures is must-reading for any Rings fan.
Into this unusual kingdom come Joe and Sylvia, two youngsters who have slipped away from home in search of excitement and adventure. They get more than enough of both as they come upon the children, as well as kings, knights, an evil witch, and a cap of invisibility (which doesn't seem to work.) Accompanied by Gordo, a dwarfish Snerg with a reputation for being a lovable klutz, the trio leapfrogs from one fantastic adventure to another.
Tolkien called this forgotten classic a "sourcebook" for The Hobbit. A whimsical delight for readers of all ages, this E. A. Wyke-Smith's enthralling adventures is must-reading for any Rings fan.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
45 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
E.A. Wyke-Smith
10 books2 followersEdward Augustine Wyke-Smith (1871-1935) was an English adventurer, mining engineer and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
July 16, 2020
Review: a perfect children's adventure. This is apparently a sourcebook for Tolkien's Hobbit. I can see that. I also was reminded of certain books by L. Frank Baum, and many other children's fantasies that resonate, that never take a misstep. Although it features two pretty incorrigible kid protagonists (my favorite kind), the real hero of the tale is a friendly Snerg who slowly changes from moronic to heroic over the course of the story. The book is sometimes quite dark, often quite sweet, and completely adorable.
The rest of this is pretty much me going on and on about 5 star books, so unless you're in the mood for some elaborate navel-gazing and some highly caffeinated ramblings from someone you barely know, my recommendation is that you just go ahead and skip what follows.
✪ ★ ✯ ✰ ☻
I angst way too much over my precious 5th star. Get a life, me. But I'm a dedicated list creator and compartmentalizer and so this is my Total Virgo lifestyle. Lucky are the friends and family who have to deal with such an extreme tier-maker! And so it is with Goodreads and the 5 star rating, which I only award to "favorites". Perfectly worthy books that are beautifully written, challenging, and original will get 4 stars if they don't strike that chord that feels like Favorite. What does that chord sound like though? As always with me, it can be within several categories, several chords.
Sometimes my mind just swoons over what the author is saying and how they are saying it. This is a mental connection and these are books that put me in the position of student, learning from a teacher who is a master of the form. I wish I could express myself so ingeniously, that my thoughts could be as complex and my perspective as layered when trying to understand the world. I admire the creativity, and how intellectually energetic and agile some writers are, so activated. These are books where I understand what is being said while remaining in awe at how those ideas are being related to me, a mere reader.
Other times my heart is warmed, slowly heated until glowing or, perhaps, to scalding. These books compel an emotional connection, often one I would not have guessed could take place. How could I feel so much for soldiers at war, for villagers in a country far away, for lovers parted, for a child who sacrifices himself? How can I imagine myself a soulless man, a man completely alone, a man without even love for himself, a man who loves too much, a woman who loves too little, a person who is man then woman then both together? These are books that create empathy, often painfully.
There are the books that I immediately connect to. It is like reading my soul on the page, all of the good and all of the not so good, written as if for me personally, for my private contemplation. No need to learn empathy, I'm already there. Or if not there, then these books are the person I'd like to become, the places I dream of, when dreaming of my imperfect but perfect to me kind of world. These books are my past, these protagonists are me, these flaws are mine, I see the mistakes I've made, and the ideals that I strive towards. I can give one of these books to a friend and say, this is who I am.
Then there are the books that I also connect to, but in a different sort of way, a less idealistic way: a darker connection. The story told is one my shadow self would write, the self that enjoys my nightmares, that finds them cozy; a self that questions the intentions of others, that laughs at the human kind, that sees the danger in empathy and the pointlessness of trying to understand why, that sees humanity as a collection of villains and insects, that revels in the decay and in the dark past; the self that exults in the stranger paths and the sometime sweetness of that darkness - because that darkness is real and a part of life itself.
Finally, there are the perfect books. I may not connect with them intellectually, I may not find myself emotionally overcome. Or I may. These books may not speak to me on a personal level and may have nothing to do with my darker side. Or they may. But whatever the case may be, they create their world so beautifully, so precisely. I have to give 5 stars to a story that stays so true to itself, so completely, from beginning to end. There is a purity to such works. I don't need to "connect" with these books. I look at a book like this from all sides and see something so refined, so marvelous, each part flowing into the next with such ideal symmetry, each part not a piece: each part a whole. All I can do is sit back, full of wonder, and delight at the perfectly designed creation before me. And so it is with this book.
The rest of this is pretty much me going on and on about 5 star books, so unless you're in the mood for some elaborate navel-gazing and some highly caffeinated ramblings from someone you barely know, my recommendation is that you just go ahead and skip what follows.
✪ ★ ✯ ✰ ☻
I angst way too much over my precious 5th star. Get a life, me. But I'm a dedicated list creator and compartmentalizer and so this is my Total Virgo lifestyle. Lucky are the friends and family who have to deal with such an extreme tier-maker! And so it is with Goodreads and the 5 star rating, which I only award to "favorites". Perfectly worthy books that are beautifully written, challenging, and original will get 4 stars if they don't strike that chord that feels like Favorite. What does that chord sound like though? As always with me, it can be within several categories, several chords.
Sometimes my mind just swoons over what the author is saying and how they are saying it. This is a mental connection and these are books that put me in the position of student, learning from a teacher who is a master of the form. I wish I could express myself so ingeniously, that my thoughts could be as complex and my perspective as layered when trying to understand the world. I admire the creativity, and how intellectually energetic and agile some writers are, so activated. These are books where I understand what is being said while remaining in awe at how those ideas are being related to me, a mere reader.
Other times my heart is warmed, slowly heated until glowing or, perhaps, to scalding. These books compel an emotional connection, often one I would not have guessed could take place. How could I feel so much for soldiers at war, for villagers in a country far away, for lovers parted, for a child who sacrifices himself? How can I imagine myself a soulless man, a man completely alone, a man without even love for himself, a man who loves too much, a woman who loves too little, a person who is man then woman then both together? These are books that create empathy, often painfully.
There are the books that I immediately connect to. It is like reading my soul on the page, all of the good and all of the not so good, written as if for me personally, for my private contemplation. No need to learn empathy, I'm already there. Or if not there, then these books are the person I'd like to become, the places I dream of, when dreaming of my imperfect but perfect to me kind of world. These books are my past, these protagonists are me, these flaws are mine, I see the mistakes I've made, and the ideals that I strive towards. I can give one of these books to a friend and say, this is who I am.
Then there are the books that I also connect to, but in a different sort of way, a less idealistic way: a darker connection. The story told is one my shadow self would write, the self that enjoys my nightmares, that finds them cozy; a self that questions the intentions of others, that laughs at the human kind, that sees the danger in empathy and the pointlessness of trying to understand why, that sees humanity as a collection of villains and insects, that revels in the decay and in the dark past; the self that exults in the stranger paths and the sometime sweetness of that darkness - because that darkness is real and a part of life itself.
Finally, there are the perfect books. I may not connect with them intellectually, I may not find myself emotionally overcome. Or I may. These books may not speak to me on a personal level and may have nothing to do with my darker side. Or they may. But whatever the case may be, they create their world so beautifully, so precisely. I have to give 5 stars to a story that stays so true to itself, so completely, from beginning to end. There is a purity to such works. I don't need to "connect" with these books. I look at a book like this from all sides and see something so refined, so marvelous, each part flowing into the next with such ideal symmetry, each part not a piece: each part a whole. All I can do is sit back, full of wonder, and delight at the perfectly designed creation before me. And so it is with this book.
