Dangit! I really wanted to like this book! I love historical fiction, I love hawking, I love a good action story, and I love the kinds of characters iDangit! I really wanted to like this book! I love historical fiction, I love hawking, I love a good action story, and I love the kinds of characters included in this story. Unfortunately, Lyndon doesn't deliver. Point of view shifts don't generally bother me, as they may be necessary to tell a complex story. What bothers me about point of view in Hawk Quest is that it shifts from one person to another in the middle of paragraphs, and frequently without reason. The characters aren't given equal airing, and their complexities aren't fully explored before someone else comes on the scene. It's as if the characters aren't the author's chief interest, so he skips from event to event, letting whoever's present tell what's happening, regardless of the intended audience's interest in that person. While I'm talking about character, I'd just like to make a quick visit to the cut-out nature of the women. They're all second bananas, included only for the purpose of validating the men in the story, and while I understand the nature of the social role women took in society at this time in the world, I also know that the Salerno medical school allowed women to study and become doctors, and that Eleanor of Aquitaine went on a Crusade with her daughter not long after this. Chaucer wrote the Wife of Bath not long after this. Women were an integral part of the social and economic fabric of the world during this time, and allowing them to do nothing but bathe in volcanic pools and lie on their backs and think of England isn't the most interesting thing to do with a character. It's a shame that such a brilliant plot idea - the quest to bring four gyrfalcons to the Middle East from Greenland - falls so short. I think it is a focus on plot that causes the problem, though, as such an epic journey eventually causes plot fatigue. We really have to care about the characters to carry us through, and there isn't enough time spent on making them real to warrant the required enthusiasm....more
OK. Generally, I don't like this kind of book (teen angst/girly romance/action/eldritch). HOWEVER... this one was OK. Possibly because I just read twoOK. Generally, I don't like this kind of book (teen angst/girly romance/action/eldritch). HOWEVER... this one was OK. Possibly because I just read two of the Hush Hush books, which are... well, read my reviews on them. Needless to say, these books are better. The "City" books in general and this one in particular contain a great deal less whining and a lot more action. The characters, including the minor characters, receive the attention they are due, and the story realistically addresses the sociological situation caused by five supernatural races occupying the same small island. The thing I like the most about these books is that they don't treat the female characters as if they constantly need to be rescued. The females get on with rescuing themselves, and often others while they're at it. ...more
LOVE IT! Loads of action, lots of interest for both boys and girls, lots of high-quality history, and the story moves like firecrackers. If I have oneLOVE IT! Loads of action, lots of interest for both boys and girls, lots of high-quality history, and the story moves like firecrackers. If I have one caution, it's this: though the reading level is acceptably stable at mid-level, and there's plenty of action to attract the low readers, I wouldn't recommend reading these one after the other. They're longer than the "Lightning Thief" books and they might become overwhelming....more
Hwaaaa... I freaking love this book. It is patently unfair that this series should be Abercrombie's first work, because he's only going to get better,Hwaaaa... I freaking love this book. It is patently unfair that this series should be Abercrombie's first work, because he's only going to get better, and now I will be forced to purchase all of his work. Has he no consideration for how broke I am?
The story, which is about a bunch of people who are flawed in entirely believable dimension, yet making every attempt to grow and change, is impeccable in its reflection of human foibles. Really, when was the last time you read a fantasy book in which one of the main characters, who is patently the manly man of the group, nearly stabs himself in the groin during a fight? Just the idea that an author should write a series centered around a quest, yet not allow the questors to leave town until the end of the first book, is not only hilarious but daring, as well.
Even the bad guys in the book are attractive in their own way. Sand dan Glokta, currently employed as a torturer and hideously disfigured by torture himself, is fascinating. Abercrombie will make you chuckle as Glokta interrogates a merchant to death. You will feel sordid, soiled, and damned, but you'll laugh. You'll find yourself sickened by the triumph of the handsome young man and cheering right along with the angriest female character ever written. You'll learn to question your judgment, as well as the judgment of the characters as they stumble their way toward heroism... of a sort.
I'm about to read the third book, and I'm still struggling with the theme of the series. I'm trying to choose between, "You can never carry too many knives," "Never make plans," "Your past will sneak up on you and stab you in the back, probably repeatedly," and "Nothing is what you think it is, except good intentions, or maybe a knife."
