Dark Eden, by Patrick Carmen, is a dark and haunting tale about fears and what lengths people will go through to cure them.
Will Besting can't go to school. He can't be near crowds. He doesn't have any friends. He has gone to therapy for over two years, a total of over 150 sessions. And while he's at his therapy sessions he steals his therapist's files.
When his therapist and his parents decide to send him to summer camp for a week, Will knows something's whacked. Sent to live in isolation with six other kids who have irrational fears, Will ekes it out on his own, afraid to be near them and afraid of his summer camp. And he has every reason to: When it comes time for his fears to be 'cured' Will discovers something about himself and his family that has the potential to ruin him. And Will's brain is not the only one telling lies and creating illusions . . .
This book is extremely haunting and creepy, but deliciously so. I don't believe I did the plot of the book justice with my pitiful explanation, and I might've given away more of the ending than I should've. I'm sorry.
There are some things about the book that don't make sense and that aren't explained, but you come to accept that as part of the mystery of the setting. It is a sci-fi/fantasy book, with some things bordering on the edge of unbelievable and nearly magical.
The only characters you really get close to are Will, his brother Keith, and maybe Marisa, because Will won't let anyone else close to him. Even then, you don't get to know Will as well as you would like to. It is told to you that he's scared of something, but you don't know what until past page 200. You only see a few instances where that fear comes into play, and even then you don 't recognize it for what it is until it is pointed out to you.
Marisa's fear is not explained very well. I think that was the point, for some of the book, but someone had to say it outright for me to get it. Maybe I'm just dim, but I still don't understand what mushrooms had to do with the whole thing.
And I'll have just one more aside focused on one person: Avery's fear is the real disarm-er. Well, maybe it isn't her fear, exactly, it is what is comes after her fear. You'll have to read the book to understand ( ;), but it is the creepy element to this story.
All in all, this story is one that shook me to my bones. It may not be "that fantastic story I will remember in 20 years from now", but its memory will resurface every time I am alone in the dark or see a spy movie where there is a wall of computer monitors and people are watching the torture of others on them. And I am reconsidering the number seven as my lucky and favorite number.
I wish for the best for Will Besting and *ahem* victims, and I hope that they will find themselves more hunter than hunted in Dark Eden 2. It's a dark and twisted world that Patrick Carmen has created, but a dark and twisted world I don't mind venturing into.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Manga (THIS IS NOT A BOOK TITLE)
Okay, so I've been a bit self-indulgent of late, and I've been reading manga books. I know, I know, not the epitome of fine literature, but here are some titles which I think deserve attention for their drawings and story lines.
The Children of the Sea These books are more 'graphic novel' than manga, but the pictures are more than I could ever aspire to draw. Also, the storyline is different. Set in modern-day Japan, I think (I don't recognize the names of all the cities), a girl meets two boys who have a very strange relationship to the sea and the creatures that dwell there. Read from 'back' to 'front'.
Vampire Knight Written by Matsuri Hino, this story is a publication of SojoBeat manga. So far, there are 12 volumes that tell a story of a teenage girl who keeps the peace at an academy where the day students are humans and the night students are vampires. As tensions rise and secrets and identities are revealed, Yuki Cross's memories of her mysterious past resurface to haunt both groups: vampires and vampire hunters. Just to let you know, there is a huge cast of characters, and sometimes it is hard to tell certain people apart.
Nightschool Alex's sister has just disappeared while working at the Nightschool, a school where, again, in the day human students study while at night students of different species gather. Alex, a weirn herself, must infiltrate the school and find her sister while dealing with a curse placed upon her, the threat of an ages-old creatures come to cleanse humanity of it's imperfections, and a group of Hunters who wish to obliterate Alex and her kind.
Demon Diary The art is done by Kara, while the story is written by Lee Yun Hee. The story is about a young demon lord who is very un-demonic. He doesn't seem to understand that he must be evil to be a demon lord . . .To tell the truth, I didn't know that Raenaf (the main character) was a male until half-way through the first book, but when the artist takes the time to put detail into her characters the work almost jumps off the page at you.
Crescent Moon I didn't like the pictures in this one as much as I did the others, but I like it for it's story line. It's about a group called the 'Lunar Race', beings who live in the night, like werewolves and vampires, who live in Tokyo who must recover the 'Tear Drops of the Moon', jewels which will prevent the extinction of their kind. Their princess, a girl who believes she is human, must help them, but she is reluctant to do so. A cute story, and the characters certainly have unique personalities.
I am sorry that I couldn't remember the authors of three of those. I can't really remember any other manga books worth nothing right now, but I'll right more when I do. Oh, I've heard that Bleach is supposed to be good, but I haven't read it yet.
The Children of the Sea These books are more 'graphic novel' than manga, but the pictures are more than I could ever aspire to draw. Also, the storyline is different. Set in modern-day Japan, I think (I don't recognize the names of all the cities), a girl meets two boys who have a very strange relationship to the sea and the creatures that dwell there. Read from 'back' to 'front'.
Vampire Knight Written by Matsuri Hino, this story is a publication of SojoBeat manga. So far, there are 12 volumes that tell a story of a teenage girl who keeps the peace at an academy where the day students are humans and the night students are vampires. As tensions rise and secrets and identities are revealed, Yuki Cross's memories of her mysterious past resurface to haunt both groups: vampires and vampire hunters. Just to let you know, there is a huge cast of characters, and sometimes it is hard to tell certain people apart.
Nightschool Alex's sister has just disappeared while working at the Nightschool, a school where, again, in the day human students study while at night students of different species gather. Alex, a weirn herself, must infiltrate the school and find her sister while dealing with a curse placed upon her, the threat of an ages-old creatures come to cleanse humanity of it's imperfections, and a group of Hunters who wish to obliterate Alex and her kind.
Demon Diary The art is done by Kara, while the story is written by Lee Yun Hee. The story is about a young demon lord who is very un-demonic. He doesn't seem to understand that he must be evil to be a demon lord . . .To tell the truth, I didn't know that Raenaf (the main character) was a male until half-way through the first book, but when the artist takes the time to put detail into her characters the work almost jumps off the page at you.
Crescent Moon I didn't like the pictures in this one as much as I did the others, but I like it for it's story line. It's about a group called the 'Lunar Race', beings who live in the night, like werewolves and vampires, who live in Tokyo who must recover the 'Tear Drops of the Moon', jewels which will prevent the extinction of their kind. Their princess, a girl who believes she is human, must help them, but she is reluctant to do so. A cute story, and the characters certainly have unique personalities.
I am sorry that I couldn't remember the authors of three of those. I can't really remember any other manga books worth nothing right now, but I'll right more when I do. Oh, I've heard that Bleach is supposed to be good, but I haven't read it yet.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Croak
Croak, by Gina Damico, is a hilariously grim book about the one thing that every human is afraid of.
