Cardathon Challenge

About the Cardathon Challenge

2009-01-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

How long does the challenge last? A year to whenever. I'm planning on keeping the site for quite a while. And once you join, you can contribute for as long as you want. So this could be as 'ongoing' as you want to make it.

When does the challenge begin? Officially, January 1, 2008. Unofficially, whenever you want to start reading and reviewing!

What books are eligible? To qualify for the Cardathon Challenge a book needs to meet one of the following criteria:

1) a book written by Orson Scott Card
2) a book edited/compiled by Orson Scott Card
3) a book with an introduction by Orson Scott Card
4) a book reviewed by Orson Scott Card on his official website.

How many books are we talking about? I'd suggest choosing 6-12 books to read. Along with alternates, of course. Always feel free to list more alternates than 'official' choices. Essentially, you could read as many or as few as you wanted. Although, I hope that given a year, you would read at least six books. If you should read all the books on your list, feel free to add more.

How many books must be written by Card? I'd hope that you would choose at least one or two books for your list. But you can choose many other authors as long as they've been mentioned and/or recommended by Card. This leaves the selection process very open-ended, and gives you many, many options.

Do I have to be a sci-fi fan? No. You can be a newbie to the field. (Or a devoted fan.) Prior experience is not required. If you're a fan of realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, young adult fiction, mysteries, horror, etc. I really truly believe there is something for everyone to enjoy! Card has reviewed lots of adult books, many young adult books, a few picture books, and even a few board books. So there is truly something for everyone.

Do I have to be an Orson Scott Card fan? No. Not necessarily. You can be a newbie and be trying Orson Scott Card for the first time.

But how will I know which books are eligible? I have listed the books meeting the first three criteria in the sidebar. I will be sorting through his review columns in the days and weeks leading up to the official start date. I will be making individual posts about those books. So looking in archives will give you a list of those. Feel free to go to his site and search for yourself if you like. And feel free to choose books that fulfill other challenges you're already participating in!

Once I make my list, can I change my mind? Yes. You can change your mind at any point. Card will keep reviewing books in his weekly column as the months go by (now-December 2008) and you can always change your list to incorporate new titles. Also, always feel free to abort a book. If you've started a book and it's not just working for you, by all means abandon it in favor of something else! No use suffering through a book because you feel it's 'required' because it's on your list.

What do I do to 'officially' join this challenge? Leave a comment with your name and email address. I'll send you an email inviting you to contribute to the site. You can post your reviews on this site and/or your own site. (I will be posting mine here and on my other site, Becky's Book Reviews). Your reviews can be as long or as short as you want. You can be rambling or concise. It's all up to you! I would also suggest that you post about the challenge on your own blog, if you have one, to let as many people know about the challenge as possible!

Don't want to contribute to the site? Prefer to Mr. Linky? Click to add your post with a list of books. Just be sure to come back to the site regularly and let us know when you've got a new review up!

Don't feel comfortable posting your email address for all the world to see? You can email me privately to join. Just be sure to mention the words Cardathon or Challenge in the subject line!

Is there a button or banner? Yes. Foxy Writer has made one for us. It's at the top of the post now. And there are two smaller ones below! Isn't it great?! Thank you very much :)

Are there prizes involved? Not at this stage. I don't have any to offer at this point. Nor the money to ship them, but the 'rewards' will be in the reading and community-building. I have always found that reading is its own reward.

Finding those Card-Recommended Titles

2009-01-02T19:30:00.015-06:00

I have tried to be as helpful as possible. But this is very exhausting work. So be kind. Be patient. Be understanding. And especially be forgiving if I've misspelled an author's name.

Practically all 'eligible' books (98.5%) can be found by browsing the list below AND by browsing the August archives. There will be some overlap. But there are some in the archives that I was just too tired to retype and alphabetize. There were some titles on OSC's site I didn't bother with. For example, I didn't think "History of Locusts" would top anyone's challenge list. But if you want to scan his site yourself, you may.

Authors A-to-Z for Cardathon Challenge

-A-
Alcott, Louisa M. Little Women.
***New*** Alexander, Lloyd. All of his books.
Alpert, Michael. London 1849: A Victorian Murder Story.
Alterman, Eric, It Ain't No Sin to Be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen
Ambrose, Stephen. To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian
Asimov, Isaac. All.
Austen, Jane. All of her books.
Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Midnight Magic.
-B-
Babbit, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting.
Barber, Richard. King Arthur: Hero and Legend.
Barnard, Robert. Death of a Mystery Writer.
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan.
Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson. Peter and the Starcatchers. Peter and the Shadow Thieves.
***New*** Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn.
***New***Beaton, M.C. any of the Haimish Macbeth novels.
***New***Beckett, Galen. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent.
Bell, Hilari. The Wizard Test. The Goblin Wood.
Birzer, Bradley J. J.R.R. Tolien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle Earth.
Block, Lawrence. All of his books.
Boyce, Frank Cottrell. Millions.
Bradbury, Ray. All.
Brennan, Herbie. Faerie Wars.
Bronte sisters. All.

Brooks, Terry. Sword of Shannara. New
Burke, James Lee. All.
Burke, Jan. All.
Burridge, Kate. Blooming English.
-C-
Chandler, Raymond. All.
Channing, Carol. Just Lucky I Guess
Churchill, Winston. History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
Christie, Agatha. All.
Clark, Mary Higgins. Daddy's Little Girl. Kitchen Privileges.
Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
Coben, Harlan. Tell No One. No Second Chance.
Cohen, Eliot A. Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime.
Collins, Suzanne. Gregor the Overlander.
Colón, Raúl. Orson Blasts Off!
Connelly, Michael. All of his books.
Coville, Bruce. William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.
Crais, Robert. All.
Crichton, Michael. State of Fear.
Crystal, David. The Stories of English.
Cussler, Clive. Sahara.
-D-
de Lint, Charles. All.
de Vries, Hilary. So Five Minutes Ago.
diCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn Dixie.
Dickens, Charles. All.
Dickinson, Peter and Robin McKinley. Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits.
***New*** Dickinson, Peter. Some Deaths Before Dying.
Dodge, David. Plunder of the Sun.

***New*** Donaldson, Stephen R. Thomas Covenant books.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. All.
***New*** Downie, Ruth. Medicus. Terra Incognita.
-E-
Elliot, Kate. All.
Ellison, Harlan. (ed?) Dangerous Visions.
Evanovich, Janet. All.
Everitt, Anthony. Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician.
-F-
Farland, David. All. [Especially Runelords series]
Fatsis, Stefan. Word Freak.
Ferrnandez-Armesto, Felipe. Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food
Flewelling, Lynn. The Bone Doll's Twin, Hidden Warrior, The Oracle's Queen.
Flynn, Michael F. Eifelheim.
Fonda, Jane. My Life So Far.
-G-
Gaiman, Neil. All of his works.
Gemmell, David. All. But especially: Sword in the Storm; Midnight Falcon; Ravenheart; Stormrider
Grafton, Sue. All of her works.
Graves, Robert. I, Claudius. Claudius the God.
Grisham, John. All.
-H-
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. All. (His review of the Found.)
Hale, Shannon. Goose Girl. Enna Burning. Princess Academy.
Hammett, Dashiell. All.
Harrison, Mette Ivie. Mira, Mirror. The Princess and the Hound.
Heinlein, Robert A. All.
Herbert, Frank. All. But Especially Dune.
Herman, Arthur. How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything In It
Hiaasen, Carl. Nature Girl.
Heinlein, Robert. All.
***New*** Higgins, Jack. Sure Fire.
Hillerman, Tony. All.
Hobb, Robin. All.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner.
-I-
-J-
Jones, Diana Wynne. All.
-K-
Keizer, Gregg. The Longest Night
Kellerman, Jonathan. All.
Kent, Cameron. When the Ravens Die.
***New*** Konigsburg, E.L. The Mysterious Edge of The Heroic World.
Koontz, Dean. All.
-L-
Lee, Tanith. Wolf Tower series. (Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, ???)
Leonard, Elmore. All.
Levine, Gail Carson. All of her books.
Lewis, C.S. All of his books.

Leiber, Fritz. All of his books. New
Linden, Eugene. The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, intelligence, and Ingenuity.
Lindskold, Jane. The Buried Pyramid.
Liss, David. A Conspiracy of Paper.
***New*** Lobel, Arnold. Any of the Frog and Toad books.
Long, Melinda and David Shannon. How I Became A Pirate. (picture book)
Lubar, David. All.
-M-
McBride, James. Miracle at St. Anna
McCaffrey, Anne. All.
McCarthy, Susan. Becoming A Tiger: How Baby Animals Learn to Live in the Wild.
McCammon, Robert. Gone South. Speaks the Nightbird.
McCrumb, Sharyn. All.
MacDonald, Ross. All.
Manchester, William. The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940. and The Arms of Krupp.
Maron, Margaret. All.
Martin, George R.R. All.
Maxey, James. Bitterwood. Dragonforge. New!!!!
Meyer, Stephenie. The Host. New!!!!
Michener, James. The source.
Mitchell, Margaret. Gone With The Wind.
Mortimer, John. All.
Mosley, Walter. All.
Mull, Brandon. Fablehaven.
Muller, Marcia. All.
-N-
Nichols, Lee. Hand-me-down.
Niven, Larry. All.
-O-
-P-
Paradi, Valerie. Clever Maids: The Secret History of Grimm Fairy Tales
***NEW*** Park, Paul. A Princess of Roumania.
Parker, Robert. All of his books.
Parker, T. Jefferson. Silent Joe.
Pearson, Ridley. Cut and Run.
Peck, Richard. Invitations to the World.
Pierce, Tamora. All.
***New*** Pilkey, Dav. Captain Underpants series.
Pratchett, Terry. The Eyre Affair.
Prerau, David. Seize the daylight.
-Q-
-R-
Rankin, Ian. Resurrection Men.
Ravitch, Diane. Left Back: A Centure of Battles Over School Reform.
Rehak, Melanie. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her. For the record, ANY Nancy Drew would also qualify.
Roberts, John Maddox. All ***New***
Rowling, J.K. All of the Harry Potter series.
Russell, Sean. the One Kingdom. The Isle of Battle. the Shadow Roads.
-S-
Sachar, Louis. Holes. Someday Angeline. Dogs Don't Tell Jokes. Sixth Grade Secrets. Marvin Redpost, Kidnapped At Birth.
Sanderson, Brandon. Elantris.
Saylor, Steven. All of his books.
Schama, Simon. A History of Britain. three volumes.
Schnakenberg, Robert. Ed., Distory: A Treasury of Historical Insults.
Schwartz, Jonathan. All in Good Time.
Setterfield, Diane. Thirteenth Tale.
Severgnini, Beppe. Ciao, America!
Shusterman, Neal. Everlost. ***NEW*** Also Unwind. Also Antsy Does Time.. .
Siegel, Jan. Prospero's Children.
Slater, David Michael. The Ring Bear.
Sleater, William. All.
Smith, Alexander McCall. All.
Smith, Sherwood. Inda. Fox.
***NEW*** Spence, Jon. Becoming Jane Austen.
***New***Sonnenblick, Jordan. Zen and the Art of Faking It.
Stauffacher, Sue. Donuthead. Donutheart.
Stewart, Mary. The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and the Last Enchantment
Stout, Rex. All of his books.
-T-
Thane, Elswyth. Williamsburg series. (Dawn's Early Light, Yankee Stranger, etc.)
NEW*** Thompson, Colin. The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley.
Tolkien, J.R.R. All of his books.
Tolkien, Simon. Final Witness.
Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina.
Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.
Turner, Megan Whalen. Attolia Series. (The Thief, Queen of Attolia, King of Attolia)
Twain, Mark. All.
Tyler, Anne. All.
-U-
Underhill, Paco. the Call of the Mall.
-V-
Van Allsburg, Chris. Polar Express.
Verne, Jules. ARound the World in 80 Days.
Vidal, Gore. Julian.
Vinton, Victoria. The Jungle Law
-W-
Walker, Gabrielle. Snowball Earth.
Weir, Alison. The Children of Henry Viii. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Weller, Sam. The Bradbury Chronicles.
Wells, H.G. All.
White, Kate. If Looks Could Kill. 'Til Death Do Us Part.
White, E.B. Charlotte's Web.
White, T.H. The Once and Future King.
Whyte, Jack. Camulod Chronicles.
Wiesner, David. Flotsam.
Wilhelm, Kate. The Price of Silence.

New!!!!! Willems, Mo. All. (Especially Elephant and Piggie early readers and Pigeon picture books)
Winspear, Jacqueline. All.
Wolff, Tobias. All.
Wolfe, Thomas. All.
-X-
-Y-
Yolen, Jane. Sword of the Rightful King.
-Z-

Miscellaneous Notes:

For that you need Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions, now back in print. This anthology and its sequel redefined science fiction when they first came out in the 1960s.

If you combine them with Isaac Asimov's series of anthologies of the Hugo winners -- and maybe my own anthologies, Future on Fire and Future on Ice (with stories from the 1980s) and Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century -- then you'll get an idea of the breadth and scope of science fiction, as shown by the short stories, which have always led the way into new literary terrain.

Ender in Exile

2008-12-23T11:36:00.002-06:00

Yes I know, I'm not the first or only one to post a review of ENDER IN EXILE, but I've been a member of this blog for a long time and have never posted. So, here goes:

If you know me at all, it’s no secret that my favorite author is Orson Scott Card and my favorite series is Ender’s Game. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to read ENDER IN EXILE.

First of all, it goes without saying that if you like any of the Ender books, you must read this one. The neat thing is, you could really read it anytime. If you just read ENDER’S GAME, this would be a great sequel. But it sort of continues the SHADOW OF THE GIANT timeline too. Or if you’ve already read them all, this is a wonderful way to get to visit the Enderverse again. (I’ve already read the series a few times, so a new book was a welcome gift to me).

Now I’ll get to the review. This picks up right after the war. Most of the children are going back home. But Ender, savior of the world, could end up being a pawn to anyone who gets their hands on him, so rather than be in danger on Earth, he’s sent to govern a new colony in space. Valentine knows she’ll never see him again on Earth, so she decides to join him. Peter had originally wanted him home, so he could use him for his own purposes, but realizes that he’ll be better off without Ender overshadowing him.

This novel tells the story of Ender at that first colony then follows him to another colony where his life is seriously threatened. But it’s really about a boy of thirteen figuring out how to live with the guilt of what he’s done. Several good people try to convince him along the way to forgive himself and move on (Graff, Valentine). However, he is the only one who can do that. It doesn’t matter how many people tell him to do it, he must find a way that works for him.

He finally does find a way. Or at least something that gives him great relief. I was hoping this would be the book where he found the Hive Queen.I loved hearing the story behind the writing of The Hive Queen & The Hegemon. I also enjoyed immensely seeing the interactions and relationship build between Ender & Valentine. I always loved the two of them together (almost as much as Ender & Jane).

One event that I wanted to know more about was how Ender went from "Ender - Savior of the World" to "Ender the Xenocide." It was mentioned in other books, but here we see step-by-step how the public opinion was manipulated. It’s actually pretty scary how easily that type of thing can happen.

This was an enjoyable trip, indeed. In fact, I feel like I want to go back and read more from the series.

If you’re a fan, you won’t need my prompting to read this one. If you’re not yet a fan, begin the journey with ENDER’S GAME and you’ll quickly become one.

Cardathon Completed! (3M)

2008-12-18T21:07:00.001-06:00

Thanks so much for hosting this challenge, Becky! I enjoyed all of the books I read, but my favorite was probably The Graveyard Book. I love Neil Gaiman!

The books I read (10 total and 2 by Card):

Card, Orson Scott

Ender's Game (review to come)

Ender in Exile (review to come)

Gaiman, Neil

The Graveyard Book

Rowling, J.K.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Ender In Exile

2008-11-02T22:48:00.001-06:00

Card, Orson Scott. 2008. Ender in Exile.

Ender in Exile is the "new direct sequel" to Ender's Game. And in a way, that's true enough. The novel begins with Ender on Eros. His brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine, are on Earth. One lobbying for his return, the other arguing that he should not be allowed to come home. At all. Ever. If Ender was sent home, so the argument goes, he'd be a pawn for governments and militaries to fight over. He'd be targeted by power-hungry individuals for the rest of his life. Right? Those that have read the Shadow books (Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant) know that is exactly what happened to other Battle School children--including Petra, Bean, and Alai--when they returned. With the return of the children come wars and rumors of wars. Valentine--a.k.a. Demosthenes--wants better than that for her brother. Valentine loves her brother. If he can't come to her, she'll go to him. She decides to join her brother in space in his exile.

Admiral Ender will soon become Governor Wiggin when he's sent (along with Valentine) with one of the first (I think it is the very first) colonization vessels. At thirteen, he doesn't feel ready for the job no matter what anyone on Eros or Earth has to say about his legendary hero status. And there is at least one man on board--a fellow Admiral--who is captain of the ship--Quincy Morgan--who feels that Ender is a sham of a man. He glories himself to be the better man for the job. And he plans accordingly.

This journey will take a little over forty years give or take a month or two. But for Ender--and for the others that remain awake for this flight--it will be just two years. Who would choose to stay awake when they had the option of sleeping and not aging? You might be surprised at how many. Ender chooses because he wants those two years desperately to make him "mature" into a man that a colony of strangers would respect. Valentine chooses because it will give her time with Ender...and it will give her time to write. She's got plans for writing about Battle School and the Formic Wars. The reader is also introduced to two others that choose to remain awake: Dorabella and Alessandra Toscano. Dorabella is a strange woman living in a fantasy world and dreaming big dreams. Here is a feisty woman with ambition. Alessandra is the much shyer, much quieter, mostly-obedient daughter who's afraid to stand up to her mother.

Where are they going? Colony 1. But this colony is soon given a name: Shakespeare. And Ender begins communicating with the governor even before they've left Eros. He wants to know everything about the planet, everything about the people, he wants to make these vital connections, and it's not because he has to. The reader is introduced to some of these colonists throughout. (None will be familiar except Abra.)

A lot can happen in forty or fifty years. And Andrew and Valentine are not cut off completely from Earth. Not exactly. So we do hear about Peter becoming Hegemon. About the wars on Earth. About Bean and Petra and the others whose adventures we followed in the Shadow books.

At some point in the book, Andrew learns about another colony-in-the-making that will be governed by a Battle School graduate named Virlomi. And on that ship is a child that Graff feels is the missing ninth child of Bean and Petra. He wants Andrew--if he's able--to go to this new Colony if he gets the chance to find out for sure. The colony in question is Ganges. On this ship and on this colony are several people whom the reader first met in one or more of the Shadow books.

So Ender in Exile is also the direct sequel to Shadow of the Giant. It follows a handful of the characters into space. And we also follow in a limited capacity those left behind--Peter, Petra, Graff, etc.

Almost everything that happens (but not all of what happens) was hinted at in the final chapter of Ender's Game. There aren't any BIG surprises along the way. The Ender of Ender in Exile is a boy in transition. He's not yet a man. He's not the wise-beyond-his-years Speaker For the Dead. He's a guilt-ridden boy who is burdened by what he's done--the deaths of those two boys, the annihilation of the Buggers--and he is anxious to make amends. He's a good-natured, boy who is seeking answers, always seeking.

How does Ender in Exile compare to others in the series? I enjoyed it. While it could never take the place in my heart for Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, it certainly belongs there with the others. We've got a good mix of old characters and new characters. The characterization--like always--is great. The plot was as exciting (in a way) and well paced as others. This one wasn't as bogged down with politics and strategies. Nor was it bogged down with philosophy. I'm not picking on the other sequels--I happen to enjoy them all--but I also acknowledge that some fans of Ender's Game are turned off by the sequels.

I've never been sure how to order these books. I read them Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Ender in Exile. But chronologically, they're all over the place. All of Ender in Exile occurs within the final chapter of Ender's Game and before Speaker of the Dead opens. But there are events discussed or mentioned in Ender in Exile from the Shadow books. There are characters introduced in the Shadow books that are a part of the action in Ender In Exile. So I'm not sure what order to recommend them anymore. I think they can be enjoyed in any order perhaps.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Revisiting Ender

2008-11-02T22:46:00.002-06:00

In celebration of the release of Ender in Exile, I decided to reread Ender's Game. Though I admit it doesn't take much for me to find a good reason to revisit an old friend like Ender. There are times I wonder why I keep going back again and again and again. What is it about Ender and his friends that I just can't get enough of? I don't have the answer to that. But I do know that each time with Ender is just as magical as the previous times. I never get tired of reading Ender's Game no matter how many times I reread it. And there aren't that many books I can say that about.

First sentence: "I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one. Or at least as close as we're going to get."

