Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede

12/01/09

In the alternate history of the frontier, for twin sister and brother Eff and Lan Rothmer, magic is a part of everyday life. The same magic that makes Lan special, as the seventh son of a seventh son also makes Eff, as the thirteenth child, born with the potential to bring doom to everyone around her. Their magician-professor father and practical mother plan to raise them as normal as possible despite these concerns, which means moving their family from back east to a town perilously close to the Great Barrier Spell that protects civilization from normal and magical creatures.

Eff lives in the shadow of her talented brother, but to her it seems quite alright because then no one will notice that she’s an unlucky thirteen. Worrying about bringing doom to those around her makes her worry about using magic, and as a result her spells never seem to work quite right, even the everyday household ones used to make cooking and cleaning easier. But that doesn’t stop her from studying magic or from helping with the menagerie at Mill City’s college where her father teaches.

Told from Eff’s first-person viewpoint, Thirteenth Child covers a period of about thirteen years, from when Eff is five and living among her father’s large extended family in the east, up until the end of the book when she’s eighteen. This makes for a slower paced story. While the plotline itself is interesting and deftly handled, the story does move a little slow. This, I think, is often the drawback of first novels in a series because there is so much to build before we get into the real meat of the story later in the series. However, despite this, I really liked this book.

Wrede is an excellent writer, and her prose flows easily. The pacing, while slower, is steady and the story is interesting as we watch Eff, her family, and those in their frontier town deal with the problems of a magical Wild West. Like the story itself, the worldbuilding progresses a little slowly and I would have liked to have seen more, but hopefully there will be more in the forthcoming books. The characterization of the main characters, especially Eff is well done. However, with such a large cast it was harder to get much depth with many of the secondary characters.

The magic, while nothing new, is still well done as we learn about it from young Eff’s point of view as she studies. And despite her difficulties with some magic, her ability to use the more subtle varieties of magic is what does eventually save the day.

This first novel of the Frontier Magic series, while slow to build, Thirteenth Child lays the groundwork for a potentially very satisfying series. I will be keeping my eye out for the next installment.

Read my review and participate on the forums over at the Time Waster's Guide.

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The Night Angel Trilogy

The Night Angel Triology consists of The Way of Shadows, Shadow's Edge, and Beyond the Shadows.

09/03/09

Living in the gutters of Cenaria City, Azoth must beg and steal in order to survive. It’s a hard life for a child, and he dreams about the day he can be the kind of man who instills fear in others, instead of being afraid for his own life and the lives of his friends. He sees his chance in Durzo Blint, the city’s best wetboy—an assassin who uses magic as part of his craft—and convinces Durzo to make him his apprentice.

Little does Azoth know the sacrifices he must make in order to escape one hard life for another.

These novels are Weeks’ first published books and while the story that runs through the three books (each runs about 700 pages) is long and involved, it’s easy to tell that they’re first novels: the writing lacks the polish of more experienced writers. Cliché is liberally sprinkled (although as the stories progress he seems to get more confident and mellows out a little) and there’s a rather steep learning curve for the large cast and their names and back story; his naming conventions were sometimes awkward, as well.

There are some bumps in the story when he writes too much or too little, or a turn of events feels contrived. The fight sequences, while well done and fun to read, can sometimes be flashy or over-the-top. And while for the most part Weeks is consistent with his third-person narrative, his POV will occasionally switch jarringly between characters within the same scene. But this isn’t why you’ll read this story. In fact, these are minor complaints compared to the excellent plot, characterization, and magic system as a whole.

These books are all plot and Weeks’ story is compelling and fascinating as it pulls the reader along. We watch Azoth as he trains to be a wetboy, takes on a new name, new life, new identity and is propelled into a world where magic is used to kill. When he discovers that Durzo Blint is more than he appears, Azoth’s life is turned upside-down—and he must cope with not only his own new magic, but as a wetboy he finds himself intimately involved in the political upheavals that surround him.

The characters are an interesting bunch of cynics, idealists, and innocents who sometimes have to do terrible things for the sake of what’s right or simply to survive. The main characters all evolve in satisfying ways as the story progresses and it’s easy to become caught up in their dilemmas. Nothing seems to go right for these people and it’s a continual struggle clear to the end. In some ways I want to compare it to 'The First Law' trilogy by Joe Abercrombie since it has the same feel because of the harshness of the lives the characters live; but 'The Night Angel Trilogy' is more hopeful and redeeming, with its themes of mercy and love, which makes the characters enjoyable to read.

It’s clear to me in reading these books how much of an influence Robert Jordan’s 'Wheel of Time' series has on the author. The map layout is similar, and you’ll notice a few other things such as a sisterhood of women mages who live on an island in a big tower, or a magic sword that makes the weilder very powerful. But these things are minor and don’t flavor the story unnecessarily.

The magic system, at the start, seems pretty standard, but as we learn more it’s much more fascinating. Magic seems to basically come from an individual’s innate ability to use the magical energy in and around them, but a culture’s proclivity seems to influence one’s strength with a certain kind of magic, whether it be for fighting, healing, or academic. There are magical items that strengthen one's magic or focus, or gives the user supernatural abilities. Then there’s the vir, which is funneled by an immortal being whose followers unknowingly empty their magic reserves twice a day via a religious prayer. The Godking and his magicians are the only ones who can draw on this almost endless reserve of magic—it makes for a powerful and cruel bunch and for an interesting take on how a magic system could work and be the basis of a religion and culture.

I’m very interested to see what Brent Weeks comes up with next.

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Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

10/27/08

The boy Tavi has no magic to call his own, which among the people of Alera makes him something of a cripple. He can’t call a fury of the earth or of wood, like his Uncle Bernard; the fury of water like his Aunt Isana; and neither can he use a fire, metal, or air fury like his friends. To make up for his lack of magic he has to be brave and clever: characteristics which become crucial to the events happening in the Calderon Valley where he lives.

On another side of Alera, the spy Amara is on a mission to find proof of the rebellion of Alera’s nobles against their king. What she finds is much more comprehensive than she would have ever imagined--it’s a full-blown bid to overthrow the king, the enemies of the crown even recruiting the barbaric Marat to invade and throw the country into chaos. Amara races against time to find the truth and warn the Count of Calderon Valley about the incoming invasion.

Starting out the novel it felt like the same old fantasy. And in many ways it is, but it’s those basic elements of fantasy that appeals to its readers, plus some fresh twists, that makes Furies of Calderon worth reading.

Butcher’s prose flows easily from page one and carries the reader along a story that moves quickly—so much happens in such a short time than you can’t believe the book only covers a few days. While it starts out a little slow to establish the setting and core characters, enough happens to keep you engaged until everything hits the fan. Sometimes you go from event to event, the tension building to have something completely different happen; Butcher attempts plot twists that sometimes come across as a bit awkward, but if you just go with the flow and don’t think about it, they resolve satisfactorily.

The characters are well drawn and interesting, with enough background story to keep you curious about them as their lives are slowly revealed. Tavi in particular is fascinating as the black sheep among a magic-dependant society, who has to find ways to prove himself. Amara I found rather obnoxious, however, as she was not very realistic for me; Butcher tries to make this a society where women aren’t equal to men, but then has this woman as a high-powered spy with aggression to spare, but fortunately her inconsistencies didn’t ruin the story.

The magic system is the most interesting aspect of this book. When everyone has magic it makes not only the everyday living, but the fighting and interaction much more remarkable between the characters. The Marat horde, who once occupied the Calderon Valley, don’t have fury magic. Instead they bond with animals unique to this world (and the more common to us, including horse, wolf, fox), taking on some of the characteristics of their animal companions. How do the furycrafters fight the animal ferocity of these barbarians? How can two completely different races possibly communicate?

Despite it being the first in a series, Furies of Calderon ends with a satisfying conclusion, wrapping up the most important elements that are introduced at the beginning of the story, without solving the overarching dilemma of the series.

Furies of Calderon is the first book in the Codex Alera series.

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Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson is out

10/15/08

I went to the first book signing last night for the release of Hero of Ages at the BYU Bookstore and had my book signed.

I was in line for 2 1/2 hours. With my kids (Mark was working). Needless to say we were pretty tired by the time we got home, but it was an interesting experience.

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Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

10/11/08

At the end of book 4, Empire of Ivory, Temeraire and Laurance have saved not only the English dragons from disease and death, but at the risk of being named traitors, delivered the cure to the French. Despite it being Temeraire's plan, Laurence is the one who suffers imprisonment and the loss of his aeral corp rank. But when Napleon invades the shores of England, Temeraire and Laurance must join the fight because England needs every dragon it has to battle Napoleon's new scemes.

Novik diverges quite a bit in this book from the real history of the Napoleonic wars, but to great effect. Napoleon's invasion of England is interesting in its details and strategy, and she makes it feel real--from Napoleon's actions to the response of the English citizens. And, of course, there's an exciting battle at the end of the book well worth reading.

Temerarie, despite spending the first part of the book seperated from Laurance, continues to be frustrated with the prejudice that England's men and women have for dragons--that they're dumb animals only worth using in combat. Temeraire, despite all this, feels a sort of patriotism for England and takes the initative to help his country. I really enjoyed watching the interaction between the dragons, which was much more common than in previous books; Temeraire's natural leadership ability really shines. Novik's characterizations of the dragons and their roles in war and within their own little dragon culture really makes this story interesting.

Poor Laurance, however, is still branded a traitor among his peers and suffers for it despite the risks he makes for them. This reality affects his choices and attitudes throughout the story, and his struggle feels real. He knows that the hanging due for a traitor is only a matter of time, and as a result goes about his tasks with grim determination. He worries most about Temeraire and what his death would mean for his dragon, and about how it will affect his family; you can't help but pity the guy, who spends his time worrying about others more than himself.

As usual, Novik's swift pacing and engaging prose carries you along the story. If you liked the style of her first books, she continues on very consistently here. The voice is easy reading and pulls you into the era nicely. Events take turns you don't expect, and by the end you feel satisfied that Laurance and Temeraire have done everything they could to save England. And, of course, by the very end you know they have a new adventure right around the corner.

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The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs

07/04/08

Magic in Aren’s world is generally mistrusted. It doesn’t help that the bloodmages go a little crazy in the process of using their magic, nor that they take gifted children from among the population to train in their questionable practices. Many years ago the bloodmages bound the land’s natural magics to control it, because they and the rulers feared it; what good is it to have a populace with as much magic as those in charge? But in the process they banished all magical creatures—ghosts, goblins, and other ghouls—and it seemed like a fair tradeoff.

Until the bloodmages lose control of their binding.

Aren’s grandmother had a knack for healing, but it was never very strong, it simply made her a better midwife. Her brother had a talent for finding things, until the bloodmages found him and he rathered die than go with them. Aren, herself, has a more discrete talent—she can ‘see’ or predict things, but because of the binding she can’t see much that is any help. At least, until the binding lifts and suddenly she can see with stunning clarity events from not only the future or the past, but also as they happen. That is how she knows when the raiders came and killed her husband.

After the unbinding she doesn't see the point in hiding her true abilities any longer. But it makes her a sudden outcast among a village in chaos after the raiders and an unexplainable ‘natural’ disaster changes the mountain range so drastically that their normal trade routes all but disappear. Aren, a traveling minstrel, and a solider of the local lord travel across the mountains to try to make contact with the other villages, but in the process come across some truly frightening creatures—and one friendly one, the Hob, who becomes crucial to Aren’s and the village’s survial in the following turbulent events.

Patricia Briggs knows how to write heroines with flaws, but still have the strength to do what needs to be done. In her Mercy Thompson series, Mercy has special abilities and can kick some butt, yet at the same time there’s no question that she’s a woman with a woman’s needs, feelings, and behaviors. Aren is just as well drawn as Mercy and you can’t help but be carried along her plight as he tries to save a village, despite their hostility to her magic abilities.

Another of Briggs' strengths is her magical setting. She doesn’t overdo it, the magic has limitations, but is an integral part of the story. She adds enough detail to make the magic interesting (even though it isn’t actually very original, but neither is it original in the Mercy Thompson series, but it does not hinder how well she weaves it into the story), without making it a burden to the storytelling.

Aren’s story begins quickly and moves quickly. Briggs doesn’t lag at all in her pacing, and it’s consistent throughout the story. There’s always something happening, or Aren learning something new. It all builds up to an exciting climax that resolves events to the reader’s satisfaction.

But Briggs is not a prose writer, it’s all about story and Aren and how she has to learn how to control her magic if she’s going to surive and help her village survive—as well as her relationship with the Hob. There is no really amazing prose here, or really in-depth characterization or setting (which are still adequate to the story). While her writing style will not trip you up, and she’s not cliché (like in the annoying Kris Longknife books), it’s not Bujold, either.

If you’ve read the Mercy Thompson books and liked them you’ll like The Hob’s Bargain. It’s not as good as those books, in my opinion, but it’s still good, clean fun.

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Kris Longknife: Mutineer by Mike Shepherd

06/09/08

The daughter of a governor to a settled planet, Kris enjoyed a life of luxury and prestige--but she felt it was more of a prison than anything. In an effort to make her own way in the universe, she joined the marines. Unfortunately, the military of the outer rim planets lacks the support it needs to continue operations, as there isn’t much conflict like there used to be.

After a spectacular rescue of a little girl from terrorists on a neighboring planet, Kris is relegated to humanitarian duty on a planet whose environment has gone haywire from man-made interference. She realizes that her assignment may not be coincidence, and that her brush with death on the kidnapping rescue mission may not have been coincidence, either.

When I picked up Kris Longnife: Mutineer off Amazon, I did it because a lot of people seemed to like the book, the cover is cool, and it’s about a woman military type and I think it’s cool for a woman to be able to fight. Not very good reasons to choose a book, as I found out. It’s not a poorly written book, but neither is it stellar writing, and after coming off the high after reading Bujold’s Curse of Chalion, it was hard not to compare the flat prose and boring characters.

The opening chapters are slow and pedantic. It’s supposed to be this exciting rescue mission, but we’re instead jerked out of the here-and-how with too many flashbacks from not only when her brother was kidnapped and murdered, but her troubled teenage years.

Shepherd's prose is basic, rife with cliché and not descriptive beyond the required setting elements and sci fi technological details. This story is all about plot, no doubt, as one event after another occurs, strung along as we follow Kris’s travels from one planet to another. You’d think that all this information was to build up for a spectacular ending. But…the climax events have little direct relation with Kris’s actions in the rest of the book, which, as a plot-based book, should have tied more directly into the main body of the story.

The characterization is little more developed than the setting. Shepherd attempts to give Kris flaws, but this 21-year-old woman is a know-it-all with better solutions than her more experienced senior officers. It goes so far beyond reality it suspends belief. She always knows the right thing to do. I don’t remember being that mature and smart when I was 21. Shepherd tries to write Kris as a woman, really he does, but in essence she’s a man in a woman’s body with a few irrational emotional episodes tucked in for good measure. I had a hard time identifying with this woman on any level. Kris does have issues she struggles through, it's just that Shepherd isn't very subtle about it.

If you like a good adventure, perhaps compared to Gemmel's books, where your hero is a truly heroic, then you will probably like this book. Otherwise, I probably won't read the rest of the books in this series, just because I can't care enough about Kris to do it.
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The Host by Stephanie Meyer

05/19/08

The Host takes place in the future where a parasitic alien race who call themselves 'souls' has taken the minds and bodies of humanity, continuing the lives of their hosts relatively unchanged. Melanie Stryder is a 'wild' human without a host, living in rebellion-until she's caught and Wanderer is inserted into her spinal column to take over her body. Only Melanie's presence refuses to disappear and Wanderer has to deal with the overwhelming emotions she had for the men in her life-her younger brother Jamie and her love, Jared.

Instead of Melanie succumbing like she's supposed to, the tables are turned and it's Wanderer who finds herself incapable of continuing her life without Jared and Jamie. Melanie's memories and feelings cause her alien parasite to become so overwhelmed with emotion that she sets out to find them, almost killing herself in the process.

I'll have to grant Meyer one thing, she can sure get into the nitty-gritty emotions and minutiae of the agony Melanie/Wanderer go through as they try to cope with their situation. The characterization is interesting-particularly how a host's body influences the souls in them, how not only memories and mental personality, but the physical differences of a host influences a soul. She explores this concept with satisfying detail as the soul's fundamental personality is changed by Melanie's presence.

Meyer's prose is consistent through her novels. She has great flow and description and that continues here. There are descriptions of the different planets Wanderer has lived on and the hosts she's lived her life through. The concept behind it is interesting and the alien race's approach to things is written logically and straightforward without too much boring extras.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the setting. Melanie/Wanderer are able to find a group of humans in the Arizona desert in underground caverns. There they grow food and are well enough hidden away that they are safe. Unfortunately, the Seeker who is assigned to Wanderer won't give up, convinced that her charge didn't die in the desert.

Sadly, like Meyer's vampire novels, you read about 400 pages of 'oh I feel so conflicted' before anything happens. And Wanderer spends so much time feeling scared and passive to only have occasional moments of aggressive behavior that her actions seemed contradictory. Meyer does her best to explain away these inconsistencies, but I was still left reeling and incredulous at times.

The last quarter of the book the pace picks up and the 400 pages of build-up promise an exciting conclusion-to only deliver a forced happy ending. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

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Through Wolf's Eyes

02/16/08

Firekeeper was five years old when her remote village burned down, with her as the only survivor. She was taken in by wolves who are larger than the usual wolf, more intelligent—as is only natural since they are royalty.

It’s ten years later when an expedition from beyond the mountain pass come looking for the settlement. It had been founded by the disinherited youngest son of the king, whose other heirs have since died. The expedition finds Firekeeper living in the wilds of the mountains and, curious, she goes with them back to civilization, with them believing her to the daughter of the prince, and therefore the king’s true heir.

Unfortunately, Firekeeper gets more than she bargains for. Living among humans isn’t only about plentiful food, nice clothing, and warm houses, there is also the political maneuverings of a family she never knew she had, which is a danger much more foreign to her than the obvious behavior of the wolves. Everyone questions whether Firekeeper is the real Lady Blysse, and at the same time, the royal wolves want her there as a potential liason with the humans—but what are they planning?

Characterization is Lindskold’s strongest feature, the most interesting character being Firekeeper herself. Her struggle as she moves from the wolf world into the mystifying behavior of humans is interesting to watch as she tries to find her place among them. She often compares human behavior to wolf behavior, prefers to go barefoot, and her attitudes about everything from eating to traveling to fighting are all interesting.

Unfortunately, the last three-quarters of the book doesn’t have much of Firekeeper in it, as though Lindskold has forgotten who the book is about in favor of other characters. The other characters can be interesting as well, but aren’t told with the same depth as Firekeeper. And there are so many of the royal family plotting to become the new heir, some of whom are rarely seen, that I got lost in all the familial connections--even the chart didn't keep me from getting confused.

Plotting is simple and straightforward and, frankly, a little bland. The setting is fine, although the way Lindskold presents history and the familial connections are bewildering. A great deal of the back history and politics is told through expositional dialogue or beginning-of-chapter recitations that’s so dull I want to skip to the action. Lindskold’s prose is readable, but she has some rough spots where she stumbles with formalness, making it sometimes sound a little ridiculous when she could have written it more straightforward.