Lexington Bartleby is a good girl gone rouge. From straight-A's to having to be tied to her chair during dinner so she doesn't kill a family member, Lex would baffle even Freud. So when her parents get an offer to send Lex to work on her Uncle Mort's farm in upstate New York, they are delighted. Could this be an end to their problems? But Lex is devastated--she can't remember a time when she's ever been away from her twin sister, Cordy, and she really, really, really, doesn't want to go to live with a man she hasn't seen since she was six. He could be, like, a homicidal maniac or something.
Lex's fears are proven to be true when she finds out that Croak, the town Uncle Mort lives, is a town for the secret population of Grim Reapers. And Lex's summer job to join their ranks and reap the souls of the dearly departed.
But, as the pesky literary devices of plot and conflict would have it, nothing is as simple as it seems. From dead presidents and poets who hate each other's guts, to a boy who might be better looking than Lex would like to admit, to a rash of mysterious deaths that might be linked to a shady figure of legend, the tension within Croak escalates with each step Lex takes--and the population begins to see her as more of a threat than a fellow Grim.
When there's a chance that the harbingers of death might die, things will get tight, especially when all of Croak is forced to face a stinging betrayal -- and Lex's world is rocked forever.
When I grow up I want to be a Grim Reaper. Really. If I get to live in a story-world as delightful as Croak I would stay there for forever and ever and ever. And ever. I actually went out and bought the book, I liked it so much. (It's $8.99 at both Barnes and Noble and at the Apple iStore, or whatever it's called.)
Croak is a lovable town, full of whimsical characters, from the old man, Cropp, who owns the local tavern and is susceptible to flattery, to his wife, Pandora, who owns a diner and enjoys throwing food at her customers, to Kilda, the overly-energetic tourist deterrent, to Mort, the, uh, eccentric mayor, to Norwood and Heloise, a husband-and-wife pair who can be likened to vultures who pick at beings who are still alive.
The Junior Grims have their charms too: Kyloo, the mother of the group, Zara, who's the best Junior Grim and isn't afraid to admit it, Ayjay, who is Kyloo's boyfriend and not much else, Ferb, the video-gaming nerd, Sofi, the girl in pink, and Elysia, everyone's best friend. Of course, my two favorite characters, Lex, the juvenile delinquent, and Driggs, the witty drummer, are constantly at odds, except . . . when they're not.
There are basically two plot lines, one in the beginning of the book and one near the middle and end of the book. The first plot line is Lex getting adjusted to Croak. The second is the mysterious deaths. They transition smoothly, overlapping somewhat in the middle, though there are parts that only seem consequential upon reflection. Also, the story is buoyant despite the grim (ha ha) subject matter because it is hilarious. For precautionary measures I will note that there is some language that may not be suitable for all age groups. Juvenile delinquents do cuss a lot.
The book does require some suspension of disbelief and there are some parts which are in there purely for the humor. And, of course, which book wouldn't be complete without romance? Also, to myself, the events directly after the climax are a bit anti-climatic.
This is a book that doesn't hesitate to cut apart the shroud of perfect it wrapped you in, and all the better for it. So many books these days are scared to make you hate them, but this book does it, and you find you can't hate it even if you want to. All that's left to say is that Gina Damico better come out with a sequel soon, and thank-you, person, who left this book over by the manga section because I never would've spotted it otherwise.
http://www.ginadami.co/ This is the website. There are some reviews, a better description of the book, and an . . . interesting book trailer. Yeah.
Lexington Bartleby is a good girl gone rouge. From straight-A's to having to be tied to her chair during dinner so she doesn't kill a family member, Lex would baffle even Freud. So when her parents get an offer to send Lex to work on her Uncle Mort's farm in upstate New York, they are delighted. Could this be an end to their problems? But Lex is devastated--she can't remember a time when she's ever been away from her twin sister, Cordy, and she really, really, really, doesn't want to go to live with a man she hasn't seen since she was six. He could be, like, a homicidal maniac or something.
Lex's fears are proven to be true when she finds out that Croak, the town Uncle Mort lives, is a town for the secret population of Grim Reapers. And Lex's summer job to join their ranks and reap the souls of the dearly departed.
But, as the pesky literary devices of plot and conflict would have it, nothing is as simple as it seems. From dead presidents and poets who hate each other's guts, to a boy who might be better looking than Lex would like to admit, to a rash of mysterious deaths that might be linked to a shady figure of legend, the tension within Croak escalates with each step Lex takes--and the population begins to see her as more of a threat than a fellow Grim.
When there's a chance that the harbingers of death might die, things will get tight, especially when all of Croak is forced to face a stinging betrayal -- and Lex's world is rocked forever.
When I grow up I want to be a Grim Reaper. Really. If I get to live in a story-world as delightful as Croak I would stay there for forever and ever and ever. And ever. I actually went out and bought the book, I liked it so much. (It's $8.99 at both Barnes and Noble and at the Apple iStore, or whatever it's called.)
Croak is a lovable town, full of whimsical characters, from the old man, Cropp, who owns the local tavern and is susceptible to flattery, to his wife, Pandora, who owns a diner and enjoys throwing food at her customers, to Kilda, the overly-energetic tourist deterrent, to Mort, the, uh, eccentric mayor, to Norwood and Heloise, a husband-and-wife pair who can be likened to vultures who pick at beings who are still alive.
The Junior Grims have their charms too: Kyloo, the mother of the group, Zara, who's the best Junior Grim and isn't afraid to admit it, Ayjay, who is Kyloo's boyfriend and not much else, Ferb, the video-gaming nerd, Sofi, the girl in pink, and Elysia, everyone's best friend. Of course, my two favorite characters, Lex, the juvenile delinquent, and Driggs, the witty drummer, are constantly at odds, except . . . when they're not.
There are basically two plot lines, one in the beginning of the book and one near the middle and end of the book. The first plot line is Lex getting adjusted to Croak. The second is the mysterious deaths. They transition smoothly, overlapping somewhat in the middle, though there are parts that only seem consequential upon reflection. Also, the story is buoyant despite the grim (ha ha) subject matter because it is hilarious. For precautionary measures I will note that there is some language that may not be suitable for all age groups. Juvenile delinquents do cuss a lot.
The book does require some suspension of disbelief and there are some parts which are in there purely for the humor. And, of course, which book wouldn't be complete without romance? Also, to myself, the events directly after the climax are a bit anti-climatic.
