Kushiel's Mercy (Kushiel's Legacy) Review

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(More customer reviews)As the second - and please Elua, not final - cycle of the Kushiel's Legacy series comes to a close, the central question most fans will be asking is, Will Imriel and Sidonie live happily ever after? Rest assured, Carey gives us plenty of these two star-crossed lovers (complete with requisite scorching hot bedroom scenes - whee!). But she's not content with just giving us their love story, oh no. She's not even content with giving us another of Imriel's soul-seaching, personal growth quests. In "Kushiel's Mercy," the pattern more closely resembles that of Phedre's trilogy, as Imriel finally gets his chance to save the world, and the woman he loves, from evil magic and the threat of war.
Part of the joy in this book comes from the way Carey skillfully brings everything full circle. In the past, Melisande Shahrizai has been the greatest threat to Terre d'Ange and the one impediment to Imriel and Sidonie's happiness; now she is the realm's, and the princess's, only hope for salvation. In "Avatar," Phedre and Joscelin sought the secret name of God in order to bind an angel; here, Imriel and Sidonie must find the magic word that will free a demon. In "Chosen," a loyal Barquiel l'Envers held the City of Elua while Queen Ysandre raced with her army to avert a coup; in "Mercy".... Well, I'll let you read that one for yourself.
Can I wax rhapsodic for a minute about the fact that one seriously undervalued character, who's been around - and maligned - almost since Day One, finally gets his due? I've had a guilty crush on Barquiel l'Envers for ages now, and it's nice to see my conviction in his wonderfulness finally justified. I love that he steps up here and that he finally gets the recognition he deserves. Terre d'Ange got the better part of the bargain when the l'Envers wed into House Courcel, and not just because of Ysandre. Barquiel has proved himself again and again to be one of her greatest heroes - albeit one of her more prickly, bitter, sarcastic ones. I also love that Alais gets a moment in the sun. She's one of those characters who, no matter how much face time Carey gives her, I want more of. Her ability to stand up for herself and choose her own future - even if it's not the one I would have chosen for her - is one of the happiest outcomes of the entire book.
"Mercy" doesn't quiiiiiite meet the amazingly high bar set by "Justice," in my opinion. Carey leans a little too heavily on a few moments that should just float freely, while not giving enough weight to some other scenes that should be filled with emotional significance. The much-anticipated reappearance of Melisande Shahrizai was rather anticlimactic. And by the 87th time Carey ended a chapter by having Imriel and Sidonie cuddle each other to sleep, I wanted to yell, "We get it! They love each other! So sweet! Get back to the naughty sex!" These are minor quibbles, though, in such a magnificent work.
Meanwhile, one of the most disconcerting - and, I fear that for some fans, disappointing - aspects of this book is that almost all of the major characters spend so much time acting very much out of character. Imriel goes mad and then believes that he's someone else, Sidonie loses a large chunk of her memory, and - most heartbreaking of all - the entire City of Elua falls under a spell that turns them into delusional paranoiacs, barely recognizable to us. I hadn't realized just how much the series still relied on Phedre's resourcefulness, Joscelin's grim determination, Ysandre's wry strength, and Drustan's good humor until they were gone. Terre d'Ange without those beloved characters is a strange and alien place. The madness that haunts the City was, to me, a worse tragedy than any hardship that befell the two young lovers. It really serves to drive home Imriel and Sidonie's despair at what's befallen their homeland, and lends some serious emotional weight to a truly nervewracking climax, but I worry that some readers might not be able to handle it. All I can say is, stick with it! The payoff is well worth the pain (which is pretty much the motto of the entire series, now isn't it?)
Did I mention that I love, love, love this book? Quibbles and nitpicks and worries aside, I simply cannot imagine this series ending any other way. I was torn between racing to see what happened next, and trying to drag out every page to make the experience linger as long as I could. "Kushiel's Mercy" is the perfect conclusion to the Legacy, even if I'm still not ready for it to end!

