Age of Ash
The Kithamar trilogy, Book 1
Daniel Abraham
Orbit
Fiction, Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Kithamar: a sprawling city, straddling the Khohen river and encompassing numerous districts and dialects and deities, steeped in centuries of conflicts and subtle magics. The crowning of a new prince should be a day of hope and glory... but Byrn a Sal ruled for but a single ill-omened year. From the moment of his coronation, he was doomed - by conspirators, by secrets, perhaps by the very city he was supposed to rule.
Alys grew up in the slums of Longhill with her brother Darro, part of the tight-knit Inlisc community that has long been second-class citizens on what, many generations ago, used to be their land before the warmongering Hansch arrived. Like many of her kin, she gets by on odd jobs and thieving - until her brother turns up dead in the river, killed by a scheme he never told her about. Alys sets out to find out what he was up to, what job he was pulling without her, and soon finds herself up to her neck - and over her head - in the machinations of the Daris Brotherhood and their plot against the crown.
Sammish has been loyal to Alys since before she can remember, but has never been able to voice her feelings. She just follows, invisible as a shadow, and does whatever she can to help her. But now Alys doesn't seem to need her anymore - and, blinded by grief over her brother, can't see the danger she's flirting with, following Darro's footsteps to the Brotherhood's door. Sammish sets out on her own path, one that proves to be no less dangerous... and which will set her against the young woman she loves.
REVIEW: Many epic fantasies sprawl across their maps, long journeys to exotic lands, encountering dozens of characters, with stakes high as the world itself. Age of Ash takes place entirely within the walls of Kithamar, focusing on a few key players on which the fate of the city crown rests, but feels as rich in history and detail as any epic.
True to what I've read of Abraham so far (in his solo works and as half of "James S. A. Corey"), this is a book written to a long arc and without reliance on flashy battles or breakneck chases. It builds in layers of intrigue and mystery, developing characters and the city, always with enough mystery to keep the reader turning pages. It starts with Byrn's funeral procession through Kithamar, weaving in hints and hooks, then travels back one year to the prince's coronation and how Alys and Sammish begin their unanticipated collision course with some of the deepest, darkest secrets and plots in Kithamar. There is magic at work, here, but it is, for the most part, a subtle thing, especially at first, whispers and shades and hints that become more obvious (and dangerous) as the tale goes. Alys's grief over Darro's murder first drives her to seek vengeance, then compels her to try to become him and finish what he started, keeping him alive the only way she knows how. Sammish, from the outside, sees what Alys is blind to, but by asking questions Alys doesn't want to ask a wedge begins to form between them. Thus, Sammish - the girl who quite literally is never noticed, a talent that lends itself well to thievery - finds herself somewhere altogether different. Both encounter mysteries and even gods (or forces akin to gods), but also must ultimately decide, as they stand amid the swirling forces that could reshape the city, just who they really are and what they really stand for, and what future they really want to see.
This is a story that, though slower paced, contains little to no deadweight, developing its characters and its setting with impressive depth and complexity (though with a very slight over-reliance on a few descriptors; I lost track of how often light was described as "milky" or similar terms, for instance). Occasionally the slowness bogs down into a true meander, and a few threads seemed forgotten or distracting by the end, but it makes up for that through worldbuilding and character development. It earned the extra half-star by being the first book in ages that grabbed me for eighty solid pages the first time I picked it up, and for avoiding the obvious paths and pitfalls it could've so easy fallen into. (And, dang it, I was just in the mood for a nice, rich, slow-burn tale and it delivered.) Though it's the first in a trilogy, it works fairly well as a standalone. I will be looking out for the second installment.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Dragon's Path (Daniel Abraham) - My Review
Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo) - My Review
An Ember in the Ashes (Sabaa Tahir) - My Review
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Jon Scieszka)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Jon Scieszka, illustrations by Lane Smith
Viking
Fiction, CH Collection/Fantasy/Humor/Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A Goldilocks thwarted by the exceptionally oversized chairs at the home of the Three Elephants... a peculiar race to determine if the Hare really can grow hair faster than the Tortoise can run... a giant who insists on adding his own story to a fairy tale collection... a mischievous little man made entirely of stinky cheese... What, these aren't the stories you're used to? Correct - they're not fairy tales. They're fairly stupid tales, brought to you by your narrator, Jack.
REVIEW: This award-winning book still gets decent library circulation, so it was there when we hit a lull at work. Just as the title promises, every story in this collection is stupid and more than a little sarcastic and silly. The fourth wall is gleefully shattered by Jack, a narrator who often has trouble keeping the characters in line, while the little red hen (who canonically made a loaf of bread without assistance despite repeated requests for aid with planting the wheat, milling the flour, and baking the loaf) insists on trying to squeeze her story into whatever blank spaces she can find... even if they're before the title page or on the back cover. The tales are all short enough not to overstay their welcome, as is the book itself. It made this grown-up chuckle more than once.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Chloe and the Lion (Mac Barnett) - My Review
The Boy Who Cried Ninja (Alex Latimer) - My Review
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert N. Munsch) - My Review
Jon Scieszka, illustrations by Lane Smith
Viking
Fiction, CH Collection/Fantasy/Humor/Picture Book
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A Goldilocks thwarted by the exceptionally oversized chairs at the home of the Three Elephants... a peculiar race to determine if the Hare really can grow hair faster than the Tortoise can run... a giant who insists on adding his own story to a fairy tale collection... a mischievous little man made entirely of stinky cheese... What, these aren't the stories you're used to? Correct - they're not fairy tales. They're fairly stupid tales, brought to you by your narrator, Jack.
REVIEW: This award-winning book still gets decent library circulation, so it was there when we hit a lull at work. Just as the title promises, every story in this collection is stupid and more than a little sarcastic and silly. The fourth wall is gleefully shattered by Jack, a narrator who often has trouble keeping the characters in line, while the little red hen (who canonically made a loaf of bread without assistance despite repeated requests for aid with planting the wheat, milling the flour, and baking the loaf) insists on trying to squeeze her story into whatever blank spaces she can find... even if they're before the title page or on the back cover. The tales are all short enough not to overstay their welcome, as is the book itself. It made this grown-up chuckle more than once.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Chloe and the Lion (Mac Barnett) - My Review
The Boy Who Cried Ninja (Alex Latimer) - My Review
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert N. Munsch) - My Review
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Mislaid in Parts Half-Unknown (Seanan McGuire)
Mislaid in Parts Half-Unknown
The Wayward Children series, Book 1
Seanan McGuire
Tordotcom
Fiction, YA? Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once upon a time, a child found a doorway to another world... Thus begins the tale of every kid and teen at Eleanor West's special boarding school for former door-travelers, those who were whisked away to another world only to be returned, irrevocably changed, to an Earth that was no longer home. But Antsy didn't just find one door to one world. She found a door to a nexus, a gathering place of lost items, and the vast Shop Where the Lost Things Go... and at the nexus she found more doors to more worlds. Only the shopkeepers didn't tell her that each door she opened cost her in time, until she was a nine-year-old mind in a sixteen-year-old body - and even at Eleanor West's school, among the peculiar students, she can't find a way to fit in, not when she doesn't fit within herself, too physically old to be with the children and too mentally young to connect with the teenagers. When a bully discovers her talent for finding misplaced and lost things - including doorways to other worlds - Antsy feels trapped, until a group of other students helps her flee before being forced to find a door she very much does not wish to find. Unfortunately, their flight necessitates traveling through yet more doors, to yet more worlds... and, in the nature of other worlds, each challenges and tests the wayward children, changing them and their fates - possibly forever...
REVIEW: I've been enjoying McGuire's Wayward Children series for a while, and still find them quite imaginative and poignant, yet part of me is starting to wonder if the series is running a slight bit long, as there's a certain whiff of familiarity in the stories that unfold.
As with the other odd-numbered entries, this one continues the here-and-now arc of Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children and the core group of questing friends who haven't broken the habit of heroism developed in other worlds. After the events at the competing, abusive Whitethorn school, new students fill the halls, often traumatized by the experience and sometimes struggling to fit in. Eleanor West herself seems to be showing her age, too, as her assessments of where to place these new students no longer makes for the best possible matches; her background in a Nonsense world seems to be coloring her judgement, and perhaps she's finally reaching the age and state of mental decline that will let her return to her beloved realm beyond the patient door in the woods. As a result, students like Antsy find themselves at a disadvantage, lacking the peer support they need to process their experiences and bond with new friends. It doesn't help that Antsy retains her knack for finding lost things when they need finding, or that the skill has grown in her time away from the Shop. Thus, she doesn't know whom she can turn to or trust when word of her special ability - including the ability to find lost doors that might lead a desperate child back to worlds that have become their true homes - reaches the wrong ears... but Cora (once a mermaid of the Trenches), Kade (formerly a champion of fairy realm of Prism), Christopher (who fell in love with the Skeleton Girl), and Sumi (who died and was resurrected by the sugary Nonsense realm of Confection) - along with former Whitethorn student Emily (who still dreams of dancing again by the endless bonfires in the world of Harvest) are of course ever-watchful and ever-ready to step in where they're needed. Once more, the core group is off on another world-hopping jaunt, and though the worlds and trials are different, it starts feeling a bit similar to previous Wayward Children installments. Along the way, they each must rethink the purpose (if there is any) to the doors, and what they really mean by the ubiquitous warning to would-be travelers to "Be Sure" before stepping through. By now, the notion of going "home" to worlds beyond Earth is less unthinkable than it was earlier in the series - indeed, despite Eleanor West's early assertions to the contrary, there seem to be quite a few students who manage to find their way through doors again, if not back to the worlds they visited before than to new ones - but "homecoming" still something that must be understood and earned, and satisfaction is no more guaranteed than it is on Earth. For her part, Antsy must finally confront the adults whose lies hurt her and cost her so dearly, but the other characters have their own reconciliations and revelations to deal with.
