This is the third book of a series that is beginning to become extremely interesting. It was good to begin with, but as the story continues it becomes even more layered, with complex plotting and characterization that a reader can really sink their teeth into.
The tale involves 4 boys at a Virginia prep school who are on a quest to find a mythical Welsh king. It’s not an ordinary sort of quest, and these are most definitely not ordinary boys. In the process they meet up with a group of women living in the small town (at 300 Fox Way) where the school is located, woman who are psychic and unusual and just as fringe in their way as the boys are.
The mixture is delightful and infuriating and there are conundrums within enigmas, such as how Blue Sargent (the teenage girl at 300 Fox Way), who is not a seer, actually saw (in the seer kind of way) a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve. According to the mystical women she lives with, that means either she killed the person, or the person was her one true love, or both. That person is Gansey, one of the Raven Boys who are questing for the Welsh king.
In this third book, Blue becomes even more entangled with the Raven Boys and becomes an active part of their quest rather than just an interested onlooker. The relationships between the four boys and Blue are well-developed, and I found myself rooting for everyone involved, even the less likable characters. You find yourself wanting this quest to succeed, and for everything to work out. Part of the hook of the series, though, is that you can’t be sure it will, and so you keep coming back for more, eagerly awaiting the next book to find out what happens NEXT.
I’ve read the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, several times, but I had never taken the plunge and dived deeper into the series. I missed them, somehow, when they were new and I was devouring almost all the fantasy in sight. Then I was overseas for a while and doing my best not to accumulate books (it didn’t work). After that, I was in grad school and reading other things (history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, how are ya; also, Nagorno-Karabakh). Suddenly, there were twenty Discworld books. Now I’ve been overseas a lot longer, and while I have given up on not accumulating books, I am more conscious of what I give shelf space than I would be if I lived on the same side of the ocean I was born on. (E-reader people, hush; I want the kids to be able to find the Discworld books that I do have.)
Now, thanks in part to conversations with this blog’s Laura, I am giving it more of a go. Thanks to a random trove I stumbled upon in Basel, I have about half a dozen of the earlier volumes (online retail people, you can hush too; I like serendipitous discoveries in the physical world); Mort is the first one that I have read, though it is the fourth in the series.
One of the critical assessments I’ve heard about Discworld over the years (though I can’t pin down a definitive source of this view) is that the early books are good fun and all that, but about a dozen or so books in, Pratchett started writing novels that were Really Good. I guess I will see when I get there — and a startling transformation has precedent in F/SF, most famously between early and middle Robert Silverberg — but my sneaking suspicion is that Pratchett was writing the Really Good ones all along, and it just took that long for the audience to notice what he was getting up to.
Certainly by Mort he’s already writing with the effortlessness of a mere six or seven drafts, casting off careless asides that had me chortling, and deftly sketching people and places. The action is fast, the characters reveal unexpected facets of themselves and almost incidentally Pratchett says interesting things about people, love, life and death. I suspect that with Discworld, it’s good novels all the way down.
Oh my God, where to even start with reviewing this book?
Okay, it is exceptionally, intelligently plotted. The plot twists are surprising and smart, the moral quandaries meaningful and moving. As far as story and world-building goes, Elizabeth C Mock has come up with something to rival Brandon Sanderson or Jacqueline Carey.
“Wait,” you’re asking. “If this is the case, why have I never heard of this amazing fantasy author?”
Because, dear reader, her writing is incredibly bad. So terrible that I was going to give up after the prologue. Before I took that desperate step, though, I went to Goodreads to see what others thought of the book. Fortunately, the reviews were uniformly encouraging, even as they warned that the book was in urgent need of a good editor. And while that is true to a certain extent, what the book really needs is an author with more experience in writing and, dare I say, reading. The book feels like it was written by an exceptionally deep teenage girl, one with more experience of ideas than with actual conversations and human behavior. The dialog… no, it’s not fair to call it that. Instead, it’s mostly repartee, requiring far too much suspension of disbelief to read without feeling just exhausted. The prose otherwise ranges from decent to awful, which is likely why it took so long for me to finish an otherwise intriguing book. If you’re the kind of person who can overlook bad grammar and an adolescent idea of sparkling conversation, then by all means, this is the fantasy book for you. For everyone else, I hear tell that the author got a book deal with a publisher for this trilogy, and as they’ll likely shape it up pre-publication, I’d recommend waiting for that version to come out. I’m certain Elizabeth C Mock will come up with some amazing novels in future, and will look back on this version of Shatter wincingly, as great authors look back on their immature works. I’m looking forward to reading her stuff when that happens, but will happily wait till then.
Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) seems a little bit like Midas to me. So far everything she’s written – whether it’s urban fantasy, superhero, apocalypse, or something else – has hit the mark and become gold. Symbiont, the second book in her Parasitology series, keeps up the excellent writing and the interesting plot. In some ways it feels like it will be more of a bridge between the first and (yet-to-be-released) third books than a full stand-alone, but that didn’t bother me because I was so invested in the characters after reading the first in the trilogy, all I wanted was to find out more of what had happened, was happening, and was going to happen.