Ender's Game is a story about children who don't act like children. Set several hundred years in the future after the first and second wars with the Buggers (or formics), the military-powers-that-be take the most promising children and send them into space to attend Battle School. There they are raised to be soldiers and officers and commanders. No kindness or compassion allowed. Our hero, Andrew Wiggin, is just six when he's taken to Battle School. His nickname is Ender, and he's one-of-a-kind almost from the very beginning. He's the child that shows the most potential, the most promise. But to get him to commander-stage, he'll have to be treated harshly. Even more harshly than his fellow launchies. Do the end results justify the means? You'll have to read and see for yourself.

For my more extensive review of Ender's Game, see this review.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Xenocide

2008-10-07T13:09:00.001-05:00

Card, Orson Scott. 1991. Xenocide.

Xenocide is the sequel to Speaker for the Dead. (Speaker for the Dead is the sequel to Ender's Game. Ender's Game is my favorite, favorite book.) Xenocide is an intricately complex plot following the saga of characters (mainly) introduced in Speaker for the Dead. Speaker for the Dead concludes with the threat of the destruction of the planet of Lusitania. Which would mean the destruction of the pequeninos (piggies), the human colonists (including Andrew Wiggin, his wife, his stepchildren, etc.) and the Hive Queen (the Buggers). The Lusitania Fleet has been launched, and the order to destroy the planet using the M.D. Device (Little Doctor) has been given. If it wasn't for Jane, the life-force residing in the ansibles and computers, the impending doom would be absolutely, completely certain. As it is, it is only mostly certain that xenocide will occur once again. (Xenocide being genocide of an entire species. While the human colonists would lose their lives, the human race would go on in the other hundreds of worlds colonized. But xenocide is a very real threat to two alien species: the Hive Queen (and her workers, etc) and the Pequeninos.)

There are so very many characters to keep track of in Xenocide. As I mentioned, most were introduced in Speaker for the Dead. Andrew and Valentine. Andrew's wife, Novinha. Andrew's step-children: Miro, Ela, Quim, Olhado, Quaro, Grego. The piggies of utmost importance are Planter and Glass. (Not counting the fathertrees Human and Rooter, etc.) The Hive Queen of course. Jane, the character that pulls most of the book together. But there are three characters that are brand new to the story. Three people from the Chinese colony of Path: Han Fei-tzu, Han Qing-jao, and Si Wang-mu.

The plot is too intricate and complex to go into all the details. The book is all about life-and-death matters. The colonists are trying to figure out a way to kill the descolada before it destroys them. They hope that if they can destroy it, then perhaps they'll be saved as well. The Hive Queen is busy building star ships. She wants some for herself. But she's also building some for the Pequeninos. She doesn't want another alien species destroyed by human stupidity. But the humans know that while the Hive Queen may be intelligent enough to find a way to kill the descolada from tainting them and their DNA--the Piggies aren't nearly advanced enough to do so. (The descolada is essential for the Pequeninos to survive. It is linked to their DNA. It is how they procreate and continue on in the third life.)

Xenocide is an interesting novel. But one that doesn't stand on its own. It begins in the middle of things, and ends with no resolution. (Or very little resolution.) It's the middle book of a trilogy (in a way) and while it's important...crucial for the progression of the story...it isn't as satisfying in some ways as the others in the series.

That being said, I do like it. I made the mistake, this time round, of not having read it close enough to Speaker for the Dead. It's been about fifteen or sixteen months since I read Speaker for the Dead. And some books are just better read in close proximity.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Margaret Peterson Haddix's Found

2008-09-04T11:17:00.002-05:00

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2008. The Missing Book 1: Found.

I may be a bit biased--slightly--since I love, love, love Margaret Peterson Haddix. My expectations were high with this her first book in a new series. And I was NOT disappointed. I was WOWed. I'm not foolish enough to think that this one will WOW every single kid, teen, or adult out there. But for those that love science fiction and mysteries...this one is for you.

Here's the opening of the prologue: "It wasn't there. Then it was. Later, that was how Angela DuPre would describe the airplane--over and over, to one investigator after another--until she was told never to speak of it again. But when she first saw the plane that night, she wasn't thinking about mysteries or secrets."

What Angela DuPre witnessed on her first day of the job was indescribably unbelievable. Perplexing. A plane that appeared and disappeared on the runway. A plane that she found minus the pilot and flight attendants. A flight were all thirty-six passengers were babies. Sounds crazy, right? How could an unscheduled plane--a plane that did not show up on any of their radars--land on their runway to begin with? How could it have gotten there without a pilot on board? Why babies? But even more strange was the fact that once the babies were unloaded, and the proper authorities called...the plane vanished into thin air. Angela DuPre witnessed the unbelievable alright. But she wasn't crazy.

The Found opens thirteen years later. Our hero is a boy named Jonah. He's got a best friend, Chip, and a slightly younger sister, Katherine. Our book opens with the arrival of several mystery letters. Two letters. Thirteen words. Lives are going to change.

"You are one of the missing."
and
"Beware! They're coming back to get you."

Found is a suspenseful, mysterious action-and-adventure novel that will thrill those that love science fiction. Of course I can't promise that it will "thrill" every reader. But I know it kept me reading. I couldn't put it down. And I was loving every minute of it. The pacing was just right. The characters were nicely developed--and are sure to improve upon with each novel that is published in the series. The only problem with the book is that it left me wanting more...wanting more now! I don't want to have to wait for the next novel to come out. I want to know what happens to Jonah and Katherine and Chip NOW! There's this intensity and immediacy that I just don't find in many other books.

Other reviews, Semicolon, The Reading Zone, KidsReads.com, Mrs. Hill,

Just so you know

2008-07-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

I do routinely go in and update the listing of Card-Recommended Titles. I scan his "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything" columns so religiously that if it's mentioned, I update it immediately :)

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The Last Battle

2008-07-10T16:57:00.007-05:00

Lewis, C.S. 1956. The Last Battle.

In the last days of Narnia, far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall, there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first come to live in those parts, and he was the cleverest, ugliest, most wrinkled Ape you can imagine. He had a little house, built of wood and thatched with leaves, up in the fork of a great tree, and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs, or people of any sort, in that part of the wood, but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends, but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shift's servant than his friend.

The beginning of the end starts with one donkey, one ape, and one lion skin that floats downstream. From that skin an evil plot is born, and from that plot much blood is shed and much harm is done for every living thing (man, animal, tree, etc.) in Narnia. Shift's plot? To have Puzzle wear the lion skin and "be" Aslan for curious persons to gaze upon from a distance. Shift's real plot? To use the name of Aslan to get exactly what he wants.

It has been many generations since King Rilian ruled. Now his descendant, a king named Tirian, reigns. Though his luck seems to change overnight. One day a king, the next a prisoner. And all because "Aslan" has arrived back in Narnia.

Using the famed line "He's not a tame lion" people reason away all the signs that this is NOT Aslan. He commands the destruction of trees with spirits? Not a tame lion. He demands talking beasts to become his slaves? Not a tame lion. Demands servitude and exile from dwarfs? Not a tame lion. It's easy to say from our perspective that these animals, these individuals are a bit too gullible. But when you stop and think about it, the reader knows more, has experienced more. There haven't been any Aslan spottings in hundreds perhaps a thousand years. What the average Narnian knows is just stories passed down generation by generation by generation. Is it really so hard to see that perhaps their faith has more doubt than certainty? The truth is the average Narnian has not had any "use" for Aslan and his stories in their practical lives. So their faith isn't as "active" as it could be, should be perhaps.

King Tirian won't be fooled for long. He starts off highly suspicious and remains so for the most part. Once he's been captured, imprisoned, Tirian starts to think, to really think about Narnia, about Narnian history, about what he knows to be true, to be right. He realizes that humans from another world have always always been a part of the action. That the arrival of humans almost always accompanies these Aslan sightings. There is always a link. So he delivers a heartfelt prayer that these human saviors will come once again and fight for Narnia, to fight for freedom, to fight for right.

His prayer is answered in a way, but not in the way he hoped. I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler for readers. But it is called The Last Battle for a reason. Narnia is coming to an end. The world, the country, is dying. Tirian and the humans who arrive--Jill, Eustace, Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Digory, and Polly--are there to witness the end of Narnia and the beginning of their after lives.

As a child, I enjoyed this one. I would have put it above many of the other books in the series--including Horse and His Boy and Silver Chair--but as an adult I have a new perspective altogether. While some of the aspects of this one work for me, there were quite a few significant problems.

I'm not sure if other readers will share my quibbles or not. They may have different issues than I do. Among one of the reasons why people may find the last one disappointing is that...

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

all the humans die. Jill. Eustace. Peter. Edmund. Lucy. Digory. Polly. Most of them (I think most of them) die as a result of a train accident. (The Pevensie parents die as well but we still don't see them in the book.) I'm not sure if killing off all your characters will leave readers satisfied. Yes, the characters themselves are happy. But the deaths of so many seem tragic to me. Not that death itself is tragic. (Death can be a good thing. It can be a blessing.)

Second. Susan is missing. She's no longer a "friend" of Narnia. This is 'tragic' for several reasons. One is that technically speaking she will have lost her mother, father, two brothers, and a sister. She'll be all alone in the world. Two is the not-so-subtle theme that you can lose your salvation. If being a friend of Narnia translates directly into being a Christian, then Lewis' message seems to be that Susan represents Christians that have fallen from grace and lost their salvation, lost their way. Of course there are some believers who do in fact believe that this is the case. That Christians can un-Christian themselves, un-save themselves, re-damn themselves. I for one am not one of them. Of course, there is the potential that this fictional Susan could regain her friend status later on in life. That she could have another opportunity to believe. But Susan as allegory just doesn't work for me.

For those readers who are not approaching these seven novels as a Christian believer, for those that are reading them because they are fantasy--pure and simple and fun fantasy--then The Last Battle is a fitting conclusion.

Edited: I did edit out a theological rant simply because I feel that this may not be the best forum for such a theological can of worms :)

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

2008-07-07T03:06:00.001-05:00

I have other books that I really need to review, but I wanted to give this book the justice it deserved, so I am reviewing it now. It is by far one of the best books I read this year, so I am glad I went to the store the other day to pick up a copy. Marg and Stephanie have both had wonderful things to say about it, so I suppose they are happy that I didn't end up hating it!

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a
species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies
intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about
the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too
vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former
tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie
loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from
her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces
make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man
they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies,
THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new
readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

I was a little worried about this book. I have the worst problem with not agreeing with other people's opinions on books, so I was a little worried that I was not going to like it as much as other people did. Marg and Stephanie usually have good taste, though, so I really shouldn't have been worried at all. The other thing I was worried about was the love triangle thing... I am just not a romance reader. The interesting thing is that when I finished the book and saw people calling it a romance, it sort of surprised me. I am perfectly aware of the romance aspect of the book, but there are other things that caught my attention.

Anyways, carrying on. This book was a perfect science fiction novel to enjoy. I read more fantasy than science fiction, so I really cannot remember the last time I sat down with one that I enjoyed so much. I was hooked from the first page. I was mad that I, as usual, never seemed to have time to read it, but at the same time, I was sad when it was over. It only took me a couple days to read it, in any case, and if anyone is paying attention to my slacking reading numbers this year you would know that is pretty fast for me. It's a pretty big book and I flew through it. Apparently I should not read at work, though, someone told me yesterday that they walked by and I was totally oblivious. Different book, but I still should've been paying more attention...

So, as the description says above an alien species has taken over the people of earth's bodies and minds. The human has been lost, in most cases, while the alien continues to survive. This is not the first planet that they have taken over in this manner, but it is the first planet with such an advanced species. Humans have a lot more going on in their minds that the aliens have to adjust to. Melanie Stryder is taken over by an alien that is named Wanderer by the doctors on Earth. She has never found a planet that she wanted to call home, so she has been moving from place to place. As the novel progresses, her name is shortened to Wanda. Unlike the norm, her human is still aware and still talking to her, something that is not supposed to happen. It makes it all that more difficult for her to adjust.

Instead of being enemies, Melanie's memories of the man that she loves bring them together. They set out on a quest to see if they can locate this man, a man that Wanderer has never met but feels very strongly for. Wanderer and Melanie have conversations that make you laugh out loud at times, especially when Wanderer does things that Melanie does not approve of. Wanderer's race is a very peaceful race at their core, while humans are known to be a bit violent, so it is an interesting contrast. This book goes in some interesting directions. I cannot say it ever really surprised me, but it did make for an interesting chain of events. I have to say that I was not very fond of Jared, Melanie's love, but I did enjoy Ian. He is a very interesting character. I have seen that a couple other places.

In conclusion, I disagree on the love triangle idea. I think it was a bit more complicated than that, especially as the story progressed. All I know for sure, though, is that I really enjoyed this book. I strongly recommend it to everyone, even if science fiction is not your thing.

Magician's Nephew

2008-07-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

Lewis, C.S. 1955. The Magician's Nephew.

As long as folks don't erroneously place this one first in the series, I have no problems with this one at all. It's an interesting story of a young boy, Digory, and a young girl, Polly, and their adventures and misadventures in and out of this world, this reality.

"This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began."

It assumes--presumes--a familiarity of sorts with Narnia, with Aslan, with the White Witch, with the Lamp Post, with the Wardrobe, with the Professor. (And it's just a bit silly to think this one should come first.)

Digory, the young boy, grows up to be the Professor from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. And this story is one of creation. How the world of Narnia came to be. How it was created. How evil was introduced into it. And how a promise of a savior was introduced as well. Hope. Promise. This one is rich in meaning.

The story for this one? Digory has a sick mother. Him and his mother are living with the Ketterleys. Mr. Ketterley is the boy's uncle. And he is mad, crazy, out-of-touch with reality, obsessed. He feels as the last person (in his reckoning at least) who had a godmother with a touch of real fairy blood in her that he is destined for great things, great discoveries. His dreams are of being a powerful and great magician. He loves power; he uses it as a front to his own weakness both physical and mental. He's really an overgrown baby. Very fearful. Very immature. He tricks Polly so he can use her in an experiment, and then using Polly as incentive, he has Digory as a human guinea pig as well.

Polly and Digory travel to another reality--several different realities--in fact. The book is full of their adventures and misadventures as they keep trying to set things right.

Aslan plays a big role in this one. And I love those scenes. I do.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Horse and His Boy

2008-07-06T15:14:00.001-05:00

Lewis, C.S. 1954. The Horse and His Boy.

"This is the story of an adventure that happened in Narnia and Calormen and the lands between, in the Golden Age when Peter was High King in Narnia and his brother and his two sisters were King and Queens under him."

Our hero is a young boy named Shasta. He meets two talking horses, Bree and Hwin, and a young girl, Aravis. Together--all for various reasons--are traveling secretly to the North, to Narnia. Shasta, for example, is running away because his 'father' wants to sell him into slavery. Bree, one of the horses, is a talking horse that has been "owned" too long for his liking by a foreign soldier. He dreams of Narnia and of freedom. Aravis is running away from an arranged marriage. And Hwin, like Bree, is a horse Narnia-bound. Their journey isn't as easy and as smooth as they'd like. There are a few bumps along the way. Unexpected detours and delays. A few scares. A few close calls. Great danger that they always seem to be one step ahead of. But they soon discover that there is a purpose--strange as it seems to them--behind everything.

One of my favorite things about The Horse and His Boy is that it illustrates Romans 8. Aslan the lion is behind everything. Though silent and unrecognized, unacknowledged, he is traveling with these four on their way. And he has a plan and a purpose.

"Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" said Shasta.
"There was only one lion," said the Voice.
"What on earth do you mean? I've just told you there were at least two the first night, and--"
"There was only one: but he was swift of foot."
"How do you know?"
"I was the lion." And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. "I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."
"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"
"It was I."
"But what for?"
"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."
"Who are you?" asked Shasta.
"Myself," said the voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again, "Myself", loud and clear and gay: and then the third time "Myself", whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.
Shasta was no longer afraid that the Voice belonged to something that would eat him, nor that it was the voice of a ghost. But a new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too. (281)

So perhaps if this one has a spiritual message it is one of God's providence and sovereignty.

As a child reader, I didn't get this one at all. I didn't get the theme. It wasn't an obvious one to me then. Not even as a teen. It was only in this past reading that I saw some inkling of a spiritual message within the pages. I thought, growing up, that it was a rather dinky story about horses. And I'm not really a horse-loving person. But this time I seem to see just a bit more.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Host Book Discussion Group

2008-07-01T13:13:00.001-05:00

The Host by Stephenie Meyer is the selection for the month of July at Becky’s Online Reading Group.

The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
July’s Book-of-the-Month at Becky’s Online Reading Group

Day 0: July 2nd; Share thoughts on cover, flap, blurbs, prologue, first paragraph of chapter one. In other word–first impressions. Also might want to visit Stephenie Meyer’s website or the book website.
As “homework” between 7/2 and 7/7 read The Host 1-58 (Prologue through chapter 6)

Day 1: July 7th. Discuss chapters 1-6 (pp. 1-58 )
As “homework” to read between 7/7 and 7/9 read pp. 59 - 117 (Chapters 7 - 12)

Day 2: July 9th. Discuss chapters 7-12 (pp. 59-117)
As “homework” to read between 7/9 and 7/11 read 118-180 (Chapters 13-18 )

Day 3: July 11th. Discuss chapters 13-18 (pp. 118-180)
As “homework” to read between 7/11 and 7/14 read 181 - 243 (Chapters 19-24)

Day 4: July 14th. Discuss chapters 19-24 (pp. 181-243)
As “homework” to read between 7/14 and 7/16 read 244- 312 (Chapter 25-30)

Day 5: July 16th. Discuss chapters 25-30 (pp. 244-312)
As “homework” to read between 7/16 and 7/18 read 313-357 (Chapters 31-34)

Day 6: July 18th. Discuss chapters 31-34 (pp. 313-357)
As “homework” to read between 7/16 and 7/21 read 358 - 407 (Chapters 35-39)

Day 7: July 21rst. Discuss chapters 35-39 (pp. 358-407)
As “homework” to read between 7/21 and 7/23 read 408 - 456 (Chapters 40-44)

Day 8: July 23rd. Discuss chapters 40-44 (pp. 408-456)
As “homework” to read between 7/23 and 7/25 read 457 - 505 (Chapters 45 - 49)

Day 9: July 25th. Discuss chapters 45-49 (pp. 457-505)
As “homework” to read between 7/25 and 7/28 read 506 - 558 (Chapters 50 - 54)

Day 10: July 28th. Discuss Chapters 50-54 (pp. 506-558 )
As “homework” to read between 7/28 and 7/30 read 559 - 619 (Chapters 55 - epilogue)

Day 11: July 30th. Discuss chapters 55 - the epilogue (pp. 559-619)
Share closing thoughts and final impressions.

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Ender's Game

2008-06-30T05:52:00.000-05:00

Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin is a 'third' - meaning he was the third born child to his family in a world where there is over-population and only two children are permitted. His parents were given permission to have a third child though, this being due to the fact that his older brother and sister were extremely bright and were *almost* right for the task required of them, but not quite. It is hoped that Ender will be less vicious than his brother but not as placid as his sister.

The problem is that fifty years ago the human race was almost annihilated by an insect race of beings from another planet. Known as the 'buggers' (I think because they were 'bugs') they were defeated by a brilliant military commander. The fear is that the aliens are about to repeat their invasion attempt and the hunt is on for another such commander, but he will have to be trained from childhood. Ender fits the bill. He is six when whisked off to Battle school to join hundreds of other boys, to train, in a bid to save the world by way of brutal mock 'games'. But Ender is not popular. He is the brightest of the bright and resented by the other boys and, for some reason, the officers running the school are purposely making his life difficult. In other words he's being tested to see how much he can take. Is Ender up to the challenge?

It's not often that I'm this ambivilent about a story. On the one hand I found it to be a pageturner - Card's writing is extremely readable and the story is pacey and really quite exciting. I finished it in two days and that's pretty quick reading for me, so clearly I couldn't put it down. On the other hand I had issues with a couple of things. Mainly it was to do with the kind of dialogue and thoughts Card embued small children with. It was all too adult and, although I realise that these are supposed to be bright kids, I didn't find that aspect of it realistic. Not that Card is the only author to do this by any means - it's very common.

The other thing that struck me was that Card was writing a novel set sometime in the future. It wasn't clear how many years (a hundred?) but, whatever, I found it bizarre that a science fiction author, who would supposedly be forward thinking, did not forsee the role women would come to play in the armed forces. Even just thirty years after he wrote the book women are fighting and dying in combat zones around the world. He put one girl in his school, *one*.

Nevertheless, despite my issues with the book, I did, as I said, enjoy it a great deal. Much of the book is 'edge of the seat' stuff and it has a fantastic twist near the end which I didn't see coming at all. I must also add that it was the last few pages which intrigued me the most and because of that I plan to get a copy of the sequel, Speaker for the Dead, as soon as possible as I suspect that one might be a bit more to my taste. My husband grabbed Ender's Game off me as soon as I finished so it'll be interesting to see what he thinks.