As I mentioned at the start, there starts to be a hint of familiarity about the story, beyond the marvelous new sights and wonders and dangers and revelations. I'm starting to wonder just how long the series is intended to run. The prequel even-number books are becoming the strongest entries, untethered by the here-and-now arc that could use a little more momentum and direction. Beyond that, it's another enjoyable entry in a very enjoyable series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - My Review
Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire) - My Review
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Catherynne M. Valente) - My Review
The Wayward Children series, Book 1
Seanan McGuire
Tordotcom
Fiction, YA? Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once upon a time, a child found a doorway to another world... Thus begins the tale of every kid and teen at Eleanor West's special boarding school for former door-travelers, those who were whisked away to another world only to be returned, irrevocably changed, to an Earth that was no longer home. But Antsy didn't just find one door to one world. She found a door to a nexus, a gathering place of lost items, and the vast Shop Where the Lost Things Go... and at the nexus she found more doors to more worlds. Only the shopkeepers didn't tell her that each door she opened cost her in time, until she was a nine-year-old mind in a sixteen-year-old body - and even at Eleanor West's school, among the peculiar students, she can't find a way to fit in, not when she doesn't fit within herself, too physically old to be with the children and too mentally young to connect with the teenagers. When a bully discovers her talent for finding misplaced and lost things - including doorways to other worlds - Antsy feels trapped, until a group of other students helps her flee before being forced to find a door she very much does not wish to find. Unfortunately, their flight necessitates traveling through yet more doors, to yet more worlds... and, in the nature of other worlds, each challenges and tests the wayward children, changing them and their fates - possibly forever...
REVIEW: I've been enjoying McGuire's Wayward Children series for a while, and still find them quite imaginative and poignant, yet part of me is starting to wonder if the series is running a slight bit long, as there's a certain whiff of familiarity in the stories that unfold.
As with the other odd-numbered entries, this one continues the here-and-now arc of Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children and the core group of questing friends who haven't broken the habit of heroism developed in other worlds. After the events at the competing, abusive Whitethorn school, new students fill the halls, often traumatized by the experience and sometimes struggling to fit in. Eleanor West herself seems to be showing her age, too, as her assessments of where to place these new students no longer makes for the best possible matches; her background in a Nonsense world seems to be coloring her judgement, and perhaps she's finally reaching the age and state of mental decline that will let her return to her beloved realm beyond the patient door in the woods. As a result, students like Antsy find themselves at a disadvantage, lacking the peer support they need to process their experiences and bond with new friends. It doesn't help that Antsy retains her knack for finding lost things when they need finding, or that the skill has grown in her time away from the Shop. Thus, she doesn't know whom she can turn to or trust when word of her special ability - including the ability to find lost doors that might lead a desperate child back to worlds that have become their true homes - reaches the wrong ears... but Cora (once a mermaid of the Trenches), Kade (formerly a champion of fairy realm of Prism), Christopher (who fell in love with the Skeleton Girl), and Sumi (who died and was resurrected by the sugary Nonsense realm of Confection) - along with former Whitethorn student Emily (who still dreams of dancing again by the endless bonfires in the world of Harvest) are of course ever-watchful and ever-ready to step in where they're needed. Once more, the core group is off on another world-hopping jaunt, and though the worlds and trials are different, it starts feeling a bit similar to previous Wayward Children installments. Along the way, they each must rethink the purpose (if there is any) to the doors, and what they really mean by the ubiquitous warning to would-be travelers to "Be Sure" before stepping through. By now, the notion of going "home" to worlds beyond Earth is less unthinkable than it was earlier in the series - indeed, despite Eleanor West's early assertions to the contrary, there seem to be quite a few students who manage to find their way through doors again, if not back to the worlds they visited before than to new ones - but "homecoming" still something that must be understood and earned, and satisfaction is no more guaranteed than it is on Earth. For her part, Antsy must finally confront the adults whose lies hurt her and cost her so dearly, but the other characters have their own reconciliations and revelations to deal with.
As I mentioned at the start, there starts to be a hint of familiarity about the story, beyond the marvelous new sights and wonders and dangers and revelations. I'm starting to wonder just how long the series is intended to run. The prequel even-number books are becoming the strongest entries, untethered by the here-and-now arc that could use a little more momentum and direction. Beyond that, it's another enjoyable entry in a very enjoyable series.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - My Review
Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire) - My Review
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Catherynne M. Valente) - My Review
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Titanium Noir (Nick Harkaway)
Titanium Noir
Nick Harkaway
Knopf
Fiction, Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Cal Sounder is a private detective specializing in incidents involving the Titans: medically-enhanced elites who can potentially live forever. They are the richest of the rich, the most powerful of the powerful, literally larger than life thanks to the growth effects of the drugs involved, and their crimes are as outsized as their lifestyles... so when one of them turns up dead under very suspicious circumstances, the case could blow the roof off the city.
Roddy Tebbit was atypical even for a Titan, a modest techie working as a professor and pursuing private research into lake algae. Who would want an inoffensive milquetoast of a man like that dead? The more Cal investigates, the more doesn't make sense, leading him down a long and twisted path into deadly secrets long buried by the most powerful Titan on the planet.
REVIEW: A jaded investigator of gray morality, an untouchable elite, a criminal underworld at least as powerful as the ostensible government... Titanium Noir isn't the first science fiction story to transplant the guts of a noir thriller into a dystopian future, but it does so with confidence and a nice conceit in the Titan treatments and its consequences, creating what is essentially another species with godlike aspirations.
Though an ordinary human, Cal has a unique position in the city as a liaison between the Titans and the normal population: his girlfriend Athena is the daughter of the most powerful Titan in the city (and arguably the world), who wound up turning Titan herself after a horrific accident... a transformation that has inevitably driven a wedge between the pair. To become a Titan is to outgrow one's old self (literally; each life-extending, rejuvenating dose causes fresh growth, so they physically tower over the populace and even their voices can cause physical harm), and many become increasingly divorced from their humanity and from the consequences of their own actions. Even as Cal resents the Titans who essentially rule in the way oligarchs do - not with official titles or offices but through money and power and holding the keys to fame, fortune, and immortality - he has fallen into the role as their defender and protector on some level. This is a fence he will not be able to straddle indefinitely; Athena beckons from the Titan side, while his vestigial conscious and outsized awareness of how inhuman they become, how even love seems to fade among them after a few decades or pesky human lifetimes, pull him toward humanity. The case of Roddy's murder plunges Cal deeper into Titan secrets and deceptions than even he could imagine, making him few new friends and many new enemies. In noir fashion, Cal finds corruption behind nearly every doorway in a case that inevitably zigs just when he anticipates a zag. Around him, the future city he inhabits is revealed, a world with some progress but also mired in the past, in no small part due to the essential-immortals pulling civilization's strings; if they can't change, why should the world?
It lost a half-star for an ending that felt a bit rushed (and a conclusion that left a slight aftertaste I didn't quite like... one that I'm sure was intentional, but it being intentional didn't keep me from not quite enjoying it). Overall, though, it's a decent blend of genres with an interesting examination of how immortality and elitism create a subspecies almost literally divorced from the main body of the human race.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Kiln People (David Brin) - My Review
The Body Scout (Lincoln Michel) - My Review
Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan) - My Review
Nick Harkaway
Knopf
Fiction, Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Cal Sounder is a private detective specializing in incidents involving the Titans: medically-enhanced elites who can potentially live forever. They are the richest of the rich, the most powerful of the powerful, literally larger than life thanks to the growth effects of the drugs involved, and their crimes are as outsized as their lifestyles... so when one of them turns up dead under very suspicious circumstances, the case could blow the roof off the city.
Roddy Tebbit was atypical even for a Titan, a modest techie working as a professor and pursuing private research into lake algae. Who would want an inoffensive milquetoast of a man like that dead? The more Cal investigates, the more doesn't make sense, leading him down a long and twisted path into deadly secrets long buried by the most powerful Titan on the planet.
