ShadowsinFlight

Shadows in Flight

Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card was supposed to be the long-anticipated conclusion to and the tie-between the Ender Series and the Shadow Series. Instead, somewhere along the way OSC decided to make this a small novel, a novella really, that takes place during the space-voyage of Bean and his three genetically-altered children. Unfortunately, …

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Enchantment

Enchantment

This…was amazing. Having already established myself as a fan of Orson Scott Card as a result of my experience with his Ender series, I was excited to see how Card’s style would translate into Fantasy. I was not dissapointed. Synopsis: Ivan Smetski is a 10 year old boy growing up in Russia. His parents decide …

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CatchingFire

Catching Fire and Mockingjay Reviewed…Also Featuring: Why the Arena Would Kill Bella in the First 5 Seconds…

When I picked up Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, I honestly had low expectations. Though I LOVED the first book, I had been left at a point where I felt like…Where else can this story go? Katniss has already survived the Hunger Games, so what else is the author going to do? …

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HungerGames

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games! I didn’t know a whole lot about these books when I got into them, just that they were an extremely popular Young Adult series. This review will be about just the first book in the series, and I will continue next week with the others. Synopsis: In the Hunger Games we have …

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Shadows in Flight Enchantment Catching Fire and Mockingjay Reviewed…Also Featuring: Why the Arena Would Kill Bella in the First 5 Seconds… The Hunger Games

Shadows in Flight

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April 13, 2012

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Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card was supposed to be the long-anticipated conclusion to and the tie-between the Ender Series and the Shadow Series. Instead, somewhere along the way OSC decided to make this a small novel, a novella really, that takes place during the space-voyage of Bean and his three genetically-altered children. Unfortunately, this synopsis might not make much sense if you haven’t read the previous books, but here goes…

Synopsis:
Bean, or Julian Delphiki, and his wife Petra had to make a difficult choice. In the end, they deemed it wisest for Petra to stay on earth with their children who had normal, human genes, while Bean traveled into space with the three others who inherited Bean’s unique biological code. They hoped that by allowing hundreds of years to pass on earth while only a few passed on the space ship, they could delay the death of bean and the children in time for a cure to be found.

The three children: Ender, Carlotta and Cinncinatus are six years old, and extremely intelligent, due to their altered genes. Their primary mission is to find a cure and stay alive. But there are other missions the children don’t know about…

As they approach an unknown planet they come face to face with an alien vessel that carries all the characteristics of a species that should not exist.

Review:
Ok, I will try to avoid spoilers, but this may prove difficult.
There is one thing that I found to be truly fascinating about this book, and that is the method of description used. Or rather, I should say that lack thereof. The entire story is written in dialogue, whether inner or verbal between the characters. I would normally have thought that this would cause some issues, but in fact it took me quite a while to even notice. There are certain things that one can take for granted: The general look of a space ship. What space looks like, even what the unknown planet looked like. None of these things are described, they are just identified briefly, then we are focused back on the dialogue. Or, more often, they are not identified at all but only referred to in the dialogue itself.

Something I loved about this book was getting to know the three children, and seeing Bean as a father-figure. In the Shadow series we get to know Bean as a super-intelligent boy who nevertheless lacks in understanding the depth of human emotion and relationships. In this book we see the other side of that, the Bean who has been in love with Petra, who has had children, and who chooses to leave the life he loves with his wife in order to attempt to secure a better future for his children. He has obviously grown in understanding through his love for his family. On the other hand, we have not one but three fascinating new takes on the potential of a person who is born with Bean’s genetic intelligence. Each develops their own interests and pursuits, and they create their own hierarchy within their small world. They are six years old, but have the intelligence and knowledge of the world’s top minds. I am probably becoming redundant at this point, but let’s just say that this book really fed the Geek in me: my enjoyment in dissecting the tiny details of why people do what they do. This is once reason I enjoy OSC’s books; his characters are so deep. There is always a reason, if not several reasons, for everything they do or say. The interesting thing is that the knowledge we receive of the character’s motivations by reading the book is probably only scratching the surface of the character as known by the writer.

Anyways…I give this book 5/5, but I would be interested to hear how the book came across to anyone who reads it without the prerequisite of the two series. It may be that this would alter the experience significantly.

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Enchantment

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February 6, 2012

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This…was amazing.

Having already established myself as a fan of Orson Scott Card as a result of my experience with his Ender series, I was excited to see how Card’s style would translate into Fantasy. I was not dissapointed.

