Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
What it's about: Shasta is the son of a poor fisherman in the nation of Calormen, and when he finds his father is going to sell him to a rich lord to be a slave, he runs away from home with the lord's horse. The horse's name is Bree, and he is a talking horse from Narnia, a land to the north of Calormen. Shasta and Bree meet up with another set of runaways with whom they join up, and their trip to get to Narnia includes plenty of adventures, including mistaken identities and a plot against Narnia.
What I thought: This is probably my favorite of the Narnia books. I like it because of its setting and because it's really pretty different from most of the other books. The main characters aren't surrounded by chums and guiding figures; they're running away and only have each other to depend on. They're from the world they're in, not from Earth. Shasta and Aravis don't get along, but unlike with, say, Lucy and Edmund versus Eustace, neither Shasta nor Aravis is really an unlikeable character. It's just a clash of personalities. Bree's also an interesting character because of his airs. This book is a lot different from the rest of the series, and perhaps that's why it's my favorite.
Overall: A very good story, one of the best in its series.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Magicians of Caprona
Title: The Magicians of Caprona
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
What it's about: The city of Caprona is an Italian city-state, and within its boundaries live two families of magicians, the Montanas and the Petrocchis. These two families are bitter rivals, and when the magic of Caprona starts to fail, each family blames the other. War is in the air, and Chrestomanci, a powerful, benevolent enchanter known to both families warns that an evil enchanter is working against them to steal magic. However, it takes the youngsters of the families to uncover the enchanter's plan and find the spell that will save Caprona.
What I thought: I love how the author manages to portray the large Montana family, using the many relatives to give the story energy and character while also not allowing the multitudinous family members to be merely forgettable throwaway names. The concept of magic being sung is also an interesting one. The nod to Romeo and Juliet is also nice. My only real complaint is with the ending, how the enemy enchanter is actually dispatched. It's still a very good story, though.
Overall: A solid story from an amazing author.
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
What it's about: The city of Caprona is an Italian city-state, and within its boundaries live two families of magicians, the Montanas and the Petrocchis. These two families are bitter rivals, and when the magic of Caprona starts to fail, each family blames the other. War is in the air, and Chrestomanci, a powerful, benevolent enchanter known to both families warns that an evil enchanter is working against them to steal magic. However, it takes the youngsters of the families to uncover the enchanter's plan and find the spell that will save Caprona.
What I thought: I love how the author manages to portray the large Montana family, using the many relatives to give the story energy and character while also not allowing the multitudinous family members to be merely forgettable throwaway names. The concept of magic being sung is also an interesting one. The nod to Romeo and Juliet is also nice. My only real complaint is with the ending, how the enemy enchanter is actually dispatched. It's still a very good story, though.
Overall: A solid story from an amazing author.
Stop the Train!
Title: Stop the Train!
Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
What it's about: This here's a piece of historical fiction. It's about the settlers of the town of Florence, Oklahoma during the Oklahoma land rush. When the president of the railroad says that no trains will stop at Florence, the citizens band together to find a way to make the train stop. After all, a train is the lifeblood of a frontier town, and without a station, Florence will become just another ghost town. But what will it take to make the train stop? All the townsfolk, from the the children in Class Three to the proprietor of the general store to a member of a passing theatrical troupe, put forth their ideas as they try to eke out a living in the meantime.
What I thought: The lovely thing about this book, aside from the evocative descriptions and simple, flowing prose, is the way is handles its ensemble cast. Oh, sure, there are some characters who are a bit more prominent than others, like Cissy and Kookie, Hulbert, Everett, and Miss Loucien, but many other characters get their chances in the spotlight, and the narrative smoothly skips around from viewpoint to viewpoint. You'll soon come to care for all the Florentines as they quest to stop the train. The story meanders, showing both the attempts to stop the train and the daily life in Florence. This story is really a great one, something that anyone can enjoy. After all, just because a story is simple doesn't mean it's not interesting.
Overall: This is a charming book that I can't recommend highly enough.
Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
What it's about: This here's a piece of historical fiction. It's about the settlers of the town of Florence, Oklahoma during the Oklahoma land rush. When the president of the railroad says that no trains will stop at Florence, the citizens band together to find a way to make the train stop. After all, a train is the lifeblood of a frontier town, and without a station, Florence will become just another ghost town. But what will it take to make the train stop? All the townsfolk, from the the children in Class Three to the proprietor of the general store to a member of a passing theatrical troupe, put forth their ideas as they try to eke out a living in the meantime.
What I thought: The lovely thing about this book, aside from the evocative descriptions and simple, flowing prose, is the way is handles its ensemble cast. Oh, sure, there are some characters who are a bit more prominent than others, like Cissy and Kookie, Hulbert, Everett, and Miss Loucien, but many other characters get their chances in the spotlight, and the narrative smoothly skips around from viewpoint to viewpoint. You'll soon come to care for all the Florentines as they quest to stop the train. The story meanders, showing both the attempts to stop the train and the daily life in Florence. This story is really a great one, something that anyone can enjoy. After all, just because a story is simple doesn't mean it's not interesting.
Overall: This is a charming book that I can't recommend highly enough.
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Title: The Lives of Christopher Chant
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
What it's about: Christopher Chant is a young lad who is able to go places when he sleeps. This talent provides him great entertainment, and it attracts the notice of his uncle, who has Christopher conduct experiments in this dream world. Meanwhile, Christopher is growing up. He goes to school, makes new friends, and finds out that he has extraordinarily powerful magic. Because of this, he is sent to train to be the new Chrestomanci, the enchanter who oversees magic-users in various related worlds.
