Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal (The Land of Stories)

"Struck By Lightning"- as in the movie- was the first outside work by Chris Colfer that I heard of. Upon learning what was about and gathering more and more details about the story, I couldn't help but be immensely attracted to it. Try to understand; I am two years younger than Chris and growing up, I too wasn't too fond of the teen flicks whose focus was more on sex and drugs and not on ambition and fulfilling your goals in life. Therefore, since late 2010, I've been impatiently waiting for the film to come out.Throughout 2012, it has been screened at film festivals all over the place (including abroad); in New York City, LA, Italy, France, Denver, Seattle and even Fresno!! I'm a SF Bay Area resident and since it first graced the Tribeca Film Festival screens last spring, there has been ZERO screenings up here. In fact, there aren't even any theaters up here that will be hosting its January 11th limited release! It's especially ironic, considering the fact that Carson is all about being legit and keeping it real; something that us Bay Area folks are known for. Which is why in August, a few weeks after I read Chris's incredible debut novel "The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell," I was so excited to hear that a novelization/extension of the film would be published. I pre-ordered it the same day I found out.Much like his children's novel, it's not as straight forward as one might assume from reading the synopsis. Everything that Carson does has meaning behind it; every cuss word he writes, every blackmail maneuver he pulls off, every outburst he throws out, every footstep he takes. Everything and everyone are constant layers that one must examine in great detail to get a genuine understanding for and as time goes on, even Carson realizes that. Yes, the writing could be a tad bit stronger and yes, maybe it would have been better without a crap load of cussing but let's remember: this is supposed to be the journal of a 17-year-old boy who knows better than others but not entirely.I had a feeling I would find Carson as a reflection of my 17-year-old high school self and sure enough, I was right! He's very outspoken, doesn't give a care about what anyone else thinks about him, he's ambitious and driven, he's a writer and he's an overachiever but is underappreciated for it at the same time. I knew something good was going to come out of this book the minute I read the dedication to "every president or captain of a writers' club, drama club, speech and debate club, Desintation ImagiNation team, every editor of a high school newspaper or literary magazine, and anyone else overachieving in their own right and underappreciated for it" (side note: I was editor of my high school's newspaper and on the editorial staff for my school's literary magazine too).Overall, I love this book (which may explain why I read it in only a few hours' time). It's funny and snarky, it has its bitter moments, it incorporates valuable life lessons in its own unique ways and it's a definite authentic voice of someone who went through similar circumstances that I went through only a few years ago. Now that I've read the book and know what it's all about, now I want to see the movie now more than ever.God speed Chris Colfer, God speed!"...a life without meaning, without drive or focus, without dreams or goals, isn't a life worth living." -Carson Phillips (pg. 256)

This book was written for teens, by a young man who is barely out of his teens himself, and therefore it will have a better chance of sounding truthful, I believe, than something written by someone who went to high school decades ago. I say this as someone who has been out of high school for a few decades. Normally, I find I don't relate well to books that are written for young adult readers, but in this case, it reminds me painfully of some of the feelings I went through in high school. Anyone who has felt like an outsider, like you don't quite fit in anywhere, will probably be able to relate to this book.Chris Colfer wrote this as a companion to the movie he wrote and starred in, Struck By Lightning, which will be available for viewing soon at Amazon and other places. This is meant to be a companion, rather than an adaptation of the script, and I think the two together will give a more complete look at the characters. This novel is told from the view of the protagonist, Carson Phillips, an ambitious young man who desperately wants to get out of his small town and conquer the world through journalism. Carson isn't always the most pleasant person, and he's more than a little arrogant, yet vulnerable and relatable even to those of us who don't use sarcasm as a weapon.The method Carson has chosen to better his chances for getting into Northwestern University isn't one I would recommend to anyone, yet in this case, it helps others as well as Carson. He finds blackmail material on a number of other students, in order to get them to make submissions to a literary journal. He's not well-liked at his school, to put it mildly, so he resorted to this extreme measure to get some cooperation. It actually proves to give us more insight into the students, and Carson starts to see them as more than just stereotypes, but people with feelings as vulnerable as his own. He's not the only one to hide behind walls of cynicism.There is a lot of humor in the book, not all of it politically correct, but it should make most people laugh out loud in at least a few places. There's a strong message here, too, to enjoy your life while you're living it. Carson learns too late that if you constantly live in the past or the future, and try to ignore the present, you'll miss out on much that life has to offer. The book doesn't have a happy ending, but it is an oddly positive one.It's a short book, and told in the style of a journal, so it won't take long to read, but you should find it well worth the time to invest. And if you like the book, check out the movie, and vice versa. Together they tell a more complete story. The movie shows the perspectives of other characters, but as the book is a journal, it's Carson's viewpoint, so he missed some things that are in the movie. Yet we also get more of an inside look at his personality and motivations, so they really should be seen as two parts of the same story.

Chris Colfer is definitely becoming a writer who is capturing my heart with each book. I've been someone who has been waiting for the film for a long time so when I found out about the book I couldn't wait. It was hard to put this book down I literally had to force myself to close it at 3am so I could actually get some sleep. The writing is brilliant and witty and had me covering my mouth while laughing so I wouldn't wake anyone up. This is the kind of humour I associate with (very sarcastic) it even got one of my friends, who doesnt read much, to read it in a few hours. The power of a Chris Colfer book is a wonderful thing.

I bought this book because I'm a fan of Glee and Chris Colfer and I was not disappointed! Many celebrity novels tend to be poorly written but Chris has a very readable style of writing - touching, funny and very engaging. It's quite a short book, I read it in a couple of sittings so I struck off a star because it would have been nice to be a bit longer. But overall a great story with very likeable characters in particular his friend Mallory. I can't wait to see the film!

This book is so perfect - it's such a lovely piece of writing and it's so easy to read - it just feels like the author enjoyed writing it.Though I do have a biased opinion because anything with Chris Colfer's name on is in my hands ASAP :)The only complaint I have it that it ended too quickly! Not that the plot wasn't carried through well, because it was, but when I'd finished it, I didn't want to have to go back to reality so soon!It's similar to the pace and setting of Glee, so if you love that - go get :) Also, Colfer's sense of humour is priceless :)

Chris Colfer is in his element as he writes about the frustrations of high school. He perfectly captures the struggles of those who don't fit into neat clihés. The story makes you he examine the importance of dreams, writing and sticking up for what you believe in, even (and especially) if it not popular. Although the readign age for this novel i would suggest is a little below my level, i thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend to anyone wishing to read a coming-of-age sotry of wishing to get a deeper insight into Carson's character after having seen the film.

Its probably me, but I just couldnt get into this. Had read a number of very favourable reviews, so looked forward to reading the book - tried three or four times and really perservered but just wasnt interested in the story line or indeed the characters.