"The Curiosities: a collection of stories" a, well, collection of stories, all by either Brenna Yovanoff, Tessa Gratton, or Maggie Stiefvater.
Psychopaths with piano wire, dragon slayers with one night left to live, puddles that contain secrets or puddles that contain the zombie virus, silver boxes that hold hearts and the key to living . . . Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton explore the "playground" (more of an, uh, insane asylum) of their minds with short stories posted to their blogs. Each author makes comments on the side margins of one another's work, providing extra insight to each of the wonderfully twisted stories, which are works of art themselves. Whether you're reading about delightful zombies, Nordic beserkers, or a world on fire, the worlds they exist in are both perfectly exquisite, and wonderfully alien.
This is, hands down, the best anthology ever. Better than that "Steampunk" one, and you know how I prattled on about that. And this one had hardly a wit of identifiable steampunk in it.
I have recently discovered, within me, a passion for stories that end unhappily. I discovered it before I read this book. But, anyway, if you do not like unhappy endings, do not read further. Never look for the book on the shelves. The stories are realistic, to some degree, and not every tale has a happy ending with glitter and butterflies. Sometimes people have to cut out their hearts. And this makes me happy.
Each of the stories is something vastly different, if ever the same. Nearly all of the stories revolve around a teenage girl heroine, who has to overcome some ordeal. Sometimes she gets slaughtered, sometimes she succeeds in her task, and sometimes you're left standing on a barbed wire fence, an eye on both possibilities.
The characters or settings may not be very deep or well-developed characters, but that's only because the stories are brief clips. I can deal with that when the stories are as haunting as they are here, though with every character you want to know more about them. Where did they come from? Who are they really? Where are they going? What are they trying to tell you? Reading this book is like looking through a picture album, each picture from a different place, telling a different story.
Maggie Steifvater wrote the "Shiver" series (a bunch of romantic claptrap), don't ask me what the series is really called. She also wrote "The Scorpio Races," which looks to be infinitely better. Brenna Yovanoff wrote the amazing "The Replacement" and the equally dazzling "The Space Between." I've never read anything by Tessa Gratton, but her main focus seems to be with the Nordic Gods, which is always good.
I can't really do much more analyzing, unless I want to basically tell you what half the stories are. I can tell you, though, that you have to READ THIS BOOK. If you don't, there's not telling you what horrible fate you might come to, whether it be death by piano wire or lack of good literature.
The idea for this book started on www.merryfates.com All of the stories are posted here, as well as some extra ones, if you don't want to get off your computer and go to the library.
Showing posts with label Fairies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fairies. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Iron Thorn
"The Iron Thorn," Caitlin Kittredge, is worth it's weight in gold, even though it's a decently heavy book.
Aofie Greyson is going to go mad when she turns 16 years old. It happened to her mother and it happened to her brother. They say it's because of a necrovirus that came into the world years ago. It creates such creatures as the nightjars and the shaggoths . . . and for some unknown reason, it's going to drive Aofie mad. But when Aofie gets a cryptic message from her mad brother that takes her on a journey beyond all that she ever imagined knowing, she realizes that there might be more to the madness than a simple virus. A journey between the dimensions forces Aofie and her companions that what is rational may not be what's right.
If you know me at all, then you know that my three literary loves are steampunk, Faeries, and creepiness. Believe it or not, this hits three out of three. On the head. It's really quite extraordinary, the way that first two are woven together, with the third as a result.
There are three main characters: Aofie, Dean, and Cal. Aofie is a well-defined character. She has her edges and her ripples, and even though she's constantly changing you know where she is, in the metaphorical sense, all the time. I would've liked it if we were shown that Aofie is good with machines. I mean, yes, she is in engineer school, and it says about a dozen times throughout the book that the only thing that had "ever felt real to her were machines" or the whatnot, but we don't really see her in action until she's fixing the clock. Maybe show her fixing some clockwork before she drags Cal off to the night market or something. I don't know. But it's always best to show, not tell, in the story sense, and this story does a bit more telling than strictly wanted.
Dean Harrison is to "The Iron Thorn" as Jack is to "The Blood Red Road." The lovable rouge who comes in the nick of time, always manages to find a way out of scrapes, and manages to win the tough maiden's heart (even though it's never that hard, as seeing they have little to none competition). Yes, I know this is a stereotypical character for the adventure genre, but Jack and Dean could be the same exact person, save for the name. Not that that's a bad thing. I like rouges. If I was a character in an adventure story, I would be the rouge. But, you know. Every genre has it's stereotypes, so, I was just pointing that out. Playing devil's advocate over here.