Synopsis:
Ivan Smetski is a 10 year old boy growing up in Russia. His parents decide to get out of the country to give their son good opportunities. The process takes them to a cousin’s farm for a time, where Ivan has a strange encounter in the woods that ends up haunting him for years.

Time passes, they make it to the USA. Ivan grows up and follows in his father’s footsteps of becoming an academic, studying Russian languages and literature. When the time comes to do his thesis, (now in the mid 90′s) he travels back to Russia to do research. There, he visits his before-mentioned cousin, and finds his way again to that place in the woods. Sure enough, it is still there. A circular meadow with a raised area in the middle and a beautiful woman asleep upon it. How could this be? It had been years and years. But something else is still there too, the creature who guards the place.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story. But let’s just say it involves an evil witch, a vengeful ex-girlfriend, a visit to 1100 years in the past, revelations about the true nature of the world of which Ivan could never have dreamed, and an epic love story between two people who should never have even met. Also, the witch flies a 747 back in time, that was pretty cool.

Review:
As I said earlier, I loved this book. It was amazing. The story was fresh, but still held hints of beloved fairy tales. Now, let me just say this was no Disney Princess tale. The story had more the feel of a Grimm fairy tale: Darker, Grittier, and often more realistic. It was not a book I was recommend for young readers; I would say it was appropriate for older teens, while generally being geared towards adults. (Some language, some crude sexual references mostly in the context of the Princess’ home land in the 10th century and their traditions, customs, and generally different way of relating to one another than what Ivan was used to back home. Also some violence relating to the Witch and her Man-eating Bear husband. )

Card did an amazing job of transitioning us from the 60′s in Russia, to the 90′s in the USA, then back to Russia and finally into the 10th century. Back and forth and back and forth, but still flowing all together in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The romances between the characters was honest and real, and relate-able. The circumstances they (mostly Ivan) get themselves into are often funny and entertaining. 

I really appreciated how Card tied in the characters from Russian folklore, adding new ones and giving the whole thing his own spin.

I enjoyed the Princess Katerina: she was beautiful (of course) but also noble, willing to sacrifice herself for the good of her people. She was strong, powerful and vigilant. (not a delicate flower who’s skill set include nothing more than the ability to mimic songbirds and look pretty.) (Also, I would like to point out that I love the Disney version too. ;) )

Ivan was an excellent character as well. He is a good man. (so refreshing, right?) Strong of morals and good-hearted, honorable. Likeable.

Overall this was a great read. I would highly recommend it! 5/5

(Wow I used a lot of parenthesis in this post…)

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Catching Fire and Mockingjay Reviewed…Also Featuring: Why the Arena Would Kill Bella in the First 5 Seconds…

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January 31, 2012

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When I picked up Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, I honestly had low expectations.

Though I LOVED the first book, I had been left at a point where I felt like…Where else can this story go? Katniss has already survived the Hunger Games, so what else is the author going to do? Going back into the arena would be redundant. So I expected it to be about Katniss’ life after the Hunger Games, maybe with her helping out a new set of candidates. Maybe Gale or Prim would get picked. But no, you’re not supposed to get picked again, and Gale is too old now. So where could this be going?

After getting into it and seeing the direction it would take I had a “face-palm” moment where I realized…I should have seen this coming…

Synopsis:
Katniss and Peeta have survived the arena, and set out on their victory tour through all the districts. Everywhere they go there is unrest; the tension is building. People have been subtly resisting the Capitol’s rule, and the president blames Katniss. The people use her as a rallying point in their conversations and beliefs. stirring one another up into rebellion.

Of course, much of this is kept from Katniss, though she does see a little bit of it. It is not until the president physically visits her home and threatens her life and the lives of her family that she finally begins to see what is happening. By then, it’s too late.

To prove that no one is safe from the wrath of the Capitol, and further tighten the fist of it’s rule, the president announces that the tributes for the next hunger games will be chosen from the past winners in each district. For district 12, this includes only Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch.

Review:
So Katniss and Peeta head back into the arena. At this moment I again had the feeling that this was going to be a redundant book. But really, I never saw that happen. The fact that all the candidates were past victors, combined with the fact that Katniss (and therefore also the readers) was already very familiar with the way the whole system works, allowed the author to explore new ideas and twists without having to take as much time to explain these small details. We were given completely different relational dynamics between contestants, generally a chummy camaraderie laced with hatred that we didn’t see in the last book. Whereas before the kids had never seen one another before and knew them only as “other kids who are going to try to murder me,” here, we have the complication that these people are friends. Some have known each other for years. How are they going to deal with that? This, of course, increased the level of manipulation and secrecy going on.

