Book Review - The Trickster's Hat

The Trickster’s Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity

By: Nick Bantock
Publisher: The Penguin Group
Publication Date: January 2014
ISBN: 98-0-399-16502-3
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: December 26, 2013

In his latest book, The Trickster’s Hat, New York Times Bestseller Nick Bantock strikes a delightful balance between grounded logic and whimsical flair as he guides the reader through lessons on how to open his or her creative flood gates.

Mr. Bantock’s witty banter places his Trickster in the forefront as he steps the reader through a series of tasks using both painting and writing as his mediums.
His Trickster’s mission is to awaken and release the artist’s creative being that resides deep within his or her core. Through an array of 49 challenges ranging in their complexities from simple to grandiose, if the reader reaches Lesson 49 and still has difficulty in connecting with his or her artist, perhaps there were too many distractions to dissuade focus along the reading journey.

As a writer, I was drawn more to the writing exercises versus the painting or drawing. In Lesson 6, the Trickster sets the reader up with a stream of consciousness writing challenge. He or she is to finish sentences the Trickster has partially begun. Emphasis is placed on the importance that there is no right or wrong way to master the feat. Rather, the student’s main focus is to simply get his or her pen flowing. In order to achieve creative flow, the student is disallowed to go back and link the thoughts together until all sentences have been completed: ‘You should now have three sets of three sentences. See if you can find a way to link these sets together in a vaguely cohesive fashion. Once you’ve done that, you can go back in and edit it, changing a few words here and there to help bring it together. By then it should have some life of its own. Try expanding it further, developing any characters or themes that have begun to show themselves…”

For the sketch artist, in Lesson 35, Banktok’s Trickster presents the willing artist with the notion of discounting black and white concepts of ‘how to draw’ and addresses learning technique: ‘it’s about learning to see and letting the retinal images pass through your intuitive grasp of nature’s structural rules, so that your fingers know when to move the pencil up, down, left, or right…’

To take on the challenge of writing a book for many artistic mediums and to do so without a ‘this is how you have to do it’ structure throughout, is an art in and of itself. Mr. Bantock achieves superb artistic delivery in The Trickster’s Hat. Through his consistent use of simple language he provides a solid grounding for each concept with logic that is tailor-made for the mind of an artist. Mr. Bantock had a clear vision when he cast his net: enlist a range of artists and teach them how to discover their artistic abilities. It is abundantly clear that this author resurrected his own artist to write this book through the able assistance of his Trickster. The non-structured exercises translate to adept and authoritative guidance. Congratulations to Mr. Bantock for admirably delivering a balanced blend of solid information. It is a terrific resource for a broad spectrum of writers, painters and sketch artists.

Quill says: Stop taking yourself so seriously as an artist. Enlist and rally your Trickster. He is there and ready to be awakened.

Books In For Review

Here's a sample of books that have recently come in for review.  Check them out and then stop by our site, Feathered Quill Book Reviews, in a few weeks to read the reviews.





Jackpot: A Frank Renzi novel by Susan Fleet A serial killer murders lottery winners. Book 4 in the Frank Renzi series. Nigel Heath wants to be the next Boston Pops conductor. A compulsive gambler, he's deeply in debt. He's also deeply in love with Vicky, a Pops clarinetist. He wins the lottery and thinks his problems are over, but they're just beginning. Homicide Detective Frank Renzi is hunting a serial killer who targets lottery winners. Don't miss the exciting showdown between Frank Renzi and the killer. A prequel to the first three books in the Frank Renzi series, Jackpot takes place in Boston in 2000, before Renzi moved to New Orleans. Follow Frank Renzi and his relentless pursuit of justice in Absolution, Diva and Natalie's Revenge, the previous novels in the series.  

