Saturday, May 01, 2010
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones
by Brandon Sanderson.
Not much is different in this book than the first, as one might expect. There is still the sense that this is a mashup of fantasy and comedy, a sort of Terry Pratchett-ish form of the fantasy genre, but maybe more so. Add, as I suggested last time, a dash of Snicket-ish asides and loops of silliness that turn back on themsleves constantly, and you get the idea.
This time, Alcatraz, Bastille, and some long-lost family members unite to try to break into the very dangerous Library of Alexandria and rescue Alcatraz's father and grandfather, whom they believe to be there. On the way, they have a nasty encounter with some Librarians, in particular a sect known as The Scrivener's Bones, who are a sort of cyborg hybrid.
It's all danger, learning to use weird "talents" more effectively, uncovering some mystical prophecies and magical lenses, and of course, a lot of narrow scrapes. In short, fun and full of adventure, if maybe a bit more busy being silly and flip than is really my own taste. Fans of Pratchett and Pinkwater, though, will love it, I'm pretty sure.
It's all danger, learning to use weird "talents" more effectively, uncovering some mystical prophecies and magical lenses, and of course, a lot of narrow scrapes. In short, fun and full of adventure, if maybe a bit more busy being silly and flip than is really my own taste. Fans of Pratchett and Pinkwater, though, will love it, I'm pretty sure.
Labels: 2008, action/adventure, humour, lukewarm, middle grades, sci fi, witches and wizards
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Last Olympian
Book #5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
By Rick Riordan
I finally got my hands on the last of the series to read it just before I saw the trailer for the first movie! These will make great movies, with lots of action and plenty of opportunities for cool effects, so I can't wait to see what they do with them.
At the end of the series, I can't help but look back over them and see the structure of the whole, which bears a remarkable resemblance to the structure of other series and notable quest myths, most obviously and best-known being the Harry Potter saga. (Let's see, at about 12 yrs old, the kid who's always had weird things happen discovers he's not an ordinary human, foes off for some training, ends up on some quests/in some battles, is facing a Big Dark Power who is rising again after years in hibernation, and is prophesied to be The One.)
The fact is, though, even a well-worn old formula can be a fantastic ride in the hands of a good storyteller, and Riordan is most certainly that. These books are entertaining, fast-paced, and could even manage to hook a kid on mythology if they were the curious kind, which I think is a great side benefit.
The series ends with a good resolution, and the battered and ragged forces of good live on, at least some of them, to fight another day, having vanquished the Titan Lords once more and saved Olympus. Phew!
My only issue was the very, very end, which seems to leave the door open for another set of Percy Jackson adventures. I enjoyed these thoroughly, but I think Percy has earned a rest, and would like to see him start a new series, instead. Perhaps based on a different set of myths, or something altogether?
By Rick Riordan
I finally got my hands on the last of the series to read it just before I saw the trailer for the first movie! These will make great movies, with lots of action and plenty of opportunities for cool effects, so I can't wait to see what they do with them.
At the end of the series, I can't help but look back over them and see the structure of the whole, which bears a remarkable resemblance to the structure of other series and notable quest myths, most obviously and best-known being the Harry Potter saga. (Let's see, at about 12 yrs old, the kid who's always had weird things happen discovers he's not an ordinary human, foes off for some training, ends up on some quests/in some battles, is facing a Big Dark Power who is rising again after years in hibernation, and is prophesied to be The One.)
The fact is, though, even a well-worn old formula can be a fantastic ride in the hands of a good storyteller, and Riordan is most certainly that. These books are entertaining, fast-paced, and could even manage to hook a kid on mythology if they were the curious kind, which I think is a great side benefit.
The series ends with a good resolution, and the battered and ragged forces of good live on, at least some of them, to fight another day, having vanquished the Titan Lords once more and saved Olympus. Phew!
My only issue was the very, very end, which seems to leave the door open for another set of Percy Jackson adventures. I enjoyed these thoroughly, but I think Percy has earned a rest, and would like to see him start a new series, instead. Perhaps based on a different set of myths, or something altogether?
Labels: 2009, action/adventure, good stuff, middle grades, witches and wizards
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Theodosia, books I and II
by R.L. LaFevers
This is a new series that follows the recent trend for mythology in chapter books - a direction in fantasy that I love, as straight up fantasy was never really my thing, but this fusion of classical myths and fiction is really speaking to me.
Here, a young girl spends most of her life wandering around a London museum of antiquities, thanks to her obsessive and somewhat absent-minded archeologist parents. She has spent loads of time learning about the classics and Egyptology, particularly on some obscure books about Egyptian magic. It's a good thing, too, since she seems to be the only one who can sense the curses and spells, so she takes it upon herself to rid the objects of them and keep the museum safe. Though this starts leading her into some odd situations...