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The Lair of Bones (The Runelords, Book 4) Review

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(More customer reviews)It ends so quickly with so many things unanswered or forgotten that it HAS to be a set up for another book or series. It isn't that I necessarily wanted a "happy" ending. I just wanted some resoultion, good or bad. Here are a few things that I can remember (possible spoilers):
Remember the book that was such a big deal in chapter one of book one? Everyone had to get a hold of it because it had secrets about the Days? Well, forget it because it's barely hinted at.
Daylan Hammer, Borenson's quest, etc.? Dropped. There's mention, and it's key for some of the characters, but after that, nothing.
Waggit who?
Erin has a large part in this book. Ultimately, though, nothing comes of her story and that plot is dropped.
Another key character is introduced in Inkarra, but he's there only to move the story forward, apparently. Repurcussions to his actions were not told.
Borenson discoveres a new rune, and must get to a facilitator to show it to them, but that is forgotten.
There's more, but what's the point. I was going to give this four stars, but with the abrupt ending, I'm giving it 3. It's still a solid read all the way through, I was just hoping for more resolution.

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The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Of course I liked The Tombs of Atuan. It is well-constructed and beautifully styled fantasy, comparable to the works of Susan Cooper and Patricia McKillip. (No, Tolkien is in a class by himself.)
Le Guin's Earthsea books are all excellent, but some people feel that The Tombs of Atuan is slow to start, and less eventful than the other three. My opinion, for what it's worth, is quite the opposite. The introspective beginning of Tombs is not unlike the beginning of Wizard, focussing closely on a single character, that character's uniqueness, and the way that character is shaped by life. The reader approaches the threshold of adventure with the protagonist; the reader, too, is drawn into the struggle, shares bewilderment, doubt, and uncertainty; and the reader, too, has made a passage by the end of the book.
Too much of modern fantasy is all long journeys, heated battles, unquestionably terrible villains -- and swordplay, of course. Le Guin recognizes that moral ambiguity creates the greatest obstacle a character can confront...and that if the question is worthwhile, the answer is neither easy nor painless.
Tenar is a strong heroine and I would especially recommend this book for teenage girls, whose plight is sometimes not unlike that of the Eaten One; however, as all the best books are, this is a story which is based on human character and thus speaks to both sexes and all ages.

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The Kingdom Keepers Review

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Five teens are given the opportunity of a lifetime when they are chosen as interactive Disney Hosts (DHIs) at the famous theme park in Orlando, Florida. Disney has teamed up with a company called Daylight Hologram Imaging to create innovative virtual tour guides, using the teens as models.
Finn Whitman, one of the DHIs, falls asleep one night and has a very weird dream. In this dream, he is in the park talking to an elderly park employee named Wayne, who was also one of Disney's first Imagineers. While Finn is having a very odd conversation with Wayne, he begins to observe some unusual activity in the park. He sees Chip and Dale headed toward Toontown and Goofy going to Frontierland. Now this wouldn't normally be odd in Disneyland, but it is after dark and all of the costumed employees went home hours ago. At this point, Finn is sure he is dreaming because he saw the original cartoon characters. Not only that, but he notices that his own body is glowing. Wayne assures him that it is not a dream, tells him that he must locate the other four DHIs for a special mission.
It seems that the Magic Kingdom is in danger from evil forces within its walls. In order to save the park, Finn and the other DHIs must cross over in their sleep into a state where they are not fully human yet not fully light.
Ridley Pearson does a great job of expressing the thoughts and conversations of his young teen characters. Even as their situations metamorphose into the fantastic, the kids remain completely realistic. Although this book is written for a young adult audience, it would appeal to anyone who has ever experienced the magic and wonder that is Disney.