An interesting thing about this book is that, though Katniss has always been really mature as a result of her survivalist lifestyle, we really start to see her maturing into her adult place in the world. Even though she’s still a teenager people just don’t look at her as a kid anymore. going along with this theme we are also getting a much better picture of what it is like to be an adult in Panem. Whereas before the cruelty of the Capitol was wrapped up in it’s treatment of children, we now see what we only assumed before: that the cruelty and abuse runs from the moment you are born to the day you die. We see how the victors, though they have been given an elevated status in the world due to their success in the arena, are still little more than slaves to the Capitol, just like all the other residents of Panem. I guess my point is, in this book we shift our focus from the children to a point that encompasses all of Panem.

*****

Then we are left with the final book in the trilogy: Mockingjay

This book continues the shift that began in the second book but then takes it several steps further. Here, Katniss is basically forced to become an adult, but not just an adult, a soldier, actress, and pawn. I would like to say that she has become someone else’s pawn. No longer a pawn of the capitol, but instead the pawn of the rebellion, but I can’t. In reality she is both. She continues to be controlled and manipulated by the actions of President Snow because she feels responsible. She feels that if she had just kept her mouth shut and head down, then maybe none of this would have happened.

The sad thing is that it still would have happened, if not to her then to Peeta, or whoever else would have won the Hunger Games. The rebellion has been orchestrated by outside forces that would have had their way no matter what Katniss did; she just became the image, the mascot of the uprising.

So she has a choice. Does she allow herself to be a pawn? Which cause is really better anyway? Do we trade one kind of oppression just to take up another in it’s place?

Mockingjay is painful. Painful in that we see the corruption on every side, and can’t see a way out of it. Everyone has their own agenda. Everyone is seeking power, prestige, or their own well-being. By the end you wonder if anyone ever really has pure intentions. In this way I think that the book brings up some serious questions that we all have to face at one time or another. What do you do with that? What can Katniss do with the fact that her sister is murdered before her eyes by the very people she is working for to END the oppression? If you’ve read the book, you’ll know she did do something about it. But we are still left to wonder whether what she did was even the right thing.

The series ends in a place that most dystopian fantasies do: A little bit hopeless, a little bit depressing, but still with the hope that maybe the character we’ve grow to love can come out of it with a good and decent life.

Even with the difficult questions and somewhat tortuous ends of many characters, I thought the ending was good. It was really the only conclusion it could have come to and still be satisfying. This goes for the result of Katniss’ romantic attachments as well.

*****

If you read my review of the first book in the series, you’ll know that I found Katniss to be a refreshing change from the popular heroines in recent Young Adult fiction.  So, I would like to take a moment and do a comparison, just to illustrate my point:

 

 

 -So the candidates enter the arena, and they must hold still for the allotted amount of time before running forward, or a mine will be triggered under their feet and they will die. 

-Katniss: holds still, then runs forward and grabs a backpack before hightailing it out of there–being strategic because she can always come back for them in stealth mode, rather than a head-on fight.

-Bella: holds still (she freezes like a statue when she is afraid) then does one of the following: runs recklessly forward for the weapons before getting chopped down by the guy from district 2… or faints. You be the judge.

-Ok, just be nice and assume they both survived. Katniss found water after a couple days, just as she was reaching the breaking point. Let’s even be nice and say that Bella found water before Katniss! (I’m feeling generous) So, Bella found water.  Well, what does Bella do when things are looking down in her life? Well, to be honest, she jumps off cliffs and tries to drown herself. So Bella finding water would actually be likely to make her death sooner! Ok…I’m not sure how much more generous I can get here. Did I mention Bella trips all the time? Seriously, they talk about it in the book all the time…I just don’t see what else I can give her…

*Alright, so Bella didn’t grow up in the rough territory of district 12, she didn’t have to learn to survive in the woods. So let’s be fair and turn the tables and see how Katniss would do in some of the situations in which Bella found herself:

-Moved in with her dad in a new place. She is at her first day in a new school and there is this totally hot guy in the cafeteria who keeps staring at her in a stalking-creepy-but-still-apparently-hot sort of way.

-Bella: stares right back and becomes almost hypnotized by his hotness and creepy stalker-ness. Forgets to eat lunch or loses appetite almost every day as a result but still makes friends with some kids who apparently like girls who stare off in the distance a lot and don’t eat or socialize.