Cal . . . *sigh*. Cal. Um, well, let's just say that Cal is an interesting character. I am not pleased with how he was built up, but I am pleased with the problems he presents. You won't follow me until you read the book. And I can't tell you until you read the book. Because I'd hate to ruin the surprise of it all.
Now . . . The plot! The real gold of this endeavor! Oh, I can't gush enough over the plot. There are things you don't see coming, things you do see coming and cringe when they do come, and things that are so inevitable, but so well done. There is the romance plot, of course, which you can spot coming from a mile off because it's like "duh". That one is pretty well done, but it's not the best. I like the Faerie plot the best. Of course, they don't call them Faeries, exactly, but if you've ever read a contemporary fiction book, you can tell what they are. And of course, you know what's going to happen just after the people close their mouths', but it's like a train wreck. You can't stop yourself from reading it, even though you know it's going to be horrible.
Also, I love the steampunk world. Love, love, love. It's a completely believable world, one where they live and love and breath and it's all too real. The detail is incredible, and what detail you aren't given isn't hard to fill in on your own. The politics of cities and the rules of life are completely relatable, even though they don't apply at all to real life. It takes true talent to make a make-believe world real, and this one has it all.
There are also several things that have been given a new face. Most importantly, Weirds. In most books they're called 'affinities.' Or, at least, I would call them affinities, but then again, I do live in my own special universe. So, I guess I wouldn't know what they are called, generally. But this, again, is one you can see from miles away. I'm just glad that she doesn't make some sort of big deal out of it. Because if it was half the book, just trying to figure that out . . . that would be boring. Half a book spent doing anything, really, is pretty boring.
This one might be the first one in the series. Something about the "Iron Codex" was in the author's bio, but I'm not so sure.
Aofie Grayson: Torn between the iron and the wild. She must figure out where she fits in before it destroys her and everyone she's ever cared about. And even though her tale might be one of tragedy, she and her folk will always survive and prosper in my heart.
www.caitlinkittredge.com She generally writes adult books, that's my impression, but it might be worth a shot. Uh, and her "books" page isn't up and running, so go to the "blogs" tab, then go to "caitlin's books." Not a lot of information there, but just if you were wondering.
Aofie Greyson is going to go mad when she turns 16 years old. It happened to her mother and it happened to her brother. They say it's because of a necrovirus that came into the world years ago. It creates such creatures as the nightjars and the shaggoths . . . and for some unknown reason, it's going to drive Aofie mad. But when Aofie gets a cryptic message from her mad brother that takes her on a journey beyond all that she ever imagined knowing, she realizes that there might be more to the madness than a simple virus. A journey between the dimensions forces Aofie and her companions that what is rational may not be what's right.
If you know me at all, then you know that my three literary loves are steampunk, Faeries, and creepiness. Believe it or not, this hits three out of three. On the head. It's really quite extraordinary, the way that first two are woven together, with the third as a result.
There are three main characters: Aofie, Dean, and Cal. Aofie is a well-defined character. She has her edges and her ripples, and even though she's constantly changing you know where she is, in the metaphorical sense, all the time. I would've liked it if we were shown that Aofie is good with machines. I mean, yes, she is in engineer school, and it says about a dozen times throughout the book that the only thing that had "ever felt real to her were machines" or the whatnot, but we don't really see her in action until she's fixing the clock. Maybe show her fixing some clockwork before she drags Cal off to the night market or something. I don't know. But it's always best to show, not tell, in the story sense, and this story does a bit more telling than strictly wanted.
Dean Harrison is to "The Iron Thorn" as Jack is to "The Blood Red Road." The lovable rouge who comes in the nick of time, always manages to find a way out of scrapes, and manages to win the tough maiden's heart (even though it's never that hard, as seeing they have little to none competition). Yes, I know this is a stereotypical character for the adventure genre, but Jack and Dean could be the same exact person, save for the name. Not that that's a bad thing. I like rouges. If I was a character in an adventure story, I would be the rouge. But, you know. Every genre has it's stereotypes, so, I was just pointing that out. Playing devil's advocate over here.
Cal . . . *sigh*. Cal. Um, well, let's just say that Cal is an interesting character. I am not pleased with how he was built up, but I am pleased with the problems he presents. You won't follow me until you read the book. And I can't tell you until you read the book. Because I'd hate to ruin the surprise of it all.