This is a book that doesn't hesitate to cut apart the shroud of perfect it wrapped you in, and all the better for it. So many books these days are scared to make you hate them, but this book does it, and you find you can't hate it even if you want to. All that's left to say is that Gina Damico better come out with a sequel soon, and thank-you, person, who left this book over by the manga section because I never would've spotted it otherwise.
http://www.ginadami.co/ This is the website. There are some reviews, a better description of the book, and an . . . interesting book trailer. Yeah.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Planesrunner
Planesrunner by Ian McDonald combines my two favorite science-fiction elements: quantum physics and steampunk.
Everett Singh is a decently happy kid. His mother and his father are divorced, and even his father often has his head in the world of quantum physics while his mother spends most of her time with Victoria Rose, Everett's little sister, Everett has plenty of friends owing to his superior skill as a goalie and a gamer. But his life is shattered into a million pieces when his father is kidnapped . . . and the police try to cover the whole thing up.
After receiving a map of all the alternate realities in every universe, Everett has definite proof that things really are fishy. He meets up with the people who control the gates that lead to the other universes, the Planitplatories, and, against their wishes, jumps into and earth that hasn't left the steam age yet. With the captain and crew of the Everness, a flying steamship of sorts, Everett must race against time to reunite his family, save his new friends aboard the Everness, and escape from the members of the Planeplatory who want him gone.
For starters: Excuse me if I spelled anything wrong. I don't have the book in front of me while I'm typing this, and I don't really know how to spell Planitplatories.
Now, I don't believe I've mentioned this, but steam punk is my favorite genre. It involves Victorian-era clothing and flying steamships. In this book it also includes a United States that has been divided into three parts: Amexica, The Confederate States, and the United States, a race of people who are widely discriminated against, the Airish, the people who fly the ships, and a lot of age-old customs and traditions.
Quantum physics is the next best thing, because I love to imagine all the possibilities and 'could've happens' that could be represented in an alternate universe. I try not to, though, because it would drive me mad.
The characters in this book don't meet any of their alternate selves, and for the better, because that would've complicated the plot line a bit more than it needed to be complicated. It is funny, though, when Everett brings out the different types of technologies he's brought from this world, an iPad, a bluetooth system, and shows them to his new friends who don't really know what to make of them. I also love the mix of old and new: the people on E3 have elevated trains and flying ships, but they've never heard of a telephone.
I do love the characters in this book as well. Sen, the captain's daughter, is a bit of a devil, but you love her all the same. Everett is passionate about his heritage and his family but he, like any other kid of his age, is exhilarated to find himself in a place where no one from his world has ever gone before. Captain Anastasia seems hard and cold at first, but as the story progresses you come to see that she might just be a woman who loves what she's doing, but who might be trying to balance too much at once.
This book was written in England, so there are some terms and punctuation differences that I really had to think over. It a part of a planned trilogy, but it was published in the states in 2011, and I haven't been able to find any other of the books yet, so I don't think they've been published. But they better be . . . the ending was a real cliff-hanger. :)
Everett Singh is a decently happy kid. His mother and his father are divorced, and even his father often has his head in the world of quantum physics while his mother spends most of her time with Victoria Rose, Everett's little sister, Everett has plenty of friends owing to his superior skill as a goalie and a gamer. But his life is shattered into a million pieces when his father is kidnapped . . . and the police try to cover the whole thing up.
After receiving a map of all the alternate realities in every universe, Everett has definite proof that things really are fishy. He meets up with the people who control the gates that lead to the other universes, the Planitplatories, and, against their wishes, jumps into and earth that hasn't left the steam age yet. With the captain and crew of the Everness, a flying steamship of sorts, Everett must race against time to reunite his family, save his new friends aboard the Everness, and escape from the members of the Planeplatory who want him gone.
For starters: Excuse me if I spelled anything wrong. I don't have the book in front of me while I'm typing this, and I don't really know how to spell Planitplatories.
Now, I don't believe I've mentioned this, but steam punk is my favorite genre. It involves Victorian-era clothing and flying steamships. In this book it also includes a United States that has been divided into three parts: Amexica, The Confederate States, and the United States, a race of people who are widely discriminated against, the Airish, the people who fly the ships, and a lot of age-old customs and traditions.
Quantum physics is the next best thing, because I love to imagine all the possibilities and 'could've happens' that could be represented in an alternate universe. I try not to, though, because it would drive me mad.
The characters in this book don't meet any of their alternate selves, and for the better, because that would've complicated the plot line a bit more than it needed to be complicated. It is funny, though, when Everett brings out the different types of technologies he's brought from this world, an iPad, a bluetooth system, and shows them to his new friends who don't really know what to make of them. I also love the mix of old and new: the people on E3 have elevated trains and flying ships, but they've never heard of a telephone.
I do love the characters in this book as well. Sen, the captain's daughter, is a bit of a devil, but you love her all the same. Everett is passionate about his heritage and his family but he, like any other kid of his age, is exhilarated to find himself in a place where no one from his world has ever gone before. Captain Anastasia seems hard and cold at first, but as the story progresses you come to see that she might just be a woman who loves what she's doing, but who might be trying to balance too much at once.
This book was written in England, so there are some terms and punctuation differences that I really had to think over. It a part of a planned trilogy, but it was published in the states in 2011, and I haven't been able to find any other of the books yet, so I don't think they've been published. But they better be . . . the ending was a real cliff-hanger. :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games series, by Susanne Collins. is now a staple of American pre-teen literature. What girl hasn't read of the escapades of Katniss Everdeen?
In a dystopian future the people of North America have rebelled against the government and lost, causing their country to be split up into the twelve, or thirteen, districts of Panam. Each year, districts one through thirteen have been forced to give to of their children up to the Capital to compete in a game where they will fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen, a headstrong sixteen-year-old from district 12, the mining district, is called upon to take place in this tournament. Afraid for her life Katniss enters the arena . . . and starts a revolution. The three books span from the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games to the end of a war that has rocked Panam and changed Katniss forever.
I do not see they hype around these books. Yes, they are very well written and very bloody, but I cannot connect with anyone in the books. I'm left asking the question, 'Why do I care what Katniss does? Why do I care if she survives or not?'. And, of course, there is the 'which dude should I choose' drama. I don't care about either of them. She could end up a lonely recluse for all I care.
The future these books present are grim and very believable. Emaciated children survive in the districts while well-fed and pampered children frolic in the Capital. I think I like the first book the best because it shows the connection between these two, and how absurd it is. It might also be a commentary on this world, this present time, as well.
In my opinion, the other two books are stretching the plot line a bit. It is evident that Susanne Collins made up the 'Quarter Quell' just so she could have a sequel. And why on earth would the Gamemakers turn the streets of their beloved city into an arena in Mockingjay? While you're reading it it makes some sense, but the illusion of reality it creates shatters if you try to reflect on it.
