This book is a really interesting, unusual, and compelling fantasy story. I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, although discovering it has sequels diminished it for me a little. More on that after the cut.
Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts
Friday, September 13, 2013
Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel
In which a young woman discovers hidden magic and another world.
This book is a really interesting, unusual, and compelling fantasy story. I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, although discovering it has sequels diminished it for me a little. More on that after the cut.
This book is a really interesting, unusual, and compelling fantasy story. I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, although discovering it has sequels diminished it for me a little. More on that after the cut.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series) by Rick Riordan
I am again reviewing this entire series in one go, because there isn't so much to say individually about the books.
These are really solid young adult fantasy books. I would recommend them to most fans of young adult books generally! They are better than the movies, so far, although I have enjoyed the movies.
These are really solid young adult fantasy books. I would recommend them to most fans of young adult books generally! They are better than the movies, so far, although I have enjoyed the movies.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Lucy, by Laurence Gonzales. Vintage Books, 2011. 307 pp. 978-0-307-4890-5.
... in which Lucy, a the product of a science experiment with breeding humans and bonobos together, teaches the world what it means to be human.
Lucy opens in the Congo, where primatologist Jenny Lowe is studying bonobos (a cousin of the chimpanzee, and one of humanity's closest relatives). When Jenny is forced to flee from the Congo as the civil war reaches her study site in the jungle, she finds that another primate researcher has been murdered. Her colleague leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter, Lucy, and Jenny feels obligated to take Lucy with her as she flees the country. Jenny takes Lucy to Chicago with her, and when it becomes clear that Lucy has no living family, Jenny adopts her as her own daughter. When reading through Lucy's father's notes, it becomes clear that Lucy is the product of a strange experiment: she is half human, half bonobo. Because Lucy appears to be completely human, and is more intelligent and articulate than most humans, Jenny tries to enroll her in school. As Lucy begins to settle in to her new life, her secret inevitably gets out, and Lucy becomes an overnight celebrity. Lucy's new public presence sparks a debate about what it means to be human, and could threaten her life and the lives of everyone she loves.
... in which Lucy, a the product of a science experiment with breeding humans and bonobos together, teaches the world what it means to be human.
Lucy opens in the Congo, where primatologist Jenny Lowe is studying bonobos (a cousin of the chimpanzee, and one of humanity's closest relatives). When Jenny is forced to flee from the Congo as the civil war reaches her study site in the jungle, she finds that another primate researcher has been murdered. Her colleague leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter, Lucy, and Jenny feels obligated to take Lucy with her as she flees the country. Jenny takes Lucy to Chicago with her, and when it becomes clear that Lucy has no living family, Jenny adopts her as her own daughter. When reading through Lucy's father's notes, it becomes clear that Lucy is the product of a strange experiment: she is half human, half bonobo. Because Lucy appears to be completely human, and is more intelligent and articulate than most humans, Jenny tries to enroll her in school. As Lucy begins to settle in to her new life, her secret inevitably gets out, and Lucy becomes an overnight celebrity. Lucy's new public presence sparks a debate about what it means to be human, and could threaten her life and the lives of everyone she loves.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. Dutton Books, 2012. 318 pp. 978-0-525-47881-2.
... in which two teenagers meet at a cancer support group and deal with love, pain and loss.
The Fault in Our Stars is narrated from the point of view of Hazel, a 16-year-old girl who is slowly dying from metastatic thyroid cancer. She spends her time attending classes at a local community college and going to a largely useless support group for teenagers with cancer. While reluctantly attending a support group meeting one day, Hazel meets 17-year-old Augustus, a handsome and charming boy who lost a leg to osteosarcoma, which has gone into remission. Hazel and Augustus bond over their shared experiences with cancer, and their shared love of a particular novel. As their relationship progresses, Hazel has to consider the fact that her diagnosis is terminal, despite the fact that her death is coming slowly, and she must decide how this will ultimately affect the way she forms relationships, especially her relationship with Augustus.
... in which two teenagers meet at a cancer support group and deal with love, pain and loss.