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Watership Down (Scribner Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I went off for my first semester of college my father gave me $100 with which to buy textbooks, which certainly dates me. After buying everything for my classes I had enough money left over to buy a hard cover copy of "Watership Down" by Richard Adams for $6.95, which for people who love books is certainly a great way of representing the ravages of inflation over the years. I decided to read a chapter of "Watership Down" each night before going to bed, thereby marking the beginning of my obsession with reading a chapter of something each day that has nothing to do with school. When my dorm roommate became as hooked on the story as much as I was he and I would read chapters aloud. Fifty days I got to the book's epilogue with the same sort of sadness that it was all over that I experienced getting to the end of the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Living in the Sandleford Warren with its Chief Rabbit and Owsla maintaining a comfortable social order, Hazel and his little brother Fiver are content enough. But Fiver has the gift of prophecy, and when he warns that the warren has to be abandoned right away or they are all going to die, Hazel and a small circle of friends believe him and leave despite the fact that have no idea where they are going. Fiver envisions a great high place where they can be happy and safe, but there are a series of imposing obstacles to overcome, from not only humans and predators, but other wild rabbits as well. Consequently the basic story of "Watership Down" is the ancient quest for home, although in this case it is a new home that represents a wild rabbit's idea of utopia.
The greatness of "Watership Down" rests on the sense of realism that Adams brings to his story wild rabbits. Adams studied Lapine life in R. M. Lockley's "The Private Life of the Rabbit" in order to keep his rabbits real. But beyond the way rabbits live in nature Adams provides them with a history and a culture, represented not only in the stories they tell of El-ahrairah (the Prince with a Thousand Enemies), but their beliefs in Frith the lord sun, and their simple games such as bob-stones. When confronted with sticky situations they are able to use their ingenuity to come up with surprising solutions that are still within the realm of possibility for real rabbits. I always liked the way Hazel, Blackberry and the others have to work out these puzzles, straining for a leap of intuition and cognitive insight that seems just beyond the reach of their relatively simple minds. So while these rabbits are capable of doing more than others of their kind, Adams keeps their efforts remarkable rather than magical.
We also pick up a few choice words from the language of the rabbits (e.g., "silflay" is to go above ground to feed, "homba is a fox), which ends up paying off with one of my favorite moments in the book when Bigway utters a simple but effective curse. The lesson of the story is clearly that bigger does not mean better, for Hazel is neither the strongest nor the smartest of the rabbits that he leads, but he had the best qualities of leadership. Each of the rabbits that join Hazel on the quest to find Watership Down and build a new life there offers something to the ground, and the distinctive personalities that Adams creates for each of them adds to the novel as well.
Of all the books that I have that I like to pick up from time to time and read again my favorite parts, "Watership Down" is the oldest. As a children's story is it simply one that is too good for most children, but without the deep allegorical elements that afflict so many other great children's stories. Perhaps that is why this novel has become so beloved, because it speaks to the child in all of us and the simple virtues that we all want the world to embody. Having read the book again from start to finish, I was not surprised to find that it is still as good as I thought it was when I first read it many years ago.

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The Girls' Book of Flower Fairies Review

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(More customer reviews)this is a very detailed book focusing more on fairy tidbits and special crafts, with a few chapters of a fairy story as well. beautifully illustrated and the crafts are fairly doable. the book inspired my 6 year old to host a summer solstice party for her friends, and the book has given us more than enough ideas! a very pretty, readable and re-readable book.

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The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons Review

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(More customer reviews)Well let's see, I am a 40 year old male that sometimes get embarrassed when I read the grade level for these Joseph Delaney books, but let me tell you; they are very entertaining. I love how all the forces come together for this installment. Great story telling. The problem is you read the books so fast and you end up wanting more. So I picked up the the Witches Revenge and started reading it again. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great good vs. evil book.

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An Autumn War (The Long Price Quartet, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the first two books of The Long Price Quartet, Daniel Abraham focused on the wealthy, slightly decadent world of the Khaiem Cities, whose ability to bind the andat (natural forces) with magic gave them immunity from military danger; the warlike, technology-using Galts to the west were only a shadowy threat. In book three the threat becomes real as General Gice of the Galts sets out on a crusade to save the world by destroying the andat forever. Since the andat are treacherous and potentially dangerous, even to their controllers, the reader can sympathize with Gice's aim. But the tension becomes great as Gice's attack threatens the world, realm, and family of Otah Machi, Khai of one of the most powerful cities, and the continuing hero of the series.
Abraham's ability to create sympathetic, believable characters on both sides of the conflict is one of the strengths of this book. Another is the fast moving plot. In less than 400 pages Abraham can tell more story than many other fantasy authors can in 600. War, family tensions, long-held resentments, the power of love and forgiveness, are just a few of the themes played out in this story. There's also a bit more examination of the magical process that binds the andat and the way in which the nature of the "poet" who does the binding determines the results. The novel is a page turner, with a conclusion that is surprising, satisfying, and yet leaves more conflict to be resolved in the fourth and final book of the quartet. This is a very good fantasy series that deserves success. I'll be waiting for number four!