Neither Katniss nor Gale jumped off the page at me. My favorite characters were Haymitch and Peeta because they have faults and because they seem more rounded. Sure, Katniss is headstrong and rude, but she eventually becomes predictable. Gale just seems like someone that was sort of stuck on the side so there would be some dramatic tension. He is usually dismissed as a 'cousin' and Katniss doesn't spend much time agonizing over the lie. Haymitch, though, is the town drunk with a past full of pain. Peeta quietly watches Katniss from the sidelines, and you know, dramatic agony, romance gone awry, putting his heart in the wrong place, all that stuff. But when he gets stung by hornets that make you hallucinate and he starts believing that Katniss is out to kill him, well, I know I'm cruel, but that's where the real fun begins.
Basically, what I said about the Gamemakers and the Capital apply to the whole book: While you're reading it, it makes sense and it is a pretty good book, but with a second thought the books loose their meaning.
The books are a trilogy, to be read in the order of: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. And while Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, may catch on fire, she just can't catch your interest.
In a dystopian future the people of North America have rebelled against the government and lost, causing their country to be split up into the twelve, or thirteen, districts of Panam. Each year, districts one through thirteen have been forced to give to of their children up to the Capital to compete in a game where they will fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen, a headstrong sixteen-year-old from district 12, the mining district, is called upon to take place in this tournament. Afraid for her life Katniss enters the arena . . . and starts a revolution. The three books span from the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games to the end of a war that has rocked Panam and changed Katniss forever.
I do not see they hype around these books. Yes, they are very well written and very bloody, but I cannot connect with anyone in the books. I'm left asking the question, 'Why do I care what Katniss does? Why do I care if she survives or not?'. And, of course, there is the 'which dude should I choose' drama. I don't care about either of them. She could end up a lonely recluse for all I care.
The future these books present are grim and very believable. Emaciated children survive in the districts while well-fed and pampered children frolic in the Capital. I think I like the first book the best because it shows the connection between these two, and how absurd it is. It might also be a commentary on this world, this present time, as well.
In my opinion, the other two books are stretching the plot line a bit. It is evident that Susanne Collins made up the 'Quarter Quell' just so she could have a sequel. And why on earth would the Gamemakers turn the streets of their beloved city into an arena in Mockingjay? While you're reading it it makes some sense, but the illusion of reality it creates shatters if you try to reflect on it.
Neither Katniss nor Gale jumped off the page at me. My favorite characters were Haymitch and Peeta because they have faults and because they seem more rounded. Sure, Katniss is headstrong and rude, but she eventually becomes predictable. Gale just seems like someone that was sort of stuck on the side so there would be some dramatic tension. He is usually dismissed as a 'cousin' and Katniss doesn't spend much time agonizing over the lie. Haymitch, though, is the town drunk with a past full of pain. Peeta quietly watches Katniss from the sidelines, and you know, dramatic agony, romance gone awry, putting his heart in the wrong place, all that stuff. But when he gets stung by hornets that make you hallucinate and he starts believing that Katniss is out to kill him, well, I know I'm cruel, but that's where the real fun begins.
Basically, what I said about the Gamemakers and the Capital apply to the whole book: While you're reading it, it makes sense and it is a pretty good book, but with a second thought the books loose their meaning.
The books are a trilogy, to be read in the order of: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. And while Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, may catch on fire, she just can't catch your interest.
Friday, April 13, 2012
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod
The Cronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer is a rumination on what it would be like for a vampire to try to blend in with mainstream students.
Vlad Tod is not your average teenager. He's unpopular and bullied, but he's friends with the most popular and well-liked guy in the school. He likes one of the prettiest girls at school, but he can't figure out if she likes him back. He's a vampire, but he tries to act human. Life is full of ups and downs as he completes middle school and goes on to Bathory High School, ups but mainly downs that include trying to find out why his parents really died, who killed his English teacher, a boy who is determined to prove to the world that Vlad really is a vampire, fighting one of his best friends to the death, his growing need for fresh blood, an insane vampire who keeps trying to kill him or steal his blood (it varies from book to book), and trying to figure out the legend of the Pravus. It seems that the more questions Vlad asks the more answers he needs, and the greater the lengths people will go to to keep him from finding out the truth. When his home and life gets ripped apart, and Bathory seems close to drowning in the blood of its townspeople, he has to cast aside what he thought he knew about the person he trusted the most in this world and make a choice that will tear him apart. Being a vampire really does bite.
Vlad Tod is medicine for the Twilight-sickened soul. The books offer a great insight into a teenage boy's mind, and the view of a vampire that you'd never thought of before. Yeah, sure, we all know that they're bloodthirsty creatures of the night, but what happens when they're forced out of their nocturnal habits? Sleeping in class, of course. And how do they get their blood fix? Blood packets in Hostess cakes.
The ultimate villain, the one that betrays Vlad at the end, confuses me. I can't criticize it more without giving anything away, but it just doesn't make sense. His reasons for doing as he did are lame, and I feel justified in calling the person who should've seen through them but didn't an airhead. Of course, this is in retrospect, but . . . Also, I have complaints in the romance department. I don't like Meridith. Even from the beginning, I didn't like her. I mean, she's a blond and he's a vampire. She wears pink and he wears black. Tell me how that was supposed to work out? Let Joss have 'er. I like the other girl much better . . . She's awesome. I imagine her wearing, like, six-inch black leather platform boots, for some reason, and I wonder if her name is derived from that Hot Chili Peppers song.
The writing style is very good. Eight Grade Bites was Heather Brewer's first book, and it was surprisingly well done. The boys are regular comedians, and even though there are some parts that are of no consequence, that add nothing to the plot line, they don't subtract from the overall storyline. But be on the look out for small details . . . they might mean something later on in the book, or even later on in the series. It's all fast paced, though, and a quick read (I finished the first book, 110 pages of it, in a half an hour), but you're hooked to the very end. Even at the end of Twelfth Grade Kills you're left wondering what's next?. Hopefully her next series, The Slayer Chronicles, will help sort that out.
The books come in the order of Eight Grade Bites, Ninth Grade Slays, Tenth Grade Bleeds, Eleventh Grade Burns, and Twelfth Grade Kills.
This is the URL for the website if you're interested in looking into it a bit more: http://www.vladtod.com/#/news
Vlad Tod is not your average teenager. He's unpopular and bullied, but he's friends with the most popular and well-liked guy in the school. He likes one of the prettiest girls at school, but he can't figure out if she likes him back. He's a vampire, but he tries to act human. Life is full of ups and downs as he completes middle school and goes on to Bathory High School, ups but mainly downs that include trying to find out why his parents really died, who killed his English teacher, a boy who is determined to prove to the world that Vlad really is a vampire, fighting one of his best friends to the death, his growing need for fresh blood, an insane vampire who keeps trying to kill him or steal his blood (it varies from book to book), and trying to figure out the legend of the Pravus. It seems that the more questions Vlad asks the more answers he needs, and the greater the lengths people will go to to keep him from finding out the truth. When his home and life gets ripped apart, and Bathory seems close to drowning in the blood of its townspeople, he has to cast aside what he thought he knew about the person he trusted the most in this world and make a choice that will tear him apart. Being a vampire really does bite.