The first book, (Parasite), establishes that medical science and in particular one corporation have changed the way the world works by using parasites modified in particular ways in order to fix a myriad of ills with the human body. Nearly everyone has one of these “medical devices” although the quality may differ depending on when you got yours and how much money you had available at the time. The fact that the medical aspects are so believable is what makes the rest of the series so exciting and horrifying and, well, interesting.
The second book goes beyond the first’s revelation (which I’m purposefully not telling you because everyone should be reading Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire all the time and NOW), and enters into some philosophical territory as well as exciting twists and a few escape/chase scenes. I’ve read criticism that this book loses its way a bit and perhaps doesn’t advance the plot as much as some critics might wish, but I’m a reader before I’m a critic, and I enjoyed this book thoroughly. There was enough plot advancement to keep things going, and the depth of the characterization within the book is extremely satisfying to someone like me. I want to know the characters and I want to know the world, and Mira Grant achieved both of those things with this book. Could it have been a bit more tightly written? Eh, maybe. Do I care? Nope.
This is a good book that is part of a good series, and if you enjoy science fiction and horror and flights of terribly possible fantasy, then read this.
Actors: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler
Directors: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: DreamWorks
DVD Release Date: October 15, 2010
Run Time: 98 minutes
Special Features: Animated short film, interviews and behind-the scenes footage, deleted scenes, games
This week’s review is How To Train Your Dragon, by DreamWorks Animation. You know, the creators of the Shrek series. If you’re a parent, chances are good you’ve already seen this movie with your kids. However, if you’re like me, you don’t want to wrangle two rowdy kids in a theater crowded with other people’s unruly offspring. Thank goodness for DVD!
If you haven’t heard of How To Train Your Dragon – you know, because you’ve been living in a desert cave without an Internet connection and only migrated to civilization within the last month – here’s a quick peek at the DVD trailer:
Based on the book of the same title by Cressida Cowell, How To Train Your Dragon is the story of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the misfit son of a Viking chieftain. Hiccup is desperate to kill one of the dragons that continually raid his island home and improve his social status enough to land a date with Astrid (America Ferrera), the prettiest and toughest girl in the village. Impressing his father, the legendary Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), wouldn’t hurt either. Unfortunately, Hiccup is stuck in the forge where he is apprenticed to Gobber (Craig Ferguson), blacksmith and trainer of the next generation of dragon slayers, who has the onerous task of keeping Hiccup out of trouble.
During a raid, Hiccup sneaks out of the forge and uses one of his many inventions to attack a Night Fury. These mysterious creatures are the most elusive and feared of all dragons. To make matters worse, Hiccup’s contraptions never work and usually backfire. No one is more surprised than Hiccup when his latest invention succeeds. Hiccup tracks the injured dragon to a secluded valley but can’t bring himself to kill it. Instead, he befriends the dragon, which he dubs “Toothless” because of its retractable teeth. As the weeks pass, Hiccup discovers that dragons are more complex than anyone in his village realizes.
Like the real stars of this movie – the dragons – How To Train Your Dragon is more complex than it first appears. Beyond the obvious theme of a boy coming of age, How To Train Your Dragon explores the relationship between a father and son, demonstrates why it’s always a good idea to get to know someone before judging him, touches on the abilities of the differently-abled (Gobber is missing a hand and a foot but hardly seems to notice), and even the value of animal research as Hiccup spends hours observing the Night Fury. How To Train Your Dragon is a step up from the usual DreamWorks scripts, which rely heavily on cliches and pop-culture references. I credit the improvement to the writing and directing team of Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who also created Disney’s Lilo and Stitch.
I’m not an expert in animation techniques, but I thought How To Train Your Dragon was gorgeous. In my opinion, it’s second only to Avatar. The flight sequences might be better. I know my kids loved them, because my preschooler spent days “flying” around the house after watching this movie. We rented the single-disc DVD rather than the 3D BlueRay and the effects were still superb.
The only criticism I have for How To Train Your Dragon is in the casting. Why do the adult Vikings speak with Scottish brogues?!?! I admit my ancient history is a bit rusty, but I’m fairly sure the Vikings were from Scandinavia, not Scotland. Don’t get me wrong, Gerard Butler is an excellent actor and I can’t think of a better choice to play Stoick. Likewise, Craig Ferguson’s portrayal of Gobber is the perfect combination of humor and eccentric mentor. I just wish DreamWorks had hired a dialogue coach to give them Nordic accents. This small detail is the only thing keeping me from giving How To Train Your Dragon five laurels. Maybe I’m nitpicky, but the incongruity grated on my nerves.
Overall, How To Train Your Dragon is great fun for the whole family. It’s full of quotable lines and everyone will have his or her favorites. My personal choice comes from Hiccup during a flight sequence:
“Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile.”