First Meetings in the Enderverse

2008-06-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

First Meetings in the Enderverse by Orson Scott Card
Illustrated by Craig Phillips
A book in the Ender series

Pages: 208
First Published: 2003
Genre: science fiction, short stories
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

John Paul hated school.

Comments: This is a collection 4 novellas that either feature Ender Wiggin or his family. They have all been previously published except one "Teacher's Pest" is original to this volume."The Polish Boy" tells the story of Ender's father and how he was noticed by the government as a possible battle school student."Teacher's Pest" tells how Ender's parents met."Ender's Game" is the original story written in 1977 which inspired the novel of the same name."The Investment Counselor" is the story of how Ender first meets Jane.Due to the information found in these stories this book is best read anytime after "Xenocide", the third Ender book. I enjoyed all the stories and while I wouldn't call them brilliant, they were all enjoyable. A must for fans of the series.
-Nicola

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

2008-06-20T22:43:00.002-05:00

After the big disappointment of Tanith Lee's White as Snow, the question is: Can Orson Scott Card do better in the "retelling of a fairy tale" department? Couldn't do worse, right? Of course, all you Card fans out there (and you KNOW who you are), already have the answer to that question! Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (400 pgs, Del Ray) is a modern day Sleeping Beauty (sort of....I'll get to that!)

"I'm ten years old, my whole life you've called me Vanya. My name is on the school records, on government papers as Ivan Petrovich Smetski. Now you tell me I'm really Itzak Shlomo. What am I, a Jewish secret agent?"

Growing up in Russia isn't easy if you were Jewish. Ivan's parents wanted to get him to America, so he could grow up in a land of freedom. And the way they were going to do it was by declaring themselves Jewish, and applying for a Visa to Israel. From there, they were going to go to America. Ivan could grow up free, and Piotr Smetski could teach at a University. But declaring yourself Jewish in 1975 had it's drawbacks in Russia. After Professor Smetski lost his job, the family lost their apartment, and still no Visa was to be had. So the Smetski's moved to the country near Kiev to live with Cousin Marek and his wife.

One day when Ivan was out running, he came across a clearing in the woods. The canopy of leaves overhead was "so dense that it was perpetually dusk at ground level". The ground was covered with leaves. When a slight breeze stirred the leaves, young Ivan could see something at the center. It was a woman: a beautiful, sleeping woman on a pedestal. And when the leaves moved, it wasn't just ground that it covered, but a wide chasm. Then something moved, and Ivan realized that he wasn't alone with the sleeping woman. There was some sort of creature hidden in the leaves. For a ten-year-old boy, this was too much. He ran off as fast as he could. But he never got a chance to tell anyone about what he saw (if he REALLY saw anything at all). Because when he returned to the country house, the family's Visa had come through and everyone was hurrying to get ready.

The plan worked, and the Smetski's immigrated to New York, to a small town close to Syracuse. And this is where Ivan grew into a man. He became a track star and a scholar. Fourteen years later, Ivan was working on his dissertation for his graduate degree. He was studying Russian Folklore and Ancient Languages, and figured the best way to finish his work would be to go back to Russia. At least that's what he told himself. Because in the back of his mind, he knew that he wanted to see if the woman, the clearing and the beast under the leaves was real.

The story of the Sleeping Beauty in most fairy tales ends once the Prince or Knight awakens the Princess and they live "Happily Ever After". But our story is only beginning. The best part of this tale is what happens after the beauty is awakened. Katerina is a 9th Century Princess who was hidden in time by the evil witch Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga's powers were so great because she had bound the Russian God, the Great Bear to her and was feeding off his power. What did she want? She wanted to rule to land of Tania, Katerina's land. So she hid Katerina away.....not knowing that Ivan would find her and lead her back to the 9th Century.

I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled with Katerina for a very long time in this book. She was so headstrong (which I usually like in a female character) that she wouldn't listen to reason. She had no sympathy for Ivan coming to a new place and time....and having no idea what the customs were or how he was supposed to act. But when fate sends the couple back to the modern time, she realized just how hard life was for someone who didn't have a clue.

Ivan, however, was a pure soul and I just fell in love with him right from the start. Far sooner than Katerina, that's for sure. Card did an incredible job of intertwining the lives of 2 people from different eras and making a fairy tale come to life. He truly is the gifted writer that so many of you keep trying to tell me!! On top of the fairy tale, he mixes in Russian folklore and creates a cast of characters that will stay with me for a long time. This was really a remarkable book, and one that far surpassed the Tanith Lee story of Snow White. I just wish I had read this one first. If you are a fan of Card, or just a fan of fairy tales, this is one book that you must be sure to read!! 4.5/5

The Hobbit

2008-05-11T23:10:00.001-05:00

Tolkien, J.R.R. 1937, 1966. The Hobbit.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. (3)

Hobbits do like to be comfortable. That is a fact. But in The Hobbit, we read of one hobbit in particular, a Mr. Bilbo Baggins, who leaves his life of comfort behind him to go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with thirteen dwarves and one wizard. It is the story of how he went from being a respectable hobbit to a very unrespectable, "odd" little hobbit. Bilbo never meant to have an adventure. He was quite clear on that. But never say never. It all starts with a visit from a wizard, Gandalf. That visit leads to another visit--a visit by thirteen dwarves--who call upon him unawares and give him the surprise of his life. They want him--they expect him--to be a part of their expedition, their adventure, their journey to go off and kill a dragon, Smaug by name, and steal his treasure. It's laughable almost, at least at first, but slowly and surely Bilbo gets carried away with it all. And the adventures that follow--oh my!

The Hobbit is a charming and delightful though-not-a-thin adventure book that everyone should read. (Or at least attempt to read! By that I mean, while I loved it--while I think many many people love it--I suppose no one book can please everyone. But this one should at least be attempted, tested to see if you like this sort of thing.)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

2008-05-11T23:07:00.001-05:00

Meyer, Stephenie. 2008. The Host.

The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters. Because he was a soul, by nature he was all things good: compassionate, patient, honest, virtuous, and full of love. Anxiety was an unusual emotion for Fords Deep Waters. Irritation was even rarer. However, because Fords Deep Waters lived inside a human body, irritation was sometimes inescapable.

Thus begins the highly anticipated first adult novel by Stephenie Meyer. The opening scene shows a man, occupation Healer, getting ready to implant a Soul into a human being. These souls are parasitic aliens that have spread across the galaxy. They are able to take hosts--different hosts--on each planet. Our narrator is a Soul named Wanderer. She's unusual, in a way, because she has been to many planets--I can't remember if it's seven or eight or nine--and lived that many lifetimes. The souls know no death, they just move onto a new host when their host's body dies. This is Wanderer's first time on Earth, her first time in a human host. Our secondary narrator is a woman named Melanie. And you've probably guessed by now that she is the host body to Wanderer.

These aliens didn't take over the world overnight. They didn't announce their arrival at all. Their goal--if they had a goal--was to assimilate quietly and peacefully with humans. It wasn't until the humans noticed that something was off that there was any resistance, any battles, any blood shed. What was off? Humans were being too nice, too perfect, too Mayberry. From the Souls' perspective, they were doing humanity a huge favor. They were turning these rowdy and unpredictable and altogether too violent and volatile humans into peace-loving, happy-go-lucky people. Souls love everybody, accept everybody, trust everybody. Except for that one teeny tiny little detail that they won't take no for an answer. All humans must be implanted. As long as their are humans without Souls then there is the potential for blood shed and loss. To "protect" themselves--or so they claim--they must either assimilate or destroy those resisting pesky humans. Those Souls that are seeking to destroy and/or assimilate humans are called Seekers.

Melanie's luck has run out. Or so she thinks. On the verge of being captured, she throws herself down an elevator shaft. She thinks that she'll avoid her fate by destroying her body. But Healers are really good at repairing the human body--another so called "benefit" to this alien domination.

Wanderer and Melanie are soon to be linked together for life. Not that that is the plan. Souls are supposed to erase, eradicate, the consciousness, the personality of their hosts. But Wanderer finds that Melanie will not go down without a fight. She guards her life, her secrets, closely. She will not accept the finality of the situation.

Life is about to turn very interesting for this two-in-one package as they journey together into the Arizona desert to find the meaning of it all. It's a story about humanity, about sentient life forms, about right and wrong, about justice, about love, about forgiveness, and grace, and redemption. It's a novel with a lot of heart and soul and gumption.

This concept isn't completely original. They're not as overtly (openly) evil as the goa'uld (go-ah-OOLD) by any means. But the concept of a parasite invading through the neck and wrapping themselves around the spine and brain and 'controlling' the human and 'erasing' the host personality has been done before. So has the concept of a human host living side-by-side compatibly with a parasite--that's a Tok'ra for you. Tok'ras are the 'good guys' in the parasite world (supposedly though Jack still calls them snakeheads) who only enter voluntary hosts. Even the concept of love can be seen to be similar to that found in Stargate--the parasite and host body falling in love with their mate's parasite and host body. Four personalities, two bodies, love all around. To see the ultra-unpleasant (evil) "implantation" of goa'uld watch The Children of the Gods. But be warned there are moments of nudity.

It was hard not to think about goa'ulds and tok'ras while reading The Host. That could be because I tend to relate all things back to Stargate eventually if at all possible. It doesn't have to be oh-so-obvious. In this case, I think if you've seen Stargate at all, you can see the connection in some ways, but not in all ways.

This story has plenty to make it special all on its own. I don't want to get into the particulars but the environment was very unusual but it worked. In some very teeny tiny way it reminded me of Dune. I don't know why. I've only seen the movie once. But there were scenes from that movie that came to mind when reading the book. Maybe it's the desert environment. (There are no giant worms however.) I don't know. At this point, it's irrelevant. (Maybe also slightly Journey to the Center of the Earth). She created a world that is so strange, so different from present day life, from reality. It's a world that it's easy to get swept up into in a way. The setting, the characters. It just worked. It was very rich in detail. I thought the depths of the back-story was just really well done. (The little details that Wanderer discloses in her storytelling and her question and answer sessions.)

I can't say that I fell quite in love with it as much as I did Twilight upon first reading it. But it's good. The romance, the chemistry, isn't quite as intense, quite as magical as it is for Bella/Edward/Jacob. But it isn't a romance without some merit. I personally was more into Ian than Jared, but that's just me.

First sentence of chapter one: I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes. I had been warned. Not these eyes. My eyes. Mine. This was me now. (9)

So I definitely recommend it. Do you have to love science fiction? It might help. But if you're not a fan, don't let the genre turn you off. This is a story about what it means to be human. (In some ways it mirrors the themes of the novel Frankenstein--what it means to be human, to live, what it means to be a monster.) It's a human-interest story therefore. It explores the depths--the good, the bad, the ugly--of humanity in general. The fact that some humans have been possessed by aliens while others haven't is just a distinction that separates it from other novels you might have read through the years. But science fiction fans, I hope, will be pleased with it as well as newbies.

I would have read it anyway--it's got Stephenie Meyer's name attached to it--but it comes with a blurb from Orson Scott Card himself. So you know it has to be good.

And for those that are curious, I tend to like Wanda/Melanie much much more than Bella as far as personality goes. In Twilight, Bella didn't annoy me so much. But in some of the sequels, I found myself growing more and more irked at her. Definitely to a point where I understood where all the hate was coming from saying that she was too whiny and mindless (in a way). Not that I'll ever reach a point where I'll stop reading the series. Who could stop now? (I'm on Team Jacob by the way.)

You can read the prologue and the first four chapters here.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb

2008-05-07T09:03:00.002-05:00

Assassin’s Quest is actually book three in the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. (OSC recommneds *all* of her books.) I read the first two in the series in 2006 and it’s taken me two years to get back to it, a fact which I really do regret.

The main character in these books is Fitz. A nameless boy with no memories of the time before his mother gave him up, Fitz is brought up in the stables of Buckkeep, a coastal fortress, by stablemaster, Burrich, until he’s old enough to realize that he’s a royal bastard. He’s then taken into the main castle to learn court behaviour and, later, the role of a court assassin under the mysterious Chade. Fitz, it turns out, is the illegitimate son of the king-in-waiting, Chivalry, who has abdicated his position because of this bastard son and disappeared. His successor is Verity, a prince very powerful in the ‘Skill’ - a kind of magic that he has to use to try to prevent the Red Ship raiders from decimating the country’s coastline and ‘forging’ (rendering souless) the inhabitants. There is another brother, Regal, with a lust for power and a willingness to do anything to gain it and it is Fitz’s battle to stop this happening, and to help Verity with the war, which take up the majority of the first two books, Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin.

Assassin’s Quest picks up the story at the point where Verity has been gone for about a year. He set off to find a mysterious race called The Elderlings, to gain their assistance with the Red Ships, and has not returned. Regal has proclaimed himself king and is allowing the Red Ships to wreak havoc along the coast having moved himself and his court well inland to safety. Fitz first has to rehabilitate himself after a traumatic incident and then sets off to find Verity and The Elderlings. It’s a very long journey and most of the book revolves around his travels, incidents along the way, new characters he meets - and old ones as the enigmatic ‘Fool’ re-enters the fray. And more than that I’m not going to say as it would involve serious spoilers.

To tell the truth, I don’t believe I personally can do justice to these books. I’m going to stick my neck right out though and say that this series is one the best fantasy series out there and that Robin Hobb is a writer of the first calibre. The plotlines that run through the books are complex. There are twists and turns galore, political and court intrigue, and I would add that this is not a ‘fun’ or ‘light’ read and is definitely for adults, not children. Many dreadful things happen to all of the characters and there are readers who might find it all a bit much. I myself like humour and ‘some’ lightness in my reading but there isn’t a lot to be had in this series. Truthfully, if I knew why none of this mattered one iota to me, I’d say so. I think, to be honest, that it all boils down to the quality of the story-telling.

There are two more series in this universe. After the ‘Farseer’ trilogy come the three ‘Liveship Traders’ books and then the ‘Tawny Man’ trilogy. The ‘Liveship Traders’ series is set in the same world and country but with none of the same characters. The ‘Tawny Man’ books carry on with the story of Fitz and The Fool, so you could skip the middle series but most people suggest that you really shouldn’t. And I don’t plan to. And nor do I intend to wait another two years before I get back to reading Robin Hobb.

Want to read Worthing Saga with me????

2008-05-02T14:05:00.001-05:00

Becky's Online Reading Group will be reading The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card for the month of June. Orson Scott Card--as many of you know--is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite authors. And this book isn't as widely known (and as widely read) as his Ender series. (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, etc.) I'm choosing this one because I love it, obviously, but also because I hope to encourage others to read it as well. You can read the first chapter online here. Discussions will be on Mondays and Fridays, except for the weekend of the 48 Hour Readathon. It will be one day early that week.

The Worthing Saga
by Orson Scott Card

Monday, June 2, 2008 Day One: Author's Introduction - chapter 2 (roughly 1-37)
Thursday June 5, 2008 Day Two: Chapter 3 - chapter 4 (roughly 38- 92)
Monday, June 9, 2008 Day Three: Chapter 5 (93 - 119)
Friday, June 13, 2008 Day Four: Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 (120-153)
Monday, June 16, 2008 Day Five: Chapter 8 (154-205)
Friday, June 20, 2008 Day Six: Chapter 9 - 12 (206-271)
Monday, June 23, 2008 Day Seven: Chapter 13 - 15 (277-329)
Friday, June 27, 2008 Day Eight: Chapter 16 - 18 (330-401)
Monday, June 30, 2008 Day Nine: Chapter 19 - 21 (407-458)

"This book brings together all the Worthing stories for the first time in one volume. In a way, the Worthing tales are at the root of my work in science fiction..."
...Orson Scott Card

t was a miracle of science that permitted human beings to live, if not forever, then for a long, long time. Some people, anyway. The rich, the powerful - they lived their lives at the rate of one year every ten. Somec created two societies: that of people who lived out their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over the intervening years and events, It allowed great plans to be put in motion. It allowed interstellar Empires to be built. It came near to destroying humanity.
After a long, long time of decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save our species. They carried human embryos and supplies, and teaching robots, and one man. The Worthing Saga is the story of one of these men, Jason Worthing, and the world he found for the seed he carried.
Copyright © 1990 Orson Scott Card

New to Becky's Online Reading Group. See the 'about' page to answer your questions about participation.

And Then There Were None

2008-04-18T21:35:00.006-05:00

All Agatha Christie books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

Ten strangers have been invited by a mysterious host to stay for a visit in the host's luxurious house. This house resides on a private island. Once they all are settled in, they are confronted with the reason why they had been chosen for the occasion. The reason has each member in the house looking at each other with apprehension - and rightfully so. Unfortunately, their time together as a group is limited due to the one-by-one elimination of each house guest.

I really enjoyed this! Throughout the entire book, the level of suspense was kept high by all the twists and turns. It made me eager to get back to it as soon as I could; I was definitely hooked. However, I have to say that the very ending wasn't as exciting as the rest of the book. For some reason, I expected to be wowed and I wasn't, but it was still a very good read and I'm glad I finally made time for it.

When the Bough Breaks

2008-04-18T21:28:00.002-05:00

All Jonathan Kellerman books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

This is Kellerman's first in the Alex Delaware series. Alex is a 33-year-old, retired, child psychologist and is recouping from burn-out. During this time, Milo Sturgis enters the scene as a LAPD detective who asks for Alex's help with a case that includes a 7-year-old girl who has possibly seen something relating to a double homicide. Once Alex gets involved, he doesn't let up until all questions are answered.

Boy, was this dated. There were turn-tables playing Linda Ronstadt albums, knit ties, Merv Griffin and other 80's sightings. They were fun - not distracting or prevalent.

While Alex came across as a mild-mannered individual (although he could be tough when needed), the subject matter (child abuse) was the opposite - cruel and despicable. While getting to the source of evil, there were some spots that were sluggish due to an abundance of unnecessary details, but overall it was interesting and kept my attention.

Alex ended up playing both psychologist and detective, which I felt was too much for this character; I would have liked to have seen more of Milo. The plethora of bad guys and, in general, the many, many characters lead to a slightly complicated, but . . . satisfying ending. For a first, it was good. I will continue with the series; the next up is titled Blood Test.

Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

2008-04-18T08:30:00.004-05:00

In his January 2007 review of Speak, Orson Scott Card says the following:

Author Laurie Halse Anderson has achieved something unusual and fine with this novel. As a work of literary art and as a bit of practical moral instruction, I can't imagine how it could be better. It's so entertaining you don't realize you're being taught something important; and the experience is so powerful you can easily forget that it is, after all, just art. ...

[Speak] shows contemporary American fiction at its very best.

I also loved Speak! And I recommended it to my 17yo daughter, who loved it too. My complete review is here.

Becky's Review of Speak

2008-04-17T14:04:00.001-05:00

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak.

It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.

Meet Melinda. A ninth grader, a freshman. Maybe her experiences will remind you of your own high school days. Maybe not. But whether you were popular or among the outcasts, Speak has something vital to offer readers. Her story is powerful, yet not without humor.

THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL

1. We are here to help you.

2. You will have enough time to get to your class before the bell rings.

3. The dress-code will be enforced.

4. No smoking is allowed on school grounds.

5. Our football team will win the championship this year.

6. We expect more of you here.

7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen.

8. Your schedule was created with your needs in mind.

9. Your locker combination is private.

10. These will be the years you look back on fondly.

Speak places high school life under the microscope. In minute detail, the reader sees what high school is like perhaps from a perspective that is new to them. (Or perhaps one that feels all-too-familiar). The teachers. The students. The classmates. The classes. The cafeteria. The bus rides. Melinda isn't happy, and it shows, but she's an example of how appearances can be deceiving. Labeled a trouble maker by a few of her teachers and some of the administration, despised by most of her classmates, she would be easy to brush off, to cast aside as just another lazy, rebellious teen. A teen that needs discipline, punishment, stern lectures, but never a teen that needs compassion and mercy and understanding. But there is always more going on underneath the surface. Always.

I think Speak should be required reading for any adult who is working with teens or who plans to work with teens. As for requiring it for teens within the classroom setting, I'm not so sure. For one, any time a book is required it loses its power. If you "have" to read it, then it strips away most of your natural inclinations to like it. I certainly never "liked" any of my assigned reading. The message of Speak might lose its resonance if it is forced. Especially if it is dissected and analyzed for hidden messages and symbolism. That being said, I do feel it's a true must-read. And it does have much that would be discussion-worthy.

What do I love about Speak? Well, it's authentic. And it's thought-provoking. If you're an adult, it makes you remember (or is prone to making you remember) your own high school days. Rather those days were painful and you're still a bit bitter or if you were one of the rare who actually remember high school "as the best time of your life." It's all in the details. The small things. The small daily interactions of how you relate with others, and how they relate to you. All the little things that add up to create the big picture. I didn't read it as a teen. The book was published when I was in college. But I would hope that the book would help those teens who are going through some of these situations not feel so alone, so isolated. I would hope that they'd feel understood. And for those teens that are bullies, I hope that the book would make them think about their actions a little more, take time to think about how these "little" things are adding up to big-time misery for those that are 'beneath' them. I'm not naive enough to think that this book will have the same impact on every one who reads it. It is just one book after all. But I hope that those who do read it, it will have a strong enough impact that the story will stay with them for a while.

