Summary: An unwanted girl from a distant land is purchased from her father’s farm and brought to Copper Downs, a city of sleeping gods, where she will be trained as a courtly lady of wealth, taste, and fine breeding. All this so that she may have a chance at becoming the next wife of the Duke, the city’s unnatural ruler, who uses stolen magic to retain his youth and power. But she will be no one’s slave, not even for those who have secretly crafted a new purpose for her endless training. And she will be no one’s weapon but her own.

Commentary: Jay Lake is best known for his steampunk series of novels, and yet by weird coincidence (for I am a steampunk myself), the first book of his that I’ve read is Green, which is a standalone fantasy. I cannot judge how this novel ranks against those others.

Green seems to me to be very much a blending of two books: Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart and Karen Miller’s Empress. I love Dart in part for its intricate politics and elevation of vast knowledge into a thing of beauty and power and in part for its adventure. I didn’t like Empress, largely because I found the main character to be contemptible and unsympathic in a way I simply could not get around. In Green, I find echoes of both of these aspects.

The story is told from Green’s perspective and could almost be subtitled: The Life and Times of a Teenage Ninja. Through at least half of the book, she has no name at all. She is simply Girl. And Girl is continuously rebellious against her abusive mistresses, as they teach her how to cook, clean, perceive the quality of an item in a glance, play music, and read.

She was bought because of her headstrong nature. And while most of her captors find her irritating at best, there is one who sees value in her determination to escape her captivity: the Dancing Mistress—a member of a magical catlike race called pardines—who, like Girl, has no name.

It is the schooling that reminds me of Dart. Although given how much of the book is devoted to this, Green makes shockingly little use of most of it as the plot unfolds. The poise, learning, and culture she’s acquired seem to bring her nothing when she leaves, in contrast to the profound way in which Jacqueline Carey’s heroine uses her intellect and knowledge against her enemies. I can’t help but feel that this is a waste, both for Green herself and for readers.

But it is Green’s personality that reminds me of Empress. She is selfish, self-righteous, and unforgiving. This isn’t to say that someone in her situation wouldn’t or shouldn’t be. She’s been enslaved and beaten since she was small. Other people, even the Dancing Mistress, who seems to be working to help Green affect her escape, have their own plans and purposes for her. She is everyone’s chess piece, and as her determination to find out her real name implies, what she wants is to be a person. Since the story is told from Green’s perspective, we know why she acts the way she does. And yet… it is still infuriating to see her cast people aside when they do not suit her agenda. Much as people treated her like a thing, so does she seem to treat them.

Green also speaks to a god. And she acts with the according arrogance that such a thing would suggest. The people around her fade to insignificance, and again, she has the luxury of not caring about who they are or what they stand for.

Yet, her wants are simple. Her needs are few and familiar. She wants a home. She wants to be loved. She wants to be free. And these are the impulses that make her insufferable nature easier to handle. These remind us that she is, for all her bravado and training, a broken child.

The plot beyond Green herself is one largely concerned with faith. In her original home, which she can barely remember, the divine took the shape of local spirits, tulpas. In Copper Downs, gods are real and many. They exist in bodily form, though they have been sleeping for many centuries. In Kalimpura, they are alive and active, speaking to their followers, making edicts, and changing destinies. What readers come to learn about the divine, among other things, is that part of what sustains the gods is the faith of their followers. As much as the gods can intervene in the lives of humans, humans can influence the existence of the divine through their faith and their will.

Green is, in many ways, a celebration of choice and free will, an angry manifesto on the necessity of freedom. Readers not familiar with the two books I mentioned may find this one a bit fresher than I did. I’d classify it as a good read, while not a furious page turner, and would look forward to reading one of Lake’s other books in the future.

Lora Friedenthal

Green by Jay Lake
Publisher: Tor Books (June 9, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0765321858
ISBN-13: 978-0765321855
Genre: Fantasy

Hi guys,

Been a while since I done a book review. This time I got a great one for everyone to enjoy!

“Raised by monks, the orphan Tristan never dreamed that he might see the world or discover the truth about his past. But that changes the day that the Knights Templar ride thought the abbey on their way to fight in the Holy Land for Richard the Lionheart’s Crusade. Overnight Tristan becomes a squire to Sir Thomas, one of the Templar’s most courageous and respected knights. But he also himself thrust into the middle of political intrigue deeper than a simple boy would expect to be a part of. Caught between rival knights desperate for power and entrusted with the most sacred relic in all of Christendom, the Holy Grail. With the chaos of war surrounding him, Tristan teams up with a young archer from sherwood forrest and a Al Hashshashin warrior (who happens to be a girl). But even with their help, can he safely bring the Holy Grail back to England and escape the men who follow in his wake?”

The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is one of those books I picked off the shelf at random. I love books about knights and castles, and one about teens in that time period sounds cool to me. And wow, the first book I read this summer turned out to be one of the best all year!

Tristan is a young boy who was dropped on a abbey’s doorstep years ago, and was raised by monks there until he reached sixteen or so. The monks treat him well, and he helps them in the stables and grow food; making friends with a mute monk there. Life there is good, but he is very sheltered and knows very little of the outside world, only that Richard is waging war overseas to regain the Holy land. All this changes when a group of knights shows up at the abbey. Two of the knights seem to recognize him, which is very odd because Tristan has lived his entire life there.

One, Sir Thomas; treats him kindly and talks him into becoming his squire, training him in fighting and how to be a Crusader. The other, Sir Hugh, takes a instant dislike to Tristan and even beats him at one point, again for no known reason at the time. Later on in the story, when they get over into the holy land, the town they are in becomes overrun, and Tristan is forced to escape with the Grail, promising Sir Thomas he will keep it safe and see it gets back to England. Alone in a country he has never seen, back behind enemy lines; Tristan has to make his way to a Crusader held stronghold, avoiding enemy patrols and other knights who would give anything to have the Grail and it’s powers for their own.