-Katniss: does not make eye contact, but is very aware of him. Eats a healthy lunch in case she doesn’t have another such opportunity for nourishment. Wishes for a nice roast rabbit rather than this strange piece of greasy, spongy thing the laborer dubbed “peetsa.” Takes notice of Edward as a possible threat, makes friends with everyone, but only so she can evaluate them and learn their weaknesses, food sources, and the tiers of power in place. Sees that the Cullens are different, but doesn’t know what it means.

-Walks into Biology class and Edward grips the table as if in pain. He flares his nose as if she smells bad, and looks at her with eyes filled with an all-encompassing rage as if he is barely controlling himself.

-Bella: feels self conscious. Smells her hair to see if she stinks. Sits next to him because it’s the only seat open and feels uncomfortable, wondering what is wrong with herself to make him react like this.

-Katniss: instantly recognizes the threat. He is going to kill her. Proceeds to the back of the room before retrieving the knife she had smuggled out of the kitchen. Turning, she grips his arm behind him and holds the knife to his throat in an attempt to prod him out the door away from the innocent children. The room erupts in confusion and screaming as the kids see the knife. The teacher starts to call 911 and sounds panicky. In the confusion Edward uses his vampire speed and strength to vacate the room, leaving Katniss confused, but a lot more aware than she had been. Now she knows some of his abilities.

-Wakes up from a dream to see Edward in her room, watching her sleep like a creepy stalker.

-Bella: goes back to sleep with a smile on her face

-Katniss: springs from the bed, fully clothed and holding the largest, heaviest object she could find–a large hammer from her dad’s garage, and also the gun she stole from her dad’s equipment (bella’s dad is a cop) she shoots, not expecting it to work, and simultaneously whips the hammer around with her full strength at his head. (She would have noticed that his skin is rock hard when she tried to apprehend him in biology, so breaking through was a logical conclusion)

-What they would have done next:

-Bella: fell in love with him, formed an unhealthily passionate emotional connection to him to the point where she can see nor hear anything else. Abandoned all else in her life for him.

-Katniss: Followed his tracks back to the Cullen residence before setting the place on fire as a warning to leave her alone. Tried to convince her police chief father that the cullen family is dangerous after spying them out and learning all their secrets. After he says no, she needs to stop being so judgmental, Katniss would probably go over his head, showing up in the residence of the head of the CIA or FBI or any other top-secret government organization she could locate, and exposed the Cullens for what they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Finally:  Edward leaves, saying ‘sorry, I just don’t want you anymore. You’ll never see me again. Don’t hurt yourself.’ 

-Bella: runs around aimlessly through the woods calling his name for hours, till she finally collapses and curls herself into the fetal position, going into shock. This is followed by months of severe depression, culminated in Bella jumping off a cliff and surrendering herself to drowning with a smile on her face.

-Katniss: “It’s about time! Get away from me you creepy stalker!” (followed by a recreational hunting trip looking for giant wolves) When Katniss’ friend Peeta abandoned her and joined forces with the group that was openly hunting her to kill her, she evaded capture, then took them out. (I’m talking about the bee-hive incident).

There are so many more comparisons we could make, but these are the ones I thought of off the top of my head. Can you add any more to the list?

 

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The Hunger Games

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January 10, 2012

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The Hunger Games! I didn’t know a whole lot about these books when I got into them, just that they were an extremely popular Young Adult series. This review will be about just the first book in the series, and I will continue next week with the others.

Synopsis:
In the Hunger Games we have a post-apocalyptic USA in which the society has been divided into fourteen sections. The Capitol is the ruling section, where people live frivolous, indulgent and luxurious lives in peace and quiet in a beautiful city. Outside the Capitol are the other 13 districts. Each district produces a commodity for the Capitol. The people who live here are little more than slaves to the needs of the capitol, living on the edge of starvation and being worked to the bone. In district 12 we find Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who has been seasoned to survive.

Since her father’s death she has sneaked past the fence every day into the woods to hunt and gather for her family’s subsistence.

The Capitol keeps control of the districts by enforcing stringent rules with brutal punishments. This is where the Hunger Games come in. They were created as an un-ignorable reminder of the Capitol’s control. Here is how it works: Every year all the names of the children are gathered up and names are drawn. One girl and one boy is taken to the capitol to compete to the death with one another in a massive arena. There can be only one victor. The victor is rewarded with enough money to set themselves up for life, basically. But all the districts are forced to watch as their children are killed or killing one another…one by one…

When the time comes for the “reaping,” Katniss’ 12 year old sister’s name is called, but of course Katniss volunteers to take her little sister’s place, and Katniss heads off for the games.