Sword of the Rightful King

2008-04-14T11:27:00.002-05:00

Yolen, Jane. 2003. Sword of the Rightful King.

Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen is a more realistic, less legendary presentation of King Arthur. What do I mean? Well, it shows the behind-the-scenes drama of Arthur's court, Arthur's kingdom. It shows in some ways how those legends got started--some directly, some indirectly. Merlinnus, for example, created and fabricated the Sword in the Stone. It was a deliberate hoax on his part. A way to fool the people, manipulate them in such a way that the doubters of Arthur would be convinced that he was DESTINED to be king. Arthur was in on the secret. As was Merlinnus' new apprentice, Gawen. This angle removes some of the glamour, some of the glory from the story, in my opinion. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the story is any less compelling. Another legend debunked is Gawaine and the Green Knight.

Told from multiple view points, the reader is able to get into the hearts and minds of Arthur, Merlinnus, Gawaine, Morgause, Gawen, etc. The reader is able to get the full story, the full spectrum of what's going on in this turbulent spring and summer as they prepare for the Solstice.

I enjoyed this book. But I didn't enjoy it as much as The Sword in the Stone. It may be more realistic, more practical, but I like my legends to be legendary. So it's a good book, an enjoyable book, but not a great book.

361

Speaker for the Dead

2008-04-13T19:22:00.000-05:00

I don't know what to say about this book, because it's so good, so wonderful, so human, in ways I don't know how to articulate. But I'll try.

Speaker for the Dead begins about 3,000 years after the end of Ender's Game. It takes place on the small colony world of Lusitania, whose only human inhabitants are a small village of Brazilian-Portuguese Catholics. However, Lusitania is also home to the first sentient alien species humanity has encountered in the Bugger Wars three millenia earlier. Due to the time dilation effect of faster-than-light travel, Andrew Wiggin is still only 35 years old. When the call goes out for a speaker for the dead, he can't resist travelling to Lusitania.

That's a really inadequate summary, and it only touches on the plot, which, although excellent, isn't at the core of the book. It's the people and ideas that make Speaker for the Dead so special, that set it apart from other science fiction. OSC manages to explore some really compelling xenology and xenobiology (i.e. alien anthropology and biology), without sacrificing character development. Not all the people in Speaker for the Dead are human, but they are all interesting and complex and very, very real, because Card never takes the easy way out.

A good example of this is Bishop Pelegrino, the religious leader of the community. At first, he seems like the reactionary, righteous, slightly stupid Catholic priest recognizable from many other books, but Card is a better writer than to stop there. Although he does have these traits to some degree, they are far outweighed by his ability to be flexible, by his caring for his community, and by his compassion.

I love the world Card creates on Lusitania, because it's just so interesting. The Piggies, of course, and the mystery of their society, but especially the human community of Milagre. I look forward to seeing more of both in the third book in the series, Xenocide. When I started this book, I didn't think any sequel could come close to being as good as Ender's Game, but I was wrong. As amazing as that book was, Speaker for the Dead somehow manages to live up to it. I can now number Orson Scott Card among my very favourite writers.

A Compatible Challenge

2008-04-09T16:40:00.004-05:00

Readers Noir is hosting the Walter Mosely Challenge. The challenge begins today, April 9th, and goes through August 9th.

Read 10 Walter Mosely books written from this date on. At the rate that he moves we'll be reading for life. To read along with me comment on this post, and link it to your blog.

Check back in on the 9th of every month to see how far we've all come. Read:

4 from his Easy Rawlins Series,
2 from his Fearless Jones Series,
1 from his Science Fiction Series,
3 from any of his other genres.

All of his novels qualify for the Cardathon challenge. So you may want to consider this.

http://www.waltermosley.com/

The Sword in the Stone

2008-04-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

White, T.H. The Once and Future King.
Part One: The Sword in the Stone

I have been wanting to read this book for years. It's been on my to-be-read list for ages. But I decided fairly early on that 2008 would be THE YEAR to make it happen at last. The first book in The Once and Future King is The Sword in the Stone. I was somewhat familiar with the story having seen at least glimpses of the movie growing up. We never owned it on VHS, but I do think I probably saw at least clips of it on tv now and then. Our hero is a young boy, Wart, who is growing up alongside another little boy, Kay. Kay is going to grow up into quite a legacy. He's going to be a knight. Wart is not his 'equal' in that sense. He's going to grow up to be his squire. Or so everyone thinks. The book focuses on the boys' education. Particularly on Wart's education. Even the first sentence highlights this: "On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays it was Court Hand and Summulae Logicales, while the rest of the week it was the Organon, Repetition and Astrology." In the first few pages, we learn that while the boys at one time did have a governess looking out for them, she has since left. The boys are in need of someone--a tutor--to help with their education.

Wart is the one who accidentally stumbles onto a solution for their problem. He discovers Merlyn quite by chance. Merlyn is a wonderful teacher. As you probably remember, he ages backward. He's old, but getting younger by the day. He knows the future, but he's living in the moment. I don't quite "understand" all the implications of this. It befuddles me if I try to wrap my mind around the concept. But regardless, the chapters focus on their relationship. This teacher-student relationship. Wart is getting extra-attention and extra-guidance than Kay. Kay is sometimes jealous, sometimes quite a jerk, but he can't quite help it.

Wart loves best the lessons where Merlyn turns him into an animal, vegetable, or mineral. He spends time as a fish, bird, ant, badger, and I can't-quite-remember-what else. But he spends his childhood and teen years learning to think, learning to question. He is a very curious boy/man. And he learns so much because he is able to listen--really listen--and observe the world around him.

The book has many many characters many of whom are delightful. The book also shows Wart and Kay having an adventure or two with Robin Wood (Wood-not-Hood) and Lady Marian and Little John and the whole gang of 'Merry Men.'

I don't think I would be spoiling it for anyone if I mentioned the ending, but just in case you don't know who Wart grows up to be, stop reading and consider yourself fully warned.

The book concludes with the rather famous sword-in-the-stone incident. Wart quite by chance pulls out the sword. Kay is in need of a sword, and he is "borrowing" it from a war monument or so he thinks. Kay's own sword accidentally being left behind at the inn. Wart isn't trying to be king. He isn't wanting to rise above Kay. But it's just natural for him. He is the one--the only one--who seems to be able to pull this sword out of the stone. Merlyn later fills him in on a little secret.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading the rest of the novel. I will be reviewing them separately. But when I have finished all four, I'll do a recap post and link them all together.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague

2008-04-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

Mull, Brandon. 2008. Fablehaven: Grip Of the Shadow Plague.

On a muggy August day, Seth hurried along a faint path, eyes scanning the lush foliage to his left. Tall, mossy trees overshadowed a verdant sea of bushes and ferns.

The third in the series, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague continues the story of Kendra and Seth Sorenson, an unforgettable brother-sister team that (along with several 'responsible' adults including their grandparents) enjoys spending their summer vacations fighting in the ultimate battle between good and evil. If you haven't read the first two in the series, you should definitely do so. (That is if you love fantasy.) I enjoyed the first two. I really did. But this third one is even better--if that's possible. Every page was a pleasure. I didn't want to put it down.

For those that are familiar with the series, expect more of the same. But for those unfamiliar with Brandon Mull's fabulous series here's what you can expect. Adventure. More adventure. Danger. Action. Even more adventure. Some mystery. Some intrigue. Some surprises. If you love action, adventure, and mystery, then Fablehaven is definitely for you!

What's the third one about? Well the subtitle of "Grip of the Shadow Plague" says it all. Book 2 closes with the family securing--saving--Fablehaven, doesn't it? Does it? The traitor, Vanessa, has been captured and imprisoned in the Quiet Box. The Sphinx has taken away the other prisoner--the one who was released from the Quiet Box--and all seems to be well. But then if you remember Kendra discovers a note implying or suggesting that the Sphinx is not who he appears. That he is in fact the bad guy though he's been masquerading as one of the good guys--one of the top good guys--for decades and decades. The third book explores that claim and seeks to solve that mystery once and for all. But that doesn't even begin to capture what the third book is about. It is exciting. It is intense. It is good.

471 pages

Sense and Sensibility

2008-04-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. What can I say? I didn't love it like I loved (or loved, loved, loved) Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice. It was so different to Northanger Abbey in a way which makes it more difficult to compare. But in its favor, I didn't dislike it like I disliked Mansfeld Park or Emma. (A word on Emma's behalf. Emma, the character, annoys me. I know she's supposed to be annoying because she represents the young and foolish and rich and selfish and spoiled stereotype. But still. It's hard to like someone like that. It would be like reading a book told from Lydia's perspective. I wonder if anyone has done that???)

Sense and Sensibility is the story of the Dashwood family. The mother has recently been widowed. She's got a step-son who's inherited everything, and her own three daughters. She's also got a daughter-in-law from hell. Really. This woman would make even a saint think that. The two are somewhat indirectly pushed out the door by the couple--Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood. They're insufferable to live with. And they're rude and pushy. Contemptible really. The only good thing that happens is that Elinor meets a young man, Edward Ferrars, and falls in love. Though nothing is promised or exchanged between them.

The Dashwoods (mother and three daughters: Elinor, Marianne, Margaret) move to a cottage quite a distance away. (Barton I believe is the place where they're staying.) While there, Marianne 'makes' two men fall in love with her. Colonel Brandon, a respectable but older gentleman, and the young and dashing and ever-so-handsome Mr. Willoughby. Marianne sees only Willoughby. Brandon doesn't stand a chance. They also meet many people in the neighborhood--Mrs. Jennings, the Middletons, the Palmers, the Steeles, etc.

The story centers around the love lives of the two older sisters Elinor and Marianne. Often the two are down on their luck. Money plays a big role in the novel. But Jane Austen loved happy endings so never fear. It may take a good many pages, but Marianne and Elinor are assured of finding men that suit them perfectly one way or another.

368 pages.
Originally published in 1811.
First sentence: The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex.

Dingo

2008-04-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

de Lint, Charles. 2008. Dingo.

No one likes to think it of their father, but there are days when I can't help but feel that somehow I got stuck with the biggest loser of all loser dads. It's mostly on days like this when he's off on a house call to buy new stock and I'm stuck minding the store.

Miguel's father has a store--Mike's Used Comics & Records. And it is while Miguel is tending his father's store that he meet the girl. Or perhaps it should be The Girl. Everything had been going along, business as usual, until the moment he sees her through the window. "Ever have one of those moments when everything just kind of stops and it feels as though the whole universe is focused on this one thing that's got your attention? That's what it's like when I see her go by the window, hesitate at the door to look behind her, and then come in. It's gray and dismal outside, but she's got the sun in her hair--long, red-gold tangles that are frizzing because of the damp and give her a halo." (5) This mystery girl, Lainey, and her dog, Em, are from Australia. Everything about them fascinates this young teenage boy. Everything. She is a complete mystery, but one that he's happy to want to solve. He even dreams about her. That might not be completely unusual--boys dreaming about girls--but this dream is highly unusual. But I'll let you see that for yourself!

I'm NOT going to say one word more about the novel. Okay, that's a lie. But I'm not going to talk about the plot in any case. Everything about this novel--the characters, the plot, the language--is well done. I can't think of a single flaw. I can't really get into what I liked most about the characters, but I can say this. They were complex. Definitely interesting to read about, to care about.

Highly recommended to fantasy fans.

This was my first Charles de Lint novel, but it won't be my last.

Stardust

2008-04-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Gaiman, Neil. 1999. Stardust.

If this book doesn't have you at hello, I don't know that I can help you. There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire. And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole of it. What a great beginning. It's just so beautiful, so magical. Doesn't it just feel right?

Stardust is set in nineteenth century England in the community of Wall. (1830s and 1840s to be exact.) This community is built by a large (and by large I mean high and long) grey rock wall. There is a gap in the wall, however, a gap that is guarded at all times. Guarded so no one--especially children--can slip through, and guarded so no one can slip in. Beyond the gap, there is a meadow, a beautiful meadow that is forbidden. Forbidden except for one day (and one night) every nine years when the Faerie market comes to the meadow. This is the only time when the two communities (the rather mundane humans and the fantastical, magical faerie world) interact. Our novel opens with us meeting Dunstan Thorn.

I really can't say much more about it. I could, but I won't. It's magical. It's beautiful. It's adventuresome. It's just great storytelling. I loved every moment of it. There were so many things I loved about it that I couldn't begin to describe them in such a way as to do the book and its characters justice. Just trust me. If you haven't met Neil Gaiman, use Stardust as an introduction!!! This isn't my first Gaiman. It's my third. But it is by far my favorite.

Harry Potters #1 and #2

2008-03-30T16:46:00.004-05:00

Cross-posted at 1morechapter.com.

I’m wondering if I am the last one on earth to start this series?! At least I won’t have to worry about spoilers!

This first Harry Potter was delightful, and though I won’t be fanatical about it like most people are, I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was a much better book than I was expecting, and I really liked the fact that I didn’t expect Professor Quirrell at all. I saw the movie a few days after reading it and I thought they got the casting of Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape just right. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

1997, 320 pp
Rating: 4

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was just as good as the first book, and once again, I didn’t guess the ending, which made me very happy. Moaning Myrtle and Gilderoy Lockhart were great and funny additions to the storyline. As in The Sorcerer’s Stone, I watched the movie right after reading the book. I did enjoy the film, but it was a little anti-climactic after just finishing the book so soon before.

For books 3-5, I decided I’m going to watch the movies first and then read the books. Then with 6 and 7 I’ll read the books first again. My husband and kids are listening to the audio CD’s and enjoying the series as well.

1998, 341 pp.
Rating: 4

Morality for Beautiful Girls

2008-03-27T19:56:00.003-05:00

All Alexander McCall Smith books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

In this 3rd book of the No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe continues to run her business, but in a new local, while Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni experiences an illness. Mma Ramotswe takes on a case with a government man regarding his concerns that his brother is being poisoned by his wife and Mma Makutsi steps it up by running the two businesses. She also brings in some cash with a beauty pageant assignment.

This one was a little slow for me, but I still thought there were some interesting little tidbits. I liked how the morality issue subtly came into play with the cases they were involved in and how they personally dealt with them. All in all, it was a comfortable, but just okay read.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

2008-03-24T22:14:00.001-05:00

My review of this book can be found on my blog: A Reader's Journal.

Review: Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker)

2008-03-11T23:04:00.001-05:00

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 320

Genre: Fiction/Sci Fi. & Fantasy/Epic/Series

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

From the back cover:

It's the 19th century, and Napoleon is in command of an army in Detroit. Andrew Jackson is a lawyer from Tenezzy, and William Henry Harrison is the self-appointed governor of Wobbish just east of the Mizzipy River. And somewhere up north, in a small town called Vigor Church, is a young boy named Alvin who is the seventh son of a seventh son, with the power to shape the world around him. These are the tales of Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker, which takes place in an alternate American history where folk magic really works. And this is the story of the Red Prophet, where Alvin finds himself caught in a war between the Red men and the Whites on the American frontier.

Book II from Tales of Alvin Maker was not my cup of tea. If it wasn't the second book in a series for the Series Challenge and if I had not enjoyed Book I, I probably would have stopped reading. It's not that it was a terrible story, or horribly written (quite the opposite actually). It just wasn't my thing.

The focus of Book II is Alvin's relationship with the Red Prophet and Ta-Kumsaw (the Prophet's brother) and the impending war between the Whites and the Reds. I'm sure it is important for the foundation of the series but as a stand alone novel I found it boring. There was a lot of foreshadowing involved so I'm pretty sure you couldn't just skip this book and move on with the novel.

There were sections I found very interesting and hope to find more sections like those in the upcoming books. Alvin using his knack for healing, references to the Torch, who pulled the caul from Calvin's face when he was born. The prophet's visions of Alvin's future with the crystal towers were all topics i found interesting and wished were covered in more detailed.

I wouldn't abandon the series based on this book alone. It seems that many people really enjoyed book II. I'm however ready to move onto Book III.

Dreams Underfoot

2008-03-01T05:59:00.002-06:00

This is my first book for the Cardathon challenge and my first post so I hope I'm doing it right and posting in the right place!

The list of suggested titles for this challenge says, 'Anything by Charles De Lint', so this anthology by him qualifies quite nicely.

This is the book many fans of De Lint's 'Newford' series suggest you start with if you're going to read this urban fantasy series. I don't know if that's right or wrong, only that it seemed to give me an excellent introduction to the people that inhabit this universe.

'Newford' is a city, peopled by all kinds of weird and wonderful characters who recur and are connected throughout the books. Christy Riddell, a writer and collector of folk tales and myths, is a focal point but so is a friend of his, Jilly Coppercorn, who is close to Christy's brother, Geordie. Their friends come into it and there are many stand alone stories but always there is a link somewhere. And always there are fantastic things going on that shouldn't be real but just might be...

It sounds confusing but I can promise you it's not. If anyone had told me I would read and love urban fantasy this much I would have laughed at them, but I do! The stories encourage a laid-back sort of enjoyment that you don't often come across - Alexander McCall Smith is another such author - you just feel as though you don't want to rush them, which is why I've taken two months to read this book. Anyway, I certainly plan to read a lot more in this series and am so pleased to have discovered it.

The Silver Chair

2008-02-28T15:34:00.004-06:00

Lewis, C.S. 1953. The Silver Chair.

It's been more than a few weeks since I reviewed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The Silver Chair is the fourth novel in the seven-book series by C.S. Lewis. (In January, I also reviewed The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. You can read my reviews here and here.) Although I started The Silver Chair soon after, I lost interest quickly. I'd read a chapter here, a chapter there. And soon I realized that I'd been unsteadily plodding along on the same book for about six weeks. Which, if you know me at all, you'll know that that is very unusual.

The truth? Though many people like or love The Silver Chair...I'm not one of them. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate the book. I even enjoy parts of the novel a great deal. But I don't love it the same way that I love the other three, the first three. Which is my least favorite of the seven? It would be a toss up between The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy.

The story. The story. What is the story. Two kids--Eustace, whom we first met in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Jill, whom we are meeting for the first time, have unexpected, unplanned adventures in Narnia, a magical land first introduced in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The two step into the adventure. Their quest? To find the missing prince--a person assumed or presumed dead--the son of King Caspian. (Caspian we met in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.) Aslan, the lion-king, gives instructions to Jill that will help them on their way. But these instructions require familiarity--memorization--and obedience. Neither come naturally to the children. Along the way, the children meet many characters. Some are friends; some are enemies. Puddleglum is the most interesting person that they meet. He is what I remember most about the novel.

Overall, I liked this novel, but I didn't love it. I think others may enjoy it more than I did.

Birds of a Feather

2008-02-24T18:19:00.006-06:00

All Jacqueline Winspear books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

Maisie Dobbs has been hired once again to solve a case. This time it involves a wealthy man, his missing daughter and three of her friends that happen to be deceased. As Maisie proceeds in her investigation, she discovers more about herself and her assistant Billy Beale.

This series has a lot to offer. I receive the greatest pleasure from the quiet, thought-filled process that Maisie demonstrates in her quest to solve mysteries. Also, the fact that she's intelligent, yet never arrogant or haughty; she continues to seek advice and listen to those around her.

Like the first, this second in the series contains some psychology, which I really enjoy. However, the moments of intuition and sensing the aura are not to my liking and I believe that it weakens the validity of her findings. Fortunately, it's not enough to dissuade me from meeting up with Maisie Dobbs again.

Megan Whalen Turner

2008-02-19T16:56:00.004-06:00

Megan Whalen Turner's young adult fantasy series was recommended by OSC, and it deserves every word of praise he gave it. The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia all follow the life of Eugenides, a young thief who later becomes a king, somewhat against his desire.

The thing that struck me most about these novels, particularly the latter two, is the risk the author took. She addresses some fairly mature situations, and while I'm not a fan of dumbing things down or sugarcoating them for children, I'm surprised that she was able to explore them so successfully within the framework of a young adult novel.

She handles characters and emotions skillfully, and her plots are excellent. I only wish I knew if the rumours that she's planning to continue the series are true. These were my second read for this challenge, and the first reviewed by Card. So far, it seems he has good taste!

(I wrote more detailed reviews of each of the three books at my blog: The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia.)

OSC on Empire (YouTube) Video

2008-02-18T21:34:00.002-06:00

Another OSC YouTube clip...

Ender's Game

2008-02-17T21:27:00.001-06:00

At the age of six, Andrew Wiggin, who prefers to be called Ender, is taken from his family to be trained as a soldier. Test results and close observation have convinced Earth’s military, in the form of a certain Colonel Graff, that Ender may hold the key to the planet’s defence. The enemy are the buggers, a race who have already sent two invasion forces with near-disastrous consequences for humanity. Once at Battle School, a combination of coursework, games, and psychological manipulation are used to train Ender for the most important battle of all.