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
A tall order for a young girl? Yes, she thinks so, too, but is determined that if it means saving England, she must find a way. A more clever and plucky heroine you could never want, and between her exploits and her funny aside comments, the book is loads of fun.
Life is just returning to normal after her first adventure, when Theodosia runs into new trouble almost immediately. She is cleaning out the basement, when she finds an interesting staff, and pops the two pieces together. Next morning, all the mummies in London have congregated in the museum! They are mostly moved back, but reappear the next day, and then the next, bringing suspicion upon Theo's dad. It's not until the next evening that she puts two and two together to realize that the staff is the problem, and lets Lord Wigmere know about it. None too soon, it turns out, for not only are the Serpents of Chaos society after it, but both a new secret society and a pesky and persistent governess have appeared and are seriously hampering her efforts to save the day.
Once again, a rousing tale of near misses, sneaking messages, precious artifacts, crazy curses, and wild adventure - I devoured this book in a mere couple of days, which is pretty impressively riveting for a slow reader like myself.
Now I can't wait for the Third book, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus to come out, in April!
Meanwhile, perhaps I should give her book about Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist a try.
Labels: 2008, action/adventure, family, growing up, historical fiction, loved it, middle grades, set abroad, witches and wizards
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Publisher Review: Emily the Strange: The Lost Days
a novel by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker.
I've been a fan of Emily the Strange as a sort of semi-defined character in my mind for quite a while, as have many people who wear her on their hair-clips, lunchboxes, or pencil-cases - but never really had much of a firm handle on her story or what she was really about. All of which has changed. Now? Now, I love her.
Right from the start, this book pulls you in with a promising premise and a winning voice and personality. You see, we know she's Emily, but she doesn't. In fact, she doesn't know anything about herself, having arrived in a super-weird town with a serious case of amnesia. it tells you right away that you are in for a good ride as she tries to sort things out, and things are pretty, er, Strange in this town.
The other characters are also interesting little puzzles that make you wonder and keep you guessing, even if hardly anyone seems likeable, and the town contains enough odd little mysteries to satisfy even the most easily bored. As she does start to unravel the layers of mystery, Emily discovers (and we along with her) what kind of person she is (and is decidedly not), where she came from, that she knows a lot of people in some other unusual places, and finally, the big secret that brought her here in the first place.
You may just be following along in her diary, but she is funny, smart, and every inch unapologetic for being different, so she never loses you, and the little drawings and asides are worth noticing.
Final verdict? I half-expected this to be kind of gimmicky and not so great, as books based on something else often are, but I was pleasantly surprised, and loved every minute of this. I fully recommend it to anyone who likes a girl with a twist - chicklit this is not, yet girly fun all the same.
And even better, you can check it out online at HarperCollins' website for the book, where they have not just the usual inside jacket flaps and a tiny excerpt, but over half of it posted for viewing with the Browse Inside feature. That's pretty awesome in itself.
I've been a fan of Emily the Strange as a sort of semi-defined character in my mind for quite a while, as have many people who wear her on their hair-clips, lunchboxes, or pencil-cases - but never really had much of a firm handle on her story or what she was really about. All of which has changed. Now? Now, I love her.
Right from the start, this book pulls you in with a promising premise and a winning voice and personality. You see, we know she's Emily, but she doesn't. In fact, she doesn't know anything about herself, having arrived in a super-weird town with a serious case of amnesia. it tells you right away that you are in for a good ride as she tries to sort things out, and things are pretty, er, Strange in this town.
The other characters are also interesting little puzzles that make you wonder and keep you guessing, even if hardly anyone seems likeable, and the town contains enough odd little mysteries to satisfy even the most easily bored. As she does start to unravel the layers of mystery, Emily discovers (and we along with her) what kind of person she is (and is decidedly not), where she came from, that she knows a lot of people in some other unusual places, and finally, the big secret that brought her here in the first place.
You may just be following along in her diary, but she is funny, smart, and every inch unapologetic for being different, so she never loses you, and the little drawings and asides are worth noticing.
Final verdict? I half-expected this to be kind of gimmicky and not so great, as books based on something else often are, but I was pleasantly surprised, and loved every minute of this. I fully recommend it to anyone who likes a girl with a twist - chicklit this is not, yet girly fun all the same.
And even better, you can check it out online at HarperCollins' website for the book, where they have not just the usual inside jacket flaps and a tiny excerpt, but over half of it posted for viewing with the Browse Inside feature. That's pretty awesome in itself.