REVIEW: A jaded investigator of gray morality, an untouchable elite, a criminal underworld at least as powerful as the ostensible government... Titanium Noir isn't the first science fiction story to transplant the guts of a noir thriller into a dystopian future, but it does so with confidence and a nice conceit in the Titan treatments and its consequences, creating what is essentially another species with godlike aspirations.
Though an ordinary human, Cal has a unique position in the city as a liaison between the Titans and the normal population: his girlfriend Athena is the daughter of the most powerful Titan in the city (and arguably the world), who wound up turning Titan herself after a horrific accident... a transformation that has inevitably driven a wedge between the pair. To become a Titan is to outgrow one's old self (literally; each life-extending, rejuvenating dose causes fresh growth, so they physically tower over the populace and even their voices can cause physical harm), and many become increasingly divorced from their humanity and from the consequences of their own actions. Even as Cal resents the Titans who essentially rule in the way oligarchs do - not with official titles or offices but through money and power and holding the keys to fame, fortune, and immortality - he has fallen into the role as their defender and protector on some level. This is a fence he will not be able to straddle indefinitely; Athena beckons from the Titan side, while his vestigial conscious and outsized awareness of how inhuman they become, how even love seems to fade among them after a few decades or pesky human lifetimes, pull him toward humanity. The case of Roddy's murder plunges Cal deeper into Titan secrets and deceptions than even he could imagine, making him few new friends and many new enemies. In noir fashion, Cal finds corruption behind nearly every doorway in a case that inevitably zigs just when he anticipates a zag. Around him, the future city he inhabits is revealed, a world with some progress but also mired in the past, in no small part due to the essential-immortals pulling civilization's strings; if they can't change, why should the world?
It lost a half-star for an ending that felt a bit rushed (and a conclusion that left a slight aftertaste I didn't quite like... one that I'm sure was intentional, but it being intentional didn't keep me from not quite enjoying it). Overall, though, it's a decent blend of genres with an interesting examination of how immortality and elitism create a subspecies almost literally divorced from the main body of the human race.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Kiln People (David Brin) - My Review
The Body Scout (Lincoln Michel) - My Review
Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan) - My Review
Friday, April 19, 2024
The Lost Tomb (Douglas Preston)
The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burial, and Murder
Douglas Preston
Grand Central Publishing
Nonfiction, Archaeology/True Crime/History/Sociology/True Stories
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A string of grisly murders in Florence, Italy and an investigation hijacked by politics and personal agendas... An ancient Egyptian tomb of unrivaled size and scope unearthed after long being dismissed as insignificant... One of the longest-running and most expensive treasure hunts in history on a small Canadian island... The possible evolutionary roots of online vitriol run amok... These and more stories, drawn from the articles and research of author and journalist Douglas Preston, are gathered in this volume.
REVIEW: One of the great things about books is the ability to vicariously experience a bigger, bolder, wider life that is remotely possible for an unremarkable, broke lardlump like myself. Here, Douglas Preston republishes (with updates and annotations) articles from his long history of journalism and related research on all manner of topics, proving yet again that if reality may not always be stranger than fiction, it can sure give fiction a run for its money. He manages to bring the subjects, the people, the controversies, and more to life in his words, and generally writes complete enough articles that one isn't unduly frustrated by omissions or obvious blind spots (as in some article-based books I've read). The updates are also fairly up to date, as the book was published in December 2023 and I'm reviewing this audiobook in April 2024. From the amateur paleontologist who discovered a once-in-a-lifetime window into the day that ended the dinosaurs to investigations into why so many online communities seem to build themselves around hate and punishment of the perceived Other, from the Oak Island "money pit" to the deserts of the American Southwest and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Preston's tales take the reader around the world and across time to encounter all manner of mysteries, controversies, and colorful characters. It made for an enjoyable read (or listen, this being another audiobook selection), and a reminder of how very small and pointless my own particular existence has been, is, and doubtless will continue to be until it ceases.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs (Riley Black) - My Review
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws (Adrienne Mayor) - My Review
The Lost City of the Monkey God (Douglas Preston) - My Review
Douglas Preston
Grand Central Publishing
Nonfiction, Archaeology/True Crime/History/Sociology/True Stories
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A string of grisly murders in Florence, Italy and an investigation hijacked by politics and personal agendas... An ancient Egyptian tomb of unrivaled size and scope unearthed after long being dismissed as insignificant... One of the longest-running and most expensive treasure hunts in history on a small Canadian island... The possible evolutionary roots of online vitriol run amok... These and more stories, drawn from the articles and research of author and journalist Douglas Preston, are gathered in this volume.
REVIEW: One of the great things about books is the ability to vicariously experience a bigger, bolder, wider life that is remotely possible for an unremarkable, broke lardlump like myself. Here, Douglas Preston republishes (with updates and annotations) articles from his long history of journalism and related research on all manner of topics, proving yet again that if reality may not always be stranger than fiction, it can sure give fiction a run for its money. He manages to bring the subjects, the people, the controversies, and more to life in his words, and generally writes complete enough articles that one isn't unduly frustrated by omissions or obvious blind spots (as in some article-based books I've read). The updates are also fairly up to date, as the book was published in December 2023 and I'm reviewing this audiobook in April 2024. From the amateur paleontologist who discovered a once-in-a-lifetime window into the day that ended the dinosaurs to investigations into why so many online communities seem to build themselves around hate and punishment of the perceived Other, from the Oak Island "money pit" to the deserts of the American Southwest and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Preston's tales take the reader around the world and across time to encounter all manner of mysteries, controversies, and colorful characters. It made for an enjoyable read (or listen, this being another audiobook selection), and a reminder of how very small and pointless my own particular existence has been, is, and doubtless will continue to be until it ceases.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs (Riley Black) - My Review
Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws (Adrienne Mayor) - My Review
The Lost City of the Monkey God (Douglas Preston) - My Review
Friday, April 12, 2024
Playing With Fire (Derek Landy)
Playing With Fire
The Skulduggery Pleasant series, Book 2
Derek Landy
HarperCollins
Fiction, MG Adventure/Fantasy/Horror/Humor/Mystery
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A year ago, Stephanie Edgely was a normal twelve-year-old Dublin girl. That was before her eccentric horror writer uncle passed away and left her his entire estate... and before Stephanie learned the truth behind his twisted stories of hidden mages and magical creatures skulking in the shadows. It was also before she encountered one of her uncle's strangest friends, the living skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant, and before she discovered her own heritage as a descendant of ancient mages. Now, as Valkyrie Cain, she spends most of her time training with Skulduggery and others in the magical community, leaving a magically-animated mirror reflection to cover for her absence with her family and her school. But if she thought she'd dealt with the worst the magical world had to offer when she took on the sorcerer who murdered her uncle, she thought wrong.
After eighty years in a secret prison, Baron Vengeous has been freed by compatriots on the outside. He was among the most zealous in his devotion to the lost Faceless Ones, the dark godlike entities that once ruled the world, and now that he's free he resumes his efforts to call them back and usher in a new and terrible reign. As Skulduggery scrambles to stop him, facing possible traitors in the Dublin Sanctuary (the governing body of the magical community), Valkyrie finds herself a direct target of the baron and his terrifying mercenaries.
REVIEW: I unexpectedly enjoyed the first book in this series, and am happy to report that the second one maintains the high standards set there. It kicks right into the story, with just a little bit of recapping early on to help jog readers' memories (likely not enough for someone coming into it cold), building on foundations laid before and ratcheting up the stakes. Stephanie/Valkyrie is no neophyte this time around, though she's still quite early into her unconventional apprenticeship. She is also still a minor, and at thirteen years old she finally starts to truly grasp just how dangerous the path she's chosen is, and what she stands to sacrifice by embracing it over a normal childhood; her mirror self fills in her memories of family and school when they swap places, but it's not the same as living it herself, and she's already starting to feel the bonds fraying, like she's the outsider viewing her life through a pane of glass. But it's not like she can turn her back on magic now that she's discovered it, or on the community that already has her marked as a person/threat to watch... especially not when Baron Vengeous and his assistants, the vampire Dusk and the American mercenary Sanguine (who favors a straight razor as a weapon, and can move through solid objects and even the ground itself like so much liquid), take the danger directly to her doorstep.
The first book wasn't exactly bloodless, but this one ramps up the violence and horror vibes, even as touches of humor and witty dialog add needed levity. Skulduggery Pleasant remains a great character, and despite her youth Valkyrie makes an excellent partner for his antics, growing into her role as his assistant/apprentice, though neither of them are flawless or incapable of failure. Several elements are introduced here that foreshadow developments in future volumes (or so I suspect), and while much is wrapped up there are many loose ends that all but demand a sequel or two (at least). This remains a clever, exciting series, full of twists and turns, and I'm already looking forward to the third book.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom (Leah R. Cutter) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
Nevermoor (Jessica Townsend) - My Review
The Skulduggery Pleasant series, Book 2
Derek Landy
HarperCollins
Fiction, MG Adventure/Fantasy/Horror/Humor/Mystery
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: A year ago, Stephanie Edgely was a normal twelve-year-old Dublin girl. That was before her eccentric horror writer uncle passed away and left her his entire estate... and before Stephanie learned the truth behind his twisted stories of hidden mages and magical creatures skulking in the shadows. It was also before she encountered one of her uncle's strangest friends, the living skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant, and before she discovered her own heritage as a descendant of ancient mages. Now, as Valkyrie Cain, she spends most of her time training with Skulduggery and others in the magical community, leaving a magically-animated mirror reflection to cover for her absence with her family and her school. But if she thought she'd dealt with the worst the magical world had to offer when she took on the sorcerer who murdered her uncle, she thought wrong.