Some time ago, I picked up a copy of First Meetings, a group of four stories set in the Enderverse, including the original Ender’s Game, a novelette that appeared in Analog in 1977 (it wasn’t expanded and published as a novel until 1985.) Somewhat against my better judgement, I read the novelette. Having heard so much about the novel, I wanted to read it. Once the novelette was in my hands, though, I couldn’t help but read it, even though I feared that it would provide an inferior experience and lessen my pleasure when it came time to read the “real” story. I was justified in the former fear, but not the latter.

The novel is by far the better telling of the story. It takes everything that was good about the novelette, and adds a wealth of detail, character development, and emotion, without a single wasted word. I thought knowing the end would make reading the novel pointless; instead, it only made clear to me how little Card depended on a flashy climax to keep the reader’s interest. As well as having more time to explore the existing characters from the novelette, the expanded form gave Card room to create many new secondary characters, all of whom are worth the space they’re given in the novel.

My trip to the bookstore today will definitely include a search for the first sequel, Speaker for the Dead. If you’re the slightest bit interested in SF or war fiction, and you haven’t read Ender’s Game yet, do it. Now. Today.

X-posted at my blog.

Shadow of the Hegemon

2008-02-17T11:18:00.002-06:00

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
Shadow Saga Book 2 (Enderverse Book 6)

Pages: 365
First Published: 2000
Genre: science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First Sentence:

Nothing looked right in Armenia when Petra Arkanian returned home.

Comments: This book starts right after Ender's Shadow, the Formic War is over and the Battle School children have been sent back to their homes on earth. Earth is in a political turmoil, however, and the children are in danger. Shortly after arriving home all the members of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped, except one, who escapes. Bean. Bean and Peter Wiggin turn to each other for help. Bean wants to rescue his friends, especially Petra, and Peter wants to rule the world as Hegemon.

It has been a couple of years since I read the previous books in this series and, wow, I had forgotten just how great these books are. It is like meeting up with old friends reading about these characters again. Bean has always been my favourite and his secrets are revealed in this book. There is a lot of political and military strategizing in the story which I do not have a head for, but Card has a way of writing which kept me interested through those parts. An incredibly involved plot with lots of action and fabulous characters.

-Nicola

The Appeal

2008-02-12T08:48:00.000-06:00

All John Grisham books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

The plot begins with a jury decision against a chemical company accused of contaminating a town's water supply, which caused cancer throughout its inhabitants. Knowing that the decision will be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the politics of filling a possible seat vacancy are in full force.

John Grisham's books are always a pleasurable read for me. As it goes, some are better than others for various reasons and this one was no different. The Appeal has an abundance of political influence in the plot, making it less appealing (no pun intended) to me, yet I found it to have great educational value. Other than that, it took me half the book to truly be interested, then to have my hopes dashed with the ending. Unfortunately, the conclusion may be reality. HOWEVER . . . I thought this was a work of fiction.

Shannon Hale's Princess Academy

2008-02-01T21:21:00.002-06:00

I finally read Princess Academy last week. I really don't know why it took me so long! Both of my daughters (now 17yo and 12yo) had recommended it, and it was even a 2006 Newbery Honor Book.

When Card reviewed it in July 2005, he was effusive in his praise. For example, despite the fact that Princess Academy is a young adult novel, Card said,

I believe it's a book for everybody. Grownups especially. It's been a long time since I've read an adult novel with anything like Hale's knowledge of human nature and human communities.

I know that I, for one, am a grown-up who loved this book! (My complete review is here.)

Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries

2008-02-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

Perhaps I was stretching the rules a little when I selected "T" is for Trespass, the latest installment in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries series, for this challenge, since Card has not actually reviewed it (as far as I can tell). But the list says "Grafton, Sue. All of her works." - so I decided it would be alright.

In his review of "Q" is for Quarry, Card said:

It's always a pleasant surprise when, instead of going stale, a mystery series gets better, deeper, and truer with each installment.

That sentiment applies to "T" is for Trespass as well. My review is here.

Midnight Falcon by David Gemmell

2008-02-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

Midnight Falcon is the second in the Rigante series by David Gemmell. Roughly set 17 to 20 years after the close of Sword in the Storm, Midnight Falcon is the story of Connavar's illegitimate son, Bane. He is a young man--a teen roughly 17 to 18 when the story opens. He has never been accepted--never been recognized--by his father or his father's family. His friends consist of Vorna, the town witch, and Vorna's son Banouin. Bane and Banouin team up for a brief period of time. Banouin wants to go to the city of Stone--the empire of Stone. He wants to study at the great library. He wants to read and gather information, to find his place among his father's people. For though his mother is Rigante, his father was a man from Stone--a trader. Bane, well, Bane is just looking for a fight or two or three. He is one angry, rebellious, bitter man. It will get worse before it gets better. Trust me.

When Banouin "accidentally" has his first vision of the future, he fails--or Bane attributes it to him as failing to do the right thing, the honorable thing. He foresees the death of several of the people Bane has come to appreciate, to love, to respect. One is a woman that Bane loves. The other is her father. Bane thinks--knows--that the honorable thing would have been to stay and fight and protect even at the risk of losing their own lives. Banouin has a que sera sera philosophy and plans to make tracks fast--in other words--run away without a word of warning.
When Bane gets this crucial piece of information out of his friend, he rushes back only to find the Stone soldiers have been there--are still there--and his friends are dead. He sees his love get stabbed in the heart, and in the process he is almost fatally wounded himself.

He would be dead certainly if the Morrigu had not intervened, had not granted him life. But what Bane chooses to do next, what he seeks most is blood, revenge. His new goal? To become a gladiator in Stone's arenas. To learn how to fight from the best. To prepare for that one sweet moment of revenge.

The novel spans two or possibly even three years. It is set in the Rigante lands as well as on the mainland of Stone's empire. It is full of characters. It is full of fighting and violence. It is full of strife and tension.

I didn't love this one as much as the first. But it was good. I'm not sure how soon I'll be seeking out the third novel. As it is set several hundred years later. With that much of a gap in time and none of the same characters, I'm not sure how anxious I am to be drawn into another book full of battles and fighting and warfare. I cared in the first two because I had been drawn into the world, the characters, the drama of their ordinary lives. But to start all over again, to start from scratch, I'm not sure I want to go there...at least not yet.

Becky's Review of Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

2008-01-31T12:16:00.000-06:00

Mull, Brandon. 2007. Fablehaven: The Rise of the Evening Star.

It has now been a year since Kendra and Seth have visited their grandfather and grandmother (whom we first met as a chicken) on their Fablehaven estate (or preserve to be a bit more accurate). Our narrative opens with Kendra anticipating the last week of school--her last week at a middle school. It's an unusual time for a school--a class--to receive a new student--with only one week to go--but only Kendra knows quite how strange it is. The new student? Not human. A monster. A monster with foul breath. When Kendra's unable to reach her grandfather, she decides to trust the man who claims to be sent at her grandfather's request. A man called Errol. Kendra and Seth thus end their school year with a bit of adventure and danger and mystery. Soon summer will be here. The summer may just hold another action-packed, adventure-filled, mystery-solving, danger-ridden, journey for the two as they visit their grandparents once more. Full of action, suspense, mystery, and adventure...this second book is even better than the first.

Seventh Son: Tales of Alvin Maker

2008-01-28T19:48:00.000-06:00

This was my second Card book, but my first for the challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed Seventh Son and I'm looking forward to moving on to Red Prophet. My full review is here.

I'm thinking that I'm definitely going to need to read Ender's Game. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

2008-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Orson Scott Card calls Brandon Mull a "writer who is clearly going to be a major figure in popular fantasy." And I must admit that I agree with him after reading Fablehaven. Fablehaven is at its simplest the story of a pair of siblings--Kendra and Seth--who go to visit their grandfather for summer vacation. The two did not know their grandfather well. He's always seemed elusive, guarded, unsure. To put it quite simply, a strange man who doesn't act like a grandfather.

He puts his two grandchildren in the attic room. It serves as both bedroom and playroom. The two are given strict rules to obey. Rules that Kendra--for the most part--respects and obeys. Rules that Seth has no intention of following.

For the first sixty pages or so, Fablehaven doesn't seem that magical. It seems strange. Seth in his disobedience finds an unkempt, old woman in the woods living in a shack that he thinks might be "a real witch." And Seth and Kendra both briefly visit the woods and discover a park--a beautiful park--that looks like it came from a dream. Both of those events are weird, strange. But it doesn't get full-blown magical until the two decide to drink some milk.

Bet you didn't expect milk to play a big role in transforming the ordinary world into a magical one!

Seth and Kendra disobey another rule--one prohibiting them from drinking milk--and suddenly get turned on to the world of fairies. Their grandfather instead of being angry is well pleased with his clever grandchildren. For you see, their grandfather's secrets have been waiting and wanting to be discovered.

I don't want to spoil this one for anyone. So I won't tell you what kinds of adventures these kids have while visiting their grandparents. . . but it's exciting through and through. I don't think many will read it and be disappointed.

February Bookworms Carnival

2008-01-22T21:40:00.001-06:00

It's time to start thinking about what you're going to read and submit for February's Bookworms Carnival entitled The Geography of Make-Believe. This time the carnival is being hosted by Renay at The Book Ninja. The theme is speculative fiction. You will need to read her guidelines to see if your submission will fit with the theme. Read all about it here. The deadline for submissions is February 8th!!!! (A little over two weeks away)

I'm extremely excited about this theme--this carnival. And I hope that some of my readers--hint, hint--will participate as well. The more the merrier. I would love to see this next carnival be the biggest yet!!! And with a theme this fun, what's not to love!!!

Interested in submitting? Email Renay directly at this address thebookninja AT gmail DOT com. Be sure to include "bookworms" and/or "carnival" in the subject line.

I love this carnival--if you remember I hosted it in January--and I hope to host it again soon. I just have to pick a fun theme :)

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2008-01-22T14:26:00.000-06:00

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis is the third novel in the seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia. Earlier this month I reviewed The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. You can read my reviews here and here. I loved both of these books. Loved. Yet I'm at a loss of words when it comes to the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe is the start of the magic. It is the first. It could arguably be the best. Prince Caspian has a charm all its own. It's consise; it's action-packed. It's thoroughly enjoyable. Yet The Voyage of the Dawn Treader--for me--has a certain magic all its own that I can't really explain. There are times when I feel it is my favorite. But at the same exact time I'm feeling that it's my favorite, I feel guilty for thinking that anything could be better than The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. I guess I feel I need permission to love another just as much--however differently--as I do my first love.

This is a book that had me at hello. Say what you will about the first two books, neither have a first sentence that pops or sparks with magic. "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." This sentence has to be one of my favorite, favorites of all time.

It goes on to say, "His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how friends spoke to him for he had none. He didn't call his Father and Mother "Father" and "Mother", but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, non-smokers and tee-totallers, and wore a special kind of underclothes. In their house there was very little furniture and very few clothes on beds and the windows were always open."

This is our first description of Eustace, "Eustace Clarence liked animals, especially beetles, if they were dead and pinned on a card. He liked books if they were books of information and had pictures of grain elevators or of fat foreign children doing exercises in modern schools."

Can you tell already that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is unique but uniquely wonderful? Eustace, as the reader soon learns, is the cousin of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. And The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the story of what happens when Lucy and Edmund go to visit their most unpleasant cousin. You'll find that magic follows the Pevensies wherever they go. This time the magic doesn't come from a wardrobe or the blowing of a magical horn. This time it's a painting--a portrait of a ship sailing the ocean that "calls" or "invites" the children to an unforgettable but dangerous thoroughly adventurous journey.

Edmund and Lucy--as you can imagine--are elated, thrilled, ever-so-happy to be back in Narnia. To be reunited with their good friend, Prince Caspian. But Eustace is miserable, cranky, mean, and downright unpleasant.

The dangers they face on their journey are unique. They're not like the dangers faced in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe or even the dangers faced in Prince Caspian. There are more dangers to be faced overall. But they're subtler. Quieter. The book has them sailing along on the seas, then occasionally stopping at various islands--some known, most unknown. Each chapter (though sometimes several chapters are related) has an adventure all its own. The novel is a handful of episodes, mini-adventures if you will. All of them unique. All of them memorable. Some episodes, I think I'll carry with me always. There's just something about this novel that just works for me.

Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth

2008-01-22T10:52:00.000-06:00

Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov was originally the fourth in the Foundation series. The third novel, Second Foundation, was published in 1953. (The two stories that the novel consists of were published in 1948 and 1949.) Foundation's Edge was published in 1982. Unlike the previous Foundation novels, the remaining books in the series--Foundation's Edge, Foundation and Earth, Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation--were written AS novels. Does it make a difference? You bet! A great BIG difference as far as I'm concerned. Why? The novels seem sloppier, wordier, and sleep-inducing. Okay, maybe they won't really PUT you right to sleep. But in a word. Boring. No pizazz. No magic. Few WOW moments. And a whole lot of asides and tangents. Unless sociology, philosophy, science--all hypothetical studies of the three of course--lessons fascinate you and keep you turning pages, you'll find these novels lack the concise power of the original trilogy.

Foundation's Edge is the story of two men really. Golan Trevize and Janov Pelorat. Golan Trevize is a Councilman on Terminus. Janov Pelorat is a historian, a scholar, on Terminus. Trevize is exiled by the Mayor because he voiced doubts about the Seldon Plan. He voiced doubts about psychohistory. He voiced concern that the Second Foundation was still out there and still out to get them. Janov Pelorat is forced into exile as well. Not because he did anything wrong, but because Trevize is thought to need a companion, an excuse, a reason to make the journey. Pelorat's hopes and dreams revolve for a time around finding the OLDEST planet, the planet of origin, the place thought of as Earth. Trevize isn't concerned about Earth. He wants to try to find the Second Foundation--if it exists at all--and wants to destroy it. But the two are forced to live together, work together, travel together. They spend most of this book, and most of the next, together on a small spaceship. (A spaceship for 4.)

These characters aren't the only ones doing the narrating, however. There are plenty of minor roles. Plenty of plot twists. Some members of the Second Foundation contribute a large part to the story. But the heart of this one is the ongoing quest by Pelorat and Trevize. Trevize for one reason or another goes along with this search for Earth, and their search leads them somewhat indirectly to the planet Gaia. Oh how tired I am of hearing about Gaia.

Gaia is perhaps a nicer concept of the Borg. It is a planet of "we" and not "I." The air, the soil, the plants, the animals, the humans, the excrements, the food, the walls, the beds, the clothes, everything IS Gaia. Bliss, the woman they meet, is Gaia. She is a part of the planet. Everything she sees, everything she hears, everything she knows, is part of Gaia. There is just one collective memory, one collective consciousness.

Gaia--Bliss--has been drawing--manipulating--Trevize and Pelorat to the planet. And they're not the only ones. Gaia wants to have a big SHOWDOWN with the Second Foundation, the First Foundation, and Gaia. They want Trevize to decide the fate of the universe. Which of the three--Foundation, Second Foundation, Gaia--he wants to see rule the universe for the rest of eternity. Talk about pressure.

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For some reason or other--he chooses Gaia's concept of Galaxia. A concept that will turn the entire universe--the entire galaxy--into a super-organism. Every part of the universe--the planet, the air, the humans, the animals, the bacteria, the plants, the curtains, etc. into one collective consciousness. It is the loss of individualism. Every person, every animal, every insect, every blade of grass, every amoeba will be Galaxia. He's told that it will be a time-consuming process that will take several hundred years--probably five or six hundred years. So he chooses it with the thought that he can always unchoose it. But is that really true?

Foundation and Earth picks up right where Foundation's Edge ended. Essentially. But there is some inconsistency between Foundation's Edge and Second Foundation. I don't know how many readers notice this or how many readers care. I don't know if Asimov did this intentionally. But early in Foundation's Edge, one of the main characters, Janov Pelorat, is forced by the Mayor of Terminus into exile alongside Golan Trevize. They make a point of mentioning that Pelorat is leaving behind his wife. Not only is she just his wife--she's his pregnant wife. They refer to her only a handful of times, but apparently, by the end of the novel Pelorat has completely forgotten about his wife. Completely. Forgotten he was married. Forgotten that he was going to be a father. In the last chapter or so, he takes up with a new woman of sorts, Bliss, and for the rest of Foundation's Edge and all of Foundation and Earth not another word is spoken about Pelorat's poor, pregnant, abandoned wife back on Terminus. I believe at one point Bliss even asks if Pelorat is married and he says that he hasn't been married for years. A blatant lie on his part OR a forgetful Asimov at work.

Foundation and Earth is the story of Pelorat, Bliss, and Trevize. These three are out exploring the galaxy doing everything in their power to find Earth. Trevize is convinced that Earth holds all the answers, all the secrets of the universe. It's a quest he's willing to risk his life--and the lives of his friends--time after time after time. They visit a handful of planets. Each one scarier--either physically or psychologically--than the one that came before. Some are truly horrifying places. And of course at the MOST horrifying one of all they pick up a passenger. Travize doesn't want to. He fights it then and almost every chapter after that. But it does no good. No one will listen to him. The passenger is a young child. A child that they were told would be killed. But by saving this child, did they doom the universe?

I'm not going to have any more spoilers. These four and their quest to find Earth....and what they found and what they did....well, you'll just have to read for yourself.

These two had their brief moments of glory where the writing was good and the plot twists intriguing. However, for the most part, they lacked a lot in storytelling power. I think Asimov's problem with these novels is that sometime between 1953 and 1982, he decided, he determined that the world of Foundation had to be combined with the world he created in his Robot series. I haven't read the Robot series myself. But if these latter novels are any indication, I don't know that I want too. Perhaps, the earlier Robot novels are good. Perhaps not. Maybe fans of the Robot series were let down by these latter books too. Maybe they wish Foundation and Robots had not been combined. Who knows. I only know that Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth had way too many awkward conversations about humans and robots having sexual relationships.

Here is how the series is supposedly supposed to go these days.

The Complete Robot (collection of short stories)
The Caves of Steel (1954)
The Naked Sun (1957)
The Robots of Dawn (1983)
Robots and Empire (1985)
The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
The Currents of Space (1952)
Pebble in the Sky (1950)
Prelude to Foundation (1988)
Forward the Foundation (1993)
Foundation (1951)
Foundation and Empire (1952)
Second Foundation (1953)
Foundation's Edge (1982)
Foundation and Earth (1986)

Sword in the Storm by David Gemmell

2008-01-21T22:19:00.000-06:00

Sword in the Storm by David Gemmell is book one in the Rigante series. It's also one of the reasons I started the Cardathon. Let me explain. Yes, I started the Cardathon to introduce others to the glory-that-is Orson Scott Card. But it was also selfish. I wanted the chance to read some books that were Card-recommended. I would read Card's essays/articles about the books he was reading and be intrigued, curious. Card's thoughts on Gemmell intrigued me. Here is an author--Gemmell--that I've never heard of. And Card is praising him enthusiastically. You can read his review of David Gemmell's Rigante series here. I knew immediately that I would want to read some to experience it for myself--to see if it was really as good as Card claimed.

Sword in the Storm is 439 pages of pure pleasure. It's historical fantasy. But--and this is purely my take on it--it is fantasy that is done in such a way that it doesn't feel like fantasy. It feels real. The world is so well-crafted, so well-grounded. The characters so human, so life-like. It just feels real. Yes, there are some magical powers going on. (The Seidh) (Especially crucial is the Morrigan. Though I think the spelling may be altered in the novel.) But they feel real. They don't feel like make believe. It was a world, a time and place, that I thoroughly bought into.

The first book--the only book I've read so far--follows the life of a tribe--the Rigantes--based on the Celts of Britain. They never say the word "Britain." And the closest you get to "celt" is "Keltoi" but when you read it there is little doubt where it is set. Similarly, the threat--the people, the soldiers, of "Stone" are never called "Romans." But the reader knows who the soon-to-be enemies/conquerors are.

Never has a book been so rich, so fully immersed in culture WHILE at the same time being so full of action and intensity. The characters are well-developed. It doesn't matter if they're major or minor. All the characters have a life, a spark of their own. Each plays a role in the drama. Each is important. The whole community--the whole tribe--is given life. His characters are so human, so believable. They're full of flaws, but they're still--for the most part--so likable. You understand them. If they do good. If they do bad. You feel you know why. You understand why. The action? Intense. Whether plotting a romance or preparing for great battle scenes, the pacing is unbelievable. All of it is so good. It really keeps the pages turning.

I think I will take a hint from Card and not talk too much about the characters themselves. This is one you need to read for yourself.

I have actually said nothing about the characters themselves. For good reason: I don't want to mar them by trying to summarize who they are.
For Gemmell has done something that is rarely attempted outside the fantasy genre and rarely done well within it. He has created characters of nobility and honor, and has done it so well that instead of seeming larger than life, they never lose their humanity.

