Disney World bad boy Leonard Kinsey is at it again with his
new fiction piece Our Kingdom of
Dust. Kinsey broke into the Disney scene with his nonfiction hit The Dark Side
of Disney. In Dark Side of Disney Kinsey shares some of the super secrets that
Disney does not want you to know about. It was a massive success and had the
entire Disney community, including some not too happy Disney managers, buzzing.
In Our Kingdom of Dust Kinsey takes a step in a different
direction but doesn’t stray away from writing about the true dark side of Disney. This debut novel for Kinsey is almost
guaranteed to be like none you have ever read before. It is a mix of Great Expectations, or
Catcher in the Rye,but with a hell of a lot more
drugs, sex, cursing, and debauchery. I think the term “page turner” is used far
too often when it comes to reviews of novels, but I have to say that this book
was a true page turner. Kinsey manages to keep you crying, guessing, and
laughing not only from page to page but from paragraph to paragraph.
In the book you following the struggles and adventures of
aging Disney fan Blaine McKinnon. Blaine is a 30 something millionaire who
realizes that even though he has it all, a massively successful business,
millions of dollars, and lots of hangers on who he thinks are his friends; he
really has nothing at all. Through a series of very tragic and sad events,
Blaine makes the decision to head off to the place where he could get in touch
with his inner child, EPCOT Center. But Blaines story is so tragic and
unfortunate even his trip from the airport to the Beach Club hotel doesn’t go
as planned.
The most tragic part of this novel isn’t that Blaine has an awful
best friend, or the fact that his dog was murdered in cold blood; the sad part
about this story really hits when Blaine arrives at EPCOT and realizes that
this was not the same park he visited alongside his now dead parents when he
was a child. When Blaine walks into EPCOT, this time alone, he is shocked by
what he sees.
“There was a huge wand
stuck out of the side of the globe. Mickeys hand was holding the wand, and
there were little red stars everywhere. “Epcot” was written above it in an
ugly, decidedly non-futuristic font .“ Something was very wrong here”
The magnitude of this change and the rest of the big life
changes that had happened to Blaine all come crashing down at once when he
realized that the fan favorite ride Horizons had been torn down.
“The ride that my
parents and I loved so much was gone. For a moment the pain of their death hit
me all over again.”
Kinsey manages to balance this kind of dramatic sadness with
a really sick twisted and funny level of humor. When Blaine enters another fan
favorite attraction Imagination…
“What the hell was Monty
Python doing in EPCOT Center?”
Blaine continues to lament when he meets the latest version
of Figment…
“Figment farted on the
audience at one point and I swear I wanted to punch someone.”
This is the exact mix of humor and sadness that makes this
novel a page turner. I found myself laughing, and moved to tears while on the
same page of the book. Much like Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, Our Kingdom
of Dust is a roller coaster of a ride. Blaine’s adventures around The World are
filled with surprise and shock. He soon discovers that there is a special kind
of “dust” that helps some of the Disney Cast Members and fans get back to that
nostalgic feeling that they are longing for. Blaine is confronted with having
to face his past, present, and future. Blaine meets a cast of characters so imaginative and weird that only the same
guy who is daring enough to sneak around Magic Kingdom utilidors and crazy enough
to put rum in his Dole Whips could think of.
At its soul, Our Kingdom of dust is a novel about
confronting life’s challenges, and coming home. Leonard Kinsey really hits the
ball out of the park and shakes off the curse of a sophomore slump with his
second book. This book is funny, sad, and powerful. Following Blaine around
Orlando is a true adventure and you never know what is going to happen to him
next. Kinsey really leaves you questioning some of the events in your own life,
and a book that can allow you to look in the mirror and entertain you at the
same time is truly a book worth reading!
Please take the time to visit my new Youtube channel.
I am adding new videos everyday so check it out!
No comments:
Post a Comment