Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supernatural. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Hourglass Door
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum is above average romance/adventure fare. Abby Edmunds is a totally normal high school senior with a normal life: she spends time with her boyfriend, applies for colleges along with her best friends, and assistant directs the school's production of Much Ado About Nothing. But at play practice one day she meets the new Italian exchange student, Dante Alexander. As is expected in books like this, she is immediately attracted to him. However, what kept me reading was that Dante was not a brooding, mysterious bad boy, or, rather, there was more to him than that. He and Abby develop a friendship and chemistry between the two of them that is fairly legitimately built up as lacking in Abby's relationship with Jason, her neighbor/childhood friend/boyfriend. Also to the book's credit is that Jason isn't depicted as some dumb lug; he's a truly nice, thoughtful guy who cares about Abby and she about him, even if there's no spark of romance there. The historical/time travel elements of the plot are handled well enough, although we don't get much resolution because, of course, this is a series and not a stand-alone novel. I'll keep an eye out for the second book, and I hope that we get to visit sixteenth-century Italy, because we know that Renaissance Italy is a favorite setting of mine, just as I love to see theatre and drama in books. Well, overall, The Hourglass Door was a decent read, even if it's not anything to rave about.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Flora Segunda
Flora Fyrdraaca lives in a magical house with a magical butler, but both house and butler have seen better days. Though the Fyrdraaca family is one of the big names in the city of Califa, you wouldn't know it to see Flora trying to manage the household and her mentally damaged father on her own while her mother, the Commanding General of the Army, is off on business. Then one day, shortly before her fourteenth birthday, Flora stumbles upon the house's banished butler in a lonely library that Flora has never seen before. The butler, a magical spirit named Valefor who used to be in charge of making sure the Fyrdraaca family lived in luxury, is now a pale shadow of his former self. But, he tells Flora, with her help he can be restored, and she'll be relieved of the burden of keeping up the house without magic. Tired of running herself ragged and tempted by a small taste of the Valefor's magical powers (including delicious foods he can whip up), Flora agrees, bringing her best friend Udo along for the ride. Of course, nothing goes quite the way Flora plans, and so there are all sorts of zany magickal hijinks and whatnot.
Okay, so. What makes this book so great? Well, first off, it's stunningly original and detailed in its worldbuilding. Sure there's hints of inspiration from real world cultures, but there's no way you could say, "Oh, it's like Victorian England but with magic," or anything so simple as that. Indeed, the dominant real-world inspiration seems to be Spanish, such as the Catorcena, the celebration of the fourteenth birthday, when a child becomes an adult. The fashions are another thing entirely, with everyone, men and women, wearing skirts or kilts for the most part. That's a simple but quick indicator that this isn't Western Europe as we know it. And the world-building and glimpses of history we see all fit together tightly. And I particularly like the detail given to the adventures of Nini Mo and her rangers.
Ah, this is why I shouldn't be lazy about writing these reviews, all the things I want to say become less fresh in my mind. But let's see. Well, the plot makes sense, moves quickly, and packs in a lot of action. The system of magic is clever and mysterious, but never seems to break its own rules. What I really loved was the depth given to all the characters. Flora's parents, in particular, have multiple facets and parts of their histories that aren't explored but which still affect their behavior and the story. That is, the first book doesn't give it all away. Flora is a fine protagonist. She's flawed but personable, doesn't always succeed, gets called out when she deserves it, and is an active heroine. Valefor and Udo both are good supporting characters and act as foils for Flora and each other. Well. Anyway, there's a second book in the series, and I have ordered it from the library, so we shall see how Flora's story continues to unfold since, like, all the best series, there is still plenty more to learn about our heroine and her world, more than could be covered in one book.
Okay, so. What makes this book so great? Well, first off, it's stunningly original and detailed in its worldbuilding. Sure there's hints of inspiration from real world cultures, but there's no way you could say, "Oh, it's like Victorian England but with magic," or anything so simple as that. Indeed, the dominant real-world inspiration seems to be Spanish, such as the Catorcena, the celebration of the fourteenth birthday, when a child becomes an adult. The fashions are another thing entirely, with everyone, men and women, wearing skirts or kilts for the most part. That's a simple but quick indicator that this isn't Western Europe as we know it. And the world-building and glimpses of history we see all fit together tightly. And I particularly like the detail given to the adventures of Nini Mo and her rangers.