Labels: 2009, fluff, graphic novel, growing up, loved it, Publisher Reviews, slightly weird stuff, teen, witches and wizards
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Alchemyst:
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael Scott
This book drew my attention immediately because of the Nicholas Flamel connection - some may remember him as the creator of the Philosopher's Stone in the first Harry Potter book. I was curious to see what another author had done with him and this being a teen novel, I was hoping for something meaty.
This weighty novel did not disappoint. The action begins quickly, as Sophie stands on a regular summer day in the coffee shop where she works and sees chaos break out in the bookstore across the street, where her twin brother is employed. She runs to him, and the pair are drawn into a whole new world, where the unassuming bookseller Nick Fleming and his wife Perry turn out to be the ages-old alchemist and his wife, kept alive for hundreds of years through a formula he uncovered in an ancient text. Coming after them and that same text is another magician, this one from Elizabeth I's court and also immortal through magic, Dr. John Dee, who has allied himself with ancient and dark forces who wish to reclaim the world for themselves and enslave the human race.
As they flee Dee, Josh (the other twin) manages to rip two very important pages from the book - pages which Dee will want badly enough to continue hunting for the twins and Flamel, though he has captured his wife. Flamel, and later Dee, also begin to suspect that these twins are something special, something referred to in one of the book's prophecies, and that the fate of the world may well rest with them and how well they can be protected and taught along the way.
The action is nonstop in this book, and as the plot twists and progresses, the author has drawn in a wide variety of historical figures and legends, weaving them together to form a background that he notes took years to piece together before he truly began writing the book. Without giving away too much detail, he incorporates myths from Egypt and the British Isles, as well as legends that have cropped up in cultures around the world, topping it off with a sprinkling of real historical figures such as Flamel and Dee. (An excerpt at the end reveals that we can look forward to Nicolo Machiavelli joining the fray in the next book, where the chase has moved to Europe.) The result is something so well-thought-out that it becomes convincing in the reading, and allows for easy suspension of disbelief - something I struggle with sometimes in reading fantasy-type fiction, and I must admit, the use of real mythology certainly helps for me. The book's construction and backstory is clever and interesting, the plot keeps you reading, and the characters sympathetic enough that even where you don't feel that you know them well (as in the enigmatic ancient warrior Scathach), you care about their fate. It all comes together to mean that I read this book in record time, sacrificing valuable evening flake-out time and nearly missing my subway stop on more than one occasion. Yes, I was riveted, and devoured it in mere days, quite a thing for a slow reader like myself to say of a 375-pager.
This book was terrific - I am handing it off to a coworker who was looking for something to read, and I am more than a touch disappointed to see that the next installment is not available in the catalogue yet, though it is to be released in hardcover later this week, according to Indigo (which I had to go and check, having just finished the book today!). Perhaps it might have to be a rare teen purchase...
by Michael Scott
This book drew my attention immediately because of the Nicholas Flamel connection - some may remember him as the creator of the Philosopher's Stone in the first Harry Potter book. I was curious to see what another author had done with him and this being a teen novel, I was hoping for something meaty.
This weighty novel did not disappoint. The action begins quickly, as Sophie stands on a regular summer day in the coffee shop where she works and sees chaos break out in the bookstore across the street, where her twin brother is employed. She runs to him, and the pair are drawn into a whole new world, where the unassuming bookseller Nick Fleming and his wife Perry turn out to be the ages-old alchemist and his wife, kept alive for hundreds of years through a formula he uncovered in an ancient text. Coming after them and that same text is another magician, this one from Elizabeth I's court and also immortal through magic, Dr. John Dee, who has allied himself with ancient and dark forces who wish to reclaim the world for themselves and enslave the human race.
As they flee Dee, Josh (the other twin) manages to rip two very important pages from the book - pages which Dee will want badly enough to continue hunting for the twins and Flamel, though he has captured his wife. Flamel, and later Dee, also begin to suspect that these twins are something special, something referred to in one of the book's prophecies, and that the fate of the world may well rest with them and how well they can be protected and taught along the way.