Vlad Tod is medicine for the Twilight-sickened soul. The books offer a great insight into a teenage boy's mind, and the view of a vampire that you'd never thought of before. Yeah, sure, we all know that they're bloodthirsty creatures of the night, but what happens when they're forced out of their nocturnal habits? Sleeping in class, of course. And how do they get their blood fix? Blood packets in Hostess cakes.
The ultimate villain, the one that betrays Vlad at the end, confuses me. I can't criticize it more without giving anything away, but it just doesn't make sense. His reasons for doing as he did are lame, and I feel justified in calling the person who should've seen through them but didn't an airhead. Of course, this is in retrospect, but . . . Also, I have complaints in the romance department. I don't like Meridith. Even from the beginning, I didn't like her. I mean, she's a blond and he's a vampire. She wears pink and he wears black. Tell me how that was supposed to work out? Let Joss have 'er. I like the other girl much better . . . She's awesome. I imagine her wearing, like, six-inch black leather platform boots, for some reason, and I wonder if her name is derived from that Hot Chili Peppers song.
The writing style is very good. Eight Grade Bites was Heather Brewer's first book, and it was surprisingly well done. The boys are regular comedians, and even though there are some parts that are of no consequence, that add nothing to the plot line, they don't subtract from the overall storyline. But be on the look out for small details . . . they might mean something later on in the book, or even later on in the series. It's all fast paced, though, and a quick read (I finished the first book, 110 pages of it, in a half an hour), but you're hooked to the very end. Even at the end of Twelfth Grade Kills you're left wondering what's next?. Hopefully her next series, The Slayer Chronicles, will help sort that out.
The books come in the order of Eight Grade Bites, Ninth Grade Slays, Tenth Grade Bleeds, Eleventh Grade Burns, and Twelfth Grade Kills.
This is the URL for the website if you're interested in looking into it a bit more: http://www.vladtod.com/#/news
Monday, April 9, 2012
Candor
Candor, by Pam Bachorz, is another great book with another great message: When adults rule the world, they do it badly. :)
Oscar Campbell is the perfect student, son, friend, boyfriend, and criminal. He has a 115% average in biology, he makes his father toast every morning, he hangs with all the nerds so they won't feel left out, he eats carrot sticks in the movie theater with his girlfriend, the second-best student in the school . . . and he's busy undermining his father's Utopian society. He'll sneak you out from the town of Candor for a "small" fee. Candor, the town his father created after Oscar's brother died. Candor, the town where everyone is brainwashed to do as they're told. Candor, where every thing's perfect. At least, it's supposed to be. Oscar's the one anomaly, the one person in the town of Candor who knows how to block out the brainwashing messages. But will he be able to help bad girl, new girl, Nia, overcome the evil charm of Candor, or will he choose to help himself instead?
Yet another book that I love. What is there not to love about a book that suggests that kids do it better than grown-ups? But it's fun watching how Oscar knows more than everyone else does. It's fun watching him try to impress Nia, even while fighting his good-boy urges. It's sad looking back into Oscar's memories, and it's heartbreaking how everything all falls into place . . .
I won't give away the ending, but I'll let you know I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love the characters though, especially Oscar. He's exactly what you think he is, and you have to respect that. Nia, on the other hand, is fun-loving and impulsive. Not the best combination when you're trying to stay under the radar in a town where parents go to get their wild kids under control. Sherman is a dirty pig who's trying, to the best of his abilities, to do what's best for him, and it ruins the lives of several people who you think shouldn't have their lives ruined--namely, the protagonists. Mandi is just a brainwashed freak. She sort of scares me, actually. Oscar's dad, though. Ooh, if I met that man in real life I would hurt him very badly. He's worse than every villain you've ever met in real life or books, if only because he has no mercy. I mean, sure, some villains in some may kill without a second look, but Oscar's dad is human first, or, at least slightly human, and then he condemns himself irreversibly in three pages. It's sickening. But at the same time, very enjoyable. Humans impulses in a fictional setting is one of the best types of story, in my opinion, because it shows that humans all over the place, no matter where or when, are never perfect. In my life, that is a very comforting principle to have.
But yes, Candor is a book in which nothing is as it seems. It may come off as perfect, but it leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. And the first taste is all the sweeter for that.
Oscar Campbell is the perfect student, son, friend, boyfriend, and criminal. He has a 115% average in biology, he makes his father toast every morning, he hangs with all the nerds so they won't feel left out, he eats carrot sticks in the movie theater with his girlfriend, the second-best student in the school . . . and he's busy undermining his father's Utopian society. He'll sneak you out from the town of Candor for a "small" fee. Candor, the town his father created after Oscar's brother died. Candor, the town where everyone is brainwashed to do as they're told. Candor, where every thing's perfect. At least, it's supposed to be. Oscar's the one anomaly, the one person in the town of Candor who knows how to block out the brainwashing messages. But will he be able to help bad girl, new girl, Nia, overcome the evil charm of Candor, or will he choose to help himself instead?
Yet another book that I love. What is there not to love about a book that suggests that kids do it better than grown-ups? But it's fun watching how Oscar knows more than everyone else does. It's fun watching him try to impress Nia, even while fighting his good-boy urges. It's sad looking back into Oscar's memories, and it's heartbreaking how everything all falls into place . . .
I won't give away the ending, but I'll let you know I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love the characters though, especially Oscar. He's exactly what you think he is, and you have to respect that. Nia, on the other hand, is fun-loving and impulsive. Not the best combination when you're trying to stay under the radar in a town where parents go to get their wild kids under control. Sherman is a dirty pig who's trying, to the best of his abilities, to do what's best for him, and it ruins the lives of several people who you think shouldn't have their lives ruined--namely, the protagonists. Mandi is just a brainwashed freak. She sort of scares me, actually. Oscar's dad, though. Ooh, if I met that man in real life I would hurt him very badly. He's worse than every villain you've ever met in real life or books, if only because he has no mercy. I mean, sure, some villains in some may kill without a second look, but Oscar's dad is human first, or, at least slightly human, and then he condemns himself irreversibly in three pages. It's sickening. But at the same time, very enjoyable. Humans impulses in a fictional setting is one of the best types of story, in my opinion, because it shows that humans all over the place, no matter where or when, are never perfect. In my life, that is a very comforting principle to have.
But yes, Candor is a book in which nothing is as it seems. It may come off as perfect, but it leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. And the first taste is all the sweeter for that.
