Tag Archives: fantasy

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Posted by melydia on October 21, 2010 2 comments

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (unabridged audiobook read by Brendan Fraser): A delightful tale of a dragon and his brownie companion on a search for the Rim of Heaven, the legendary dragon home that may or may not exist. This is the sort of thing I think of when I think of fantasy epics: quests, dragons, genies, dwarfs, magic, legends, peril, humor, excitement, new friends, trust, betrayal, and a happy ending. It reminded me in many ways of The Neverending Story. In other words, I absolutely loved it. It’s the sort of thing I would enjoy reading again and again, just to relive the adventure.

Regarding the audio version of this novel: I don’t have strong feelings about Brendan Fraser’s movies. I mean, he’s charming enough, but he always seems to play more or less the same character. As a reader, however, he is absolutely brilliant, easily one of the best I’ve ever come across. The characters came to life with his animated narration, sound effects, and distinct voices. Simply fabulous.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson

Posted by melydia on September 29, 2010 1 comments

Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson: The Moomins usually hibernate for half the year, but one day Moomintroll wakes up to discover a snow-covered world he’s never known. Being a longtime Moomin fan, I was predisposed to enjoy this book. The characters and illustrations are simply charming, depicting an innocence without ignorance. It was not my favorite of the Moomin adventures (I’m not sure it could be without Snufkin), but it was still a fun little tale. I particularly liked Moominmamma’s comments upon waking. She’s my hero.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Posted by melydia on September 15, 2010 None comments

Time of the Twins (Dragonlance Legends #1) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman: It’s been years since I read the Chronicles trilogy, but I managed not to stay lost for too much of this book. (I do, however, strongly recommend one reads that trilogy before starting this one.) Basically this is Weis and Hickman accepting that Raistlin is the only truly interesting character in Chronicles and throwing in the second-most interesting, Tasslehoff, for good measure. Raistlin is hungry for power, and believes he can get it by traveling back in time to before the Cataclysm. His twin brother, Caramon, is sent after him, along with religious nut cleric Crysania, who finds herself strangely drawn to Raistlin. Tasslehoff joins them, much to the horror of everyone, because kender are nothing but Trouble. All in all, I rather liked this book. I doubt I would have if I didn’t like Raistlin so much, as I spent most of the book wanting to punch Caramon in the face. As has been noted by many, this is unquestionably written for young adults. If you know that going in, you’ll probably enjoy it more. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Immortal Ones by John F. Ferrer

Posted by melydia on September 13, 2010 None comments

The Immortal Ones by John F. Ferrer: Derek lives a life of horror-movie fantasies until he meets a girl at a club and those horror movie monsters turn out to be real. Overnight his life is turned upside-down. Though there is a fair bit of action, the love polygon is the backbone of the story. Werewolves love vampires; vampires love humans; humans love werewolves; it’s all just a mess. There are definitely echoes of Twilight here, but with more sex and less angst. The vampire and werewolf mythos are a little different from the traditional as well. Like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampires look like ordinary (though beautiful) humans until they get angry or hungry, at which point their faces “crack” and the fangs come out. Werewolves are pretty much hairy vampires: they also wolf out under stress, live forever, and drink blood. Both species can learn to keep their respective transformations under control. Both have a preference for human blood but can survive on the less tasty blood of animals. Werewolves, however, like vampire blood best of all, and are arguably the only thing (besides the sun) that can kill a vampire. (Whether or not a werewolf can be killed remains to be seen.) The other twists are more subtle: gold (not silver) hurts werewolves, and vampires (but not werewolves) are weakened by wolfsbane. (To be fair, Dracula was kept out by wolfsbane.)

Like many self-published books, this one is in desperate need of a good editor. The author clearly has a basic misunderstanding of punctuation. For most of the story I felt less like I was reading a story than having one described to me. The main characters were all fairly interchangeable in terms of personality, but I did enjoy a couple of the minor walk-ons, like Hank from the jazz club and Emma from the bookstore. I could easily see and hear them in my mind. So would I recommend this particular book? Well, no, but I do see promise in Ferrer. He has good ideas, and proper execution can be taught. I look forward to seeing what he can do with time, training, and a really good editor.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