Review:
I love this book. I really did. Though it takes part in the current trend in Young Adult books with a first-person present tense and a female lead. That is really where the similarities stop. Katniss is not a love-sick emotionally driven victim-complex wearing wimp like most of the other young adult books that teen girls are drooling over. Katniss Everdeen is a survivor. She is a fighter, a protector of those she loves. She uses her mind and strengths to defeat all obstacles in her way. She does whatever she has to to win, to get back home to her family who needs her to provide for them, and to throw a punch in the face to the Gamemakers while she’s at it. This is such a huge contrast from the whiny, self-hating characters I’ve been seeing lately it is like a breath of fresh air. On the other hand, Katniss is not perfect. She is sometimes too driven, so she ends up needlessly hurting some people along the way. She lacks empathy sometimes. She can be too focused on her own goals that have to do with her tight family circle that she is blind to the idea of “the greater good.” But what would she be if she had no flaws? She is believable, and relate-able.

As to the rest of the book, I just want to say that I think the whole of Panem and it’s 13 districts and the Capitol are quite imaginative and interesting. There is such a huge contrast between district 12 where Katniss grows up and the Capitol as it unfolds before her that it is almost ridiculous, but in a good way. You get a real sense for how completely ignorant the general population of the Capitol really is, and you feel poignantly Katniss’ disdain for them all as they dress her up like a doll as they send her to her death.

Overall, I would give this book 5/5. It was excellent, and I would recommend it for teens and adults alike.

 

If you like, take a moment and watch the trailer for the upcoming movie based on this book:

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Flight of Shadows

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January 3, 2012

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Flight of Shadows by Sigmund Brouwer to me, was shocking.

Synopsis:

Caitlyn Brown is a fugitive in a near-future USA in which the wealthy rule with impunity, middle class has become the slavery class, and the lowest live often cannibalistic lives in the sewers and abandoned subway systems.

Caitlyn is hunted by many, but in particular a lecherous pervert, a law enforcement official and a sadistic, sado-masochistic, blood-drinking bounty hunter out for revenge. As far as Caitlyn knows the reason they are hunting her is because of her deformity, but could there be something more?

She is befriended by a street-smart boy who seems to have unlimited resources, but can she trust him? Where can she go?

Review:

I enjoy dystopian fantasies, so I decided to take a chance on this book.

It was an interesting story involving the author’s speculations of the future of the USA and genetic experimentation. Caitlyn’s “deformity” is a fascinating take on an age old idea of humans with wings. How could it be possible? What other changes would have to be made in order for the skeletal structure and general makeup to support them? How could a girl’s muscles actually have the strength to use them?

On the other hand we have the society itself. Brouwer goes beyond the generic ideas of “the government just got more and more controlling,” etc. and actually explains the hows and whys of his alternate future, and ties it into things that are actually happening in the USA right now.

When I was reading this book I felt like I was being swept along in a raging river, with not enough to stop and see what was going on around me. It was fast, with the point of view switching frequently between at least 6 different characters and punctuated with nauseatingly gruesome acts of violence, mostly at the hands of the bounty hunter. Now, there are many times when fast-paced books work, where they actually enhance the story and create a riveting plot. Here, however, I felt like the pace made it impossible for me to get to know any of the characters on anything but a superficial level. I automatically cared about Caitlyn in the beginning because she had a deformity and was a victim right from the beginning. But it never really went past that. Sure, you feel sorry for all of the victims. But all the gruesome acts being thrown in my face at every turn made me feel sort of numb by the end of it, and the violent end of the bounty hunter really didn’t even shock me.

Overall, I would give this book a 2 out of 5. It had some great ideas, but was poorly implemented, with no real redeeming factors to make up for all the violence and grotesqueness.

This book was provided to me for free from Water Brook Multnomah Publishing for this review.

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Inheritance–Complete With Spoilers

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November 14, 2011

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After years of waiting, the final chapter in the Inheritance Cycle is complete. This review will have spoilers.

(Very Brief, because I could write like 3000 words on this) Synopsis:

The book opens with the Varden’s attack on the city of Belatona, and basically continues with their journey throughout the land, taking each city as they make their way to Uru’baen (Galbatorix’s stronghold). Roran is sent on a mission to take over command of the Varden’s forces which have been trying to take over Aroughs, and suceeds in an incredible way, but loses his dear friend Carn in the process. Roran is given more and more command as the book progresses.

The Werecats join the Varden following Belatona, and give their aid throughout.