The "Beatrice Shakespeare Smith" Triology
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev is the first book in a triology I just finished reading, and it's a must read.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives in the Theatre Illuminata, a theater where all the plays in the world are routinely preformed, and the characters are all on call . . . literally. From Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet to the Darling children from Peter Pan, they all live in the theater. Bertie herself prefers to hang with Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed, fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream. But Bertie is not a player, so therefore she is not an asset to the theater, and there is a possibility that she might have to leave . . . Jumping into action, Bertie creates a plan that might save her day, but will she harm Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid and a very good looking guy, with her rash actions? And will she find the strenght to trust the Ariel, the air elemental from the Tempest, who wants to leave the theater and Bertie forever?
In Perchance to Dream, Beatrice Shakspeare Smith and Company heads out for the open road the and sea. Bertie is eager to find Nate, but with Ariel at her side, that is anything but easy. With her father on the winds, and her mother back at the theater Bertie is feeling torn between Nate, Ariel, her destiny, and her family. Will she have the strength to find Senda and pull Nate back from the brink, or will her dreams dissolve into brine?
So Sliver Bright wraps up the triology, bringing on a fresh challenge and a fresh wave of heartbreak. With Ariel threatening to leave forever and a royal summons from Her Royal Majesty herself, will Bertie be able to keep Sedna from destroying all she loves while reuniting her family, or will it just fall apart on its own before she can do anything about it? The world is crumbling around her, and Beatrice Shakespeare Smith must find the strength to be her own person before she falls with it.
These books are full of geniune teenage heartbreak. With an eighteen-year-old as the heroine, and two males as the co-stars, there was bound to be some of that, but . . . The plot moves quickly, though you wonder what is Sedna's place in the whole thing. Is she just the Sea Goddess or did she somehow escape from The Little Mermaid? Also, the pieces try to fit together, but they are sometimes crammed or poorly thought out. Characters such as Serefina and Varvara seem to be clues to something else, but end up as loose ends. And though what Bertie writes can take a literal meaning, the world around her doesn't quite make sense either. There is one scene that I cannot get, the one where they're in the Imperial Tea Room in So Sliver Bright, and a forest grows up around them. And why on earth is Bertie a 'child of earth' if her mother embodies water and her father embodies air? What is with that whole 'Queen of the Forest' thing?
I like Bertie's spunk though, and the fact that she's usually so confident. I mean, what other girl would dye their hair a different color everyday of the week and come up with the schemes she does? The fairies are hysterical too. For hyper, sugar-loving, face-stuffing, rude things that are three inches tall and are extremely immature they are a laugh a minute. One scene that had me clutching my sides was the one in which the boys eat Pease's boyfriend, 'Henry', the groom from a wedding cake in Perchance to Dream.
Sometimes you wish that the books would get around to their point a bit sooner. And it also is very painful to moi that Bertie ruins at least one beautiful dress every fifty pages. But while you're getting to the point there are plenty of smiles and sweet scenes, and the way Bertie destroys her clothing is most interesting. Whatever faults these books may have they are fixed because the characters are so wonderful.
So, now I have a sudden urge to go read the complete works of Shakespeare . . .
(P.S. I don't like the ending of So Silver Bright, just so you know. Yes, it was a twist, but now I am seriously annoyed at Lisa Mantchev. It's very sad . . . and I don't like the guy Bertie ended up wtih.)
http://theatre-illuminata.com/ Is the website. It has better summaries of the books, and some funny photos. Oh, and just so you don't get your hopes up, 'The Great Fairy Hunt' is not a computer game.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives in the Theatre Illuminata, a theater where all the plays in the world are routinely preformed, and the characters are all on call . . . literally. From Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet to the Darling children from Peter Pan, they all live in the theater. Bertie herself prefers to hang with Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed, fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream. But Bertie is not a player, so therefore she is not an asset to the theater, and there is a possibility that she might have to leave . . . Jumping into action, Bertie creates a plan that might save her day, but will she harm Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid and a very good looking guy, with her rash actions? And will she find the strenght to trust the Ariel, the air elemental from the Tempest, who wants to leave the theater and Bertie forever?
In Perchance to Dream, Beatrice Shakspeare Smith and Company heads out for the open road the and sea. Bertie is eager to find Nate, but with Ariel at her side, that is anything but easy. With her father on the winds, and her mother back at the theater Bertie is feeling torn between Nate, Ariel, her destiny, and her family. Will she have the strength to find Senda and pull Nate back from the brink, or will her dreams dissolve into brine?
So Sliver Bright wraps up the triology, bringing on a fresh challenge and a fresh wave of heartbreak. With Ariel threatening to leave forever and a royal summons from Her Royal Majesty herself, will Bertie be able to keep Sedna from destroying all she loves while reuniting her family, or will it just fall apart on its own before she can do anything about it? The world is crumbling around her, and Beatrice Shakespeare Smith must find the strength to be her own person before she falls with it.
These books are full of geniune teenage heartbreak. With an eighteen-year-old as the heroine, and two males as the co-stars, there was bound to be some of that, but . . . The plot moves quickly, though you wonder what is Sedna's place in the whole thing. Is she just the Sea Goddess or did she somehow escape from The Little Mermaid? Also, the pieces try to fit together, but they are sometimes crammed or poorly thought out. Characters such as Serefina and Varvara seem to be clues to something else, but end up as loose ends. And though what Bertie writes can take a literal meaning, the world around her doesn't quite make sense either. There is one scene that I cannot get, the one where they're in the Imperial Tea Room in So Sliver Bright, and a forest grows up around them. And why on earth is Bertie a 'child of earth' if her mother embodies water and her father embodies air? What is with that whole 'Queen of the Forest' thing?
I like Bertie's spunk though, and the fact that she's usually so confident. I mean, what other girl would dye their hair a different color everyday of the week and come up with the schemes she does? The fairies are hysterical too. For hyper, sugar-loving, face-stuffing, rude things that are three inches tall and are extremely immature they are a laugh a minute. One scene that had me clutching my sides was the one in which the boys eat Pease's boyfriend, 'Henry', the groom from a wedding cake in Perchance to Dream.
Sometimes you wish that the books would get around to their point a bit sooner. And it also is very painful to moi that Bertie ruins at least one beautiful dress every fifty pages. But while you're getting to the point there are plenty of smiles and sweet scenes, and the way Bertie destroys her clothing is most interesting. Whatever faults these books may have they are fixed because the characters are so wonderful.
So, now I have a sudden urge to go read the complete works of Shakespeare . . .