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Brotherhood of the Wolf (The Runelords) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is much better than the last book, and it is developing into a true epic unlike some other series (*cough Goodkind cough*).
I have to say though, the whole concept of endowments and such grew tiresome halfway thorugh the first book. While it is a novel concept, Mr. Farland seems to be using it like a gimmic and I wish he would focus on it a bit less.
I have to congratulate the author for avoiding the trap of the caricature fantasy novel characters in his books. I like the fact that Geborn is an ordinary person, but he is a little hard to sympathize with, I found him a little two dimensional. Raj Ahten is much more interesting, hopefully the promising development of his character we saw in the second book will continue in the future installments.
Another thing I like about this series is the non traditional enemy, mainly in the form of Reavers, the battle between the reavers and humans is very interesting and adds to the already impressive depth of the series, hopefully Mr. Farland will provide more clarification on Duskin and Toth history in future books. Unfortunately, Mr. Farland has chosen to follow the unfortunate tradition established by Tolkien and Lewis of polarizing his world into the good being represented by the Northern (read caucasian) regions and evil being concentrated in the south (by the darker skinned races) this trend in fantasy of representing evil by the eastern and southern races is unfortunately ubiquitous, so I can hardly be upset with David Farland, but it is a little disappointing nonetheless, I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this trend, but perhaps I'm a little more sensitive to this phenomenon being of an asian origin. However, Mr. Farland, if you are reading this, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent series so far and keep up the good work!

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Ilium Review

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(More customer reviews)I reached the point long ago where I became rather fiercely committed to the idea of reading a novel without knowing too much about the story. Book covers are immediately discarded upon purchase (sometimes not to be found for months later when they surface again all crumpled and wrinkled), and I passionately avoid reading the back covers of paperbacks until after the book is read, at which point I am usually grossly offended. Consequently, I picked up Dan Simmons' "Ilium" simply because I heard it was a retelling of the Trojan War in general and Homer's "Iliad" in particular. Since I teach that epic poem in my Classical Mythology class and have always considered myself to be an "Iliad" person rather than an "Odyssey" person, that was enough to get me to pack this book away for a recent trip when I could commit myself to some serious continuous reading. So I was rather surprised to learn that a retelling of the "Iliad," after a fashion, is but one of three story threads that start to come together over the course of this 576 page novel, which is itself but the first half of the saga envisioned by Simmons.
The Trojan War is being reenacted on an Earth created by a race of metahumans who have assumed the roles of the Greek gods of classical mythology, who apparently live on Mars. Our vantage point to this exercise is Thomas Hockenberry, a scholar who is pretty sure he is dead and remembers little of his life on earth, but knows Homer's epic poem chapter and verse, and along with the rest of his colleagues is cataloguing where the action diverges from the "Iliad." It seems that Homer played around with the chronology when he wrote his epic thousands of years ago, which begs the question of why Hockenberry is now watching it played out and getting involved in a way that goes well beyond academic interest, beginning with a night in the bed of Helen of Troy herself. Meanwhile, a couple of robots with a propensity for quoting Shakespeare and Proust are leaving Jupiter to head to Mars to check out the strange readings they are picking up and back on Earth a group of humans living in a post-technological world where mechanical servants take care of their every needs are starting to rethink the way things are. When the latter meets up with Odysseus, we have another substantial clue that (surprise, surprise) these three plot threads are all parts of the same puzzle.
I have to admit that my interest for the non-"Iliad" parts of "Ilium" took a while to be kindled, mainly because my fascination with how the Trojan War was playing out was so great. Hockenberry has been studying the Trojan War for nine years and as the novel begins he and his colleagues are excited because they have finally reached the start of the "Iliad," when Agamemnon, King of the Acheans, arrogantly insults the great warrior Achilles over Briseis of the lovely arms. However, this becomes almost a minor consideration for Hockenberry the Muse he serves brings him to the goddess Aphrodite, who wants the scholar to kill the Athene herself.
From the opening paragraph, where Simmons does a pointed take off on the famous beginning of Homer's epic, Simmons dances his story in and around the "Iliad." The question of how a mere mortal such as Diomedes could dare to attack the gods themselves on the battlefield, and actually wound then, is not answered: he is injected with nano-technology by another deity. However, it is when we get to the fateful point where Homer's story is effectively derailed and Hockenberry makes the inevitable declaration to Dorothy's little dog that we are no longer in the "Iliad" and are now charting new ground.
Ultimately Simmons is more like Euripides than Homer. It was the Greek dramatist who set up the ironic foreshadowing of the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles in "Iphigenia at Aulis" and who created an emotional counterpart in "The Trojan Women" to the end of the "Iliad," where Hector's corpse is brought back to the city. Homer's epics were not holy writ for the ancient Greeks, and the tragic poets could use his characters to tell their own stories, which is exactly what Simmons is doing (there is one part that struck me as a deadly serious twist on Aristophanes' "Lysistrata"). I have the feeling that the conclusion will be more like the "Odyssey," especially since the "original" fate of Troy, Achilles, Hector, and the others are well over the rainbow, but now I am curious to see not only what happens next, and who wins the new war that has begun, but also because I want to find out who is behind the curtain.

