Tag Archives: fantasy

Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold! by Terry Brooks

Posted by melydia on September 12, 2006 None comments

Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold! by Terry Brooks: This was my introduction to Terry Brooks (not counting the novelization of The Phantom Menace, which I am embarrassed to admit to purchasing), and it was pretty good. The premise was straightforward: depressed lawyer Ben Holiday sees a magic kingdom for sale in a department store catalog, purchases it, and discovers it’s not quite everything he hoped it would be. It was well-written and clever, if a bit predictable. It reminded me a lot of the books I read back in middle school, and in its own way was a pleasant trip down memory lane. In short, it’s a relaxing bit of light fantasy, but nothing I would go out of my way for.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson

Posted by melydia on July 27, 2006 None comments

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord (The Door Within Trilogy, Book 2) by Wayne Thomas Batson: Though the second book of a trilogy, it feels much more like a sequel, using the old formula or having another character revisit the experiences of the hero of the original. Here, this other character is Aidan’s friend and possible love interest Antoinette. Back in the real world, Aidan attempts to save his friend Robby while Antoinette searches for Robby’s Glimpse twin, a servant of the evil Paragor, to convert him as well.

In The Realm, there are three categories of people: those who follow King Eliam (good), those who follow Prince Paragor (bad), and the “undecided” people, which also includes good people who simply do not believe in the existence of The Realm at all. There is no explicit mention of hell, so it is unclear why it is so important for people to believe. What happens if you die while still in the undecided camp? Perhaps that will be addressed in the third and final installment. I hope so, because without that vital bit of information, the characters’ motivation is pretty arbitrary.

Anyway. This story is a lot more of the same stuff as The Door Within, so if you liked that one, you’ll like this one too. It was a bit more rushed and a lot more violent, and leaves you with a cliffhanger, almost as if the second and third books originally were meant as one big sequel that was too long for a single volume. I’ll be curious to see how it wraps up all its loose ends.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve

Posted by melydia on May 24, 2006 None comments

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve: This is the third installment in a science fiction series (The Hungry City Chronicles) of which I have read no other books. It felt very sequelish: the heroes of the previous books have settled down and had a daughter who grows up with tales of their adventures back in the day. Said daughter then runs away and revisits old villains from said adventures. Despite the rather cliche set-up, it’s a reasonably fast-paced book with fairly interesting characters. If I sound a little tepid, there’s a reason. I couldn’t really get into this book. But it may be due to my ignorance of the setting. I don’t know what anti-tractionists believe, or what the Green Storm is trying to accomplish, or the significance of Stalker Grike. I also don’t have any context for Hester Shaw’s past sins, so such revelations meant nothing to me. The only real lasting impression I got of this book was how violent it is. People – even children – die graphically left and right. It was a little shocking to find in a book aimed at young adults. One thing I’ll say for this book, however: the author knows how to keep his audience. While the main plot issue is resolved at the end, all kinds of loose ends and vague cliffhangers remain. I am curious what happens to Hester and Tom and Wren and Fishcake. However, I am not a very patient reader; I’ll wait until the entire series is released before revisiting it, this time from the beginning.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Before the Mask by Michael and Teri Williams

Posted by melydia on May 9, 2006 None comments

Before the Mask [Dragonlance Villains Series Vol. 1] by Michael and Teri Williams: This is the story of Verminaard, unloved bastard son of Solamnic Knights, and his road to evil. My husband adores the Dragonlance series and insisted I read this. He’d finished it in a weekend, so surely I, the voracious reader, would speed through as well. He was wrong. Though far from being a bad book, it just didn’t draw me in. Verminaard’s evilness seems to be inborne rather than reactionary, to the point that the supposed contributing factors – the unloving father, the loss of the beloved brother – seem more like asides and much less sympathetic. Likewise with his half-brother Aglaca, who is unfailingly upbeat and loyal for no apparent reason. I understand the story the Williamses were trying to tell, and it took a while to put my finger on what was wrong. Then I realized it was missing a vital element of all great drama: levity. The human experience is not serious all the time. Even in the grimmest tales there is laughter. The unrelenting depression of this book left me frankly unmoved.

Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. by Robert Asprin

Posted by melydia on April 7, 2006 None comments

Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. by Robert Asprin: This is the twelfth and final volume of one of my favorite series of all time. A word of warning: read the rest of the series first. And if it’s been a while (as it had been with me), at least reread Sweet Myth-tery of Life. I was a little lost here and there, as some events in this book take place simultaneously with its predecessor. Also note that as this is a book with M.Y.T.H. Inc. in the title, it is not narrated solely by Skeeve, but (in this case) mostly by Guido. His incessant Guys’n’Dolls-esque speech gets a bit tiring from time to time, but if you enjoy old mafia movies there are certain scenes that are just a hoot. I would share the plot, but there isn’t much to say. Ostensibly it’s about a popular uprising against The Great Skeeve for raising taxes, but really it’s just a tying up of loose ends. The ending is optimistic, and it’s nice to have some closure after all these years.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Myth-ion Improbable by Robert Asprin

Posted by melydia on April 4, 2006 None comments

Myth-ion Improbable by Robert Asprin: It’s been at least a decade since I last read any of the Mythadventures books. Luckily, I’ve read the series at least twice (probably three times) so reading this book was like getting reacquainted with old friends, especially since it takes place between books three and four (there are twelve total). Here’s the plot in a nutshell: our hero Skeeve, his grumpy mentor Aahz, and their lovely ex-assassin friend Tananda find a treasure map that leads them to a dimension of vegetarian cowboys who fear something that comes out at night. It’s a silly and somewhat convoluted story, as all the Myth books are, but a bit more disposable by virtue of having been written out of order. I can’t fault Asprin for this; he admits in the Author’s Note that this was written as a way of easing back into the characters after a seven-year hiatus. In short, I would not recommend this book on its own (though it does a fine job of filling in quite a bit of the backstory), but definitely as part of the series. The Myth books remain some of my favorite fantasy comedies of all time, and it was nice to finally revisit them after all this time.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Posted by melydia on March 26, 2006 None comments

Life of Pi by Yann Martel: From the cover art, this appears to be about a boy and a tiger in a boat. And it is, though it’s conspicuously lacking of seafaring felines for more than the first quarter of the book. Up to that point it talks mostly about Pi’s life as the son of a zookeeper in India and his quest to find religion (which he does – three of them, in fact). At times it’s a little preachy, others a little graphic, but all in all it’s a fairly believable tale about survival in a lifeboat. In a nutshell: Pi Patel’s family decides to move from India to Canada. They travel by cargo ship with many of the animals from their zoo which are now being shipped to other zoos around the world. The cargo ship sinks, leaving Pi stranded on a lifeboat with a few animals who escaped the ship. He spends 227 days on the ocean, his thoughts taken up by survival: how to get food, how to get fresh water, how to avoid being eaten by the 450-pound Bengal tiger that shares his lifeboat. It’s a classic man-versus-nature story, and if you enjoy movies like Castaway you will probably like this book as well.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Posted by melydia on February 5, 2006 None comments

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire: Here is the story of Iris and her sister Ruth, famed stepsisters of the Cinderella tale. Like Maguire’s earlier Wicked, it is a retelling of a famous story from the villain’s point of view. Also like Wicked, the heroine of the canon is portrayed as self-serving and cruel, while the villain is merely a social outcast, trying to puzzle her way through the world as best she can. The Cinderella story is nearly unrecognizable for about two thirds of the book, while it discusses Iris’s love of painting and Clara (Cinderella)’s bizarre self-imposed seclusion, but in the end there is a prince and a ball and a lost slipper. Despite a general confusion throughout most of the story, I turned the last page feeling at least most of my questions had been answered. I don’t know that I will go out of my way to read more Maguire – I grew weary of so much unneccessary use of hundred-dollar words and such impossibly flowery dialogue – but I am glad I read this one. I like fairy tales and all their retellings; hopefully the popularity of Maguire’s version will not overshadow others’ attempts to show the other side of the story.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Posted by melydia on January 12, 2006 None comments

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: The Apocalypse is nearing, but the Antichrist has been misplaced, and an angel and demon that have been around since Creation are realizing that they’re rather fond of the world and would prefer if it didn’t end just now. This is a funny book. The bizarre asides, reminiscent of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, are really the best part. I can see now why this book is so popular among fans of humorous fantasy: it’s wonderful. It’s one of the rare books I could see myself reading multiple times.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Saint Vidicon to the Rescue by Christopher Stasheff

Posted by melydia on January 5, 2006 None comments

Saint Vidicon to the Rescue by Christopher Stasheff: Tony Ricci, a computer troubleshooter, is called upon by Father Vidicon of Cathode, patron saint of computers, machines, and anything else susceptible to Finagle, master of perversity and chaos. While Vidicon fights the greater demons, Tony is sent to put out smaller fires, helping people on Earth with their problems. It’s a cute idea, that a self-described fictional saint fixes the inexplicable failures of modern technology, which are caused by actual microscopic beasties like gremlkins and scuttlefish. I was a little confused at first (how did Sandy already know that Tony had fixed the problem?), but once I got used to the regular switch between Tony’s regular life and his adventures with Saint Vidicon, it was a lot of fun. If you enjoy silly sci-fi, it’s a worthy read – if only for the ridiculous (and funny) climax at the PBS station, WBEG.

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