(P.S. I don't like the ending of So Silver Bright, just so you know. Yes, it was a twist, but now I am seriously annoyed at Lisa Mantchev. It's very sad . . . and I don't like the guy Bertie ended up wtih.)
http://theatre-illuminata.com/ Is the website. It has better summaries of the books, and some funny photos. Oh, and just so you don't get your hopes up, 'The Great Fairy Hunt' is not a computer game.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Ender's Game
I used to only read fantasy, but this is one of the books that opened up my mind: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.
Peter Wiggen, ten years old, is evil and cold hearted, killing without mercy. Valentine Wiggen, eight years old, is kind and soft hearted, the one who loves without a second thought. Together, they have the power to take over the nets. But their younger brother, Andrew (Ender) Wiggen, six years old and part ruthless killer, part loving soul, might have the power to end the alien invasion once and for all.
Aliens, or buggers, have attacked earth on two second invasions. This will be their third, and the government is searching for their champion, their war general, and Ender Wiggen fits the bill. He will be taken up to space and trained in a game of warfare -- day after day, until he breaks. The fate of the people of earth is up to him. At least, that's what the government wants him to think.
Orson Scott Card is an amazing author, and his ability to create depth in his stories is something I really enjoy. Ender is a genius for a six-, nine-, and eventually ten-year-old, and as he progresses up the ranks in the Battle School you get a feel for his character. He becomes almost a real person as you follow his thought process. His longing for his sister, his want to prove himself, and eventually how he breaks is all believable.
The buggers, also, are very well done. They aren't humanoid, more cockroach-like (hence the name "bugger"), and all the more feasible for that. They are alien in the way that everyone fears, and they don't speak our language, a trait that gets attributed to too many modern aliens these days.
Peter and Valentine stand out as well. Sometimes they begin to seem too adult, too old for twelve- and ten-year-olds, but then they say something that makes you remember that they're brother and sister, juvenile and pre-teen, not two stuffy politicians.
Also, there are government conspiracies in this book, making it all the better. This is another one of those books that says 'no one's perfect', but this one also has the added theme 'but they will go to any lengths to ensure that it seems that they are perfect.' You see Colonel Graff as a good guy and a bad guy.
I have very few complaints with this book, other than the fact that the Second Warsaw Pact isn't explained too well, nor is the original Warsaw Pact. I suppose that the reader is supposed to know what the original Warsaw Pact is prior to reading. Also, there is not much attention paid to the earth-side war, only to the space battle and the space politics. What exactly were the Russians doing that was such a great cause for alarm? Also, what is a Hegemony, or should I already know that?
Ender's Game is part of a series, yes. Ender's Game, The Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, make up "Ender's Quartet". I haven't finished Children of the Mind yet, and I'll do separate posts on Xenocide and The Speaker for the Dead, because the latter is unbelievably wonderful in it's own way, the the first has it's own charm, especially in the sci-fi area of things. Children of the Mind is very promising as well.
There are several adjacent books to these as well. Ender in Exile and In the Shadow of the Hegemon, for example. I think there might be a few others, but I haven't read them yet, so I don't know their titles specifically. There also several graphic novels that tell the story of these books as well. Basically look for anything that says 'Actual Ender's Game' on it, and that has something to do with Ender's Game. Pretty much.
Peter Wiggen, ten years old, is evil and cold hearted, killing without mercy. Valentine Wiggen, eight years old, is kind and soft hearted, the one who loves without a second thought. Together, they have the power to take over the nets. But their younger brother, Andrew (Ender) Wiggen, six years old and part ruthless killer, part loving soul, might have the power to end the alien invasion once and for all.
Aliens, or buggers, have attacked earth on two second invasions. This will be their third, and the government is searching for their champion, their war general, and Ender Wiggen fits the bill. He will be taken up to space and trained in a game of warfare -- day after day, until he breaks. The fate of the people of earth is up to him. At least, that's what the government wants him to think.
Orson Scott Card is an amazing author, and his ability to create depth in his stories is something I really enjoy. Ender is a genius for a six-, nine-, and eventually ten-year-old, and as he progresses up the ranks in the Battle School you get a feel for his character. He becomes almost a real person as you follow his thought process. His longing for his sister, his want to prove himself, and eventually how he breaks is all believable.
The buggers, also, are very well done. They aren't humanoid, more cockroach-like (hence the name "bugger"), and all the more feasible for that. They are alien in the way that everyone fears, and they don't speak our language, a trait that gets attributed to too many modern aliens these days.
Peter and Valentine stand out as well. Sometimes they begin to seem too adult, too old for twelve- and ten-year-olds, but then they say something that makes you remember that they're brother and sister, juvenile and pre-teen, not two stuffy politicians.
Also, there are government conspiracies in this book, making it all the better. This is another one of those books that says 'no one's perfect', but this one also has the added theme 'but they will go to any lengths to ensure that it seems that they are perfect.' You see Colonel Graff as a good guy and a bad guy.
I have very few complaints with this book, other than the fact that the Second Warsaw Pact isn't explained too well, nor is the original Warsaw Pact. I suppose that the reader is supposed to know what the original Warsaw Pact is prior to reading. Also, there is not much attention paid to the earth-side war, only to the space battle and the space politics. What exactly were the Russians doing that was such a great cause for alarm? Also, what is a Hegemony, or should I already know that?
Ender's Game is part of a series, yes. Ender's Game, The Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, make up "Ender's Quartet". I haven't finished Children of the Mind yet, and I'll do separate posts on Xenocide and The Speaker for the Dead, because the latter is unbelievably wonderful in it's own way, the the first has it's own charm, especially in the sci-fi area of things. Children of the Mind is very promising as well.
There are several adjacent books to these as well. Ender in Exile and In the Shadow of the Hegemon, for example. I think there might be a few others, but I haven't read them yet, so I don't know their titles specifically. There also several graphic novels that tell the story of these books as well. Basically look for anything that says 'Actual Ender's Game' on it, and that has something to do with Ender's Game. Pretty much.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Fablehaven
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is the first novel that I read that gave the idea that fairies weren't all fairy dust, cute wings, and springtime.
Seth and Kendra Sorenson were caught unawares when they found out that their grandparent's large farm was actually a preserve for the endangered and hidden species of our world: the magical and dangerous. Now they're up to their necks in fairies who turn into imps, egocentric centaurs, Frito-lay-eating and television-watching satyrs, devious demons, shape-shifting dragons, ancient wizards, a quest for the five keys to the demon prison, and an evil society who knows no scruples. But what is a fantasy story without romance, death, and fairy royalty? Kendra and Seth will live to explore another day, if only they can figure out how to stop the rising Morning Star.
I believe that these books are Brandon Mull's best. Sure, there are many different artifacts you have to keep track of, as well as the names of various enemies inside the Society of the Evening Star, but it all ties together nicely. On top of that, the characters are likable and believable: none of them are perfect or immune to human emotions. In fact, more often than naught their actions lead them into more danger then they would've been in if they hadn't acted, if that makes any sense. The characters are human, therefore, you can connect with the story better. You find yourself agonizing whenever the characters (or, one character in particular) is going to do something that you know is rash or doesn't heed given directions.
