The Wish List
Encyclopedia
The Wish List is a fantasy
novel by Eoin Colfer
. It chronicles the adventures of Meg Finn, a teenage girl killed in a gas explosion who must earn her place in Heaven by returning to Earth to help the pensioner she attempted to rob.
Meanwhile, Satan has decided that he wants Meg's soul in Hell and Beelzebub is forced to send Belch to recapture Meg and "make her bad", making Belch and Elph, the hologram with which he has been equipped, the chief antagonists in the story.
The Wish List:
1) Kissy Sissy - Kiss Cicely Ward, (aka Sissy) a popular talk-show granny and one-date girlfriend of Lowrie.
2) Kick a ball over the bar in Croke Park.
3) Burst Ball - Punch a man who bullied Lowrie at school, Punch Brendan Ball.
4) Spit over the Cliffs of Moher.
Ultimately, following a confrontation on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, Belch is destroyed and Meg's final act of holiness - giving her stepfather a new life - gains her entry to Heaven, where she meets her mother again.
instead of through the Pearly Gates. Also, when Saint Peter opens the gate to heaven for Meg, he explains that "Pearly Gate" just sounded better than "Hole in the Sky."
, another children's book written by Eoin Colfer so it is possible that Myishi was the founder of the company originally. Colfer said at the EIBF 2008 that this was also purposeful, as he wants his books to be set in the same universe, and then compared his universe to Marvel's.
Meg Finn shares her surname with Conor Finn, the alter ego of Conor Broekhart, the protagonist of Eoin Colfer's book Airman
and with Colfer's son, Finn Colfer.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
. It chronicles the adventures of Meg Finn, a teenage girl killed in a gas explosion who must earn her place in Heaven by returning to Earth to help the pensioner she attempted to rob.
Plot summary
Meg Finn is in trouble. Her mother is dead and her only family is an abusive stepfather who does nothing but watch TV all day. Her stepfather is forced to resign from his job when Meg embarrassed him by showing his work colleagues a video of herself smashing his brand new television that he bought with Meg's mother's engagement ring and all of Meg's life saving . When she is forced to help Belch Brennan, a dim-witted criminal, rob the elderly Lowrie McCall, the attempted burglary ends in disaster. In an attempt to scare Meg, Belch shoots by a gas tank which explodes, killing them both. While Belch is sent straight to hell (his soul merged with that of his vicious dog Raptor by the explosion, making him a half-boy half-dog creature,) Meg's perfect balance between good and evil earns her a chance to redeem herself and get blue in her Aura. She is sent back to earth in order to help Lowrie complete the items on his "wish list": a list of things that he feels will correct the many mistakes he made in his life.Meanwhile, Satan has decided that he wants Meg's soul in Hell and Beelzebub is forced to send Belch to recapture Meg and "make her bad", making Belch and Elph, the hologram with which he has been equipped, the chief antagonists in the story.
The Wish List:
1) Kissy Sissy - Kiss Cicely Ward, (aka Sissy) a popular talk-show granny and one-date girlfriend of Lowrie.
2) Kick a ball over the bar in Croke Park.
3) Burst Ball - Punch a man who bullied Lowrie at school, Punch Brendan Ball.
4) Spit over the Cliffs of Moher.
Ultimately, following a confrontation on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, Belch is destroyed and Meg's final act of holiness - giving her stepfather a new life - gains her entry to Heaven, where she meets her mother again.
Major characters
- Meg Finn - The main heroine who is halfway between good and bad and gets a second chance on earth as a spirit.
- Lowrie McCall - The old man who needs to complete his Wish List.
- Belch Brennan - The evil half-boy, half-dog who has been sent to make Meg fail the Wish List.
- Elph - The computer hologram designed by Myishi to help Belch stop Meg.
- St. Peter - The saint who decides whether or not a person is allowed into heaven.
- BeelzebubBeelzebubBeelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
- Satan's right-hand demon who has been assigned with returning Meg to HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
Minor characters
- Franco- Meg's stepfather
- Flit - A tunnel miteMiteMites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
who has a grammar problem and gives Meg two backup energy stones. - Raptor- Belch's dog, with whom he later merges.
- Cicely Ward - A famous old friend of Lowrie McCall's whom he wishes to kiss.
- Dessie - A bouncer who works at Cicely Ward's studio, brother of Murt.
- Murt - A security guard at Croke Park, brother of Dessie.
- SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
- The leader of HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. - Myishi - An annoying computer geek who lives in Hell and made Elph. Similar to Foaly in Eoin ColferEoin ColferEoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
's Artemis FowlArtemis Fowl (series)Artemis Fowl is a series of fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer and all the books are best sellers, starring the teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II. The author summed up the series as: "Die Hard with fairies." There are seven novels in the series; the first was published in...
books. - Brendan Ball - A bully who humiliated Lowrie at school, but in his adult years regretted his actions. Lowrie wishes to pay him back for how Brendan treated him, but Brendan's apologetic attitude makes him change his mind.
Portrayal of relationship between Heaven and Hell
Unlike many novels about the relationship of Heaven to Hell and the traditional Judeo-Christian portrayal, Hell is not portrayed as a completely evil place. For instance, Satan does not always take pleasure in killing or torturing others. Beelzebub is also tasked with all of Satan's inane duties, including handling the capture of Meg Finn herself. Likewise, Heaven is not completely pure, as Saint Peter seems to take pleasure in sending souls to limboLimbo
In the theology of the Catholic Church, Limbo is a speculative idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other...
instead of through the Pearly Gates. Also, when Saint Peter opens the gate to heaven for Meg, he explains that "Pearly Gate" just sounded better than "Hole in the Sky."
Connections
Myishi is a company in The SupernaturalistThe Supernaturalist
The Supernaturalist, by Eoin Colfer is a science-fiction novel...
, another children's book written by Eoin Colfer so it is possible that Myishi was the founder of the company originally. Colfer said at the EIBF 2008 that this was also purposeful, as he wants his books to be set in the same universe, and then compared his universe to Marvel's.
Meg Finn shares her surname with Conor Finn, the alter ego of Conor Broekhart, the protagonist of Eoin Colfer's book Airman
Airman (novel)
Airman, by Eoin Colfer, is a best-selling historical adventure novel set in the 19th century. It was released in the UK, Ireland and USA in January 2008. The novel was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal....
and with Colfer's son, Finn Colfer.