Through Wolf’s Eyes is the first book in the Wolf series, and despite it being in a series, is easily readable as a standalone, as there's no cliffhanger or other obnoxious ending to the book.

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The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling

01/17/08

Nine years ago all gasoline ceased working, as well as steam power, gun powder, and explosives. No one knows why except that the world was suddenly plunged into a new Dark Ages where robber barons, cannibals, and bandits are abundant.

Mike Havel was one of the few who kept his head during the Change and as a result is now Lord of the Bearkillers, a group that resides in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. They’re building up their community, just doing their best to survive; but unfortunately the Lord Protector of Portland wants to extend his realm of influence, so the Bearkillers must become some of the best fighters in the area if they want to defend their own land.

Not too far from the Bearkillers lives Juniper MacKenzie, whose clan of Wiccans is in the same predicament. The Protector seems intent on starting a war with them—but on his own terms. At least until Juniper pulls her own trump card.

Meanwhile, halfway across the world in England, we’re introduced to a new trio of fascinating characters who must leave their native land under tense circumstances.

The Protector’s War begins nine years after Dies the Fire (the first book in the trilogy), but the Protector has used the intervening years building up this domain, continually extending his reach. However, the Bearkillers and the MacKenzies to the south continue to be a thorn in his side, and not just because they’re among the best trained fighters in the region, but also because they’re sitting on the best farmland.

It’s fascinating to see the characters struggle with a world vastly different than the one they grew up in. Unfortunately, other than a brief interlude in the beginning, there’s little speculation or furthering our knowledge about what happened to cause the Change. But if you can overlook this glaring flaw, The Protector’s War is engaging. How would communities work together or with other communities to get what they need? How would medical treatment change—and how frustrating would it be to have the knowledge but not the medicines and supplies to treat people? Would you miss bananas, too?

Like the first book, the plot of this one is very straightforward, with some excellent pacing. Well, except for the over-long descriptions of how they building this fortification or the food and revelry they had at that party, which gets a little old and I skipped stuff to get to the main story.

The characters are fun and interesting, full-blooded people who must deal with a brutal new world. Stirling’s women are strong who do what they must and his interaction between the sexes is spot-on. My only complaint in this category is that he foreshadows some romance for major characters and then doesn’t deliver. I read clear to the end and it wasn’t resolved satisfactorily. If he doesn’t deliver in the third book I may have a stern word with the author. Don’t promise lovin’ and then don’t write it, that’s just bad manners.

Stirling’s world of post-apocalypse change is worth reading—because no matter how much things change, so many things still stay the same.

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Blood Bound

01/09/08

We first met Mercedes in Moon Called, where she gets mixed up with the local werewolf pack, even becoming romantically involved with its Alpha. She’s friends with a vampire named Stephan, and in Blood Bound he asks her for a favor while he does business for the local vampire queen.

It turns out to be a really big favor. Stephan has to check out a lone vampire in his queen’s territory, only to discover that the recently turned was a sorcerer—and he comes with a demon attached. This causes big trouble in the paranormal community of the tri-cities area of Washington because not only does he wreak havoc on everything around him, but he negatively influences the behavior of supernatural beings just by being in proximity.

Some of Mercy’s werewolf friends try to help the vampires, but everyone who sniffs out the trail of the sorcerer-vampire go missing—and Mercy is determined to help despite her fears that the sorcerer-vampire would realize what she is and take care of her permanently.

In Moon Called the plot was a little convoluted, but in Blood Bound the mystery is much more straightforward, and also quite compelling as Mercy deals with the troubles the sorcerer-demon causes and tries to figure out her own role in this mess.

Briggs’ writing is also more taut in this book, the pace never lags, the story flows well from one scene to the next without frustrating the reader. The tri-cities setting does have a place in this book, but it doesn’t feel as pronounced as in the first book, which is too bad because I lost some of the feel for the setting. She writes some truly anxiety-inducing scenes in which Mercy is in real danger. Briggs also is great with lore (vampire, werewolf, fae) and the political maneuverings involved between all non-human beings.

The characters develop a little more slowly in this book, there isn’t the push to characterization as like in Moon Called, but Briggs is consistent and they do see some progress. Mercy is interesting in how she handles having to become involved with the vampires. Perhaps most interesting is Stephan, her vampire friend with the van painted like the Mystery Machine, who takes for granted her acceptance of his un-dead state—their relationship is fascinating to watch.

If you’ve read the Stephanie Meyer books and were fascinated by the vampire/werewolf lore, but annoyed by a weak heroine and plotline, you would like this series because the main character is a woman who is intelligent, independent, gutsy, and will do what’s necessary to save those she loves, even risking her life.

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Brandon Sanderson to Write A Memory of Light

12/10/07

If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me enlighten you. A few months ago Robert Jordan, the bestselling fantasy author of the Wheel* of Time series, passed away from a rare disease. And who should his wife Harriet pick to write the last book in the series but Brandon Sanderson of Mistborn and Elantris fame. I'm still in shock. Happy shock. Gleeful shock. Oh so happy there's no words for it, shock.

Read about it here:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6511045.html

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The Assassins of Tamurin

11/27/07

Lale was eleven years old when the villagers of Riversong banished her; she was only an orphan and had no family to speak for her. However, despite her plight, she took her meager possessions and walked toward the nearest town in search of a better life. Little did she know that it would lead her to become the adopted daughter to the Lady of Tamurin.

Lale is not the only adopted daughter, and finds herself in the School of Serene Repose where dozens of girls learn the kinds of things noble daughters (and sons) are taught. This education serves Lale well as she graduates into the secret school for assassins that her ‘mother’ founded as a means to spread abroad her own army of loyal spies. And she has special plans for Lale.

Despite this being a standalone book, Tamurin is fully realized and well executed, the details of Lale’s world woven around her, including the important influences of politics and culture. It probably doesn’t help, however, that her mother is bent on revenge; a civil war caused the death of her infant son, placing another man on the throne that should have been his. Lale discovers that politics is often influenced by a person’s point of view and finds herself in a truly dangerous predicament because of it.

The plot moves forward consistently, even though the pace can lag in some places since reading about friends and school can be dull, and Lale spends the first third of the book learning--in preparation for the events that culminate the story. The prose is average, descriptions and exposition sometimes getting in the way of the plot—and this book is plot-driven, so extra descriptions do make the story lag.

Lale is an interesting character as we watch her grow into a woman, her non-traditional education and loyalties influencing her decisions. She wants to make the right decisions for not only herself and her mother, but also her countrymen, but painfully discovers that they don’t always coincide. It was difficult, however, to always understand her feelings and motivations. Aside from a few important instances, it appears that the plot carries her along without describing how events influence her emotions, she seems too distant from people and events. But perhaps that is the result of being a trained assassin—she must keep her emotional distance and sees others only how they will be of use to her. It makes her seem cold and unfeeling, which made it difficult as a reader to feel invested in her as a character.

The final third of the book is so much different from the first third that to say anything would spoil the story. Lale’s journey from her foundling beginnings, to the daughter of a noblewoman, to assassin, can be mind-boggling at times. But Tower pulls it all together, fitting threads and people into the plot so that the important decisions Lale makes all comes together at the end.

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Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

11/08/07

After so long abroad, traveling to China in book 2, then making their way across the continent in book 3, Laurence and Temeraire have finally returned home to England. Unfortunately, they have arrived to find that almost all of England’s aerial corps is in quarantine: from a most often fatal illness.

The doctor assumes that Temeraire had the illness while en route to China, and on their stop in Africa must have eaten something that cured him. In a desperate bid to save the only means by which England can keep Napoleon’s dragons off the island, Laurence and Temeraire are sent to Africa with the ill dragons of their formation to reconstruct the events leading to Temeraire’s cure. Little do they expect, though, to find a civilized dragon culture deep in the heart of Africa.

Empire of Ivory starts off with a bang, beginning where it left off in Black Powder War, with Temeraire and the feral dragons they’ve recruited escaping Napoleon’s invasion of Germany. Laurence and Temeraire don’t get a rest from their wearying adventures, however, and we are whisked along as they patrol England’s borders, and eventually are sent to Africa. Novik keeps the pace steady and sure, clear until the startling ending.

But Empire of Ivory isn’t all about action and adventure. Novik also presents themes that affected the culture of the early 19th century, most notably slavery. We meet William Wilberforce (the movie Amazing Grace would be a good introduction), England's champion of abolition, and his friend Reverend Erasmus who becomes a traveling companion with Laurence and Temeraire to Africa so he can be a missionary there. Rev. Erasmus and his wife are both native to Africa—with Mrs. Erasmus the most interesting character in the book, the hints at her life as a slave and her stoicism in the face of tragedy engrossing.

While parts of the novel are set in England and on a ship en route, more than half the novel takes place in Africa. We see its foreignness through Laurence’s eyes, and that doesn’t only involve the topography. We witness the inter-tribal struggles, are introduced to two intractable orphan boys struggling to survive, and are taken to the interior where man and dragon live side-by-side on a more integrated scale than even seen in China.

If you liked the first three books, you will like Empire of Ivory because Novik is a consistent writer and it carries through here, as well. In the end of the novel…well, you will have to read it for yourself because after an exciting climax, Novik mixes things up. Laurence and Temeraire must make a difficult decision and we’re left with another cliffhanger, waiting impatiently for the next book.

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A Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

11/03/07

Sixteen-year-old Lady Saren refuses her father’s order to marry the terrifying Lord Kashar; she’s imprisoned in a tower for seven years as her punishment, but not before securing Dashti’s pledge to never leave her. They are supplied with food and fuel, but the windows and entrance of the tower are bricked in, except for a chute in the wall for discarding refuse and receiving a daily allotment of yak’s milk.

Lady Saren weeps while Dashti, resourceful and clever, performs the tasks of daily living. And writing. A Book of a Thousand Days takes form as a journal of Dashti’s experiences and thoughts. Months pass. But one day they are visited by Lady Saren’s other suitor, a kind young man, her Khan; but Lady Saren tells Dashti to speak to him as if Dashti were her. After several visits Dashti realizes with dismay that she’s in love with her lady’s Khan.

But the Khan isn’t the only suitor to visit. Lord Kashar visits, too, and Dashti understands for the first time why Lady Saren refuses to marry him. In the meantime, their food supply is dwindling from spoilage and rats. Before three years are up, they’re almost out of food, the guards outside the tower have disappeared after a frightening encounter with a wolf, and Lady Saren continues to wallow in self-pity. Yet Dashti has hope.

As usual, Hale’s prose is superb; Dashti’s voice is authentic and as lyrical as the songs she’s always singing. Her peasant songs heal the body and the heart, having learned them at her mother’s knee. The magic is subtle, much like the rock singing in Hale’s Princess Academy, but it fits so well with the story and with Dashti’s faithful and hopeful nature.

It’s set in a kind of long-ago Mongolia, and it’s fascinating and real as Hale weaves a story of their customs, religion, magic, and history. It explains Dashti’s unquestioning devotion to the wimpy Lady Saren; but Dashti is clever and can think for herself, and finds herself questioning things that don’t make sense, even though that’s the way it’s always been.

One would think that reading about two girls shut up in a tower would be boring. It isn’t. These two girls and their reactions are such a contrast, and Dashti’s observations are so thought-provoking, that the time seems to fly past. This may be giving too much away, but they aren’t always stuck in the tower. The plot moves forward at a steady pace as they discover how, during their time in the tower, the world around them has drastically changed, but they push forward, Dashti’s hope the fuel that keeps them going.

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Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

10/29/07

A series of mysterious and gruesome killings plague Seattle, a problem which worries the locals in Forks, the Cullen vampire family in particular. News stories point to signs that ‘newborn’ vampires are being created and not kept under control. The vampire noble family, the Volturi, are sure to come clean up the mess to prevent the public from learning the truth. Unfortunately, it would bring close-by the very people who insist that Bella must become a vampire, because no mortal is allowed to know and live.

The thing is, Bella wants to become a vampire. She’s planning to have it done right after graduation, and the time is quickly approaching.

Jacob, her werewolf best friend disapproves; it would mean their relationship would be over, because werewolves cannot be friends with vampires. Edward doesn’t think being a vampire would make her any happier, but will do it if that’s what she wants; however, wanting to make her happy doesn’t stop him from causing delays.

The love triangle steps up a notch in this book, Edward and Jacob circling each other, fighting for Bella’s love. What’s frustrating, though, is that Bella seems incapable of simply cutting off a relationship with one. She drags out the drama as long as possible, and in the process hurts the people she loves most—and she’s aware of the hurt she’s causing, but she keeps doing it, painfully emphasizing her selfishness. She also spends the book being dependent on others and not acting to help herself; she is weak and whiney.

There is very little plot advancement for the first three-quarters of the book. Instead we get a lot of back story (although it is interesting back story, nonetheless), planning, and news stories. Fortunately, unlike the weak climaxes of the other two books, there’s a riveting fight scene for Bella’s life. The fight is more than just a fight, though, it also shows the brutality of vampires, a reality we see so infrequently prior to Eclipse. What she sees and learns in Eclipse finally makes Bella understand that the life of a vampire is not as wonderfully romantic as she believes it to be.

Eclipse is the best out of the series, mostly because Meyer is growing as a writer and learning about the depth necessary to tell a story, not simply have the protagonists make goo-goo eyes at each other all the time (although they do plenty of that). In the end one problem is solved, but there are still others that have yet to be resolved—which promises another book in the series. Will the Volturi force Edward to make her a vampire or kill her? Will she still choose to become a vampire? What will happen to poor Jacob?

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New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

10/24/07

Bella is miserable. After recovering from the vampire attack in Twilight, there is an accident at her eighteenth birthday party—a party with the Cullens, a family of ‘vegetarian’ vampires—and when she cuts her arm one of them loses control. Instead of risking making her a meal, the Cullens move away, and her boyfriend Edward goes with them, claiming that he can’t see Bella again. Ever.

Then we’re treated with Bella’s endless moaning about the hole in her heart, where Edward used to fill it. Months pass and she behaves as though her parents both died sudden and tragic deaths (although I wonder if she would mourn them as much as she mourns Edward’s abandonment, but that’s just speculation).

Enter Jacob, the son of a family friend, a year or so younger than Bella, and she turns to him to fill the void Edward leaves behind; although she’s pretty adamant that it’s not a romantic attachment she’s looking for, merely friendship. But it’s pretty obvious that Jacob wants more. As their relationship grows strange things begin to happen around them. Jacob, who’s a Native American Quielute, is worried about a local ‘cult’ that has lured his friends away, and is afraid that they show too much interest in him. There have also been several unexplainable deaths in the area, some people claiming it to be wolves. But Bella wonders.

And so continues the mythical soap opera that pervades Bella’s life. There is a love triangle, but one of the parties isn’t present for most of the book. Bella has hallucinations in the form of Edward’s voice acting as conscience when she does increasingly risky things. Then there’s the wolf scare, and it’s pretty obvious from the start that they’re werewolves, but who are they and what are they doing there?

The story moves forward in fits and spurts, as there’s some intense action, only to be followed by pages of Bella contemplating the misery of her situation. Her relationship with Jacob is the redeeming part of this book as we watch it grow, and we come to like his ability to make her feel comfortable and accepted, whereas with Edward she often didn't feel good enough and needed constant reassurance.

Meyer’s characters are interesting and complex, as much as teenagers can be. Bella’s struggle through her depression at Edward’s abandonment felt real, although it seemed to carry on more than necessary. Bella and Jacob’s friendship feels real, too, but it’s hard not to wonder why Bella would carry on the relationship when she realizes that Jacob expects more, but she’s not sure if she could reciprocate as wholeheartedly as she did with Edward.

Much like Twilight, New Moon is not a vampire book, and neither is it a werewolf book (although, I must admit, she makes an interesting take on it worth discussing). There are inconsistencies in how the vampire magic works that are never explained, and that wouldn’t fly in a traditional fantasy novel.

The ending is fairly predictable, although somewhat anti-climatic, and some things are resolved (too easily???), while others loom large over Bella’s head. That’s Meyer’s strength, I think, that Bella’s problems are never over, and readers are sucked (haha, vampire reference there) into the story, desperate to know how she’ll possibly get out of the situation.

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Austenland by Shannon Hale

10/19/07

Jane Hayes is convinced that Colin Firth is the only man worth loving. Sure, she’s had her string of boyfriends…but then, maybe that is the problem. All those men, all that disappointment. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice is just the kind of man she is sure she needs. The only question is how to find him.

Enter Jane’s eclectic, rich aunt, who sees through Jane’s façade of ‘successful careerwoman’ to the desperate, single girl who can’t seem to find Mr. Right. Aunt Carolyne pays for Jane to take a vacation to Pembrook Park, an estate in rural England that caters to lonely rich women seeking romance in Regency clothing.

While in Pembrook Park everyone must wear period clothing, speak early 19th century dialogue, and play only Whist and croquet. At first Jane feels out of place as she tries to sort out her self-pity, wanting to enjoy herself. But then she meets Martin…and Mr. Nobley…and it all becomes a mixed-up dance as she tries to sort out her feelings. But they’re only actors, aren’t they?

Shannon Hale is in top form in Austenland, her main character Jane a delicious mix of strengths and weaknesses, who can’t understand why she’s so unlovable. Jane’s self-discovery unfolds bit by bit as she comes to realize the truths about herself and what it would really mean to have her own Mr. Darcy. I mean, Mr. Darcy was probably pompous and irritating in real life, right?

The prose is crisp and engaging, the tone of Jane’s thoughts and remarks ironic and hilarious at the same time. Hale’s descriptions are so refreshingly real, like how a real woman would feel being kissed, or how things people say surprise you; the story just all felt right-in-the-moment and genuine. Hale also contrasted the present-day with the temporary Regency life Jane lived for her three-week vacation without being heavy-handed.

The pace and plot are superb, the story never lagged, not a word out of place. We are whisked along, until at the end of her vacation Jane finally makes a decision, only to have everything go helter-skelter again. I couldn’t put it down, I wanted to know how she resolved her dilemma, to only find it getting messed up again. But somehow, Jane lands on her feet, a better person than when she started.

This is a fluff-piece, something to read quickly, consuming it like a Godiva chocolate truffle. But, oh, how tasty.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Alcatraz Verses the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

10/10/07

Alcatraz at first glance appears to be your typical teen-age boy, even if he's named after a world-famous prison. Being passed around the foster-care system hasn't helped his attitude much, though, and it seems that he brings it on himself with his terrible clutziness.

On his thirteenth birthday he gets a strange--and very old--package in the mail from his father (where is he? is he dead? is he alive? we don't know?) claiming that it contains Alcatraz's inheritance: a bag of sand. Mystified and sad, he decides to make himself some comfort food but accidentally catches the kitchen drapes on fire.

Then everything hits the fan: the sand is stolen, a man claiming to be his grandfather shows up, his foster mother wants to kick him out of the house, and a man with a gun threatens his life. Not a great way to spend a birthday, if you ask me.

But, oh, what hilarity ensues. What's great about Sanderson's stuff is that it's beyond the typical fantasy-epic-journey type story like you'd find in Paolini or MacHale. Almost the entire story takes place at the downtown library, where things aren't always what they seem. And nothing is off-limits: Sanderson makes fun of everything and it's just plain funny. Exceedingly silly, but funny for kids and grown-ups.