May 28, 2018
For this charming book I learnt reading The Annotated Hobbit edited by Douglas A. Anderson. It was amazing disclosure that "The Marvellous Land of Snergs", an almost forgotten title, was among main J.R.R. Tolkien's inspirations to create "The Hobbit". For instance, Snergs are, according to Wyke-Smith's description "a race of people only slightly taller than the average table, but broad in the shoulders and of great strength. Probably, they are some offshoot of the pixies who once inhabited the hills and forests of England...". By this description, the one might easily draw the line between Hobbits and the former ones. Not just the Snergs were Tolkien's inspiration for his own work, but also giant cats of Mother Meldrum, the witch that is mentioned in the second half of the book. Similar giant cats the one may recognize in the first version of the story of Beren and Luthien, where Sauron was emerged in the form of giant prince of cats named Tevildo. But that's not all of the inspirations - Mandrake harvesting for witchcraft is also mentioned in the book, which is well known in Harry Potter serial by J.K.Rowling.
Book concept and narrative is designed as children-fashion literature. Story is opening in an orphanage on some bay in England, where two children - Joe and Sylvia, two main characters, abide. Being adventurous, they find themselves in a dark forest near the bay, where they discovered twisted trees (another similarity with the same scene in Tolkien's "The Hobbit"), met Gorbo the Snerg and soon after found-out an hidden door inside of the tree, through which they entered into another land, "beyond the great, deep river", as it was described by its inhabitants. In that land the time halted somewhere in middle-ages and all that was familiar to that era still exists there. And thither started real adventures of Sylvia, Joe and Gorbo, finding Golithos the ogre and Mother Meldrum the witch, with whom begun ravel of the plot and all consequences that were told in this book.
Book concept and narrative is designed as children-fashion literature. Story is opening in an orphanage on some bay in England, where two children - Joe and Sylvia, two main characters, abide. Being adventurous, they find themselves in a dark forest near the bay, where they discovered twisted trees (another similarity with the same scene in Tolkien's "The Hobbit"), met Gorbo the Snerg and soon after found-out an hidden door inside of the tree, through which they entered into another land, "beyond the great, deep river", as it was described by its inhabitants. In that land the time halted somewhere in middle-ages and all that was familiar to that era still exists there. And thither started real adventures of Sylvia, Joe and Gorbo, finding Golithos the ogre and Mother Meldrum the witch, with whom begun ravel of the plot and all consequences that were told in this book.
August 7, 2018
Precioso y olvidadísimo clásico infantil ilustrado por George Morrow.
Sylvia y Joe viven en una isla aislada, donde está ubicada la Sociedad para el Amparo de los Niños Sobrantes (S.A.N.S), dirigida por la señora Watkyns, que con sus ayudantes recoge a los niños huérfanos o maltratados de nuestro mundo y se los lleva allí, donde olvidan y viven felices. También habitan la isla Vanderdecker, los marineros del Holandés Herrante y los snergs... un día los dos niños salen de exploración y acaban perdidos al otro lado del río junto a Gorbo, la más necia de esas criaturas. Sin más, y como es típico en esta clase de historias, se van encontrando con distintos personajes, el ogro Golithos, la bruja Tía Meldrum, Baldry el bufón... un buen libro de aventuras.
Como curiosidad, Tolkien se lo leía a sus hijos y los snergs le sirvieron de inspiración para crear a los hobbits.
Sylvia y Joe viven en una isla aislada, donde está ubicada la Sociedad para el Amparo de los Niños Sobrantes (S.A.N.S), dirigida por la señora Watkyns, que con sus ayudantes recoge a los niños huérfanos o maltratados de nuestro mundo y se los lleva allí, donde olvidan y viven felices. También habitan la isla Vanderdecker, los marineros del Holandés Herrante y los snergs... un día los dos niños salen de exploración y acaban perdidos al otro lado del río junto a Gorbo, la más necia de esas criaturas. Sin más, y como es típico en esta clase de historias, se van encontrando con distintos personajes, el ogro Golithos, la bruja Tía Meldrum, Baldry el bufón... un buen libro de aventuras.
Como curiosidad, Tolkien se lo leía a sus hijos y los snergs le sirvieron de inspiración para crear a los hobbits.
December 22, 2018
Prelepa prica za decu! Ali kao i Hobbit, I ova prica niposto nije samo za najmladje, vec je mogu citati ljudi svih uzrasta. Apsolutno se vidi neverovatan uticaj koje je ovo delo imalo na Tolkina i veoma mi je drago sto je bas ono izazvalo toliko odusevljenja u njemu i ostvarilo nevorovatan uticaj na sva njegova dela.
August 16, 2012
I read this aloud for my little niece Kaitlyn, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is a delightful fantasy centered around the adventures of Joe and Sylvia (both removed from their abusive/neglectful homes by the benevolent Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children and relocated to a magical island) and their friend Gorbo, a Snerg, who finds through the course of the novel that he is far less a fool than he (and everyone else) thinks he is.
It features classics of the genre (an ogre, a witch, a knight, and even the crew of the Flying Dutchman), along with original additions such as the short and feast-loving Snergs. Some of the most charming moments come from the author's sly and clever asides to the reader.
J.R.R. Tolkien loved this book and read it to his children, and it's easy to see some of the inspiration for The Hobbit in its pages, from Gorbo's character growth to the peace and new understanding found between peoples where violent conflict seemed inevitable. (Not that there isn't violence. There is!) A few small details show the book's age, especially with regard to Sylvia's character, but on the whole this is a deeply enchanting read that refuses either to take itself too seriously or to talk down to its audience, and thus it offers rewards for both the adult and the child reader.
This is a delightful fantasy centered around the adventures of Joe and Sylvia (both removed from their abusive/neglectful homes by the benevolent Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children and relocated to a magical island) and their friend Gorbo, a Snerg, who finds through the course of the novel that he is far less a fool than he (and everyone else) thinks he is.
It features classics of the genre (an ogre, a witch, a knight, and even the crew of the Flying Dutchman), along with original additions such as the short and feast-loving Snergs. Some of the most charming moments come from the author's sly and clever asides to the reader.
J.R.R. Tolkien loved this book and read it to his children, and it's easy to see some of the inspiration for The Hobbit in its pages, from Gorbo's character growth to the peace and new understanding found between peoples where violent conflict seemed inevitable. (Not that there isn't violence. There is!) A few small details show the book's age, especially with regard to Sylvia's character, but on the whole this is a deeply enchanting read that refuses either to take itself too seriously or to talk down to its audience, and thus it offers rewards for both the adult and the child reader.