Read this. It's what life is and what human beings are, with no pretending and no excuses. ...more
Someone with a smart mouth and too much time on his hands once said that nothing is ever really new. True. However, if you're Patrick Ness and you wanSomeone with a smart mouth and too much time on his hands once said that nothing is ever really new. True. However, if you're Patrick Ness and you want to write a really good, journey-based coming-of-age novel, "new" is a non-issue. KNLG just rolls off the page, making 500 pages seem like 200 and a complex alien world seem like the house next door. Be aware: KNLG is not a book for the faint of heart. Even though I listed it as YA, the style is quite complex. The first-person narrator, Todd, only has a 2nd- or 3rd-grade education, and he invents a great deal of words he uses to tell his story. Sometimes, you'll find yourself reading a word or two out loud because of phonetic spelling. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll find yourself having difficulty reading the "normal" passages when a better-educated character has something to say. KNLG is also long... REALLY long, and there are supposed to be at least two more in the series. For people who don't read very well, the length of the tale will be a barrier to finishing the book. On the other hand... the story is truly brilliant, the characters (including our narrator) are all deeply flawed, and every moment presents an obstacle that is ALMOST (but not quite) too much to overcome. Because all of the moving creatures in the story both hear each others' thoughts and project thoughts to others (except the women, whose thoughts are private), even Todd's dog, Manchee, takes part in the telling of the story. SPOILER ALERT! When Manchee met his fate, I cried, and that doesn't happen often. Most authors don't have the chops to make me cry. The audience for KNLG is going to be a bit older and better-read than I wish, but a huge crowd of my Juniors and Seniors will enjoy this book, even though Todd's much younger than they....more
Hmmm. I can definitely say that high school boys with a fair reading level will eat this up. It's about a high school dropout who played football befoHmmm. I can definitely say that high school boys with a fair reading level will eat this up. It's about a high school dropout who played football before he blew out his knee, so Reality Check will catch both the sports kids and the kids who feel like dropping out. Because of the way the main character thinks of himself (he thinks he's stupid), Abrahams walks the audience through the plot without appearing to walk them through, which is a touch of authorial genius. The plot is fairly simple. There are few flashbacks, no complicated timelines, and all of the characters are pretty much what they seem. Even the main character, Cody, is laid bare within the first few pages you know him. The difficulties will enter if you are an accomplished reader. There are a couple of points in the story where Abrahams needs to move the story from one place to another, or one time to another, and they aren't handled very smoothly. The big problem is that the end of the book is chopped off in this fashion, and I want more of a denouement from a book that's 330 pages long. Most of the characters are pretty flat, too, and that's a shame because there's plenty of room to let us get to know the really interesting people in the story. I did like Cody's attitude toward the gay character in the story (judgement-free), though, and his willingness to embrace most of the adolescent characters while pushing away most of the adults will connect with many of my students....more
Crappy cover alert! Don't pass over Gone just because the cover is ridiculous (another of these "teenagers standing around looking moody" ones that isCrappy cover alert! Don't pass over Gone just because the cover is ridiculous (another of these "teenagers standing around looking moody" ones that is meant to look like a TV commercial for a bad teen soap opera). Read the first five pages and you'll be hooked. While the story is a bit slow to develop, once you settle down to the pace and understand the object of the author's game (loads of action, very little pondering, enough oddness to qualify it as scifi, focus on interpersonal relations), things move right along. I do love a reluctant hero, and Grant's Sam is as reluctant as they come. Sometimes, that reluctance can become whining, but Grant works Sam's feeling in with a simple comment here and there, so he doesn't devolve into pages of squealing about how hurt his feelings are. At fourteen, Sam encounters most of the big ideas about life and works through them in a competent fashion, which annoys me a little because I teach Freshmen and I'm not certain that most of them would be able to do what Sam does. Audience could be a problem for Gone, as well. It's 550 pages long, and that's a killer for the action-oriented kids who would be most interested in the book. I think I'm going to try Gone with the boys who will only read the Halo books and see how it goes. The most annoying (and the only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars) thing about Gone is that it's 550 pages long and the characters STILL don't solve their problems! I don't think my students will mind, but DANG, Mr. Grant, if you think you're going to hook me into reading the next book, you're going to have to shorten it a LOT. If I spend all day reading a book (or 4 or 5 hours), I expect a better sense of resolution than Gone has to give....more
Imagine that aliens not only exist, but they live among us and are trying to kill us. It's kind of like Men in Black with a bad attitude and teenagersImagine that aliens not only exist, but they live among us and are trying to kill us. It's kind of like Men in Black with a bad attitude and teenagers. The kids who like Maximum Ride or the Demonata series will LOVE Daniel. He's hard-core action, all the way through. He's not fearless, but he's bull-headed and has a refined sense of duty. When his parents are killed at the beginning of the story, he vows to try to complete the list his parents are working on, mostly by killing a LOT of things that appear to be people. There's a crush, bundles of violence, and a kid with unusual powers. Your 7th-9th grader will love it!...more