The characters are fun, and even the antagonists turn out to be complex people. Alcatraz in particular is an interesting character who struggles with his accident-prone nature, until he learns it's a 'Talent' (his grandfather's Talent is arriving late to things...it's so funny, but it works!). He's convinced he's a bad kid, but it gets harder for us to believe it as the story progresses, and even he seems to change his mind a little near the end.

Sanderson's strength, as in his other novels, is his plotting. He knows how to tell a story at a great pace, that moves forward and never lags. The author is also great with magic. He finds new ways to make magic just plain cool, like the Allomancers in his Mistborn series. In Alcatraz the protagonists have their Talents (his cousin's Talent is tripping), but they are also Occulators--that is, many of their powers come from the eye-glasses they wear! How cool is that?! Having worn glasses all throughout my childhood, the idea of them giving superpowers is cooler than cool.

Alcatraz would be great to read out loud to your kids (I'd say ages 9-12), and you won't be bored in the process, I promise!

Alcatraz Verses the Evil Librarians is the first book in a series. See Brandon Sanderson's website for more details.

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Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds

10/01/07

Tanner Mirabel's memories have been messed with. A soldier bent on revenge because of the death of his employer, he chases the killer, traveling cryogenically across space to the planet Yellowstone, where the great-domed Chasm City flourishes. Or, rather, used to flourish.

So while Tanner is recovering from amnesia after-affects of the deep freeze, he's also re-living the memories of Sky Haussmann--an anti-hero from Tanner's home planet. Only the memories come in the form of dreams caused from a virus created by fanatics who worship Sky Haussmann. At the same time Tanner is trying to navigate the plague-infested Chasm City. The plague can infest anything computerized, from in-human implants to the buildings that self-grow depending on its inhabitants needs-only now everything is corrupted.

The result? A space opera of magnificent proportions. Reynolds' Chasm City is a stunning book, full of wondrous visions of space travel, mechanical marvels, medical corruptions, and so much more.

Reynolds' prose is fluid and visually adept. Witness his description of an 'air car' crash:

All I remember with any clarity is what happened several second later, the intervening moments neatly edited from memory. There must have been a pulse of light and heat, at first, as the other car open fire on us. Then there would have been a last of eardrum-piercing sound as the shockwave of the beam weapon slammed through the flensed-open cabin, followed by an explosion of metal and plastic and composites as the car's innards eviscerated themselves in a hot cloud of fused machinery. Then we would have dropped....A second or so later out descent was arrested, violently, and that was when, approximately, something like normal consciousness resumed. My first memory-before the pain hit-was that the car was upside down, with the moundlike table now dumpling down from the ceiling, and the neon-patterned floor evincing a gaping, jagged hole, through with the lower reaches of the city...was far too clear, and far too far below. The heavy [guard] was gone, except for his gun, which was rattling to and fro on the new floor as the car lurched and swayed, adjusting to its precarious new equilibrium. (326)

The only variation to this excellent prose is that it flows into the dialogue, making the characters sometimes wax eloquent---which was odd and unrealistic.

The characters, particularly the mysterious Tanner Mirabel and the psychotic Sky Haussmann, whose history invades our hero's dreams, are fascinating as they are not only propelled along by the plot, but who also manipulate the plot with their own actions. Tanner spends the entire story not only hunting down his employer's killer, but also unraveling a mystery that slowly unfolds into a stunning revelation. My only real complaint about the characterization is that we don't actually see or understand what it is that caused Sky Haussmann's change of character, although I suppose I could make a good guess.

The story is very plot and setting driven as Tanner hunts through Chasm City; the pace is steady, even when encountered by deviations that aren't necessary to the story, yet they're still interesting. Although there is one deviation that seems necessary to the plot at first, but turns out to not really matter-that made me a little annoyed, especially because it's not resolved at the end to much satisfaction.

Space operas are often replete with constant profanity, sex, and gore, and while Chasm City contained all of these, it was not to excess. I could count the profanities on two hands, and the sex was only referred to. The fighting, well, was moderately graphic, but oh so exciting.

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Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

08/31/07

Creel is an orphan with an attitude problem. She lives with her silly aunt who thinks that if Creel is kidnapped by the local dragon (who, if they really thought about it, doesn’t cause much trouble) then the local nobleman’s son will have to rescue and marry her, even though Creel couldn’t care less about marrying the Lord’s son. The dragon, however, doesn’t seem much interested in Creel, so the aunt practically shoves her into the dragon’s cave. Creel doesn’t lose her wits, however, and makes a bargain with the dragon in exchange for a pair of slippers that are more than their simple appearance would suggest.

In an effort to affect change in her own destiny, Creel makes her way to the big city—King’s Seat—where she wants to find work in a fancy shop embroidering her clever designs. The only problem is that things don’t always go as planned, even if at first it seems like life is going well.

Dragon Slippers is a fun book, with details that make it interesting, like the dragons who don’t hoard gold, but hoard other things: one dragon likes stained-glass windows, one likes dogs (as pets), and another has a fetish for human foot-wear. George’s real strength, however, is in a forward-moving plot in which Creel must work through her problems until she’s finally able to affect events herself.

Unfortunately, despite a quick-moving plot, the pace stumbles a bit, with some lags, and other places where it leaps forward too quickly without enough explanation or detail. Some readers compare Jessica Day George to another local author, Shannon Hale (they both live in the Salt Lake City area), and her excellent books like Goose Girl and Princess Academy, but Hale’s books are much more refined and fluid in their prose.

George’s characters are all interesting with their own quirks and Creel often misjudges people at her first meeting, which makes for interesting development in the story. Creel, however, is too sassy—unbelievably so. For someone with her upbringing and station in life certainly it’s possible for her to be cheeky to her ‘betters’, but it was ridiculously inconsistent. Unfortunately George doesn’t go beyond the basic characterization, and the characters don’t develop or change much through the story, which by the end makes them feel flat.

The author brings modern sensibilities into the traditional medieval setting for this fairytale-like story that makes it feel less than authentic—which would explain Creel’s sassiness, the mixing of noble with the common folk, and other setting problems. But then, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it makes the characters and story more accessible to the kids who’ll be reading this book.

George has some true moments of witty writing and despite the book’s flaws it was a fun read, with interesting little twists that would be great to read to a grade-school age child.

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The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

08/24/07

Go out and buy this book...after you read the first one, of course, because if you don't then all the things you read in this won't mean as much. It's a great continuation from The Final Empire as the main characters work hard to govern their newly-won empire. Unfortunately, everything seems to go wrong, one thing after another. Sanderson propells you through a gripping story of politics, complex characters, and myth.

You can read an accurate review here.

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Uglies by Scott Westerfield

08/22/07

There's a perfectly good review here for you to read. For the most part I think it's a pretty good book, if you go for dystopias, like 1984, Fareinheit 451, etc. But since it's a YA book, it lacked a lot of setting elements to make me really believe. Many questions remained unanswered for me. Is there a government? How was this technology developed? So many setting things are taken at face value without explanation or detail.

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Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling

08/03/07

Mike Havel was flying a small plane over Idaho in March 1998 when the plane’s engines suddenly died, forcing him to crash-land in the wilderness with his passengers.

Juniper Mackenzie was singing and playing guitar in a small-town Oregon pub when the lights went out and a passenger plane crashes downtown, lighting the buildings on fire—but there are no sirens to show that help is coming.

Cars won’t start. Gunpowder won’t ignite. Electricity won’t work. In essence, the world is plunged into the Dark Ages in one fell swoop…although no one can explain why or how. To survive, everyone must act fast, and it’s the likes of Mike and Juniper who gather people around them, people who can contribute to a community in a suddenly live-or-die world. One self-labeled Protector takes advantage of the situation and his understanding of medieval feudalism to fashion himself the king of the greater Portland area—by force.

Mike, a former Marine, finds himself leading a group across Idaho and into Oregon’s Willamette. His fighting skills become necessary in protecting the people around him, as criminals take advantage of the chaos to take what they want. It’s Mike’s group of newly trained warriors who, as they travel, are recruited to fight against local bullies and cannibals. But the further west they travel, the more they come across the Protector’s men who terrorize the local populace.

Juniper and her society of Wiccans gather together on her ranch in the Cascades to plant crops and build a community. Stirling details the things that Mike’s and Juniper’s communities must do in order to survive, including how to find the people with the skills necessary for a complete community, down to finding and making the supplies they need just for basic living—including the weapons and armor they need to fight.

It’s fascinating to watch as the different groups work from scratch to build up, in a few months, a completely new way of life. Sometimes the descriptions get tedious in the last quarter of the book, since the action is revving up to the final confrontation, but if you skip some of these details, you potentially miss important information for the plot.

The plot is very straightforward, and the pacing is excellent. Unfortunately, Stirling sometimes skips a beat in the last quarter of the book, when some activities are glossed over, as though he's suddenly rushed to finish the book. There's one instance during a crucial part of an attack against a 'castle', and Mike's team just shows up with the gear, and there's little explanation about how they came up with the stuff other than a prefunctory, "We had to keep it a secret in case there's a spy."

Some reviewers on Amazon complain that the characters are ‘cardboard’, but I didn’t think that at all. Certainly there are stereotypes, but Stirling’s characters are real, full-blooded, emotional people who are engaging and interesting. Even the secondary characters are interesting, with their quirks and backgrounds. Stirling does a great job of making Mike an attractive and strong man, but is equally as good at making Juniper a strong feminine lead, without making her a man in woman’s clothing.

The fight scenes are my favorite part of the book, because they felt real, were well-paced, and I sincerely felt concern for the well being of the characters involved.

My only real complaint about the book is that we never learn how the Change happened. It just suddenly happens to everyone, everywhere, and the main characters all seem to have the same acceptance of it despite being miles from each other’s influence. One character even jokingly says the Change is brought about by ‘Alien Space Bats’ and there is some discussion on theories, but nothing beyond that.

Dies the Fire is the first book in a triology.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

07/30/07

Don’t be confused by the title: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking is not a self-help book. It details a series of interest-pieces in which Gladwell explains the nuances and inconsistencies of how people make snap decisions. It begins with a story about the Getty Museum. The curator has happened upon a Greek statue in near-pristine condition. He’s excited, has tests done to make sure it’s authentic, purchases it for a great deal of money; but not long after, other experts see it and within seconds know it’s a fake. But how?

Gladwell carries us, in his smooth and straight-forward journalist’s prose, through story after story, comparing and revealing as he goes, his theory of the ‘power of thinking without thinking.’ Every story is fascinating, and Gladwell links them together so well that this book was a fun and quick read.

For example, one of the stories involves Dr. Reilly, the head physician of Internal Medicine for Cook County Hospital in Chicago. At the time he first took the job there twenty years ago, the hospital was the major provider of charity care for low-income area residents. The ER was constantly overloaded with patients--in particular, patients with chest pain.

There are certain requirements doctors must follow in treating chest pain, which may be a symptom of a heart attack. But it turns out that a good deal of the time when a patient comes in complaining of chest pain, that a heart attack is not the cause. It takes a lot of effort, time, and money to treat someone for a heart attack, and the hospital wants to make sure that they are only admitting the real thing--but it also takes a long time to accurately diagnose.

How was Reilly supposed to weed out the sicker patients from the overloaded ER? A doctor’s instinct is to run tests, spend time, get as much information as possible. Eventually Reilly was able to dilute this dilemma down to its simplest parts, to a mere 3-step questionnaire that was more successful than even experienced cardiologists in predicting who needed more urgent care.

Compare that with Silvan Tomkins who is so good at reading facial expressions, that he doesn’t need to hear what people are saying. He only needs mere seconds of facial reading to know when someone is lying.

But what do these stories have to do with each other? Well, they both have to do with making snap decisions—many times based on experience. Gladwell constrasts these stories to explain how sometimes people are burdened with information for prejudices that affect our snap decisions. In the case of the doctors, taking time and making a quick decision wasn't as productive as years of research in which Reilly came up with his short questionnaire. But for Tomkins, who has spent the better part of a lifetime teaching himself how to read faces, he can do it so well that it takes mere seconds to come to a correct conclusion--although it would take a while to explain how his brain discerns all that in mere seconds.

In some cases our experience will guide us to a correct conclusion even when we can’t really explain why; in other instances there’s more to it. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

07/25/07

Is it the end for Harry Potter?

Well, isn't that the question everyone wants to know--even before they ask about the plot, or about what happens to the secondary characters? Of course, I won't spill the Botts Beans because J.K. Rowling has hyped it up so much that you think if I tell you that the story will be ruined for you.

And it would be true.

Rowling, from the hype and the endless questions regarding Harry's fate, will cause readers constant nail biting from the beginning clear up until the last-minute climax. Which makes for some exciting reading late into the night and to the daytime neglect of your children.

The only real problem with this is the first 700+ pages that impede your learning of his fate. But then, you will need to read those first 700+ to know the heck what's going on. You will also need to have read the first six books, because there are references to events in every book in the series. In particular, things you learn in books five and six are of particular importance, and I hope you were paying attention, because if you weren't, well, you might be a little lost on some important plot elements.

Harry's quest to destroy Lord Voldemort's horcruxes drive the plot in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Everything Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione do is bent toward that end; unfortunately Harry is often sidetracked and we are presented with stories that shouldn't seem to matter to what's really going on. His mental link with Voldemort (first appearing in Order of the Phoenix) allows him to see what Voldemort is doing, and it has nothing to do with the horcruxes. Even though Voldemort desperately wants to kill Harry as soon as he can, he seems to be off on a wild chase for something he believes he needs in order to succeed.

Rowling slowly unfolds bits of magical lore as the story progresses--this is one of her strengths, because it's these details that make the story interesting, the world real. Unfortunately, in Deathly Hallows she often uses it as a crutch, to propel the story along, which only ends up making it feel contrived. People will likely call these 'plot holes' because she throws out these events or bits of knowledge randomly, without much foreshadowing, and with explanations that come too late.

But most people love Harry, Ron, and Hermione too much to care about that.

The pace stumbles in a few places. Deathly Hallows, like the other books, covers an entire school year, but without Harry, Ron, and Hermione at Hogwarts, it feels slightly off. Time passes in lurches, with sometimes days, or weeks, or months of our main characters not seeming to do much--only to have a great deal happen in a matter of minutes, leaving us reeling and re-reading to figure out what happened.

As a result, things don't really pick up until the last quarter of the book and then everything snowballs, when Harry finally picks up the pieces and puts together the puzzle that explains everything. He does have to make some leaps in logic and Rowling will confuse readers some here as light bulbs go off in his head, as he acts, but you don't know what's going on. Rowling seems to struggle a little with the ebb and flow of that last crucial climax, sometimes filling it with things that simply impede the forward movement of the story.

Despite this, you will not be disappointed with the climax. Things happen you won't expect. You learn things that will make you cry: about the foibles of people who you didn't expect to have them, and of the redeeming qualities of those who didn't have any before. It's exciting to watch as Harry struggles gallantly, reaching beyond his own abilities, trying to learn the things he needs to in order to defeat the greatest wizard alive. And to the battle he brings his own reality the sacrifices he's willing to make for the sake of the people he loves.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

07/07/07

I'm not going to do a full review here, since the TWG review by MsFish is more than adequate to explain the plot and all the book's flaws. But I still have to rant a little.

Why in the heck do people love this book so much? I hear and read raves about it, but when I read it I couldn't understand why.

Meyer is an adequate author, and Twiglight is probably better written than most YA books, but come on! Sure there isn't any sex, but it's sexually charged, more than I would want a young teen girl to be reading. Even worse is that the main characters claim to 'love' each other, but continue to make choices that put people's lives at risk. It's hard to see them as having real love for each other through all the blatant lust.

Sure there's vampires and lore, but don't read this book for that because it's full of annoying inconsistencies. If you want to read a real vampire book, read Sunshine by Robin McKinley--in which you'll get a better feel for how dangerous vampires are and get a better story to boot.

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A Train to Potevka, by Mike Ramsdell

06/23/07

Once upon a time there was a spy from Utah serving his country in Cold War Russia. Well, even though A Train to Potevka may be classified as fiction, it’s based on the true-to-life experiences of Mike Ramsdell, Utah native. As a young man Ramsdell served his mission in Switzerland and Germany, and had learned enough Russian to make him an excellent candidate as a spy for the U.S. CIA. His mission: to find and capture a known mafia kingpin deep in Siberia. Unfortunately, things go wrong.

The book is a quick read, don’t be fooled by the page length; large font and formatting make it look deceptively long, when it could easily take one sitting to read its entirety. But despite its brevity, A Train to Potevka is an extraordinary story of a man who worked for the U.S. government during the Cold War—a period so full of subterfuge that even one’s best friend could really be working for the enemy.

As Ramsdell tells the story about his fateful train ride to Potevka, we are served a smattering of nostalgia, from his days working at a training center in Germany, to his friends and family at home, to childhood memories. Fortunately this doesn’t detract from the story, and helps to break up the monotony of the difficult situation he finds himself in. And in some cases in this book, fact is stranger than fiction.

Ramsdell is a career man, not a writer. This book is about his story, not about the writing itself. In some ways his simple writing makes it a quick read, as well as helps us get into the mind of the man who experienced these things; however, you'll need to turn your internal editor off, or else you will drive yourself a little crazy.

Ramsdell spends a good portion of the story going through not only physical trials, but a spiritual one. He feels abandoned by his country and his God when things go wrong—but that doesn’t stop miracles from happening. The author also spends a portion of the book explaining, without going into great detail, the political events of the time period, as well as some interesting cultural tidbits about Russia. These can be skipped as they don’t relate directly to the story, but they do add a sense of depth to the book.

A Train to Potevka is published locally in Utah, and I even found copies at the Costco in Orem. But if that isn’t available to you, the book can be purchaed at Amazon.

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The Silver Lake by Fiona Patton

06/11/07

Anavatan is the city of the gods. Long ago six gods were born in the heart of the Silver Lake, and they have become of the patrons of everyone who lives inside this city nestled next to the late. Well, almost everyone. There are a few, mostly thieves, who haven’t sworn themselves to any of the gods.

Three of these thieving street orphans—Spar, Brax, and Graize—have somehow captured the attention of Incasa, the God of Prophesy, who takes it upon himself to manipulate their destinies. On the night of Havo’s dance, a three-night-long chaos heralding the coming of spring, the boys’ lives are forever changed, and we come to realize that Incasa intends for at least one of them to eventually join him in the lake as one of the gods.

The first couple chapters of The Silver Lake slowly build up to the events of the night during Havo’s dance at the end of chapter 3, but everything continues at a fast pace after that. We follow the three boys as Brax suddenly finds himself sworn to Estavia, the God of Battles, and he must learn to become a warrior; Spar as his latent prophetic abilities begin to blossom; and Graize as his genius-madness leads the plainspeople to war against the people of Anavatan.

Patton’s world building is impressive, just short of over-doing it—which means there’s a great deal of establishing the setting, but she isn’t heavy-handed about it (although there is some obvious expositional dialogue). The city of Anavatan and the influence of all-too-real gods is interesting to witness, as she explains the inter-dependence of the people and the gods on each other for their prosperity.