April 15, 2024
“perhaps the only definite moral that can be deduced is, if you by any chance meet an ogre who claims to be reformed, pretend to believe him until you have got a gun and then blow his head off at the first opportunity” this is a CHILDRENS BOOK
April 14, 2024
You know sometimes you can end a kids’ book by teaching the villains a lesson and turning them into good people and other times you can just straight up explode them and/or shoot three arrows directly into their skull and call it a day. Both work really
January 1, 2025
The Marvellous Land of Snergs inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write The Hobbit, so if you love all things Hobbit, this is the book to read! Tolkien draws a ton of material from this book, and it was fun to try and spot the story elements he used in The Hobbit while reading. By equal turns bizarre, hilarious, and creative, it was a blast to read. The only downside is that E.A. Wyke-Smith meanders a bit in parts. Clearly meant to be read aloud to children at bedtime! (Be forewarned that modern parents might want to censor an occasional dated/violent part here and there for their kids.) The cinnamon bears were my absolute favorite, and the illustrations are fantastic too.
February 15, 2023
Entertaining and good character growth in Gordo. His growth reminds me so much of Peregrin Took.
May 8, 2019
It is no wonder that Tolkien delighted in this book. In Wyke-Smith, he truly found a kindred spirit. The voice, tale of a successful bumbler, and fairy tale elements share strong ties to the foundations of Middle Earth. While not so master fully executed, this is still a fun, lighthearted story, in a similar vein to The Hobbit. I recommend for readers just a bit too young for The Hobbit but who are interested in that type of story. Good preparation for them.
My favorite parts were the author intrusions, which created a humorous tone and a unique identity. In particular I love the anticlimactic moral to the story. As characters, the children were not particularly exciting, though real enough to be relatable. The heart of the story lay in the fairy tale elements, which will appeal to all readers with any sense of story.
My favorite parts were the author intrusions, which created a humorous tone and a unique identity. In particular I love the anticlimactic moral to the story. As characters, the children were not particularly exciting, though real enough to be relatable. The heart of the story lay in the fairy tale elements, which will appeal to all readers with any sense of story.
June 6, 2008
I found this book while browsing through a catalog. They had a quote from Tolkein that "this was his source book for the Hobbit" and that he'd read it to his own children. Okay, says me, we'll try it.
My kids loved this book. And my husband loved reading it to them. Every night I'd hear them laughing away and then they'd be talking about it the next day.
It has a very Tolkein/Narnia type feel to it and was just plain fun. The language is a bit difficult but not so much that they couldn't understand it.
We had relatives visit while we were reading this and they took turns reading to the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
Try this little known gem.
My kids loved this book. And my husband loved reading it to them. Every night I'd hear them laughing away and then they'd be talking about it the next day.
It has a very Tolkein/Narnia type feel to it and was just plain fun. The language is a bit difficult but not so much that they couldn't understand it.
We had relatives visit while we were reading this and they took turns reading to the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
Try this little known gem.
July 12, 2019
If P.G. Wodehouse had written a fairy tale for his grandchildren, I imagine it would have been something like this book. One pictures the author writing with a whiskey-and-soda at his elbow and his tongue in his cheek, likely when he was supposed to be doing something else, something responsible. This book is both very enjoyable and little known, which is too bad and which is why I wacked up the ginger to tell you about it...yes, you.
This is a really fun book for those who love a good old fashioned fairy story (at least one that doesn't take itself too seriously). This story shares some responsibility for inspiring J.R.R. Tolkien's creation of hobbits and their adventures. Tolkien said, "I should like to record my own love and my children's love of E. A. Wyke-Smith's "Marvellous Land of Snergs", at any rate of the snerg-element of that tale, and of Gorbo the gem of dunderheads, jewel of a companion in an escapade." The Snergs share some very key traits with hobbits: they are small of stature but big on loyalty, they love feasting and celebration, they are resourceful and trustworthy folks to have at your side in a tough scrape, and in this tale at least, like hobbits, there is adventure in underground tunnels and forests and run-ins with ogres. Also, the main Snerg character's name in this story, Gorbo, is reminiscent of Bilbo and Frodo of Tolkien's tales, though his character is more frequently like a hybrid of Pippin and Sam.
Spoiler Alert!
This story has the roving childlike whimsy of Peter Pan, the lovable little folk of The Hobbit and the wise-cracking, side-of-the mouth commentary of The Princess Bride. It all takes place on a remote island (which is either a part of the cost of England or a near by island, perhaps a fictional Mann) where disparate elements all weave together to make a fun tale of adventure. In light of his critiques of C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia", one imagines that the disparate elements woven together was not one of the aspects of this story that Tolkien appreciated. There is a village for superfluous children, rescued from England and the parents that don't love them by women who supply the love and structure which their own home situations did not. This village is located in a bay which can be accessed by ship but apparently never left. The Flying Dutchman is anchored in the bay and Captain Vanderdecken and his men, while perpetually readying their ship for sea, have built a settlement on the beach and have settled into comfortable arrangements with Miss Watkyns, a sort of Mary Poppinsesque leader of the S.R.S.C. (Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children). The bay is surrounded by a forest inhabited by friendly bears and beyond that some way is the land of the Snergs. These people are also friendly and trade labour and goods with the S.R.S.C. and Vanderdecken. Beyond the Snergs is the river in a deep chasm and beyond that, a land full of danger and enemies...or so it is thought until the foolishness of two runaway children, Joe and Sylvia, and a bumbling Snerg, Gorbo, ultimately proves that there is much about this land which is misunderstood.
The story starts a bit slowly for very young readers as there is some back ground and explanation given to set the stage. But once the story starts, there is much for that younger audience to appreciate: a young boy and girl and their puppy for protagonists, a lovable but bungling Snerg, Gorbo, who will do whatever it takes to protect those children, a witch, a (not so) reformed ogre, knights, kings, castles, a beautiful princess, multiple feasts, an incorrigible jester, armies, dangerous escapes, etc. Throughout the story, there is much witty side commentary by the narrator which adds a level of pleasure to the parent who might be reading this tale to their children (the Bugs Bunny effect - appeals on a whole-nother level to the parents). The narrator promises throughout that the tale is working toward a worthy moral which will instruct its youngest readers in practical wisdom. Here's a quote from near the end which is not only the final payment on the repeated promises to come up with a moral, but also an example of the running commentary that in places elicited a chortle from this father and caused his children to look askance:
"It occurs to me here that there is some difficulty in proving a really useful moral from this tale, although I have almost boastfully referred to it as coming in due course for the instruction of my younger readers. For however reprehensible the children were in their disobedience and irresponsibility it cannot be denied that the general results of their conduct were beneficial. They were instrumental in bringing a swift finish to two persons who constituted a serious menace to the public. They had brought about the establishment of friendly relations between two countries, and removed doubts that had existed for centuries. Lastly, they had returned magnificently dressed and bearing expensive gifts. So perhaps the only definite moral that can be deduced is, if you by any chance meet an ogre who claims to be reformed, pretend to believe him until you have got a gun and then blow his head off at the first opportunity."
This is just good fun.
April 2016: just finished reading this book (again) to my 3 oldest. We laughed much and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The escapades of Baldry, the exiled jester, were particularly entertaining.
June 2019: just finished reading again to all four kids (14, 13, 10, 8) and we loved it. I was amazed at how many of the particularly funny parts our oldest kids anticipated as we read. This is truly a family favourite.
