Fantasy Story about The Phantom Tollbooth/Where the Wild Things Are Kids as Adults
Between 2004 and 2009, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published a story that was basically about a grown up Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth meeting the grown up Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
I think there's some other references to stories where children find their way to secondary fantasy worlds.
story-identification the-phantom-tollbooth
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
add a comment |
Between 2004 and 2009, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published a story that was basically about a grown up Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth meeting the grown up Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
I think there's some other references to stories where children find their way to secondary fantasy worlds.
story-identification the-phantom-tollbooth
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
add a comment |
Between 2004 and 2009, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published a story that was basically about a grown up Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth meeting the grown up Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
I think there's some other references to stories where children find their way to secondary fantasy worlds.
story-identification the-phantom-tollbooth
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
Between 2004 and 2009, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published a story that was basically about a grown up Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth meeting the grown up Max from Where the Wild Things Are.
I think there's some other references to stories where children find their way to secondary fantasy worlds.
story-identification the-phantom-tollbooth
story-identification the-phantom-tollbooth
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
42.6k15228279
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
asked Oct 25 '16 at 13:20
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
472213
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
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The story is "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory. It appeared in FSF October/November 2007. It may be read here. It features a middle-aged man who, during a midlife crisis following a family tragedy, tries to return to the nostalgia of his youth.
In his journey, he crashes into the Phantom Tollbooth with his recently modified car. He meets an older Dorothy Gale and Toto in her displaced Kansas house. After leaving her, in an attempt to re-enter the fantastic world he found as a child, he encounters an adult Max (Where the Wild Things Are) still wearing his footie wolf suit. Together, they learn a valuable lesson about childhood.
The main character might not be Milo (though Dorothy does refer to him as being possibly "the Tollbooth kid"), the presence of the Wonder Bike indicates that he may not be Milo. While I was unable to determine a children's story featuring a kid with a Wonder Bike, it's likely that the main character is just an amalgum generic storybook kid turned adult.
I emailed the author. He confirmed that the main character was not Milo, saying:
The character in "Unpossible" is the grownup hero of his own childhood
adventure story, which I made up. But thematically, he's a brother to
Milo and to Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and even Dorothy -- all
being kids who ride a magical vehicle to the other side.
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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1 Answer
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The story is "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory. It appeared in FSF October/November 2007. It may be read here. It features a middle-aged man who, during a midlife crisis following a family tragedy, tries to return to the nostalgia of his youth.
In his journey, he crashes into the Phantom Tollbooth with his recently modified car. He meets an older Dorothy Gale and Toto in her displaced Kansas house. After leaving her, in an attempt to re-enter the fantastic world he found as a child, he encounters an adult Max (Where the Wild Things Are) still wearing his footie wolf suit. Together, they learn a valuable lesson about childhood.
The main character might not be Milo (though Dorothy does refer to him as being possibly "the Tollbooth kid"), the presence of the Wonder Bike indicates that he may not be Milo. While I was unable to determine a children's story featuring a kid with a Wonder Bike, it's likely that the main character is just an amalgum generic storybook kid turned adult.
I emailed the author. He confirmed that the main character was not Milo, saying:
The character in "Unpossible" is the grownup hero of his own childhood
adventure story, which I made up. But thematically, he's a brother to
Milo and to Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and even Dorothy -- all
being kids who ride a magical vehicle to the other side.
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
add a comment |
The story is "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory. It appeared in FSF October/November 2007. It may be read here. It features a middle-aged man who, during a midlife crisis following a family tragedy, tries to return to the nostalgia of his youth.
In his journey, he crashes into the Phantom Tollbooth with his recently modified car. He meets an older Dorothy Gale and Toto in her displaced Kansas house. After leaving her, in an attempt to re-enter the fantastic world he found as a child, he encounters an adult Max (Where the Wild Things Are) still wearing his footie wolf suit. Together, they learn a valuable lesson about childhood.