After eighty years in a secret prison, Baron Vengeous has been freed by compatriots on the outside. He was among the most zealous in his devotion to the lost Faceless Ones, the dark godlike entities that once ruled the world, and now that he's free he resumes his efforts to call them back and usher in a new and terrible reign. As Skulduggery scrambles to stop him, facing possible traitors in the Dublin Sanctuary (the governing body of the magical community), Valkyrie finds herself a direct target of the baron and his terrifying mercenaries.
REVIEW: I unexpectedly enjoyed the first book in this series, and am happy to report that the second one maintains the high standards set there. It kicks right into the story, with just a little bit of recapping early on to help jog readers' memories (likely not enough for someone coming into it cold), building on foundations laid before and ratcheting up the stakes. Stephanie/Valkyrie is no neophyte this time around, though she's still quite early into her unconventional apprenticeship. She is also still a minor, and at thirteen years old she finally starts to truly grasp just how dangerous the path she's chosen is, and what she stands to sacrifice by embracing it over a normal childhood; her mirror self fills in her memories of family and school when they swap places, but it's not the same as living it herself, and she's already starting to feel the bonds fraying, like she's the outsider viewing her life through a pane of glass. But it's not like she can turn her back on magic now that she's discovered it, or on the community that already has her marked as a person/threat to watch... especially not when Baron Vengeous and his assistants, the vampire Dusk and the American mercenary Sanguine (who favors a straight razor as a weapon, and can move through solid objects and even the ground itself like so much liquid), take the danger directly to her doorstep.
The first book wasn't exactly bloodless, but this one ramps up the violence and horror vibes, even as touches of humor and witty dialog add needed levity. Skulduggery Pleasant remains a great character, and despite her youth Valkyrie makes an excellent partner for his antics, growing into her role as his assistant/apprentice, though neither of them are flawless or incapable of failure. Several elements are introduced here that foreshadow developments in future volumes (or so I suspect), and while much is wrapped up there are many loose ends that all but demand a sequel or two (at least). This remains a clever, exciting series, full of twists and turns, and I'm already looking forward to the third book.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom (Leah R. Cutter) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
Nevermoor (Jessica Townsend) - My Review
Thursday, April 11, 2024
The Eye of Jade (Diane Wei Liang)
The Eye of Jade
A Mei Wang Mystery, Book 1
Diane Wei Liang
Simon and Schuster
Fiction, Mystery
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once, Mei Wang was a rising star in China, with a bright future ahead of her in the ministry of public security. But a bad situation led her to resign the prestigious post. Now, she works as an independent "information consultant" in Beijing - actually a private investigator, but that job is technically illegal, so she did what so many citizens do and found a loophole. She has an apartment, a car, an eager male assistant from the rural provinces, and a steady stream of business... everything but the respect of her mother, who laments that Mei has no interest in marriage or bettering her status in the Party (especially after the shame of resigning from the ministry), and sister, who married into wealth and power and makes sure nobody forgets it. She tells herself she doesn't care what they think, that she's happy living her life on her own terms. Then an old family friend, Uncle Chen Jitian, comes to Mei with a case involving smuggled antiquities. As Mei digs into the matter, she finds herself digging into the tangled, bloody history of the Cultural Revolution, and - unexpectedly - into the pasts of her mother and late father.
REVIEW: Written by a Chinese expatriate, The Eye of Jade takes readers into modern (well, just before Hong Kong's reversion to Beijing's control) China with an unconventional protagonist and a mystery that wends through the country's complicated history. Like so many her age, Mei Wang grew up full of hope for China's bright future, only to find those hopes tempered or outright dashed by time and experience and ever-shifting politics (too often accompanied by ever-shifting webs of corruption and internal back-scratching). The parents of her generation were directly involved in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution where so much was destroyed (and the seeds of so many modern troubles were planted, often watered with blood), creating a generational gap that is difficult to bridge under the best of circumstances. Mei's circumstances are not exactly the best; her relationship with her mother has always been fraught, as Mei has never understood how the woman could have left her beloved father to languish in a labor camp until the end of his days (having been sentenced for politically unpopular sentiments in his writings and poetry). Living in the shadow of her little sister, who found (apparent) happiness in the arms (and bank accounts) of a wealthy businessman, doesn't help with family harmony much. Still, Mei is determined to live her own life by her own principles, even as a class reunion dredges up hard memories of the woman she thought she'd be by now. The antique smuggling investigation gives her something to dive into, a case that wends through various seedy characters and Beijing's many districts and social strata and which seems to draw some dangerous interest from powerful players... but the two parts of her life may not be as disconnected as she initially thinks.
The plot sometimes feels stretched thin, like it can't quite decide if it's more about the case and establishing Mei Wang the detective for a possible series, or if it's more about Mei Wang the conflicted modern Chinese woman coming to terms with her family and her own path in life. When her mother suffers a sudden health crisis, the investigation is pushed to the back seat for an awfully long time - the same as when a former love interest returns from years abroad, still bearing a torch that she long ago snuffed out (or thought she did). Eventually the tale gets back on track, but by then I had to mentally backtrack to remember just where Mei had paused things and what she was up to after the side trips, leading to an ending that, frankly, felt like a bit of a letdown. I also expected more character development for her underling, who felt rather extraneous and forgotten by the end. Along the way, the city of Beijing and life in modern China come alive in many details. I doubt I'll read on in the series (which only looks like it continues through one more book anyway), but it was an intriguing glimpse into a part of the world I haven't read too much about, and a different sort of detective.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Three-Body Problem (Cixin Liu) - My Review
The Third Man (Graham Greene) - My Review
The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective (Catherine Louisa Pirkis) - My Review
A Mei Wang Mystery, Book 1
Diane Wei Liang
Simon and Schuster
Fiction, Mystery
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once, Mei Wang was a rising star in China, with a bright future ahead of her in the ministry of public security. But a bad situation led her to resign the prestigious post. Now, she works as an independent "information consultant" in Beijing - actually a private investigator, but that job is technically illegal, so she did what so many citizens do and found a loophole. She has an apartment, a car, an eager male assistant from the rural provinces, and a steady stream of business... everything but the respect of her mother, who laments that Mei has no interest in marriage or bettering her status in the Party (especially after the shame of resigning from the ministry), and sister, who married into wealth and power and makes sure nobody forgets it. She tells herself she doesn't care what they think, that she's happy living her life on her own terms. Then an old family friend, Uncle Chen Jitian, comes to Mei with a case involving smuggled antiquities. As Mei digs into the matter, she finds herself digging into the tangled, bloody history of the Cultural Revolution, and - unexpectedly - into the pasts of her mother and late father.
REVIEW: Written by a Chinese expatriate, The Eye of Jade takes readers into modern (well, just before Hong Kong's reversion to Beijing's control) China with an unconventional protagonist and a mystery that wends through the country's complicated history. Like so many her age, Mei Wang grew up full of hope for China's bright future, only to find those hopes tempered or outright dashed by time and experience and ever-shifting politics (too often accompanied by ever-shifting webs of corruption and internal back-scratching). The parents of her generation were directly involved in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution where so much was destroyed (and the seeds of so many modern troubles were planted, often watered with blood), creating a generational gap that is difficult to bridge under the best of circumstances. Mei's circumstances are not exactly the best; her relationship with her mother has always been fraught, as Mei has never understood how the woman could have left her beloved father to languish in a labor camp until the end of his days (having been sentenced for politically unpopular sentiments in his writings and poetry). Living in the shadow of her little sister, who found (apparent) happiness in the arms (and bank accounts) of a wealthy businessman, doesn't help with family harmony much. Still, Mei is determined to live her own life by her own principles, even as a class reunion dredges up hard memories of the woman she thought she'd be by now. The antique smuggling investigation gives her something to dive into, a case that wends through various seedy characters and Beijing's many districts and social strata and which seems to draw some dangerous interest from powerful players... but the two parts of her life may not be as disconnected as she initially thinks.
