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Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts

Review: Seeing Ione

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a literary world filled with dystopian futures, wizards, vampires, and closet BDSM billionaires Jansen Curry's debut novel is a breath of fresh air. Seeing Ione is by far the most original story I have read in recent years.

Ione McCreery is a young woman with a mysterious past that even she can't remember. With it comes a special sight that only her late adoptive father knew about - her ability to read people's emotions like a world wide coloring book. McCreery is well guarded by a feisty friend named Jenny, who acts as a counterweight to McCreery's broody personality, and an ever vigilant companion wolf named Beo. But even they cannot protect her from the truth of her ancestry and the source of her gift.

I'd like to think I'm a rather clever individual who can spot plot twists a mile away whether it is in a book, movie, or television show. And I know I'm not the only one. So believe me when I tell you that even with hints about her novel, I still had no idea what was coming to me as a reader and what McCreery was about to face. A perfect mixture between lighthearted, genuine dialogue and gritty, gut squeezing tension, Curry sends you off on an adventure that will have you begging for a follow up of the series before the last page is turned.

I read this book in a matter of hours - not because it is easy reading or short, but because it reads so smoothly that you neglect time as the words lift off the page, seep into your mind, and take control of your imagination. It was a pleasure to read and an experience that left me thoroughly impressed at every chapter. In the end, I was gobsmacked - I felt utterly refreshed to know that good literature still exists.

This book will find its way to best sellers lists and nightstands across the world - and I won't be surprised if one day, in the near future, I am sitting in a movie theater waiting for the show to start.

Review: Soul Music

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ok, I'm going to say this very quietly because I know that Terry Pratchett has a devoted following who loves and appreciates his writing style and creativity:

I hated it.

Soul Music follows many characters of the Discworld through an independent collection of self awakening. While Susan, the granddaughter of Death (yes, THAT Death), takes over the family business when Death experiences a mid-life crisis, Imp the Bard and his band of misfits are playing for their lives when they create the new sound: Music with Rocks In. Imp catches Susan's eye and a youthful romance emerges as Susan fights the sands of time to save his life. All the while, the music rocks the academic world sending stuffy professors of all things occult into a frenzy over studded leather and rebellion.

I have had this book in my possession since January 2015. I have picked it up, read a little, and set it down over and over again. I have read over 10 books since this book came into my household and I have suffered through it. It has flown with me to and from Orlando, Florida. It has sat on bookshelves, night stands, end tables, coffee tables, desks, and swam in my giant purse. I have tried to commit to reading it and failed, repeatedly. It was out of sheer willpower that I finished it, and then, it was only out of the intentions of writing this review. Writing low scored reviews on books I didn't like is one of my least favorite things to do. The last thing I want to do is turn a reader away from a book that they could potentially love just because it didn't set well with me or connect on whatever level I needed it to connect on. So here is what I can appreciate about Pratchett's Soul Music.

Pratchett has a vivid imagination that is insurmountably clever. If you're paying attention you will catch on quickly to his ability to twist common bits of our world's culture and history and place it into the seemingly naive universe of the Discworld. His ability to create an entire world on the backs of elephants who are standing on the back of a turtle who is standing on something, but that's not important, is worthy of praise and I admire his creative genius. When he passed away it was brought to the world's attention that he was suffering from alzheimer's and still writing. That alone is an incredible feat and I respect him as an author.

Now here's why I didn't enjoy this novel - although the characters are rich and entertaining, we spend so little time with them in one sitting (merely a paragraph or two before jumping to another bit of the Discworld), that there is no opportunity to become invested in the character's success or demise. These exceedingly short blips of character storyline mingle with so many other character storylines that there really is no telling if a paragraph was actually going to go somewhere. I know I've been reading a good book when I'm sweating out the final pages, worried there aren't enough pages remaining in the book to satisfy a proper ending for the characters I have grown to love. Soul Music was the complete opposite - I chugged through, flipping the pages, eager for the finish with zero concern for whether or not the characters' plots were rounded out.

In the end, it felt I was reading the book for the sake of reading it with no entertainment value or appreciative experience. Now to tell me friend, who lent me his beloved book, the truth of my reading. Send your prayers.

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Review: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enter a world of Napoleonic rule, dark alleyways, and reclusive estates.
Enter a world of apprenticeship and fa(e)teful dealings.
Enter a world of practical magic; a world exclusive to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Allow me a moment of honesty - this book requires commitment to complete. Don't get me wrong. It is masterfully written in a beautiful, educated language filled with rich descriptions, enthralling subject matter, and perfectly timed dialogue. There is nothing I can say against this novel; it truly is a work of art. I admire Susanna Clarke for her talent, ability to organize such a large project, and knowledge of such a subject. But had I not been previously invested in the subject of faeries and old England prior to picking up the book I likely would have set it down one day, mid-read, and walked away forgetting it completely.

Perhaps the magic within the pages spilled out somehow and left me feeling an uneasiness about the life of it. Believe me when I tell you, the world changes a little with each page you turn.