Things take a dark turn when the Varden attack Dras-Leona. Eragon, Angela, Arya and Wyrden attempt to infiltrate the city using a set of tunnels Jeod discovers in a manuscript. But they are not unoccupied. Wyrden is killed in a trap, Angela and Solembum disappear, and Eragon and Arya are taken prisoner by the priests of Helgrind who reveal the true nature of their religion: the worship of the Ra’zac (disgusting, man-eating monsters whom we thought they annihilated in the previous book).

Eragon and Arya are offered up as sacrifices for the re-birth of the Ra’zac, but Angela and Solembum appear just in time to their rescue. They fight their way out, but Eragon loses the Belt of Beloth the Wise.

Later, after the taking of the city, the Varden’s camp is invaded in the middle of the night and Nasuada is taken captive by Murtag and Thorn. Eragon is now the leader of the Varden. This causes him great anguish, as he knows he cannot defeat Galbatorix. Then, he remembers the prophecy of Solembum, and set out in search of the Vault of Souls in Vroengard, the ancient but desolated home of the riders.

There, Eragon and Saphira discover their true names, and speak them to open the vault of souls, where they find hundreds of dragon eggs and Eldunari hidden away, which brings them great joy, as they had thought the dragons to be on the edge of extinction. The Eldunari reveal their behind the scenes work which helped Eragon and Saphira thus far, and their desire to help him defeat Galbatorix.

When Eragon and Saphira return to the Varden, tension is high and they are camped outside the walls of Uru’baen.  Eragon devises a risky plan, and they attack.

While most attack the walls, Eragon, Elva, Saphira, and Arya make it into the inner keep and stand before Galbatorix, where they discover that he has found the ‘Word.’ The name of the ancient language that basically lets him do whatever he wants with magic. Eragon discovers that Murtag loves Nasuada, and that love is what changed his true name, and therefore took away Galbatorix’s control over him. Murtag rebels and helps Eragon. Galbatorix lashes out and almost succeeds in taking over Eragon’s mind. Then, Eragon uses the power of the Eldunari with hi to cast a spell that makes Galbatorix ‘understand.’ He makes him see all the pain he caused, and understand the monster he is. Then, Galbatorix commits suicide which, as Paolini describes it, is essentially like a nuclear blast, the same thing that poisoned Vroengard. The magicians use their power to protect the people and cleanse everything of the effects.

Islanzadi dies, Arya eventually taking her place as queen of the elves.

Afterward, Nasuada is declared queen (of the humans) and they start to clean up the mess.

Eragon decides he cannot stay on Alagaesia any longer, but he wants to leave the world in peace while he goes to train the next generation of dragon riders. Thus, he solves an old feud by making if possible for Urgals and Dwarfs to become riders in addition to the elves and humans.

While travelling back to Du Weldenvarden, the green egg hatches for Arya; his name is Firnen.

Murtag goes into hiding (leaving Nasuada sad and lonely) and Eragon leaves Alagaesia and Arya behind.

Ok, now for my review:

In the first half of the book it is mostly fighting, taking cities, fighting, taking cities, but for some reason I never got bored. There were enough exciting things happening throughout the fighting, like the appearance of the Werecats, for example, that kept me engaged. I enjoyed Roran’s genius and courage.

In general, everything ended exactly as I thought it would, with the exception of the killing of Galbatorix. In that regard, I had honestly resisted making predictions. I couldn’t think of a way in which it could be done and retain some plausibility. I thought at one point that it would be Murtag who killed him, kind of like Vader and Darth Sidious. I also entertained the idea of Elva overpowering him, but that seemed too obvious because everyone kept saying that. I thought it too simple that the death of the tyrant could hinge on the whim of a child. I am glad he dies as he did. I think it it more plausible and also more original that the other options. If Eragon had just been handed the power to kill him (like more Eldunari) it would have seemed cheap to me, and I would have been disappointed.

As far as the rest: the actual ending and the severing of romances, this was not surprising to me at all. It is exactly as it should have been. No matter how much you want Arya and Eragon to be together, it never would have worked, and the people who complain otherwise are choosing to ignore the basic elements of the characters. Arya and Eragon were never meant to be together, not like people want. She is too duty-driven, too selfless, and too used to solitude of mind. She doesn’t consider that ‘I should go be with Eragon because that’s what would make me happy.’ Though she might acknowledge a desire to do so, she would never actually do it. It’s her basic nature to serve her people, all people, whatever is for the greater good. And Eragon, though he was not always this way, would be somewhat the same. He knows his duty, the raising of the dragons. He knows now, after all that happened that he cannot think for his own pleasure. Being a dragon rider means being a servant, not a ruler, a servant in that he must do what is right and moral and true. All of these things come together to create a world in which Eragon and Arya’s relationship has no place but as a warm memory and a friendship from afar.