The politics and personalities of the people and the gods influencing events is fascinating, as well, although she could have played the politics up a tad more.

Patton’s characterizations are good, but I had a difficult time sympathizing with the main characters, at least until the very end when I finally began to feel for Spar. Watching him wrangle through his prophetic visions and the interference of others was engaging; he’s an emotionally scarred little boy who’s spent his young life living off the leavings of others and being suddenly thrust into a community of those sworn to a god leaves him bewildered.

With all the foreshadowing I was expecting a certain outcome in the climax. And although the climax was exciting and well-built up, it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. In some ways I was a little disappointed because I would have really enjoyed it, but then would it have meant less than success for the main characters? Or did they really succeed like they think they did? And how much of this did Incasa expect, was it part of the plan?

I guess I won’t know until the next book.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Serpent Tide by K.L. Fogg

06/05/07

Poor rich-kid Wesley suffers from an over-protective mother, a case of aqua-phobia, and bullies at school. When Wesley begins to suspect that his mother Imogene may not be his real mother, the evidence begins to point to the conclusion that Jack Mackey, TV’s famous Snake Stalker, is his real father.

As a result, Wesley’s once-pedantic life turns into a wild adventure as he searches for the truth about his origins and learns that Imogene isn’t just eccentric, but dangerous and evil.

Written for middle-grade, Serpent Tide should appeal to the worries children feel at that age, as well as their sense of adventure. There are some ‘fantasy revelations’ (i.e., that Wesley is the son of the famous Jack Mackey) and several unbelievable events which make the story contrived--but since it’s geared for younger kids, it doesn’t have to make complete sense.

The plot is straightforward and moves along at a steady clip, with well-paced action. However, none of the action is gory or too scary for kids, although the main characters’ lives are imperiled by the end.

An interesting aspect to this story are the moral dilemmas of the characters. Should Wesley feel guilt about leaving a woman who’s ‘mothered’ him for 10+ years? Should Imogene's illegal immigrant housekeeper tell Wesley the truth about his origins? How can Jack get over the death of his wife when he feels it was his fault? Those were interesting things to discuss with my eight-year-old daughter as I read this story to her.

The main characters are fun and engaging, although Fogg doesn’t go particularly deep with them. The only character I felt particularly interested in was Jack, and that was mostly because Fogg realistically portrayed the pain he felt from the loss of his wife/child, and then his son’s sudden reappearance.

Wesley was only mildly more interesting as a character, as you watch him change into the person he knows he can become when he’s no longer suffocating under Imogene’s influence.

Imogene was deliciously evil, and I liked that Fogg does explain her motives so even though she’s a strange character to us, we understand where she’s coming from.

My main complaints are that Fogg uses some big words that middle-readers wouldn't know, and some of her writing kind of hits you over the head saying, "Look at this, duh." So it's not exactly subtle, but that's an adult's perspective, and most children won't care.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Bio Rescue by S.L. Viehl

05/24/07

Dair is not your average alien. She's commander of a squadron of SEAL (surgically enhanced/altered life-form) pilots, a group that patrols the region around their home planet at the command of the Quadrant, an inter-planetary military group formed to protect their coalition against hostile aliens.

Dair's home planet, K-2, is home to the water dwelling 'Zangians, but lately has become refuge for war refugees who reside on the dry land colonies. Like her fellow SEALs, Dair's body was surgically altered, but hers was not changed voluntarily. When she was born her mother has been infected with a virus, and when she gave birth Dair should have died, but for the intervention of a native of Earth (Terrans) who eventually becomes her step-mother.

It's her step-mother and the Terran surgeon who save her, but in the process must change her so drastically that she seems more a cross between a Terran and 'Zangian. It's from her having a foothold in both worlds that her point-of-view always seems to be at odds with her native people and the land dwellers, even though she understands them better than they realize.

She agrees to command her squadron on 'bio rescue' missions, to save space travelers who are often refugees. This turns into bigger trouble than anyone realizes when she saves a ship of Skartesh, a lupine species who fled their dying world to settle on her own, and bring with them their baffling religion.

Viehl's alien characters are fascinating and engaging, as she weaves their separate cultures into their personalities. She contrasts the different cultures well, showing how environment and racial qualities can build tradition and behaviors. Dair provides an interesting contrast to her own race, the 'Zangians, who since they live underwater don't need shelters, clothing, and eat their food raw so their body makeup and culture is different.

Most of the third person point of view is spent on Dair, but we also follow around her step-mother, Dair's would-be mate, her cousin, the Skartesh savior, and a few others (whom I couldn't figure out why their side-story was necessary). Dair is a tough female lead, who despite her fearless aggressive nature, still has a strong feminine side. It's interesting to watch as she struggles against her instincts, trying to integrate all that's good in other alien races into her own philosophy of life.

The book's plot moves forward at a good pace, but unfortunately suffers from a lack of smooth transitioning. I'm sometimes confused about the passage of time and when things occurr.

But worse than this is my confusion over the too-large cast. I could probably cope better with so many characters if they weren't all so vastly different from each other. This is where Viehl's strength with a diverse range of aliens becomes her downfall, because I had a difficult time keeping track of all the different races, body types, and racial behaviors.

I struggled a little with Dair's love triangle, and Viehl didn't explore her heroine's feelings very deeply, so it was difficult to swallow her choices at the end of the book. The climax of the book was exciting and suspenseful, but a strange event at the end threw me off and isn't ever fully explained (I can't say more than that, or else I'll spoil it).

Despite these flaws, it's still a fun book with interesting alien races trying so very hard to live in harmony with each other.

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The Fresco by Sherri S. Tepper

05/07/07

It's in the forest of the New Mexico mountains where Benita Alvarez-Shipman meets the first aliens to visit the Earth. They ask her to bring their communication device to her 'leaders', give her money, and disappear, leaving her flabbergasted and reeling. Afraid to tell anyone what happened, she leaves her abusive husband (her children are off to college), and flies across the country to Washington DC where she hands off the package to her congressman.

From there things take off as Benita finds herself unwittingly pulled into the political maelstrom that ensues. Unfortunately, her new friends the Pistach aren't the only aliens recently in contact with the humans, but the other aliens aren't nearly so benevolent and some of the politicians in DC are in league with them.

As a story about what an alien first contact could be like, The Fresco entertains, expounding for us the political, cultural, and religious issues a federation of aliens would bring with it. But Tepper, true to form as in her other books (take for instance Gate to Women's Country), the story is flavored with her political leanings as well as her distaste for religion.

We learn early on that the Pistach aliens are intelligent and advanced, and the designated 'ambassadors' in bringing new races into their federation. However, they have an obvious inconsistency: the fresco.

The fresco is a mural in a temple on their home world, and their entire culture and religious experience is based on what the fresco teaches. Unfortunately, it has been covered with soot and grime for a long time, and no one in the present-day has seen it in its entirety--they base all their knowledge on it from past sketches and commentaries. Important to note: the Pistach aren't particularly good artists.

But what does the fresco have to do with bringing Earth and its inhabitants into the alien federation? Well, everything, as you will learn, but I don't dare spoil it for you.

Tepper's writing is clean and crisp, moving forward at a steady pace, descriptive yet uninhibited. Her side characters suffer from being stereotypical, yet the main characters have more interesting depth. Benita in particular is fascinating as we watch a victim of domestic abuse struggle to escape it and let her true character grow and live up to her full potential.

Tepper rather likes social commentary in her writing, and The Fresco is riddled with it. She explores what it means to interfere for the sake of improving another person's life. For example, the Pistach have a very rigid caste system: artists become artists, but those who love art yet have no artistic skill will teach it instead of becoming artists. Tepper superimposes this over Benita's husband, who's an artist, but spends his life with no success for lack of direction and talent. So the question is, should we guide and 'force' people (the Pistach use drugs and other methods to mold people toward certain behavior) toward their real strengths, convinced they will be happy doing that, or should we allow freedom of choice and risk misery?

The story does make you think, and there are some political and religious ideas I wouldn't mind discussing with another reader, particularly Tepper's version of utopia.

iscuss it in the TWG forums.

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Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

05/02/07

Mercedes is a mechanic, and it's while she's fixing a client's car that a werewolf in human form walks into the shop looking for work.

From that simple beginning, Moon Called launches us into the secret world of werewolves in present-day Washington state.

Mercedes had an usual upbringing: her now-deceased father was Native American, and her mother abandoned her to be raised by a foster family in Montana. Her foster father was a werewolf.

Does this mean Mercedes is a werewolf? No. But she's something not too far from weres: she can shape shift into a coyote. Apparently, this strange ability runs in the family on her father's side, but unfortunately it sets her apart anywhere she lives: among the werewolves, among regular folk, and even among the fae.

Recently the leaders of the fae, the Grey Lords, outed the fae, because they are part of the 'lesser' magical community, and more acceptable to the general public. That doesn't mean the general public like the idea of magical beings running around among regular folk.

The American werewolf pack leader, Bran, is thinking that the Grey Lords had the right idea, and wants to 'out' the werewolves, too--at the same time controlling how the truth is revealed. Modern forensics can't be so easily tricked anymore and some of the medical community are threatening to take the truth of weres public.

However, there are those who don't want that to happen. But what does this have to do with the lone werewolf who visits Mercedes with a tale of capture, medical experimentation, and murder?

Moon Called is set in the Tri-Cities of central Washington, an unusual choice for paranormal goings-on, but it works. The author knows the area well enough for us to envision the landscape, but not overwhelm us with trivial details. We also come to understand how an area that lacks in metropolitan feel could have such a large percentage of magical residents.

The characters are interesting and complex. We sometimes lose a little of the tension when Briggs gets wordy, but I rather liked having a female first-person POV, especially one who is bold, yet feminine, educated, yet living the kind of life she wants.

Adam, her next-door neighbor, is the Alpha of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack, and lives in a nice house owned by someone obviously of means (while Mercedes lives in a trailer). But what kind of man does it take to control a pack of werewolves? Despite his obvious leadership strengths, he also has his weaknesses, like his daughter, cats, and a particular next-door neighbor.

There’s also Samuel, the son of the American Alpha, who at one time was romantically involved with Mercedes, for reasons not clear to us at first, but as we learn more about the werewolf culture we begin to understand.

The political and cultural lore of the werewolf community is a particularly enjoyable aspect of this book. It answers the questions surrounding how a human and animal would live in the same body, and the culture that would surround it: the violence, how dominant males would behave, how females are incorporated.

The basic plot is pretty straightforward, as Mercedes and her werewolf friends try to solve crimes among the werewolf community; but underneath, the solution is a little convoluted and I still don't understand exactly what happened. My biggest disgruntlement with the book is the promise of romance, but then it doesn’t live up to my expectations. That although there is some ‘getting together’ at the end, it isn’t set up properly, so it feels contrived—made me feel jipped.

This is the first book in a series, and although I was annoyed with the resolution of the crime solving, I really enjoyed the characters and the way the werewolf community was portrayed.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold

04/18/07

Miles’ mother was pregnant with him when an assassination attempt was foiled; however, she was still exposed to the poison, and as a result Miles was born with health problems: fragile bones. It subsequently stunted his growth, but did nothing to affect his brain. He worked hard and was eventually able to graduate from the military academy, and it was his cleverness that caused him to be recruited into the Service (the equivalent of the CIA).

This is not the first, nor the last, book about Miles Vorkosigan’s adventures—which are many. Borders of Infinity details three such adventures in which Miles must pit his brain against formidable enemies, clients who don’t tell the entire truth, and his own temperamental body.

My favorite of the three stories is the last, in which Miles finds himself in a POW camp. The entire time he's there you think to yourself that Miles never really explains why he’s in the camp, you simply make an assumption. And the story propels you along so well that you forget to question his presence there. It isn’t until the climax when the surprise is revealed, that yes, you should have figured it out, but it was fun imagining an alternative reason.

Bujold is an excellent writer, with flowing prose, plots that twist and entertain, and characters with complexity. Miles himself is an interesting character who has to live with physical problems, but he's also driven to prove himself—which is ironic in itself, as he wants to prove himself to a long-dead grandfather who was very demanding. Miles is clever and I greatly enjoyed watching him wriggle his way out of truly disasterous dilemmas. Most of the other characters weren't as well-rounded as he was, but Bujold makes them distinct enough to make them interesting.

As a reader I take great delight in good dialogue. It must be concise, yet clever, show the character's personality, and be engaging. Her dialogue is all of that. Oh, and Bujold is also quite funny.

The plot moves at a fast pace (sometimes too fast that I get a little lost) so the stories are quick and engaging. And although there are some serious thematic elements, it's not heavy, which makes it a fun and easy read.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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A Secret History by Mary Gentle

03/30/07

Born and raised in a mercenary camp, the only thing Ash knows how to do is survive. She fights like a man, dresses like a man, and thinks like a man, but the men who are a part of her life won’t let her forget that she’s a woman in a man’s world—which is Europe in the mid-1400s. Despite this, by her early teens she has her own army of 50, and by the time she’s twenty she has 800 fighting men who are well-known throughout the region for being the best.

As the book opens, she’s contracted with King Charles of Burgandy while he’s at war with a duke; and to reward Ash for her heroics on the battlefield he marries her off to a cousin. At first to Ash this is great news because it means she would own land (as part of her reward from the king), but then realizes as a woman, the land belongs to her husband—who is another problem, altogether.

She almost loses her mercenary company to her husband and the king, but when Europe is invaded by a mysterious Carthaginian army, she must regain control in order to survive. Ash discovers that the Carthaginian army is led by woman who hears voices—but not from a saint. Instead she hears voices from a mechanical golem that speaks to her from where it resides in Carthage. Unfortunately, this golem has made the Carthage general unstoppable, as she invades Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and plans to work her way through France and Burgandy.

The book is a “secret history” in that the story is a re-telling from a historical document, and we are occasionally interrupted by emails from the “author” and the book editor discussing the publication. At first this is very irritating and interrupts the flow of the story. But if you stick with it you realize there is more going on than meets the eye; certainly this story is a heroic-adventure-romance about Ash, but that there’s also a mystery that needs to be solved. Why are all the historical Ash documents suddenly re-catalogued as fiction? Are the supernatural events that surround Ash’s life real or myth?

Ash as the main character is fascinating and well-portrayed by Gentle. She’s a woman, but can fight like a man—and quite credibly, too. You actually believe that she can wield a sword and lead fighting men. She has problems with her men, with her husband, and the Carthaginian army, and it’s so well done that the reader is pulled into the story and feel Ash’s worries, as well. Ash is surrounded by fascinating women and men who are all real and complex; of particular note is the company doctor, who has everybody completely fooled. The politics of the era are also significant to the story, adding flavor and complications.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward and moves along steadily. The writing is fluid and subtle. Important things are slowly revealed to us, constantly building the suspense—with the occasional jolting surprise. These surprises are what make A Secret History a great read, but I can’t reveal them here, of course, or else I’d ruin the story for you.

Despite the significant revelations, most of the story is a big buildup for what’s coming in the subsequent books, so there’s something of a cliffhanger at the end. My biggest complaint about the book is the constant obscenities. I’m sure soldiers have filthy language, but really, how necessary is all the swearing? There are also some brief sex scenes and homosexual references (so if it were a movie, it would be rated R).

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer

03/22/07

Another fluff story. It follows the original Pride and Prejudice story pretty well, only through Darcy's point of view. It was sweet and true to the story it's based on. Although the author does not have the brilliance of Jane Austen's writing. Still, it was fun to read. I bought my copy, if anyone wants to borrow it.

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The Courtship of Princess Leia, by Dave Wolverton

03/20/07

Mostly this is fluff reading. The writing is unimpressive, the dialogue unimaginative and bulky, the plot predictable. And yet...it was kind of fun imagining what could have happened to these characters after Return of the Jedi. The battle scenes were pretty good (I actually felt worried about the welfare of the characters), but for the most important part (the courtship) I didn't feel any deep emotions, which was frustrating, because it should be romantic, for heaven's sake.

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The Water Devil by Judith Merkle Riley

03/19/07

After ten+ years of being published only in German, The Water Devil was released in January 2007 in English, finally completing a trilogy written by one of my favorite authors. A Vision of Light and In Pursuit of the Green Lion were also re-released in trade paperback so those of us who love Margaret of Ashbury can have a nice matching set that will survive constant re-readings and loaning out to friends. In celebration of the release of The Water Devil and re-release of the others, I thought I would write up a review expounding on the qualities of these books, if you haven’t heard of them already.

Plot Summaries

In A Vision of Light we are introduced to the ‘eccentric’ Margaret, and overhear a conversation she has with God, who tells her she needs to write her life story. Funny thing is she’s only about twenty (so how can she have much to say?), she can’t read or write, and she’s an English woman in the 14th century when it’s indecent for women to write much of anything. Fortunately she’s married to a wealthy mercer who indulges her, and she hires the intractable Brother Gregory to copy down her story.

And what a story it is. It begins when she’s quite young, and at the age of fifteen married off to a rich, no-good fur merchant who mistreats her. When the plague spreads through England she’s abandoned as her husband tries to escape it. Near death, she witnesses a ‘vision of light’ and is given a gift that not only makes her glow when she thinks about God, but also the ability to heal others. She is taken in by the midwife Mother Hilde, from whom Margaret learns the trade, and we follow their adventures around the countryside and London. But those who learn (particularly the clergy) of Margaret's ability to heal are jealous and try her for heresy.

Spoilers Warning: If you plan to read the series and don’t want the plots of subsequent books revealed, skip to the next section!

In In Pursuit of the Green Lion (my favorite of the series) we discover early on that Brother Gregory is more than he first appears in A Vision of Light. When Master Kendall dies, he leaves everything to Margaret, and his sons (from a previous marriage) attempt to kill Margaret and her two young daughters in order to restore their inheritance. Enter Brother Gregory—whose real name is Gilbert de Vilers—his father, and older brother to save the day. Unfortunately, Gilbert’s honest attempt to save Margaret turns awry when his father decides to keep the rich widow’s money in the family and forcibly marries them to each other.

Gilbert had left home to study and find God, so being married puts a serious cramp in his attempts. However, his attitude makes a complete about-face when the Duke knights him (using Margaret’s money; there was no way his own father could have afforded to knight him after spending all the family money on his brother Hugo's knighting) and makes Gilbert is own personal chronicler. Sadly for Margaret, it means that Gilbert must follow the Duke overseas to the war in France. When Gilbert is captured and given up for dead, only Margaret believes he’s alive. Enlisting the help of her friends Mother Hilde and Brother Malachi, they set off for France to find Gilbert, and, if necessary, save him.

In The Water Devil everyone is safe back home in London, including Gilbert and Margaret’s new son, Peregrine, who was born on the way home from France. When a section of woods by the de Vilers home, Brokesford Manor, is under legal action by the local abbey to cede the property, Gilbert’s father comes to him for money to pay their lawyers to fight back. That would mean, however, that Gilbert sell the London house—and move to Brokesford to live with his crazy family—or else sell the large dowries of Margaret’s daughters. Both are options Gilbert and Margaret refuse to entertain and enlist the wily Brother Malachi to come up with a scheme to foil the abbey’s lawyers.