The action is nonstop in this book, and as the plot twists and progresses, the author has drawn in a wide variety of historical figures and legends, weaving them together to form a background that he notes took years to piece together before he truly began writing the book. Without giving away too much detail, he incorporates myths from Egypt and the British Isles, as well as legends that have cropped up in cultures around the world, topping it off with a sprinkling of real historical figures such as Flamel and Dee. (An excerpt at the end reveals that we can look forward to Nicolo Machiavelli joining the fray in the next book, where the chase has moved to Europe.) The result is something so well-thought-out that it becomes convincing in the reading, and allows for easy suspension of disbelief - something I struggle with sometimes in reading fantasy-type fiction, and I must admit, the use of real mythology certainly helps for me. The book's construction and backstory is clever and interesting, the plot keeps you reading, and the characters sympathetic enough that even where you don't feel that you know them well (as in the enigmatic ancient warrior Scathach), you care about their fate. It all comes together to mean that I read this book in record time, sacrificing valuable evening flake-out time and nearly missing my subway stop on more than one occasion. Yes, I was riveted, and devoured it in mere days, quite a thing for a slow reader like myself to say of a 375-pager.
This book was terrific - I am handing it off to a coworker who was looking for something to read, and I am more than a touch disappointed to see that the next installment is not available in the catalogue yet, though it is to be released in hardcover later this week, according to Indigo (which I had to go and check, having just finished the book today!). Perhaps it might have to be a rare teen purchase...
Labels: 2007, loved it, siblings, teen, witches and wizards
Monday, May 19, 2008
Publisher Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty
by Libba Bray. Reviewed for Random House. For more information on this title, see here.
(about publisher reviews on kittenpie reads)
Though largely set in Victorian England, this book open with Gemma chafing to leave her home in India and go to London. She is now 16, after all. Her journey to England is set in motion when a strange vision comes over her, and she sees her mother kill herself rather than be claimed by some mysterious creature while in the company of an unknown man. This shadow cast over her family, she is to go off to finishing school at Spence to be made marriageable. This is not quite what happens there, however.
Instead, Gemma learns more about the strange amulet her mother gave her, and about the visions she continues to have.It turns out that she is a conduit to another place, a centrepoint of the next generation of a group of women known as the Order who can access this land and the magic therein. It isn't all as beautiful as it looks, though, because there is a dark side, and someone known as Circe wants control.
As she learns more about the past from a diary, it seems that it is a hunger for power that caused things to go astray when the last generation of girls entered this other land, the Realms, and that they had been sealed to prevent Circe from crossing into our world. Which means that there is current danger of repeating history or allowing Circe to manipulate one of the girls in Gemma's circle by opening the portal again.
The ending does wrap things up fairly nicely, though there are sequels, which I appreciate. I don't love to be left hanging! I am curious about the sequels, though.
Although a substantial read at over 400 pages, the book moves along fairly quickly and drew me in enough that I read it in a few days, even as a slower reader. I loved the language in many places, and enjoyed that while it has a Victorian setting and some Victorian conventions, it moved faster than your average Victorian novel, and had enough rebellious sentiments among the girls to appeal to a modern girl's sensibility, particularly in the slightly naughty pranks and the horror at Pippa's being forced into a marriage with a much older and quite unappealing man.
All in all, I'm not surprised that this has been a big hit. It had a long holds list at the library for some time, and was much-requested in-branch, with lots of girls wanting to read it. It was one with great media push at the outset, as well, but unlike some books, I think this one has substance behind all of that. It's a great read for a teen girls, with its gothic and fantasy elements being well-handled, but not the whole story, and the characters being very strong and relateable.
Now off to reserve the next one in the set...
(about publisher reviews on kittenpie reads)
Though largely set in Victorian England, this book open with Gemma chafing to leave her home in India and go to London. She is now 16, after all. Her journey to England is set in motion when a strange vision comes over her, and she sees her mother kill herself rather than be claimed by some mysterious creature while in the company of an unknown man. This shadow cast over her family, she is to go off to finishing school at Spence to be made marriageable. This is not quite what happens there, however.Instead, Gemma learns more about the strange amulet her mother gave her, and about the visions she continues to have.It turns out that she is a conduit to another place, a centrepoint of the next generation of a group of women known as the Order who can access this land and the magic therein. It isn't all as beautiful as it looks, though, because there is a dark side, and someone known as Circe wants control.
As she learns more about the past from a diary, it seems that it is a hunger for power that caused things to go astray when the last generation of girls entered this other land, the Realms, and that they had been sealed to prevent Circe from crossing into our world. Which means that there is current danger of repeating history or allowing Circe to manipulate one of the girls in Gemma's circle by opening the portal again.
The ending does wrap things up fairly nicely, though there are sequels, which I appreciate. I don't love to be left hanging! I am curious about the sequels, though.
Although a substantial read at over 400 pages, the book moves along fairly quickly and drew me in enough that I read it in a few days, even as a slower reader. I loved the language in many places, and enjoyed that while it has a Victorian setting and some Victorian conventions, it moved faster than your average Victorian novel, and had enough rebellious sentiments among the girls to appeal to a modern girl's sensibility, particularly in the slightly naughty pranks and the horror at Pippa's being forced into a marriage with a much older and quite unappealing man.