There are only two things that remain a mystery to me, though I have my theories:

-Angela’s identity was hinted at throughout the book, and references to a great sorceress, a soothsayer, someone of none of the races known. I wish Eragon could have discovered the truth once and for all, but it’s really not a big deal.

-What did the Menoa tree take from him? We never found out, but here is my theory: The Menoa tree is an elf that merged herself to the tree. There she watches over her forest, and possibly the whole of Alagesia. her priorities are the safety of her realm and the maintenance of harmony therein. It is my theory that when Eragon declared himself to be somewhat of a half-elf half-human to her, and she caused him a pain in his lower stomach, that she took from him his ability to have children. A breed of half-elf-humans or quarter-human elves or what have you would have upset the balance. it would have disturbed her perfect tranquility in the elven forests and realms. I don’t know if this is the case, only Paolini knows, but this is what I have come up with.

In conclusion:

I thought the book and ending was excellent. The only thing that bothers me about the ending is that…well…it was the ending. I have heard rumors that Paolini has said he might write the stories of Brom (Eragon’s father) and I hope it’s true.

I think that it is clear to see that Paolini grew a great deal as a writer over the last decade or more that he has been working on this series. The later books and especially the final book show a great depth that the first two lack. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Side note: Just saw that Inheritance was the “highest first-day sale in 2011 of any fiction or non-fiction, adult or children’s title published this year in the U.S. and Canada…” That’s crazy! http://www.alagaesia.com/news_detail.php?f=0

What about you? What are your thoughts on the book? What do you think of my theories?

 

 

 

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Death Star by Michael Reeves and Steve Perry

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November 8, 2011

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This was a very interesting Star Wars EU book. I already knew the ending (We all know it gets blown up at the end), and I already knew all the major events of the time from my knowledge of A New Hope as well as reading books that give a great deal of insight into many of the characters at play (Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, etc.) This being so, I was not expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did.

The book centers, obviously, around the Death Star. In the beginning we are told how Tarkin has pushed and pushed the Emporer to let him build it, and the pride that he feels at finally succeeding in getting his project underway. But the book does not follow Tarkin nearly as much as I was expecting. The main portions of the story follow a variety of different characters  who find themselves living on the Death Star in a variety of different ways.

Here is the general list:

Atour Riten; Imperial Navy commander, Chief Librarian 
Celot Ratua Dil; convicted smuggler 
Conan Antonio Motti; Imperial Navy admiral 
Daala; Imperial Navy admiral 
Darth Vader; Dark Lord of the Sith 
Kornell “Uli” Divini; Imperial Surgical Corps captain (Character from ‘Medstar’ 1 and 2 by the same authors)
Memah Roothes; pub tender 
Nova Stihl; Imperial Marines sergeant
Rodo; bouncer
Teela Kaarz; architect, convict 
Tenn Graneet; Imperial Navy master chief gunner officer 
Villian Dance; Imperial Navy lieutenant 
Wilhuff Tarkin; Imperial Navy Grand Moff 

Not only do each of these characters have their own unique story, they are each described for you in detail as their doom grows ever nearer (The doom we know is coming, but they don’t). This caused problems for me when I was reading. There were just too many characters, too many things going on. Not only that, but I felt like some of the characters were also completely useless to the story. A rule of editing comes to mind: ‘If it doesn’t do anything for the plot, anything for your protagonist, why is it there?’ Well, apparently there were…9? protagonists? Now, granted, some of these people were quite interesting, Celot Ratua Dil, for example, but I cannot find one way that he benefited the story. He falls in love with the Twi’ilek bartender and tags along with what the group does, but he serves no purpose. He does nothing but hang around. I don’t get it. I don’t understand what the writers were trying to accomplish.

Some things I did enjoy about the story was how it gave new insight into the superstructure itself, the Death Star’s magnitude is…ridiculous. It’s huge!  I never quite realized the sheer size of the thing before reading this book.

Not only is it the size of a moon on the outside, the entire inside is filled with layers and layers of civilization!

Overall I would give this book about 3 out of 5. It was ok, not my favorite but certainly not the worst I’ve read in the Star Wars Extended Universe. I think it is a great book for giving insight into what was going on at the time of A New Hope. Also, this book ties in with the Medstar books 1 and 2, continuing the story of Dr. Duvini.

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Introducing…..