Ah, this is why I shouldn't be lazy about writing these reviews, all the things I want to say become less fresh in my mind. But let's see. Well, the plot makes sense, moves quickly, and packs in a lot of action. The system of magic is clever and mysterious, but never seems to break its own rules. What I really loved was the depth given to all the characters. Flora's parents, in particular, have multiple facets and parts of their histories that aren't explored but which still affect their behavior and the story. That is, the first book doesn't give it all away. Flora is a fine protagonist. She's flawed but personable, doesn't always succeed, gets called out when she deserves it, and is an active heroine. Valefor and Udo both are good supporting characters and act as foils for Flora and each other. Well. Anyway, there's a second book in the series, and I have ordered it from the library, so we shall see how Flora's story continues to unfold since, like, all the best series, there is still plenty more to learn about our heroine and her world, more than could be covered in one book.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Grimm Legacy
So, The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman is one of those books that totally looks like it's going to be hokey and I'm going to read it, cringe, and put it away. To my extreme delight, this book was a Kiki Strike - a surprisingly enjoyable story that I never expected. So, the basic premise of this book is that Elizabeth Rew, a normal girl who's an outcast at her new school, gets a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, which is a library for things. Only, along with the mundane materials, there is a whole vault of magical items from the Grimm fairy tales. So, Elizabeth gets the job, but things aren't all candy and bunnies: magical items have been disappearing from the collection, and other library pages are under suspicion. There's also some well-executed teen romance drama which adds another layer to the shifting loyalties of the characters.
The whole thing works primarily because Elizabeth is a realistic, likable viewpoint character. She's got a good narrative voice, descriptive, but not in a way that makes you wonder why a high school girl is talking like that. She is also, and I love her character so much for this, not a complete idiot. I mean, she's a teenage girl who doesn't let her hormones drive her every action, who doesn't trust people who are blatantly untrustworthy, and who actually trusts authority figures. Glory be! From her point of view, we get to see the Repository and all of the various interesting magical items in the Grimm collection. The author, Ms. Shulman, makes good use of common and obscure fairy tales from which to pull items that feature in the story. The secondary characters were all nicely developed. Every time I thought I'd predicted what one of them was up to, whether they were a traitor or not, things would get more complex. Even the romance wasn't particularly formulaic, and the whole book had a sense of humor about it, not overtly so, but enough to keep the story light. I think the plot was the weakest part of the book, not that it was at all bad. It just felt that the story was more in the characters and their relationships with each other (and not just limited to the romantic relationships). I also got very slightly lost towards the end of the book when they confronted the bad guys. Not enough that it wasn't fun, but more where I was like, "I'm not sure what's going on, but whatever, it's cool, I'll go along with this." A nice thing about this book was that, while there's room for a sequel, it never felt like this story was just a set-up for something else. The Grimm Legacy easily holds its own as a standalone story.
The whole thing works primarily because Elizabeth is a realistic, likable viewpoint character. She's got a good narrative voice, descriptive, but not in a way that makes you wonder why a high school girl is talking like that. She is also, and I love her character so much for this, not a complete idiot. I mean, she's a teenage girl who doesn't let her hormones drive her every action, who doesn't trust people who are blatantly untrustworthy, and who actually trusts authority figures. Glory be! From her point of view, we get to see the Repository and all of the various interesting magical items in the Grimm collection. The author, Ms. Shulman, makes good use of common and obscure fairy tales from which to pull items that feature in the story. The secondary characters were all nicely developed. Every time I thought I'd predicted what one of them was up to, whether they were a traitor or not, things would get more complex. Even the romance wasn't particularly formulaic, and the whole book had a sense of humor about it, not overtly so, but enough to keep the story light. I think the plot was the weakest part of the book, not that it was at all bad. It just felt that the story was more in the characters and their relationships with each other (and not just limited to the romantic relationships). I also got very slightly lost towards the end of the book when they confronted the bad guys. Not enough that it wasn't fun, but more where I was like, "I'm not sure what's going on, but whatever, it's cool, I'll go along with this." A nice thing about this book was that, while there's room for a sequel, it never felt like this story was just a set-up for something else. The Grimm Legacy easily holds its own as a standalone story.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Matilda
Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
What it's about: Matilda, though only five years old, is a genius. She's reading and doing math better than kids years older than her. However, will all her smarts keep her from being terrorized by the Trunchbull, the fearsome headmistress of her school? In order to help herself and her teacher Miss Honey, Matilda has to make use of her special talents to get rid of the Trunchbull once and for all.
What I thought: I have to admit, I'm having a hard time thinking of something to say other than that this is a really good book. I mean, all the characters are well-drawn, from the titular protagonist to Miss Honey to Miss Trunchbull. Dahl shows some great imagination in Miss Trunchbull's villainy, and he pokes scorching fun at dopey parents and other things with his wit. Look, Dahl's a literary genius, read his books, and that's really all I should need to say.
Overall: Great story.
Author: Roald Dahl
What it's about: Matilda, though only five years old, is a genius. She's reading and doing math better than kids years older than her. However, will all her smarts keep her from being terrorized by the Trunchbull, the fearsome headmistress of her school? In order to help herself and her teacher Miss Honey, Matilda has to make use of her special talents to get rid of the Trunchbull once and for all.
What I thought: I have to admit, I'm having a hard time thinking of something to say other than that this is a really good book. I mean, all the characters are well-drawn, from the titular protagonist to Miss Honey to Miss Trunchbull. Dahl shows some great imagination in Miss Trunchbull's villainy, and he pokes scorching fun at dopey parents and other things with his wit. Look, Dahl's a literary genius, read his books, and that's really all I should need to say.