The Fault in Our Stars is narrated from the point of view of Hazel, a 16-year-old girl who is slowly dying from metastatic thyroid cancer. She spends her time attending classes at a local community college and going to a largely useless support group for teenagers with cancer. While reluctantly attending a support group meeting one day, Hazel meets 17-year-old Augustus, a handsome and charming boy who lost a leg to osteosarcoma, which has gone into remission. Hazel and Augustus bond over their shared experiences with cancer, and their shared love of a particular novel. As their relationship progresses, Hazel has to consider the fact that her diagnosis is terminal, despite the fact that her death is coming slowly, and she must decide how this will ultimately affect the way she forms relationships, especially her relationship with Augustus.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn
In which an attack on a space station leads to an investigation into an interplanetary conspiracy.
Mass Effect: Revelation is related to the Mass Effect video games. I'm not sure about how close it is to the video games, because I haven't played them. Revelation stands completely on its own as an exciting story in a well-developed setting
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman’s The Magicians follows the story of Quentin Coldwater, a very intelligent but moody and often lonely teenager who happens to also be a magician. In the book’s early pages, Quentin quickly finds out that he can perform magic, passes an entrance exam for Brakebills School for Magic, and embarks on a journey to becoming a magician. (If this reminds you of a cultural phenomenon known as Harry Potter, well, I’ll get to that.) From there the story progresses quickly, following Quentin and his classmates through their adventures in learning magic and eventually transitioning into life in the “real world,” whatever that may mean for young magicians in New York. (And if that seems a little thin on summary, I’ll get to the book’s atypical plot structure eventually, too.)
Let’s pause for the inevitable Harry Potter comparisons. A modern fantasy novel, set at a school for young magicians? It’s hard not to see the similarities. Grossman himself even makes passing acknowledgments of this in the text; Quentin remarks on Hermione’s studying habits and bemoans that not all intelligent, would-be magicians are actually like her. Beyond these initial obvious similarities, however, the two works are fairly different. While the Harry Potter series is a gradual coming of age story, following Harry and his friends from childhood to a kind of young-adult maturity, The Magicians is more about the transition into adulthood and the inevitable struggles of growing up, figuring out what to do with life, and the stupid things done in that transitional phase. Essentially, it’s the difference between middle/high school and college/immediately post-college-- while the ages of those involved may not seem that far off, their experiences are radically different. (As an aside, as someone still mired in the latter of those stages, I found that this setting made the characters and their struggles appreciably relatable.) There’s a reason The Magicians has gained the reputation of being “Harry Potter for grown ups,” and while that characterization is overly simplistic, there is certainly some truth there.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Touch of Power, by Maria V. Snyder
Touch of Power, by Maria V. Snyder. Mira, 2011. 400 pp. 978-0778313076
... in which Avry, a young healer, runs from bounty hunters, gets herself captured, falls in love, and faces an impossible choice.
... in which Avry, a young healer, runs from bounty hunters, gets herself captured, falls in love, and faces an impossible choice.
This review is of a digital copy provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
Touch of Power follows the adventures of Avry, a 20-year-old woman with special healing abilities. Unfortunately for her, healers in her world have been hunted down and executed, since everyone else blames them for the plague that killed the majority of the population a few years earlier. One night, as Avry sits in a cell awaiting execution, a man named Kerrick breaks her out. The catch? Avry must travel with Kerrick to heal a prince, who is possibly the world's only chance for lasting peace. However, healers can't heal the plague like they can with ordinary diseases and injuries; the healer who takes the plague from another will sicken and die, and the man that Kerrick wants Avry to heal was partially responsible for the slaughter of all the healers Avry knew. As Avry travels with Kerrick, she must decide if she wants to save the prince, while also avoiding capture from bounty hunters.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Vintage Books, 2005. 288 pp. 978-0-307-74099-1.
... in which Kathy H tells the story of her childhood and young adulthood as she and her two friends form relationships and confront the frightening reality of their own fates.
Never Let Me Go (previously reviewed by Emma) tells the story of three young people (Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth) as they grow up together at an exclusive boarding school called Hailsham. The story is told through Kathy's eyes, and hopscotches through time, covering events in their childhood and adolescence at Hailsham, and events in their late teens and twenties. Kathy forms the center of the group, befriending Tommy when he was a friendless outcast and also befriending Ruth, one of the most popular girls in the school. From the beginning, it is clear that something is a little bit different in Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth's lives. As the three of them grow up and leave Hailsham, they are forced to confront the meaning of their own destinies and examine the relationships and bonds they've formed with their friends.
