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Black Mac

BlackMac
Available on BoD (Books on Demand)

                                                                                                                    

English translation of "Lektørudtalelse" (87/20) 652 106 6 from Indbindingscentralen, Copenhagen, of the book: Sorte Sigurd (Black Mac) by Claus Bork, published by Lina. 11

In dreams, Jesper every night travells to Fantasyland - the land with all the wellknown fantasy characters: the Pig made of Marcipan with a fork in it's back, beautiful castles and so on. This land is threatened by Electro - a computer/videomachine, that wishes to obtain control over Fantasyland. Electro, with his supporters and spy's, gets stronger and stronger, as the people of the real world devote themselves more and more to com-puters and less to fantasy / fairy tales. Together with his faithful friend, the raven Black Sigurd, Jesper abducts the songbird, the symbol of freedom, in his attempt to stop Electro. The fight takes place, both in reality - in his own home - and in Fantasyland. The two friends go through a lot of difficulties, among which they have to fight their way through several computergames, in which they are the main participants. The wickedness is conquered, and as in all fairy tales, the Princess gets her Prince. It is a well written, exiting and entertaining book, filled with good spirits and humouristic elements. The theme, that is known from "The never ending Story", which this book not quite reaches, is described with fertile imagination and enter-tainment. Many of the characters are personified computerterms and the description of Jesper and the relationship between the two friends is at times baroquely funny, also his parents gaping over the things he's doing. A very good book, that can be read from approximately 10 years of age. Illustrated by Jesper Østergaard.

Lisbeth Hagelberg


English translation of "Lektørudtalelse" (87/20) 652 160 6 from Indbindingscentralen, Copenhagen, of the book: Sorte Sigurd (Black Mac) by Claus Bork, published by Lina 12

10 year old Jesper dreams himself into another world. In there he meets the princess Isabel and the raven Black Sigurd, who become his best friends. He is whirled into fierce events among sorceress', troll's, dragons and all the wellknown fantasy figures. Electro - the Emperor of the computer world - wishes to destroy Fantasyland, but is prevented from this by Jesper and Black Sigurd, helped by a magnet. Jespers dream becomes reality. When he returns from his nightly dream-experiences, Black Sigurd is there, and he himself is dressed up as a knight, in the clothes he was given by Isabel. It all reaches a happy ending, after many dramatic events. The imaginative story contains an almost unbroken link of exiting situations filled with action, but also very fine lyrical pictures and emotional passages. The main figure Jesper from "The real World" is at the same time real and a part of the fantasy story. The hero manages to save the fantasy from the cold, callous computerworld. In spite of the description of the fight against Electro himself, which is difficult to catch up with, it is a story that without any doubt will appeal to a large number of readers from 11 to 14 years of age.

Ebbe Dissing (S)

Synopsis on Sorte Sigurd (Black Mac)

Jesper, 10 years of age, travells in his dreams to the land beyond the limits af any adults' imagination, Fantasyland. He comes to a world he is already familiar to, from all the fairytales he's been told throughout his childhood. He meets the raven Black Mac, who becomes his devoted companion. The fantasyworld is divided into 3 empires: Symphonyland, the world of song and music; Fantasyland, the world that contains all the figures from H.C. Andersen to Disney and Tolkien - and DOS: the world of computergames, ruled by the warriorprograme Electro.
DOS spreads out and threatens to absorb the others, older empires. Prince Major of Symphonyland offers to marry Princess Isabel from Fantasyland. But according to the law, anyone is allowed to make such a proposal. Electro turns up and asks for her hand in marriage. She turns down Electro's offer and DOS starts a campaign to conquer the world. Merlin, the wizard, who's magic protects Fantasyland, tries to calm things down, but makes a mistake and gets erased by Electro.
Jesper (and Black Mac) escapes and fetches a tiny toy-magnet in his home in the real world. Armed with this magnet he travells back the following night - to Nomansland, the neutral country between the other three. Jesper and Black Mac enter DOS, to find Electro and fight him. But realistickly, to themselves they admit that the don't know what to do, if and when they succeed to track him down.
They fight their way through DOS, through the world of computergames with Pac-Man and many other games, are hunted by K-Ram's and Bit's - and they are wanted as computervirus with orders to be erased immediately. At one point Jesper's father sees the boy and the raven on his computerscreen back home, and more trouble begins.
In the end they defeat the wargame Zak, helped by the dog with eyes as big as teacups (H.C. Andersen) and finally they meet Electro. As they are not willing to work with him, Electro tries to erase them. But as he sends his com.mands against them, they crash into the tiny toy-magnet in Jesper's pocket, and Electro breaks down. The empire of DOS erases itself, untill it has the size it had before Electro was created.
Princess Isabel and Prince Major get together, and Jesper and Black Mac are guests of honour at the magnificent wedding-party on the castle.
Jesper has to be in Nomansland before 12.a.m. otherwise he will never be able to return to the real world. He consideres to stay there forever, but at last he chooses to go back to his parents, who are terribly worried. He has a lot of explaining to do - and every night, as he sleeps safely in his bed, a big, black raven watches over him from the cornice, outside his window.

In this translation the raven Sorte Sigurd is named Black Mac.

© Claus Bork, all rights reserved.