Shazaam! This book rocks my socks. It's like a mixture of Running Man (for those of you old enough to remember Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was GovShazaam! This book rocks my socks. It's like a mixture of Running Man (for those of you old enough to remember Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was Governator), Uglies, and Maximum Ride, but none of that's a bad thing, because the writing is solid, the "love affair" isn't too smarmy and over-thought (sorry Twilight fans, but Hunger Games is MUCH better!), and the gritty details lend verisimilitude to the futuristic plot. The main character, Katniss Evergreen (and THAT is a name, boys and girls), has the potential to be annoying because she's so surly all of the time, but she is both crushed by her inadequacies and succeeds because of them. She's brilliant, but doesn't value anything but her survival skills, so a vast area of her personality lies fallow, waiting to pop up in future books in the series. My only quibbles with the story would be two things: 1. I'm sick of the tall-dark-handsome-and-silent thing in male leads. Smarten up, YA authors. We need to train our men to act like human beings, and we need to train our women to expect a full partnership. Peeta, the main male lead in the story (Meyer-esquely, there are two male leads), is a million miles beyond the average YA male, but the story both begins and ends back in their home town, where the next book will undoubtedly focus on Gale, who's emotionally constipated. 2. There are all kinds of lovely, gruesome details about the search for food, water, and shelter, but there's only one brief mention of sanitary arrangements. Of course, people dealing with survival in a mountainous, wooded area aren't going to visit lovely toilet facilities, but they're being hunted, for heaven's sake! Even a rank amateur with a sense of smell could find a poorly-hidden... um... well, let's just say that what bears do in the woods is something anyone with half a brain could find. I'm well aware that I watch WAAAAAAAY too much Survivorman, and my childhood in rural Illinois is showing. Sorry for that, Ms. COllins, because Hunger Games is a really good book, and the kids who like Uglies and Maximum Ride will eat it up!...more
It's sad when a beloved author slips below par. Robert B. Parker, whose Spenser series is one of my favorites, has lost some of his edge in the new WeIt's sad when a beloved author slips below par. Robert B. Parker, whose Spenser series is one of my favorites, has lost some of his edge in the new Western storyline he's trying. I like the main characters he's chosen (a Butch and Sundance-type pair), but the dialogue is sometimes difficult to follow because it frequently goes without dialogue tags. The macho edge softened by philosophy that trickles around the edges of the Spenser series is front and center here, and while I do apreciate the chivalry, the casual (and completely authentic to its time) attitude toward women as possessions wears at me. The plot isn't as tight in these Westerns, either, so the plot feels squishy, which could easily be the death of the series, as it is set up for the action genre. The last word is that, while the movie of Appaloosa was perfectly cast and that casting does Resolution a good deed, the plotting of the story just isn't tight enough....more
Another book I read because my husband recommended it... but this one is a winner. The writing isn't top-notch: the characters are a little flat, the Another book I read because my husband recommended it... but this one is a winner. The writing isn't top-notch: the characters are a little flat, the main character is a bit whiny, the treatment of women is odd (women are either heroines or prostitutes), and the science in the sci-fi is weak.
This is a great story, though. Just when you think you're going to put the book down because the main character is getting too whiny, the action moves you right along and you forget the whine. I can see why my husband likes the book, too, because it definitely reflects the military life. Buettner knows his military, and that knowledge is integral to the story.
I've given this series to the boys in my classes who like the Halo books, and the consensus is that this series is just as good, if not better. That makes me happy, because this series is much better than the Halo books!...more
Cornelia, you need a better editor. Your editor would tell you to figure out which characters are essential and kill off the rest. The difficulty withCornelia, you need a better editor. Your editor would tell you to figure out which characters are essential and kill off the rest. The difficulty with the book is that it's written for younger kids, but it is too complicated, not all of the storylines are as riveting as the rest, and there are too many complicated emotions for young readers to comprehend or enjoy. The characters are a bit static (and thus predictable), as well. This isn't to say that the emotions aren't realistic, or that the characters don't act true to form, or that the story isn't well-plotted. There's just too much of it to be enjoyable. In other words, it's too Harry Potter-esque to be fabulous.
On the other hand, this book is about 200% better than Inkheart. It doesn't ramble as badly, it has a relatively straight plotline, and the precipitous drops in suspense suffered by Inkheart are nearly invisible in Funke's second effort. The flat relationship between Mo and Resa is balanced by Meggie and Farid, the plot moves along in a confined space and time, and Dustfinger - the real mover and shaker in the plot - finally gets equal time. It's just a shame that you have to read Inkheart to be able to really understand and enjoy Inkspell.