When they go to Brokesford to set the scheme in motion, they discover that Lady Petronilla, Hugo’s wife, has become a little touched in the head. Her extreme jealousy of Margaret, hatred of her husband, and obsessive desire to provide an heir has led her to take actions that threaten the life of the young Peregrine.

About the Books: Setting, Characterization, and the Mystical

The best thing about these books is the setting. Riley pulls the reader into the time and place, talking about everyday living with ease and subtly, from household details to prejudices to cultural notions. For example, we understand that Brokesford Manor is broken down and unkempt, but we also actually believe that people live there; it’s not simply a place to put characters as they go about enacting the plot (you could almost say it’s a character in the story, too). London and the surrounding areas also take on a flavor I haven’t gotten from other historical fiction; Riley describes the people and the place with such clarity and quirkiness that it actually feels real.

A very close second to the setting is the characterization. Margaret and Gilbert are two of my favorite fictional characters because of their qualities as well as their foibles. They grow and change as we move through the series, watching their trials—in particular dealing with Gilbert’s family. What’s great about Riley is that her secondary characters receive special treatment, too, and while they aren’t as deep as the two main characters, we still get plenty of detail about them and their idiosyncrasies. Of particular note is Gilbert’s father's change of heart in In Pursuit of the Green Lion and on into The Water Devil. Even though he does go through life-changing perspective in Pursuit his fundamental personality doesn’t alter, which was a relief because Riley could have really botched it, but remains true to the characters.

As readers we hear a great deal about alchemy and religion in these books. Brother Malachi is an alchemist in search of the Philosopher’s Stone (aka Green Lion, hence the name of the second book), which is used to transmute base metals into gold. There are many times when his skills as an alchemist and charlatan come in handy, and even save the day. It was easy to see how alchemy was so popular in the day, and also not so popular to others, how it was dangerous and suspicious.

Among the characters is a wide range of religious beliefs, from Brother Gregory/Gilbert’s desire to see God, Margaret’s almost saintly holiness (i.e., the vision of light), Hugo's fickle beliefs according to his needs at any given time, to Malachi’s downright atheism. The believers aren’t all sappy over-zealous types, and neither are the atheists strident. This, however, doesn’t mean that the characters don’t take jabs at each other regarding their faithful persuasions, but Riley obviously doesn’t have an agenda regarding religion. (Side note: The Catholic Church isn’t exactly exemplary in the story, but that’s rather the author being true to the times, and not necessarily derogatory).

But simply because God appears and many of the characters are faithful, doesn’t mean that strange and mysterious things can’t happen. There are ghosts, demons, psychotic nobility, poisoned rings, loaded dice, and a cross that Margaret wears around her neck which burns the hands of unbelievers. These things in and of themselves seem ridiculous, but Riley weaves these quirks into the story, which only makes the plot more interesting.

I gush, I know, but I also realize that there are flaws to the books. Sometimes the plot seems to meander, and we are introduced to things in not-as-subtle ways that obviously will be important to the story later on. The point-of-view switches from first person to third person omniscient repeatedly, and it takes a little getting used to. But these flaws are easy for me to ignore as I enjoy the prose, the quirks of Margaret’s nature, the zany people we meet, and Riley’s cunning observations about life and love.

Discuss it the TWG forums.

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Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

03/07/07

Takeo comes from mysterious origins. He lives with his mother and step-father among the Hidden, a group of mountain dwelling religious pacifists who created their own village in secret. No one in the village will talk about Takeo’s origins, about how his father had been an assassin and felt guilty about his past so gave up the sword. Unfortunately, before his son was even born the sword still found him—and eventually, the sword even finds Takeo.

The story opens when Takeo is fifteen and his village is massacred by the warlord Iida, leaving the teenage boy the only survivor. His life is saved because of the intervention of Otori Shigeru, who just 'happens' to be in the area during the massacre, and eventually takes Takeo under his wing. Fortunately for Takeo, Shigeru is a Lord in his own right and has the resources to protect the boy from a vengeful Iida.

Takeo seeks revenge for the death of his mother and the other villagers, and Lord Shigeru provides him with training—writing, reading, and, of course, fighting. In the course of his training, Takeo discovers he has special abilities. That despite his pacifist background, he seems made to hold a sword and blend into the shadows. Mysteriously, this isn’t surprising to Lord Shigeru, who sends for a man of the Tribe to continue Takeo’s training. The Tribe are a race of people with special abilities; they are secretive and very protective of their own. They warn Lord Shigeru that they will eventually take Takeo to be with his own kind, even though Shigeru has adopted Takeo as his own son and heir. Before the Tribe takes him, Lord Shigeru plans to use Takeo and his special abilities for his own risky schemes.

Set in an ancient alternate-Japan, Across the Nightingale Floor is steeped in the flavors of the samurai era, with many of the same political and cultural notions—albeit slightly skewed for Hearn’s purposes. The landscape also has similarities to Japan, but the author changes things here, as well. Fortunately, despite the similarities, he doesn’t skimp on the descriptions, and it’s easy to see, feel, and in particular hear the world so well it’s almost real. Because of main character Takeo’s increased perceptions of sound, we are treated with beautiful descriptions of sound, and the world takes on a music few of us hear in real life.

Hearn tells the story at a breakneck pace, with barely time to allow us to breathe and stop to really look around (although the descriptions are scattered well throughout, they aren’t so detailed that they cause a pause in the action). The only real slow down in the pace is in the form of a second major character whose story is told in parallel, Kaede, Takeo’s love interest. She, like Takeo, is caught up in the intrigues of the nobility, who use her as a pawn in their deadly games, and she wishes desperately just to be left alone.

The characterization starts out well enough, and a few of the side characters are explored slightly deeper than the surface; but as this is the first book in a trilogy, Hearn doesn’t go particularly deep even with the main characters. Although I admired Takeo, I didn’t understand him, and neither did I find myself emotionally invested in Kaede’s plight. Lord Shigeru also has a main role, and in many ways he's interesting, but like the other main characters I had a hard time feeling sympathetic.

Perhaps this is a result of the book's pace, and the fact that it's about the story and how it affects the characters involved and less about how the characters affect the story. It's about the trials that test Takeo and Kaede, and how they must overcome them in creative ways, using the limited skills they have to succeed, instead of turning the events around to them. But it was still a compelling read and I'm curious to see in the next book how Takeo and Kaede cope with the challenges dealt them at the end of Across the Nightingale Floor.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

02/20/07

Once upon a time there was your average guy, and his name was Richard. He lived the average life with his average job, average apartment, and average overbearing girlfriend. He thought he was happy and that he liked his life.

That is, until one fateful evening he comes across a girl on a dark London street, bruised and bleeding, and takes her home. The girl, Door, refuses to go to a hospital, but is obviously running from someone, or something. She asks him for a favor and this one act launches Richard from his average life and into the London underground, or Neverwhere. He suddenly doesn’t exist in London above anymore, and he tries desperately to return to his old life. But the adventure that ensues forces him to re-evaluate his life and the things that would truly make him happy.

The cast is quite spectacular, with mad villains, an assortment of strange helpers, and imperfect heroes. Despite the amusing mix of characters, most of them don’t have real depth or understandable motivations; except for Richard, who we see deal with the difficulties of watching his life change and having no control over it—until he finally learns the lesson he needed in order to make his life feel complete. Door, while having fascinating magic and an interesting past and motivations, never seems to encourage any sympathy from me. Which was too bad, because I really wanted to care about her plight.

Gaiman’s writing is, as usual, fluid and easy to read, with some exceptionally creative and strange descriptions of London below. The pace is quick, forcing the reader to want to keep reading to know what happens next. Rife with his signature dark humor, Neverwhere is a fairytale with truly despicable villains, but the heroes have enough determination to fumble their way through the places and events that take them to the final resolution.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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Old Man's War by John Scalzi

02/07/07

When John Perry turned seventy-five he joined the army. After the death of his wife and turning over his assets to his heirs, he joins the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF). They promise to make him young again if he devotes ten years of his life to obeying the CDF without question.

The CDF, despite being so obviously a military institution, is otherwise quite mysterious. How do they turn back the clock enough for these geezers to be able to fight? Their technology is also a matter of speculation. It's not readily available to the general population, most of it cost prohibitive to most governments. How then are they able to do all this?

The simple answer: friendly aliens willing to share their technology. Unfortunately, most of the aliens out there aren't so friendly. In fact, like the humans, they're willing to fight for the limited number of planets out there that can be colonized. This is where the old man's army comes in. Instead of dying, many men and women sign up with the promise of a new life, seeing new places, and experiencing things few others see.

They all get more than they bargained for.

Scalzi's writing is crisp and engaging. If you've spent any time on his blog, the Whatever, you get a taste of his sense of humor and clever writing style. His style translates well to Old Man's War. His observations are timely and humorous.

The protagonist John Perry, after having spent a quiet life as an advertising writer, surprises himself as a natural soldier. We watch as he adjusts to a 'new and improved' body, goes through boot camp, and into his first battle. He has successes, but also watches his friends die. Scalzi gently tugs at our emotions, he never overdoes it, his subtly a joy to read.

The setting is fascinating. We see a little of Earth and are reminded of its politics, but most of John Perry's story takes place elsewhere in the universe, on ships, among the culture of an 'old man' army and the aliens. One alien race in particular, the Consu, are a source of consternation to the humans; but their participation in the colonization wars is more significant than most realize.

Old Man's War is the first of a trilogy, but is quite readable as a standalone. Since much of it does take place in the army, there is a liberal scattering of profanity, including the f-word. There is also some sex, although nothing very graphic.

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Hero in the Shadows by David Gemmell

02/01/07

Last summer Skar from TWG wrote a great article about the late David Gemmell. Intrigued, I decided to try out one of his books and I chose Hero in the Shadows because it was at the bookstore and the cover was cool. And because there was a promising quote by Stephen Donaldson on the front cover ("Everything a fan of heroic fantasy could desire").

The hero of Hero in the Shadows is the Grey Man—a man with a shady past, who now lives like a nobleman. He's a gruff, but kind man who's loyal to the people under his protection. He plans to get away from the petty life of living among the rich and the noble, but when he discovers that a gateway used to keep back the demons is failing, he has a change of plans.

Along with an interesting assortment of characters, including a quasi-priestess, a samurai, a samurai wannabe, a magician, and a young woman he rescues from bandits, the Grey Man works to save the people from the demons and close the gateway before it's too late.

Yes, this plot is formulaic and unoriginal, but despite this flaw the pace is excellent: quick and consistent. There are a few points where revelations are unexpected, and even interesting, but unfortunately are not subtly grafted into the story and stand out awkwardly.

The characters were interesting, if a mite clichéd with unoriginal dialogue. Unfortunately, the main antagonist is sadistic and I learned so little of him that I had a hard time feeling like he was a real character. Other characters were more sympathetic, like the magician, whose moral character we are never entirely certain about.

The setting is your standard middle-ages type, and we don't completely get the feel of the world and its politics, but the story isn't about world building. Hero in the Shadows is about the adventure, about defeating evil, and saving those who depend on you--even when you doubt your own worth.

Discuss it in the TWG forums.

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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

01/18/07

Vida Winter is a famous English novelist—but she is also infamous for telling each interviewer a different version of her life story. Unfortunately, now Miss Winter is on her deathbed, and for reasons of her own, she hires Margaret Lea, an amateur biographer, to listen to and write down her ‘true life story.’

And so beings the telling of the mysterious ‘thirteenth tale’, in which Miss Winter’s childhood comes to life in all its strange and gruesome detail. But Miss Winter isn’t the only one with secrets. Margaret has her own troubles, and listening to Miss Winter’s story of her ragged childhood only brings them to the fore.

The characters of both eras—those from Miss Winter’s past and those we meet via Margaret in present day—are fascinating, particularly Miss Winter herself. This is because my preconceptions of her changed as the story evolved, as deeper dimensions of her character were revealed. Margaret’s character wasn’t so interesting as she was a means for the author to have someone to hear Miss Winter’s story; Setterfield tries to make Margaret’s troubles relevant, but to me it felt forced.

The Thirteenth Tale can be melodramatic--but then, it could be considered a Gothic romance in the style of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and true to the genre Setterfield fills it with angst and strange events. Miss Winter begins her tale with her parents and her uncle, who lived at their estate Angelfield, and how their relationship was abnormal. While there are no graphic sex scenes, there’s implied incest; this is at the beginning of the book and it almost turned me off to the story completely, because not only do I not care for putting those thoughts in my head, it really wasn’t necessary for the plot. Also unnecessary was one brief scene where one teenage girl molests another teenage girl.

I read The Thirteenth Tale right after finishing Stardust, and compared to Gaiman, Setterfield is not as concise--this is also true to the Gothic romance genre. There’s a lot of carrying on, with added padding and fluff so the story meanders. The book lags for the first half, after which it begins to pick up the pace, but once the revelations began, I couldn’t stop reading until the final truths behind the story were exposed. By the end everything is all wrapped up tidily, except for one glaring omission: we don’t learn how she actually becomes Miss Winter the novelist and about the years that follow the story of Angelfield. It seemed a glaring incongruity after the too-neatly finished ending.

This book has been much touted and I can see why because it’s a well-crafted story, with the revelations exposed in a way to pull the reader in and carry them along in the telling of an engrosing story. The writing has moments of beauty, with some clever metaphors and descriptions. But if you aren’t a fan of the melodramatic Bronte sisters, this story is better left alone.

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Stardust by Neil Gaiman

01/11/07

The village of Wall at first glance during turn of the century England is that it's quaint and rather ordinary. But at the wall bordering one side of the town are posted guards, because no one is allowed to cross to the other side-except on Market Day. On May Day the Faerie market comes people come from far and new for those brief days man and faerie mingle to buy and trade things magical.

On the Market Day that Dunstan Thorn crossed the wall and met a beautiful woman he was touched by magic, and nine months later a baby is left at the wall with the name Tristran Thorn.

Tristran grows up not really understanding his origins. What he does understand, however, is that he loves Victoria Forester, and will do anything is she agrees to marry him-even cross over to the Faerie world and bring her back a fallen star.

Stardust could easily be read in one sitting, it's short and reads smooth and quick. Setting was fun and interesting, but I wish there were more! He explained just enough to help me see it and whet my appetite, but I'd really like to see more of the land of Faerie.

There is menagerie of characters, from strange little men, princes fighting for the right to their father's throne, and a couple of mean witches. For the most part they are more than typical stock characters. They have their quirks, motivations, and troubles that make us care, even if they aren't very moral creatures.

Gaiman pulls us in with the characters and the setting, but as the plot moves between each of the characters, weaving their stories together, we quickly become fully engrossed and must know how the story ends. And he wraps all threads up nicely. It's one of those cleanly written books, like Holes or Princess Academy, where no more and no less than what was necessary was written.

The original Grimm's fairytales are not all sweet and cuddly, so to have a fairytale author like Gaiman with his dark humor and occasional gruesomeness works well when compared to that standard. Stardust feels like it could have been a Grimm's fairytale, the characters are dangerous and have devious purposes. The hero doesn't have an easy time of it. People die gruesome deaths. But all these events work together to create one fine fairytale.

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"The Leading Edge" magazine, Issue 52

12/16/06

Excellent issue as always. Four of the five stories are very slick, with great writing and storytelling. My favorite was "Keep" where the guardian of the keep kills intruders questing for wealth or magic of what have you. But one day a boy shows up--not your typical hero.

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Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

12/14/06

Armageddon is upon us. The Antichrist is to be swapped with another baby and raised in the household of an American ambassador in England. Unfortunately, a twiddle-brained nun was put in charge of the switcheroo and the Antichrist, named Adam Young, is sent to the wrong family. He spends the next 11 years being raised like a regular boy while Warlock, the ambassador’s son, is pointlessly trained in the occult.

Crowley, a demonic minion, was in charge of the switch. As far as demons go, Crowley isn’t all that bad; he drives a 1927 Bently, wears sunglasses 24/7, and likes good food. Then there’s his counterpart and friend, Aziraphale the angel and rare book dealer, whose methods are a little iffy, too. They both rather like the world the way it is and aren’t so interested in the coming about of the Apocalypse. In fact, they’d like to prevent it if they could. Unfortunately, they seem to have misplaced the Antichrist.

The cast of characters include the witch Anathema Device (descendent of the author of “The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch”, which details the last days before Armageddon), witchfinders, the Them (Adam’s gang of friends), the four horsepersons of the Apocalypse (or rather, bikers), and the occasional inhabitant of Tadfield (the town where Adam grows up).

This book is hilarious.

Pratchett (author of the Discworld series) and Gaiman (author of American Gods) at first seem an unlikely team, but Pratchett’s goofiness and Gaiman’s dark humor balance each other out. They weave a story out of what could happen at the end of the world with such scathing satire that it actually makes sense. The pace is quick and steady, as the authors weave the stories of these hilariously fascinating characters together.

The characters aren’t only stock characters whose sole purpose is so the authors can tell the story, as sometimes can be in comedies. Instead in Good Omens the cast has their quirks, complexities (like the demon Crowly who didn’t so much ‘fall’ as ‘vaguely sauntered downward’), and completely recogniziable personalities (I could hear the dialoge for the seargent witchfinder it was so distinguishable). Adam in particular is interesting as the Antichrist, who suddenly finds himself with world-conquering powers, but would much rather just play with his friends. Unfortunately, the minions of Heaven and Hell are determined to have their war. Will Aziraphale and Crowley find the Antichrist in time? Or will the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse find him first and make him do what he was born to do?

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Follow the River by James Alexander Thom

12/13/06

In 1755 Virginia was untamed land, and it was the likes of William and Mary Ingles who settled and farmed it. But it was the edge of the frontier and not all the Indians took kindly to the encroachments of the English. When a group of Shawnee warriors attacked Draper Meadows that July, it was a massacre, but those they didn’t kill they took with them. This included twenty-three year old Mary Ingles, who was pregnant, and her two young sons.

Mary is sold into slavery and lives among the Indians for several months, all the while thinking of her husband, Will, and how she has to get back to Draper Meadows. She can’t bring her children with her as they would die from the trek, and instead leaves with Ghetel, an old Dutch woman, and they hike nearly 1000 miles to reach their own kind.

Follow the River is based on a true story and is gripping as Mary and Ghetel struggle with harsh conditions and starvation. Thom paints Mary as a strong-willed and intelligent woman, who loves her husband so thoroughly that she walks barefoot, in the cold of a waning autumn, through rough country to return to him—even at the risk of never seeing her children again. She makes difficult choices and we understand and sympathize with her, even though we may not entirely agree with her.

Thom sources include historical and family-related accounts of Mary’s journey, even walking a good deal of the route himself in his desire for accuracy. Although the story may be true to history, the journey of Mary and Ghetel is over-long, and I found myself skimming a few chapters near the end so I could skip to Mary’s return to Draper Meadows. There’s only so much deprivation, fear, and starvation a reader can handle.

Thom’s descriptions of the scenery are excellent, I actually felt like I was there, in the middle of nowhere, overawed by the grandeur of the native landscape. Thom’s characterizations of Mary and Ghetel are also excellent, as well as that of the Indians. He doesn’t portray them as anything but the truth, it seems, without sympathy or prejudice. That although we don’t agree with the terrible things they did, that the Indians were human, too, with families, fears, and well-developed culture.