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Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've waited so long for Book 3 that you would think I was in the 9 to 12 age group - but I am not. I am a grandma. I've read all three books because I like to keep up with my grandchildren's reading - AND because Angie Sage is an excellent author. These are fairy tale books in the true sense of enjoyment. It is not a Harry Potter - which I thoroughly enjoyed - but it is a curl up on a windy, rainy day and get lost in another realm book. They are excellent for your children and fun for yourselves. I'd advise this as a wonderful birthday gift or a "surprize!!!" on a vacation gift. You should buy, read and enjoy.

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Two Moon Princess Review

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(More customer reviews)When I was growing up, many young girls might have envied the life of Princess Andrea, the heroine of Two Moon Princess. She lives in a castle in a world resembling medieval Spain. Horses, servants, beautiful scenery--what's not to like? But for Andrea, a headstrong young woman, that life is stifling. She'd rather train to be a knight, but her fourteenth birthday is only months away, and she must become a "lady." That means staying inside the castle, learning to curtsy and smile and do needlework ad nauseam. No more hunting in the woods.
One day, in the midst of this unwanted transition, Andrea is accidentally transported to modern California. Now we're talking! Andrea is awed by the freedom of the teenagers she meets on a beach. Here as well, she sees her uncle, and is taken to his beautiful home. He travels freely between the two worlds by entering a forbidden cave on the night of a full moon, and tells Andrea she must return to her father's kingdom the next month. But knowing Andrea as we do, it won't be that easy.
Unfortunately, her plans don't work out, and her return to the Kingdom of Zeltia is accidental. She brings back a California boy who falls in love with the lore and swordplay of Zeltia and puts his life at risk.
The relationships between Andrea and her parents, her sister, and the young men she is attracted to in both worlds, are expertly drawn. These are no two-dimensional characters. The author skillfully exposes the motivations of everyone who plays a role in Andrea's burgeoning adolescence. We see both the good and bad sides of people who have the heroine's best interests at heart.
Andrea matures during the course of the story, traveling from her world, which has two moons, to California and back again. She gets into more than a few hair-raising predicaments along the way, but this is no "damsel in distress" story. Andrea keeps busy saving a life or two on her own, learns to accept help, and never gives up trying for the best outcome for everyone in her parallel lives.
This is a princess story to keep a young adult reader turning the pages until the end. Even after the last word, though, you'll wonder what happens to Andrea next. Lucky for us, the author has written a sequel called The King In the Stone for the same publisher.
by Linda Wisniewski
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

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In this coming-of-age story set in a medieval kingdom, Andrea is a headstrong princess longing to be a knight who finds her way to modern-day California. But her accidental return to her family's kingdom and a disastrous romance brings war, along with her discovery of some dark family secrets. Readers will love this mix of traditional fantasy elements with unique twists and will identify with Andrea and her difficult choices between duty and desire.