Anyway, I can't recommend this one highly enough!!!! Read this book!

Important Announcement to All Participants!

2008-01-21T14:04:00.001-06:00

The Cardathon Challenge now has a widget you can display on your own blog!!! It can be found here. There are three to choose from, and you can customize it as well. So please consider posting the widget on your blog if you're a participant!

Becky's Thoughts on Northanger Abbey

2008-01-21T11:39:00.000-06:00

If I'm being honest, Northanger Abbey has never been one of my favorites. The book, well, the book just seemed to lack that magic spark, that sizzle, those ahhh life-is-good moments that Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion seem to encompass. It's not that I don't think the novel has its moments of charm. I do. The first sentence (or so) is magnificent: "No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her." In the first few pages, there are just some stand-out phrases that are pure wit (or satire or sarcasm). For example, "But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine; she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventful lives." And I love this bit, "She had reached the age of seventeen without having seen one amiable youth who could call forth her sensibility; without having inspired one real passion, and without having excited even any admiration but what was very moderate and very transient. This was strange indeed! But strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out. There was not one lord in the neighborhood; no, not even a baronet. There was not one family among their acquaintances who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door; not one young man whose origin was unknown. Her father had no ward, the the squire of the parish no children. But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way." I love that...."something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way." Perfect tongue-in-cheek beginning to a rather ordinary trip to Bath.

Our heroine--our want-to-be-heroine--Catherine is seventeen. She has been invited to go to Bath to be a companion to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, the Morland's friendly (and childless) neighbors. At first, their trip is boring. The Allens don't know anyone in Bath. They can't very well go about introducing themselves to strangers. Catherine who longs to dance and soar in popularity can't go about conversing with strange young men. All seems rather dreary until they are introduced to a Mr. Henry Tilney. Suddenly, Catherine's eyes begin to sparkle and her heart begins to pound. (And if Austen's imagined character resembles JJ Feild, no wonder, Catherine is so swept up! Anyone's imagination would be prone to getting carried away all of a sudden. (Pictures of the cast can be found here and here and of course the Masterpiece Theatre site.) Soon after, the Allens meet the Thorpes. Mrs. Thorpe and Mrs. Allen having been school chums several decades before. Isabella Thorpe. Soon to be Catherine's instant new best friend. and (Perhaps we should all learn a lesson about people that are that clingy and chummy from the second you meet them.) A further coincidence occurs a bit later on when Mr. James Morland--Catherine's older brother--and Mr. John Thorpe suddenly appear on the scene. James is smitten with Isabella. And John is smitten with Catherine. (Catherine, however, remains smitten with Henry. Which girl wouldn't stay true, I tell you. Especially if the competition is John Thorpe. A man who was giving off creepy vibes almost from the very beginning. So the ThorpesMorlands are all chummy in a way. When the Tilneys reenter the scene. Mr. Henry Tilney is now accompanied by his father, General Tilney, a genuinely spooky and temperamental fellow, and his sweet and gentle sister, Eleanor. Miss Eleanor Tilney and Catherine while getting off to a bit of a bumpy start, soon become friends. Is Isabella happy? No. Just the first sign of trouble from her. So we've got Catherine being pursued by both John and Henry. Isabella being pursued by James and the noticeably arrogant Captain Tilney. (Henry's older brother who just happens to drop by and takes a noted interest in wooing Isabella away from her intended and straight into his bed.) All this drama and we haven't even heard mention of Northanger Abbey!

Well, I don't want to spoil this for anyone. Drama--some real, some imagined--is what you'll find in Austen's Northanger Abbey.

I read the book on Saturday afternoon/night. I liked it. It was okay. But on the screen it sizzled. It just worked. It was practically perfect in every way. Henry Tilney was the perfect hero. He was so thoroughly charming and witty. So adorably there for the girl. Always knowing just what to do, just what to say. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. But my appreciation for the movie goes beyond the chemistry of Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland. Everything just worked. The mood. The tone. The music--the score. The dialogue. They truly captured the essence of this book. And in my opinion--and it is just my opinion--improved on it. Maybe it just works better--the plot, the characters, the dialogue--acted out instead of read. I am no expert on Northanger Abbey by any means, but to my reckoning it was true enough to the book that if it did in fact deviate at some point it wasn't glaringly, obviously, punch-you-in-the-gut contrary. That being said, it SPED things up considerably. Instead of showing the Allen's out of their element and bored and wondering what to do about it for a week or maybe two weeks, they meet Mr. Tilney at the first social gathering they attend. That wasn't in the book. And it happened several times. The book shows things happening gradually--slowly. There is more detailed action and characterization. (For example, the movie doesn't show James wooing Isabella at all. Or hardly at all. They just don't focus on that aspect of the book.) But do we lose the heart and soul of the story by watching things develop so quickly? Yes and no. Quite honestly, I would have LOVED this one to be two or three hours long. I wouldn't have been bored with more story, more details, more of everything really. I would have been happy. But still, there aren't any complaints from me. They got it right this time. It is just fun and delightful and enjoyable and happy-making. I think it says something when my mom and I both wear the same silly ear-to-ear grins at the end of a movie. I would imagine, I would hope, we're not the only ones out there who loved that oh-so-magical ending.

Second Foundation

2008-01-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

So I finished the third book in the original Foundation trilogy. (The other two being Foundation and Foundation and Empire.) Of the three, I must admit a strong preference for the middle novel. There is something magical that just works about Foundation and Empire. But that's not to say that Foundation and Second Foundation weren't enjoyable enough reads.

What can I say about Second Foundation? Well, it was originally published in novel form in 1953. It had previously been published as two separate short stories in 1948 and 1949. If memory serves me, around four hundred years have elapsed since the opening of Foundation. (It *might* be three hundred or five hundred. But my gut is saying four.) The stories share a theme--a strong theme. While all of the novels--the stories--have shared the theme of preservation and ambition, Second Foundation expands on that theme. This novel is all about the quest.

In the first story, those doing the questing are The Mule and the Mule's men. Han Pritcher, a character first introduced in Foundation and Empire, is one of the main characters. Bail Channis is a new character. He plays a rather large role in the story. These two have been paired together by The Mule to go on a quest--a search--for the Second Foundation. Their goal? To find out where it is so The Mule can finish his conquest of the Galaxy and rule supreme over all. Ambitious? Definitely! Doomed to fail? Probably. But the two have been given the mission without the option of saying no.

In the second story, those doing the questing are the descendants of Bayta and Toran Darell. Their son, Toran, and granddaughter, Arcadia, unknowingly hold the fate of the Second Foundation in their hands. Arcadia (or Arkady as she likes to be called) is only a teen--14 to be exact--but she is determined to have her chance for glory--her chance to be a hero. Her idol? Her grandmother who helped take down The Mule. Arcadia's quest? To be the one to find the Second Foundation. Her goal to help the Foundation destroy the Second Foundation. She's definitely an original, spunky kind of heroine. Very opinionated. Very determined. But can it be down? Can one person single-handedly do the seemingly impossible?

Persuasion by Jane Austen

2008-01-18T17:06:00.000-06:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

Persuasion by Jane Austen has to be--without a doubt--my favorite, favorite Austen novel. I've only read it twice, but each time was oh-so-magical. Though I will *admit* that it perhaps isn't a book that will "grab" you from page one. It might take some patience and effort, but give it a chapter or two (or three) and you might just find yourself swept up in the story of Anne Elliot.

Sir Walter Eliott, of Kellynch-hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Barnetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs, changed naturally into pity and contempt, as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century--and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed--this was the page at which the favorite volume always opened: Elliot of Kellynch-Hall.

See what I mean about NOT being an opening that will hook you? Long story short...or three reasons why you should read Persuasion despite its verbose, pompous opening....

1) It is the story of Anne Elliot. A middle child, a daughter obviously, born into a pompous and atrocious family muddles through the best she can while waiting for her Prince to come. (Okay, she's not really waiting for her Prince to come and rescue her. She's all but given up on love since she's also, at age 27, an "old maid.")

2) Despite coming from a ghastly, horribly obnoxious family, Anne herself is not only intelligent and genuine but she's also thoroughly enjoyable and likable. She has a wit and cleverness about her. She actually sees the world around her. She isn't blind to reality like so many of the other characters.

3) Persuasion is all about second chances. Anne Elliot, a girl who truly deserves good things because her family is so rotten, lost her one chance for love and happiness eight years before our narrative opens. Her heart belonged--then and now--to a young man, a sailor, Frederick Wentworth. But her family and friends deemed him unworthy and unacceptable. And forced into choosing between her family and her love, she chose her family. A decision she regretted from the moment she broke her lover's heart.

When Persuasion opens the reader learns that hard times have come to the Elliot family--a family mostly known for its arrogance and pride. The family is *forced* into renting their out their estate to an Admiral Croft and his wife. The Elliot family--all but Anne--will reside in Bath year round. Anne, poor Anne, only Anne, will be parceled out as need be between Bath and her father and older sister, Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Mary.

What can I say about Mary? Mary is interesting--and by interesting I mean obnoxious and annoying--in a completely different way than her father, Sir Walter, and her sister, Elizabeth. Mary is married to Charles. Charles Musgrove. Charles and Mary and their two children live on the estate--in a smaller house--as his parents and his sisters. They live in the "great house." Anne's time spent with her sister and her sister's in-laws is interesting to say the least. Mainly because someone has just arrived in the neighborhood. A Captain Wentworth. Captain Frederick Wentworth.

Just the sight of him makes her heart skip a beat--or two or three--she loves him like she's always loved him. But he's out of reach. He's now courting--of all people--one of the Musgrove sisters.

Love. Requited. Unrequited. Broken hearts. Regret. Jealousy. Disappointment. Frustration. It's all there with just a little more besides.

I do not want to spoil this one for anyone. Really. I don't want to. So please, please, please stop reading if you haven't read the novel. I mean it.

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There are just a few scenes--one really big scene--that makes this novel oh-so-magical. That takes it from nice to really really great.

I love, love, love the conversation between Anne Elliot and Captain Harville. Their discussion on which sex--which gender--loves most, loves deepest, loves truer is one of the best dialogues ever. Seriously. Mostly because of the heart-felt letter that is the result of Captain Wentworth overhearing that conversation. That letter? The best, most romantic love letter of ALL TIME. Who could not love this guy?

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that a man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, week and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.

The letter goes on, but I think you get the idea. Anyway, as much as I love Pride & Prejudice (and I do) I've just got to give the award to Anne and Captain Wentworth when it comes to love and romance. Okay, it only wins by a small margin--because Darcy is quite a letter-writer as well. And he is oh-so-dreamy in his own ways. But Anne, Anne is what makes this book so wonderful. She's a heroine that has nothing to recommend her but her self--her true self. A self that only a few recognize as a thing of beauty, a thing of great worth.

Let's compare Wentworths...first the 1995 Persuasion, then the 2008 Persuasion.

Now let's compare Anne Elliots...first the 1995 Persuasion, then the 2008 Persuasion

There is a cool character chart for the new movie.

As for the movies, I think I will *always* prefer the 1995 version. Even though none of the characters are glamorously beautiful, they're real and genuine. And that movie is *closer* to the book than this latest version. The real crime--in my opinion--is that they DID NOT HAVE the ultra-romantic scene with Captain Harville and Anne Elliot. They abbreviate that conversation down to a few lines, put it very nearly in the beginning, and have it taking place between Anne and a Captain Benwick. Therefore Wentworth can't overhear it, and doesn't have the *proper* motivation to write that beautiful, beautiful letter. Instead they invent a new excuse or else completely gloss over motivation entirely and have the letter showing up without provocation or reason. It's just suddenly there in the script. Silly, silly writers. Why mess with the majesty of the perfect scene???? If the new movie HAD bothered to get it right, perhaps there would be some competition between the two.

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

2008-01-17T10:51:00.000-06:00

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov was originally the second in a trilogy of novels. First published in 1952, the novel is in fact two stories or two novellas originally published (separately) in 1945.

Things you should know:

*Foundation was good. Really good. But Foundation and Empire was even better.
*Foundation and Empire is infinitely better than Prelude to Foundation.
*While I would certainly recommend reading Foundation, I think you could pick up Foundation and Empire without having read the other and still appreciate it for the great book that it is. It does in fact include a nice two page summary of the novel Foundation.
*Foundation and Empire has a certain something-special about it that makes it stand apart from Foundation. The writing seems wittier, funnier, more tongue-in-cheek. There's just something about it that makes it pop.

I am still operating under the philosophy of sometimes it is better not to know, BUT at the same time I don't want to be accused of not "reviewing" it properly.

Foundation and Empire roughly picks up about three hundred years after Foundation opens. In the first novella, "The General" the reader learns of the fourth (I believe it's fourth) Seldon crisis. One of the strongest generals of the Empire (what remains of the Empire) is out to destroy the Foundation. Bel Riose is the general's name. Ducem Barr, the son of a man we met briefly in Foundation, is a main character--a character that opposes the Empire even at great risk to his own life and his own family. Lathan Devers, a trader, is also of importance. The plot of "The General" is relatively simple, and this is the shorter of the two stories. In the second novella, "The Mule" the Foundation faces its GREATEST threat so far. It begins simply with the homecoming of a bride and groom. Bayta and Toran. They're visiting Toran's family on the planet of Haven. Haven is a "rat hole" of a planet where traders--mostly retired traders--go to hide out and evade paying taxes to the Foundation. The planet is technically a part of the Foundation. But they're more of a rebellious bunch on Haven. The reader soon learns that not everyone thinks Foundation is perfect when it comes to running the galaxy--or their small part of the galaxy. There is discontent among the ranks of citizens. But even the threat--the small threat--of civil war pales in comparison to the REAL threat of The Mule. I will say no more about the Mule or the rest of the story. I don't care how curious you are! Some things you can't pry out of me.

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

2008-01-16T15:27:00.000-06:00

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov is a prequel to Foundation. (Foundation was originally published in 1951. Prelude to Foundation was published in 1988.) It is VERY different than the original novel. Foundation, if you recall, is composed of five segments. Each one separate, distinct. The story--the plot--is loosely woven together. The main theme could be construed to be one of ambition. Various individuals separated by time and often place are very thirsty and hungry for power. All use manipulative tactics to advance their cause--the cause to be #1 and to boss everyone around. But Prelude to Foundation is set on one planet, and follows primarily the life of one man for a handful of months. (If I had to guess, I'd say more than three but less than twelve.)

You might be thinking, BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT???? Prelude to Foundation is the story of Hari Seldon. A young man who finds his world turned upside down after giving a speech--reading his research paper--at a mathematical convention. His topic? Psychohistory. Suddenly, Seldon finds himself a hot commodity. Power-hungry people seem determined to use him, to use his supposed theory as a propaganda machine for their own agendas. Seldon is convinced throughout seven-eighths of the novel that the theory of psychohistory is impossible. While it might theoretically be possible to to decipher the ins and outs of the philosophy, the science. It is just that a theory that hasn't been proven. And a theory that is unlikely to be proven since it is so complex, so headache-causing that even the supposed inventor of this theory can't understand or explain what exactly he means by the concept. Seldon doesn't want to deal with this "theory" in the practical. It boggles his mind that others are so determined to make him apply it politically, socially, economically. This one little research paper has him on the run for his life. Okay, life might be an exaggeration. No one is out to kill him--for the most part--they just want to trap him, use him, keep him under their control. (Which one could argue would seriously hinder his "living" life at all.) Of course, this isn't Hari Seldon's story alone. There are many, many characters. Many, many plot twists. Many things that make this novel complex.

If I had to compare the two novels, Foundation and Prelude to Foundation, this is what I would say. Foundation is like eating a wonderful, delicious meal. You leave the table feeling full and satisfied. You enjoyed every bite. It was an experience. Something to be savored. For me, Prelude to Foundation loses some of the magic. It wasn't like eating a wonderful meal. It is like you're held captive while someone describes to you the minute details of what it took to prepare that meal. The preparations. The recipes. The nutritional value of each dish. The reasonings behind exact serving sizes and garnishes. The how-to's of elaborate table settings. It is a thicker, heavier, weightier read. Very detailed. Prone to lessons and lectures in some places. It gets bogged down in the whys. In some ways it is a less satisfying read. Of course, this is all subjective.

Since it is a prelude, it is now listed as "first" in the series. I think this might just be a mistake. Of course, I can't unread Foundation to fairly evaluate Prelude to Foundation. But in all honesty, if I read Prelude to Foundation first, I'm not sure I'd bother to go on with the series. If I did, I certainly wouldn't be in any hurry or rush to do so. Prelude to Foundation was boring in places, while Foundation had me spellbound the whole way through.

Forward the Foundation is another prequel. It also goes "before" the original novel Foundation.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

2008-01-15T14:54:00.000-06:00

Some books feel like friends from the very beginning. Such is the case with Isaac Asimov's novel, Foundation. This book was originally the first in a series of Foundation novels. (However, Prelude to Foundation has since been published.) The novel is composed of five sections. Four of these sections were originally published separately and appeared as short stories in Astounding Magazine between 1942 and 1944. They were later compiled together into one volume in 1951 alongside a newly written introduction section, and thus Foundation as we know now it was published. (Does any of that matter? Not really. I didn't read the details on the publishing history until after I read it. But as an after note, I was intrigued by it. So I thought I'd share it with you.)

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire had ruled supreme. Now it was dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, could see into the future--a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that would last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathered the best minds in the Empire--both scientists and scholars--and brought them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He called his sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation found itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope was faced with an agonizing choice: Submit to the barbarians and be overrun--or fight them and be destroyed.

What can I say about Foundation without giving too much away? It is one of those rare books where it's best not to know. Best not to have preconceived notions of what it's all about. Best not to think too much about what it's saying and where it's going. It's best to just go along for the ride on this one.

The settings? Various planets. The characters? Too many to list. The plot? Complex but not difficult to follow. Each section of the book is separate from the whole. Most are divided by time. Between sections, thirty years, eighty years, fifty years, a hundred years could have passed. The reader picks up hints here and there about how much time has gone by. But this isn't a book where you follow characters around. This is more of a novel where ideas play the leading role.

If there is a cohesive theme to the novel it is manipulation. Whether passive or aggressive, Foundation is all about power struggles, manipulations, and getting others to do what you want when you want. It is all about ambition.

Do not look at this chart unless you want to confuse yourself. (Or you've read a good many of the books already.) For plot summary of the first novel, click here. For more information on the series as a whole, click here.

Start Celebrating!!!!!!!

2008-01-14T10:55:00.000-06:00

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Orson Scott Card is the recipient of the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for his novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. The press release can be found here. The following paragraphs come from this announcement:

Orson Scott Card is the recipient of the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for his novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. An accomplished storyteller, Card weaves the everyday experiences of adolescence into broader narratives, addressing universal questions about humanity and society. The award was announced January 14 at the 2008 Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association (ALA) in Philadelphia.

Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow both published by Tor Books, present a future where a global government trains gifted young children from around the world in the art of interstellar warfare, hoping to find a leader whose skills can prevent a second attack upon humanity by the insect-like aliens descriptively nicknamed "buggers." Young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin may be the savior they seek. He is not alone, as seen in the companion tale, Ender's Shadow, where orphaned Bean relates his own Battle School experiences. Just as the stories of Ender and Bean are paralleled in the novels, their experiences echo those of teens, beginning as children navigating in an adult world and growing into a state of greater awareness of themselves, their communities and the larger universe.

"Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow continually capture the imagination and interest of teens," said Edwards Committee Chair Brenna Shanks. "The conflicts of self and society, on a personal level and on a universal stage, never lose relevance."

Card, the author of numerous books, short stories and plays, lives in Greensboro, N.C.

Prince Caspian

2008-01-12T21:13:00.000-06:00

Lewis, C.S. Prince Caspian.

Prince Caspian, the second of the novels in the Chronicles of Narnia series, takes place one year after the close of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are preparing to return to school when they're instantly, magically transported (or translated) to Narnia. What they find there shocks them. Shocks them for many reasons. You see, it hasn't been a year in Narnia time. It hasn't even been just a hundred years. Their castle, their lands, unrecognizable ruins. The adventures are about to begin. Again. Many surprises, many adventures await them, along with one old friend. A friend that takes a little more faith to recognize these days.

Prince Caspian centers on a new hero. Caspian. The son of Caspian the Ninth, king of Narnia. But it is Caspian's uncle, King Miraz, that rules the land, and rules it harshly. Gone are the days of talking animals and other fantastical creatures. No the "old Narnians" must hide if they are to survive at all. Caspian may have been raised by his aunt and uncle, but his upbringing was left to an old nurse who believed in the old ways. Now, Caspian is a young man who longs to restore the golden days of the past. Who longs to restore Narnia to its former glory. Who longs to create a peaceful age where old Narnians can live and live well. But he can't do it alone. What he needs is help. Divine help.

Can a horn of old bring much-needed help from afar?

I love Prince Caspian. I do. It is exciting. It is thrilling. Again, Lewis has created memorable characters and memorable scenes.

Here is the official Prince Caspian trailer.

Always Winter, Never Christmas

2008-01-12T20:21:00.000-06:00

Becky's Review of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

My review of C.S. Lewis' classic children's book The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is going to be chatty--quite chatty--and there's nothing I can do about it. I first encountered the magic of Narnia in fourth grade when my teacher read it aloud to us. My teacher, Mrs. Watts, was known for many things. She inspired much fear and trembling. Like Aslan, she was not tame, but good. While, other students may remember the discipline or the hard work...I'll always remember my magical introduction to Narnia. Soon after, I added book by book the series to my collection. Most of my copies were used. Most were ugly. But I devoured each one. I seem to remember my sister reading a few of the series at least.

But unlike Little House and Ramona and Anne, this series was more me and less her. Narnia belonged to me--the magic, the wonder, the glory of it all. I remember the pure pleasure I experienced each and every time I opened up a book. I remember the book covers, yes. And I definitely have strong opinions on which book covers through the years are 'the best' of the bunch. But more precisely, I fell in love with the proper order of the series. Few things irritate me more than someone who insists on that new-fangled order. Which is why, if you could see me, you'd know how frustrating it is to read my 7-in-1 novel. But some things must be preserved at all costs.

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. (p. 111 in the 7-in-1 edition)

The adventures in and out of the wardrobe that these four experience during the course of the novel are oh-so-magical. The characters--both major and minor--so memorable. The story, familiar yet resilient, even after having read it a dozen times. So many wonderful scenes. Scenes that resonate. In case you haven't read it, let me give you a teaser. Lucy, the youngest of the children, accidentally discovers a magical land of ice and snow while hiding in a wardrobe in the Professor's house. Her three siblings--Peter, Susan, and Edmund--at first don't believe her. They take her tale as a wild, silly, foolish story of a girl whose homesick and wanting attention. Edmund, the brother closest to her in age and thus her biggest tormentor, also wanders into Narnia unexpectedly. But who he meets there, will perhaps undo them all. Narnia is not a land at peace. Not at all. For the land is under a spell--an enchantment--the White Witch--the supposed Queen of the land--has made it always winter and never Christmas. And the lives of the children--all four children--are in grave danger when they're in Narnia. For there is a prophecy that four humans--two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve--will come to rule the land as Kings and Queens and restore peace and order to the kingdom.

The heart and soul of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is the revelation of Aslan, the King of the land, a lion.

And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don't understand but in the dream it feels as if it has some enormous meaning--either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer. (141 of 7-in-1 edition)

The children's journey to Narnia, their quest to meet Aslan at the Stone Table, and their battle to save Narnia and their brother from the grasp of the evil and wicked witch....are unforgettable adventures that deserve to be experienced again and again by readers of all ages. You're never too old to experience the magic of Narnia.

Here's the super-trailer for the movie:

The Diaries of Adam & Eve

2008-01-12T13:31:00.000-06:00

The Diaries of Adam & Eve Translated by Mark Twain. Illustrated by Michael Mojher.

This compilation combines several writings by Mark Twain. It weaves together the texts of both Adam and Eve's diaries. You can see snippets of both here and here. (Adam first, then Eve.)

One of the reviews I read notes that, "The Diaries of Adam and Eve contains a good sample of Twain's wry humor and his observations on the human condition. He portrays Adam as a man who would as soon sit around and do nothing, but whose curiosity eventually gets the better of him once it is sparked by Eve. Eve is seen as a curious woman who wants to understand everything around her and has the need to share it with any person who will listen, limited, at first, to Adam, who is passably indifferent to Eve and her passions." Another calls it a "spoof" of the creation story in Genesis. While it's true that it is slightly irreverent, I see it as capturing the bewilderment and awe of life as it might have been. It's not like there was an instruction manual. And their confusion, curiosity, and naive wonder at things we take for granted make for an enjoyable, funny, lighthearted read. At its simplest it is a funny look at how humans learned to be human. One of the more humorous section is on how they became parents. Eve seems to "get" the baby thing more than Adam ever does. Anyway, I don't want to give too much away. But it is a short, simple, sweet book that I'd consider a must-read at some point in your life. I agree with the Amazon reviewer who wrote, "If there is a shorter, funnier, more delightful book on the planet, I have yet to find it. The genius that was Twain's is in abundant evidence here."

The Monkey's Raincoat

2008-01-12T13:06:00.000-06:00

All Robert Crais books are recommended by Orson Scott Card, so this one qualifies!

The Elvis Cole Detective Agency consists of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike with the office located in Los Angeles. A married woman enters the office and wants to hire them to find her missing husband and nine-year-old son. The investigation includes some hit or miss strategies, but then they get on the right path and find themselves immersed in the world of drugs and murder. Lots of murder.

I believe this makes my 7th Crais book. I have read 4 in the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series and several standalones. This one happens to be the first in the series. Being that I headed back to the beginning, my hope was to gain some insight on Elvis and Joe, but that didn't happen. I guess the later books give enough background that the earlier books aren't required reading to understand the characters.

I did find that this one was not quite as good as others, but I still enjoyed it. There were a few things I didn't care for, but if my memory serves me right, I think further into the series some of those wrinkles are ironed out. This was not bad writing by any means, but I can see and feel the difference in his writing today versus 1987.

War of Gifts

2008-01-11T13:17:00.000-06:00

Card, Orson Scott. 2007. War of Gifts: An Ender Story.

Short and sweet. At only 126 pages, War of Gifts is light reading featuring some new (Zeck) and some old characters (Dink, Ender, Peter), from Ender's Universe. This is essentially "Christmas at Battle School." The events occurring predate Ender having his own army if memory serves me. (And it has only been two days since I read it. So hopefully I'm not confused in my facts yet. But you never know.) Zeck is a young boy raised by a very strict, very religious, very stringent father. (His mother is slightly more relaxed.) Raised with the belief that he needs to be "made pure" by regular beatings and tormentings, Zeck is horrified to learn that he's been chosen to go to Battle School and trained to be a soldier. Rescuing? He doesn't need rescuing! His father, the one who beats him black and blue, the one who preaches Satan day in and day out is his hero, isn't he? Zeck has a hard time fitting in with his peers. It could be because he's a tattler. He's always on the look out for kids bending rules. With the mindset of "they can't make me" he's determined to have his own way no matter what. Determined to be miserable. But some boys are determined not to be miserable. To have as much fun as they can during their training. Dink and his friends think that having a little Christmas would be a good thing. It's not that they can go all out. But a kind word written or spoken, extra help with the homework, an extra treat at meal time, all of these become gifts from Santa as the generosity and kindness of the season spread. Only one person isn't happy...Zeck. Santa is vicious lie, isn't he? A tool of Satan? Zeck is determined in true-Scrooge and Grinch-like fashion to ruin Christmas for his mates. Something has to give...but will that something be Zeck. Can anyone melt his heart and show him the true meaning of the season?

War of Gifts is an enjoyable, light read.

Goodnight, Irene

2008-01-06T22:19:00.000-06:00

by Jan Burke

I read book five in the Irene Kelly mystery series earlier this year and really liked it. So when Joy mentioned reading a second book by an author we'd only read one of, Jan Burke was an obvious choice.

In Goodnight, Irene the reader is introduced to Irene Kelly and several of her friends. The book starts out with one of her closest friend's murder. As a reporter, Irene picks up on the stories her friend was working on in hopes of finding clues that will lead to the murderer.

This type of book is like comfort food to me. Perfect for when I don't want to thing too hard, but want to escape for a few hours and be totally wrapped up in the story. I look forward to reading book two in the series soon.

I read this for the Cardathon Challenge because Orson Scott Card recommends ALL of Jan Burke's books. Ohhhhh, so lucky for me!

Ender's Game (Booklogged's Review)

2008-01-06T16:50:00.000-06:00

The story is set in the future, approximately the year 2070. An alien race known as the Formics (often called the Buggers by children) has attacked Earth twice. Humans were very nearly destroyed the second time around, and would have been annihilated were it not for the work of Mazer Rackham. Now the government is preparing for the next invasion, gathering all of Earth's brightest children and sending them to Battle School, where they will learn to use their military genius to win the next Formic War.

The story centers around a child named Andrew Wiggin (given the nickname "Ender" by his sister's mispronunciation of his name). At the beginning of the book, Ender is only six. He is recruited into the IF (the International Fleet) and taken to Battle School, where he endures six years of intensive training. But Ender is not just another one of the children at Battle School; he is the one on whom all the government's hopes are pinned. For Ender is the best of the best, the genius among genius, and he is to be the next commander of the human fleet.

I wonder if J.K. Rowling ever read Ender's Game. As I read it I often thought of Harry Potter. Maybe it was because both books focused on young children or that the training games in Ender reminded me of Quiditch. Also, the young heroes of the books have to grow up so fast and face so much responsibility - They both hold the lives of so many in their hands. Even though I can't quite identify the similarities, in my mind at least, there was a similar feel.

Ender's Game was first conceived of when Card was only 16 years old. It was many years later that it was first published in a Science Fiction magazine as a short story. Even later Card developed it into a book that was awarded the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel. Ender's Game is used by the Marine Corps University at Quantico as a textbook on the psychology of leadership.

Thanks to Chris I own Speaker for the Dead which is a follow-up to Ender's Game. Card has said that Ender's Game was written specifically to establish the character of Ender for his role of the Speaker in Speaker for the Dead, the outline for which he had written before novelizing Ender's Game. I'm excitedly looking for to reading Speaker for the Dead.

Sharing your story...

2008-01-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

I thought it would be fun--though it's not required by any means--to share our stories of how we came to find out about Orson Scott Card. To tell about our first reading experiences with him. And to share our reactions. What was your first Card book, etc. If anyone wants to participate, they can leave comments below, OR they can post their own story/reflection entry. If you're a big fan, you probably have a story to share. If you're a newbie, that's okay. This challenge is for everyone, and we hope you'll join us and create your own story through this challenge.

I did this in my review of Ender's Game on my Becky's Book Review site.

It is time to talk about an old friend. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. A novel that has become without a doubt my most favorite book in the entire world. Okay, so you might think I'm a bit overly dramatic at times. (I've been told this countless times.) But this time, I really, really mean it. (You still don't believe me, do you?) To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born. No, I wasn't born loving Ender's Game, but sometimes it feels like it. (Yes, it was that life-changing.) It was seven years ago. The fall of 2000. I was taking a Master's level class in Children's Literature. The professor was Dr. Betty Carter. Ender's Game was a required book for the class. Up until that point, I had never read a science fiction book. Never heard of Orson Scott Card. Never even heard of the Nebula and Hugo awards. I was in for quite a surprise. I liked it, I really liked it. Melodramatic as it sounds, this book opened up a new world for me. I began to devour anything and everything Orson Scott Card. I began to spend my weekends searching used bookstores for copies of his works. And I began to obsessively check his official website maybe not every day but more than three times a week. I especially fell in love with his "Uncle Orson Reviews Everything" columns. And as my whole family--even extended family--can tell you, I began centering whole conversations around Orson Scott Card. Did you know that he.....Guess what OSC thinks about this....If OSC likes a movie, then I'll see it. (Although I don't always always agree with him on everything.) If he recommends a book, I try to read it. (I especially read it if it's a kid or YA book since that's my passion.) So maybe it's not normal to know what your favorite author likes to watch on tv...but if he chooses to write about it...then I might as well read it and remember it like trivia. Why is Ender's Game such a life-changing book? Yes, it is wonderful. Yes, it is practically perfect in every way. Yes, I could read it a hundred times and never get bored with it. But it did much more than that. Now, when you ask me to list my top ten books...or my top twenty books...it's hard for me not to make the majority of my list Orson Scott Card.

Ender's Game is the novel that started it all. It remains my favorite and my best. My second favorite would probably be Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus.

What makes Ender's Game so perfect? The characters. Yes, there is action. Yes, there is a war. But it is the characters that draw you in. It is Ender and Valentine and Peter that make you keep turning the pages. I think OSC gets characters in a way that few other authors do. He creates thoroughly human characters.

Andrew Wiggin "Ender" shows readers that it is not easy to be a hero. That 'saving the world' demands great sacrifice and selflessness. A hero's life is not a happy life. Yet a hero is what the world needs when the story opens. Set hundreds of years in the future, Ender's Game shows an Earth that has survived two alien invasions. The "Buggers" (an insect-like alien race) have been defeated twice. But the war--though over--carries on. As long as this alien race is out there somewhere, the Earth could still be in danger. Therefore, the world has united as one to fight their common enemy. The brightest and best children are taken from countries all over the world to Battle School. This school is a space station. The children--ranging in age from six to sixteen--are trained from the very beginning by the military. Everything has a purpose--from the "video games" that psychoanalyze each student to the battle games the children play in zero gravity. The military--the powers that be--believe Ender to be the savior that the world has been looking for all these years. And they will devote their lives to ensuring that he becomes exactly the kind of hero they need for the final battle that is to come. The problem? Such training is not healthy psychologically. These children aren't really children. They're being raised to kill and destroy the enemy as defined by the powers that be. They're being taught to hate. They're being taught to love war....to love battle...to love competition. They don't know about love. They don't know about kindness. They don't know about mercy and compassion. Most forget what life was like on Earth altogether. They've forgotten about their families, their homes, their customs. In other words, they've forgotten just why Earth is worth defending and protecting. The war has become a game to them almost. A fight for the sake of fighting.

To read a more in-depth review (also written by me) click here. Although I'll warn you now, there are spoilers. It was written for a class. And in writing assignments like those, it is all about summary and analysis. And you can't analyze a book without discussing the ending!

My Author Study Paper on Orson Scott Card

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T12:30:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very happy New Year! I hope 2008 is good to you all. And I'm so excited to *officially* get this challenge started! Some of you began in the fall, including me, but others haven't started yet! So welcome, welcome, welcome. If you like you can introduce yourself if you haven't done so yet. You can post your challenge list--the books you hope to read, or post your list of recommendations. Have you read a few books that qualify that you'd like to *encourage* others to seek out and read this year? Then do it! I love getting book recommendations. And I'm sure that most of us feel the same way. There's nothing like a personal testimony to add another book to the old tbr pile. :)

If you have read Orson Scott Card before (and it's not a requirement by any means), you may want to write a post describing your experiences with Card's fiction. I know a *few* of us are big fans, and will take any excuse to gush about OSC!

Also feel free to ask questions, to ask for recommendations, to ask if anyone has read a particular author or book.

Also would anyone be interested in joining a google group for the challenge? I haven't created one. And I honestly don't know if they'd be much interest. Some people are all about the community and having shared discussions, some just want to read and prefer to keep things more private. If there's an interest, I'll create one. Otherwise, I'll pass. A discussion email group is only *fun* if there are active members. And I know people are busy enough as it is. So just let me know what you think.

Orson Scott Card

2007-12-31T18:16:00.000-06:00

alisonwonderland's list

2007-12-30T20:23:00.000-06:00

when i signed up for this challenge, it seemed a very long time before January 1 would roll around - but now it's knocking at the door. i guess it's time to make a plan for my participation. i think i'll start with a list of twelve books - basically one a month - but note that i will be cross-listing many, if not all of them to other challenges.

Enchantment

Ender's Shadow

Invasive Procedures

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Flip by David Lubar

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Interworld by Neil Gaiman

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

"T" is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

More OSC Recommended Books

2007-12-29T18:41:00.000-06:00

This list is taken from a portion of OSC's column from 12/21/07. It originally appeared in the Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina.

BOOKS

Even people who never read books are flattered to think that you think they are readers. And kids who don't read books usually haven't been given the books they want to read!

Books for Kids

Age 3-5

Arnold Lobel's wonderful Frog and Toad books. Any of them. A set of them.

Age 6-8

It's disgusting but funny and kids love them. Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants.

Girls 9-14

Shannon Hale, Goose Girl. A terrific realistic spin on a fantasy story.

Mette Ivie Harrison, Mira, Mirror or The Princess and the Hound. Nobody else thinks or writes like Harrison.

Boys and Girls 9-14

It's just a fact of life -- girls will read boys' books, but boys won't read girls' books. Live with it.

Margaret Peterson Haddix, Among the Hidden or any of the other "Among the ..." books in the Shadow Children Sequence. A future in which it's illegal to have more than two children -- so third children are hidden away until the state finds them and takes them.

Lloyd Alexander, absolutely anything. He simply doesn't know how to write a book that isn't exciting and rich with character.

Gail Carson Levine, the Fairy Haven series, starting with Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. A classic-to-be.

Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn. They've just come out with a new hardcover of this classic. A perfect gift -- for adults, too.

Jack Higgins with Justin Richards, Sure Fire. A thriller for kids, and it's a good one, way smarter and better than the Spy Kids movies.

Neal Shusterman, Unwind. The ultimate solution for unruly teenagers -- you just cut them up for spare parts. It's the law! The author of the brilliant Everlost with the ultimate paranoid thriller.

Mystery

For Women

Jacqueline Winspear, any of the Maisie Dobbs novels. Set in England after World War I, brilliant historical novels as well as mysteries.

M.C. Beaton, any of the Haimish Macbeth novels, which have titles that begin with "The Death of ...". Get to know village life in the Highlands -- along with good solid mysteries and an ongoing series of romances.

Margaret Maron, her Deborah Knott mysteries. The newest is Hard Row, still in hardcover for a very nice gift.

Sharyn McCrumb, the author of magical Appalachian mysteries like If Ever I Return Pretty Peggy-O, comes to us with a NASCAR novel that women can love: Once Around the Track.

For Men or Women

Robert Crais: Anything at all, but especially The Two Minute Rule and The Watchman

Michael Connelly: Again, anything, but especially The Overlook

John Mortimer: Any Rumpole of the Bailey book

Science Fiction

Come on, who do you think is writing this list? A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card is a perfect last-minute gift -- a thin hardcover with a compelling story that features the title character from Ender's Game. Or pick up the newly-released paperback of Empire, my novel about a civil war in present-day America and the need for us to return to civility in our public discussions. Or the hardcover Invasive Procedures, co-written with my brilliantly talented young friend Aaron Johnston, about a healer who'll make you "better" whether you're sick or not.

Fantasy

Lynn Flewelling: The Tamir Triad, starting with The Bone Doll's Twin and continuing with Hidden Warrior and The Oracle's Queen. Perhaps the deepest psychological novel I've ever read -- the fantasy makes the unconscious issues real. Gorgeous but dark.

Kate Elliott: The Crown of Stars series. Just pick up the first volume, King's Dragon. Not the book entitled Crown of Stars -- that's volume seven. You might worry that your fantasy-reader friend might not be glad to get volume one of seven -- but I promise you, they'll be grateful once they've read this extraordinarily powerful opening volume. But this, like Lynn Flewelling's, is not for the faint of heart.

David Gemmell: Anything. I recently discovered this British author and was dismayed to learn he died just a few years ago. I've read all of the beautiful and moving Rigante series, but so far I've picked up nothing of his that wasn't excellent and compulsively readable for the fantasy fan.

History

I spend my life reading history, and there's simply too much out there for me to try to recommend it all. But ... for last-minute shopping, pick up Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes, a brutally accurate history of the CIA using all the available documents and interviews with many of the participants. The miracle is that the United States still exists. Or pick up Stefan Rudnicki's compelling reading of it in the book on CD. You can't make a serious evaluation of what the CIA tells the President -- and us -- unless you understand just what this organization was and is. It will break your heart. THICK HARDCOVER

Biography

Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the roots of the American Republic. It will also change your view of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams forever. Chernow is a gifted writer who makes the story clear and smooth to read, while still including all the facts and reasonable conclusions. Or pick up Scott Brick's sharply intelligent reading of it in the book on CD. THICK BOOK

Celebrity

There's only one celebrity memoir this year that's worth giving as a gift: Steve Martin's Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life. It's a marvelous yet brief autobiography and a compendium of his best bits during the years that he erupted into a dominant position in American comedy. THIN HARDCOVER

Mythopoeic Award Challenge

2007-12-28T19:31:00.000-06:00

Foxy writer is hosting the Mythopoeic Award Challenge in 2008. It lasts all twelve months. The goal is to read seven books that won the Mythopoeic Award. You can find the list of award winners here. And a list of finalists here.

Here are the rules:

Choose seven books from the list of Mythopoeic Award Winners (or nominees, here for fantasy or here for scholarship).
Anything on the list is fair game, fiction or non-fiction.
Post a link to your list in the comments of this post (if you don’t have a website, post your list in the comments.)
Somewhere in your post, link back to this challenge post. (permalink)
Read the books between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2008.
You may start anytime in 2008, but you must finish by the end of December 31st, 2008.
You may combine this challenge with other challenges.

I've done a quick scan of the award winners and nominees and noticed that some qualify for the Cardathon. 3 by Orson Scott Card himself. You may want to do a more intense search/scan yourself to see if I've missed any...but this is what I see so far...