The footnotes may have been my favorite part. They became something to look forward to - a further indulgence of folklore or historical occurrence that broadens the reality of the era in which this story is set without distracting from the narrative with facts and figures. (Some four pages long!) If you wanted to, you could pass the footnotes by without a second glance and not miss out on Jonathan or Mr. Norrell's doings, but you would be at a disadvantage to the mastery of this novel. It is obvious that Clarke was dedicated to this project and had a specific vision for it. I hope the TV show available through the BBC will do it justice. Clarke seems to have done all the research for producers anyway - it'll be hard for them to screw it up!

In all, the novel reads as a historical non-fiction, although it isn't, based on real and true people who lived, breathed, and spit fire. Before the story is through you will question reality and from the forgotten depths of your inner-child's heart you will believe in magic once more.

Susanna Clarke does such an amazing and thorough job in citing sources and connecting historical non-fiction with the lives of Jonathan and Mr. Norrell that the clouds of doubt begin to clear away and although it may seem impossible you begin to wonder why not. Stranger things have been proven to be true. In fact, the realm of the fae must exist; the folklore bred in a depth of truth. It's made me envious of the English for their rich history. And it's left me still wondering.

Review: Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures



My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rumo is a Wolperting, although he doesn't know it yet. His life begins lazily as a Hackonian farmer's pet pup; spoiled and loved. His only responsibilities to accept belly rubs, the cooing of admirers, and occasionally come to understand the world around him. All is disrupted, though, when he and his caretakers are kidnapped by a carnivorous band of Demoncles who traversed the world on a floating rock, only coming to shore when the rock landed and their stores were depleted. This is where Rumo meets Smyke, a shark grub, and his life begins to pursue his real potential as the intelligent, upright walking, battle ready Wolperting he is. And this is just the beginning.

Adventures (it's in the title, after all) ensue for Rumo which lead him to the mysteriously blockaded town of Wolperting - a town filled with his own species, all of varying breeds, and a dome no one knows anything about. He gains a roommate, goes to school, learns to fence and play chess, to read and write, and becomes a master carpenter. Oh, and he falls in love. But when he returns from a lover's mission outside the walls of town, he finds the bustling city vacant and an empty void where the dome once stood. Into the depths of Hell he wanders seeking his friends and teachers and the second half of Rumo's life begins. Will he arrive in time to save them? You'll have to read it to find out!

I bought Walter Moers' Rumo in 2007 for $3.00 at Half Priced Books (my absolute favorite store on this planet.) The cover intrigued me and when I flipped through the pages which included character attributed fonts and original artwork by the author I was sold. I had never read fantasy fiction before, but I couldn't resist. The presentation of the 689 page tomb was too creative to pass up. It's a refreshing publication as it didn't just tell a story from front cover to back, but rather it included the reader in the journey by playing with the traditions of published work. Art, font, black pages, text layout, and maps were constantly shifting so the eyes never grew tired or bored. The design of the book is just beautiful.


Eight years later and I can still remember the moments I spent reading it. If I close my eyes I can see myself there laying on my stomach in our guest bedroom the door shut and the light filtering in through the closed blinds; sprawled out in the Arizona summer heat, lost in the world of Zamonia. Looking at my dogs with a sideways glance wondering when they would challenge me to a game of chess. My entire world came to a halt when I first started reading Rumo. I became useless to those around me and cared little for anything else - who needs food, right? 


It took me three days and two sleepless nights to finish. And then I was on the hunt for more. I purchased every English translated book he had and devoured them like a starving Demoncles. Although he has many books published in his native tongue, German, the English translations slowly trickle our way. I've even considered learning the language so I can have greater access to his work. In the meantime, I'll continue to stalk Moers' website and Amazon page for new releases and pre-release purchases.

If I could give a six or seven or eight star review, I would. To see a strong sampling of Moers' artwork, click here.

Other great, English translated works by Moers include:

Review: The Big Over Easy


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...
But was it an accident? Suicide? Or was it murder?


Jasper Fforde takes us into the extraordinary town of Reading where Nursery Crimes are prevalent, but irrelevant to the upper bosses of the police force. Saddled with a new partner, Sergeant Mary Mary (who can be quite contrary), DCI Jack Spratt must navigate the murky waters of political diplomacy, investigating the crime of a giant playboy egg, and fatherhood all while struggling to make it into the Detectives Guild - a high ranking honor which would nab him some of the best cases and some much needed good publicity! That is, if he could stop killing giants long enough to balance it all. Oh, did I mention there is an alien named Ashley who works for the Nursery Crime Division? His native tongue is binary.



As a writer, I am blown away by Fforde's creativity and ability to lace together such a thick, entertaining plot involving nursery rhymes most commonly remembered in Great Britain. Perhaps, as an American, I was at a disadvantage for this fact, but I was readily willing to trust that what I didn't understand, the references which didn't connect with me, were regional for his neck of the woods and so fit along with the story.



It's a hard book to put down and a series (The Fourth Bear is the follow up) which I am eagerly awaiting the third installment. Fforde has much on his plate, though, with the Thursday Next series, Shades of Grey, and the Last Dragonslayer so I won't be holding my breath too long for a novel about the Tortoise and the Hare - the rigged race! However, I'm a loyal reader, hook - line - and sinker - so I imagine I'll be picking up another series of his soon. With titles such as: The Woman Who Died A lotFirst Among Sequels, and The Well of Lost Plots, how can you not be intrigued?!



Perhaps I'll start with The Eyre Affair.



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