Reflection: A Twisted Tale

Reflection is far more than I expected it to be, and everything I wanted. Reflection tells a divergent plot from the Disney Mulan movie, a sort of ‘alternate history’ where Captain Li is wounded, and Mulan travels to the Chinese underworld in order to retrieve him. I must admit, I thought the beginning of the story was poorly motivated – Mulan seeking to rescue Captain Li but neglecting the rest of the soldiers who died in the battle struck an odd, unfair chord in me – and this is really my one and only criticism of the book. Throughout the early section of the book, Mulan motivates her search for Captain Li in the underworld in terms of Friendship and Guilt – Captain Li was her friend, so she wouldn’t let him down. He was also injured helping her, so she felt a need to repay him. These motivations are fine, but her neglect of the soldiers who died in the avalanche – by her own hand – comes off as cold and uncaring, an odd juxtaposition with the way she is presented. I would have liked to see this theme dealt with more – and her feelings about perhaps being unable to save the soldiers fuelling and foiling her desire to save Captain Li. Once the story gets going, however, all was forgiven. Reflection takes place in the evocative, colourful Chinese underworld that Elizabeth Lim has brought to life fantastically. The whole world and those who inhabit it – either as recurring character or even one-shot enemy redshirts – are filled with character. The immersive, engaging underworld is hands down the most impressive aspect of the book, and worth reading for that experience alone. What I found particularly impressive is how Lim managed to make the world and book feel like a Disney animation – something in the way characters are described and where emphasis is placed manages to transfer from film to text, and reflection feels like a genuine Disney world because of it. I would love to see Disney adapt Reflection into a feature film. That said, Reflection definitely stands on its own, without the need for support. The adventure is compelling, the action is fast and engaging, the characters are both true to themselves and the movies, and well-developed – far more than I expected when I picked up the book. Reflection is really just a fantastic adventure story, and well-worth reading. The only other possible critique I have is more semantics than anything else. Reflection is its own narrative, rather than a ‘twisted’ re-telling of the original plot. Similar to a sequel, but more of a ‘side-quel’, as it takes place in the space of one earthly night. Reflection begins and ends within a scene change in the movie – and I definitely think more could be done with the concept of ‘twisting’ Mulan’s original story.