There is so much about this book that I loved, it is very hard to know where to start. I even had to stop in this review for a day and put my thoughts in order. So here goes.

First, the characters themselves are very well written and completely believable. Tristan himself starts off as a innocent young boy who knows very little of the outside world into a pretty good squire. Unlike a lot of teen books I have read, his character doesn’t automatically know everything by the third chapter. This book shows his hard work and training as a squire in a good way. The other characters mentioned above are well written too, The young archer of course is Robin Hood, but I figure you guessed that already. However this is Robin as a young peasant boy who was forced into the crusades due to things at home, and he is not at all happy about it. This is very good and very important, because this writer has given us readers who love the Robin Hood story, a very good back story and again it just completly makes sense how it is written, You will read it say, “Hey yeah, that would be just how it was back then.” It just totally fits. He also met very briefly John Little, when he first becomes a squire. The character is much younger of course, but their are hints of the character he will become latter on. I liked how he too is introduced to us. The girl that Tristan teams up with was a total shock, she too is someone important, but I will not reveal here who she is, that would be a spoiler and I been told I maybe spoil too much in my reviews. (hope not, you peeps need to let me know if I do.)

The story itself is just excellent. There is a lot of action, tons of mystery and something that is new in books I have read so far. War and killing are shown as having a effect on all of the characters, along with the aftermath of both. When Tristan kills his first enemy in self defense, he is sickened by it and thinks not only that he has taken a life, but he feels concern over the family that this man has left behind. There is something you don’t always see in a book. Also, this writter shows both sides to the war itself, and how it’s the leaders who start the war and how innocent people can get caught up in them.

This is the first book in the series, and I can’t wait for the next one. The writer, Michael P Spradlin, has been wrtting teen and children books for a while now and it shows. You can find out more about him at michaelspradlin.com.

He is a new writer to me, as this is one of those those books I picked up at random. But now I want to read more of his books and this one is going on my shelf. I know i’ll go back to it again and again later on. This is one everyone who like fantasy, mystery or historical dramas will enjoy, both teens and adults. Dad read it along with me and was saying how much he liked it and how well written it is. And that is saying a lot, dad is usually very busy and doesn’t have a lot of time to read anymore.

Oh one last thing on the Crusades itself. I did some checking, and King Richard not only used taxes to force people into joining the Crusades, but there were also children that were in the war as well. Often a farmer or peasant could not meet the taxes and was too old to join the war, so their sons went off to “pay the tax.” Jenny told me there was a movie she saw that showed this and had a lot of teen actors in the roles. We don’t know the name of it, if anyone does, please let us know.

The book is put out by Putman and I am sure you can find it anywhere and I really recommend this one. You are going to love it!

Darcy

The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail by Michael Spradlin
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (September 18, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0399247637
ISBN-13: 978-0399247637
Genre: Adventure

OK a few weeks ago, there was a review of Steve Alten’s Hell’s Aquarium. I thought it wasn’t a very good review, so I decided to send in my own, since I read Hell’s Aquarium and liked it a lot.

Hell’s Aquarium takes place a few years after Angel’s escape and return from the Marianas trench. Angel’s five offspring are young adults now, and growing too large for the tanks they are housed in.

Jonas Taylor makes a deal with a Dubai businessman to buy two of the offspring and take them to the Middle East. But what he doesn’t count on was the deal being just a lure for his 21 year old son David Taylor. When Jonas reluctantly agrees to allow David to travel with the meg pups, he didn’t foresee the secret agenda of the Dubai businessman to send David deep under the Philippine sea to search for and bring back creatures even deadlier than the Megs.

Meanwhile, Jonas and Terry Taylor and their daughter are battling an offshoot group of PETA trying to release the remaining Meg’s back into the ocean, where the group says they belong.

Can Jonas resolve the problems at home so he can rescue his son from danger, or is it all too late?

Hell’s Aquarium, the fourth installment of Steve Alten’s Meg series, is a roller coaster ride of action and adventure, and yes, it has a bit of gore and blood added into the mix. The story line was very well done and the human elements of the cast of characters mixed well with the man-made dangers. The continuation of the series adds depth to the world with ancient monsters brought back to light of the modern world and how we cope with it.

This book was well written and kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put it down till the last word on the page was read. I definitely look forward to the next book to come in the series.

Thanks for allowing me to review Hell’s Aquarium and letting people know that this book is well worth reading as are other Steve Alten books.

Sandra Welch

Hell’s Aquarium by Steve Alten
Publisher: Variance Publishing LLC (May 19, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1935142046
ISBN-13: 978-1935142041
Genre: Suspense

The first third of the novel unfolds at a breathless pace as we meet John Rayburn and his double from a parallel universe, John Prime. Prime has come to John’s universe with a device that allows the user to pop from one parallel universe to the next. Prime offers John the chance to explore the next universe over, promising John that he can pop over, recharge the device and just pop back. Little does John suspect that Prime’s device only allows you to journey forward to the next universe and not backward and that Prime is looking for a way to steal John’s life out from under him.

For the first third of the novel, we alternate back and forth between John’s journey and Prime’s scheming in John’s home universe. Prime has come forward with ideas and inventions not yet seen in John’s universe, intending to claim them as his own and take the credit and fortune that comes with them. We slowly see how Prime works his way into John’s seemingly ideal life, not only getting the girl John has always had a crush on but also working out the first stages of fame and fortune by introducing the Rubik’s Cube to that universe. Meanwhile, John must learn the ropes of travel, eventually deciding to settle down in one safe universe and going to college to try and understand the device.