Now . . . The plot! The real gold of this endeavor! Oh, I can't gush enough over the plot. There are things you don't see coming, things you do see coming and cringe when they do come, and things that are so inevitable, but so well done. There is the romance plot, of course, which you can spot coming from a mile off because it's like "duh". That one is pretty well done, but it's not the best. I like the Faerie plot the best. Of course, they don't call them Faeries, exactly, but if you've ever read a contemporary fiction book, you can tell what they are. And of course, you know what's going to happen just after the people close their mouths', but it's like a train wreck. You can't stop yourself from reading it, even though you know it's going to be horrible.
Also, I love the steampunk world. Love, love, love. It's a completely believable world, one where they live and love and breath and it's all too real. The detail is incredible, and what detail you aren't given isn't hard to fill in on your own. The politics of cities and the rules of life are completely relatable, even though they don't apply at all to real life. It takes true talent to make a make-believe world real, and this one has it all.
There are also several things that have been given a new face. Most importantly, Weirds. In most books they're called 'affinities.' Or, at least, I would call them affinities, but then again, I do live in my own special universe. So, I guess I wouldn't know what they are called, generally. But this, again, is one you can see from miles away. I'm just glad that she doesn't make some sort of big deal out of it. Because if it was half the book, just trying to figure that out . . . that would be boring. Half a book spent doing anything, really, is pretty boring.
This one might be the first one in the series. Something about the "Iron Codex" was in the author's bio, but I'm not so sure.
Aofie Grayson: Torn between the iron and the wild. She must figure out where she fits in before it destroys her and everyone she's ever cared about. And even though her tale might be one of tragedy, she and her folk will always survive and prosper in my heart.
www.caitlinkittredge.com She generally writes adult books, that's my impression, but it might be worth a shot. Uh, and her "books" page isn't up and running, so go to the "blogs" tab, then go to "caitlin's books." Not a lot of information there, but just if you were wondering.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Dreamdark: Blackbringer
"Dreamdark: Blackbringer," Laini Taylor, is a tale of whimsy . . . and the end of the world.
Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind and a fairy, travels the world, hunting down demons that humans have released from their bottles. With her seven crows and their traveling caravan, their travels take them far and wide. But when the mannies release the worst demon of all, the Blackbringer, the stuff of legends and nightmares, Magpie, affectionately 'Pie, must return to a home she hasn't been to in 80 years: The forest of Dreamdark. As the destruction of her people becomes immanent, she appeals to the oldest and strongest power for help. If she can wake him from his sleep and gain his trust, those she loves might be saved. Secrets are unraveled and truths are revealed, though, and 'Pie learns that the Djinns aren't the only ones who could save the forest.
What book today isn't about the end of the world? At least this one approaches it creatively, I suppose. It doesn't come out right and say, "we have to save the world!" because that would be lame. And this book wasn't lame, thank the powers that be. I enjoyed it a lot, actually.
The characters were real, and that was a big part of it. A lot of books don't have well-formed characters. Well, books that I've been reading of late. Magpie, though, is three-dimensional, and I knew what she was going to do next. Rephrasing that: I never knew what she was going to do next, but the things she didn't made sense and fit in with her character. The "co-stars," Talon, Poppy, Lady Vesper, Orchardspike, etc, are real as well, and no back story seems to be a stretch. Everything, every character, fits, as perfect as a puzzle piece.
There was a sense of unpredictability and haphazardness about the book that was also nice. Everything fit together, but it didn't come together neatly. It sort of fell together, seemingly at random. Things that didn't seem important were important. There were twists and turns that weren't expected, but that had been there all along. There were items that seemed to have no importance, but changed the course of the plot. There were actions that were taken at page thirty and had great significances at page 200. It was a chaotic mess, but it was also a woven pattern.
And, you can probably see that I enjoy the illustrations from the picture above. There are a few good-full sized pictures of the three main characters, and they are very well done. I took this picture from the website listed down below, and there are several pictures from the book on that site. I didn't like the internal picture of Magpie, of course (I'm so picky), but I did enjoy the cover. The picture above is of Poppy, who is a 'flower fairy,' I suppose.
Of course, there were a couple things that could be spotted from a mile off. The slandered happy ending; the fact that the main character is going to be wonderfully and uncommonly gifted. One can see these cliches from a mile off. The things that aren't cliched pretty much balance those out, in my opinion.