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The Black Prism (Lightbringer) Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent book. While I had issues with the Night Angel series (assassins were essentially supermen in that world), the plot, plot twists, and some of the characterization was good enough to add him to my list of authors to read.
The Black Prism, well, is even better. Fantastic world building, good magic system, and amazingly good plot. Best high fantasy novel I've read this year, hands down. Some parts of the plot figuratively floored me, and he definitely doesn't move the characters OR the plot in the direction that you anticipate after the first 150 pages. In this regard, it's similar to the Night Angel series: the reader builds up an expectation of how everything is going to pan out, and then he shakes it all around, and beats you over your head with your own expectation. It's frustrating not being able to talk about it here, but I hate people that blow spoilers for me.
I think it accomplishes a light-based magic system better than the one used in Brandon Sanderson's Warbringer - though that novel had an appeal all of its own as well.
Highly, highly recommended.

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The Sword in the Stone Review

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(More customer reviews)"Sword in the Stone" is the must-read book of Arthuriana, an imaginative fantasy romp that has inspired all our ideas about the venerable Merlin and about King Arthur's boyhood. White infuses the book with whimsy, poignancy, and a mixture of early 20th-century England and medieval times.
Sir Ector's ward Arthur (known as "Wart") has no idea what he's in for when he accompanies Ector's son Kay out on a hunt. When a bad-tempered hawk escapes and refuses to come out of a tree, Wart ends up staying behind all night in the hopes of recapturing it. But he's interrupted by an odd old man called Merlin and his talking owl Archimedes. Merlin captures the hawk -- and then comes home with Wart. Soon he is firmly established as tutor to the two boys.
But they soon discover that nobody is quite like Merlin, and the lessons he has to teach Wart are more than just math and Latin. Merlin transforms Arthur into a fish, an owl, a hawk, and sends him on bizarre journeys with Robin Wood (Wood, not Hood -- a common mistake) and his band of Merry Men, a duel with an evil witch, a gathering of trees, a fumbling King and the Questing Beast, and capture in a sinister giant's castle.
T.H. White was a wonderful author, and an even better comic author. His characters are fully fleshed and endearing (even the nasty ones), but at the same time there is a delightful lightness to them. There isn't a speck of realism in the entire book -- chronology is bent and spindled, magic and realism are twisted together, and readers won't care at all. In a sense, "Sword" seems almost to exist in a parallel universe where animals talk, Robin Hood chit-chats with the once and future king, and carnivorous humanoids roam through Britain.
"Wart" is a good hero -- quiet, unassuming, thoughtful, and occasionally puts his foot in his mouth. His foster brother Kay is also good -- Kay is hot-tempered and a little loud-mouthed, but he is a nice person at heart. Merlin is the perfect crabby gray wizard, eccentric and unashamed to use his magic in a perfectly casual manner, and constantly a little befuddled due to his ability to live backwards in time. He'll endear himself to readers from the first page onward. There are dozens of equally funny characters: The always-questing King Pellinore and his Beast, the worried Sir Ector, the walking mustard-pot, the crabby but kindly owl Archimedes, and many, many more.
White's writing goes at a slightly uneven clip: Sometimes it zips along quickly, at other times it crawls. He displays plenty of knowledge about medieval times, and seems a little too eager to reveal it to the readers. But his descriptions and dialogue are delightful, a mix of the modern and the medieval. There are some extremely frightening scenes, and some (such as the having to put down a fatally-injured dog) that will make you cry.
Readers will come out of this book feeling like they have made a number of memorable, kindly friends. It's a must-read for anyone who loves the legends of Arthur.