The plot sometimes feels stretched thin, like it can't quite decide if it's more about the case and establishing Mei Wang the detective for a possible series, or if it's more about Mei Wang the conflicted modern Chinese woman coming to terms with her family and her own path in life. When her mother suffers a sudden health crisis, the investigation is pushed to the back seat for an awfully long time - the same as when a former love interest returns from years abroad, still bearing a torch that she long ago snuffed out (or thought she did). Eventually the tale gets back on track, but by then I had to mentally backtrack to remember just where Mei had paused things and what she was up to after the side trips, leading to an ending that, frankly, felt like a bit of a letdown. I also expected more character development for her underling, who felt rather extraneous and forgotten by the end. Along the way, the city of Beijing and life in modern China come alive in many details. I doubt I'll read on in the series (which only looks like it continues through one more book anyway), but it was an intriguing glimpse into a part of the world I haven't read too much about, and a different sort of detective.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Three-Body Problem (Cixin Liu) - My Review
The Third Man (Graham Greene) - My Review
The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective (Catherine Louisa Pirkis) - My Review
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (M. T. Anderson)
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
A Pals in Peril Tale, Book 2
M. T. Anderson
Beach Lane Books
Fiction, MG Action/Humor/Sci-Fi
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: It's summer break, and Katie is bored, bored, bored. She's sick and tired of the werewolves and the zombies, of foiling evil plans and solving mysteries and otherwise being the girl heroine of Horror Hollow (off Route 666). She just wants to do normal stuff for a while: go on vacation, read a vapid teen magazine and do the quizzes, chill out by the pool. Fortunately, her friend Jasper Dash (Boy Technonaut, young hero of his own obsolete kid adventurer series) just got an invitation to Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort. That sounds like just the place to have an ordinary, boring summer with Jasper and their other friend, the normal girl Lily (well, except for the time she helped stop her dad's boss from taking over the world with an army of whales on stilts, but that's a story for a previous book).
When they get to the mountains, they're surprised to discover that not only is Jasper's photocopied coupon fraudulent, but that several other guests received the same ones... guests that seem oddly familiar, such as the crime-solving duo the Manley Boys, the gossiping Cutesy Dell twins, and even Eddie Wax, star of a popular boy-and-his-horse adventure. The famed Hooper Quints were supposed to turn up, too - only, shortly after the trio arrive, someone rushes into the lobby to announce that the quints were abducted on the way up the mountain! This looks like a mystery in need of solving, with a villain in need of thwarting - but Katie didn't come all the way up here just to fall right back into danger and detective work. It's summer, darn it all, and she's on break! Unfortunately, peril didn't get the memo to leave the pals alone, not even on vacation...
REVIEW: I only had a short window to listen to an audiobook today, so I grabbed this title, having greatly enjoyed Whales on Stilts previously. Just as hilarious and out-loud-snicker-inducing as the first book, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen once again presses the pedal to the metal (and nearly through to the asphalt) with a fast-paced story full of action(!), mystery(!), danger(!), footnotes(!), and exclamation marks(!). Amid the hilarious satire of numerous classic series, Anderson actually adds a little depth to his characters, making them more than the tropes they were created to skewer. The tale leans more into the meta elements introduced in the previous volume, as the characters seem mildly self-aware about being fictional creations, which has some drawbacks that come into play in the story. There's an unexpected element of pathos underlying this revelation, giving the story more heart than its outwardly silly, over-the-top trappings might suggest. Katie tries being a normal girl for once, finding new friends in the Cutesy Dell twins, but there's only so long she can stay out of the heroism game. As she sits on the sidelines, Lily and Jasper take up the challenge of solving the mystery, but both run into their own brands of trouble as they get separated during the search for the missing quintuplets. Other guests at the lodge, of course, are all suspects in their own ways, each more peculiar than the last.
The tale quite deliberately does not even try to make sense by the end (another nod to serial tales that often, especially later in their runs, sacrifice logic for cheap thrills and big twists), but it all works in its own context; as before, this is the kind of story that can only work with absolute, total commitment to the conceit. I expect I'll continue on with this series if they remain this fun, and I'm definitely interested in seeing where Anderson is going with kid heroes who are aware of how they're stuck in time and tropes beyond their control.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Whales on Stilts (M. T. Anderson) - My Review
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Mac Barnett) - My Review
Cold Cereal (Adam Rex) - My Review
A Pals in Peril Tale, Book 2
M. T. Anderson
Beach Lane Books
Fiction, MG Action/Humor/Sci-Fi
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: It's summer break, and Katie is bored, bored, bored. She's sick and tired of the werewolves and the zombies, of foiling evil plans and solving mysteries and otherwise being the girl heroine of Horror Hollow (off Route 666). She just wants to do normal stuff for a while: go on vacation, read a vapid teen magazine and do the quizzes, chill out by the pool. Fortunately, her friend Jasper Dash (Boy Technonaut, young hero of his own obsolete kid adventurer series) just got an invitation to Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort. That sounds like just the place to have an ordinary, boring summer with Jasper and their other friend, the normal girl Lily (well, except for the time she helped stop her dad's boss from taking over the world with an army of whales on stilts, but that's a story for a previous book).
When they get to the mountains, they're surprised to discover that not only is Jasper's photocopied coupon fraudulent, but that several other guests received the same ones... guests that seem oddly familiar, such as the crime-solving duo the Manley Boys, the gossiping Cutesy Dell twins, and even Eddie Wax, star of a popular boy-and-his-horse adventure. The famed Hooper Quints were supposed to turn up, too - only, shortly after the trio arrive, someone rushes into the lobby to announce that the quints were abducted on the way up the mountain! This looks like a mystery in need of solving, with a villain in need of thwarting - but Katie didn't come all the way up here just to fall right back into danger and detective work. It's summer, darn it all, and she's on break! Unfortunately, peril didn't get the memo to leave the pals alone, not even on vacation...
REVIEW: I only had a short window to listen to an audiobook today, so I grabbed this title, having greatly enjoyed Whales on Stilts previously. Just as hilarious and out-loud-snicker-inducing as the first book, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen once again presses the pedal to the metal (and nearly through to the asphalt) with a fast-paced story full of action(!), mystery(!), danger(!), footnotes(!), and exclamation marks(!). Amid the hilarious satire of numerous classic series, Anderson actually adds a little depth to his characters, making them more than the tropes they were created to skewer. The tale leans more into the meta elements introduced in the previous volume, as the characters seem mildly self-aware about being fictional creations, which has some drawbacks that come into play in the story. There's an unexpected element of pathos underlying this revelation, giving the story more heart than its outwardly silly, over-the-top trappings might suggest. Katie tries being a normal girl for once, finding new friends in the Cutesy Dell twins, but there's only so long she can stay out of the heroism game. As she sits on the sidelines, Lily and Jasper take up the challenge of solving the mystery, but both run into their own brands of trouble as they get separated during the search for the missing quintuplets. Other guests at the lodge, of course, are all suspects in their own ways, each more peculiar than the last.
The tale quite deliberately does not even try to make sense by the end (another nod to serial tales that often, especially later in their runs, sacrifice logic for cheap thrills and big twists), but it all works in its own context; as before, this is the kind of story that can only work with absolute, total commitment to the conceit. I expect I'll continue on with this series if they remain this fun, and I'm definitely interested in seeing where Anderson is going with kid heroes who are aware of how they're stuck in time and tropes beyond their control.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Whales on Stilts (M. T. Anderson) - My Review
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Mac Barnett) - My Review
Cold Cereal (Adam Rex) - My Review
Monday, April 8, 2024
This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch (Tabitha Carvan)
This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something - Anything - Like Your Life Depends on It
Tabitha Carvan
Putnam
Nonfiction, Fandom/Memoir
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Tabitha Carvan did not intend to fall for Benedict Cumberbatch that day in the coffee shop. She'd seen his work before, but until that moment, looking at his face on that magazine, she had never felt that bolt to the heart. It made no sense; she was a sensible woman, happily married to a wonderful man, a mother to two young children, living as ordinary a life as anyone could imagine. So why was she suddenly swooning like a schoolgirl over an essential stranger half a world away? She sets out to understand the phenomenon of Benedict Cumberbatch fandom, what makes so many perfectly sane people of all ages and from all walks of life become so very passionate about the characters and the actor behind them... finding that it's not really about Benedict Cumberbatch at all, but about something far more fundamental to human existence, something society has trained too many people (especially women) to ignore and suppress and be ashamed of: the sheer, basic joy of expressing wholehearted love for something.
REVIEW: I'm no stranger to the joys and heartbreaks of fandom, though I tend to latch onto imaginary worlds and characters more than celebrities. I'm also familiar with how society tends to treat the majority of fannish passions (sports fandom is one of the few given a pass, even a boost - particularly when it's cishet males behaving in ways that would get the average woman mocked and bullied off the street), as something shameful and the butt of too many punchlines and stereotypes. (There's also more than a little intrafandom shaming and stigma and gatekeeping, even within the same interest niche, but that would be a topic for another book altogether.) Though I've read a few other fandom-related books, this one takes a different angle. It's not so much about what it's like to be a fan as it is about the forces behind that fannish feeling, which can strike - as it did with Carvan - seemingly out of the blue. It's about why it's so hard to simply enjoy enjoying something, how so many of us learn early in life that the opinions of others and society at large should take precedence over our own needs and wants, and how embracing fandom and related passions can open doors to improve all aspects of our lives. Carvan reflects on her own life and influences as she learns to accept her unanticipated crush, delving into the world of internet fandom and even fanfic (unauthorized fiction written by and for fans). She interviews other fans and experts, some of whom have studied the matter at a doctoral thesis level, to further understand the fannish phenomenon in general.