This is a really fun book for those who love a good old fashioned fairy story (at least one that doesn't take itself too seriously). This story shares some responsibility for inspiring J.R.R. Tolkien's creation of hobbits and their adventures. Tolkien said, "I should like to record my own love and my children's love of E. A. Wyke-Smith's "Marvellous Land of Snergs", at any rate of the snerg-element of that tale, and of Gorbo the gem of dunderheads, jewel of a companion in an escapade." The Snergs share some very key traits with hobbits: they are small of stature but big on loyalty, they love feasting and celebration, they are resourceful and trustworthy folks to have at your side in a tough scrape, and in this tale at least, like hobbits, there is adventure in underground tunnels and forests and run-ins with ogres. Also, the main Snerg character's name in this story, Gorbo, is reminiscent of Bilbo and Frodo of Tolkien's tales, though his character is more frequently like a hybrid of Pippin and Sam.
Spoiler Alert!
This story has the roving childlike whimsy of Peter Pan, the lovable little folk of The Hobbit and the wise-cracking, side-of-the mouth commentary of The Princess Bride. It all takes place on a remote island (which is either a part of the cost of England or a near by island, perhaps a fictional Mann) where disparate elements all weave together to make a fun tale of adventure. In light of his critiques of C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia", one imagines that the disparate elements woven together was not one of the aspects of this story that Tolkien appreciated. There is a village for superfluous children, rescued from England and the parents that don't love them by women who supply the love and structure which their own home situations did not. This village is located in a bay which can be accessed by ship but apparently never left. The Flying Dutchman is anchored in the bay and Captain Vanderdecken and his men, while perpetually readying their ship for sea, have built a settlement on the beach and have settled into comfortable arrangements with Miss Watkyns, a sort of Mary Poppinsesque leader of the S.R.S.C. (Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children). The bay is surrounded by a forest inhabited by friendly bears and beyond that some way is the land of the Snergs. These people are also friendly and trade labour and goods with the S.R.S.C. and Vanderdecken. Beyond the Snergs is the river in a deep chasm and beyond that, a land full of danger and enemies...or so it is thought until the foolishness of two runaway children, Joe and Sylvia, and a bumbling Snerg, Gorbo, ultimately proves that there is much about this land which is misunderstood.
The story starts a bit slowly for very young readers as there is some back ground and explanation given to set the stage. But once the story starts, there is much for that younger audience to appreciate: a young boy and girl and their puppy for protagonists, a lovable but bungling Snerg, Gorbo, who will do whatever it takes to protect those children, a witch, a (not so) reformed ogre, knights, kings, castles, a beautiful princess, multiple feasts, an incorrigible jester, armies, dangerous escapes, etc. Throughout the story, there is much witty side commentary by the narrator which adds a level of pleasure to the parent who might be reading this tale to their children (the Bugs Bunny effect - appeals on a whole-nother level to the parents). The narrator promises throughout that the tale is working toward a worthy moral which will instruct its youngest readers in practical wisdom. Here's a quote from near the end which is not only the final payment on the repeated promises to come up with a moral, but also an example of the running commentary that in places elicited a chortle from this father and caused his children to look askance:
"It occurs to me here that there is some difficulty in proving a really useful moral from this tale, although I have almost boastfully referred to it as coming in due course for the instruction of my younger readers. For however reprehensible the children were in their disobedience and irresponsibility it cannot be denied that the general results of their conduct were beneficial. They were instrumental in bringing a swift finish to two persons who constituted a serious menace to the public. They had brought about the establishment of friendly relations between two countries, and removed doubts that had existed for centuries. Lastly, they had returned magnificently dressed and bearing expensive gifts. So perhaps the only definite moral that can be deduced is, if you by any chance meet an ogre who claims to be reformed, pretend to believe him until you have got a gun and then blow his head off at the first opportunity."
This is just good fun.
April 2016: just finished reading this book (again) to my 3 oldest. We laughed much and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The escapades of Baldry, the exiled jester, were particularly entertaining.
June 2019: just finished reading again to all four kids (14, 13, 10, 8) and we loved it. I was amazed at how many of the particularly funny parts our oldest kids anticipated as we read. This is truly a family favourite.
August 13, 2023
Perfect.
Especially the humor.
(Beware of Veronica Cossanteli’s retelling. I have first started her “modrenised” version of this story, meaning to read it to my children, being the only version translated, but a few pages - or phrases - in I just knew the original story must have been severely damaged in the process (no way Tolkin would have enjoyed that one!). So I turned to the original and was not disappointed, the distance is enormous).
Especially the humor.
(Beware of Veronica Cossanteli’s retelling. I have first started her “modrenised” version of this story, meaning to read it to my children, being the only version translated, but a few pages - or phrases - in I just knew the original story must have been severely damaged in the process (no way Tolkin would have enjoyed that one!). So I turned to the original and was not disappointed, the distance is enormous).
February 27, 2023
Charming! To me it was both fantasy and fairy tale. I had never heard of this book, it was apparently a favorite of Tolkien’s children and a “sourcebook for The Hobbit.”
I can see that. Kings, orphans, Snergs, an ogre, and an evil witch…bad decisions lead to dangerous adventures. Yet, virtue is found and evil is vanquished.
I can see that. Kings, orphans, Snergs, an ogre, and an evil witch…bad decisions lead to dangerous adventures. Yet, virtue is found and evil is vanquished.
January 11, 2025
This book is an outrageous delight! Its main claim to fame is that it was one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s inspirations for the Hobbit. If you combined Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland you would get something similar to the Marvellous Land of Snergs.
It is about an island populated by unwanted children, friendly Dutch pirates, and small Hobbit-esque people called Snergs. Two of the children, Sylvia and Joe, go off on adventure with Gorbo the Snerg.
The writing is hilarious, the characters are fun, and then it’s done! What more could you ask for?
It is about an island populated by unwanted children, friendly Dutch pirates, and small Hobbit-esque people called Snergs. Two of the children, Sylvia and Joe, go off on adventure with Gorbo the Snerg.
The writing is hilarious, the characters are fun, and then it’s done! What more could you ask for?
October 2, 2017
A really fun and not well know fairy-tale which was loved by J.R.R. Tolkien and his children. He credits The Marvelous Land of the Snergs for inspiring him to write The Hobbit.
The story begins on a remote Island where a Miss Watkyns harbors unwanted and neglected children. The Island is accessible with the help of Vanderdecken (known as the Flying Dutchman) and his crew but once there you are unable to leave.
Here we encounter Snergs who are very short and wide. Joe and Sylvia, two of Miss Watkyns harbored children, become restless and decide to run off to avoid more punishment. Of course they get lost and realize they are in serious trouble when they encounter a wicked witch and a child eating ogre who claims to be reformed. Gorbo, a bumbling but very sweet Snerg, has run out of chances with his king and ends up sharing this adventure with our two run aways.
I would truly love to tell you more but that would be unfair. So I suggest you read this for yourself and then share it with your children or grand-children.
I plan to read it again just for the humor.
The story begins on a remote Island where a Miss Watkyns harbors unwanted and neglected children. The Island is accessible with the help of Vanderdecken (known as the Flying Dutchman) and his crew but once there you are unable to leave.
Here we encounter Snergs who are very short and wide. Joe and Sylvia, two of Miss Watkyns harbored children, become restless and decide to run off to avoid more punishment. Of course they get lost and realize they are in serious trouble when they encounter a wicked witch and a child eating ogre who claims to be reformed. Gorbo, a bumbling but very sweet Snerg, has run out of chances with his king and ends up sharing this adventure with our two run aways.