... in which Kathy H tells the story of her childhood and young adulthood as she and her two friends form relationships and confront the frightening reality of their own fates.
Never Let Me Go (previously reviewed by Emma) tells the story of three young people (Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth) as they grow up together at an exclusive boarding school called Hailsham. The story is told through Kathy's eyes, and hopscotches through time, covering events in their childhood and adolescence at Hailsham, and events in their late teens and twenties. Kathy forms the center of the group, befriending Tommy when he was a friendless outcast and also befriending Ruth, one of the most popular girls in the school. From the beginning, it is clear that something is a little bit different in Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth's lives. As the three of them grow up and leave Hailsham, they are forced to confront the meaning of their own destinies and examine the relationships and bonds they've formed with their friends.
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
In which a teenage girl fights zombies and flees from a man trying to kill her.
Temple has known nothing but a world infested with zombies and largely devoid of living humans. She has survived so far, generally staying in underpopulated areas and figuring out how to survive alone. In The Reapers are the Angels she tries out civilization briefly, and is forced to flee just ahead of a dangerous man determined to kill her.
Temple has known nothing but a world infested with zombies and largely devoid of living humans. She has survived so far, generally staying in underpopulated areas and figuring out how to survive alone. In The Reapers are the Angels she tries out civilization briefly, and is forced to flee just ahead of a dangerous man determined to kill her.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
Book four in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. (The first book in the series is Eragon
As I mentioned in my review of Brisingr, book three of the series, I was crazy about Eragon when I originally read it a decade ago. I was less thrilled with books two and three, but this book captured some of the magic of the original for me! I actually really enjoyed this book.
This review will not contain significant spoilers.
As I mentioned in my review of Brisingr, book three of the series, I was crazy about Eragon when I originally read it a decade ago. I was less thrilled with books two and three, but this book captured some of the magic of the original for me! I actually really enjoyed this book.
This review will not contain significant spoilers.
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
The sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora
There will be some spoilers under the cut, but not the type that should diminish your enjoyment of the series. If you haven't read The Lies of Locke Lamora yet, go read that before you read this review!
There will be some spoilers under the cut, but not the type that should diminish your enjoyment of the series. If you haven't read The Lies of Locke Lamora yet, go read that before you read this review!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami. Vintage International, 1991. 400 pp. 978-0-679-74346-0.
... in which there are some unicorns and some men with strange minds.
This book has two seemingly unrelated stories happening simultaneously. In one story arc (the hard-boiled wonderland), a man in his thirties is working as a Calcutec. His job basically involves him working as a human computer; his consciousness has been split so that one part of his mind can process and encrypt data, while leaving the main part of his mind to function as a normal human's mind. He goes to work for a professor whose laboratory is hidden in an underground cavern infested with man-eating monsters. He soon finds that this job has pulled him into some kind of larger conflict. The second story arc (the end of the world) involves a man arriving in a town surrounded by a wall. The townsfolk never leave their town, as they understand themselves to be at the end of the world. The town harbors a herd of unicorns, and all people coming into the town must agree to be separated from their shadows. The man is sent to work as the Dreamreader at the Library, while he puzzles out the purpose of the town and the significance of the shadows and the unicorns. Over the course of the novel, it becomes clear that the two stories are actually part of one larger narrative.
... in which there are some unicorns and some men with strange minds.
This book has two seemingly unrelated stories happening simultaneously. In one story arc (the hard-boiled wonderland), a man in his thirties is working as a Calcutec. His job basically involves him working as a human computer; his consciousness has been split so that one part of his mind can process and encrypt data, while leaving the main part of his mind to function as a normal human's mind. He goes to work for a professor whose laboratory is hidden in an underground cavern infested with man-eating monsters. He soon finds that this job has pulled him into some kind of larger conflict. The second story arc (the end of the world) involves a man arriving in a town surrounded by a wall. The townsfolk never leave their town, as they understand themselves to be at the end of the world. The town harbors a herd of unicorns, and all people coming into the town must agree to be separated from their shadows. The man is sent to work as the Dreamreader at the Library, while he puzzles out the purpose of the town and the significance of the shadows and the unicorns. Over the course of the novel, it becomes clear that the two stories are actually part of one larger narrative.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Nexus: Ascension, by Robert Boyczuk
Nexus: Ascension, by Robert Boyczuk. ChiZine Publications, 2010. 978-0-981374-8-0.