Sometimes it feels a trifle repetitious, but overall it presents an interesting look at fandom from a perspective I haven't quite seen before. It never occurred to me to link the stigma associated with so many fandoms with other social stigmas and apparent taboos, especially those linked with women's perceived roles (who have been so often encouraged to temper our happiness, to not feel too much or too strongly, lest we be deemed "hysterical"), but it tracks.
At the end is an appendix of facts about Benedict Cumberbatch, which is the only part of the book solely dedicated to the British actor. He was, after all, the inspiration behind the book, so he deserves a little attention. As the title states, though, this book isn't really about him, as Carvan's obsession isn't really about any delusions of personal connection to a man living half a world away from her native Australia, but about what it means to accept and embrace joy where we find it, and having the courage to pursue that passion - and the self-discovery that comes with it - for a more fulfilling life. Cumberbatch and other objects of fandom, be they tangible or imaginary, are just the keys, not the door, nor are they paths where that door may lead.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? (Allyson Beatrice) - My Review
Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell) - My Review
Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir (Brent Spiner) - My Review
Tabitha Carvan
Putnam
Nonfiction, Fandom/Memoir
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Tabitha Carvan did not intend to fall for Benedict Cumberbatch that day in the coffee shop. She'd seen his work before, but until that moment, looking at his face on that magazine, she had never felt that bolt to the heart. It made no sense; she was a sensible woman, happily married to a wonderful man, a mother to two young children, living as ordinary a life as anyone could imagine. So why was she suddenly swooning like a schoolgirl over an essential stranger half a world away? She sets out to understand the phenomenon of Benedict Cumberbatch fandom, what makes so many perfectly sane people of all ages and from all walks of life become so very passionate about the characters and the actor behind them... finding that it's not really about Benedict Cumberbatch at all, but about something far more fundamental to human existence, something society has trained too many people (especially women) to ignore and suppress and be ashamed of: the sheer, basic joy of expressing wholehearted love for something.
REVIEW: I'm no stranger to the joys and heartbreaks of fandom, though I tend to latch onto imaginary worlds and characters more than celebrities. I'm also familiar with how society tends to treat the majority of fannish passions (sports fandom is one of the few given a pass, even a boost - particularly when it's cishet males behaving in ways that would get the average woman mocked and bullied off the street), as something shameful and the butt of too many punchlines and stereotypes. (There's also more than a little intrafandom shaming and stigma and gatekeeping, even within the same interest niche, but that would be a topic for another book altogether.) Though I've read a few other fandom-related books, this one takes a different angle. It's not so much about what it's like to be a fan as it is about the forces behind that fannish feeling, which can strike - as it did with Carvan - seemingly out of the blue. It's about why it's so hard to simply enjoy enjoying something, how so many of us learn early in life that the opinions of others and society at large should take precedence over our own needs and wants, and how embracing fandom and related passions can open doors to improve all aspects of our lives. Carvan reflects on her own life and influences as she learns to accept her unanticipated crush, delving into the world of internet fandom and even fanfic (unauthorized fiction written by and for fans). She interviews other fans and experts, some of whom have studied the matter at a doctoral thesis level, to further understand the fannish phenomenon in general.
Sometimes it feels a trifle repetitious, but overall it presents an interesting look at fandom from a perspective I haven't quite seen before. It never occurred to me to link the stigma associated with so many fandoms with other social stigmas and apparent taboos, especially those linked with women's perceived roles (who have been so often encouraged to temper our happiness, to not feel too much or too strongly, lest we be deemed "hysterical"), but it tracks.
At the end is an appendix of facts about Benedict Cumberbatch, which is the only part of the book solely dedicated to the British actor. He was, after all, the inspiration behind the book, so he deserves a little attention. As the title states, though, this book isn't really about him, as Carvan's obsession isn't really about any delusions of personal connection to a man living half a world away from her native Australia, but about what it means to accept and embrace joy where we find it, and having the courage to pursue that passion - and the self-discovery that comes with it - for a more fulfilling life. Cumberbatch and other objects of fandom, be they tangible or imaginary, are just the keys, not the door, nor are they paths where that door may lead.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? (Allyson Beatrice) - My Review
Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell) - My Review
Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir (Brent Spiner) - My Review
Friday, April 5, 2024
The Truth About Dragons (Julie Leung)
The Truth About Dragons
Julie Leung, illustrations by Hanna Cha
Henry Holt and Co.
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Picture Book/Poetry
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: At bedtime, a young child's mother tells him a tale of two grandmothers and two dragons, both of which hold their own truth.
REVIEW: This gorgeous picture book celebrates two cultures with two different dragon traditions. Are dragons dangerous hoarders of gold or benevolent river spirits? They are both (and more besides), and for a child with a biracial background, they both have wonder and wisdom to share. The dragon illustrations simply gleam on the page.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Drawn Together (Minh Le) - My Review
John Ronald's Dragons (Caroline McAlister) - My Review
Tell Me a Dragon (Jackie Morris) - My Review
Julie Leung, illustrations by Hanna Cha
Henry Holt and Co.
Fiction, CH Fantasy/Picture Book/Poetry
***** (Great)
DESCRIPTION: At bedtime, a young child's mother tells him a tale of two grandmothers and two dragons, both of which hold their own truth.
REVIEW: This gorgeous picture book celebrates two cultures with two different dragon traditions. Are dragons dangerous hoarders of gold or benevolent river spirits? They are both (and more besides), and for a child with a biracial background, they both have wonder and wisdom to share. The dragon illustrations simply gleam on the page.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Drawn Together (Minh Le) - My Review
John Ronald's Dragons (Caroline McAlister) - My Review
Tell Me a Dragon (Jackie Morris) - My Review
The Janitor's Boy (Andrew Clements)
The Janitor's Boy
Andrew Clements
Atheneum Books
Fiction, CH General Fiction
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Jack Rankin used to be proud of his father... way back when he was in second grade, before he realized that janitors were considered the lowest of the low. Now, he's stuck in the very school where his father works. Worse, when a classmate got sick, Dad smiled at him in front of the whole class and said hello to Jack, calling him "son". Of course, the class bullies latch onto this bit of information in a snap... and it never would've happened if his father had a better job! This calls for revenge, by way of a massive wad of gum smeared under a desk in the music room: just the way to send a message to his father about what Jack thinks of janitors in general and him in particular.
Unfortunately, teachers and principals aren't as oblivious as kids would like to believe, at least not when it really matters. Caught, Jack is sentenced to three weeks of gum cleaning duty after school, which will mean working with his dad. How much worse could his life get?
But then Jack discovers the janitors' secret: keys that let them access any room in the building. He never expected his explorations to teach him more about his father, and why the man seems so happy and proud being "just" a school janitor.
REVIEW: I've only read a few of Clements's books, but the ones I have read have been stellar. He really had a way of capturing the often-awkward, sometimes-painful moments of growing up, and presenting adults as something more than monolithic masses even in stories geared around young protagonists. This story is a small slice of a boy's life, but a pivotal one, as Jack struggles in a vice between peer pressure and family; he never truly hates his father, not at a bone-deep level at any rate, but feels frustrated and, yes, more than a little ashamed to be known as the janitor's boy. Sentenced to work with the janitors after school, he learns there's more to them and their jobs than he ever stopped to think about before, just as he learns that there's more to his father than he ever realized; everything and everyone has hidden facets, from old school buildings to the people whom he's always taken for granted around him. Meanwhile, the act of gum-based vandalism/rebellion wakes his father John up to the fact that Jack isn't a little kid anymore, and that a growing boy needs more to hold onto if there's going to be a relationship in the future. John finally brings the boy into his confidence about some of the forces that shaped him, including his own stressful relationship with Jack's late grandfather. It culminates in a rite of passage that's both a literal and metaphoric journey out of young childhood and young childish emotions and viewpoints and into something more mature and nuanced.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Frindle (Andrew Clements) - My Review
Ghost (Jason Reynolds) - My Review
Andrew Clements
Atheneum Books
Fiction, CH General Fiction
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: Jack Rankin used to be proud of his father... way back when he was in second grade, before he realized that janitors were considered the lowest of the low. Now, he's stuck in the very school where his father works. Worse, when a classmate got sick, Dad smiled at him in front of the whole class and said hello to Jack, calling him "son". Of course, the class bullies latch onto this bit of information in a snap... and it never would've happened if his father had a better job! This calls for revenge, by way of a massive wad of gum smeared under a desk in the music room: just the way to send a message to his father about what Jack thinks of janitors in general and him in particular.