Another thing I liked about these books are that you know no more than the characters do. In some books you cut away to what the enemy is plotting, but in these books you can only see what Kendra (and sometimes Seth) are seeing. You cannot see what their enemies are planning, so when the surprises come, they come with, well, surprise. Also, the action comes fairly steadily, so rest assured -- there is at least one grand battle scene in every book (except the second, in which there is a scene involving sneaking somewhere).
The books should be read in this order: Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison.
Seth and Kendra Sorenson were caught unawares when they found out that their grandparent's large farm was actually a preserve for the endangered and hidden species of our world: the magical and dangerous. Now they're up to their necks in fairies who turn into imps, egocentric centaurs, Frito-lay-eating and television-watching satyrs, devious demons, shape-shifting dragons, ancient wizards, a quest for the five keys to the demon prison, and an evil society who knows no scruples. But what is a fantasy story without romance, death, and fairy royalty? Kendra and Seth will live to explore another day, if only they can figure out how to stop the rising Morning Star.
I believe that these books are Brandon Mull's best. Sure, there are many different artifacts you have to keep track of, as well as the names of various enemies inside the Society of the Evening Star, but it all ties together nicely. On top of that, the characters are likable and believable: none of them are perfect or immune to human emotions. In fact, more often than naught their actions lead them into more danger then they would've been in if they hadn't acted, if that makes any sense. The characters are human, therefore, you can connect with the story better. You find yourself agonizing whenever the characters (or, one character in particular) is going to do something that you know is rash or doesn't heed given directions.
Another thing I liked about these books are that you know no more than the characters do. In some books you cut away to what the enemy is plotting, but in these books you can only see what Kendra (and sometimes Seth) are seeing. You cannot see what their enemies are planning, so when the surprises come, they come with, well, surprise. Also, the action comes fairly steadily, so rest assured -- there is at least one grand battle scene in every book (except the second, in which there is a scene involving sneaking somewhere).
The books should be read in this order: Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Maximum Ride
Maximum Ride: the series by James Patterson.
Maximum Ride is no ordinary fourteen-year-old girl. For starters, she is basically homeless and has to take care of five other kids and their two dogs. Next, she's on the run from things (and people) who want her dead. It also might be crucial to mention that she's only 98% human. Her other 2% is avian, so she and her unlikely family all have wings.
This results in a lot of life and death situations, not to mention a lot of confusion and publicity. On the run from various villains and multitudes of their mindless minions Max must figure out who she trusts, who she doesn't, how she'll escape, how she'll deal with a growing crush on one of her team members, how she's going to deal with a six-year-old who thinks she can rule the world, and how she'll save the world. Sound like a lot to you? Well, to Maximum Ride, warrior extraordinaire, leader supreme, and the go-to person if you want spilled blood and a lot of attitude, it's just another ordinary day.
Do you like fast paced books? Do you like sarcasm, wit, and violence in abundance? Then I think you've found your happy place, or happy books, at least. These books also speak of empowerment to the children: there are only a few adults that hold crucial roles, and only one of those adults can actually be considered a good guy. Another overriding theme of the book is that grown-ups polluted the world and messed it up big-time, and it's up to these next generations to save it. And Max is the stereotypical superhero--she can fly, she's strong, she has a pithy comeback to everything, and she shows no mercy to her foes, a courtesy that extends even to some of her family.
The chapters are only a few pages long, sometimes resulting in as many as 144 chapters in a book (The Angel Experiment), and sometimes the writing can get a bit headache-y. You jump from the view point of one character to another without any warning, and you hardly get a page of piece before a new demonized-robot jumps out at you from the margins. Though, when the romance comes, it comes fast and hard and without any warning.
The books are in order as follows: The Angel Experiment, School's Out -- Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, Max, Fang, Angel, and Nevermore, which is set to come out August 6, 2012. Sure, you can read these books out of order, but you have to have a great memory for the sequence of events. They'll catch you up, periodically, but there are some crucial facts that you have to remember to get everything. Also, reading the last ones first might ruin some twists in the plot lines. Just, so, you know . . . You don't make the same mistakes I did.
This is the fan website: http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/ Mainly blogs and stuff put up by other fans, and a chat room, but there are some sneak peaks and blogs 'written' by the characters in the book, as well as some videos. It's fine.
Maximum Ride is no ordinary fourteen-year-old girl. For starters, she is basically homeless and has to take care of five other kids and their two dogs. Next, she's on the run from things (and people) who want her dead. It also might be crucial to mention that she's only 98% human. Her other 2% is avian, so she and her unlikely family all have wings.
This results in a lot of life and death situations, not to mention a lot of confusion and publicity. On the run from various villains and multitudes of their mindless minions Max must figure out who she trusts, who she doesn't, how she'll escape, how she'll deal with a growing crush on one of her team members, how she's going to deal with a six-year-old who thinks she can rule the world, and how she'll save the world. Sound like a lot to you? Well, to Maximum Ride, warrior extraordinaire, leader supreme, and the go-to person if you want spilled blood and a lot of attitude, it's just another ordinary day.
Do you like fast paced books? Do you like sarcasm, wit, and violence in abundance? Then I think you've found your happy place, or happy books, at least. These books also speak of empowerment to the children: there are only a few adults that hold crucial roles, and only one of those adults can actually be considered a good guy. Another overriding theme of the book is that grown-ups polluted the world and messed it up big-time, and it's up to these next generations to save it. And Max is the stereotypical superhero--she can fly, she's strong, she has a pithy comeback to everything, and she shows no mercy to her foes, a courtesy that extends even to some of her family.
The chapters are only a few pages long, sometimes resulting in as many as 144 chapters in a book (The Angel Experiment), and sometimes the writing can get a bit headache-y. You jump from the view point of one character to another without any warning, and you hardly get a page of piece before a new demonized-robot jumps out at you from the margins. Though, when the romance comes, it comes fast and hard and without any warning.
The books are in order as follows: The Angel Experiment, School's Out -- Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, Max, Fang, Angel, and Nevermore, which is set to come out August 6, 2012. Sure, you can read these books out of order, but you have to have a great memory for the sequence of events. They'll catch you up, periodically, but there are some crucial facts that you have to remember to get everything. Also, reading the last ones first might ruin some twists in the plot lines. Just, so, you know . . . You don't make the same mistakes I did.
This is the fan website: http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/ Mainly blogs and stuff put up by other fans, and a chat room, but there are some sneak peaks and blogs 'written' by the characters in the book, as well as some videos. It's fine.
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