Overall: Great story.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Dissociation of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Dissociation of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This volume throws us a lot of curveballs. A new school year has started, and the SOS Brigade is recruiting for new members. Haruhi has started generating sealed realities again. Kyon meets up with a friend from middle school, Sasaki, who is the girl who gave Kyon the reputation for liking weird girls. Kyon finds out that factions of rival aliens, espers, and time-travelers believe that Sasaki is the one who should really have Haruhi's powers, and they want Kyon's help to change things.
What I thought: Um, awesome much? Sasaki (who I keep wanting to call Sakaki, like the Azumanga Daioh character) is an interesting figure, both similar to and different from Haruhi. Also, her close relationship with Kyon may yet lead to some sort of romantic drama. Plus, it's a huge twist on everything we've thought so far about Haruhi and her nature. And, dude, new SOS Brigade members? Come on, that's such a neat thing to have possibly occur, and I'm pretty sure the one girl Kyon had his eye on will play a further role. However, come on! This book ends on a huge cliffhanger! Totally not fair!
Overall: Hugely interesting novel. How come the tenth book hasn't come out yet?!
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This volume throws us a lot of curveballs. A new school year has started, and the SOS Brigade is recruiting for new members. Haruhi has started generating sealed realities again. Kyon meets up with a friend from middle school, Sasaki, who is the girl who gave Kyon the reputation for liking weird girls. Kyon finds out that factions of rival aliens, espers, and time-travelers believe that Sasaki is the one who should really have Haruhi's powers, and they want Kyon's help to change things.
What I thought: Um, awesome much? Sasaki (who I keep wanting to call Sakaki, like the Azumanga Daioh character) is an interesting figure, both similar to and different from Haruhi. Also, her close relationship with Kyon may yet lead to some sort of romantic drama. Plus, it's a huge twist on everything we've thought so far about Haruhi and her nature. And, dude, new SOS Brigade members? Come on, that's such a neat thing to have possibly occur, and I'm pretty sure the one girl Kyon had his eye on will play a further role. However, come on! This book ends on a huge cliffhanger! Totally not fair!
Overall: Hugely interesting novel. How come the tenth book hasn't come out yet?!
The Indignation of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Indignation of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This book has two medium-length stories. The first has the student council finally take notice of the SOS Brigade's illegal occupation of the Literature Club clubroom. In order to keep the Literature Club going, the SOS Brigade has to publish a literary journal. Haruhi, as editor-in-chief, assigns each of her members a type of story to write. In the text of the story, we get to read the submissions of Nagato, Asahina-san, and, of course, Kyon, who are made to write fantasy-horror, a fairy tale, and a romance story, respectively. The second story is about the SOS Brigade getting its second client, a girl in Haruhi and Kyon's class named Sakanaka-san. Her dog, Rousseau, has been behaving strangely lately. Sakanaka-san thinks it might be spirits, and she's come to the SOS Brigade for help. Running throughout both stories is the theme of Haruhi starting to become more normal, and there's also some romantic subtext if you look for it.
What I thought: Both stories in The Indignation of Suzumiya Haruhi are really pretty interesting. The first story is a really entertaining one, and it's entertaining without its plot relying on the supernatural at all. The stories that Kyon and Yuki write also serve as good character development, as does Koizumi's speculations about Haruhi's mental state and why Kyon happened to pick the romance story. The second story in this book has some good mystery and sci-fi in it, as well as some good development for both Haruhi and Nagato. Plus, Kyon has some really funny observations going on, too. Along with the themes of Haruhi's developing normalcy and slight romantic subtext, there's also subtle build-up for a larger conflict which we saw begin with the mysterious time-traveler last volume, as well there being some talk about the more normal future of the SOS Brigade and its members as the school year approaches its end. Really, at eight books in, we're starting to really feel a larger plot building in the shadows now, and it's really exciting to contemplate.
Overall: Really, I think this is one of the better books in the series. It's totally worth reading this far!
Whew! I'm back into the swing of reviewing books! Having a short-term job combined with the internet heroin that is TV Tropes makes for not much free time. Heh! After I finish The Dissociation of Suzumiya Haruhi, I have a princess story book I bought last night, as well as the next two volumes of The Law of Ueki and Twilight coming in from the library. I've read Twilight before, and at the time I thought it was at best a beach read. Let's see if it manages to retain at least that good a rating during the second read-through. If any of you haven't heard of Twilight, it's a vampire romance book that is all the rage with teen girls with questionable taste. And I also mean to read Steppenwolf, The Westing Game, A Simple Path, and Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far). The second and fourth are ones I am looking forward to; the first and third, not so much. But as far as the third goes, people keep giving me religious books 'cause I'm a Catholic, so I figure I might as well at least try reading one of them some time. But before that, more fiction! =D
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This book has two medium-length stories. The first has the student council finally take notice of the SOS Brigade's illegal occupation of the Literature Club clubroom. In order to keep the Literature Club going, the SOS Brigade has to publish a literary journal. Haruhi, as editor-in-chief, assigns each of her members a type of story to write. In the text of the story, we get to read the submissions of Nagato, Asahina-san, and, of course, Kyon, who are made to write fantasy-horror, a fairy tale, and a romance story, respectively. The second story is about the SOS Brigade getting its second client, a girl in Haruhi and Kyon's class named Sakanaka-san. Her dog, Rousseau, has been behaving strangely lately. Sakanaka-san thinks it might be spirits, and she's come to the SOS Brigade for help. Running throughout both stories is the theme of Haruhi starting to become more normal, and there's also some romantic subtext if you look for it.