What I thought: This is an interesting book because it sets up quite a lot of themes seen in the rest of the Chrestomanci stories. The descriptions of the various Anywheres are intriguing, and Christopher and the rest of the characters are interesting. I think that what makes me like this is the ending bit, right when all the various plot threads come together and play out in that particularly lovely way that Diana Wynne Jones has of doing this.
Overall: A good place to start reading the Chrestomanci series and generally a fun story.
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
What it's about: Christopher Chant is a young lad who is able to go places when he sleeps. This talent provides him great entertainment, and it attracts the notice of his uncle, who has Christopher conduct experiments in this dream world. Meanwhile, Christopher is growing up. He goes to school, makes new friends, and finds out that he has extraordinarily powerful magic. Because of this, he is sent to train to be the new Chrestomanci, the enchanter who oversees magic-users in various related worlds.
What I thought: This is an interesting book because it sets up quite a lot of themes seen in the rest of the Chrestomanci stories. The descriptions of the various Anywheres are intriguing, and Christopher and the rest of the characters are interesting. I think that what makes me like this is the ending bit, right when all the various plot threads come together and play out in that particularly lovely way that Diana Wynne Jones has of doing this.
Overall: A good place to start reading the Chrestomanci series and generally a fun story.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
MÄR
Title: MÄR
Author: Nobuyuki Anzai
What it's about: In MÄR, Ginta is quite the dreamer, always dreaming of a fairytale world. Everyone teases him except his friend Koyuki, until one day, a mysterious figure summons Ginta to another world, the world of MÄR-Heaven. There he finds himself stronger and fitter than in his old world, and after a run-in with a sorceress named Dorothy, Ginta meets Babbo, a talking kendama. With Babbo as his Ally, Ginta sets out to find a way back home.
What I thought: This series, by the same guy who did Flame of Recca, is sort of like a lighter version of that. It's about half the length of Recca, and to me it seemed pretty rushed. The characters are good, and the plot is interesting, but too quickly it just becomes a series of battles in the war games, without enough intervening plot. That's a pity, too, because the characters are a neat group, and it would have been nicer to have more scenes that weren't battles. However, the art is good, and the manga's a nice, short read. Still, it doesn't quite match up to its predecessor.
Overall: If you're looking for a fun, relatively short manga series, you can't go wrong with MÄR.
Author: Nobuyuki Anzai
What it's about: In MÄR, Ginta is quite the dreamer, always dreaming of a fairytale world. Everyone teases him except his friend Koyuki, until one day, a mysterious figure summons Ginta to another world, the world of MÄR-Heaven. There he finds himself stronger and fitter than in his old world, and after a run-in with a sorceress named Dorothy, Ginta meets Babbo, a talking kendama. With Babbo as his Ally, Ginta sets out to find a way back home.
What I thought: This series, by the same guy who did Flame of Recca, is sort of like a lighter version of that. It's about half the length of Recca, and to me it seemed pretty rushed. The characters are good, and the plot is interesting, but too quickly it just becomes a series of battles in the war games, without enough intervening plot. That's a pity, too, because the characters are a neat group, and it would have been nicer to have more scenes that weren't battles. However, the art is good, and the manga's a nice, short read. Still, it doesn't quite match up to its predecessor.
Overall: If you're looking for a fun, relatively short manga series, you can't go wrong with MÄR.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Title: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Author: Alvin Schwartz
What it's about: This book contains a range of short, scary stories aimed at a younger readership.
What I thought: This collection of spooky stories ranges from hokey to actually rather creepy, but it's the illustrations that really make the book. Those of us who read this as a child will remember being fascinated and horrified by the grotesque illustrations that accompany the eerie tales.
Overall: The illustrations and the nostalgia factor make this worth picking up.
Author: Alvin Schwartz
What it's about: This book contains a range of short, scary stories aimed at a younger readership.
What I thought: This collection of spooky stories ranges from hokey to actually rather creepy, but it's the illustrations that really make the book. Those of us who read this as a child will remember being fascinated and horrified by the grotesque illustrations that accompany the eerie tales.
Overall: The illustrations and the nostalgia factor make this worth picking up.
Feet of Clay
Title: Feet of Clay
Author: Terry Pratchett
What it's about: More murders in Ankh-Morpork, and this time the signs seem to point to the golems which work silently around the city. What's worse is that the city's Patrician, Lord Vetinari, is ill, seemingly poisoned. Vimes and his coppers will have to use all the skills at their disposal to uncover the plot this time.
What I thought: This novel has a good air of creepiness to it at times, just the right feeling for it. The new characters, including Cheery and Constable Visit, are all nice additions, and Angua's difficulties make for an interesting side plot. The main mystery in this book is very nicely set up, with the clues all being there (despite Vimes' dislike of such notions). Nobby's reactions to being nobility are also very fun to read about. All in all, another solid entry in the series.
Overall: If you liked the first two, you'll enjoy Feet of Clay.
Author: Terry Pratchett
What it's about: More murders in Ankh-Morpork, and this time the signs seem to point to the golems which work silently around the city. What's worse is that the city's Patrician, Lord Vetinari, is ill, seemingly poisoned. Vimes and his coppers will have to use all the skills at their disposal to uncover the plot this time.
What I thought: This novel has a good air of creepiness to it at times, just the right feeling for it. The new characters, including Cheery and Constable Visit, are all nice additions, and Angua's difficulties make for an interesting side plot. The main mystery in this book is very nicely set up, with the clues all being there (despite Vimes' dislike of such notions). Nobby's reactions to being nobility are also very fun to read about. All in all, another solid entry in the series.
Overall: If you liked the first two, you'll enjoy Feet of Clay.
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