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November 4, 2011

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Hello faithful readers! I would like to apologize for my general lack of activity over the last few weeks. There are a number of excuses I could give, but I won’t bore you with them. Instead, I would like to unveil something I am really excited about. I have a new novel I’ve been working on, a fantasy entitled, “Phillip the Forgotten and the Visitors from Another World.” Today I would like to share with you an excerpt:

*****

As Phillip exited the Inn, he looked up and saw the wooden placard above the door. Upon it were carved and painted the image of a sword and a ladle, crossed in a way that reminded him of a coat of arms. He smiled to himself, thinking how ridiculous a great knight would look with a ladle upon his shield and banner. Then, he was suddenly hit with a memory of the previous day. “The old woman in the market, hadn’t she said something about a sword and ladle?” He tried to remember what exactly she had said as he walked aimlessly into the street and turned right. Unfortunately, he was not watching where he was going and plowed directly into something hard, and tall, and sturdy. It didnt seem to give way at all as he ran into it, and he was thrown backward himself into the dusty street.

Phillip heard rough laughter as he looked up, apologizing automatically as he tried to compose himself, “F…Forgiving me, I beg your par…” He broke off as his eyes beheld the massive creature before him. It stood like a giant over him, covered in armor that glinted in the morning sunlight like burnished bronze. The warrior’s hair was long and dark, held at his neck by a bit of leather. Upon his head was a helmet,with a great horn sticking out of each side. His shoes and gauntlets were spiked with more metal, and the biggest sword Phillip had ever seen hung at his waist. The young prince was struck dumb at such an unusual and unexpected sight, and just stood before him, staring.

“What are you looking at?” The man had a loud, commanding voice, but he still managed to sound completely uninterested in the person that must have looked like a dwarf in front of him.

This got Phillip’s attention, and he stammered out, “S…Sorry, I didn’t see you….” Suddenly struck by the ridiculousness of what he had just said, “How could I have missed you?” He snorted in laughter, then clapped his hand over his mouth in horror. “Idiot! I’m an idiot!”

This, of course, cause the warrior to take more notice of Phillip, and he glared down at him like he was a bug ripe for squashing. Then, he spoke, but it didn’t seem like he was addressing Philip. “That’s weird. I’ve never seen an en pee see do that.” Then, he addressed Phillip directly, “Who are you?”

The prince was quite confused by the stranger’s mannerisms, and he suddenly realized, “Of course! He’s a foreigner! I’ve heard the men from the Northlands are known to have been larger than those here. That explains it…” Somewhat more composed at this new reasoning, Phillip made a small bow and replied, “Please excuse my ill manners. I am known as…” He hesitated, looking about himself. “…Sir Ladle…Inn…Ladelin…Sorry. I am Sir Ladelin, and whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

This seemed to be more the thing the warrior was expecting, and he replied more amiably, “I am Gilad the Dragon-Slayer, but I have no time for pleasantries, direct me to the nearest Blacksmith.”

“Dragon-Slayer? What is a Dragon?” Phillip asked, interested by this exciting word and the idea that one could have a title that involved slaying something.

“Seriously?” the Warrior said, again in a completely different tone of voice that confused Phillip even more. “That’s what I get for playing a beta.”

“Sorry?” said Phillip, “Beta? Isn’t that a kind of a fish? How do you play with a fish? Personally I always found them to be rather boring…back and forth and back and forth they swim…not very…”

“Silence!” Boomed Gilad. “Just tell me where the Blacksmith is and I will be on my way!”

“I have no idea where the blacksmith is. I’ve never used one.” Phillip was starting to feel annoyed with being addressed in this way. Was the giant man talking nonsense on purpose, or could he be addled in his brain? “If he is crazy, I don’t want to be around a crazy person with a weapon like that.” He thought, glancing once again at the giant sword. “I think it’s time to go.” Out loud he said, “Well, good luck finding the blacksmith, I’ll just be going now…”

“Wait!” said Gilad, “If you’re not even going to give me any information I’m going to get what expie I can from you.” With that, he drew his giant sword, which Phillip now saw was a two-handed one, clearly specially made for the man who had the strength to weild something really intimidating.

“Woah woah woah…” Phillip said, backing up and holding his hands out in front of him. “I don’t know what I did to offend you, but please accept my apologies, there is no need for such violence.” As he spoke he glanced about the area for a gaurd, or really anyone for help. Seeing none, he drew his small belt-knife from it’s sheath, the type used for eating, nothing more than a toothpick compared to what he faced, looked about himself again, and braced for the attack he knew would probably see him hewn in two upon the dusty street.

*****

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