Unfortunately, teachers and principals aren't as oblivious as kids would like to believe, at least not when it really matters. Caught, Jack is sentenced to three weeks of gum cleaning duty after school, which will mean working with his dad. How much worse could his life get?
But then Jack discovers the janitors' secret: keys that let them access any room in the building. He never expected his explorations to teach him more about his father, and why the man seems so happy and proud being "just" a school janitor.
REVIEW: I've only read a few of Clements's books, but the ones I have read have been stellar. He really had a way of capturing the often-awkward, sometimes-painful moments of growing up, and presenting adults as something more than monolithic masses even in stories geared around young protagonists. This story is a small slice of a boy's life, but a pivotal one, as Jack struggles in a vice between peer pressure and family; he never truly hates his father, not at a bone-deep level at any rate, but feels frustrated and, yes, more than a little ashamed to be known as the janitor's boy. Sentenced to work with the janitors after school, he learns there's more to them and their jobs than he ever stopped to think about before, just as he learns that there's more to his father than he ever realized; everything and everyone has hidden facets, from old school buildings to the people whom he's always taken for granted around him. Meanwhile, the act of gum-based vandalism/rebellion wakes his father John up to the fact that Jack isn't a little kid anymore, and that a growing boy needs more to hold onto if there's going to be a relationship in the future. John finally brings the boy into his confidence about some of the forces that shaped him, including his own stressful relationship with Jack's late grandfather. It culminates in a rite of passage that's both a literal and metaphoric journey out of young childhood and young childish emotions and viewpoints and into something more mature and nuanced.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Frindle (Andrew Clements) - My Review
Ghost (Jason Reynolds) - My Review
The Mighty Odds (Amy Ignatow)
The Mighty Odds
The Odds series, Book 1
Amy Ignatow
Amulet Books
Fiction, CH? Action/Humor/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Nick's always been something of a nerd. Martina hides behind her sketchbook, unnoticed by everyone. Farshad had hoped that middle school would be a chance for new friends and a new start until the popular kids branded him "Terror Boy", an unkind reference to his Middle Eastern heritage. Cookie, the only Black girl in Deborah Reed Middle School, has clawed her way to the top of the social ladder and does not intend to slip so much as a single rung. They were four ordinary middle school students, on their way back to rural Muellersville from a field trip to Philadelphia... before the accident. Now, they all have super powers - sort of. Nick can transport himself, but only four inches to the left. Martina can change her eye color. Farshad's thumbs have super strength. And Cookie can hear people's thoughts if they're thinking about directions. None of these powers are the sort of things to write a movie franchise about, but they're all signs that something extraordinary happened - and, unimpressive as these new gifts are, someone is trying very, very hard to get their hands on the kids.
REVIEW: I'll admit I came close to docking this book a half-point for a cliffhanger ending (and for poor formatting on the audiobook version I borrowed; inexplicably, the last fifteen or so minutes of the file are just the first part of the book replaying). Aside from that, it's exactly what it looks like from the description: a light, fun tale of mismatched kids bonded by new powers and new enemies. (Well, kids and a few others, but that risks spoilers.) The fact that the major employer in Muellersville is a chemical company should be a hint that something sinister is afoot, and the accident lands the hapless kids squarely in the middle of it. Light as the overall concept is, the characters are generally more than simple sketches, each having a decently interesting backstory that helps explain where they are when they start out and how they react once they become involved in something as unusual as developing strange powers seemingly out of nowhere. They are not natural friends, separated by racial, social, and economic divides that even mysterious abilities and shared trauma can't easily bridge. By the end, they're still not completely at ease with teamwork, but they're working on it, and none of them are so stupidly stubborn as to keep rejecting the need to band together against a common enemy (though it does take some convincing). I ultimately decided to give it the benefit of the doubt on that cliffhanger and round it up.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Invasion (K. A. Applegate) - My Review
Sister of the Chosen One (Erin Armknecht and Colleen Oakes) - My Review
Power Up (Kate Leth) - My Review
The Odds series, Book 1
Amy Ignatow
Amulet Books
Fiction, CH? Action/Humor/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Nick's always been something of a nerd. Martina hides behind her sketchbook, unnoticed by everyone. Farshad had hoped that middle school would be a chance for new friends and a new start until the popular kids branded him "Terror Boy", an unkind reference to his Middle Eastern heritage. Cookie, the only Black girl in Deborah Reed Middle School, has clawed her way to the top of the social ladder and does not intend to slip so much as a single rung. They were four ordinary middle school students, on their way back to rural Muellersville from a field trip to Philadelphia... before the accident. Now, they all have super powers - sort of. Nick can transport himself, but only four inches to the left. Martina can change her eye color. Farshad's thumbs have super strength. And Cookie can hear people's thoughts if they're thinking about directions. None of these powers are the sort of things to write a movie franchise about, but they're all signs that something extraordinary happened - and, unimpressive as these new gifts are, someone is trying very, very hard to get their hands on the kids.
REVIEW: I'll admit I came close to docking this book a half-point for a cliffhanger ending (and for poor formatting on the audiobook version I borrowed; inexplicably, the last fifteen or so minutes of the file are just the first part of the book replaying). Aside from that, it's exactly what it looks like from the description: a light, fun tale of mismatched kids bonded by new powers and new enemies. (Well, kids and a few others, but that risks spoilers.) The fact that the major employer in Muellersville is a chemical company should be a hint that something sinister is afoot, and the accident lands the hapless kids squarely in the middle of it. Light as the overall concept is, the characters are generally more than simple sketches, each having a decently interesting backstory that helps explain where they are when they start out and how they react once they become involved in something as unusual as developing strange powers seemingly out of nowhere. They are not natural friends, separated by racial, social, and economic divides that even mysterious abilities and shared trauma can't easily bridge. By the end, they're still not completely at ease with teamwork, but they're working on it, and none of them are so stupidly stubborn as to keep rejecting the need to band together against a common enemy (though it does take some convincing). I ultimately decided to give it the benefit of the doubt on that cliffhanger and round it up.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Invasion (K. A. Applegate) - My Review
Sister of the Chosen One (Erin Armknecht and Colleen Oakes) - My Review
Power Up (Kate Leth) - My Review
The Library of the Dead (T. D. Huchu)
The Library of the Dead
The Edinburgh Nights series, Book 1
T. D. Huchu
Tor
Fiction, YA? Fantasy
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: There was a time, or so fourteen-year-old Ropa has heard, when Edinburgh was a bright, beautiful, clean, and hopeful city. Today, half-drowned by rising sea levels and choked by coal smoke and plagued with power grid failures, it's hard enough to get by in this city, and nearly impossible to get back on your feet once you've been knocked down. With Gran in ill health and a kid sister to look after in their rickety caravan home, it's up to Ropa to pay the bills, which she does by delivering messages for the lingering dead, seeking closure before they can move on. But she doesn't work for free; there has to be a relative or recipient - living, of course - who can offer her cold, hard cash. That's why Ropa brushes off the spirit of the young woman who keeps turning up, begging for help finding the young son who went missing before her death. At some point, though, the girl's resolve cracks. Maybe it couldn't hurt just to follow up on one lead, to say she tried (and get the ghost to leave her alone). Before she knows it, Ropa has been pulled into a dark and dangerous plot, one tied to a society of powerful mages and a monster preying on Edinburgh's children.
REVIEW: The Library of the Dead has lots of potential in the ingredients: a dystopian near-future with acknowledged magic and ghosts, different strains of magic, a hidden library, and a heroine who can take care of herself. I should've liked it more than I did. But at some point Ropa's Edinburgh becomes just plain unpleasant, the library and secret mage society fail to live up to their potential, and Ropa becomes one of those protagonists who ends up being protected and coddled inexplicably as she fumbles and stumbles and tends to do stupid things for the sake of the story. The culprit is a little too obvious too early on, as well, and the story wanders off on a few tangents that never really pay off. For all that Ropa starts out so distinctive, her adventure starts feeling like a collection of too-familiar plot points and characters, the latter of whom sometimes lack development as they serve their expected roles in Ropa's tale. Some of this can be explained by it being the first book in a series, of course, but when I end up feeling dissatisfied enough that it took extra effort to even finish the audiobook, it affects the rating. By the end, I can't say I felt like I wanted to spend much more time in Ropa's Edinburgh.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Ghost Talker (Mary Robinette Kowal) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
Elatsoe (Darcie Little Badger) - My Review
The Edinburgh Nights series, Book 1
T. D. Huchu
Tor
Fiction, YA? Fantasy
*** (Okay)
DESCRIPTION: There was a time, or so fourteen-year-old Ropa has heard, when Edinburgh was a bright, beautiful, clean, and hopeful city. Today, half-drowned by rising sea levels and choked by coal smoke and plagued with power grid failures, it's hard enough to get by in this city, and nearly impossible to get back on your feet once you've been knocked down. With Gran in ill health and a kid sister to look after in their rickety caravan home, it's up to Ropa to pay the bills, which she does by delivering messages for the lingering dead, seeking closure before they can move on. But she doesn't work for free; there has to be a relative or recipient - living, of course - who can offer her cold, hard cash. That's why Ropa brushes off the spirit of the young woman who keeps turning up, begging for help finding the young son who went missing before her death. At some point, though, the girl's resolve cracks. Maybe it couldn't hurt just to follow up on one lead, to say she tried (and get the ghost to leave her alone). Before she knows it, Ropa has been pulled into a dark and dangerous plot, one tied to a society of powerful mages and a monster preying on Edinburgh's children.