... in which a crew returns from 30 years of space travel to find that their home world has been completely ravaged by a mysterious plague.
This review is of a digital copy provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
Nexus: Ascension begins with a crew on the long-haul spaceship Ea waking up from cryonic suspension as they approach their home planet Bh'Haret after thirty years away. They find that the planet is surrounded by warning satellites, which broadcast the warning "hazard plague hazard plague hazard plague..." over and over again; scans of the planet make it clear that there is no human life. Because their supplies are dwindling and the nearest planet is too far away, the crew of Ea has no choice but to land on Bh'Haret and risk exposure to the plague. Upon landing on the planet, they gradually discover that the origins of the plague are mysterious at best. The crew of Ea have to work together with the crew from another recently-arrived long-haul ship to solve the mystery of the plague and to discover its possible connections to Nexus, a powerful interplanetary government that was previously at odds with the planet Bh'Haret.
... in which a crew returns from 30 years of space travel to find that their home world has been completely ravaged by a mysterious plague.
This review is of a digital copy provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
Nexus: Ascension begins with a crew on the long-haul spaceship Ea waking up from cryonic suspension as they approach their home planet Bh'Haret after thirty years away. They find that the planet is surrounded by warning satellites, which broadcast the warning "hazard plague hazard plague hazard plague..." over and over again; scans of the planet make it clear that there is no human life. Because their supplies are dwindling and the nearest planet is too far away, the crew of Ea has no choice but to land on Bh'Haret and risk exposure to the plague. Upon landing on the planet, they gradually discover that the origins of the plague are mysterious at best. The crew of Ea have to work together with the crew from another recently-arrived long-haul ship to solve the mystery of the plague and to discover its possible connections to Nexus, a powerful interplanetary government that was previously at odds with the planet Bh'Haret.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Help by Kathryn Stocket
In which a woman in 1960s Mississippi shakes up her community by interviewing black maids for a tell-all book.
This is way outside the genres I normally read being fictional, but not science fiction, young adult, or fantasy, but I definitely enjoyed it! It didn't really make me laugh or cry, but I was totally engaged the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what was happening with certain characters. I have no basis of comparison to evaluate Stockett's portrayal of racism and culture in the 1960s, but the characters felt real and it was a very compelling book. I recommend it to adult or young adult readers interested in some light reading that probably has some historical relevance.
This is way outside the genres I normally read being fictional, but not science fiction, young adult, or fantasy, but I definitely enjoyed it! It didn't really make me laugh or cry, but I was totally engaged the whole time and couldn't wait to find out what was happening with certain characters. I have no basis of comparison to evaluate Stockett's portrayal of racism and culture in the 1960s, but the characters felt real and it was a very compelling book. I recommend it to adult or young adult readers interested in some light reading that probably has some historical relevance.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Room, by Emma Donoghue
Room, by Emma Donoghue. Back Bay Books, 2010. 321 pp. 978-0-316-09832-8.
... in which a young woman and her five year old son are kept captive in an 11' x 11' room.
Andrea already described and reviewed this book here, so I won't bother to recap it here again. Given the amount of attention this book got, the odds are good that you already know the general idea of the book's plot.
... in which a young woman and her five year old son are kept captive in an 11' x 11' room.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
One Perfect Day, by Rebecca Mead
One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding, by Rebecca Mead. Penguin, 2007. 245 pp. 978-0-14-311384-3.
... in which we learn about the American wedding industry and the culture surrounding it.