What I thought: Both stories in The Indignation of Suzumiya Haruhi are really pretty interesting. The first story is a really entertaining one, and it's entertaining without its plot relying on the supernatural at all. The stories that Kyon and Yuki write also serve as good character development, as does Koizumi's speculations about Haruhi's mental state and why Kyon happened to pick the romance story. The second story in this book has some good mystery and sci-fi in it, as well as some good development for both Haruhi and Nagato. Plus, Kyon has some really funny observations going on, too. Along with the themes of Haruhi's developing normalcy and slight romantic subtext, there's also subtle build-up for a larger conflict which we saw begin with the mysterious time-traveler last volume, as well there being some talk about the more normal future of the SOS Brigade and its members as the school year approaches its end. Really, at eight books in, we're starting to really feel a larger plot building in the shadows now, and it's really exciting to contemplate.
Overall: Really, I think this is one of the better books in the series. It's totally worth reading this far!
Whew! I'm back into the swing of reviewing books! Having a short-term job combined with the internet heroin that is TV Tropes makes for not much free time. Heh! After I finish The Dissociation of Suzumiya Haruhi, I have a princess story book I bought last night, as well as the next two volumes of The Law of Ueki and Twilight coming in from the library. I've read Twilight before, and at the time I thought it was at best a beach read. Let's see if it manages to retain at least that good a rating during the second read-through. If any of you haven't heard of Twilight, it's a vampire romance book that is all the rage with teen girls with questionable taste. And I also mean to read Steppenwolf, The Westing Game, A Simple Path, and Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far). The second and fourth are ones I am looking forward to; the first and third, not so much. But as far as the third goes, people keep giving me religious books 'cause I'm a Catholic, so I figure I might as well at least try reading one of them some time. But before that, more fiction! =D
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Intrigues of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Intrigues of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: One afternoon when Kyon arrives at the clubroom early, he gets an unexpected visitor - a version of Asahina Mikuru from eight days in the future. She's been sent back in time by Kyon himself, and Kyon and this version of Asahina-san have to complete mysterious tasks for the next several days, all the while keeping this Asahina-san a secret from the rest of the SOS Brigade. To further complicate things, Haruhi's acting oddly, and Kyon's not sure why.
What I thought: This one has some really cool stuff in it. We get some more time travel fun, for one thing, and for another, all the brigade members, as well as Tsuruya-san, get some good character development. There's also some nice build-up of Haruhi's feelings for Kyon and vice versa, although that's pretty subtle stuff. The SOS Brigade also gets up to a lot of its normal activities, and it's always nice to see them interacting as a group. There are also some pretty funny parts. Plus, more Tsuruya-san is always a good thing.
Overall: An above-average entry in the series.
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: One afternoon when Kyon arrives at the clubroom early, he gets an unexpected visitor - a version of Asahina Mikuru from eight days in the future. She's been sent back in time by Kyon himself, and Kyon and this version of Asahina-san have to complete mysterious tasks for the next several days, all the while keeping this Asahina-san a secret from the rest of the SOS Brigade. To further complicate things, Haruhi's acting oddly, and Kyon's not sure why.
What I thought: This one has some really cool stuff in it. We get some more time travel fun, for one thing, and for another, all the brigade members, as well as Tsuruya-san, get some good character development. There's also some nice build-up of Haruhi's feelings for Kyon and vice versa, although that's pretty subtle stuff. The SOS Brigade also gets up to a lot of its normal activities, and it's always nice to see them interacting as a group. There are also some pretty funny parts. Plus, more Tsuruya-san is always a good thing.
Overall: An above-average entry in the series.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Law of Ueki
Title: The Law of Ueki (vol. 1)
Author: Tsubasa Fukuchi
What it's about: Ai Mori has noticed something odd about her classmate Kosuke Ueki. He has the power to turn trash into trees. She follows him around to learn more about his ability, and her teacher Mr. K decides to come along, too. She learns that Ueki has been given his talents by Mr. K, who hopes to enter Ueki as his contestant in a competition to become the next king of heaven. Whenever Ueki uses his powers to harm someone, he loses an ability, and if he were to lose them all, he'd simply vanish. Mori decides that since Ueki is kind of a space case, she's going to have to help him from losing his talents.
What I thought: This first manga volume is pretty weird and interesting. Ueki is the title character and chosen one, but it seems that Mori is the protagonist person who we're more supposed to identify with - sort of like Kyon in the Suzumiya Haruhi series. The concept is an odd one, but it led to some interesting occurrences within this first volume. So far it looks like this could be a fun read, so I hope to get my hands on the next volumes soon, or perhaps the anime.