Posted by melydia on August 25, 2010 None comments

Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson: I love Moomins. Let me say that up front. They’re sweet and adorable and funny. In this tale, a comet is speeding toward the earth, so Moomintroll and Sniff have to journey to the observatory in the mountains to find out what can be done about it. Along the way they make many friends, and though there is a chronological order to these stories, you don’t need to read them in order. If something’s not explained, it’s probably not important (or purposely mysterious, like the Hattifatteners). The illustrations are darling and I enjoyed every moment of the journey. I love how all the Moomins are so accepting of everyone, no matter how bizarre or unfriendly. One day I hope to read the original comics, but for now I’m plenty happy with the books.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Posted by melydia on August 23, 2010 4 comments

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: Winnie Foster meets the Tucks, a family accidentally made immortal by a strange spring in the forest. I’m always interested in stories about immortality. Many of the common motifs involve the ability to be killed (Highlander, vampires) or stipulate that the immortality is only as long as the individual is rejuvenated with some sort of elixir of life. Here, the Tucks not only don’t age or get sick, they cannot be killed. Drinking from the spring is completely irreversible, and they will be around until the end of time. Which is a pretty scary prospect, if you think about it, and the dilemma is handled well here. The ending is bittersweet and satisfying. Now I want to go find a toad of my own.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Some Fools, A Turtle and Queen Elizabeth by A.M. Lascurain, Dariusz Golen, and Agnieszka Golen

Posted by melydia on July 23, 2010 1 comments

Some Fools, A Turtle and Queen Elizabeth by A.M. Lascurain, illustrated by Dariusz and Agnieszka Golen: This is the tale of a jester named Peppy Birthdaycakes and his quest to become funny. He is aided by several other jesters, a dairy maid who also does alchemy, and a turtle with a French accent. In the meantime, the evil (and bumbling) wizard Humidor stalks them. The whole story is laced with puns and other silliness, and on every other page is an absolutely beautiful illustration. Most of my quibbles are technical: typos and grammatical errors are everywhere, and I really wish all of the gorgeous artwork could have been printed right side up. I understand the point of printing them sideways so they fit on the page better, but it’s distracting to constantly be turning the book. On the bright side, they are all rotated to the left, so you only have to turn the book one way. Anyway, despite the technical issues, overall this is a very cute little fairy tale, excellent for reading aloud to children.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Posted by melydia on July 22, 2010 None comments

The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) by Scott Westerfeld: In Bixby, Oklahoma, time stops for an hour at midnight every night (though how they know it’s exactly an hour isn’t clear). Only a handful of teenagers experience this “secret hour” and treat it like their personal playground – until Jessica Day shows up and turns the whole thing on its head. Suddenly it’s dangerous, and the “slithers” and “darklings” that used to leave people alone are attacking en masse. Each person has their own special power, and much of the book is spent attempting to discern Jessica’s. I enjoyed this one. It’s the first of a trilogy, but there’s still a decently satisfying end while keeping the way open for more story. I would read the other books were I to find them.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Posted by melydia on June 14, 2010 None comments

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore: Charlie Asher is a pretty regular guy until the birth of his daughter and death of his wife. Then strange things begin to happen. Suddenly his life revolves around sewer harpies, hellhounds, and soul vessels. I’ve found Moore to be hit or miss (mostly miss), but this was pretty consistently funny, especially considering it dealt so much with grief and loss. I liked several of the characters, such as Jane and Lily, but the whole thing started to fall apart near the end, when Audrey and the squirrel people started showing up. It felt more like a scramble to tie up loose ends than anything planned in advance, as if the whole thing had been written off the cuff in response to some sort of random prompt, which is a complaint I’ve had about Moore in the past. All in all, it was a decently funny story, just not a very polished novel.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Marooned in Fraggle Rock by Barbara McClintock

Posted by melydia on May 19, 2010 None comments

Marooned in Fraggle Rock by David Young, illustrated by Barbara McClintock: Red and Boober wander off together so the others can finish preparing for Boober’s surprise birthday party, and are trapped by a cave-in. The characterization and dialogue were spot-on with my memories of the show (a favorite from childhood), and the illustrations were great. The story was surprisingly dark and scary. A happy ending is assured, of course, but there’s a lot going on here. Which is what made Henson’s creations so compelling: even the children’s shows have layers and complexity. Add some wonderful music and you have the show distilled into book form.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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