REVIEW: The Library of the Dead has lots of potential in the ingredients: a dystopian near-future with acknowledged magic and ghosts, different strains of magic, a hidden library, and a heroine who can take care of herself. I should've liked it more than I did. But at some point Ropa's Edinburgh becomes just plain unpleasant, the library and secret mage society fail to live up to their potential, and Ropa becomes one of those protagonists who ends up being protected and coddled inexplicably as she fumbles and stumbles and tends to do stupid things for the sake of the story. The culprit is a little too obvious too early on, as well, and the story wanders off on a few tangents that never really pay off. For all that Ropa starts out so distinctive, her adventure starts feeling like a collection of too-familiar plot points and characters, the latter of whom sometimes lack development as they serve their expected roles in Ropa's tale. Some of this can be explained by it being the first book in a series, of course, but when I end up feeling dissatisfied enough that it took extra effort to even finish the audiobook, it affects the rating. By the end, I can't say I felt like I wanted to spend much more time in Ropa's Edinburgh.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Ghost Talker (Mary Robinette Kowal) - My Review
Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) - My Review
Elatsoe (Darcie Little Badger) - My Review
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Ruthless River (Holly FitzGerald)
Ruthless River: Love and Survival By Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios
Holly FitzGerald
Vintage
Nonfiction, Memoir
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: The year is 1973, and two Americans - counselor Holly and journalist Fitz FitzGerald - are traveling around the world on their belated honeymoon. When their plans to get to Brazil in time for Carnivale season are disrupted near the Peru border, they decide to travel as the locals do: by log raft down the Madre de Dios river, one of the wide tributaries to the great Amazon. Neither one has rafting experience, but everyone assures them there's nothing to it; the river does all the work, after all, and the waterways are dotted with settlements if there's any trouble along the way. Thus, Holly and Fitz set forth on the Pink Palace, certain they'll be at their destination soon with a great story for the relatives back home.
They didn't count on the wild currents that seem to have a will of their own, the gun-happy Bolivian border guards, or the terrible storm that sweeps them off course, into a swampy backwater far from the main channel and countless miles from the nearest settlements.
With no map or compass, barely any food, little clean water, and only the tattered shelter of the plastic tarp on their raft, the American couple face a survival nightmare in terrain that has claimed the lives of travelers far more experienced and prepared than themselves... and all without knowing if anyone even knows they're missing.
REVIEW: The rain forests of South America remain some of the most forbidding wildernesses in the world, and were even moreso in the 1970's. Even seasoned travelers could run into trouble easily, let alone starry-eyed tourists like the FitzGeralds. They thought their previous experiences getting to Peru had made them equal to any challenge, but even before their ill-fated raft trip, things start going wrong, such as when a plane trip ends in a crash-landing that strands the couple and other travelers in a jungle prison while waiting for another flight. Of course, memoirs have the advantage of hindsight; what looks like foreshadowing here was just part of the adventure of international travel in the moment. Still, even then, Holly and Fitz get occasional twinges and warnings before they set out on the Madre de Dios... but they were young, in love, dazzled and excited by their grand adventure, and - despite Fitz's previous tour in Vietnam - still had a certain youthful expectation of immortality, that they would somehow make it through dangers with little but an adrenaline rush and a new story for their next letters home. Thus, they set out on their raft with lots of well-wishes from locals and sky-high hopes... but, as the saying goes, man proposes and nature disposes. Finding themselves in a backwater flooded by the rainy season, the newlyweds get a crash course in the harsh realities of the jungle outside even the thin veneer of civilization that stretches up the main waterways. Fitz's experiences in the jungles of Vietnam do little to prepare him for the South American wilderness; in the war, at least, rescue was rarely more than a radio call away. The couple struggle to come up with a plan, every day growing weaker and more despondent as hopes for escape or rescue dim. The jungle teems with life, but finding food in their swampy niche proves nearly impossible. Then there are the bugs... the bees... Interludes fill in the backstories of Holly and Fitz, how they met and courted, and how it is they ended up on this trip to begin with, as the here-and-now of their plight grows bleaker and more desperate. Still, even amid the terror, Holly finds moments of beauty and personal epiphanies, and the bond between husband and wife only grows stronger as they lean on each other to get through the obstacles nature (or God - there's a religious/spiritual angle to much of the narrative) keeps throwing their way.
As survival tales go, this is a decently harrowing adventure. Something about the later bits felt weaker, though, particularly as it became more about Holly's religious reawakening and personal epiphanies. It also can't help becoming a bit repetitious as the couple struggle and fail again and again. Those issues aside, the rest of the book evokes the dangers and wonders of the deep wilderness, and how quickly that wilderness and its rules of raw survival can take over when one ventures beyond civilization's safety net.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Girl With No Name (Marina Chapman) - My Review
The Adventurer's Son (Roman Dial) - My Review
Lost in Shangri-La (Mitchell Zuckoff) - My Review
Holly FitzGerald
Vintage
Nonfiction, Memoir
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: The year is 1973, and two Americans - counselor Holly and journalist Fitz FitzGerald - are traveling around the world on their belated honeymoon. When their plans to get to Brazil in time for Carnivale season are disrupted near the Peru border, they decide to travel as the locals do: by log raft down the Madre de Dios river, one of the wide tributaries to the great Amazon. Neither one has rafting experience, but everyone assures them there's nothing to it; the river does all the work, after all, and the waterways are dotted with settlements if there's any trouble along the way. Thus, Holly and Fitz set forth on the Pink Palace, certain they'll be at their destination soon with a great story for the relatives back home.
They didn't count on the wild currents that seem to have a will of their own, the gun-happy Bolivian border guards, or the terrible storm that sweeps them off course, into a swampy backwater far from the main channel and countless miles from the nearest settlements.
With no map or compass, barely any food, little clean water, and only the tattered shelter of the plastic tarp on their raft, the American couple face a survival nightmare in terrain that has claimed the lives of travelers far more experienced and prepared than themselves... and all without knowing if anyone even knows they're missing.
REVIEW: The rain forests of South America remain some of the most forbidding wildernesses in the world, and were even moreso in the 1970's. Even seasoned travelers could run into trouble easily, let alone starry-eyed tourists like the FitzGeralds. They thought their previous experiences getting to Peru had made them equal to any challenge, but even before their ill-fated raft trip, things start going wrong, such as when a plane trip ends in a crash-landing that strands the couple and other travelers in a jungle prison while waiting for another flight. Of course, memoirs have the advantage of hindsight; what looks like foreshadowing here was just part of the adventure of international travel in the moment. Still, even then, Holly and Fitz get occasional twinges and warnings before they set out on the Madre de Dios... but they were young, in love, dazzled and excited by their grand adventure, and - despite Fitz's previous tour in Vietnam - still had a certain youthful expectation of immortality, that they would somehow make it through dangers with little but an adrenaline rush and a new story for their next letters home. Thus, they set out on their raft with lots of well-wishes from locals and sky-high hopes... but, as the saying goes, man proposes and nature disposes. Finding themselves in a backwater flooded by the rainy season, the newlyweds get a crash course in the harsh realities of the jungle outside even the thin veneer of civilization that stretches up the main waterways. Fitz's experiences in the jungles of Vietnam do little to prepare him for the South American wilderness; in the war, at least, rescue was rarely more than a radio call away. The couple struggle to come up with a plan, every day growing weaker and more despondent as hopes for escape or rescue dim. The jungle teems with life, but finding food in their swampy niche proves nearly impossible. Then there are the bugs... the bees... Interludes fill in the backstories of Holly and Fitz, how they met and courted, and how it is they ended up on this trip to begin with, as the here-and-now of their plight grows bleaker and more desperate. Still, even amid the terror, Holly finds moments of beauty and personal epiphanies, and the bond between husband and wife only grows stronger as they lean on each other to get through the obstacles nature (or God - there's a religious/spiritual angle to much of the narrative) keeps throwing their way.
As survival tales go, this is a decently harrowing adventure. Something about the later bits felt weaker, though, particularly as it became more about Holly's religious reawakening and personal epiphanies. It also can't help becoming a bit repetitious as the couple struggle and fail again and again. Those issues aside, the rest of the book evokes the dangers and wonders of the deep wilderness, and how quickly that wilderness and its rules of raw survival can take over when one ventures beyond civilization's safety net.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Girl With No Name (Marina Chapman) - My Review
The Adventurer's Son (Roman Dial) - My Review
Lost in Shangri-La (Mitchell Zuckoff) - My Review
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