From God-Emperor to Goat-Man

As I nestled in with my children to check out the latest cinematic adaption of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face (rather than voice as in Liam Neeson's Aslan work).

Looking to be the first Dune mini-series veteran to find new American stardom following a role in the miniseries', James McAvoy is doing some wonderful character work as the friendly fawn, Mr. Tumnus. Disguised in a number of prosthetics, and clearly comfortable working with (and as) a special effects, McAvoy charms as the decidedly British gentle-fawn.

I, for one, relish the connection between the cinematic presentations of Lewis and herbert's masterpieces. While I will always associate a certian stage of my life with the feverish reading of the Dune novels in a single summer, I likewise recall with fondess reading C.S. Lewis' series of novels as a youth. In fact, I remember that Prince Caspian, besides being the title of one of the series' novels, was also the name of my best character during the many summer Dungeons & Dragons games played in my parent's basement on the unused pool table...

"Oh the landscapes I have seen! And the people! The far wanderings of the Fremen and all the rest of it. Even back through the myths of Terra. Oh, the lessons in astronomy and intrigue, the migrations, the disheveled flights, the leg-aching and lung-aching runs through so many nights on all those cosmic specks where we have defended our transient possession. I tell you we are a marvel and my memories leave no doubt of this."--The Stolen Journals