In the course of the story, Melko allows the reader to both root for and against each John. Prime could easily be a one-note villain, but as Melko explores the character and allows us to get to know him, we become more sympathetic toward him and even begin to pull for him as some of the later events of the story begin to unfold. And while John may be initially be a victim, he eventually begins to take on some of Prime’s traits that early on made us pull against him, leaving the reader with some fascinating questions about nature vs nurture. And, like all good sci-fi, he presents the arguments and allows readers to draw their own conclusions.

The book also brings up some interesting ideas about “destiny,” as we see John’s journey to ending up with the same girl in two universes as well as having to tangle with the same bully in both.

It’s once other various inhabitants from other parallel worlds show up that things begin to drift off course a bit. The story tries to expand the concept of the infinite number of universes, each one slightly different than the next, with concepts about people who only exist in one universe and the morality of jumping from one place to the next and trying to cash in. We also find that John’s machine is damaged and that through study John is able to reverse engineer a working device to return to our world.

However, once John gets a newly working device, things begin to derail a bit. The problem is these concepts come up so late in the story that they seem tacked on and aren’t as fascinatingly explored as some of the concepts and characters early in the novel. It may be that Melko wanted to have some hard science in a character based sci-fi story, but it just feels a bit out of place.

But that shouldn’t keep you from reading “The Walls of the Universe.” For 300 pages, it’s one of the most fascinating, compelling and page-turning sci-fi (or really any genre) novels I’ve read in a long time. I’m hoping that Melko might return to the universe he’s created here and show us the last 50 or so pages are all about setting up a great follow-up.

It’s disconcerting to pick up a novel that speculates on the future and find one plot element concerning an outbreak of a new form of the flu virus. In fact, the virus that breaks out is the H1N5 in the novel, possibly some distant cousin of the current virus that is creating a global scare and a potential world-wide pandemic.

Of course, I shouldn’t be shocked that Sawyer has done has homework and is able to predict things that could happen in the near future. He’s had a long, distinguished career of doing just that and his new novels are always those I look forward to reading next.

“WWW: Wake” is no exception.

The start of a new trilogy of novels, the story follows several different threads. One is the story of teenager Catlin Decter, who has been blind since birth. A new technology could possibly open give her sight for the first time by making use of the power of the Internet. But there’s something lurking out in cyberspace, building itself up and slowly becoming more and more aware of itself.

Stir in a story about China’s dealing with an outbreak of the H1N5 virus by removing the affected areas and shutting off communication with the outside world for several days and a plot about a highly intelligent hybrid primate and you’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this first installment. And make no mistake, this is clearly a first installment. Sawyer introduces a lot of threads and a lot of fascinating ideas in the course of his story and while he does wrap-up most of the immediate plot threads in this novel, he still leaves you hanging in the end, wanting the next installment immediately, if not sooner. There’s not a character in peril type of cliffhanger here, but instead there are several intriguing points that Sawyer leaves the reader to mull over and consider as we wait for the next installment.

But while the book is full of big ideas, those ideas are grounded in identifiable characters. The main focus of the story is Catlin and her journey from lack of sight to her new ability to see. Sawyer ably puts the reader inside the mind and experience of Catlin, making us see how she works within the world while being blind and how she must learn to adapt to a world where she can see. Catlin’s story will have you feeling her joy, her frustration and her curious nature in how she relates to the world. And a revelation about her father half-way through the story is ably set up and paid off in the course of this first installment.

The only real criticism I can come up with this one is it ended too soon and left me eager for the next installment. And that next installment cannot come soon enough…

Michael Hickerson

WWW: Wake by Robert J. Saywer
Published by: William Morrow (June 2, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0441016790
ISBN-13: 978-0441016792

A modern day retelling of “Dracula”

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan originally conceived “The Strain” as a serialized television series for the Fox network.  After Fox execs balked at the original vision, insisting the writers inject more humor into the storyline of a modern-day vampire apocolypse, del Toro and Hogan decided to take their toys and go home.  Rather than create a movie version of this modern day retelling of “Dracula,” the two decided to go literary.

The result is a new trilogy of books, the first of which debuts this summer and is called “The Strain.”

And it’s one hell of a scary, thrillride.

The story’s television roots show throughout the novel with a huge cast introduced early in the story, many of whom are vampire-fodder by the mid-point of the story.  Del Toro and Hogan’s characters aren’t exactly deep, but we do get to know them enough to care for them, even as many of them succumb to the mysterious new virus that is infecting New Yorkers.

“The Strain” is a scary book that comes along at the right time.  Del Toro and Hogan’s decision to have vampirism spread not through one vampire creating another via bites but as an airborn pathogen is particularily chilling in the time of the H1N1 scare.   The story more than chillingly describes how the virus takes over its human hosts, rapidly transforming them into undead vampires.   And because this is a book with only the special effects limits of your own imagination, be prepared for to be grossed out at times.

You should also be prepared for some unrelentingly creepy moments.  The novel’s opening scenes with a jet plane sitting on the tarmac at New York airport, silent and completely dark are among some of the more unnerving moments in the book.

And while “The Strain” clearly owes an enormous debt to both “Dracula” and “The Stand,” it’s not quite in the same league as either one.  While the novel is populated by a sprawling, diverse cast of characters, many of them are two-dimensional, at best.   “The Stand” spent time developing its characters in its virus-induced apocolypse, making many of them cannon-fodder over the course of the story but still getting us to care about them.  “The Strain” has an equally high body count, but you won’t find yourself as invested in many of the characters here.