Overall: Looks fun. My interest has certainly been captured.
Author: Tsubasa Fukuchi
What it's about: Ai Mori has noticed something odd about her classmate Kosuke Ueki. He has the power to turn trash into trees. She follows him around to learn more about his ability, and her teacher Mr. K decides to come along, too. She learns that Ueki has been given his talents by Mr. K, who hopes to enter Ueki as his contestant in a competition to become the next king of heaven. Whenever Ueki uses his powers to harm someone, he loses an ability, and if he were to lose them all, he'd simply vanish. Mori decides that since Ueki is kind of a space case, she's going to have to help him from losing his talents.
What I thought: This first manga volume is pretty weird and interesting. Ueki is the title character and chosen one, but it seems that Mori is the protagonist person who we're more supposed to identify with - sort of like Kyon in the Suzumiya Haruhi series. The concept is an odd one, but it led to some interesting occurrences within this first volume. So far it looks like this could be a fun read, so I hope to get my hands on the next volumes soon, or perhaps the anime.
Overall: Looks fun. My interest has certainly been captured.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Wavering of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Wavering of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This is another volume of shorter stories. We start with "Live A Live," about North High's cultural festival and what Haruhi gets up to during that, and "Asahina Mikuru's Adventure Episode 00" is basically the movie the SOS Brigade filmed during The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi. "Charmed at First Sight LOVER" is an interesting one where one of Kyon's junior high friends gets a crush on Nagato. "Where Did The Cat Go?" picks up after last volume's "Snow Mountain Syndrome," and it's about the mystery detective game Koizumi arranged for. Finally, "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru" is about Asahina-san's time travel mission.
What I thought: For me, this novel was a mixed bag. "Live A Live" had some fun stuff and interesting character development for Haruhi, while "Asahina Mikuru's Adventure Episode 00" seemed to drag on because I was already familiar with most of its content from Sighs. "Charmed at First Sight LOVER" was good character development for Nagato, and Nakagawa was a pretty fun character. There was also some good humor when Haruhi finds the note Kyon tossed out the window. That's a scene I'd like to see make it into the anime. "Where Did The Cat Go?" was kind of a boring read, really, because there was no real suspense in this mystery story, and it didn't even seem like Koizumi's game would have been a fun one to play. "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru" was pretty good, though. For one thing, it again got into the time travel/sci-fi subplot of things, and for another, it gave Asahina-san some character development, which I think she and Koizumi don't really seem to get enough of.
Overall: A fun volume, but I can't call it a favorite in the series.
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This is another volume of shorter stories. We start with "Live A Live," about North High's cultural festival and what Haruhi gets up to during that, and "Asahina Mikuru's Adventure Episode 00" is basically the movie the SOS Brigade filmed during The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi. "Charmed at First Sight LOVER" is an interesting one where one of Kyon's junior high friends gets a crush on Nagato. "Where Did The Cat Go?" picks up after last volume's "Snow Mountain Syndrome," and it's about the mystery detective game Koizumi arranged for. Finally, "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru" is about Asahina-san's time travel mission.
What I thought: For me, this novel was a mixed bag. "Live A Live" had some fun stuff and interesting character development for Haruhi, while "Asahina Mikuru's Adventure Episode 00" seemed to drag on because I was already familiar with most of its content from Sighs. "Charmed at First Sight LOVER" was good character development for Nagato, and Nakagawa was a pretty fun character. There was also some good humor when Haruhi finds the note Kyon tossed out the window. That's a scene I'd like to see make it into the anime. "Where Did The Cat Go?" was kind of a boring read, really, because there was no real suspense in this mystery story, and it didn't even seem like Koizumi's game would have been a fun one to play. "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru" was pretty good, though. For one thing, it again got into the time travel/sci-fi subplot of things, and for another, it gave Asahina-san some character development, which I think she and Koizumi don't really seem to get enough of.
Overall: A fun volume, but I can't call it a favorite in the series.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Rampage of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Rampage of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This is another volume with a couple of short stories. The first, "Endless Eight," is all about the last two weeks of summer vacation and how the SOS Brigade spends them. "The Day of Sagittarius" is a showdown between the Computer Research Society and the SOS Brigade. In order to win back the computer that Suzumiya Haruhi blackmailed them out of, the Computer Club's president challenges the SOS Brigade to a battle using a computer game he and his club members designed. "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is basically "Lone Island Syndrome Part II." The SOS Brigade goes to spend the last few days of December at Tsuruya-san's family's mountain lodge. While Tsuruya-san and Kyon's little sister stay behind to make snowmen, Haruhi leads her brigade out for skiing. However, they get caught in a mysterious blizzard and end up finding an empty mansion. From there, events become puzzling and even creepy.
What I thought: "Endless Eight" was a fun enough story, but the other two stories are the ones I really enjoyed. "The Day of Sagittarius" is a fun story with action and conflict. We get to see some character development for Nagato, and the Computer Research Society is just a fun foil for Haruhi and her brigade. "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is really a good story, though. It includes Tsuruya and Kyon's little sister, for one thing, and for another, it's got plenty of mystery and suspense to it. The abandoned mansion is chock-full of strange happenings, and you're bound to feel just as edgy as Kyon as events unfold. There's also some good development for Nagato and Haruhi in this one, too.