I would truly love to tell you more but that would be unfair. So I suggest you read this for yourself and then share it with your children or grand-children.
I plan to read it again just for the humor.
December 29, 2020
"Felizes as crianças (e também os adultos, caso consigam) que não se deixam afetar demais com futuras possibilidades de uma calamidade. "
Snergs, ogros, bruxas, reis crianças, acho que toda essa sopa nos lembra de algo né?
Incrível!!!! Este livro que inspirou o Tolkien e acredito também ter inspirado o C. S Lewis em Nárnia é incrivelmente maravilhoso!
Você encontra O Hobbit aqui sem esforço algum! Da pra ver que realmente o Tolkien se inspirou muito nessa história... Pra mim os Snergs se tornaram os Hobbits, o Gorbo virou Frodo. 🤣 As crianças que a gente encontra em Nárnia claramente também saíram daqui! Ler a fonte dessas obras incríveis foi emocionante !
Super recomendo e acho que todo mundo deveria ler! Pena ser tão pouco conhecida !! Merece todo reconhecimento!, afinal dela se originou grandes obras!
Snergs, ogros, bruxas, reis crianças, acho que toda essa sopa nos lembra de algo né?
Incrível!!!! Este livro que inspirou o Tolkien e acredito também ter inspirado o C. S Lewis em Nárnia é incrivelmente maravilhoso!
Você encontra O Hobbit aqui sem esforço algum! Da pra ver que realmente o Tolkien se inspirou muito nessa história... Pra mim os Snergs se tornaram os Hobbits, o Gorbo virou Frodo. 🤣 As crianças que a gente encontra em Nárnia claramente também saíram daqui! Ler a fonte dessas obras incríveis foi emocionante !
Super recomendo e acho que todo mundo deveria ler! Pena ser tão pouco conhecida !! Merece todo reconhecimento!, afinal dela se originou grandes obras!
February 22, 2016
El Maravilloso País de los Snergs es una historia de fantasía y aventuras llena de momentos absurdamente entretenidos que llamarán la atención a lectores de todas las edades.
Reseña completa EN MI BLOG
Reseña completa EN MI BLOG
September 27, 2025
This book is a mix of "Peter Pan," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Narnia," "The Hobbit,"(influenced the Hobbit, actually) and "Grimm's fair-tales." Is certainly one of my favorite children's books and I highly recommend this hilarious tale to everyone.
July 13, 2019
Cute story, if a bit violent. I can see how it influenced Tolkien for the hobbits.
November 4, 2024
“The Marvellous Land of Snergs”, by Edward Augustine Wyke-Smith (1871-1935) is the book rumored to have inspired John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.
It was, in fact, one of Tolkien’s favorite works, which he loved to read to his children, and the hobbits are clearly inspired by the snergs, there’s no doubt about that.
My favorite part of this book is probably the writing style. It has been a long time since I have read something similar. It reminds me of old writings by James Matthew Barrie, Clive Staples Lewis, Kenneth Grahame or Erich Kästner. Come to think of it, I feel so lucky that my childhood was filled with their writings rather than other, more modern ones, lacking the substance that made those great reads.
While the author’s frequent breaking of the proverbial fourth wall might confuse younger readers today, it was something not at all unusual back in the day. For this reason, I was transported back to my childhood for a few moments, and I loved every bit of it.
This book is something you can safely reach for whenever you want to feel like that again.
5/5 stars.
Hint: Please make sure you buy the correct book, and not the modern retelling by Veronica Cosantelli. The dead giveaway is that the retelling has “Marvelous” instead of “Marvellous” in the title, using the US spelling rather than the original British one – for reasons which elude me. Also, the modern retelling is way different – you can read my review for it if you would like some insight.
It was, in fact, one of Tolkien’s favorite works, which he loved to read to his children, and the hobbits are clearly inspired by the snergs, there’s no doubt about that.
My favorite part of this book is probably the writing style. It has been a long time since I have read something similar. It reminds me of old writings by James Matthew Barrie, Clive Staples Lewis, Kenneth Grahame or Erich Kästner. Come to think of it, I feel so lucky that my childhood was filled with their writings rather than other, more modern ones, lacking the substance that made those great reads.
While the author’s frequent breaking of the proverbial fourth wall might confuse younger readers today, it was something not at all unusual back in the day. For this reason, I was transported back to my childhood for a few moments, and I loved every bit of it.
This book is something you can safely reach for whenever you want to feel like that again.
5/5 stars.
Hint: Please make sure you buy the correct book, and not the modern retelling by Veronica Cosantelli. The dead giveaway is that the retelling has “Marvelous” instead of “Marvellous” in the title, using the US spelling rather than the original British one – for reasons which elude me. Also, the modern retelling is way different – you can read my review for it if you would like some insight.
September 3, 2022
“Here! Who are you calling a dwarf?”
“It is fortunate for children, and for grownups too, if they can manage it, when they do not concern themselves greatly about the future possibilities of a calamity. Sylvia and Joe were of this kind, especially Joe.”
On the coast of an inaccessible enchanted island, the warm-hearted, educated, and upright Miss Watkyns and her fellow women of the Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children (S.R.S.C.) oversee a colony of 478 previously neglected and or abused children now living in cozy one-story houses with fences to keep out the too-affectionate cinnamon bears. About a day and a half walk through dense woods lies the town of the Snergs, a short, broad-shouldered, long-lived, pixie-related people (do NOT call them dwarves) who work in batches for Miss Watkyns and co. in return for presents from the outside world. Down the coast a bit from the S.R.S.C. is a community of cursed, apparently immortal 17th-century Dutch sailors led by Captain Vanderdecken (“vulgarly known as the Flying Dutchman”), who’ve stopped sailing around in their dilapidated ship to live in huts by the shore.
The heroes of the story are two troublemaking children, impulsive Sylvia and disobedient Joe. Sylvia was ignored by her society mother, Joe abused by his circus rider father, so the S.R.S.C. spirited them away. They are chums, sharing everything, including their pet puppy Tiger. The plot gets going when Joe throws a half-brick into the Dutch sailors’ cauldron, splashing six of the men with hot soup, so that although Miss Watkyns won’t let the Dutch keelhaul the boy, she punishes him by locking him in the turret room with bread and water, so he and Sylvia run away with Tiger, aiming to visit the village of the Snergs, where no S.R.S.C. child has ever ventured before.
The kids quickly meet the real hero of the novel, the most foolish and feckless of all the Snergs (and that’s saying something), young Gorbo, only 273 years old. Gorbo tried to be a potter, but because the pots he provided the S.R.S.C. promptly broke, Miss Watkyns told him to “potter off.” Now he’s gormlessly walking around when the runaways run into him. While Sylvia and Joe remain inveterately reckless (“It is indeed terrible to think that all this fuss should be caused by the folly and disobedience of two shrimps like Sylvia and Joe”), Gorbo has potential.