Also, this isn't a soppy Disney fairy tale love story. I'm not saying those are bad or anything (I'm just implying it). The characters are still teenagers, maybe, in "fairy-years," relatively young teenagers. So, yeah. I like things like that. I'm not saying that it doesn't hold elements of sterotypical fairies (see above picture), but there are also non-sterotypical-fairy things. Like, demons. And swords.
I also like how the fairy tales seem to swirl around the characters: The saga of the hero Bellatrix, the story of Magpie's parents, the myths of the Djinns, the legends of the dragons. These add flavor to the world of Dreamdark, for what is a culture but their stories and beliefs? Even Magpie's parents realize this, as shown by their journeys to fairy villages to collect the old stories. Every little detail in this book comes alive, and either brings a new perspective or adds to a perspective that's already there.
There's another book in the series, a sequel. I think it's called "Silksinger." For sure, I'm going to look into it. Actually, Laini Taylor's written some other stuff that I like, and I didn't make the connect between her and the other stuff she's written before I looked at her site. I enjoyed "The Daughter of Smoke and Bone," but I haven't read the sequel to that one yet. So, that's two books I need to look out for.
You can find all the information here at www.lainitaylor.com It's a "google blogspot," or whatever they're calling this, if you care to know.
Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind and a fairy, travels the world, hunting down demons that humans have released from their bottles. With her seven crows and their traveling caravan, their travels take them far and wide. But when the mannies release the worst demon of all, the Blackbringer, the stuff of legends and nightmares, Magpie, affectionately 'Pie, must return to a home she hasn't been to in 80 years: The forest of Dreamdark. As the destruction of her people becomes immanent, she appeals to the oldest and strongest power for help. If she can wake him from his sleep and gain his trust, those she loves might be saved. Secrets are unraveled and truths are revealed, though, and 'Pie learns that the Djinns aren't the only ones who could save the forest.
What book today isn't about the end of the world? At least this one approaches it creatively, I suppose. It doesn't come out right and say, "we have to save the world!" because that would be lame. And this book wasn't lame, thank the powers that be. I enjoyed it a lot, actually.
There was a sense of unpredictability and haphazardness about the book that was also nice. Everything fit together, but it didn't come together neatly. It sort of fell together, seemingly at random. Things that didn't seem important were important. There were twists and turns that weren't expected, but that had been there all along. There were items that seemed to have no importance, but changed the course of the plot. There were actions that were taken at page thirty and had great significances at page 200. It was a chaotic mess, but it was also a woven pattern.
And, you can probably see that I enjoy the illustrations from the picture above. There are a few good-full sized pictures of the three main characters, and they are very well done. I took this picture from the website listed down below, and there are several pictures from the book on that site. I didn't like the internal picture of Magpie, of course (I'm so picky), but I did enjoy the cover. The picture above is of Poppy, who is a 'flower fairy,' I suppose.
Of course, there were a couple things that could be spotted from a mile off. The slandered happy ending; the fact that the main character is going to be wonderfully and uncommonly gifted. One can see these cliches from a mile off. The things that aren't cliched pretty much balance those out, in my opinion.
Also, this isn't a soppy Disney fairy tale love story. I'm not saying those are bad or anything (I'm just implying it). The characters are still teenagers, maybe, in "fairy-years," relatively young teenagers. So, yeah. I like things like that. I'm not saying that it doesn't hold elements of sterotypical fairies (see above picture), but there are also non-sterotypical-fairy things. Like, demons. And swords.
I also like how the fairy tales seem to swirl around the characters: The saga of the hero Bellatrix, the story of Magpie's parents, the myths of the Djinns, the legends of the dragons. These add flavor to the world of Dreamdark, for what is a culture but their stories and beliefs? Even Magpie's parents realize this, as shown by their journeys to fairy villages to collect the old stories. Every little detail in this book comes alive, and either brings a new perspective or adds to a perspective that's already there.
There's another book in the series, a sequel. I think it's called "Silksinger." For sure, I'm going to look into it. Actually, Laini Taylor's written some other stuff that I like, and I didn't make the connect between her and the other stuff she's written before I looked at her site. I enjoyed "The Daughter of Smoke and Bone," but I haven't read the sequel to that one yet. So, that's two books I need to look out for.
You can find all the information here at www.lainitaylor.com It's a "google blogspot," or whatever they're calling this, if you care to know.
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.
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