Overall: "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is one of my favorite stories in this series, so for that alone, I rank this novel pretty highly.
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: This is another volume with a couple of short stories. The first, "Endless Eight," is all about the last two weeks of summer vacation and how the SOS Brigade spends them. "The Day of Sagittarius" is a showdown between the Computer Research Society and the SOS Brigade. In order to win back the computer that Suzumiya Haruhi blackmailed them out of, the Computer Club's president challenges the SOS Brigade to a battle using a computer game he and his club members designed. "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is basically "Lone Island Syndrome Part II." The SOS Brigade goes to spend the last few days of December at Tsuruya-san's family's mountain lodge. While Tsuruya-san and Kyon's little sister stay behind to make snowmen, Haruhi leads her brigade out for skiing. However, they get caught in a mysterious blizzard and end up finding an empty mansion. From there, events become puzzling and even creepy.
What I thought: "Endless Eight" was a fun enough story, but the other two stories are the ones I really enjoyed. "The Day of Sagittarius" is a fun story with action and conflict. We get to see some character development for Nagato, and the Computer Research Society is just a fun foil for Haruhi and her brigade. "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is really a good story, though. It includes Tsuruya and Kyon's little sister, for one thing, and for another, it's got plenty of mystery and suspense to it. The abandoned mansion is chock-full of strange happenings, and you're bound to feel just as edgy as Kyon as events unfold. There's also some good development for Nagato and Haruhi in this one, too.
Overall: "Snow Mountain Syndrome" is one of my favorite stories in this series, so for that alone, I rank this novel pretty highly.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: Christmas is approaching, and Suzumiya Haruhi wants to celebrate with the SOS Brigade. However, December 18th rolls around, and Kyon finds himself in a decidedly un-merry position. Nothing is as he remembers it. Haruhi and Koizumi no longer attend North High, Asahina-san has no recollection of him, and Nagato is a normal, shy bookworm. Now it's up to Kyon to figure out a way to restore the universe to how it was previously - if he even wants to.
What I thought: In contrast to The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi, this book is one full story, and it's a good one. It's got a mysterious feel to it, and it's pretty neat to see the SOS Brigade members in the other universe, acting how they would if Suzumiya Haruhi had never blown into their lives. Another neat thing is getting to see how Kyon's view of the SOS Brigade and its leader has changed since Haruhi first formed the club. There's also good personality development for Nagato, as well as development for the mysterious time-traveling events stemming from Tanabata three years ago.
Overall: As far as the Suzumiya Haruhi books go, this is an especially good one.
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: Christmas is approaching, and Suzumiya Haruhi wants to celebrate with the SOS Brigade. However, December 18th rolls around, and Kyon finds himself in a decidedly un-merry position. Nothing is as he remembers it. Haruhi and Koizumi no longer attend North High, Asahina-san has no recollection of him, and Nagato is a normal, shy bookworm. Now it's up to Kyon to figure out a way to restore the universe to how it was previously - if he even wants to.
What I thought: In contrast to The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi, this book is one full story, and it's a good one. It's got a mysterious feel to it, and it's pretty neat to see the SOS Brigade members in the other universe, acting how they would if Suzumiya Haruhi had never blown into their lives. Another neat thing is getting to see how Kyon's view of the SOS Brigade and its leader has changed since Haruhi first formed the club. There's also good personality development for Nagato, as well as development for the mysterious time-traveling events stemming from Tanabata three years ago.
Overall: As far as the Suzumiya Haruhi books go, this is an especially good one.
The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: Kyon, Haruhi, and the rest of the SOS Brigade return for more adventures. This book is set between Melancholy and Sighs, chronologically speaking. It's made up of four short stories. "The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi" is about the SOS Brigade entering a baseball tournament, which "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" is about the SOS Brigade celebrating Tanabata, a Japanese festival. "Mystérique Sign" is a short adventure wherein someone actually comes to the SOS Brigade for help with a problem, which turns out to be more than Kyon and the others bargained for. "Lone Island Syndrome" is a longer story. Haruhi decides that the SOS Brigade will go on a field trip over the summer break, and so Koizumi invites them to stay at a relative's mansion on an isolated island. While there, Haruhi's desire for murder mystery excitement takes a deadly turn.
What I thought: One interesting thing about this volume is that we start to see a little more of Haruhi's personality besides her crazy enthusiasm. "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" and "Lone Island Syndrome" both show a bit of her more vulnerable, melancholy side. We also get to see a bit of development for Nagato. Kyon notes a couple times that she seems lonely or that she might possibly be trying to make jokes. As far as Asahina-san goes, she gets a bit of character development, too, but more importantly, we get to see some plot-developing time travel. That's something important about this volume and "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" in particular, we get more development for the overarching plot of the series.
Overall: These stories are all very interesting. The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi is a good read.