There follows an episodic plot featuring whimsical fantastic things like an uncrossable river, a set of magical doors, a forest of giant fungi, a reformed ogre, an unreformed witch, an intimidating clowder of black cats, an ill-equipped knight errant, a court jester with poor judgment, a tyrannical king of ruthless fame, an expeditionary force of Snergs and Dutchmen, and more. Despite the narrator’s promises, the story doesn’t, finally, prove any useful moral: “For however reprehensible the children were in their disobedience and irresponsibility, it cannot be denied that the general results of their conduct were beneficial.”
Wyke-Smith’s book has vivid, humorous descriptions, like “The rope was more than good enough for Snergs, who can climb like startled cats,” and “In appearance it [the turret room] resembled the more despicable forms of lighthouses, and it was quite useless for anything practical, being so narrow that a grown-up person ascending the stairs had to writhe up like a snake, and the chamber atop being so small that Miss Watkyns had considered the question of turning the whole business into a pigeon-house.”
It has funny dialogue, like:
“And it did not occur to thee, thou farthing rascal, to lead them back to their little home by the sea?”
“N-no, O King, I-I didn’t think.”
“That we believe, thou worse than worm.”
And neat lines, like: “We may be forced to introduce battle, murder and sudden death into these parts.”
(That’s a play on the Oxford Book of Common Prayer’s “From battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord, deliver us.”)
The narrator is hands on, commenting on the action, like this: “Gorbo, that lout, had really done it this time.” Or this: “To those who know from experience, as I confess I do, how painful it is to have one’s sparkling verbal efforts received with cold unappreciative looks or smiles in which pity lurks behind a mere pretense at mirth, will really appreciate how Baldry suffered from this really pointed meanness.”
I hesitate to bring this up, but Wyke-Smith’s treatment of Sylvia may be dated. The girl has more agency than poor puppy Tiger (a prop schlepped around), but she is more easily daunted and discouraged than Joe, already knows how to use her feminine wiles to get what she wants, and perks up when looking at a wedding dress. On the other hand, the witch and Miss Watkyns are the most formidable figures in the novel.
About the audiobook, once every half hour lively orchestra music jounces in to end a scene. More importantly, although Peter Joyce may overdo the base narration by drawing out—almost singing—key vowels in key words, as in “and JOOOE (Joe) was gone” and “the AIIIIIR (air) was full of wooden chips,” he relishes reading the story, doing prime character voices, especially the whiny ogre, the snide witch, and the sweet numbskull Gorbo (I love it when he moans, “Oh, no!”).
Unfortunately, the “unabridged” audiobook CHANGES the original text (at least) whenever the narrator addresses the “reader” and Peter Joyce instead says, the “listener”:
Original: “a narrative which should not be without improving effect on the minds of my younger readers.”
Audiobook: “a story which should not be without improving effect on the minds of my younger listeners.”
In addition to dumbing down the book by replacing “narrative” with “story,” it’s a violation to change the original “reader” to “listener”! It makes me wonder what other changes the audiobook producers made to the original text.
A fusion of Peter Pan, Oz, Arthurian romance, traditional fairy tales, and Wyke-Smith’s quirky touches, The Marvellous Land of Snergs (1927) is a delightful pleasure. I recommend it to anyone who likes vintage children’s literature. Hey, Tolkien and his kids loved it! The Snergs—no taller than the average table and fond of feasts—inspired hobbits, and I bet that the genteel, intrusive, tongue-in-cheek narrator influenced the narrator in The Hobbit. Wyke-Smith wrote other books, and I’m sure curious to read them.
“It is fortunate for children, and for grownups too, if they can manage it, when they do not concern themselves greatly about the future possibilities of a calamity. Sylvia and Joe were of this kind, especially Joe.”
On the coast of an inaccessible enchanted island, the warm-hearted, educated, and upright Miss Watkyns and her fellow women of the Society for the Removal of Superfluous Children (S.R.S.C.) oversee a colony of 478 previously neglected and or abused children now living in cozy one-story houses with fences to keep out the too-affectionate cinnamon bears. About a day and a half walk through dense woods lies the town of the Snergs, a short, broad-shouldered, long-lived, pixie-related people (do NOT call them dwarves) who work in batches for Miss Watkyns and co. in return for presents from the outside world. Down the coast a bit from the S.R.S.C. is a community of cursed, apparently immortal 17th-century Dutch sailors led by Captain Vanderdecken (“vulgarly known as the Flying Dutchman”), who’ve stopped sailing around in their dilapidated ship to live in huts by the shore.
The heroes of the story are two troublemaking children, impulsive Sylvia and disobedient Joe. Sylvia was ignored by her society mother, Joe abused by his circus rider father, so the S.R.S.C. spirited them away. They are chums, sharing everything, including their pet puppy Tiger. The plot gets going when Joe throws a half-brick into the Dutch sailors’ cauldron, splashing six of the men with hot soup, so that although Miss Watkyns won’t let the Dutch keelhaul the boy, she punishes him by locking him in the turret room with bread and water, so he and Sylvia run away with Tiger, aiming to visit the village of the Snergs, where no S.R.S.C. child has ever ventured before.
The kids quickly meet the real hero of the novel, the most foolish and feckless of all the Snergs (and that’s saying something), young Gorbo, only 273 years old. Gorbo tried to be a potter, but because the pots he provided the S.R.S.C. promptly broke, Miss Watkyns told him to “potter off.” Now he’s gormlessly walking around when the runaways run into him. While Sylvia and Joe remain inveterately reckless (“It is indeed terrible to think that all this fuss should be caused by the folly and disobedience of two shrimps like Sylvia and Joe”), Gorbo has potential.
There follows an episodic plot featuring whimsical fantastic things like an uncrossable river, a set of magical doors, a forest of giant fungi, a reformed ogre, an unreformed witch, an intimidating clowder of black cats, an ill-equipped knight errant, a court jester with poor judgment, a tyrannical king of ruthless fame, an expeditionary force of Snergs and Dutchmen, and more. Despite the narrator’s promises, the story doesn’t, finally, prove any useful moral: “For however reprehensible the children were in their disobedience and irresponsibility, it cannot be denied that the general results of their conduct were beneficial.”
Wyke-Smith’s book has vivid, humorous descriptions, like “The rope was more than good enough for Snergs, who can climb like startled cats,” and “In appearance it [the turret room] resembled the more despicable forms of lighthouses, and it was quite useless for anything practical, being so narrow that a grown-up person ascending the stairs had to writhe up like a snake, and the chamber atop being so small that Miss Watkyns had considered the question of turning the whole business into a pigeon-house.”
It has funny dialogue, like:
“And it did not occur to thee, thou farthing rascal, to lead them back to their little home by the sea?”
“N-no, O King, I-I didn’t think.”
“That we believe, thou worse than worm.”
And neat lines, like: “We may be forced to introduce battle, murder and sudden death into these parts.”
(That’s a play on the Oxford Book of Common Prayer’s “From battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord, deliver us.”)
The narrator is hands on, commenting on the action, like this: “Gorbo, that lout, had really done it this time.” Or this: “To those who know from experience, as I confess I do, how painful it is to have one’s sparkling verbal efforts received with cold unappreciative looks or smiles in which pity lurks behind a mere pretense at mirth, will really appreciate how Baldry suffered from this really pointed meanness.”