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NIV Holy Bible Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the only Kindle Bible I have found (including free Bibles from non Amazon sources) which has a full table of contents. Each Book is easily accessed from the TOC and there is a clickable numeric list of chapters in each book when you open it.
I don't understand how T.Heyn could have misread this. Maybe he had an earlier Kindle version which has since been updated.
I can find John 3:16 or any other verse in this Bible in just a few seconds. Buy this one and you will not be disappointed.


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The Sword of Shannara Trilogy Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to say, I LOVE the hardback omni-edition. The weight of it satisfies something in my heart. I don't always replace my paperbacks with hardback books, but this one is a definite buy. The Shannara books hold a really special place in my heart.
I used to teach ninth grade English. 25% of my grading system was based on each student's outside reading, and the writing they did about that outside reading. And you all know that the average 14 year old boy is going to categorically REFUSE to pick up a book, and so are a lot of the teenage girls.
The Sword of Shannara was my "failsafe" deal. I would hand the most recalcitrant kid in my classes this enormously fat little book, brand new, purchased by me, and agree that if they would just read THIS ONE BOOK, that I was personally giving to them, that would be good enough for the WHOLE YEAR. Other kids would beg for the same deal. I would agree, but they had to buy their own books.
Terry Brooks never failed me once. Every single kid I ever handed that book to (including my own siblings as teenagers!) not only read it, they kept reading Shannara books until they ran OUT of Shannara books. By then, they were hooked. I run into them from time to time, those former students, and the conversation invariably turns to 'what are you reading right now?' And the answer has never been nothing. It's ranged from the latest best sellers to Dante Aligheri's Commedia, from Mark Twain to Harlan Ellison, from TWOT to Star Trek. But there was always an answer.
So what if Shannara's not LOTR? NOTHING IS! Hell, the TWOT isn't LOTR, and it's about 13 times longer at this point. I really don't believe it's possible to write fantasy, and not rewrite, at some level, LOTR.
The point is, Terry Brooks wrote a fabulous book. A book that for 20 years (until HP1 was published) was unmatched in my experience for getting kids to read, and to keep reading. It's BRILLIANT.
Because he wrote about fun, engaging characters, that talk in normal English (unlike Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf, who admittedly take a little wading through at 14, hm?) High adventure. Loyal friends, and dangerous enemies. Ultimate sacrifice. All of it.
I love it. And while LOTR is always ONE of the 3-4 I always have on my nightstand, at least once every couple of years, Shannara joins it there. As it deserves to.
(And if the writing style seems a little immature, I suggest you go back and read "Carrie." It's not exactly "The Wastelands." All writers grow. Get a grip, there.)

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The Price of Spring (Long Price Quartet) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished the last of the books in Daniel Abraham's "Long Price Quartet" series, and I'm so sincerely impressed and excited about the series, I just wanted to give it a shout out here. The first book started a little slow but gradually pulled me in, and it just kept getting better until this last one; which is absolutely outstanding.
The last reviewer covered some of the plot details; and I don't want to inadvertantly slip in any spoilers, so let me just say this: I love it when sci-fi and fantasy writers go the extra mile with the depth and believability of their characters (sometimes the world-building or the magic system or the spaceship engines are meticulously detailed, and the actual people are cardboard cut-outs, you know what I mean?) and this guy went absolute extra light years! His people are such thoroughly real and unique individuals you feel like you've known them for years, and everything they think and feel and do is exactly what you would think and feel and do in their place.
I didn't realize how much that aspect of good story-telling was missing from some of the things I've read lately until I saw it done so well again here. All those tell-tale little details of characterization and world-building are present here in spades - too many to go into, but you get the idea.

And the guy has such a lyrical writing style! You know that first page of Patrick Rothfuss's book "The Name of the Wind", where all the author is doing is describing for paragraphs the exact nature of the silence around the inn that night, and you could just weep for the beauty of the language? Well, in Abraham's "The Price of Spring", practically the whole BOOK is written that gorgeously, and still the action never lets up.
OK. Enough fan-girl gushing! Thanks for listening; I think I'm done raving now! Just buy this series if you love a really good, really absorbing novel, fantasy genre or not. If I was as good a writer as Abraham, I could explain better why you'll thank me later - but just trust me, you will.


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