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The Gates to Witch World by Andre Norton

12/08/06

The Gates to Witch World combines the initial three books of the “Witch World” series: Witch World (1963), Web of the Witch World (1964), and Year of the Unicorn (1965).

Witch World is the story of Simon Tregarth, a WWII veteran on the lamb, accused of crimes he didn’t commit. A mysterious man offers him freedom...but in another world. Simon makes his way through a ‘gate’ and finds himself in Estcarp, a country embroiled in war, its neighbors bent on their destruction. Escarp is governed by witches, and in this world women are the only ones able to use the Power; however, Simon suspects he may have some connection to the Power himself, as he’s able to see and do things no ordinary man can do.

Simon joins the witch’s army as they fight against the Kolder, an enemy with mysterious origins. Could they have come through a gate like Simon, but from another world? But how are Simon and the people from Estcarp supposed to defeat an army with superior weapons?

Web of the Witch World continues the story of Simon and Jaelithe, the witch he falls in love with. There’s more fighting against the Kolder and a desperate attempt to save a friend from the enemy.

Norton’s world is fully realized and well written, including the political and cultural details. The pace never lags and we are carried along from battle to battle as our heroes fight to save their world. The characters are all different and complex, but as the books continue they don’t seem to grow or change extensively. And there really isn’t much hope that the characterization will deepen in the next books, since they don’t make much of an appearance (according to the synopses on Amazon). The characters would speak of their feelings, but I still had a hard time feeling the things they did, particularly their regard for other characters, which was a rather integral part of the story.

Year of the Unicorn takes a break from the Simon/Jaelithe storyline and instead we are treated with the fairytale story of Gillian, a war refugee living with the nun-like Dames. Years ago Norsdale promised to give thirteen brides to the Were Riders--outlanders who fight Norsdale’s enemies in their name--and on their way to fulfilling the Bargain the brides stop at the abbey for the night. Gillian sneaks into the group as a replacement for an unwilling bride, and goes to meet her destiny. Along the way she learns about her heritage and her connection to the Power and that even the ‘all-powerful’ Were Riders have their own divisions in their ranks--both of which will affect her tremendously.

Gillian’s story was ethereal, with the right tone and interesting characters. It could easily be read as a standalone. During some of Gillian’s trials Norton adds a little too much filler when I just wanted to get on with the story, especially since some of it left me confused. The interaction between Gillian and Herrel, her Were Rider husband, is well-handled and interesting and left me wanting to see where their story continued, fully convinced that they would be a force to be reckoned with.

My favorite part of all the stories is her theme of how one person can be powerful, but working together can make even those with uncertain powers very strong indeed. I also found Simon's character to be the most the most fascinating of the characters in this collection, less so that he’s a foreigner in the witch world, but more for his cleverness and loyalty.

Stylistically I don’t much care for Norton’s writing. It’s not as formal writing as, say, LeGuin--but without LeGuin’s finesse--and the formality is awkward in places. Sometimes the writing was confusing: I either didn’t know what was going on, or I had a hard time visualizing the descriptions. Fortunately Norton's stories make up for any failings her writing may have, as her ideas are still interesting some 40 years after they were first written.

The second volume, Lost Lands of Witch World contains the last three novels of the series and is about Simon and Jaelithe’s children.

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Sunshine by Robin McKinley

11/29/06

Raven is the kind of woman who likes to live a quiet life, working in her step-father’s coffeehouse as the baker. But New Arcadia isn’t exactly the quietest of towns, even though it wasn’t destroyed as badly as others during the Vodoo Wars, a decade-long fight between humans and the Others, which included demons, weres, and vampires.

Raven, who usually goes by the name “Sunshine” (a derivation of her nickname, Rae) has unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point-of-view, inherited her sorcerer father’s abilities. Her grandmother taught her how to transmutate, but she disappeared during the wars when Sunshine was a kid, and in the intervening fifteen years our heroine comes into the adult strength of her powers without a mentor.

On an outing to the lake Sunshine is snatched by vampires; but they don’t realize who she is, that her father is a sorcerer. She’s chained to the wall of an old house's ballroom with a vampire...who turns out to be chained as well, his presence a mystery, except that their jailers fully expect him to suck her dry. Afraid for her life Sunshine plans escape, but realizes she can’t hope to do it on her own. For the first time in fifteen years she uses her powers and in the process gains a rather unusual ally in Constantine, her vampiric co-prisoner.

It’s set in the not-too-distant future United States, but it’s a world where charms, wards, vampires, weres, and half-blood demon/humans are a part of everyday life. As a result of the Voodoo Wars, a new government organization, the Special Other Forces (or SOF), was created for the purpose of keeping the humans safe from the Others. They are interested in Sunshine because of of her heritage, but their organization is suspicious to her, even if she is friends with a few of their agents.

McKinley’s characterization, as always, is exceptional. Sunshine tells the story first-person and she’s a complex person, whose relationships with her family and friends are realistic. Most interesting is her relationship with the other main character, Constantine, who is a fascinating mix of scary lethalness and intelligent courtesy. Other characters are fascinating not only for what they do, but for who they are--not everyone is as they seem.

There is a serious tone to the story. Sunshine’s fear and anxiety leaks from the pages and I often felt anxious for her. But she moves through her experiences with a sense of humor, commenting on everything and everyone (including herself) with an ironic flair. I enjoyed the dialogue and commentary as they feature Sunshine’s clever observations and snide remarks. McKinley’s exposition is a little lengthy at times, which perception may have more to do with my personal preferences than anything, since it’s necessary for the world-building and is not exactly uninteresting. The pace is excellent (aside from the afore-mentioned exposition) and we are propelled along at a steady clip from when she is first captured by the vampires until the final confrontation.

McKinley weaves vampire lore into the story, leaving us hints and teasers along the way; however, I was still left with some minor questions at the end. My only other complaint is about the few (and perhaps unnecessary?) graphic sexual references, but they are nothing, I’m sure, compared to other vampire novels. There is violence, but nothing too gruesome, it was just enough to evoke the fear necessary to make Sunshine’s life feel imperiled without overwhelming the reader.

There probably won’t be a sequel (as far as I know McKinley hasn’t written any ‘series,’ although some of her books are loosely related to each other, like The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown), but I’m hoping there is one. A kind of Further Adventures of Sunshine and Constantine. Hey, that kind of sounds like an 80s Disney flick--except that this one would have vampires.

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Movie Review: Happy Feet

11/20/06

***WARNING: SPOILERS!*****
Riding on the heels of the popular documentary The March of the Penguins (2005), this animated movie seeks to spread a message, and that message is: stop fishing you greedy people! Oh, and "It's OK to Be Different".

Emperor Penguins sing to each other in order to find their soul mate. Unfortunately, Mumble, the son of two very talented singers, has a voice like a dying cat, but can still feel the rhythm and soul through his feet: he loves to dance. However, dancing is an aberration among the Emperor Penguins and he's treated as such by an unappreciative singing teacher and his own traditional-minded father. Fortunately the girl of his dreams, Gloria, rather likes his quirks, but Mumble is driven off by the closed-minded leaders who believe that the Great Guin is punishing them when they allow Mumble to dance--because for some unexplainable reason there's a fish shortage.

During Mumble's adventures he meets penguins from another colony who love to party, a predator bird who has been abducted by 'aliens' (they tagged him with a yellow band around his leg and poked and prodded him), and a flim-flam psychic penguin from whom he learns how to find the aliens. Mumble suspects the aliens (read: humans) have something to do with the fish shortage and searches them out so he can talk to them. He does find them, but can't 'talk' with them and is put in a zoo where he begins to lose his mind from the confinement. After some fancy foot-work, the humans are enchanted, let him go, and track him to his colony in Antarctica, where they film everyone dancing and broadcast it across the world. This sets off a chain of events where eventually world leaders agree to have a no-fishing zone around Antarctica so the penguins can have enough fish to eat.

The animation is first rate, the special effects almost seem 3-D. There is one scene where Mumble and his friends slide down and through the glaciers, and the sounds and pace were so realistic (my son loved that part, he laughed pretty hard at their crashes). The scenery shots are breathtaking, as though they were real helicopter shots. No question, it's some beautiful animation.

The songs and score also fit well together, with hip-hop, soul, Sinatra, Elvis, and other pop singers including the Beach Boys. It isn't so much like a Disney movie where the characters break out into song, and the music feels like it's more a part of the story.

Some of the characters, however, are painfully stereotypical. Like the father who tells Mumble, "It just ain't penguin," and wallows in self-pity that his son is an outcast. Or the leader, Noah, who's the religiously strident old cranky guy. Mumble is the typical outcast hero, but is a better drawn character, and it's through his determination, optimism, and bravery that he survives his trials.

With the agenda built into the story it's hard to tell who this movie was made for. Sure it has great music and penguins doing funny things, but my children and the other children in the audience began to lose their attention about thirty minutes before the end of the film. There was an almost too-serious tone to part of the story that doesn't go into any real depth for an adult's perspective. It's like they are trying to make an argument without providing evidence, their bias quite evident; but because it isn't an adult movie, the running time is limited and the themes fall short.

The resolution is too easily wrapped-up with the alien/fish problem, the montage of scenes at the end with the world leaders deciding to create a no fishing zone around Antarctica rammed down our throats. Mumble's relationships with Gloria and his father are also too-easily resolved. Of course it's a kid's movie, so I shouldn't be surprised that the plot doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. Kids just don't care about that sort of thing (but then, maybe I don't give them enough credit; they did lose their attention at the end).

Kids will like this movie, I would say 5 years and older, and even some adults if you go to be entertained and not 'educated.'

Discuss it in the TWG forum.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

11/11/06

When Clare was six years old she met Henry for the first time. He was thirty-six. Sixteen years later they get married, when Clare is twenty-two and Henry is thirty.

Confused yet?

Henry, you see, is a CDP, or a Chrono-Displaced Person. At least that’s what he eventually learns it’s called, and that it’s a genetic disorder, rather like epilepsy. For the time being, all he knows is that he has no control when his body moves him forward and backward in time, depositing him naked and disoriented, stranded in time until his body decides to return him to the present.

He meets the young Clare in her past, but his future. Clare knows him all her life and when they finally meet for the first time in the present, their love affair is finally realized. When they marry they experience the same difficulties any married couple faces--except that Clare’s husband disappears without warning from a few minutes to several days at a time as she lives life in a normal chronological order. She learns to live with it, but worries.

Henry’s first chrono-displacement happens on his fifth birthday and since then learns skills he would otherwise never need: pickpocketing, lockpicking, beating the pulp out of someone else in order to protect himself. When he time travels he can’t take anything with him, so he when he appears in the middle of the road or the middle of nowhere, he has to find clothes and food, fast. He also becomes an avid runner. One with CDP needs to be ready to high-tail it in case the wrong person sees him wandering around naked or breaking into a house to find something to wear or eat. He once jokes to Clare that should he ever be unable to use his feet, might as well shoot him because he'd never survive in his time-traveling excursions.

Henry is a messed up guy. His mother died when he was six and his father is emotionally distant. Henry becomes an alcoholic and drug abuser. He sleeps around. He meets Clare when he’s twenty-eight and he whips himself into shape in order to deserve this normal woman who adores him for reasons he can’t fathom. Strangely enough their relationship works and it’s compelling; their love for each other rolls off the pages. Their backgrounds are slowly revealed, and it’s because of their difficulties that they grow and become fascinating people. From the very first page you are pulled in by the power of their personalities and the strangeness of their situation. By the end, and despite knowing that something bad will happen, you are wrapped up in their story as you work to connect all the displaced events.

The story is told in first person present, and it's hardly noticable the writing is so smooth. The point of view switch switches off between Clare and Henry, for the most part chronologically, although the occasional event from the past, present, or future will be stuck in at various intervals. Despite the lack of a truly chronological telling, the story works in the order given, and I was rarely confused or had to go back to refresh my memory. My only real complaint (other than unnecessary swearing) is that some of Niffenegger’s foreshadowing lacks subtly, making seemingly random information out of place in the midst of a well-told story. The prose is beautiful and the dialogue engaging and fun to read. The voice for the main characters is well done and I can easily see them as individuals shaped by the events and people in their lives.

(Warning: If this book were a movie, it would be rated R. There’s foul language, moderately graphic sex, sexual references, alcohol abuse, and flippant attitudes toward illicit drug use.)

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The Secrets of Jin-shei by Alma Alexander

11/01/06

The story of The Secrets of Jin-shei revolves around eight women: a sage, a poet, an alchemist, a soldier, a healer, a rebel leader, a gypsy, and an empress. We first meet a very young Tai, the poet woman the story revolves around, then we proceed to meet the other seven, little by little. We're there as they make their first jin-shei friendships as girls, then follow them for another twenty years as they enter adulthood and each find their own purpose in life.

A jin-shei is a friendship girls make by speaking the words to each other, creating a life-long relationship that transcends social station. It’s through jin-shei that these eight women are bonded together by completely loyal and eternal friendship. But their friendships aren’t perfect. They are all very different women, and while they try hard to help each other, some make demands that could tear their friendships apart or even risk the lives of their jin-shei sisters.

Set in Syai, a mythical ancient China, royal titles run through the female like, hence women are afforded a great deal of autonomy. The setting is well established, and the author draws the images so well that we see the change of seasons, the bustle of the city, and feel the pressure of societal expectations. But despite the societal expectations of a culture deeply set in tradition, religion, and station, all of these girls break the ‘rules’ in their own way--as often to their detriment as it is to their benefit.

The main antagonist is Lihui, the Ninth Sage, who is secretly a full-fledged sorcerer. He kidnaps cripples and beggars off the street for his experiments, and to occasionally kill them, stealing their souls in order to lengthen his life. He entangles himself among the eight-member clique, marrying one of them, almost killing another, and using a third in a rebel war to threaten a fourth. I do get the sense that he is pure evil and creepy and all that, but because the book focuses on the women’s point of views, I don’t learn much more about him, which is a loss because he could have been a more interesting character.

The pace is slow and steady for the first three-quarters of the book, then the last quarter picks up as the main characters’ lives fall apart by way of death threats, kidnappings, impossible demands, intense confrontations, and other tragedies. Sometimes the last quarter felt more like various events strung together as Alexander had to double-back on the timeline to cover another character’s overlapping events, which made the pace a little jarring at the end compared to the rest of the story. Occasionally Alexander glosses over the details, making some events and personality characteristics feel forced in her need to move the story along. Fortunately the quicker pace provides movement through the remainder of an already-long story toward a final, satisfying resolution.

Other than the pace at the end of the book, the only other real writing flaw involves point of view. Alexander switches mid-scene between characters, and while she doesn’t do it consistently throughout, when she does it’s disorienting.

This is a real chick book, the equivalent of Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood or Steel Magnolias. It explores the depth of friendship and the lengths women will go to protect and honor each other, while also telling the tragedy of those who abuse friendship for their own purposes. Basically it means that most of you men will die of boredom before you reach the second chapter--although it is a good study in strong female characterization and is worth reading for that alone.

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"Grasscutter (Usagi Yojimbo, Book 12)" by Stan Sakai

10/28/06

My first comic book, ever. 'SE,' my friend from TWG , should be proud because he's the one who recommended it.

Usagi is a samaurai ('usagi' is 'rabbit' in Japanese--the characters are all drawn as animals). I'm sure there's a big, long backstory, so I don't know much about Usagi, but I didn't let that stop me. The first part of the book is a prologue about some Japanese mythology, then goes into the story of "Grasscutter", a legendary sword of the gods. This was all very interesting and handled well, as it was necessary for the rest of the story have meaning.

Not only was in an engaging story about Usagi finding the sword, but the artwork is incredible. The scenes flowed really well from frame to frame. The Japanese culture really came through in the story, which I thought was great.

And that's all I have to say. Usually my book reviews are more in-depth, but this was more of a 'fun' read for me, and since I don't know anything else about comic books, I have no basis of comparison. But I liked it, anyway.

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"Black Powder War" by Naomi Novik

10/18/06

Sequel to Throne of Jade, Laurence and Temeraire are finally able to leave China and return home, but before they can do just that, they receive orders to retrieve three eggs from Turkey. Laurence doesn't understand why the orders come to them when England is not only closer, but the English leaders couldn't know that the Chinese would allow Temeraire to leave. A series of events unfold, including traveling through China and the middle east, arriving in Turkey to find an unexpected enemy, and fighting the French in Germany.

The albino Celestial dragon, Lien, was the companion of the Chinese prince who was killed--the same prince who tried to have Laurence murdered so Temeraire would no longer be attached to a non-royal companion. She is certain it's Temeraire's fault that the prince died, and in her thirst for revenge, Lien travels ahead of Temeraire to find a way to make his life miserable. Determined to destroy everything that is important to Temeraire including England and his friends there, she joins Napoleon's army, becoming a trusted advisor.

So much traveling and the multitude of little things that happen along the way make the book feel more disjointed than the first two. This also makes the setting, while interesting, without depth as there's not a lot of consistency in locations. There is the main goal--to get back to England with the Turkish eggs--but so much happens in between that long before the end I was ready for the story to finally resolve.

In Black Powder War we meet feral dragons for the first time, even though they are mentioned (with disdain) in the previous books. The appendix selection in this book mention ferals as completely mindless creatures, but of course we learn otherwise in the story. Novik portrays the prejudice against dragons heavy-handedly at times, but it's very applicable to the time period, when white men were so assured of their self-importance that they were unable to see that others were capable of equal intelligence and aptitude. Temeraire continues his campaign for the freedom of dragons, and the Turkish dragons seem open, but the Prussian dragons write him off as a nut job and he doesn't understand why they don't seem to care. Eventually he comes to understand that timing and patience is everything, and being a young dragon this is disappointing and difficult for him.

As in previous books the most fascinating characters are Temeraire and Laurence, but other characters come to the fore, including the mysterious bi-racial (English/Chinese) Tharkay, their guide through China and into Turkey; and the loyal Granby, Laurence's first lieutenant, whose complex emotions about their situation are interesting to watch unfold.

A large part of the last third of the book involves Napoleon's war with the Prussians. Temeraire, Laurence, and their crew are commandeered for duty when twenty promised dragons from England never arrive. Napoleon's new ally, Lien, provides new tactics the Corsican general uses to his advantage against the straight-laced, but formidable Prussian army. As history tells us, the entire campaign is a disaster for the Prussians; Temeraire and Laurence are caught up by the ineptness of the Prussian leadership, and are trapped as they try to leave the continent. But it turns out they still have a few aces up their sleeves and use unconventional means to save themselves and their precious cargo.

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"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue

10/04/06

When Henry Day was seven years old he was stolen by hobgoblins, one of their own changelings taking his place in the real world, while he joined the band living in the forest. The hobgoblins have the magic of the fey, and can manipulate their bodies, hence making themselves resemble the children they replace. Set in 20th century Pennsylvania, The Stolen Child is based on the myth in which a child is stolen from its parents and replaced by a fairy who looks like the original.