However, the pace and horror of what’s unfolding will keep you reading this one.  If your only love of vampires is those created by Stephenie Meyer, then you’ll want to skip this one.   “The Strain” returns vampires to the dark, scary recesses of the imagination, where they belong.

Michael Hickerson

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan
Published by: William Morrow (June 2, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0061558230
ISBN-13: 978-0061558238

Purchase a copy of “The Strain.”

Daniel Suarez’s first novel “Daemon” is a fascinating, compelling and, at times, downright scary story of just how open to attack and manipulation many of our computer networks are.  It may be one thing to think about hackers taking advantage gaps in the security to get free wi-fi Internet access, but it’s entirely another to see a home security system run amok, intent on killing anyone who tries to approach Sobol’s home and to disable it.  Or seeing how easily the system can manipulate multiple networks to reduce the sentence of a hardened criminal from maximum security prison to a low-security facility and eventually set free in order to facilitate the next step in the daemon’s plan.

The story of how Suarez’s novel went from a self-published story to a major book contract and potential movie deal is one that will give hope to every aspiring writer out there.  Suarez got his book into the hands of a target audience and created a buzz for himself that it was impossible for a conventional publisher to ignore.   But the thing is–if “Daemon” weren’t a good book, no one would be talking about it.  And “Daemon” is that good.

This is not a book to pick up at bedtime and think you’re going to read a few pages before you head to sleep.  “Daemon” is the kind of book that you find yourself lulled into, thinking you’re only reading a few pages and spending a few minutes caught up in this high-tech, scary and all to close to real world, only to find you’ve read half the book, its 2 a.m. and you’ve got to be at work in a few hours.  And you still find yourself regretting having to put the book aside.  “Daemon” is smart, fresh and reminded me a lot of the early intensity of Tom Clancy novels.  Suarez clearly knows and understands his technology but is able to translate that into the story without it feeling like he’s bringing the plotline to a halt for an infodump. 

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it was over too soon and left me wanting more.  Suarez has promised a sequel and the book comes to a conclusion that effectively wraps up the story for this book but leaves open a lot of doors for a sequel.  It’s a sequel that I will be waiting impatiently for at my local bookstore.

Michael Hickerson

Daemon by Daniel Suarez
Published by: Dutton Adult (January 8, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0525951113
ISBN-13: 978-0525951117
Genre: Techno Thrillers

At long last, a “Star Wars” novel that remembers the “Star Wars” universe is supposed to be fun.

Set after the events of “Return of the Jedi” and a couple of other books in the continuing series, “Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor” tells the story of Luke’s first and only mission as a general of the New Republic. He’s sent out to investigate the planet of Mindor where a group of stormtroopers led by Lord Shadowspan is playing havoc with the local government and planet and disrupting Republic space traffic. Turns out this is just a ploy to get Luke out to investigate so he can assume his throne as the replacement to both the Empreror and Darth Vader.

It sounds dark, ominious and serious, but Matt Stover keeps the novel light, fun and moving along at a crisp pace, something I can’t say of a lot of other “Star Wars” novels of late. If the title sounds pulpy sf, then you’re thinking along the right lines for this one. At one point, it’s revealed that our heroes from the movies are the subjects of badly written, highly inaccurate, pulpy and best-selling accounts of their exploits in overthrowing the Empire. So, Luke has to contend not only with these rogue stormtroopers but also his own reputation from these books. It’s here the book really is at its best, seeing Luke struggle with this conflict. It’s done in a serious way, but not so deadly serious you can’t have some fun with it. Stover seems to realize that these are not paragons of all that is good in the universe and has fun poking at the characters a bit. One funny chapter involves Han, Leia, Lando and several others all being at a peace conference and having to leave to go and resuce Luke. Seeing how the dominoes fall with each one in stunned disbelief that other has left in front of them is nicely done and works well because it feels realistic based on the characters.

After a glut of “Star Wars” books that took themselves too seriously and were so mired in continuity that they could be off-putting to the casual reader, it’s nice to see a book that is fun, accessible and recalls why all want to revisit a “galaxy far, far away.”

Michael Hickerson

Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover
Published by: Del Rey (December 30, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0345477448
ISBN-13: 978-0345477446
Genre: Science Fiction

Slice of SciFi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

“A fascinating, complex and entertaining (novel) that will keep the pages turning”

The success of the Harry Potter series with both children and adults has opened a lot of doors in the fantasy genre. Publishers have issued a plethora of a new series and stories intended to capture the imagination and passion of readers in a simliar way to the stories of the young boy wizard. While a lot of these new fantasy stories have imitated what J.K. Rowling did with the Harry Potter novels, very few of them have really set the imagination on fire with an new, fascinating fantasy universe like J.K. Rowling did seven novels and one short story collection ago.

Which is what makes Alison Goodman’s Eon: Dragoneye Reborn such a treat. It’s a new fantasy novel, written for young adult but which should find great crossover appeal with adults, that captures the magic and wonder I felt picking up the first Potter novel so many years ago. “Eon” borrows some elements from the Harry Potter (and every other fantasy) universe, setting up a young underdog hero with potential for greatness undergoing extensive training against overwhelming odds. “Eon” is the story of a young girl, in the running to be one of the twelve dragoneyes. The Dragoneyes are the link between the spiritual world of the dragons and the physical universe. To be chosen is a great honor–and one generally reserved only for males.

Eon is a female, secretly going through the training and testing as a male. Her master saw great potential in her and went along with the ruse to win back power, favor and fortune for his house. The gamble pays off in spades when Eon is chosen not just to be that year’s dragoneye, but chosen by the mysterious Mirror Dragon to be its dragoneye. Before you know it, Eon is plunged into rigorous training and the world of politics surrounding the dragoneyes and the emperor.