As a disclaimer, I'd like to note that I love my husband and he recommended this book, as he's read all of Cussler's books and loves them.
However... CAs a disclaimer, I'd like to note that I love my husband and he recommended this book, as he's read all of Cussler's books and loves them.
However... Clive - dude - you have enough money to hire a really good editor, then do what he or she says. It's not a threat to your omnipotence. Really, it isn't. Do you fix your toilet yourself, or do you hire a plumber? Yes, you probably COULD fix your own toilet, but you WILL hire a plumber, because all he does is toilets. This is why you should hire an editor (not to fix your toilet - to edit your books).
The Chase has so many unnecessary repetitions, so many wooden explanations of relationships, and so many ridiculous descriptors that it feels like a 13-year-old's first novel. Manly men may be manly, but they can also form real relationships with people. Real women have to kick a little butt to be fully realized, both as people and as characters. Clive is a LOT older than I am, and even I know that my Great-grandmother ran a 250-acre farm by herself when she sent my Great-grandfather off to the TB ward. She also had 8 kids and drove them all to the TB ward twice a month to see their father, and two of those kids were conceived while he was in the hospital!
Treating the past as if everything was better then not only denigrates the experiences of the people who went before us, it makes us strive for unrealistic lives.
There are two cool cars, though... I guess that's enough for some people......more
As usual, Hiassen is one of the weirdest kids on the block. I find his ecological messages less intrusive in Sick Puppy than in his other books. This As usual, Hiassen is one of the weirdest kids on the block. I find his ecological messages less intrusive in Sick Puppy than in his other books. This is the second time I've read the book, and Twilly Spree is much more sympathetic than he was ten years ago. I, too, want to jump all of the messy, ignorant, pushy fools who drive Hummers and live in McMansions and give them the option of seeing the light or getting off the planet. Twilly is a way for me to live out that impulse without carrying it out in real life. I hope Hiassen is using Twilly for the same purposes... There's the usual Hiassen real/unreal feel to everything that happens in Sick Puppy, and the same fascinating, train-wreck quality to all of the characters' lives. I like that out-of-control, falling-down-stairs quality to Hiassen's plots, and I like the dialogue that results from it. ...more
In a departure from the first two books in the series, Shan visits the beginnings of human history, where a young Celtic mage and a Druid battle Lord In a departure from the first two books in the series, Shan visits the beginnings of human history, where a young Celtic mage and a Druid battle Lord Loss in some of his first forays into torturing humankind. Shan brings his talent for imaginative hideousness to bear particularly at the end of the book, where there's a tunnel made out of a person. Use your imagination. Ick, ick, ick.
As far as fitting into the series, this book feels... disconnected. It's not set in the present day, it deals with a female main character, and the only character in common with the other books is Lord Loss. Also unlike the other books, the main character is well-written even when she's not in the middle of kicking butt. She's got an interesting personality, an interesting back story, and an interesting life. I like her, and the way the book ends is completely unsatisfactory because I do like her.
Overall, the book is well worth reading for the horror lover....more
This is a good, solid action-adventure novel for reluctant readers. When you hand them the book, they will blanch because of its length, but the chaptThis is a good, solid action-adventure novel for reluctant readers. When you hand them the book, they will blanch because of its length, but the chapters are short (three to five pages, usually), there's loads of white space, and there's no tough vocabulary. The book reads really quickly because it's 95% action, so it's easy to get hooked. It's also rare in that the main character is female, but she's butch enough and in enough fights to keep the interest of either a boy or a girl.
The story is derivative (Ever watch Dark Angel on TV? Yeah, so did Patterson...) but enjoyable, nonetheless, and kids won't get the connection unless they have the SciFi channel and are at home during the day. This is the first - and the best - in a series of four books....more
Lightning Thief rolls right along, with a likeable hero and sympathetic sidekicks. The characters don't spend a lot of time soul-searching or talking Lightning Thief rolls right along, with a likeable hero and sympathetic sidekicks. The characters don't spend a lot of time soul-searching or talking about how they feel. They just get on with dealing with the events in the story, but it's done in such a way that the reader doesn't feel cheated. Percy (a reincarnation of Perseus), the main character, is believable and sympathetic, but he reads much older than he's scripted to be. No 6th-grader can stand up to Ares in a sword fight, no matter how much training or luck or heroic blood he has. I could easily believe Percy as a 16-year-old. His age is rarely mentioned, though, so it's only really noticeable at the beginning of the book. ...more
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