Narrated by the both the human and the changeling, they are both interlopers in their respective worlds, the real Henry Day now known as Aniday, and the changling Henry Day being raised by parents not his own. Changling Henry Day was abducted 100 years previously, and spent the intervening years learning the ways of the hobgoblin children, waiting his turn until he could take the place of another child and return to the real world. As Henry Day grows up he is constantly reminded of his origins, while everyone around him is oblivious to his inner turmoil and his resentment that the hobgoblins have stolen his past. While another lives the life he should have had, Aniday must learn the ways of the forest and how to survive among a band of eleven wild children who are older than they look.

The hobgoblins have lived in the woods for hundreds of years, but their domain has shrunk over time as neighborhoods encroach on their territory. The source of their magic isn't explained, and the origins of the changelings are only hinted at. However, Donohue explains interesting details about the properties of the magic the children have, such as their ability to stretch and manipulate their bodies, to not only change their appearance, but so they can fit through small openings. After a botched changeling attempt, their numbers begin to dwindle, and their home is destroyed and they're forced to retreat deeper into the forest. Even though many people don't believe they exist, the townspeople know something strange is going on in the woods.

The prose is beautiful but not flowery, adding to the tone of the book. The emotions of the main characters are understated and make the reader feel somewhat removed. But the result is effective, because we feel their separation from society and their difficulty in attaching themselves to the people and places that surround them, knowing as they do that they really don't belong. I'm sure there's some deeper insight to the book, such as how all children feel like interlopers at some time in their lives, and etc. But I read The Stolen Child for the story, and Donohue drops hints like a pro, stringing us along, tempting us to keep reading to find out more.

The book could be labeled a tragedy for several reasons: children are stolen from their families; the stolen children are forced to live a feral life with other hobgoblins, constantly plotting to take another child; the hobgoblins are losing their foothold in the world; the changelings, once back in the real world, often never 'recover' from their time in the woods and live their lives as broken human beings. Will the changeling Henry Day and the hobgoblin Aniday work to get past the tragedy that is their lives or will they be able to finally find a place in their respective worlds and come to accept it? Will they be able to change their lives for the better? Or will they let their troubles break them, like it has many others?

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"Prelude to Foundation" by Isaac Asimov

09/26/06

In the Foundation series Prelude to Foundation (published in 1988) is actually a prequel to Foundation, which was first published in 1951. Main character Hari Seldon's theory of psychohistory--the mathematics of prediction--has just been revealed for the first time. However, it's still only theory, and he has yet to discover the formulae necessary to make his theory viable. This doesn't stop the emperor of the Galactic Empire from taking notice and Hari is summoned to a meeting. The Emperor wants to use psychohistory to strengthen his diminishing grip on his own people, but Hari insists that his theory isn't practical. After this disappointing meeting, Hari discovers that his freedom, and perhaps even his life, may be at risk; that even though his theory is just that, theory, all around him the politcally manipulative want him for their own agendas.

Hari is helped by a journalist named Hummin to hide among the different sectors of Trantor, a planet entirely domed and populated by diverse groups of people. Dors, a beautiful historian, becomes Hari's companion during his forays into the different sectors. She's there to help him learn about history, but she's also determined to protect him--as instructed by the increasingly mysterious Hummin. Although Hari hadn't originally planned to learn the history necessary to make psychohistory work, his drive to find the answers are fueled by the threat to his survival. The result is that he begins to learn the 'history' part of psychohistory and the role it plays in prediction. And it's his visits to the different sectors that give him clues about how he can practically apply psychohistory.

Asimov's characters are interesting, but unfortunately not fully dimensional. They seem to adapt too quickly to new and difficult situations and spend a great deal of time standing around talking. Using conversation to advance the plot doesn't much help with characterization either, and leaves us without a true understanding of the depth of Hari Seldon. In the end, although I was relieved at the outcome (this book was written after the original series, so of course we know Hari won't die), I struggled to feel a connection with any of the characters.

The writing style is mostly functional and not particularly descriptive, and as a result the narration fell short in places were I wanted more detail. This book is supposed to explain the beginnings of psychohistory, but seemed to skim the top of what it was really about and the details about how Hari put the pieces together. Even though Hari was supposed to be in danger, I never really felt the immediacy of it. They strolled through the different sectors, worried about the emperor, but we never really feel Hari's fear.

Prelude to Foundation was written during or immediately after the Cold War, and Asimov's social commentary conveys social injustices and class struggles rather heavy-handedly. His theme of the challenge of maintaining social order continues on through the rest of the series, but I still wonder at Hari's motivation. He says he wants to help, but I don't really feel his urgency or understand why, especially since helping a decaying empire seems too monumental a task for one person. Asimov simply isn't a subtle enough writer to make the story of Hari's beginnings--the struggle of a single individual against the backdrop of vast societal forces--compelling, as it would require more drama and his writing is too straight-forward. Fortunately, Asimov's commentaries on science and mathematics are much more interesting and engaging, which is his real strength.

Prelude to Foundation was likely written for the fans of the Foundation series who were curious about Hari's beginnings, hence it has some interesting ideas, but nothing truly outstanding. For example, the different sectors on Trantor that Hari visits are interesting, but aren't explained with any real depth. However, there is a fascinating twist at the end that I didn't see coming, and although Hari has to take some logical leaps to get there, it still worked for me. If you want to read the real meat of the series stick to Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.

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"Throne of Jade" by Naomi Novik

09/19/06

Throne of Jade is the sequel to His Majesty's Dragon, and Laurence and Temeraire continue their adventures during the Napoleonic War. Temeraire's breed--Chinese Celestial--makes him rare, and due to the circumstances involving his acquisition, the Chinese emperor has demanded that the dragon be returned. The Chinese insist that only kings are worthy to be companions to Celestials. In an attempt to avoid a political snafu during a particularly troubling period for England, Laurence and Temeraire are sent to China with the Chinese Emperor's own son as their escort.

Readers will suffer a great deal more tension in this book than the first, as we discover Temeraire's dissatisfaction with the state of the world, particularly how dragons are treated in the West. Will he decide to stay in China, where dragons are treated as autonomous individuals who can live side-by-side with men? Or will he choose his beloved companion Laurence? Laurence himself begins to realize the better life Temeraire could have in China, but is fiercly loyal to his homeland and intends to return there with Temeraire if he can.

As in the first book, the strongest aspect of this story is the setting, which mostly involves the open sea and China. Two-thirds of the book is spent on the sea as they travel to China by boat, which could potentially be boring, but instead it's handled well, and some exciting things happen. During the trip the English and Chinese learn how to communicate and get along, but Laurence is given reason to wonder about the prince's ulterior motives. The prince often attempts to separate Laurence and Temeraire during the journey, but with the help of the English envoy to China and Laurence's Aerial Corp crew, the prince's plans are thwarted. Laurence's suspicions of the prince only grow once they reach China and his life is imperiled.

What I find most interesting about this book is Novik's explanation of the different breeds. Like any other beast, there are many different varieties of dragons, some breeds with their particular quirks, the results of cross-breeding and other influences. His Majesty's Dragon has a brief appendix about the different Western breeds and even has a few pictures comparing sizes. This book has a brief appendix about Oriental breeds. I think Novik could have more information about the different breeds within the text itself, but what information she does include only adds to the book's appeal.

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"His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik

09/15/06

The Napoleonic War of Novik's His Majesty's Dragon is not your typical early nineteenth century setting because not only are there the ships and ground battles, but also aerial battles between the dragons of France and England. Captain Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant captures a French frigate with precious cargo: a Chinese dragon egg. Unable to make land in time before it hatches, it comes to Laurence to bond with the beast, whom he names Temeraire. Since the dragon and Laurence are so bonded, it's impossible to turn the dragon over to the British Aerial Corps without Laurence, so the navy captain and his dragon must quickly train in order to serve their country against Napoleon’s plans to invade Britain itself.

The strongest aspect of this story was the setting. Novik seamlessly weaves the history of the Napoleonic Wars with her new history of dragon involvement. The behaviors and perceptions are indicative of that time period, as are the details of warfare, without being overbearing and losing reader interest. There's nothing particularly remarkable about the plot, most likely because it involves training and the 'fish out of water' element, so it's predictable, including the final battle's terrible odds that Temeraire and Laurence overcome to save the day. But it's the setting and characters which make any boredom with the plot moot, and I suspect this first book of the trilogy is merely a set up for the sequels anyway, which I expect to build and improve on the plot. The pace is good, although some transitions are too quick, as though Novik is impatient to get on with the story.

Another strength of the story is the characterization of the dragons themselves. The dragons are not unlike humans in the regard that they all have their physical uniqueness, talents, differing intelligence, as well as other personality quirks. Unfortunately the human characters suffer some stereotyping, but Novik didn't seem to have time to deeply explore them. Laurence is likely the most well-rounded of the human characters, and Novik drew him so consistently that I could not only see his rigid military bearing, but also 'hear' his accent that I almost expected a "pip pip" or a "cherrio", but fortunately the author didn't stoop to that level.

What I found most intriguing was Novik's portrayal of aerial combat. Some dragons are large enough to be outfitted with a crew, including riflemen and bombers and all they gear they required--just like one would imagine from a bomber plane from WWII (if you've ever seen the movie Memphis Belle that's what I had in mind). Captain Laurence's experience as a navy captain serves him well and he's able to fight with the best of them.

If you find the time period fascinating, I suggest Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series which are available in series of books and on DVD (starring Sean Bean! I own several of the DVDS and love them all).

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"The Victory Garden Companion" by Michael Weishan and Laurie Donnelly

08/28/06

I borrowed this book from the library, and I'm sooooo asking for it for Christmas (sigh...it's still months away...) to add to my growing collection of gardening books. It's a book for the amateur gardener--with a little beginner information--it's mostly for those who want to learn more sophisticated gardening techniques.

It's a beautiful book and well written, the sections succinct and interesting. My favorite is the vegetable gardening section, from which I have been inspired to change my south lawn into an all vegetable garden! Including herbs and cutting flowers and etc. It will take a while to get it going, but I have all winter to prepare for next spring (however, right now the lawn is covered with pine bush branches ready to be hauled off to the dump).

I have visions of plants dancing around in my head. It will be amazing, I tell you. Hopefully, I'm not too ambitious; I don't want to overwhelm myself, but there's something so satisfying about tending a flourishing garden.

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"Cutting Edge" by Jeffrey S. Savage

08/27/06

The nice thing about LDS authors is that their writing is always so squeaky clean. Of course, that can be a downfall, too, but it's still nice to read something without swearing or gruesome things in it. This doesn't mean he's Grisham or Clancy, but Jeffrey Savage does an admirable job getting Mormon-boy Travis into a real pickle.

It’s Silicon Valley at the height of the Internet company boom when Travis Edwards is hired as a programmer for a company that is about to go public. His dreams of launching into a prestigious career dissolve when he discovers that someone is stealing sensitive files from his computer. Framed for selling secrets to a competitor, Travis must not only clear his name, but protect his family from those threatening them.

That being said it’s the plot and suspense that carries the story more than the prose, which for the most part is sufficient, although occasionally rough. The plot is pretty straight-forward, the most interesting issue for me being the moral dilemma Travis must face regarding what lengths he can go in order to protect himself and his family; although I think Savage could have upped the ante a bit more than he did.

Travis is the only fully fleshed character. His wife felt two-dimensional to me--her stubborn streak felt over-the-top, so I found her annoying. The characters in Travis’s company filled a role and therefore weren’t particularly well-rounded either, which was likely the consequence of a fast-paced plot and relatively short novel (only 240 pages). I did think that Savage portrayed cube-life accurately, the images and behaviors dredging up my own memories of software-company life.

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"Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife" by Linda Berdoll

08/20/06

A sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Over-wrought and under-plotted, this raunchy book—while staying true to the characters (mostly)—has no real focus and meanders along with a few tradgedies, inexplicable side-character behavior, and other sundry goings on.

I gave up on the book when I got a little over halfway. The prose is dreadful (I mean really, how many times can you say "betwixt" without sounding ridiculous?), although there is some witty dialogue.

Jane Austen would be scandalized if she were alive to read what others are writing about two of the most believed characters in fiction.

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"Song of the Beast" by Carol Berg

08/19/06

Aidan McAllister spent seventeen years imprisoned in solitude for treason—although he never learned what this supposed treasonous act was. He was a wandering singer who enjoyed celebrity not only because he was the cousin to the king, but also because he was exceptionally talented. What could he possibly have done that warranted such abuse?

Song of the Beast opens with his release and Aiden, now voiceless and with crippled hands, is thrust out penniless into a world that believes him dead.

Aiden saves the life of a prostitute and she takes him in as he recovers and hides from his former jailers: the Ridemark. The Riders use bloodstones to force their will on the dragons, the only way to keep the beasts under control. Using the dragons, the Riders' purposes are to expand the kingdom, keep the king's vassals in line, and enforce the king's law. However, their elevated station has made them into a proud people who roam the kingdom terrorizing its citizens. Aiden suspects that his fascination with the dragons has something to do with his imprisonment, that the music only he can hear from their bellowing and trumpeting may be the key to unlock this mystery.

Due to Aiden’s imprisonment he’s left weak, crippled, and afraid, so spends a great deal of the book worried and paranoid. This makes him somewhat of an annoying anti-hero, but when the first person point of view switches to other characters we see more of what it is that makes him unique and interesting—that not just anyone could have survived the depredations he had and still be sane.

The mystery of his imprisonment unfolds slowly, building to a climax that involves the dragons and finding their true place in the world. The pace isn’t consistent throughout, leaving some gaps where interest wanes. However, the unfolding of the mystery is well controlled and compelling and Berg's prose has some bright moments of surprising clarity.

Being focused so much on the main character Berg doesn't fully develop the various races, and I was left with a less than satisfying understanding of the politics and different peoples; I think she was over-ambitious for a standalone book to add so many complications to it. Berg also switches the first-person point of view a few times, with two minor characters each their own chapter. I couldn’t see the point in this as it was distracting, and the time on these side chapters could have been better spent on building a stronger setting.

Song of the Beast was Berg’s first book, and despite its imperfections, the story itself is compelling. Her main characters are well drawn and interesting, particularly in how they slowly discover their own complicated motivations, learn how the past has affected the present, and finally gather the courage to do the right thing.

Other books by Carol Berg that have been recommended to me include Transformation, Revelation, and Restoration (the three are part of a series about demons) and The Bridge of D’Arnath Quartet.

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"Traditions of the Ancients: Vintage Faith Practices for the 21st Century" by Marcia Ford

08/13/06

Mostly I just got this book so it could spark ideas for a religious group I have in the novel I'm writing (it did). "Traditions of the Ancients" has a chapter for different traditions that were practiced anciently (around the time of Christ), including meditating, memorizing prayers, etc. It was a fascinating look into the different ways people not only practiced their faith, but the ways in which they tried to commune with God. Ford asserts that since every one of us is different, it stands to reason that we each communicate with God in our own way—and she wrote this book out of a desire to help us become closer to God.

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"Precinct Puerto Rico" by Steven Torres

08/10/06

The main reasons why I like "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" is for the setting and the sophisticated writing. And while "Precinct Puerto Rico" has an exotic setting, the writing is most definitely not sophisticated. It many ways the voice and tone help the setting, but Torres is heavy handed in his explanations and point of view, which is inconsistent and often confusing.

Mark served his mission in Puerto Rico and we went back there in 2002 on vacation. I really enjoyed the trip and got to see some of the places mentioned in the book. But other than that spark of interest, the book isn't all that great.

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"The Counterfeit" by Robison Wells

07/31/06

I met Rob at a booksigning at the local Seagull bookstore when he was making the rounds this month when his book was released. "The Counterfeit" is actually a sequel to "Wake Me When It's Over", but you don't have to read it to understand what's going on in his new release.

These and Rob's other book are all humor/thrillers, but the humor in "The Counterfeit" isn't as laugh out loud as in "Wake Me When It's Over." However, the thriller side is certainly strong, with a solid plot that sucks you in and by the end you're strongly invested in the story.

The narrator, Eric Hopkins, has matured since the prequel (sign of good characterization) but he's still the wisecracking college guy. Rebekah is struggling with the truth that her father is an arms dealer. Their romance isn't sappy, but struggle realistically considering their situation.

After Eric is attacked, they go into hiding, but nothing is what it seems. Rob makes some twists and turns and we end up in England then in the catacombs of Paris. Usually events like that feel contrived, but he made it work.

Leading up to the release of the book Rob made a blog and a conspiracy theory website to promote his book. Check them out.

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"Mistborn: The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson

07/26/06

Wow!

I went to the pre-release party and booksigning at the Waldenbooks at the Provo Towne Centre last Saturday. I waited in line for about an hour and a half and Brandon signed my book. It was cool. Especially since it wasn't officially released until yesterday. So I began reading it Saturday night and finished Tuesday afternoon.

Think "Ocean's Eleven", where a group of theives with magic powers have made the Lord Ruler himself their mark. The Lord Ruler is like a 'god' who rules over the world with an iron fist, and the skaa slaves have tried for a thousand years to kill and overthrow him.

Enter Kelsier, the survior of a terrible prison, is a Mistborn, an Allomancer who uses metals to manipulate the world around him as well as his own body. He finds Vin, an emotionally scarred teenage girl who is an unwitting Mistborn, and he trains her and she joins his crew.

It's a very well written book, with twists and turns that engage the reader, pulling you along in the story. The characters are well-drawn and endearing. It's a little dark, considering the situation, but I highly recommend it.

You can read the first three chapters on Brandon's website.

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"The Knight" by Gene Wolfe

07/25/06

The Knight is the first in a two-book series called “The Wizard-Knight”, the second being The Wizard. The narrator is a teenage boy who stumbles into another world and is transformed by an elf queen into a man. Although not officially knighted, Able claims he is one because he has a knight’s sense of honor and duty. Out of love for the elf queen Disiri, he pledges to find the sword Eterne and kill the dragon protecting it. During his quest he picks up a motley band of followers and performs feats that give him a legendary reputation in Mythgarthr.

Reading The Knight often feels like you’re reading a book of mythology. Although there is a quest plot, the book appears to be really about the milieu, much like The Left Hand of Darkness and the Lord of the Rings primarily explores setting and mythology. Since The Knight is a milieu book, it moves slowly with side stories that involve various species of Aelf, ogres, and giants--as well as an assortment of knights, nobility, and peasantry. One problem with milieu books is that characterization is often waylaid in favor of focusing on the setting, and The Knight is no exception to this problem, Able's character remaining unchanged through much of the story.

Despite Able’s adult outer appearance, in mind and behavior he remains a teenage boy, and as a result he doesn’t always understand what’s going on around him. This makes for a blurry sensation of events, the narration not always clear. Wolfe's narration is consistent, but it was frustrating when Able-as-narrator dismissed things he couldn't understand or glossed over parts of the action. (I suppose this summary-like narration adds to the sensation that this is a book of myth.) Also, I had a hard time feeling ongoing tension, other than what seemed a constant chain of finding people for which Able feels responsibility and his fighting for the sake of fighting.

The prose is well-written, but the story ends without much satisfaction because nothing will be resolved until the sequel. I finished reading this out of a desire to say I read a Gene Wolfe book, but I would have put it down long before--I spent most of the book bored senseless. I suppose the concept of interlocking magical realms was fascinating, but there wasn’t much information to compel me to keep reading to find out more.