Goodman’s novel is a fascinating, complex and entertaining one that will keep the pages turning. One of the fascinating aspects of the story is watching Goodman ground the “Dragoneye” universe a bit in ours, basing the political and social system on that of fuedal Japan and China but making it come alive in its own interesting and unique ways. A good deal of the first half of the novel is spent on world-buidling, but it’s done in such an authentic, interesting way, building the character of Eon and those around her that it all feels natural and authentic. And the pieces put into play in the first half begin to quickly play dividends in the second as revelations come fast and furious, all leading to the novel’s stunning and compelling conclusion.

“Dragoneye” is the first of a two-part story set in Goodman’s universe. Thankfully, Goodman is able to resolve enough of the storylines to keep readers satisfied and make this a complete novel, while creating a cliffhanger and situation that will leave you wanting to pick up the next installment as soon as possible and find out what happens next.

“Eon: Dragoneye Reborn” is an entertaining, fascinating and fun fantasy novel that will delight both young adult and adult readers.

Michael Hickerson

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Published by: Viking Juvenile (December 26, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0670062278
ISBN-13: 978-0670062270
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Commentary:

The About the Author segment at the end of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent says this: What if there was a fantastical cause underlying the social constraints and limited choices confronting a heroine in a novel by Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë? Galen Beckett began writing The Magicians and Mrs. Quent to answer that question.

I began reading this book with a question of my own: would infusing magic into a novel of manners produce a book that I would enjoy reading? Because in all honesty, although I have read Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, I didn’t enjoy either. It has long been my supposition that the reason canon books are canonical is because people feel they can relate to the characters or situations much more so than they can with books with “aliens” or “weird places.” And yet, I have nothing in common with a high class British woman who needs to find a suitable match and fills her days with parties, hat shopping, and making tea. The world of a Victorian romance holds nothing I can relate to, and the plots themselves held little interest.

Now magic… magic is something I have an interest in. Fantasy is something I have an interest in. Perhaps this addition could take that same kind of novel and add an element to grab my attention. I believe The Magicians and Mrs. Quent succeeds, but not for the reason I had imagined.

In the Victorian novels, the plots go something like this: high class woman in need of a husband meets a man she abhors, discovers his finer qualities, overcomes her reservations and marries him. And the story is a series of parties, meetings, conversations, and walks through the park that bring all this about.

Beckett’s plot goes something more like this: a woman from a failing family whose father has been driven insane by magic searches for a way to restore his sanity and keep her family from becoming poor, while stopping a coven of mad magicians from bringing unearthly destruction to the world and learning that the very land her country is founded upon seeks to bring down the government. And the story is a series of parties, meetings, conversations, and walks through the hinterlands, with additional scenes of action required to move that plot along.

So, it is not that Beckett simply added magic to Pride and Prejudice, he changed the plot while maintaining the trappings of the story. The prose itself sounds very much like Austen, keeping the reader at arm’s length. At times, seeming merely words on the page instead of a movie captured in paper. The characters are likewise proper with each other but well wrought. The main plot follows Ivy Lockwell and Rafferdy, who do very much model the destined lovers of the Victorian romance. But there is a second, almost juicier plot that follows Eldyn Garritt, an abused and destitute descendant from what was once a reputable family who wants desperately to raise himself up again. His story is cloak and dagger, introducing readers to the seedier and somewhat more fantastical side of life in Altania. Ivy brings readers manor houses and ghost stories. Eldyn brings readers highwaymen and circus acts, all key motifs from actual Victorian times.

This is what I think is key. Beckett lifts the motifs of the Victorian era, wraps himself in its garb, but writes himself a mystery-adventure. Events unfold slowly and the prose style means this is no quick read, but I do think the experiment is a success. And it is very clear from what happens that there are stories left to tell. Indeed, I am most hoping to return to Altania to see how Eldyn has made out. If the idea sounds interesting, I suggest readers give it a chance.

Lora Friedenthal

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
Published by: Spectra (July 29, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0553589822
ISBN-13: 978-0553589825
Genre: Fantasy

Cover:
“It is green here and very big. Light comes from the sky….”

In the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed “City of Ember”, Jeanne Duprau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.

Hi, first I need to say that there are going be spoilers in my review. I can’t help it, there just no way to talk about it and not spoil the first book for you. So if you have not read it yet, I’m just letting you know.

The People of Sparks picks up right where City of Ember left off. Lina and Doon escaped Ember right before the generator finally failed and everything went dark. But they did manage to write a note and drop it saying where they are and that there was hope for the people of Ember up above. Four people got the message and escaped with Lina and Doon to the surface. Living underground for the whole lives, the people of Ember have never seen the sky, trees or even birds. So when they get to the surface world, they are like little babies experiencing things for the first time. They are scared and have no skills or any idea how they will make it in this new world they never knew was there. They find a small town named Sparks, where the people have been trying to rebuild; and are given shelter, food and a place to stay. They are also taught things that will help them later on, but because the town is so small and there is so very little to go around; they are told that after fours months they must leave and find a town of their own and make the best of it.

At first things go well, the people of Ember are split up because there is only so much room to go around and Lina and Doon have to go to different places to live. Food becomes very short supply even with the people of Ember helping to harvest. The people of Sparks become mad and resentful having four hundred more people to care for and support, so tempers start to get going on both sides. When Doon is set up for something he didn’t do, things get way out of hand. And it becomes us versus them. Lina has gone off with a couple of people from Sparks called Roamers, people that go though out the countyside looking for anything that they can find to bring back to towns to help people. Lina sees that the people of Ember need a place of their own and goes to find this city that she has been seeing in her dreams. Thinking this is the place her people can survive in and make a new start. Meanwhile back in Sparks, Doon has to find who falsely accused him and why, while things get more and more out of hand and a new war, one between the people of Sparks and the survivors of Ember. Will Doon find a way to stop it and clear his name? Will Lina find hope for everyone in the wilderness, or will she come back to Sparks only to see a war?

