The Golden Compass
I came into this expecting something somewhat controversial but didn’t really find anything. I can almost see the bristling of the Catholic Church over this – except at the very beginning of the book there is mention of Pope John Calvin, implying that the Church of this book doesn’t particularly resemble the real one. But oh well, some people get quite bored unless they have something to be offended by.
The original title of this book was Northern Lights, which is far more fitting, as the item to which I assume the title is referring is not a compass at all. Publishers are funny things.
by Tove Jansson: Simply delightful. I am a longtime fan of the Moomins, a collection of unusual-looking critters whose calm and pleasing outlook on life is a pure joy to read. This time around, a flood washes through Moominvalley, forcing the Moomins to find a new home in a floating theater (though they don’t know what a theater is). The humor is gentle but fun. I can’t wait to read more of Jansson’s books, including the comic strip collections.
by Robert Cormier: A blunt look at the sometimes dark and brutal nature of teenagers. Jerry Renalt is a freshman at Trinity Catholic High, a school run by monks and The Vigils, a gang of upperclassmen whose main function is to pull pranks and assert their superiority. I must say, this had one of the most unexpected plots I’ve come across in a long time. I didn’t see the various twists and turns coming, least of all the ending. I can kind of see why this is controversial, though no more so than, say, Lord of the Flies. Both reveal the animalistic natures of children, a trait we don’t often like to admit even to ourselves.
by Michael Ely: I have never played the video game on which this book is based (Alpha Centauri) nor its more famous predecessor, Civilization. This probably hampered my enjoyment. Though you do not need to be familiar with the games to understand the plot, I suspect that anyone not obsessed with the game will feel much the way I did: meh. Basically, Earth is tearing apart itself with war so a colony ship is sent off to another planet. It breaks up in space and each pod, holding roughly one thousand people and one leader, lands on a different part of the planet. The leaders are the diplomat, the warrior, the farmer-hippy, the economist, the professor, and two others I can’t recall just now. Anyway, they each found their own groups following their personal philosophies, thus creating large numbers of walking stereotypes. The warriors (who call themselves Spartans, natch) are the most grievous offense here, obsessing over honor and battle even more than your average Kling-on. They are not in the least bit sympathetic, fighting the other groups for no more reason than they feel like it. The author makes some weak attempts at motive but it’s not convincing. In short, this is not something I would recommend to a lover of science fiction…or to anyone, in fact, except those who simply cannot get enough of the Alpha Centauri universe.
by Dean Koontz: Chris Snow has a genetic disorder which causes UV light to inflict permanent and cumulative damage. Thus his life is necessarily lived between dusk and dawn. Soon after his father dies from cancer, Chris starts running into a bunch of weirdness and people not telling him things. There’s a lot of vague talk of the end of the world, of people “becoming,” and not a whole lot of straight answers. Chris spends his time running from suspicious-acting friend to suspicious-acting friend to find out The Truth. I remember really liking this book when I first read it a few years ago, but this time I felt more lukewarm. Chris didn’t have a whole lot of personality, flipping from surf bum to intellectual to philosopher, depending on who he was talking to. This would be a good book for someone new to bio-thrillers. As for me, well, it was a decent way to spend the commute, but I won’t be reading it again.
by T.H. White: I thought I’d read this for a class in high school, but I know now that I did not. This lengthy tome is actually four books in one. “The Sword in the Stone,” which inspired the Disney film of the same name, is the charming story of Arthur’s childhood with Sir Ector, Kay, Merlyn, and the rest. Easily my favorite of the four. Next is “The Queen of Air and Darkness,” which introduces the Gaelic Orkney clan, headed by Morgause. It’s probably the funniest book, between the silliness of King Pellinore’s lovesickness and the darker humor of the Orkney sons’ desperate attempts to get their mother’s attention. “The Ill-Made Knight” was my least favorite. It’s all about Lancelot and his unending angst. “The Candle in the Wind” more or less wraps up the Lancelot story, with a sometimes irritating amount of commentary on how much better everything and everyone was back in those days. I wish the story could have gone all the way through Arthur’s death and successor, but by and large I could see why this is considered one of the quintessential books on Arthurian Legend. I could spot the inspiration for many other works, from Excalibur to Monty Python’s Holy Grail. If you’re a fan of Arthur, I would definitely recommend reading. If you only have a passing interest, just read “The Sword in the Stone.” It’s delightful.
by Markus Zusak: I heard about this from numerous friends and BookCrossers who loved it. I was not disappointed. Death narrates this tale of WWII Germany about a young girl, her foster parents, neighors, stolen books, and a certain Jew. The characters are all quite memorable (my favorite was Rudy) and the unique narrator choice lends an interesting twist to the storytelling. The metaphors in particular are fantastic. There were times when I laughed and times when I cried, but ultimately the ending is quite satisfying. I’ll definitely have to pick up Zusak’s other works.
by Christopher Paolini: Boy finds dragon egg, dragon hatches, boy goes on grand adventure. Actually, boy spends most of book fleeing for his life, when suddenly a random Big Battle is tacked on the end to add some sort of climax, with a convenient deus ex machina to tie things up and make way for the sequel. It’s not that it’s poorly written, just utterly generic. Now, if I didn’t like fantasy stereotypes I wouldn’t read fantasy, but I was even able to pick out specific universes from which much of the stuff was cribbed (McCaffrey’s Pern, Tolkien’s Middle Earth, etc.). All in all, pretty forgettable. A young newcomer to fantasy might enjoy this, but a fans of the genre will find nothing new here.
by Wil Wheaton: The story most people are familiar with is Wil Wheaton’s appearance in Stand By Me, followed by his portrayal of the oft-maligned Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, after which he completely fell off the radar. In a sense, this is the story of What Happened to Wil Wheaton After Star Trek. But it’s more than that, too. It is an unabashedly honest (and often hilarious) account of one man’s journey from struggling and extremely insecure actor to confident and content writer. Though it probably helps to be at least passingly familiar with the Star Trek universe, you don’t have to be a die-hard fan to appreciate Wheaton’s writing. He learns and shares many lessons about regret, validation, and acceptance. I devoured this book in about a day and enjoyed every minute of it. Wheaton has lots of very good and important things to say about acting, blogging, and celebrity, but there is also plenty of humor to keep things rolling. Definitely recommended.
by Catherine M. Petrini: Though aimed at elementary school children, this overview of the Muslim religion proved to be a pretty good primer for me as well. I wasn’t familiar with most of the holidays or the sheer diversity of practices in the global Muslim community. It’s always fascinating to see the vast differences in interpretation of the same book. Definitely recommended for explaining the basics of Islam to a small child (or an uninformed adult, like myself).