2020 EDIT: Reread as an adult.
'Questors' remains a three-star, but is no longer on my shelf. Nowadays I am very uncomfortable with the handling of gender in the book. Cam, a child who supposedly won't have a gender until puberty, could be read as non-binary, but the characters and the narrative keep referring to Cam as "it", instead of using "they/them" or other pronouns. It's disgusting and dehumanising, like Cam can't be seen as fully human until they are either a boy or a girl. I know 'Questors' was published in 2007, but that's no excuse; this strict binary code/divide - you must be male or female, so as to be treated as such according to (socially constructed) "guidelines" (actual wording that's said in the book), based on your genitalia, and there are no other options and spectrums in sex and gender - it is a reprehensible and dangerous message in a children's book. It's transphobic to the extreme to boot. And 'Questors' thinks it's subverting gender roles!
It's a shame because otherwise 'Questors' is quite funny and witty, with memorable and colourful characters. But it is also largely underdeveloped.
Like, there are hardly any scenes with the three Questor children, Madlen, Bryn and Cam, and their Agent mother Kate. Kate only had them as part of a grand master plan to bring the three worlds of this book's universe back into balance - it was her duty, nothing more. How does she feel about all of this? I don't have a clue. She doesn't seem to care one way or the other. There is nary a family bonding moment or an emotional touch between her and her children who might get killed on their quests; it's a shafted blip on the radar. We never even find out who the children's fathers are.
The hero children, who had remained ignorant of their destiny - and of each other's existence - at the beginning, are forced on their quest far too quickly, with no training, no preparation, no weapons, and no briefing on any basic survival skills whatsoever. They don't even have time to change their clothes. A couple of chapters of exposition is all that's given. Any "rush" in a story involving time travel is rendered moot to begin with; it completely negates the saying "There's no time! Hurry!".
Yes, there are a lot of time travel confusions and plot holes. Plus incredibly stupid adult characters, but maybe that was the point?
These are the least of the book's problems, however. The mental illness and autism rep in 'Questors' is deeply troubling and problematic. As in, it's perceived in villainous or blameworthy characters. Perhaps unintentionally, it's viewed as dangerous and a threat to all civilisation.
Again, 2007, no excuse. &%!$£$£%! that.
There are some typos as well (Cam is referred to as a "her" once. Oops. Better than "it" though).
It's a little sad that some books from my childhood are turning out to be not as good as I remembered. But at least I have more space on my bookshelf now. Tee hee.
Final Score: 3/5
P.S. Why does every adult female in 'Questors' have to have a male love interest, or have a man be smitten with them sexually? Ugh! And young Bryn had found Kate alluring and sexy before finding out she's his mother; AND at one point he hits on a nurse, Serena, while he's injured and bedridden, and she blushes and almost encourages him! ARRRRRGH!
Original Review:
'If you can't find a hero, then you have to make one. When things are desperate, you'll try anything.' - back blurb of 2007 hardcover.
After reading Neil Gaiman's latest book for children, 'Fortunately, the Milk...', I've looked back on other random, creative and fantastical books - ones from my childhood.
Fact: I still own my old hardback copy of 'Questors', bought on a whim one fine school day. Despite being a confusing mess in some places, I remember it so fondly that I can't bring myself to give it away.
'Questors' is a story about three Worlds out of balance. The space-time continuum is about to shift and go kablooey. So a council of people with a total disregard for the ethical and moral issues of genetic engineering decide that the best solution is to create three Heroes, born from one mother, and send each of them to live in one of the three Worlds. Because logic and cosmic fun don't mix. A time-shifting danger lurks and arrives too early for the titular Questors to be ready to save everything and everyone. They must find the three Objects of Power from the Worlds in order to restore balance. Upon learning their true identities and the mission which is the reason for their existing, young Madlen and Bryn and Cam must put aside their differences and grievances so they can work together. They travel and fight to retrieve what will save their home Worlds from destruction.
The Heroes discover within themselves their respective skills and magical gifts, and they have to use them fast, for a villain called the Preceptor is determined to stop them on their quest...
Almost nothing in 'Questors' makes sense when put into questioning. However, I think that the interesting characters and funny fantasy elements save it from being just another forgettable kid's book published amidst the 'Harry Potter' craze. It is rather similar to 'Harry Potter', in fact, but not distractingly so. Madlen is the big sister and no-nonsense leader of the Questors; the Hermione Granger of the team. Bryn is the stubborn, roughly-dressed and sometimes cheeky younger brother from the war World; he possesses a heart of gold and an artist's soul. Cam is a sensitive, nature-loving kid of no gender - he/she will develop into a boy or a girl once he/she reaches puberty. An original coming-of-age tale is at play here, along with a nature-versus-nurture subtext.
Other characters - the adults of the council, to be precise - are also funny, and are even heartwarming to read about individually. The trauma the three child heroes go through is put into consideration, and their interactions with each other are splendidly written. There is even an unexpected plot twist revealed at the end, and it suits the silliness of the rest of the book.
Time travel, a boarding school, zombies, a hatchet, sexist dragons, ice mountains, apples, planes, and dreams that tell your destiny; such is the content of the action-sci-fi-fantasy, 'Questors'. I enjoyed it a lot more than I did 'A Wrinkle in Time', another similar book. There is a mysticism and winsome aspect to 'Questors' that makes it more endearing. While I wouldn't really call it a "good" book in terms of a well-written and well-structured story, it succeeds in having a spark that shines through the characters and creative settings. At least it's never boring, which saves it from the fade of mediocrity.
Hardly anyone has ever heard of 'Questors'. I'd say check it out if you have the time. You might be surprised.
Final Score: 3/5
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