This was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It picks up right where the first book left off, and keeps you wanting to read page after page. The world Lina and Doon find has been hit by this huge war and plagues so you get a feel for how hard it is to survive in this world and how food, water, clothes and even houses are so hard to find. So you can understand the people of Sparks feelings when one day four hundred people just show up asking for help. You want to help, but what’s going to happen when you run out of stuff? This book makes you say to yourself, what would I do if it was me? The whole book deals with war. That’s what the message really is, you can see with the fight between the people of Ember and the people of Sparks just how easy a war can get started. One side has something, and the other side says, hey we need that too and they won’t share. Why don’t we just take what we need, why do we have to beg and work so hard for it? It’s a lot like our world now with the wars and stuff going on. We only see one side of things, not the whole thing or what dad calls the big picture. There are good and bad people on both sides in this book, and some want to work together. Others just want things and don’t care if someone gets hurt.

What I will always remember and what I liked best about this book is how you can see that if everyone just worked together, they could make a great city. They may not have everything, but they would have a better chance to survive in this world. Whatever the big disaster was, it has really made the world a mess and things are so hard to find. There is very little left, and the only thing you can do is start over. Lina and Doon see this, the hard part is telling the grown ups this is true. I like how kids in these books have such a big and important role. I also understood how Lina felt when she and Doon were separated and he started getting new friends and ignoring her. He maybe didn’t mean too, but I can see where that could happen.

Another thing I will remember about this book is the character of Lizzie. If you will remember from the first book, she was the girl that was dating the boy who was stealing things from the store rooms. In this one she is alone once again, but she hooks up with another boy who is just as bad. She just seems to make bad choices. I know girls like this, and it’s way sad. They seem to want someone to make decisions for them, but Lizzie learns in the end. So it taught me that yeah sometimes you need help, but you have to be careful who you count on.

Over all this is a VERY important book, with a important message for both teens and adults. I think everyone should read it and see how it related to our world today, maybe we can see how easy wars begin and what we need to do to keep from starting one. The book is very exciting and very good. I really hope everyone will read it. Sorry for such a long review, there’s just so much to talk about here.

Darcy Anna Low

The People of Sparks (Books of Ember) by Jeanne Duprau
Published by: Yearling (April 12, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0375828257
ISBN-13: 978-0375828256
Genre: Teens, Action/Adventure

Summary: Huckleberry Lindbergh is returning home to New Seattle for the first time since his wife Abigail died. He’s not sure what he’s looking for or intends to find, but it seems like the right time to stop wandering. What he stumbles into, however, is nothing short of a plot to put a stop to the totalitarian government of New Seattle: the Health and Safety Department. And as he’s blundering his way through that, he finds what he originally came to town looking for: his life, rebooted.

Commentary: When I reviewed Outrageous Fortune earlier in the year, I referred to it as absurd . . . in a good way. Absurdist science fiction. Because it wasn’t laugh out loud comedy, it wasn’t The Hitchhiker’s Guide, but it sure wasn’t taking itself too seriously either.

While Love in the Time of Fridges is not a sequel to Outrageous Fortune, it is clearly its spiritual brother (with a WAY better title.) The world is equally outlandish. Only this time, the setting, now New Seattle, has been refashioned by safetymongers. There are signs everywhere warning citizens against stubbing their toes or being sad. Feeling the slightest suggestion of a bad day? Call the hotline to hear happy poetry. Are you sad? Look at this picture of a puppy. There are safety patrols who knock on people’s doors to inquire as to their state of safety and if there are any sharp corners that need taking care of.

It is a totalitarian state of a different kind. Rather than crushing citizens beneath an iron fist, it dopes them up on Prozac, wraps them in a featherbed, and plays Enya. The result is much the same: fear, oppression, and a populace that has no will for life.

Love shares some motifs with its predecessor: namely, weird methods for arresting citizens and experimentation with memory. Outrageous Fortune had Odysseus Hats, metal tubes clamped over victims to immobilize them as they are processed. In Love, citizens are wrapped in a sack up to their necks, chained, and hung from meat hooks attached to tracks that whisk them around like the clothes hanging up at the dry cleaners.

Part of being processed in New Seattle involves a head hack. This is where the government takes a look at the last 24 of your life, prints photos for evidence, and then proceeds with a mind wipe. This actually becomes a major point in the book, as the main characters’ relationships have to be remade following one such wipe.

Now to a bit of the plot. Huck encounters a woman named Nena, who he is convinced knows who he is or what he’s supposed to do better than he does. And on this hope that she can somehow restart his life, he follows her around the city and tries to help her in her quest. He doesn’t even know what that quest is, but it involves a gang of rogue talking fridges who like to sing. In order to save the fridges, Nena busts out of the police station, avoiding her head hack and making both she and Huck fugitives.

There are a number of smaller tangents going on in this book aside from Huck and Nena’s run from the law, and it is these that make me think this book is more confused than necessary. Somewhere about three-quarters of the way through, everything becomes convoluted. A previously unmentioned parallel world appears, which makes a book that had, until that point, been unrealistic but plausible turn into something else entirely. And what had been mostly a book about a chase and a mystery ceases to be about a chase and becomes something like a romance. Imagine The Fugitive having 5 minutes of Kimble falling in love with a DA at the end. Granted, Huck has been wanting to live again since returning to the city, but most of the action of the book is him trying to stay alive, stay free, and eventually put a stop to the Health and Safety regime. When the plot with Health and Safety wraps up, or rather, when it is no longer Huck and Nena’s concern, there’s still more book to go, and I found this awkward. The main characters handed over the main plot. And then suddenly I was supposed to care deeply about Huck’s pain and his healing and how he and Nena will love one another after all. The problem with this is that I didn’t feel strongly about anyone in the book, except perhaps the fridges, who made me laugh. I couldn’t even tell you the kind of person Nena is, because I don’t know. And I don’t know how Huck could know either.