Author: Tanigawa Nagaru
What it's about: Kyon, Haruhi, and the rest of the SOS Brigade return for more adventures. This book is set between Melancholy and Sighs, chronologically speaking. It's made up of four short stories. "The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi" is about the SOS Brigade entering a baseball tournament, which "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" is about the SOS Brigade celebrating Tanabata, a Japanese festival. "Mystérique Sign" is a short adventure wherein someone actually comes to the SOS Brigade for help with a problem, which turns out to be more than Kyon and the others bargained for. "Lone Island Syndrome" is a longer story. Haruhi decides that the SOS Brigade will go on a field trip over the summer break, and so Koizumi invites them to stay at a relative's mansion on an isolated island. While there, Haruhi's desire for murder mystery excitement takes a deadly turn.
What I thought: One interesting thing about this volume is that we start to see a little more of Haruhi's personality besides her crazy enthusiasm. "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" and "Lone Island Syndrome" both show a bit of her more vulnerable, melancholy side. We also get to see a bit of development for Nagato. Kyon notes a couple times that she seems lonely or that she might possibly be trying to make jokes. As far as Asahina-san goes, she gets a bit of character development, too, but more importantly, we get to see some plot-developing time travel. That's something important about this volume and "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" in particular, we get more development for the overarching plot of the series.
Overall: These stories are all very interesting. The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi is a good read.
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Nagaru Tanigawa
What it's about: Suzumiya Haruhi gets the idea to make a movie for the school's cultural festival, and she drags Kyon and the others into it. Haruhi charges into the matter with her usual enthusiasm, and as she pushes for excellence, the lines between fiction and reality start blurring, much to the dismay of the four other Brigade members, especially Kyon, as Koizumi tells Kyon that he's responsible for making sure Haruhi doesn't cause any permanent damage to the world.
What I thought: This is where you really get a sense of Haruhi's powers and her craziness. Some of the things she comes up with are really just hysterical. More of the mystery surrounding Haruhi and her powers is discussed, too. I dunno, this book was never as interesting to me as some of the others. It's still very good, though, and it continues the story of Haruhi, Kyon, and the SOS Brigade.
Overall: If you liked The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, continue on and read this book.
Author: Nagaru Tanigawa
What it's about: Suzumiya Haruhi gets the idea to make a movie for the school's cultural festival, and she drags Kyon and the others into it. Haruhi charges into the matter with her usual enthusiasm, and as she pushes for excellence, the lines between fiction and reality start blurring, much to the dismay of the four other Brigade members, especially Kyon, as Koizumi tells Kyon that he's responsible for making sure Haruhi doesn't cause any permanent damage to the world.
What I thought: This is where you really get a sense of Haruhi's powers and her craziness. Some of the things she comes up with are really just hysterical. More of the mystery surrounding Haruhi and her powers is discussed, too. I dunno, this book was never as interesting to me as some of the others. It's still very good, though, and it continues the story of Haruhi, Kyon, and the SOS Brigade.
Overall: If you liked The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, continue on and read this book.
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
Title: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
Author: Nagaru Tanigawa
What it's about: Kyon is an ordinary Japanese high school student. He knows that aliens, time travelers, ghosts, sliders, espers, and the like don't exist. But on high first day of high school, the girl sitting behind him, Suzumiya Haruhi, declares she has no interest in normal humans but that if there are any aliens, time travelers, sliders, or espers, they should come find her. After this, Haruhi joins and quits every club in the school, proclaiming them all to be too boring. Kyon accidentally gives her the idea to create a club of her own to fill the void, and with that the SOS Brigade is born. Along with Kyon, Haruhi recruits Nagato Yuki, a quiet bookworm belonging to the literary club and whose clubroom the SOS Brigade takes over, Asahina Mikuru, a cute upperclassman, and Koizumi Itsuki, a charming transfer student. With these four as her subordinates, Haruhi intends to find mysteries and fun to relieve the boredom of normal life. However, what she doesn't know and what Kyon, our narrator, finds out is that the other three members of the SOS Brigade are more than they seem, as is Haruhi herself.
What I thought: First off, the narration style is quite unique. Kyon has a very interesting way of describing things, using lots of metaphors and references. Another oddity of this is that there are occasional lines of narration and internal monologue that seem to be heard by the other characters. It can be a little confusing at first, but it adds a level of interest once you realize that it's not a mistake. The characters themselves are great. Kyon is a good, normal straight man, and you sympathize for him whenever Haruhi drags him into some stupid situation. Haruhi herself is a really interesting character. Despite being the title character, we don't really get to see what she's thinking at all; we only see what Kyon observes and postulates about her. She's quite a larger-than-life character, though, with her wild stunts, eccentricities, and fancies. You can't help being taken with her for that reason. Asahina-san, Nagato, and Koizumi are also similarly well-developed characters, Asahina-san and Nagato especially. Another point to praise is the development of the plot through this book and the rest of the novels. Despite being mainly full of silliness, there is a surprisingly deep and entertaining plot involving a lot of science-fiction elements. The hidden agendas of Asahina-san, Nagato, and Koizumi are good illustrations of this.