Jay Baruchel delivers this line with a perfect, dry wit that had me laughing as loud on the third viewing as I did on the first. How To Train Your Dragon is definitely going on my holiday wish list.
The Third Bear is a somewhat unsettling collection of short stories by Jeff VanderMeer. I’ve been trying to find a way to classify this book, and it’s defying me. The stories within range from bizarre to creepy to unnerving, and they took my mind to pictures and ideas that I wouldn’t normally have found on my own. That in itself makes it a worthwhile book, because being introduced to new concepts and landscapes is the whole point of reading, at least for me. This review won’t do the collection any justice whatsoever, because all I can say is that it’s worth reading and it’s worth reading soon – just be prepared to be unnerved.
Hardcover: 234 pages
Publisher: By Light Unseen Media (May 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 193530318X
ISBN-13: 978-1935303183
Publisher’s Description:
When a mutilated body is found in the woods near the central Massachusetts town of Grantham, Scott Dugan comes home for the first time in more than twenty years. He returns to the decaying house where he’d grown up, one of many derelict homes in the long-abandoned neighborhood of Applewood.
More than two decades earlier, Dugan and his tightly bonded group of friends had been struggling with the same pains that plagued millions of teens like them–bullies in school, broken families, money problems, relationships. But the evil that revives to spread through Grantham confronts them with a far darker and more destructive adversary. In 1861, Grantham sent its own home town war hero, Colonel Alexander Pope, and a company of locals to fight for the Union cause in the Civil War. Marching through the isolated rural regions of Georgia, the Colonel and his soldiers discovered a horrible secret hidden behind the lovely facades of the plantation mansions. When the veterans of Grantham came home, they brought something else with them.
Now that something else has awakened once more to grow and feed, Dugan and his friends are among the few who realize what’s happening to their town. They band together to ferret out information about the history of the Colonel and to fight the threat. But victory, if it’s even possible, will come at a terrible cost. Some, like Dugan, will never be the same.
I received a copy of Applewood by Brendan P. Myers from the publisher in exchange for an impartial review. In the interests of full disclosure, I have been acquainted with Inanna Arthen, the Editor-in-Chief of By Light Unseen Media, for several years. We met through our mutual love of vampire lore, so when I mentioned I had started a book blog, Inanna asked if I would be interested in reviewing any of BLUM’s titles. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity!
I have a real fondness for Latin American novels. From Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s magical realism to Juan Gabriel Vasquez’s rejection of that magical realism and always, always, a deep fondness of Pablo Neruda’s poetry, I’ve read what I can find and enjoyed it all. I very much wanted to enjoy Francisco Goldman’s The Long Night of the White Chickens as well, but it simply wasn’t on the level it could have been. It is, in essence, a murder mystery set in Guatemala, but I believe part of the problem with the book is that it tries to be too much and thus isn’t any one thing at all. The murder mystery itself turns out to be somewhat pedestrian. Guatemalan politics plays a role, and, while the horror and brutality of some of it comes up, it still feels like more of a passing mention than a real commentary on the political climate. There’s sections devoted to the mixing of cultures because the protagonist has an American Jewish father and a Guatemalan mother, but even that doesn’t paint a very clear picture. Any one of these things could have been interesting, could have been a book in and of themselves, but in the end it was a convoluted mishmash. It’s not a bad book, but it is a first book, and that shows. I’ll read more by Francisco Goldman when he writes, because I think it can only get better, and when he finally decides which thing he truly wants to focus on, then his facility with language will shine.
Last autumn, Berlin celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Wall, and the peaceful collapse of the Communist order in eastern Germany. Eight Pieces of Empire: A 20-Year Journey Through the Soviet Collapse, by Lawrence Scott Sheets, reminds readers that in other places the end of Communism was not peaceful at all. The end of Moscow’s dictatorship brought freedom, but in many places it also brought war. In more than a dozen years as a journalist in the territory of the former Soviet Union, Sheets saw most of them.
Sheets writes, “One might wonder how these various stories are related. The answer is that empires do not break down along nice clean lines. They fragment, and the dissolution of the USSR and of the personal lives and explosive solutions affected by its fragmentation is the very subject of this book.” Continue reading
The Cormorant is the third book in Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black series. (The first two are Blackbirds and Mockingbird.) These books are intriguing and well-written, as well as entertaining as hell given that Miriam is prone to speaking her mind and she has an extensive vocabulary, as well as the power to tell when people are going to die. The third book didn’t disappoint at all, as Miriam answers a Craigslist ad and finds herself tangled up in a messy plot for revenge against her. The FBI shows up for some reason, and, also bizarre, Miriam reaches a sort of rapprochement with her mother, from whom she’s been estranged for a very long time. The author manages to combine the supernatural with a tightly told, well-written tale that brings Miriam to life in a way few characters manage. She is ultimately, to the end, herself – scarred, scared, tough, angry, and always ready to get up off the floor and take another shot.
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire