Several years ago, while I was living in Florida, my brother lent me these books. Unfortunately, they were in AL and I was in FL, where I was also working one full time job, one part time job, and attending college courses in education. I never got the chance to read them.
HE reads them every year (or close to it) at Christmas, and my curiosity overcame me this year: I ordered the first book from Amazon. And now I'm totally hooked, and have to BUY them! And they're not on Kindle! OH CRUEL WORLD.
Title: Pawn of Prophecy
Author: David Eddings
Dates Read: 1/23-1/25/2012
Date Published: 1983
Pages: 272
Synopsis: Garion is a sensible boy who doesn't believe all the great legends of his world's past - until his entire life changes in an instant, and he begins to suspect he might be in a legend of his own.
Review: I have to wait until Saturday at the earliest for the rest of the books to arrive! *insert copious weeping* Eddings uses the simple fantasy storytelling style to perfection, creating engaging characters and asking a million questions that - delightfully AND frustratingly - have very few answers in this first novel of the series.
Stars: *****/5
Keywords: Fantasy, Adventure
Showing posts with label Books: Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books: Fantasy. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Saturday, January 07, 2012
03 of 2012: City of Bones
Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Dates Read: 1/4-1/6/2012
Date Published: March, 2007
Pages: 496
Synopsis: When Clary witnesses an unexpected murder, she finds herself drawn into a hidden world of Shadowhunters. Among them, she learns startling facts about her own family.
Review: Although not as intriguing to me as the Clockwork prequels, I still enjoyed the writing style and characterizations. She's obviously building to another love triangle, which is tiresome, but the characters, especially Clary, make up for it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Stars: ***/5
Keywords: Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Cassandra Clare
Dates Read: 1/4-1/6/2012
Date Published: March, 2007
Pages: 496
Synopsis: When Clary witnesses an unexpected murder, she finds herself drawn into a hidden world of Shadowhunters. Among them, she learns startling facts about her own family.
Review: Although not as intriguing to me as the Clockwork prequels, I still enjoyed the writing style and characterizations. She's obviously building to another love triangle, which is tiresome, but the characters, especially Clary, make up for it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Stars: ***/5
Keywords: Fantasy, Young Adult
Saturday, September 17, 2011
26: Melisande
Melisande
E. Nesbit and P.J. Lynch
Published: 1901, 1999
Why?: E. Nesbit was one of the first authors to write children’s books with children as main characters, and stories about ordinary children in fantastic worlds owe a lot to her (“E” is for “Edith”!). She also had a wonderful sense of humor, and this short story shows that off to best effect. Melisande is a twist on the Rapunzel story, though interestingly enough, Rapunzel has since been confused with Melisande – Rapunzel didn’t have magical, fast growing hair! To round out the perfection of this story, P.J. Lynch’s illustrations are gorgeous, as always.
Gist: Melisande is a beautiful princess with one unusual feature: she’s bald. Luckily (or unfortunately, as her family will learn), she has something of a surfeit of fairy godmothers, and she goes from no hair to far, far too much!
Quote: "I've seen too much trouble come of christening parties," said he. "How ever carefully you keep your visiting-book, some fairy or other is sure to get left out, and you know what that leads to. Why, even in my own family, the most shocking things have occurred. The Fairy Malevola was not asked to my great grandmothers christening-and you know all about the spindle and the hundred years' sleep."
Bonus Trivia: The full story of this short story is “Melisande: or Long and Short Division.”
Perfect For: The young and young at heart, a great family story
Genres: Fiction, Short Story
Keywords: Picture Book, Classic, Humor, Fantasy
E. Nesbit and P.J. Lynch
Published: 1901, 1999
Why?: E. Nesbit was one of the first authors to write children’s books with children as main characters, and stories about ordinary children in fantastic worlds owe a lot to her (“E” is for “Edith”!). She also had a wonderful sense of humor, and this short story shows that off to best effect. Melisande is a twist on the Rapunzel story, though interestingly enough, Rapunzel has since been confused with Melisande – Rapunzel didn’t have magical, fast growing hair! To round out the perfection of this story, P.J. Lynch’s illustrations are gorgeous, as always.
Gist: Melisande is a beautiful princess with one unusual feature: she’s bald. Luckily (or unfortunately, as her family will learn), she has something of a surfeit of fairy godmothers, and she goes from no hair to far, far too much!
Quote: "I've seen too much trouble come of christening parties," said he. "How ever carefully you keep your visiting-book, some fairy or other is sure to get left out, and you know what that leads to. Why, even in my own family, the most shocking things have occurred. The Fairy Malevola was not asked to my great grandmothers christening-and you know all about the spindle and the hundred years' sleep."
Bonus Trivia: The full story of this short story is “Melisande: or Long and Short Division.”
Perfect For: The young and young at heart, a great family story
Genres: Fiction, Short Story
Keywords: Picture Book, Classic, Humor, Fantasy
Sunday, August 21, 2011
17: The Fables Series
I've been in a comic mood lately, largely because of all the press being given to the upcoming DC reboot. So, I decided to suggest another comic series today, though not a superhero series. This is one of my faves, and has maintained a high standard through the years, largely under the helm of the same writer and artists.
Fables
Bill Willingham (creator and author), Mark Buckingham (majority art), James Jean and João Ruas (covers), et al
Published: 2007-Present
Why?: Fables is a highly imaginative retelling of the folk tales from various cultures. The characters are engaging, the story lines vary (more in the past than they do at present), and they're even allowed to grow and change over time, which is a rarity in the comic industry. Since Willingham has stayed dedicated to the series, the characters get to stay more true to themselves than in more mainstream comics. Basically, it's a fun read and I enjoy it!
These are the collections, which are put together twice a year or so based on the individual comics. The series is released by DC, and was once part of their more adult-based, non-superhero Vertigo line.
Gist: Fairy tale characters are real, and they live among us. Although once spread across dozens of worlds, a group of them have been stranded in our "mundane" world since the first European settlements of North America. They were driven from their homes by the evil adversary, who serves as the faceless baddy for the first eight collections or so. These immortal characters have to survive in our modern world. The leaders of the society are King Cole, who serves as the face of the government, Snow White, who does the actual work, and Bigby Wolf, former Big Bad Wolf turned more-or-less full-time man, the Fables' sheriff. Those who look human live on a well guarded street in New York City; those who don't live in upstate NY at The Farm.
The early story lines changed genres, beginning with a noir-style murder mystery, moving into a conspiracy thriller up at the Farm, followed by a classic adventure story. Woven throughout these first seven books is the evolving relationship between Bigby and Snow, as well as Snow's contentious relationship with her twin sister, Rose Red.
Gomez is a fan, as you can see here. He thoroughly enjoys getting between me and my Fables collections while I'm reading.
Later on, the Fables spent a good amount of time at war, and the stories have continued to be strongly adventure-based. Some other characters who have great storylines include the frog prince (Ambrose, who is a sweet and nuanced character), the little-known but brave Boy Blue, Prince Charming (thrice divorced - Snow, then Cinderella, then Sleeping Beauty), Beauty and the Beast (still married after all these years!), and the Three Little Pigs. It's the characters who really make the series special, and the ties and nods to old folk tales, fables, and legends are huge fun!
I finally lost my patience after the last book and started buying the individual comics. *hangs head in shame* These editions are well made and excellent, though, and not ridiculously overpriced like some graphic novels.
Bonus Info: Some comic readers are offended by some of Willingham's conservative views, such as toward abortion and marriage/family (since I share his views on these, they doesn't bother me). However, in the same way that I can read mainstream comics which are increasingly liberal, I don't think your standard reader would have any trouble looking past the occasional politics in the story.
The last storyline, which will be collected for release in December, was a bit silly. I'm interested to see where he'll go from here.
Bonus Bonus Info: Television series based on Fables have died at the script stage both at NBC and ABC. :( It could make a good series with the correct writing, or it could end up just missing something, like the television adaptation of the Dresden books.
Bonus Info, The Trilogy: Fables has two spin-offs, Jack of Fables (which I'm not a fan of) and Cinderella (which is fun; she's Bigby's #1 spy/secret agent). One of the few Fables storylines I didn't care for required a lot of knowledge of the Jack series mythos, which was annoying since I don't care for the character.
Genres: Fiction, Comic
Keywords: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
I turned one of the spare bedrooms into a book-lined office, but there are a few series that stay in my own bedroom for easy access. As you can see, Fables is one of them!
Fables
Bill Willingham (creator and author), Mark Buckingham (majority art), James Jean and João Ruas (covers), et al
Published: 2007-Present
Why?: Fables is a highly imaginative retelling of the folk tales from various cultures. The characters are engaging, the story lines vary (more in the past than they do at present), and they're even allowed to grow and change over time, which is a rarity in the comic industry. Since Willingham has stayed dedicated to the series, the characters get to stay more true to themselves than in more mainstream comics. Basically, it's a fun read and I enjoy it!
These are the collections, which are put together twice a year or so based on the individual comics. The series is released by DC, and was once part of their more adult-based, non-superhero Vertigo line.
Gist: Fairy tale characters are real, and they live among us. Although once spread across dozens of worlds, a group of them have been stranded in our "mundane" world since the first European settlements of North America. They were driven from their homes by the evil adversary, who serves as the faceless baddy for the first eight collections or so. These immortal characters have to survive in our modern world. The leaders of the society are King Cole, who serves as the face of the government, Snow White, who does the actual work, and Bigby Wolf, former Big Bad Wolf turned more-or-less full-time man, the Fables' sheriff. Those who look human live on a well guarded street in New York City; those who don't live in upstate NY at The Farm.
The early story lines changed genres, beginning with a noir-style murder mystery, moving into a conspiracy thriller up at the Farm, followed by a classic adventure story. Woven throughout these first seven books is the evolving relationship between Bigby and Snow, as well as Snow's contentious relationship with her twin sister, Rose Red.
Gomez is a fan, as you can see here. He thoroughly enjoys getting between me and my Fables collections while I'm reading.
Later on, the Fables spent a good amount of time at war, and the stories have continued to be strongly adventure-based. Some other characters who have great storylines include the frog prince (Ambrose, who is a sweet and nuanced character), the little-known but brave Boy Blue, Prince Charming (thrice divorced - Snow, then Cinderella, then Sleeping Beauty), Beauty and the Beast (still married after all these years!), and the Three Little Pigs. It's the characters who really make the series special, and the ties and nods to old folk tales, fables, and legends are huge fun!
I finally lost my patience after the last book and started buying the individual comics. *hangs head in shame* These editions are well made and excellent, though, and not ridiculously overpriced like some graphic novels.
Bonus Info: Some comic readers are offended by some of Willingham's conservative views, such as toward abortion and marriage/family (since I share his views on these, they doesn't bother me). However, in the same way that I can read mainstream comics which are increasingly liberal, I don't think your standard reader would have any trouble looking past the occasional politics in the story.
The last storyline, which will be collected for release in December, was a bit silly. I'm interested to see where he'll go from here.
Bonus Bonus Info: Television series based on Fables have died at the script stage both at NBC and ABC. :( It could make a good series with the correct writing, or it could end up just missing something, like the television adaptation of the Dresden books.
Bonus Info, The Trilogy: Fables has two spin-offs, Jack of Fables (which I'm not a fan of) and Cinderella (which is fun; she's Bigby's #1 spy/secret agent). One of the few Fables storylines I didn't care for required a lot of knowledge of the Jack series mythos, which was annoying since I don't care for the character.
Genres: Fiction, Comic
Keywords: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
I turned one of the spare bedrooms into a book-lined office, but there are a few series that stay in my own bedroom for easy access. As you can see, Fables is one of them!
Monday, August 15, 2011
14: The Eyes of the Dragon
The Eyes of the Dragon
Stephen King
Published: 1984, 1987
Why?: I’ve noticed that among big Stephen King fans (at least my friends who are fans, which really isn’t enough to make much of a generalization, but I’ll go with it), this book isn’t a favorite. It’s a big departure from his usual works in both content and narrative style. I, however, am not a big fan of King, so maybe that’s why this is my favorite of his novels. I adore his conversational narrator, who tells the story as if you’re right there listening to it (adding his own opinions here and there), and the story is one of those rare fantasy tales where the plot manages to stand up against the world building. This is also appropriate for younger audiences than many of his books.
My roomie's dog, Annabel Lee, is a "younger audience." Sadly, as you can see, she's also not a big reader.
Gist: Thomas isn’t a bad boy…but he is under the influence of the evil magician Flagg. Flagg uses his power and influence to bring chaos to a once peaceful kingdom, as well as to the lives of its two princes.
Bonus Trivia: This novel’s baddie is very important to King’s Tower series. Despite being one of his less popular works, this book has some of the strongest ties to his self proclaimed opus.
Perfect For: Fantasy fans or the fantasy-curious, anyone who wants to try their hand at King’s Tower novels.
Genres: Fiction, Novel
Keywords: Fantasy
My students often think I'm dumb enough to think they're reading when they're not even looking at the book, too!
Stephen King
Published: 1984, 1987
Why?: I’ve noticed that among big Stephen King fans (at least my friends who are fans, which really isn’t enough to make much of a generalization, but I’ll go with it), this book isn’t a favorite. It’s a big departure from his usual works in both content and narrative style. I, however, am not a big fan of King, so maybe that’s why this is my favorite of his novels. I adore his conversational narrator, who tells the story as if you’re right there listening to it (adding his own opinions here and there), and the story is one of those rare fantasy tales where the plot manages to stand up against the world building. This is also appropriate for younger audiences than many of his books.
My roomie's dog, Annabel Lee, is a "younger audience." Sadly, as you can see, she's also not a big reader.
Gist: Thomas isn’t a bad boy…but he is under the influence of the evil magician Flagg. Flagg uses his power and influence to bring chaos to a once peaceful kingdom, as well as to the lives of its two princes.
Bonus Trivia: This novel’s baddie is very important to King’s Tower series. Despite being one of his less popular works, this book has some of the strongest ties to his self proclaimed opus.
Perfect For: Fantasy fans or the fantasy-curious, anyone who wants to try their hand at King’s Tower novels.
Genres: Fiction, Novel
Keywords: Fantasy
My students often think I'm dumb enough to think they're reading when they're not even looking at the book, too!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
05: Peter Beagle Short Stories
The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances
The Line Between
Peter Beagle
Published: Various
Why?: Though Beagle is most famous for a novel, his short stories are often wonderful. Beagle’s poetic style works extremely well with his odd sense of humor and quirky characters. Each story has a twist of characterization that makes it a fun read, while the language takes it a step up from basic humor or fantasy. Most of the stories in these collections are older, collected from various SF and fantasy magazines.
The Line Between contains the award winning short story “Two Hearts.” It’s not actually my favorite from the collection, but it’s well-known because of its connection to his novel The Last Unicorn (which will appear on this list later!). My fave is "Gordon, the Self Made Cat," which is the hilarious story of a mouse who decides he wants to be a cat. Also included are "Four Fables" (also great fun), "El Regalo," "Quarry," "Salt Wine," "Mr. Sigerson" (a Sherlock Holmes story), and "A Dance for Emilia."
Of his collections, this is my favorite. My favorite story is “Come Lady Death,” which has a taste of “The Masque of the Red Death,” but with a much more gentle and creeptastic death character. Other stories include "Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros," "Lila the Werewolf," "Julie's Unicorn," "The Naga," "Telephone Call," and "My Daughter's Name is Sarah." There are also several essays: "Pittsburgh Stories," "Learning a Trade," "My Last Hero," "D.H. Lawrence in Taos," and "The Poor People's Campaign."
Beagle also released We Never Talked About My Brother, but the included stories were newer and seemed more rushed than the two I’ve suggested here.
Gist: These collection includes stories about unicorns (who look like rhinoceri), werewolves, an extraordinary mouse, and normal kids in their neighborhoods. Each introduces a character you’ll come to care about, and is a quick read when time is tight and the imagination needs some exercise.
Perfect For: Ages 16+, Quirky types
My roomie's cat, Fred, is the snootiest looking feline in history.
Genres: Fiction, Short Story
Keywords: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Humor, Horror
The Line Between
Peter Beagle
Published: Various
Why?: Though Beagle is most famous for a novel, his short stories are often wonderful. Beagle’s poetic style works extremely well with his odd sense of humor and quirky characters. Each story has a twist of characterization that makes it a fun read, while the language takes it a step up from basic humor or fantasy. Most of the stories in these collections are older, collected from various SF and fantasy magazines.
The Line Between contains the award winning short story “Two Hearts.” It’s not actually my favorite from the collection, but it’s well-known because of its connection to his novel The Last Unicorn (which will appear on this list later!). My fave is "Gordon, the Self Made Cat," which is the hilarious story of a mouse who decides he wants to be a cat. Also included are "Four Fables" (also great fun), "El Regalo," "Quarry," "Salt Wine," "Mr. Sigerson" (a Sherlock Holmes story), and "A Dance for Emilia."
Of his collections, this is my favorite. My favorite story is “Come Lady Death,” which has a taste of “The Masque of the Red Death,” but with a much more gentle and creeptastic death character. Other stories include "Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros," "Lila the Werewolf," "Julie's Unicorn," "The Naga," "Telephone Call," and "My Daughter's Name is Sarah." There are also several essays: "Pittsburgh Stories," "Learning a Trade," "My Last Hero," "D.H. Lawrence in Taos," and "The Poor People's Campaign."
Beagle also released We Never Talked About My Brother, but the included stories were newer and seemed more rushed than the two I’ve suggested here.
Gist: These collection includes stories about unicorns (who look like rhinoceri), werewolves, an extraordinary mouse, and normal kids in their neighborhoods. Each introduces a character you’ll come to care about, and is a quick read when time is tight and the imagination needs some exercise.
Perfect For: Ages 16+, Quirky types
My roomie's cat, Fred, is the snootiest looking feline in history.
Genres: Fiction, Short Story
Keywords: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Humor, Horror
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
01: The Princess Bride
I decided to go ahead and start up my restructured posts, since it turns out I won't be out of town quite as much as I thought!
Fred is my typing assistant, today, but Bronte is the cat who felt she needed to help me get pictures.
The Princess Bride
William Goldman
Published: 1973
Bronte enjoys snuggling up with my favorite edition of The Princess Bride.
Personal Story: When I decided to abandon sanity and recommend 365 books in 365 days, The Princess Bride informed me immediately that it would be first on the list. Nothing changed when I reorganized my brain for the 182 list; not that this would surprise anyone whose known me for more than five minutes! I first read The Princess Bride when I was 13 years old. I fell immediately and irrevocably in love. I read it now about once a year, whenever I’m feeling down. Sometimes, it’s the entire book, sometimes it’s just the highlights. I’ve found it’s fairly impossible to remain down in the dumps when you’re reading about Inigo and Fezzik’s adventures in the Zoo of Death, or the Man in Black’s successes against three semi-evil kidnappers. As a special bonus, I also discovered several years ago that I had inadvertently memorized the entire first page, a useful skill for amusing people at parties, right? (The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette..) My students find this both awesome and hilarious.
The only possible downside to this novel is the addition, at the 25th anniversary, of the first chapter of an unwritten (and hopefully never-written) sequel, Buttercup's Baby. Avoid it. It's bad stuff.
Gist: The Princess Bride is a story of adventure, romance, action, and humor. Almost everyone I know has seen the movie and loved it. I always tell them the same thing: read the book! Everyone’s story is deeper and richer than even the excellent film could contain. Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, and her lost love Westley will pull at your heartstrings and bring along the giggles. The backgrounds of sword wizard Inigo and the giant Fezzik are the best parts of the book, and Humperdinck is a delightful villain.
The book begins with the frame story, which takes a bit of getting through. Goldman claims that his father read him this book, but only the “good bits,” leaving out all the boring historical descriptions. Scattered throughout the text of the story are Goldman’s brilliant editing comments and personal remembrances, which add another layer to an already excellent narrative.
Bonus Trivia: Goldman has only admitted once, during a small interview that doesn't even have an existing recording, that he wrote The Princess Bride. Every other time, he's talked about his respect for S. Morgensterns's story!
Perfect For: Ages 12 and up to infinity; people with a need for a pick-me-up or a quirky sense of humor
Genres: Fiction, Novel
Keywords: Humor, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy
These shots are from my well-loved favorite edition. I love it for not having the addition of Buttercup's Baby, and because it traveled the Caribbean with me. I have...four copies? I think, now. I gave some away. (...What?) I'd do a "family shot" but two of them are at work.
Fred is my typing assistant, today, but Bronte is the cat who felt she needed to help me get pictures.
The Princess Bride
William Goldman
Published: 1973
Bronte enjoys snuggling up with my favorite edition of The Princess Bride.
Personal Story: When I decided to abandon sanity and recommend 365 books in 365 days, The Princess Bride informed me immediately that it would be first on the list. Nothing changed when I reorganized my brain for the 182 list; not that this would surprise anyone whose known me for more than five minutes! I first read The Princess Bride when I was 13 years old. I fell immediately and irrevocably in love. I read it now about once a year, whenever I’m feeling down. Sometimes, it’s the entire book, sometimes it’s just the highlights. I’ve found it’s fairly impossible to remain down in the dumps when you’re reading about Inigo and Fezzik’s adventures in the Zoo of Death, or the Man in Black’s successes against three semi-evil kidnappers. As a special bonus, I also discovered several years ago that I had inadvertently memorized the entire first page, a useful skill for amusing people at parties, right? (The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette..) My students find this both awesome and hilarious.
The only possible downside to this novel is the addition, at the 25th anniversary, of the first chapter of an unwritten (and hopefully never-written) sequel, Buttercup's Baby. Avoid it. It's bad stuff.
Gist: The Princess Bride is a story of adventure, romance, action, and humor. Almost everyone I know has seen the movie and loved it. I always tell them the same thing: read the book! Everyone’s story is deeper and richer than even the excellent film could contain. Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, and her lost love Westley will pull at your heartstrings and bring along the giggles. The backgrounds of sword wizard Inigo and the giant Fezzik are the best parts of the book, and Humperdinck is a delightful villain.
The book begins with the frame story, which takes a bit of getting through. Goldman claims that his father read him this book, but only the “good bits,” leaving out all the boring historical descriptions. Scattered throughout the text of the story are Goldman’s brilliant editing comments and personal remembrances, which add another layer to an already excellent narrative.
Bonus Trivia: Goldman has only admitted once, during a small interview that doesn't even have an existing recording, that he wrote The Princess Bride. Every other time, he's talked about his respect for S. Morgensterns's story!
Perfect For: Ages 12 and up to infinity; people with a need for a pick-me-up or a quirky sense of humor
Genres: Fiction, Novel
Keywords: Humor, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy
These shots are from my well-loved favorite edition. I love it for not having the addition of Buttercup's Baby, and because it traveled the Caribbean with me. I have...four copies? I think, now. I gave some away. (...What?) I'd do a "family shot" but two of them are at work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)