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Trader by Charles de Lint
Someplace to Be Flying by Charles de Lint
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
Moonheart by Charles de Lint
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
The Crown of Dalemark by Diana Wynne Jones
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award & Nominees

2007-12-28T18:35:00.000-06:00

1971
- * The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
- The Marvellous Misadventures of Sebastian by Lloyd Alexander
- Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz
- Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
1972
- * Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant
- Grendel by John Gardner
- The Tsaddik of the Seven Wonders by Isidore Haiblum
- The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Corum Trilogy by Michael Moorcock
- The Light Maze by Joan North
- The Forest of Forever by Thomas Burnett Swann
- The Children of Llyr by Evangeline Walton
1973
- * The Song of Rhiannon by Evangeline Walton
- Dancer from Atlantis by Poul Anderson
- Deryni Checkmate by Katherine Kurtz
- The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Green Phoenix by Thomas Burnett Swann
- The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny
1974
- * The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
- Hrolf Kraki's Saga by Poul Anderson
- The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
- Excalibur by Sanders Anne Laubenthal
- High Deryni by Katherine Kurtz
1975
- * A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
- Merlin's Ring by H. Warner Munn
- How Are the Mighty Fallen by Thomas Burnett Swann
- Prince of Annwn by Evangeline Walton
1976-1980: awards discontinued
1981
- * Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Grey Mane of Morning by Joy Chant
- The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson
- The Beginning Place by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn
1982
- * Little, Big by John Crowley
- Delusion's Master by Tanith Lee
- The Woman Who Loved the Moon by Elizabeth A. Lynn
- The Many-colored Land by Julian May
- The Sable Moon by Nancy Springer
- Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
1983
- * The Firelings by Carol Kendall
- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- The One Tree by Stephen R. Donaldson
- Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
- God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell
- The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
- The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
- Lady of Light by Diana L. Paxson
- The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce
1984
- * When Voiha Wakes by Joy Chant
- other nominees not available
1985
- * Cards of Grief by Jane Yolen
- Moonheart by Charles de Lint
- The Damiano Trilogy by R.A. McAvoy
- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
- The Book of Lost Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien
1986
- * Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
- Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
- Dark of the Moon by P.C. Hodgell
- Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
- Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Wandering Unicorn by Manuel Mujica Lainez
1987
- * The Folk of the Air by Peter S. Beagle
- The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Tales from the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee
- Merlin's Booke by Jane Yolen
1988
- * Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
- War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
- The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy
- Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis
1989
- * Unicorn Mountain by Michael Bishop
- The Last Coin by James P. Blaylock
- Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card
- The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey
- The White Raven by Diana L. Paxson
- Walkabout Woman by Michaela Roessner
1990
- * The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers
- Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card
- The Changeling Sea by Patricia A. McKillip
- The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy
- Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff
1991
- * Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
- Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Only Begotten Daughter by James Morrow
- The Books of Great Alta by Jane Yolen
1992
(Adult)
- * A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason
- Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
- Moonwise by Greer Ilene Gilman
- The Sorceress and the Cygnet by Patricia A. McKillip
- Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
(Children's)
- * Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
- Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
- Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
- Elsewhere by Will Shetterly
- Song of the Gargoyle by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
1993
(Adult)
- * Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
- The Paper Grail by James P. Blaylock
- Last Call by Tim Powers
- The Grail of Hearts by Susan Shwartz
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
(Children's)
- * Knight's Wyrd by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
- The Ancient One by T.A. Barron
- Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville
- Hobkin by Peni R. Griffin
- Fish Soup by Ursula K. Le Guin
1994
(Adult)
- * The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman
- The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle
- The Cygnet and the Firebird by Patricia A. McKillip
- Deerskin by Robin McKinley
(Children's)
- * The Kingdom of Kevin Malone by Suzy McKee Charnas
- The Mystery of the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Nevernever by Will Shetterly
- Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
1995
(Adult)
- * Something Rich and Strange by Patricia A. McKillip
- The Dubious Hills by Pamela Dean
- The Hollowing by Robert Holdstock
- Temporary Agency by Rachel Pollack
(Children's)
- * Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
- The Princess and the Lord of Night by Emma Bull
- Switching Well by Peni R. Griffin
- A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley
- Good Griselle by Jane Yolen
1996
(Adult)
- * Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
- Brittle Innings by Michael Bishop
- All the Bells on Earth by James P. Blaylock
- The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A. McKillip
- The Dragon Path by Kenneth Morris
(Children's)
- * The Crown of Dalemark by Diana Wynne Jones
- The Boggart by Susan Cooper
- Falcon's Egg by Luli Gray
- Wren's War by Sherwood Smith
- The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh
1997 (Adult and Children's Awards combined)
- * The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
- One for the Morning Glory by John Barnes
- Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip
- Fair Peril by Nancy Springer
- The Book of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
1998
(Adult)
- * The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt
- Giant Bones by Peter S. Beagle
- Trader by Charles de Lint
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
- The Gift by Patrick O'Leary
(Children's)
- * Young Merlin trilogy (consisting of Passager, Hobby and Merlin) by Jane Yolen
- The Boggart and the Monster by Susan Cooper
- A Dark Horn Blowing by Dahlov Ipcar
- Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
1999
(Adult)
- * Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
- Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint
- The History of our World Beyond the Wave by R.E. Klein
- Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A. McKillip
- The High House by James Stoddard
(Children's)
- * Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diane Wynne Jones
- Heavenward Path by Kara Dalkey
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
2000
(Adult)
- * Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
- Elementals by A.S. Byatt
- Dark Cities Underground by Lisa Goldstein
- The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr
- The Book of Knights by Yves Meynard
(Children's)
- * The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
- Skellig by David Almond
- The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
- Kingdom series by Cynthia Voigt
2001
(Adult)
- * The Innamorati by Midori Snyder
- ravenShadow by Win Blevins
- Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
- The Sarantine Mosaic (Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors) by Guy Gavriel Kay
(Children's)
- * Aria of the Sea by Dia Calhoun
- Night Flying by Rita Murphy
- Beast by Donna Jo Napoli
- Growing Wings by Laurel Winter
- Boots and the Seven Leaguers by Jane Yolen
2002
(Adult)
- * The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Ill Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt
- The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Declare by Tim Powers
(Children's)
- * The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson
- The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane
- Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
- The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
2003
(Adult)
- * Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
- A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
- The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
(Children's)
- * Summerland by Michael Chabon
- Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
- House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
2004
(Adult)
- * Sunshine by Robin McKinley
- Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Fudoki by Kij Johnson
- Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
- In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip
(Children's)
- * The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
- The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
- The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
2005
(Adult)
- * Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Mortal Love by Elizabeth Hand
- Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip
- The Wizard Knight, consisting of The Knight and The Wizard, by Gene Wolfe
(Children's)
- * A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
- Arthur Trilogy, consisting of The Seeing Stone, At the Crossing Places, and King of the Middle March, by Kevin Crossley-Holland
- Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
- Trilogy consisting of Wise Child, Juniper, and Colman by Monica Furlong
- The Abhorsen Trilogy, consisting of Sabriel, Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr, and Abhorsen, by Garth Nix
2006
(Adult)
- * Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
- The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Metallic Love by Tanith Lee
- The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt
(Children's)
- * The Bartimaeus Trilogy, consisting of The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, by Jonathan Stroud
- Valiant by Holly Black
- Wizards at War by Diane Duane
- By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle
2007
(Adult)
- * Patricia A. McKillip, Solstice Wood (Ace Books)
- Peter S. Beagle, The Line Between (Tachyon Publications)
- Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu (Bloomsbury USA)
- Keith Donohue, The Stolen Child (Nan A. Talese)
- Susan Palwick, The Necessary Beggar (Tor)
- Tim Powers, Three Days to Never (William Morrow)
(Children's)
- * Catherine Fisher, Corbenic (Greenwillow)
- Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Spirits That Walk in Shadow (Viking)
- Diana Wynne Jones, The Pinhoe Egg (Greenwillow)
- Martine Leavitt, Keturah and Lord Death (Front Street)
- Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith (HarperTeen)

Sci-Fi Experience

2007-12-26T12:27:00.000-06:00

Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting an experience this January and February. He clearly points out that it is not a challenge per se, more of an experience. There are no required number of books. The goal is to have fun and to read books. For those that are intimidated perhaps by reading challenges and feeling that there is a "have" or "must" about them--it's a good distinction. I read his description--although Carl might disagree--and think of it as taking a class without receiving a grade. For the record, I'm still planning on counting this one as a "challenge" in my reckoning. Because I belong to a group that keeps track of how many challenges per year you participate in and complete. It's all fun. I don't take the numbers too seriously, after all, but I like the challenge of being challenged. Read all about the sci-fi experience here. Read the sci-fi experience reviews here.

I plan on reading some Orson Scott Card. An obvious choice for me since not only do I love him, but the Cardathon challenge officially begins January 1rst. I may (may being the key word) read C.S. Lewis' sci-fi trilogy. I'd like to perhaps read some Asimov as well. But I may be too busy to squeeze that in. If you have suggestions, ideas for books--titles and/or authors--please suggest away. My familiarity with the genre really goes no further than OSC and a few H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.

The experience goes from January 1 to February 29th.

Becky's Review of Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

2007-11-25T15:37:00.000-06:00

While nothing can displace Ender's Game from being my favorite and best Orson Scott Card novel, I love, love, love Pastwatch. I'm not quite sure how I can convey that. But I'll do my best.

It's set in the future. I would guess several hundred years in the future. Humans on Earth have become technologically advanced, but they're still paying for the mistakes of the past--most notably the environmental mistakes of the past. One of the technologies available is the ability to watch past events fold out before your eyes on the big screen. In the early stages, this technology could only watch vast regions--note climate changes and social changes--the building of communities and sometimes their collapses. But as this technology is developed further, it becomes possible to watch history in greater detail, minute detail. Scientists, historians, researchers (whatever you want to call them) can do studies on communities, societies, or individuals.

What's the point of watching the past? To learn. To understand. To answer impossible questions.

Pastwatch has multiple narrators--each one with a special interest, a special research area, together they are trying to answer some BIG questions.

How is Christopher Columbus involved? Well, he's one of our narrators for one thing. But secondly, he becomes the subject of interest for most of our other narrators. It is HIS life that is being dissected and held up for study. What our researchers learn is that at some point in time, future scientists, interfered or manipulated the past that turned Christopher Columbus' interest to sailing west. Their quest to figure out how and why of this manipulation will lead them on a journey with massive consequences. For they're debating whether or not they should do something along the same lines...

Semi-Apocalyptic fiction. Alternate histories. Time Travel.

Pastwatch is exciting. While the characters are well developed, they aren't as memorable for me as those in the Ender books. But that could be because I've read Ender's Game about a dozen times and Pastwatch only twice. Overall, I say this is a must-read. Those with an interest in history will find it fascinating. As will those with a love for science fiction.

New Eligible Book: Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence

2007-11-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

Card's review:

I already reviewed -- and highly recommended -- the movie Becoming Jane Austen. But I couldn't help being suspicious that all the best bits in the movie were simply made up.
That's why I had to buy Jon Spence's biography Becoming Jane Austen, to see just where fact left off and fantasy began.
Spence's book is a remarkably well-written biography. Working with the same data that has led several previous writers to create completely dull biographies of this fascinating woman, Spence was able to spin a completely accurate story that clearly distinguished between known facts and plausible speculations that fit the available evidence.
The book is compulsively readable. It's a model for how popular biographies of long-dead people can and should be written. And yet it never leads you into falsely believing things that simply can't be proven, though they seem likely. Always we are given Spence's evidence so we can decide for ourselves what to believe.
As to the movie, the verdict is: The climactic nearly-running-away scene is completely unjustified but could have happened; everything else either certainly did happen or might well have happened or happened, but not at the time shown.
In other words, the movie is way above average in fidelity to real history. Much more accurate, for instance, than Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan or JFK or An Inconvenient Truth, all of which purported to tell the truth.
But good as the movie is, if you have to choose between seeing it and reading the book it was based on, read the book.

Interworld

2007-11-24T15:29:00.001-06:00

Gaiman, Neil. 2007. Interworld.

It would have been hard for me not to enjoy Interworld by Neil Gaiman. It's science fiction. It's alternate realities. It's other dimensions. It's Neil Gaiman. Take any one of those, and there's a good chance I'll enjoy...but all of them...and it would be impossible for me not to.

Joey Harker is our teen hero. He's directionally challenged in the real world, but he's about to go where few have gone before--walking between worlds, walking between realities. And at this--directionally challenged or not--he excels. This "gift" makes him a valuable asset to both the good guys and the bad guys. And this "gift" may just cost him his life in a war he never expected to fight.

First line: Once I got lost in my own house.

When Joey and his classmates are turned loose on the streets in an experiment for his Social Studies class and told to find their way to a certain place by a certain time, Joey's sense of direction will be tested like never before. The class is paired up--maybe in twos or threes I don't remember the exact number--but Joey's partner, not so lucky. When Joey gets lost, he sets off on his own--telling his partner that he'll be back in a minute or two. He doesn't return...not for thirty-six hours. And when he does return he has amnesia. He has no idea of what happened while he was missing. Though, of course, the reader does.

Interworld is an exciting, action-packed adventure.

A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card

2007-10-30T21:07:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting patiently for two years for this book to come out and I must say that it far surpassed my expectations. Many Orson Scott Card fans were disappointed that we weren't getting our "Christmas at Battle School" story last year for Christmas, but it was well worth the wait and Uncle Orson has given all of his readers a wonderful gift indeed with this new addition to the Ender saga.

A War of Gifts is much more than just the story of Christmas at battle school. It is a story of human connections, the spirit of a child, and a story of facing that moment where the spirit of a child begins to awaken into an adult. The story takes place at battle school during the events of Card's novel Ender's Game. A new child by the name of Zeck has been drafted into the army. Zeck is the child of a minister who claims to be somewhat of a vessel through which God speaks to his congregation. Zeck has been raised in a home where he has been brainwashed against any form of popular culture and is often beaten by his father as a way to cleanse his soul. Zeck's father preaches that Santa Claus is the creation of Satan and is nothing but a false idol paraded to children. Zeck also has a very special gift of being able to memorize anything he hears and is highly intelligent. He's recruited by battle school and is taken against his will...for battle school does not allow the expression of religion for the sake of uniformity.

On Sinterklaas Eve, a young boy in battle school leaves his shoes out in the hope that Sinterklaas will leave him a present and another child soldier in battle school notices the gesture and tries to fulfill the boys wish. Zeck sees this and reports it to the commanders as expression of religion in the hopes that others will turn against him and he can be sent home where he can once again practice his religion. But what escalates is beyond what he had planned for.

This book was just perfect and fans of the Ender series will love it. If you've never read a single book in the Ender series, you'll love this book. You don't have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one. It's a short one at just 126 pages and I'd recommend it to be on anyone's holiday list.

Becky Review's Quicker Than The Eye

2007-10-21T17:35:00.000-05:00

Bradbury, Ray. Quicker Than The Eye

I've been reading a short story here and there since Thursday (and continuing through today) from Ray Bradbury's collection Quicker Than the Eye. I am not loving it like I did The Martian Chronicles.

The first story, "Unterderseaboat Doktor" was just weird. Weird without being good if you know what I mean. Pointlessly weird.

The second story, "Zaharoff/Richter Mark V" was better. It was oddly amusing. It is about an elite group of architects that routinely plot all the world's calamities just so they can rebuild cities.

"Remember Sascha" was okay for me. It is not gonna be one that I remember forever and ever. But it wasn't bad. Just okay. It's about a young couple madly in love and expecting a baby. It has its odd moments--they hear the baby talking to them--but again it was just okay.

"Another Fine Mess" was like a mediocre Twilight Zone. You know the sort. The kind that you might watch once, but you're not dying to see it in repeats. Slightly odd and nostalgic about old film stars and old Hollywood...but mostly just okay.

"The Electrocution" went way over my head. I admit. I read this one as clueless as can be. I just didn't get anything. It was like one of us (I don't know which) was from another planet. Either the language of the story really is that odd. OR what is most likely, my head wasn't quite functioning properly when I tried to absorb this one. Regardless, it is probably my least favorite of the bunch.

"Hopscotch" is one that I read and promptly forgot. Even reading the first paragraph or two doesn't jot my memory. I guess this means my impressions of this one are mediocre at best. At least I don't remember hating it or being confused.

"The Finnegan" is a weird story about a large creepy human-eating spider. It probably would have made a great radio broadcast with lots of effects and whatnot.

"That Woman on the Lawn" is a pleasantly strange story about a man who lives in a house with a haunted front yard. At some point, he realizes that it is the ghost of his mother--only the ghost is of a very young woman. A woman who hasn't loved and borne a child yet. It's a strange one, no doubt.

"The Very Gentle Murders" is a strange story of an old couple NOT in love with each other. The husband is trying to kill the wife; the wife is trying to kill the husband. They're trying to outwit each other, yet everyone around them seems clueless as to what is going on. It's a slightly irreverant, often humorous, very weird story. But one that unlike "Hopscotch" will apparently stick with me for a while.

"Quicker Than The Eye" is a short story about a magic act. It's okay. Nothing special.

"Dorian In Excelsus" is probably the strongest story in my opinion. It seems creepier and weirder than the rest. And the action seems tighter. If I had to pick a favorite, this one would be a contender. See how it begins: "Good evening. Welcome. I see you have my invitation in your hands. Decided to be brave, did you? Fine. Here we are. Grab onto this." The tall, handsome stranger with the heavenly eyes and the impossibly blond hair handed me a wineglass. "Clean your palate," he said. I took the glass and read the label on the bottle he held in his left hand... Doesn't that opening just hook you?

"No News, Or What Killed the Dog?" is a short story about a family whose dog has died, and they have decided to have a funeral and bury their pet in a pet cemetary. It's okay. Nothing special.

"The Witch Door" is another good story. One of the better ones in my humble opinion. I can almost see it as a radio drama or acted out on a Twilight Zone type tv show.

"The Ghost In the Machine" was one that frankly I could have done without. I just didn't like it. It wasn't awful or anything. I just didn't get anything out of it. I wasn't confused by it. I just didn't care.

"At The End of the Ninth Year" is one that I liked. I can almost see this one acted out as well. As a great little sketch drama students do in class and such. It's about a married couple who love each other yet aren't quite in love with each other anymore. Anyway, it's a story about familiarity and love and commitment and knowing and being yourself.

"Bug" was okay. It's a short story about high school friends who drift apart through the decades. A man known as "Bug" loved to dance. When the narrator runs into him several decades (at least) later, they barely recognize each other. He no longer dances, and he's just ordinary again. Anyway, it's a story about the past and present colliding. And a story about regaining past glory in a way. It was okay for me.

"Once More, Legato" was an okay story for me. I didn't love it or hate it. It is about a "musician" who steals his melodies from the birds outside his house--his window. When the birds migrate, he panics and begins counting the days until their return.

"Exchange" was a clever little story about librarians and their patrons all these years later. About how books are friends. And librarians are great. What's not to love?

"Free Dirt" was okay, but ultimately forgettable.

"Last Rites" is another one I just can't remember. I know I read it, but my mind must have been miles away somewhere.

"The Other Highway" was a good story. I'm glad the book ended with a strong story. I can almost see this one dramatized as well. It's a family story. A man, his wife, and his kids are on a trip and they go off the highway and discover an old road, an old town, an old lifestyle. They contemplate trading their hectic, crazy lives for a more relaxed lifestyle. But ultimately, they head back to the crazy modern world.

Becky Reviews The Martian Chronicles

2007-10-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm officially in love with a new author: Ray Bradbury. As if Something Wicked This Way Comes wasn't enough, I topped it off with reading The Martian Chronicles. It is such a great, great book. Okay, maybe the language--sentence structure and phrases--isn't as stylistic and magical as Something Wicked...but the ideas, messages, and premises in this book make for a great read. If you love Twilight-y Zone fiction, then you'll absolutely love The Martian Chronicles. It is this psychological examination of man--of humans--of our faults, strengths, weaknesses--that makes for a compelling read. The setting of The Martian Chronicles is Earth and Mars. (With most of the action occurring on Mars.) The time period for the novel is January 1999 to October 2026. The book is definitely a product of its time--a book written post world war II and in the midst of the cold war...where the threat of atomic war is so high it's almost overwhelming. The Martian Chronicles is a collection of short stories almost. Many were published separately. Most if not all can stand alone.

Some of my favorites include: "The Third Expedition" (dramatized as "Mars is Heaven"), "And the Moon Be Still As Bright" (also dramatized), "Usher II", and "The Million Year Picnic."

But one of the stories that made me think was "Way in the Middle of the Air." Imagine the racism and prejudice of the forties and fifties alive and well in 2003. Imagine that all the progress made between now and then is washed away. That most of the Civil Rights movement and integration never happened, or happened differently. This is a harsh little story--beware of the 'n' word. It made me so thankful to live in the here and now.

Be sure to visit my Reading With Becky post about X minus 1.