While I still think Tim Scott has some things going for him, a great imagination and a fine sense of irony, I think this book didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. And as a result, a lot of potentially great elements came together and ended up leaving me a little perplexed. Between “leave it on the shelf” and “buy copies for all your friends,” I’d give this one “borrow it from someone.” I would recommend Outrageous Fortune before Love in the Time of Fridges, though I do recommend keeping Tim Scott on one’s radar. Comedic sci-fi authors are rare, it seems, so it’s worth taking note when one comes along.

Lora Friedenthal

Love in the Time of Fridges by Tim Scott
Published by: Spectra (July 29, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0553384414
ISBN-13: 978-0553384413
Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: Canadian teenager Ned Marriner accompanies his father, a world renowned photographer, to Provence, France, where he is shooting for his new book. But Ned finds more than beautiful landscapes and picturesque ruins recounting history in their scarred stones. He finds a story thousands of years old. A story of lovers, murders, and sacrifice. Of souls caught in a wheel, living out their tragedy in each new age. But this time around, Ned and his friends are pulled into their tale, and Ned, all of 15, must outsmart two ancient foes who have had centuries of practice at waging war and killing those who get in their way.

Commentary: Ysabel is my first Guy Gavriel Kay book. He’s one of those authors that I’ve always heard about. Maybe it’s the memorable name, I don’t know. But he was always just kind of out there as one of those authors that I knew I was supposed to read and simply hadn’t.

In case I was wondering, I guess, if he was worth the hype, Kay opens Ysabel with a 3-page prologue that was, simply, stunning. It was delicate prose lovemaking to the region of Provence. Can he write? Oh, yes. He can write. And even though the rest of the book is not done in the same style as this prologue, it was the best possible introduction I could have asked for from an author I did not know.

Unlike many of the books I read, Ysabel is self-consciously a story being told. At times, more so in the beginning than toward the end, there is the voice of a narrator infused into the text. This narrator knows how Ned will feel about the current situation tomorrow, when he’s thinking back. Some readers may find that this style knocks them out of the story. I think that what it does, though, is help to emphasize a major theme throughout the book: that everything is a story.

The three characters from the magical realm that Ned encounters repeat the same tragedy over and over. The woman, a native Celt, loved one of her own people but chose to marry a stranger who sailed to Provence from Greece. The two men warred for her affection. And they have been warring, ever since. Sometimes they do so with armies behind them. Sometimes hundreds of thousands die.

But as is said time and time again, it is not just their story. The story of these three characters, whose names always change, is the story of a country with two possible futures, the old ways it has always known or the new ways brought by foreign influence, new thinking, a new paradigm for understanding the world. Their names change because they could be anyone, because throughout history, people are faced with this choice again and again, from kings to peasants.

On a much smaller scale, Ned learns that personal stories matter, too. The history between his mother and the aunt he never knew. The history of the people who risk their lives for him, even though he’s only ever seen them as “Dad’s coworkers.” In their personal lives, people are often faced with the same choice as the souls living out the history of Provence: act as you have always acted or try something new.

By encapsulating Ned’s story, of finding out who his family is, who these strange souls are, and who he can be, inside a story being told as a story, readers are encouraged to see that coming of age is also a tale we all know, a tale we all share, and one that goes back beyond memory. This story, too, is not just one person’s story. It is the details that matter, the subtle shifts that make each repetition interesting, even though the path is the same.

Amazingly, despite all of what I’ve just said, Ysabel also strikes me as an original book. The way real life blends into this other world of the Celts was fresh, and the sense in which there was no “bad guy,” no real enemy also made for an interesting dynamic between the main players. Ysabel is not typical fantasy; it may fit into the magical realism category best, if one needs categories. Mostly, I think, it is a book that I admire, enjoyed, and therefore recommend.

Lora Friedenthal

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
Published by: Roc Trade (February 5, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0451461908
ISBN-13: 978-0451461902
Genre: Fantasy

Review by Web Genii

I think of myself as a technical girl, so after listening to your comments about reading with a handheld device I thought I should try it out. I have to admit that the concept was not appealing. While I’ve been lovin’ my HTC Smartphone with it’s touch screen; I’ve found watching movies on it’s 3×4 in screen to be less than appealing and reading PDF’s an exercise in horizontal scrolling frustration.

I installed the MobiPocket Reader Software from MobiPocket on both my desktop computer and my phone. Both the download and installation were quick and straightforward. The MobiPocket Reader has versions to run on Windows, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, Palm and some ePaper devices.

The MobiPocket Reader can only display files that are in MobiPocket format (although the documentation waffles around this), so if your find you enjoy using the reader you’ll probably want to get the Creator Software package MobiPocket Creator that will allow you to convert PDF and HTML files into Mobi format. Conversions are pretty simple although I did notice some wacky characters intruding into the finished file.

The reading experience is much MUCH better than I expected. Firstly, the text wraps within the viewing window, so horizontal scrolling is not required. I was pleased to find that the text size is completely adjustable. One can also set bookmarks, in fact multiple bookmarks per book. Other interesting features include; dictionary lookups and the ability to add annotations, hyperlinks, drawings and highlights to the text.