I get the impression from the reviews on Amazon that this is the kind of book you either love or hate. So take this for what it’s worth: I didn’t much care for this book, but there may be others of you who will.

Discuss this book in the TWG forums.

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"Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

07/14/06

FOUNDING BROTHERS is a historian’s account of six events after the Revolutionary War that shaped the future of the United States. The first founding moment was the Declaration of Independence, but the “constitutional settlement” that followed was as important in declaring American nationhood (9); and it’s during this constitutional settlement that the six events occurred.

Ellis claims that the “central players in the drama were not the marginal or peripheral figures…but rather the political leaders at the center of the national story who wielded power” (13). They are Abigail and John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. And because of the “diversity of personalities and ideologies present in the mix” (17) they succeeded in creating a government that was neither tyrannical nor the pure independence of anarchy. Neither side “completely triumphed” (15), which surprisingly appears to be reason this bid for nationhood succeeded, because the framers of the Constitution and founders of this new nation were forced to find a middle ground.

Ellis writes about these characters and the events they participated in with a sophisticated, yet accessible prose. He draws the characters without apology, yet simultaneously his affection for these long-dead public figures is plain in his descriptions. For example, chapter one recounts the famous duel between Hamilton and Burr. He draws a portrait of Hamilton’s origins that any fiction writer would covet: “Hamilton had been born on the West Indian island of Nevis, the illegitimate son of a down-on-her-luck beauty of French extraction and a hard-drinking Scottish merchant with a flair for bankruptcy” (22). It’s from these tidbits of each person’s background, from descriptions of their personalities and keen insights into their motivations, that makes these men (and woman) who lived over 200 years ago accessible to the readers of today.

For example, I knew of James Madison, but he never struck me as much of a key figure as, say, Thomas Jefferson--until I read chapter two of FOUNDING BROTHERS. Ellis says that Madison “not only [looked] like the epitome of insignificance--diminutive, colorless, sickly--he was also paralyzingly shy, the kind of guest at a party who instinctively searched out the corners of the room” (53). He was someone who “seemed to lack a personality” (53), but his unassuming nature concealed a keen mind, organizational ability, and a persuasive knack that often bowled over his political competition. This is when Madison finally became real to me, when I could see how his specific traits affected events.

Ellis continues on this vein with the remaining four chapters, painting portraits of the political leaders and the events they instigated that shaped the history of our nation. These are the very people essential in the survival of a fledgling union, a loose conglomeration of states still so fragile that if not for the contributions of these key players, the nation would have floundered before it ever took breath. Read FOUNDING BROTHERS not only for its sense of history, but also for the prose and Ellis’s ability to illustrate the characters as real people who lived and breathed--and loved this country.

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"To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis

07/03/06

Ned Henry is a historian—a time-traveling historian, to be precise. He’s been assigned the task of discovering the location of the lost bishop’s bird stump from Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed in an air-raid during WWII. Only, it’s turning out to be more difficult than it should have been.

Time travel is a ‘chaotic system,’ according to Ned. You can’t bring things from the past back with you, and ‘crisis points’ cause slippage during the time drop when one arrives in the past. Even though he and his associates have been trying to determine the location of the bishop’s bird stump before the destruction of cathedral, the slippage has made it impossible. This is a result of the built-in measures the time-travel system has to prevent incongruities in the space-time continuum.

However, Ned is pulled from his search to help Verity, another historian, to find an incongruity she made by bringing back an item from the past—something which should have been impossible. He’s sent back to Victorian England, where one would think he could get some much-needed relaxation from the responsibilities thrust on him by the domineering Lady Shrapnell, whose money controls those who run the time-travel department at Oxford.

Instead, the story turns into a comedy of errors. Ned and Verity try frantically to fix the incongruity, while at the same time figure out why it happened. Unfortunately, the system goes awry as some historians get stuck in the past or are sent to the wrong place. But what does the hideous bishop’s bird stump have to do with all this? Well, quite a bit, actually.

Connie Willis is known for her prose, which is well-paced and never boring. The wry sense of humor of the first person narrator is positively hilarious as Ned interprets the Victorian society through his 21st century sensibilities. The dialogue is clever, the characters—while a bit on the exaggerated side—are fun and by the end you are deeply invested in the outcome. Particularly interesting is the complex plot that slowly builds, until everything comes together neatly at the end; there are no unnecessary parts of the book, although sometimes you will wonder as you read why Willis adds the scenes she does. Her concepts on time travel and incongruities, while not new, are fascinating in their execution.

If you like TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, you will also enjoy DOOMSDAY BOOK by the same author.

Discuss this book in the TWG forums.

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"Description" by Monica Wood

06/09/06

For about half of the book I mostly skimmed through, trying to find tidbits of insight. It wasn't until the second half when she got into the meat of describing setting, which is what I really wanted to know. It was helpful, with great tips and examples. Recommended for those just beginning to write who need pointers on how to write descriptions.

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"Confidence Game" by Michelle M. Welch

06/09/06

It was an OK story. I picked it up off the sale shelf at the library for 25¢ because it was one of the few fantasy books there and the cover was intriguing. The point-of-view was all over the place (a great example of how NOT to write when it comes to point-of-view), but the story was interesting--once it took off, which wasn't for several chapters. Perhaps the most interesting parts were the themes of trust, why we 'play' people, and self-deception. The setting was so-so, and the magic was interesting, but it wasn't explained thoroughly enough.

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"The Leading Edge" magazine's issue #51

05/23/06

As usual, this issue's stories were great. There were two fantasy stories out of five stories, which is pretty typical. It's hard to get a decent fantasy in less than a couple thousand words. But I liked the spellweaver story in here best. It's about a woman who's a weaver for charms to protect people from fairies and other magical harm.

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"The Persian Pickle Club" by Sandra Dallas

05/12/06

I first started this book about six months ago and halfway through it I put it down without any intent of picking it up again. Well, it was chosen for book club this month, so I forced myself to finish it and I'm glad I did.

The reason why I put the book down in the first place was because it's rather slow, and the story never really picks up until the last chapter. But the entire first 90% of the book is what makes the ending worth it.

It's the story about Queenie, who lives in Harveyville, Kansas, during the Great Depression. She's a young wife of a farmer, childless, and a member of the Persian Pickle Club, the local quilter's circle. Life gets stirred up when Rita, a new bride from the city, arrives.

It's a story of friendship, and worth reading.

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"The Sun Witch" by Linda Winstead Jones

05/12/06

Someone recommended this book to me and I ordered it from the library without knowing it was a romance. I read it anyway, because, hey, a girl needs to read a good mushy love story once in a while.

The romance was sweet, if part of a rather strange plotline. The plot kind of falls apart at the end, the setting is not very solid, and the magic is incoherent.

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"On the Edge" by Julie Coulter Bellon

05/07/06

cliché, n.: 1, a trite phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it; 2, a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation

A few quotes from this book:

"The man before him was oozing confidence..." (pg 41)

"...the expression on her face was if she were warring with herself." (pg 40)

And there are more. A lot more. I'm not saying a writer should never use clichéd phrases ever, but a writer should always be very careful about using them at all, because clichés don't provide information/feeling to the reader as well as one would like.

I didn't much care for this book. The Believer was better written than this book. The plot for "On the Edge" stretched credulity and the love story was forced. However, if you're LDS and you want to read a thriller/love story without the violence and sex, this is an OK subsitute.

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"A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

05/01/06

This is a long book, and usually long books don't hamper me--I once read a 600-page Robert Jordan novel in three days. However, A Game of Thrones took me about a month to get through. I couldn't read (stomach) it any faster because it's a very involved novel, full of grisly details; it was grim, painful, and yet a very entertaining read.

I liken it to Shogun by James Clavell (which also took me a long time to read), which unapologetically tells the story of a culture that is deadly and harsh. Martin's writing is realistic, even though it's a fantasy novel. He painstakingly unfolds a fascinating cast and lush setting with straightforward yet detailed prose. Recommended if you can stomach the grim realism.

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"The Believer" by Stephanie Black

04/24/06

Written by an LDS author and published by Covenant, it's a thriller that takes place in the future. 'New America' has seceded from the U.S., forming its own strict government, where religion in any form is considered an act of treason. Ian has found a contraband copy of the Book of Mormon and believes it, but a chain of events threaten not only his life, but the lives of many others.

The plot is tense and well-developed. The characterization is adequate, but the descriptions were flat and cliché. I found myself constantly editing her descriptions of emotions in the characters. They were rote and uninspiring.

It's a fun book if you're looking for something clean and thought-provoking, but turn off your internal editor (if you have one).

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"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith

04/17/06

One of my favorite books, I read it again in preparation for a book club discussion I'm leading next week. And upon re-reading it I'm remembering why I love this book. The prose is uncluttered and the plot straightforward. Even the way the book is narrated gives the reader a feel for the setting. The voice is no American woman, it's the attitudes and way of speaking for a woman of Africa. The characterization and setting are expertly drawn. Recommended highly.

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"The Moon's Shadow" by Catharine Asaro

04/15/06

I've read waaaayyy too many Asaro books lately. I promise this is going to be the last one for a while. I have plenty of other books I need to be reading, and I unfortunately let myself get sucked into these.

This book is about the son of the couple in Primary Inversion and I mostly read it for the romance (just in that kind of mood lately, I guess), but the political issues and characterization were fascinating, too. I liked it, but like I said, I have other things I need to be doing with my time (namely, cleaning my house, exercising, quilting) that are more important.

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"The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale

04/11/06

I loved this book. The story itself was well-written, the plot tight, the pace suspenseful, the characterization engaging. I highly recommend this book. It's about Ani, a princess without much self-esteem, and her adventures and coming of age. It's supposed to be based on the Brothers' Grimm "Goose Girl" story, although I haven't ever read it. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of it, though.

Also see Princess Academy

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"The Radiant Seas" by Catharine Asaro

04/10/06

After reading Primary Inversion and Catch the Lightning I was expecting a little more romance, but there isn't much in this book. It's mostly about a big war that's been brewing among the two main races in this book. Although some of the battles and political intrigue are interesting, I was really in the mood for a little romance so was a little disappointed. There was just way too much exposition in this story to keep my attention and I found myself skipping parts.

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"Chickens in the Headlights" by Matthew Buckley

04/05/06

Very funny book. The main character, Matthew, is nine years old and is the second of seven boys. The story is about the crazy summer he and his brothers have when his parents decide to teach them responsibility by getting some goats and chickens for the boys to take care of. The family and loyalty themes were handled well and the humor was laugh-out-loud. The author is LDS.

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"Leven Thumps and the Gateway To Foo" by Obert Skye

04/01/06

Exciting, cleverly written book. It's about poor orphaned Leven and how he needs to find the gateway to Foo. Foo is where our dreams and hope come from, so it's important to keep it safe. The story has some fresh concepts to it, magic, and overcoming evil. Meant for older readers, 10+ (I should think), since youngers readers would lose interest, and it's kind of long for younger attention spans and might be too scary.

Published by Shadow Mountain, a Utah publisher, so I believe the author is LDS. But the name is an obvious pseudonym, so who knows?

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"Catch The Lightning" by Catherine Asaro

03/29/06

Another Asaro space opera with romance, science, and telephaths. This one also has space/dimension travel where a man from the future falls in love with a woman from another time/dimension. Still fun stuff. The pace was a little off compared to "Primary Inversion" and there was more mind-numbing exposition, but the romance was more compelling.

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"Characters and Viewpoint" by Orson Scott Card

03/27/06

Excellent book. The first half for me was a little 'duh', but the second half really gave me specific ideas about how to refine the story.

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"The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

03/26/06

The definitive milieu story (meaning: the purpose of the story is to explore the setting), it takes place on Gethen, a planet constantly in winter. It's told primarily by Mr. Ai, an envoy for a federation of planets to encourage the countries of Gethen to join. So it's primarily told by a non-native, and from his point of view we realize what a foreign planet it is--for the inhabitants are asexual. Not "its" as in having no sex, but in having both, more like being manwoman. There are a few days of each month where they are one or the other and can breed with another person in the same (but opposite gender) state. It was very strange, but fascinating. Le Guin explores how this society would have no real gender roles, no 'weaker' sex.

Le Guin is also a master at formal writing. It's a difficult style to write in, but she does it flawlessly. She's just an excellent writer all around, exploring politics, personal realtionships, and how the environment affects these things. It's slow going because it's more about the setting than the events in the story, but if you enjoy reading stories for the sake of learning about a new culture, it's worth it.

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"Primary Inversion" by Catharine Asaro

03/23/06

Space opera, with lots of great science fiction and romance. I was particularly interested in how telepaths would interface with machines. Very fascinating. Also, the love stories were not so cliché, which was nice.

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"Ombira in Shadow" by Patricia A. McKillip

03/18/06

A mystical story about four people and the city they live in, and how it's on the verge of change. The 'shadow' is the shadow city of Ombria, a place of ghosts, deterioration, and the past. The characterization is wonderful. The prose is like poetry. Beautiful, fascinating book.

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"Wake Me When It's Over" by Robison E. Wells

03/14/06

I really liked this book. Have you seen the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"? This book has kind of the same attitude. You have these violent things happening around you, but there's this quirky humor that runs through it, commenting on things, so the terrible situation doesn't seem as bad (but it still does, if you know what I mean).

The whole story moves quickly, with a few flashbacks to keep the pace from going out of control. The humor is subtle, like it is in "On Second Thought", and therefore tones down what would otherwise be scarey and serious. I mean, how funny can someone stepping on a broken wrist be? But there I was, laughing out loud. Funny, fun book.

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"On Second Thought" by Robison E. Wells

03/13/06

Very funny book about a BYU graduate dumped by his fiance and how he tries to figure out his life by moving to New Mexico, of all places. I love the voice of this book. Sometimes comedy can be too corny (especially LDS comedy), but this book is subtly well written and its LDS references well placed. Good mystery story and romance woven in, as well.

Mr. Wells even has a blog. It's funny, too.

He also has a forum where you can discuss his books.

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"A Door in the Woods" by James Dashner

03/09/06

Recommended audience: boys ages 10-15. The voice has attitude and the story is exciting and fast-paced with twists and turns that will keep the young reader excited. It's good starter fantasy fiction for boys. It's clean (the author is LDS) and has a family theme often lacking in young adult fantasy fiction, where the protagonist is usually an orphan (i.e., Harry Potter, Eragon, Lemony Snicket, etc).

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"Esperanza Rising" by Pam Munoz Ryan

03/04/06

Sweet story about a Mexican girl who must immegrate to the US during the depression. The prose is straightforward and the story tugs on the heartstrings. Good for reading to your little girl (8+, I should think).

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"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire

03/03/06

It's clever and entertaining, but that's about it. Oh, and it's raunchy. As a speculative fiction reader, I found it full of plot flaws and inconsistencies, but mainstream fiction readers won't likely see those problems. They'll look at it more as a fairy tale kind of book, and will therefore be more forgiving. Even if the plot careens out of control as it nears the end...like the author was running out of steam. If you really want to read about magic I can recommend either the original Oz books by L. Frank Baum or something better written. (Sheesh, and they've even made a Broadway play out of this!)

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"The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile" by Noah Lukeman

03/01/06

This book is pretty helpful, I think (time will tell, huh?). The chapters are broken down into the different elements important to good storytelling, including dialogue, pace, setting, style, and etc, and how to fix the problem if your story isn't what it could be. Recommended if you're thinking of submitting something for publication.

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"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

02/23/06

For the first half of this book I was bored and only pushed my way through it because it's the book for book club. But it was all build-up for the intense second half that kept me up late last night. Although there were many disturbing parts in this book, I found the themes of love, guilt, and honor most fascinating. I also enjoyed the insights into the Afghan culture. Recommended (if you can get past the disturbing stuff).

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"How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card

02/05/06

Regarded as the de facto intruction manual on how to write sci fi and fantasy. It leaves out the more general instructions of writing (acknowledging that there are other perfectly good books out there that address the issues of plot, character, viewpoint, etc.) and focuses on the things that make a great speculative fiction novel. You must read this book if you plan on writing sci fi/fantasy. Better yet, own it.

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"Princess Academy" book report

01/31

By Shannon Hale. Recently awarded a Newbery Honor, this book is all that storytelling should entail. It reminded me of Louis Sachar's "Holes", in that it's a tightly written story that flows, piece by delightful piece showing as the story unfolds. Nothing was superflous.

It's the story of 14-year-old Miri, the daughter of a quarry worker on Mount Eskel. She's never allowed to help her father and sister in the quarry and doesn't understand why. One day it's announced in the town that girls aged 12 - 18 must attend a princess academy, to determine which one will marry the prince. The hometown of the future princess is foretold at the 17th birthday of each prince by the court prognosticators (whoever they are). This year it's Mount Eskel, the home of a quarry town and twenty peasant girls.

Miri, of course, is the star pupil, but not without her problems. She overcomes them, and in the process learns about the magic of the stone they quarry at the mountain. Will she be selected as princess? And would she say yes if asked? That's what every girl wants, right? Recommended.

Also see Goose Girl, The

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Farseer Triologies book report

01/30

By Robin Hobb. Yes, there are six of them, in two separate trilogies, but for all intents and purposes part of one great epic (there is about a ten-year gap between book 3 and 4). I made the mistake of getting started on them, and once started couldn't finish. This left a lot of unwashed dishes in my house for a while.

Told in first person by FitzChivalry Farseer, the bastard son of the man who would have been king. Fitz is propelled into the politics and maneuverings of the Farseer court. Since he is illegtimate, he can't take his proper role in his own family, and is instead apprenticed by the secretive king's assassin. Hence continues a tale of coming of age, aiding his king, and eventually becoming an instrument in the removal of invaders to his homeland. All very good stuff.

Robin Hobb's writing style is clever and witty. Her characterizations keen and telling. Her plot doesn't move very quickly, though. It takes her a lot of time to get from one place to another, much of it filled with setting descriptions and the minutia of traveling. But the story is classic fantasy, with magic, swords, dragons, love, death, and kings. Recommended.

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"Rules of Engagement" by Stephanie Fowers

01/27

Chick lit book on the singles scene in a BYU ward. Like the movie "Single's Ward" only funnier, with witty dialogue, crazy situations, and truly hilarious descriptins of single life at BYU. Recommended for that bit of fluff reading you might need between the heavier stuff.

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"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlien

01/26

Don't read it. It's stupid. Touted as one of the most famous classic sci fi books ever written, it's about Valentine Michael Smith, a man born on Mars and raised by Martians, and how integrating into the Earth society proves difficult for him. It started out fine, and even very interesting, but evolved into propoganda for 'free-love', how morality is irrational and unnecessary, and other random philosophies about relgion and what a real church should be like. Not recommended if you can't get past the philosophical side of it (which I had a hard time doing). Otherwise it's a good study on characterization, sci fi elements, and the clashing of two vastly differing cultures.

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"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold

01/20

The story of a 14-year-old girl who is raped and killed, and how she watches her family fall apart from her perch in heaven. Rather depressing, although there are redeeming moments. I liked the eccentric grandmother the best. Not a book I'd recommend, although I know several people who liked it.

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