I hesitate to bring this up, but Wyke-Smith’s treatment of Sylvia may be dated. The girl has more agency than poor puppy Tiger (a prop schlepped around), but she is more easily daunted and discouraged than Joe, already knows how to use her feminine wiles to get what she wants, and perks up when looking at a wedding dress. On the other hand, the witch and Miss Watkyns are the most formidable figures in the novel.
About the audiobook, once every half hour lively orchestra music jounces in to end a scene. More importantly, although Peter Joyce may overdo the base narration by drawing out—almost singing—key vowels in key words, as in “and JOOOE (Joe) was gone” and “the AIIIIIR (air) was full of wooden chips,” he relishes reading the story, doing prime character voices, especially the whiny ogre, the snide witch, and the sweet numbskull Gorbo (I love it when he moans, “Oh, no!”).
Unfortunately, the “unabridged” audiobook CHANGES the original text (at least) whenever the narrator addresses the “reader” and Peter Joyce instead says, the “listener”:
Original: “a narrative which should not be without improving effect on the minds of my younger readers.”
Audiobook: “a story which should not be without improving effect on the minds of my younger listeners.”
In addition to dumbing down the book by replacing “narrative” with “story,” it’s a violation to change the original “reader” to “listener”! It makes me wonder what other changes the audiobook producers made to the original text.
A fusion of Peter Pan, Oz, Arthurian romance, traditional fairy tales, and Wyke-Smith’s quirky touches, The Marvellous Land of Snergs (1927) is a delightful pleasure. I recommend it to anyone who likes vintage children’s literature. Hey, Tolkien and his kids loved it! The Snergs—no taller than the average table and fond of feasts—inspired hobbits, and I bet that the genteel, intrusive, tongue-in-cheek narrator influenced the narrator in The Hobbit. Wyke-Smith wrote other books, and I’m sure curious to read them.
September 12, 2023
It took this a while to hit its stride, but it was quite jolly by the end. I'm glad it inspired Tolkien!
Reader was very good.
Reader was very good.
October 26, 2021
En la bahía de Watkyns, se encuentra un orfanato, dirigido por la estricta señora Watkyns, en donde viven nuestros protagonistas, un par de niños llamados Sylvia y Joe, que un día deciden fugarse del orfanato y acaban yendo por accidente al País de los Snergs, unos seres pequeños que se han relacionado desde siempre con los humanos de la bahía y que son gobernados por un rey. Es así como inicia la aventura de estos niños para volver al orfanato.
Publicada en 1927, ésta es una novela infantil bastante entretenida, aunque resultó ser un poco más larga de lo que me esperaba.
Wyke-Smith presenta poco a poco los personajes excéntricos del País de los Snergs, como la Tía Meldrum o el bufón Baldry, a través de una aventura sencilla pero en donde en todo momento se siente la euforia propia de los niños experimentado una aventura. Siento que son de esos personajes que solo encajan en una novela infantil clásica, algo así como "Alicia en el País de las Maravillas" de Lewis Carroll pero sin tanta locura. El que más me sorprendió fue el rey Merse II, el rey de los Snergs. Por su personalidad, yo creía que iba a ser un tipo torpe pero de buen corazón, como Homero Simpson, pero acabo mostrando en varios momentos que en realidad sí es un gran líder para su gente. Es comprensible con los problemas ajenos, bastante listo y en ocasiones un gran estratega y negociante. Me gustó ese momento en que se reúne con Vanderbecken para acordar un tratado de paz, me dejó sorprendido el rey.
Los protagonistas están bien. En mi opinión ambos niños representan cierto estereotipo de género (que por lo menos dentro de esta trama, no me molestó). Sylvia es una niña risueña y en ocasiones algo ingenua, mientras que Joe es bastante travieso, por lo que Sylvia representa la feminidad delicada que se esperaba de una mujer a inicios del siglo XX mientras que Joe muestra el sentido de virilidad que inicia en la infancia, aquella virilidad que no se dirige hacia el dominio sexual sino a mostrar su valentía ante todos. Debido a esa actitud, me gusta que como muestra de su evolución personal Joe al inicio de la aventura anda vestido con su uniforme manchado por el tiempo que llevan perdids los niños en el bosque y al final camina con Sylvia usando un traje de príncipe.
No contiene tanta fantasía como esperaba. De hecho, esta novela tiene la particularidad de que se ubica en nuestro mundo, representado por la bahía de Watkyns, pero con el detalle de que en esa bahía los humanos y los snergs se conocen y se llevan bien, algo que Tolkien imitaría en sus novelas de la Tierra Media, ya que ThePennywiseCode en uno de sus videos planteó que la historia después del Señor de los Anillos es nuestra actualidad. Tolkien nunca formó a la Tierra Media como un mundo mágico en otra dimensión, sino que contaba sus novelas como historias de nuestro mundo que ocurrieron hace miles y miles de años, cuando los humanos convivíamos con civilizaciones de todo tipo de seres como los hobbits, claramente inspirados en los snergs.
El humor de esta novela es particular. A veces, es un humor claramente británico, o sea, que Wyke-Smith logra encontrarle un lado elegante a las situaciones más absurdamente infantiles, pero en otros momentos logra darle un giro de tuerca a la situación con un humor negro afilado, lo cual no me sorprendió tanto viniendo de un libro infantil porque así mismo es otro clásico que leí hace varios años que es "Las aventuras de Pinocho" de Carlo Collodi.
En general, aunque no es una obra maestra, se trata de una novela sumamente entretenida si eres fan de la fantasía o de la literatura infantil. Contiene una aventura que se va ramificando hacia momentos bastante sorprendentes, con personajes con diversas personalidades, unos más interesantes que otros. Lo puedes leer tanto si eres fan de Tolkien como si no lo eres y la única advertencia que dejo es que van a tardar varios días en terminarlo porque es un poquito exigente la escritura de Wyke-Smith.
Publicada en 1927, ésta es una novela infantil bastante entretenida, aunque resultó ser un poco más larga de lo que me esperaba.
Wyke-Smith presenta poco a poco los personajes excéntricos del País de los Snergs, como la Tía Meldrum o el bufón Baldry, a través de una aventura sencilla pero en donde en todo momento se siente la euforia propia de los niños experimentado una aventura. Siento que son de esos personajes que solo encajan en una novela infantil clásica, algo así como "Alicia en el País de las Maravillas" de Lewis Carroll pero sin tanta locura. El que más me sorprendió fue el rey Merse II, el rey de los Snergs. Por su personalidad, yo creía que iba a ser un tipo torpe pero de buen corazón, como Homero Simpson, pero acabo mostrando en varios momentos que en realidad sí es un gran líder para su gente. Es comprensible con los problemas ajenos, bastante listo y en ocasiones un gran estratega y negociante. Me gustó ese momento en que se reúne con Vanderbecken para acordar un tratado de paz, me dejó sorprendido el rey.
Los protagonistas están bien. En mi opinión ambos niños representan cierto estereotipo de género (que por lo menos dentro de esta trama, no me molestó). Sylvia es una niña risueña y en ocasiones algo ingenua, mientras que Joe es bastante travieso, por lo que Sylvia representa la feminidad delicada que se esperaba de una mujer a inicios del siglo XX mientras que Joe muestra el sentido de virilidad que inicia en la infancia, aquella virilidad que no se dirige hacia el dominio sexual sino a mostrar su valentía ante todos. Debido a esa actitud, me gusta que como muestra de su evolución personal Joe al inicio de la aventura anda vestido con su uniforme manchado por el tiempo que llevan perdids los niños en el bosque y al final camina con Sylvia usando un traje de príncipe.