In One Perfect Day, Rebecca Mead takes us on a tour of bridal industry conferences, wedding dress factories, decoration companies, and all of the other aspects that contribute to the $161 billion wedding industry in America. She interviews several professional wedding planners, and attends conferences and expos to get a feel for what both the professionals and the brides experience over the course of planning a wedding and reception. She explores the wedding dress industry, and its move from proudly-American-made dresses to large factories in China. Mead spends one fascinating chapter exploring the current trend for the "traditional" at a wedding, while still keeping the wedding personalized and modern. We also get a chapter on officiants, and the many different officiants on offer to a couple, religious or not. She explores the wedding niche markets on offer in places like Gatlinburg, TN and Las Vegas, NV. The whole book comes together in a very interesting look at the business of weddings and what this massive industry says about American culture.
... in which we learn about the American wedding industry and the culture surrounding it.
In One Perfect Day, Rebecca Mead takes us on a tour of bridal industry conferences, wedding dress factories, decoration companies, and all of the other aspects that contribute to the $161 billion wedding industry in America. She interviews several professional wedding planners, and attends conferences and expos to get a feel for what both the professionals and the brides experience over the course of planning a wedding and reception. She explores the wedding dress industry, and its move from proudly-American-made dresses to large factories in China. Mead spends one fascinating chapter exploring the current trend for the "traditional" at a wedding, while still keeping the wedding personalized and modern. We also get a chapter on officiants, and the many different officiants on offer to a couple, religious or not. She explores the wedding niche markets on offer in places like Gatlinburg, TN and Las Vegas, NV. The whole book comes together in a very interesting look at the business of weddings and what this massive industry says about American culture.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A young adult story about an outcast freshman with a secret.
Melinda is starting high school with former friends who shun her, cold parents, and a nasty secret. She finds it difficult to make herself go to class, make friends and even to talk. The book is divided into the four quarters of the school year through which she gradually comes to terms with what happened during her summer vacation and finds her voice.
I am trying to avoid spoilers because I recommend the book and really don't want to ruin it for potential readers!
Melinda is starting high school with former friends who shun her, cold parents, and a nasty secret. She finds it difficult to make herself go to class, make friends and even to talk. The book is divided into the four quarters of the school year through which she gradually comes to terms with what happened during her summer vacation and finds her voice.
I am trying to avoid spoilers because I recommend the book and really don't want to ruin it for potential readers!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Colonization: Down to Earth by Harry Turtledove
Sequel to Colonization: Second Contact, the series set after the Worldwar series.
The Worldwar/Colonization series continues to be super awesome. You'd think the setting would run out of relevant story, but it's just heating up in Down to Earth! The characters from Second Contact (I don't think there were any new ones) continue to be compelling and exciting. I continue to enjoy the series greatly, although I am running out of new things to say about it in review!
The Worldwar/Colonization series continues to be super awesome. You'd think the setting would run out of relevant story, but it's just heating up in Down to Earth! The characters from Second Contact (I don't think there were any new ones) continue to be compelling and exciting. I continue to enjoy the series greatly, although I am running out of new things to say about it in review!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Death in Yellowstone, by Lee H. Whittlesey
Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park, by Lee H. Whittlesey. Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1995. 276 pp. 1-57098-021-7.
... in which we learn of all the gruesome ways an unlucky person can die in Yellowstone National Park.
Death in Yellowstone chronicles many different deaths that have occurred in Yellowstone National Park during its long history. This is not a book for the squeamish, and it's not a happy read, but it's really fascinating in a morbid sort of way. The book is divided into two main sections: Death by Nature, and Death by Man. Death by Nature is divided up into sections like death by hot water, death by wild animals, death by poisonous gas, death by lightning, death by avalanche, etc. Death by Man is divided into chapters on death in war, death by murder, death by stagecoach crash, death by structural fire, etc.
... in which we learn of all the gruesome ways an unlucky person can die in Yellowstone National Park.
The Beast in the Garden: A Modern Parable of Man and Nature by David Baron
... in which the author reconstructs an escalating series of cougar encounters with humans in Boulder, Colorado and discusses the unintended consequences of living with wildlife. The Beast in the Garden focuses on the reappearance of cougars in suburban Boulder in the late 1980's. Though it is nonfiction, the many separate sightings are cobbled together to form a narrative, and the book does have what could be called "main characters". The style reminded me very strongly of Jon Krakauer's writing in Under the Banner of Heaven.
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