Overall: This book, the rest of the Suzumiya Haruhi novels, and the anime series based on the books are all extremely excellent. Here is where you can find all the Suzumiya Haruhi novels online to read. They've not been translated to English in any official capacity, so fan translations online are all that English-reading fans have. However, the translations are pretty good quality.
Author: Nagaru Tanigawa
What it's about: Kyon is an ordinary Japanese high school student. He knows that aliens, time travelers, ghosts, sliders, espers, and the like don't exist. But on high first day of high school, the girl sitting behind him, Suzumiya Haruhi, declares she has no interest in normal humans but that if there are any aliens, time travelers, sliders, or espers, they should come find her. After this, Haruhi joins and quits every club in the school, proclaiming them all to be too boring. Kyon accidentally gives her the idea to create a club of her own to fill the void, and with that the SOS Brigade is born. Along with Kyon, Haruhi recruits Nagato Yuki, a quiet bookworm belonging to the literary club and whose clubroom the SOS Brigade takes over, Asahina Mikuru, a cute upperclassman, and Koizumi Itsuki, a charming transfer student. With these four as her subordinates, Haruhi intends to find mysteries and fun to relieve the boredom of normal life. However, what she doesn't know and what Kyon, our narrator, finds out is that the other three members of the SOS Brigade are more than they seem, as is Haruhi herself.
What I thought: First off, the narration style is quite unique. Kyon has a very interesting way of describing things, using lots of metaphors and references. Another oddity of this is that there are occasional lines of narration and internal monologue that seem to be heard by the other characters. It can be a little confusing at first, but it adds a level of interest once you realize that it's not a mistake. The characters themselves are great. Kyon is a good, normal straight man, and you sympathize for him whenever Haruhi drags him into some stupid situation. Haruhi herself is a really interesting character. Despite being the title character, we don't really get to see what she's thinking at all; we only see what Kyon observes and postulates about her. She's quite a larger-than-life character, though, with her wild stunts, eccentricities, and fancies. You can't help being taken with her for that reason. Asahina-san, Nagato, and Koizumi are also similarly well-developed characters, Asahina-san and Nagato especially. Another point to praise is the development of the plot through this book and the rest of the novels. Despite being mainly full of silliness, there is a surprisingly deep and entertaining plot involving a lot of science-fiction elements. The hidden agendas of Asahina-san, Nagato, and Koizumi are good illustrations of this.
Overall: This book, the rest of the Suzumiya Haruhi novels, and the anime series based on the books are all extremely excellent. Here is where you can find all the Suzumiya Haruhi novels online to read. They've not been translated to English in any official capacity, so fan translations online are all that English-reading fans have. However, the translations are pretty good quality.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Companions of the Night
Title: Companions of the Night
Author: Vivian Vande Velde
What it's about: Late one night, Kerry goes to the local laundromat to retrieve a stuffed toy her young brother left there earlier. While there, a group of local vampires drag in a young man who they say is a vampire. Kerry naturally thinks this is crazy, and she helps the young man escape. He thanks her, and they part ways. The next evening, her father and brother go missing. The boy who Kerry helped escape, Ethan, turns out to be a vampire, like the vampire hunters claimed, and Kerry only narrowly avoids being bitten by promising to help Ethan find the vampire hunter still at large. This is also the only way she'll be able to find her father and brother.
What I thought: Any book where the vampires are cunning and rather alien from normal humans as opposed to being emo prettyboys who angst about what they are automatically gets points from me. Vande Velde paints a realistic, if somewhat dark, world for the story to take place in. Ethan is conniving, and Kerry is really pretty sensible about things, considering. The story had good pacing, and the relationship between Kerry and Ethan covers a lot of ground, from friendship to antagonism and lots in between.
Overall: I've always rather liked Vivian Vande Velde's books, and this is no exception. It's short, easy and fun read that'd I'd recommend to anyone who likes realistic vampire stories.
Author: Vivian Vande Velde
What it's about: Late one night, Kerry goes to the local laundromat to retrieve a stuffed toy her young brother left there earlier. While there, a group of local vampires drag in a young man who they say is a vampire. Kerry naturally thinks this is crazy, and she helps the young man escape. He thanks her, and they part ways. The next evening, her father and brother go missing. The boy who Kerry helped escape, Ethan, turns out to be a vampire, like the vampire hunters claimed, and Kerry only narrowly avoids being bitten by promising to help Ethan find the vampire hunter still at large. This is also the only way she'll be able to find her father and brother.
What I thought: Any book where the vampires are cunning and rather alien from normal humans as opposed to being emo prettyboys who angst about what they are automatically gets points from me. Vande Velde paints a realistic, if somewhat dark, world for the story to take place in. Ethan is conniving, and Kerry is really pretty sensible about things, considering. The story had good pacing, and the relationship between Kerry and Ethan covers a lot of ground, from friendship to antagonism and lots in between.
Overall: I've always rather liked Vivian Vande Velde's books, and this is no exception. It's short, easy and fun read that'd I'd recommend to anyone who likes realistic vampire stories.
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