Tarnished Hero by Jim Gilliam In the early 1960's, Tim Kelly's Coast Guard career takes him to Galveston. Hoping to put his father's death at the hands of a union busting thug behind him. Kelly transfers to San Francisco where he meets Brenda Conrad and clashes with an overbearing and sadistic executive officer. Given a choice between courts martial and combat duty in Vietnam, he chooses Vietnam. After receiving the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in combat during an action where three of his friends are killed in action by our own Air Force. Kelly releases his rage in an Air Force officer's club, earning him a less than honorable discharge. Returning to the U.S. with the stigma of a less than honorable discharge, Kelly embarks on a new career as an undercover narcotics agent. After his rescue from the drug cartel when his cover is blown, he plans to marry Brenda, but before the wedding can take place Brenda and her best friend the daughter of the Governor of Texas are kidnapped and spirited to the cartel's secret island base off the coast of Yucatan.

Roscoe is a RAKster: You Can Be One Too by Janice E. Clark Roscoe's initials are R. A. K. and Nana says they stand for "random acts of kindness" because he is always helpful. Whenever he performs a RAK, she calls him a RAKster. She says anyone can be a RAKster, even you. Just do something nice for someone. It's easy. Try it!

The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity by Nick Bantock In The Trickster’s Hat, bestselling author of the Griffin & Sabine cycle Nick Bantock invites you to lose yourself in order to become a better creator. Inspired by Nick's popular and mischievous workshops, the book's forty-nine perceptive exercises will encourage you to forget your destination while you meander through the wondrous world that awaits you in the periphery of your mind's eye.  

Reflections of Life by Jon M. Nelson A poetic look at life through a soldier's eyes. There's more to a soldier than serving and defending his or her country. There is real emotion and humanity inside the hearts of each and every one. In Reflections of Life you can feel the emotional look at humanity from a soldier's perspective. Author Jon M. Nelson expresses his experiences and raw emotion of his military career as well as an outlook on life in general. There are so many problems and issues that this world faces today, and he addresses many of them in his own poetic style.

On Linden Square by Kate Sullivan It’s the first day of winter vacation and Stella Mae Culpepper is bored. As she looks out from the window of her second-floor apartment, she can see all of the usual happenings on Linden Square, her city neighborhood. There are her neighbors. She knows them all by name—or by the names she’s given them, depending on their activities and what Stella Mae can see from her window. Stella Mae thinks she knows her neighbors but she doesn’t really. Everyone in the neighborhood is too busy minding their own business to pay much attention to anyone else. But now it’s the first day of winter vacation and a storm is coming. Not just any storm but a big, wonderful winter storm. It’s a blizzard! And when the snow finally stops and Stella Mae ventures outside to play, something quite marvelous happens on Linden Square.  

Tuki and Moka: A Tale of Two Tamarins Eduardo and his family live in a small town in Ecuador, not far from the Amazon rainforest. The rainforest is an important part of their lives. Each month Eduardo and his father travel by river from their town to the rainforest. There, using just a basket and a machete, they gather Brazil nuts. They are castañeros and this is how they earn their living. But the rainforest is not only important to the castañeros; it is home to many exotic species of plants, birds, and mammals, including two playful tamarins that Eduardo has named Tuki and Moka. So although it is difficult work being a castañero, Eduardo looks forward to his visits to the rainforest so he can play with his two friends. But one night, the peace of the forest is threatened by poachers, animal traffickers who illegally capture and then try to sell some of the birds and animals. Can Eduardo save his friends?  

Digger and Daisy Go to the Zoo by Judy Young Meet Digger and Daisy They are brother and sister. These dogs like to explore their world and see new things. Sometimes they agree with each other. Sometimes they disagree. But no matter the situation, one thing always stays the same--their steadfast love and concern for each other. In playful, simple stories written especially for the K-1 audience, author Judy Young explores the dynamics and nuances of the sibling relationship. In Digger and Daisy Go to the Zoo Digger tries to imitate the various animals they see while Daisy tries to tell him what he can and cannot do.  

Frog and Friends: Frog Saves the Day by Josee Masse Welcome to Frog and his world. He enjoys nothing better than spending time floating on his pond or visiting with his friends. He appreciates the simpler things in life and would prefer that things stay just the way they are—nice and peaceful. From acclaimed children’s writer Eve Bunting comes a beginning reader series featuring the delightful Frog and his friends Rabbit, Possum, Raccoon, and Squirrel. In Frog Saves the Day Frog and his friends mistakenly think a nearby train is a ferocious dragon and later Frog rescues a friend’s child from danger.