With a touch screen, moving through the text is intuitive – tapping the right side advances through the book, tapping the left moves backwards or turn on automatic scrolling. Since my phone is pretty light and portable I can read just about anywhere. Keeping the screen lit continuously for reading purposes does suck the power down, and for the first time in a year of owning the phone I found myself with a flat battery. But I can adapt my charging schedule to accommodate this.

So, what’s not to love about the eReader experience? From my point of view two things:

1. Finding books in mobi format. Initially, experimenting with the mobi reader was no problem since I’ve signed up for Tor’s free eBook downloads. But once you are seriously interested in using your reader – you are going to have to hunt through a ton of on-line retailers and publishers to see if your favourite authors have eBooks available. Forget about Amazon or Chapters offering you a nice searchable database of books and authors. Some retailers will offer sample chapters to read to help you make your decision but others simply list the basic book and author information.


2. Pricing. In my opinion most eBooks are a little over priced. I would equate it to renting a DVD versus purchasing a DVD. Personally, an eBook is a rental in my mind. Remember that old saw about data loss “There are two kinds of people in the world, those that have lost their data and those that will lose their data”. I can’t picture my electronic library having any kind of longevity. The price for a book that doesn’t have the security of a physical copy should reflect this. Retailers could address this in a couple of ways. They could create libraries for readers, a personalized database that shows what books I’ve purchased and then they could take on the responsibilities of data backup and storage. That would be a service worth paying for. Alternately, let my purchase of an eBook give me credit towards the purchase of a physical copy of the same book. That way, if I really love the book and know I’ll want to reread it, my eBook purchase is a down payment on the book.

Nonetheless, the whole eBook experience has turned out far better than I expected. And the next time I’m stuck somewhere without reading material – I’m downloading a book!

I have two distinct things to talk about with this book, and I can’t think of a smooth way to integrate them, so I won’t.

1. In her book Bitch, Elizabeth Wurtzel talks about “difficult women.” These are the women who, put simply, no one knows how to deal with. They change their minds and demand the right to do so. They are not nice, they are not quiet, they do not do what they are told. These women, Wurtzel says, are the ones that a society run by men rejects, and so they are demonized. They’re wild women, bad women, whores and witches. We like nice girls, soft girls, girls who suffer their place and try to make friends. We kill the other kind.

Hekat, in Empress, is a difficult woman. And while I know that a part of me should cheer for this woman who raises herself up from a nameless no one to a ruler of her country, the other part of me can’t stand how difficult she is. Hekat is touched by the god. She is not inventing this. She really does have her deity on her side, protecting her as she slaughters the people who get in her way. Everything she does is fated. But I cannot get beyond how completely cold and ruthless she is to everyone around her.

Hekat has a single-mindedness that is frightening. Everyone who does not help her in her quest to rule Mijak is worthless—as good as dead and damn lucky if she doesn’t kill them herself. Even the people who love her do so at their own peril. And they get no kindness or love in return for what they give. She has one friend in the world, and she nearly cuts his throat a number of times.

Her fanaticism and disdain make her unlikable. And call me old fashioned, but I want to like my main character. I want to think she’s doing something good in the world. All I have in Hekat is the fist of a god, tearing out hearts in relentless pursuit of material goals. Hekat will have a son. She will make her son emperor of all Mijak. Her son will spread belief in the god to the godless lands. He will kill any who resist him. And even he will not be spared her harsh contempt if he shows any doubt in the worthiness of this goal. He will kill because she tells him to, and she is never wrong, cannot be wrong, because the god speaks to her.

It is hard to like or even care about such a woman. Would it be different if Hekat were a man? I can’t say. But I can say that I had to force myself to continue spending time with a woman that I felt so contemptible, even though I also recognize that the reasons I found her contemptible were based in societal conditioning.

2. Unlike Miller’s previous books, The Innocent/Awakened Mage, Empress does not focus so much on relationships to tell its story. Empress is a novel built on plot and style. And the style, here, tells readers a lot. Mijak is a harsh desert land, and its people are bloodthirsty and violent. This comes through as much in Miller’s language as it does in the scenes she describes.

There are no churches in Mijak, for instance. There are “godhouses.” There are no priests, but “godspeakers.” The army is the “warhost,” which is led not by a general but a “warleader.”

There are many terms throughout the book that are constructed this way. They are compound words made up from short, simple concepts. The effect is one of a simple, brutal people slowly inventing more complicated concepts for themselves.

This brutality permeates Mijak culture. It’s not only in their language, but in their religion. Animal sacrifice is nearly constant. Thousands upon thousands of animals are slaughtered throughout the book. The highest priest in the land reads the future in entrails. People of rank drink blood as part of religious ritual. And the reader is constantly reminded that the god of Mijak really does require these sacrifices. It is not mere belief on the part of the people; they have proof through the daily intervention of the divine, which makes their brutality reasonable, even understandable.

It is to Miller’s great credit that readers can intuit the nature of Mijak from the first page. Her diction creates a profound effect—one that I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered with quite the same intensity. I knew, from the moment I started reading, the kind of civilization I was going to encounter before it was ever shown to me. I could feel it in the language. And that is artistry at its best.

So the question is: Do I recommend this book? I think there is obvious skill in the writing. And I believe that we need to see more ruthless women, just precisely because it is uncomfortable, because it flies in the face of convention and demands that we face up to our biases. But I don’t know that I ultimately enjoyed what I read. And I don’t see me running out to pick up the next book in the series. As a feminist novel, I think Miller is right on the money. Hekat is the living embodiment of challenging the patriarchy. But as escapist fiction, I think Empress might be more demanding than most readers would expect.

Lora Friedenthal

Empress (Godspeaker, Book 1) by Karen Miller
Published by: Orbit (April 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0316008354
ISBN-13: 978-0316008358
Genre: Fantasy