All in all, I'm not surprised that this has been a big hit. It had a long holds list at the library for some time, and was much-requested in-branch, with lots of girls wanting to read it. It was one with great media push at the outset, as well, but unlike some books, I think this one has substance behind all of that. It's a great read for a teen girls, with its gothic and fantasy elements being well-handled, but not the whole story, and the characters being very strong and relateable.
Now off to reserve the next one in the set...
Labels: 2003, girly, good stuff, growing up, historical fiction, Publisher Reviews, suspense, teen, witches and wizards
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Alcatraz Smedry Versus the Evil Librarians
by Brandon Sanderson.
This book is a fantasy mixed with a comedy, a sort of Harry Potter meets Daniel Pinkwater. Throw in a smidge of Lemony Snicket, for the evil conspiracies and because Alcatraz often addresses the reader in asides about writing conventions and about what sort of person he really is, after all. But the book, or Alcatraz, that is, insists that it is in fact non-fiction, an autobiography and record of true events, and written to set the record straight, although he acknowledges that librarians will bill it as fantasy to keep the lid on the true nature of their nefarious world domination.
It's silly, it's postmodern, it's rife with action and discovery of new views of the world, which is apparently run by evil librarians who obfuscate the truth to keep the people under their control. (I'll never tell if that is true or not.)
But whatever the case, it is an fun, fast-paced, and quite enjoyable read, and one I can see recommending especially to a boy who is ready to move into chapters in terms of reading level, but reluctant to move into heavier books. One who loved Jon Sceisczka or Dav Pilkey would be a perfect bet.
This book is a fantasy mixed with a comedy, a sort of Harry Potter meets Daniel Pinkwater. Throw in a smidge of Lemony Snicket, for the evil conspiracies and because Alcatraz often addresses the reader in asides about writing conventions and about what sort of person he really is, after all. But the book, or Alcatraz, that is, insists that it is in fact non-fiction, an autobiography and record of true events, and written to set the record straight, although he acknowledges that librarians will bill it as fantasy to keep the lid on the true nature of their nefarious world domination.
It's silly, it's postmodern, it's rife with action and discovery of new views of the world, which is apparently run by evil librarians who obfuscate the truth to keep the people under their control. (I'll never tell if that is true or not.)
But whatever the case, it is an fun, fast-paced, and quite enjoyable read, and one I can see recommending especially to a boy who is ready to move into chapters in terms of reading level, but reluctant to move into heavier books. One who loved Jon Sceisczka or Dav Pilkey would be a perfect bet.
Labels: 2007, action/adventure, good stuff, humour, middle grades, slightly weird stuff, witches and wizards
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Once Upon a Curse
by E.D. Baker.
This girly fantasy revolves around a family curse that makes the girls in the family turn ugly and nasty when they touch a flower after their 16th birthday. This is a family of witches, so nasty is REALLY nasty. The youngest in the line is about to turn 16, and is betrothed to a boy she loves, but she is determined to end the curse or stay single so as not to put him through it.
So she pursues an answer, using magic, traveling back through time, and so on. Doing something with that answer when she returns is another story, because her aunt is making it difficult, not to mention throwing other wrenches in the birthday celebration that must be dealt with. She and her fiance work together and come a long way, but it looks like hope is lost until a surprise twist.
This took me a while to read, because it doesn't pull you along, the way some fantasy-type books do, with adventure. So although the character is a smart, strong young lady, and I like her relationship with Eadric, this was really just sort of lukewarm. A real fan of princess-y books might love it, though.
This girly fantasy revolves around a family curse that makes the girls in the family turn ugly and nasty when they touch a flower after their 16th birthday. This is a family of witches, so nasty is REALLY nasty. The youngest in the line is about to turn 16, and is betrothed to a boy she loves, but she is determined to end the curse or stay single so as not to put him through it.
So she pursues an answer, using magic, traveling back through time, and so on. Doing something with that answer when she returns is another story, because her aunt is making it difficult, not to mention throwing other wrenches in the birthday celebration that must be dealt with. She and her fiance work together and come a long way, but it looks like hope is lost until a surprise twist.
This took me a while to read, because it doesn't pull you along, the way some fantasy-type books do, with adventure. So although the character is a smart, strong young lady, and I like her relationship with Eadric, this was really just sort of lukewarm. A real fan of princess-y books might love it, though.
Labels: 2004, girly, lukewarm, slightly weird stuff, witches and wizards