The main character might not be Milo (though Dorothy does refer to him as being possibly "the Tollbooth kid"), the presence of the Wonder Bike indicates that he may not be Milo. While I was unable to determine a children's story featuring a kid with a Wonder Bike, it's likely that the main character is just an amalgum generic storybook kid turned adult.
I emailed the author. He confirmed that the main character was not Milo, saying:
The character in "Unpossible" is the grownup hero of his own childhood
adventure story, which I made up. But thematically, he's a brother to
Milo and to Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and even Dorothy -- all
being kids who ride a magical vehicle to the other side.
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
add a comment |
The story is "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory. It appeared in FSF October/November 2007. It may be read here. It features a middle-aged man who, during a midlife crisis following a family tragedy, tries to return to the nostalgia of his youth.
In his journey, he crashes into the Phantom Tollbooth with his recently modified car. He meets an older Dorothy Gale and Toto in her displaced Kansas house. After leaving her, in an attempt to re-enter the fantastic world he found as a child, he encounters an adult Max (Where the Wild Things Are) still wearing his footie wolf suit. Together, they learn a valuable lesson about childhood.
The main character might not be Milo (though Dorothy does refer to him as being possibly "the Tollbooth kid"), the presence of the Wonder Bike indicates that he may not be Milo. While I was unable to determine a children's story featuring a kid with a Wonder Bike, it's likely that the main character is just an amalgum generic storybook kid turned adult.
I emailed the author. He confirmed that the main character was not Milo, saying:
The character in "Unpossible" is the grownup hero of his own childhood
adventure story, which I made up. But thematically, he's a brother to
Milo and to Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and even Dorothy -- all
being kids who ride a magical vehicle to the other side.
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
The story is "Unpossible" by Daryl Gregory. It appeared in FSF October/November 2007. It may be read here. It features a middle-aged man who, during a midlife crisis following a family tragedy, tries to return to the nostalgia of his youth.
In his journey, he crashes into the Phantom Tollbooth with his recently modified car. He meets an older Dorothy Gale and Toto in her displaced Kansas house. After leaving her, in an attempt to re-enter the fantastic world he found as a child, he encounters an adult Max (Where the Wild Things Are) still wearing his footie wolf suit. Together, they learn a valuable lesson about childhood.
The main character might not be Milo (though Dorothy does refer to him as being possibly "the Tollbooth kid"), the presence of the Wonder Bike indicates that he may not be Milo. While I was unable to determine a children's story featuring a kid with a Wonder Bike, it's likely that the main character is just an amalgum generic storybook kid turned adult.
I emailed the author. He confirmed that the main character was not Milo, saying:
The character in "Unpossible" is the grownup hero of his own childhood
adventure story, which I made up. But thematically, he's a brother to
Milo and to Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and even Dorothy -- all
being kids who ride a magical vehicle to the other side.
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
edited 14 hours ago
TheLethalCarrot
42.6k15228279
42.6k15228279
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
answered Oct 25 '16 at 16:12
aethercowboyaethercowboy
472213
472213
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
add a comment |
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
2
2
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Congrats on answering your own question. I believe it's two days before you can click the "accept" button, but don't forget. :) Also, another recent take on "portal fantasy children grown up" is "Every Heart A Doorway" by Seanan McGuire.
– starpilotsix
Oct 25 '16 at 17:01
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
Thanks for the reminder. I ended up doing a brute force search to answer my own question. I'll have to check out her book. I read Feed by her (albeit as Mira Grant) and enjoyed it, so here's hoping.
– aethercowboy
Oct 25 '16 at 19:19
1
1
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
It might be nice to include the relevant parts of your e-mail with the author in your response. It sources your claim, and it also is fun to see authors directly responding to Stack Exchange questions.
– Thunderforge
Oct 25 '16 at 22:48
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
I edited the answer to include a larger part of the quote I had previously used. Is that better?
– aethercowboy
Oct 26 '16 at 17:32
add a comment |
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