No contiene tanta fantasía como esperaba. De hecho, esta novela tiene la particularidad de que se ubica en nuestro mundo, representado por la bahía de Watkyns, pero con el detalle de que en esa bahía los humanos y los snergs se conocen y se llevan bien, algo que Tolkien imitaría en sus novelas de la Tierra Media, ya que ThePennywiseCode en uno de sus videos planteó que la historia después del Señor de los Anillos es nuestra actualidad. Tolkien nunca formó a la Tierra Media como un mundo mágico en otra dimensión, sino que contaba sus novelas como historias de nuestro mundo que ocurrieron hace miles y miles de años, cuando los humanos convivíamos con civilizaciones de todo tipo de seres como los hobbits, claramente inspirados en los snergs.
El humor de esta novela es particular. A veces, es un humor claramente británico, o sea, que Wyke-Smith logra encontrarle un lado elegante a las situaciones más absurdamente infantiles, pero en otros momentos logra darle un giro de tuerca a la situación con un humor negro afilado, lo cual no me sorprendió tanto viniendo de un libro infantil porque así mismo es otro clásico que leí hace varios años que es "Las aventuras de Pinocho" de Carlo Collodi.
En general, aunque no es una obra maestra, se trata de una novela sumamente entretenida si eres fan de la fantasía o de la literatura infantil. Contiene una aventura que se va ramificando hacia momentos bastante sorprendentes, con personajes con diversas personalidades, unos más interesantes que otros. Lo puedes leer tanto si eres fan de Tolkien como si no lo eres y la única advertencia que dejo es que van a tardar varios días en terminarlo porque es un poquito exigente la escritura de Wyke-Smith.
September 15, 2021
”Tărâmul fermecat al snergilor” - un amestec între basmele lui Grimm și Alice în Țara Minunilor, o aventură perfectă pentru copii - și nu numai - un basm cu adevărat distractiv și nu prea cunoscut, care a fost iubit de J.R.R. Tolkien și copiii săi. Celebrul Tolkien acordă meritul acestei cărți pentru că l-a inspirat să scrie ”Hobbitul”.
Povestea începe pe o insulă îndepărtată unde destoinica, inimoasa și capabila domnișoară Watkyns - care mi-a adus aminte de Mary Poppins - adăpostește copii nedoriți și neglijați la orfelinatul ”Golful Însorit”, un ”Cămin pentru Copii Excedentari și Accidental Orfani.”
Protagoniștii sunt doi copii aventuroși, destul de năzdrăvani și ușor incorigibili, pe care nu ai cum să nu-i îndrăgești, Pip și Flora și al lor cățel zăpăcit, Tigruț, însă adevăratul erou al poveștii este un Snerg prietenos și complet aiurit, dar foarte simpatic, Gorbo.
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/tar...
Povestea începe pe o insulă îndepărtată unde destoinica, inimoasa și capabila domnișoară Watkyns - care mi-a adus aminte de Mary Poppins - adăpostește copii nedoriți și neglijați la orfelinatul ”Golful Însorit”, un ”Cămin pentru Copii Excedentari și Accidental Orfani.”
Protagoniștii sunt doi copii aventuroși, destul de năzdrăvani și ușor incorigibili, pe care nu ai cum să nu-i îndrăgești, Pip și Flora și al lor cățel zăpăcit, Tigruț, însă adevăratul erou al poveștii este un Snerg prietenos și complet aiurit, dar foarte simpatic, Gorbo.
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/tar...
March 6, 2021
A mix between Grimm’s fairy tales and Alice and wonderland, the strange dream-like quality of the book made it hard for me to follow the storyline. The descriptions and writing style are engaging, and the dramatic elements would make for prime read-aloud material.
An example of how inspiration for great works are not always as enjoyable as the great works themselves. I see how this book inspired Tolkien, but I would much prefer to read Tolkien himself. Increasing in excitement and gaining more clarity towards the end “perhaps the only definite moral that can be deduced is: if you by any chance meet an ogre who claims to be reformed, pretend to believe him until you’ve got a gun and then blow his head off at the first opportunity".
An example of how inspiration for great works are not always as enjoyable as the great works themselves. I see how this book inspired Tolkien, but I would much prefer to read Tolkien himself. Increasing in excitement and gaining more clarity towards the end “perhaps the only definite moral that can be deduced is: if you by any chance meet an ogre who claims to be reformed, pretend to believe him until you’ve got a gun and then blow his head off at the first opportunity".
November 28, 2023
The story itself was a fabulous read, and I'm glad that JRR Tolkien and his children enjoyed reading the book and that he was influenced by it in writing The Hobbit.
As for the Kindle edition itself (B007679754, with a brown cover and white circle in the centre), however: it looks like the text was scanned, OCRed, and published without any thought given to proofreading the many errors, such as incorrectly deciphered letters, stray punctuation, and incorrect magic opening and closing quotation marks. I really don't see how HarperPerennial Classics can justify the product information, which reads: “HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms.”
As for the Kindle edition itself (B007679754, with a brown cover and white circle in the centre), however: it looks like the text was scanned, OCRed, and published without any thought given to proofreading the many errors, such as incorrectly deciphered letters, stray punctuation, and incorrect magic opening and closing quotation marks. I really don't see how HarperPerennial Classics can justify the product information, which reads: “HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms.”
April 24, 2022
Starts off Slow but Worth it
While it does start off a tad slow in comparison to, say, Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland, it still has that sense of whimsy and nonsensical fun both have and can see why Tolkien enjoyed it. It is fun and several chuckles will at least be pulled out of you by the last page. It also reminded me of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but for kids. If you're a fan of Tolkien, and The Hobbit in particular, definitely check this out. Hope you like it!
While it does start off a tad slow in comparison to, say, Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland, it still has that sense of whimsy and nonsensical fun both have and can see why Tolkien enjoyed it. It is fun and several chuckles will at least be pulled out of you by the last page. It also reminded me of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but for kids. If you're a fan of Tolkien, and The Hobbit in particular, definitely check this out. Hope you like it!
January 1, 2023
A fun children’s book. Surplus children, mistreated by parents and guardians, are snatched away and taken to an island where the Snergs live. Two of the children in particular are often in mischief. One day when punished, they decide to run away and visit the Snergs. The first Snerg they meet is Garbo, who unfortunately is the least sensible of the Snergs and he promptly gets them lost on the other side of the river where an ogre lives.
January 20, 2024
A delightfully absurd fantasy story that utterly defies summation. It came to my attention because it was one that JRR Tolkien enjoyed (and the snergs likely inspired, at least in part, his hobbits).
There is something indescribably delightful about reading a book that could not be written today. There is magic in the language that we've lost, and an almost musical sort of storytelling that we could all benefit by.
A book to own, certainly.
There is something indescribably delightful about reading a book that could not be written today. There is magic in the language that we've lost, and an almost musical sort of storytelling that we could all benefit by.
A book to own, certainly.
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