Hounded by Kevin Hearne, week 2 of readalong
So, this is week two of our readalong of Hounded by Kevin Hearne. I’m enjoying the readalong and getting to chat with all these other bloggers who are also enjoying the series. Last week we all discussed the meaning of names and it made for some interesting reading. I didn’t know what my name meant before that and quite fittingly, giving this is the Druid Chronicles, it’s Celtic and means waterfall. There were some really interesting comments and if you’re interested in joining I’ve put the schedule below. Just go and check any of these out.
April 06th: Special interview with Kevin Hearne & announcement of winners!
1. In Chapter 6, Atticus goes hunting with Oberon and Flidais. What was supposed to be a fun hunting trip turned rather disastrous. Were you expecting something like this to happen or did it catch you by surprise? Have you ever had something that should have been fun turn disastrous or nearly disastrous?
I did expect something to go wrong on the hunting trip but I didn’t see the direction that would take and I really didn’t take into account just how very ruthless Flidais would turn out to be. Speaking personally of disasters (or near ones) I think the closest – was a highly anticipated trip to Venice where we completely mistimed the travel time to get to the airport and as we set out not only had darkness set in, it was rush hour and fog had also descended. That was a fairly torturous journey which wound up with us making a mad run through the airport and barely making it onto the plane (it felt like a scene from a Home Alone movie).
2. We are only briefly introduced to the witches (or, a witch) in chapter 7. What are your first impressions? How much would you trust the witches? Why?
It’s difficult to answer this because I’ve already read the book and don’t want to give away spoilers for others who haven’t. I can remember not liking the first witch we were introduced to – she didn’t behave very well but fortunately she underestimated Atticus. I think it would be difficult to trust somebody when you were constantly having to be on your guard and make sure you didn’t have any stray hairs that could be picked up and used against you!
3. Oberon says, “With dogs you just go up and smell their asses and you know where you stand. It’s so much easier. Why can’t humans do that?” Do you ever wish there was an easier way to find out where you stand with someone (besides Oberon’s suggestion, of course)? In what cases would it be easier or better to hide your true feelings?
What is that about with dogs smelling each others behinds – I thought they had a good sense of smell and I can’t think of many things that could be more unpleasant! I have mixed feelings about having a way to know where I stand with someone – it could be a real blow after all. You could end up finding out somebody was thinking really mean things about you or worse still that they’ve never liked you! That being said I suppose I’d sooner know if somebody didn’t like me. I think I would settle for a compromise – a bit like Atticus being able to see somebody’s aura and be able to tell from that what sort of mood they’re in.
4. Chapter 9 makes Atticus’ life much more difficult: the witches are in some way working with Aeghus Og, Bres comes after Atticus, and more trouble appears at the end of the chapter. Have you made sense of what has happened thus far? Any predictions for what might happen?
Similar to above I won’t answer this as I’ve already read and don’t want to blurt! Although I will admit that I definitely didn’t predict how things would wind up.
5. Atticus has had plenty of time to cultivate attitudes and ethics that would allow him to live a very long time. What do you think it is about Atticus that has allowed him to live for as long as he has?
This is an interesting question. There are obviously other characters in the book who have also lived for a long time but they clearly have less of an ability to adapt and fit in. This appears to be the answer to Atticus’s longevity – he adapts. As the times change so does he. He alters his lifestyle, his attidue, his way of speech and quite often his place of abode. He’s tried to stay one step ahead of his enemies and of course he does have a few allies and he plays his cards close to his chest and never gives too much away. I like the fact that he’s over 2000 years old but he isn’t cynical. He still manages to capture the essence of youth but without seeming immature. Plus he is able to brew that remarkable tea of his which has helped him to last for so long. Thinking of which I have a small amendment to my answer to question No.1 It would be really good to be able to read minds, you could pick up the recipe for the tea Atticus drinks – you could then live for 2000 years and get to carry out your wildest dreams from questions No.1 of last week’s questions!
Hope everyone is enjoying the book so far!
Lynn 😀
Touch of Power by Maria Snyder
4 March 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Maria V Snyder, Touch of Magic, Touch of power
Just finished reading Touch of Power by Maria Snyder which introduces us to a new world and characters. Touch of Power introduces us to the Fifteen Realms and brings to us Avry, raised in Kazan and a healer. Just as Kazan was once prosperous, healers were once greatly revered but the plague changed all of that. The disease ravaged the fifteen realms claiming many victims and was swiftly following by a rumour that the healers had in fact been the culprits for its start. The Realms are now greatly depleted in terms of inhabitants and are also torn with war as the remaining power bases struggle to come out as top dog.
Avry has spent the last three years stealing from one town to the next, trying to hide her abilities and usually failing as she feels compelled to help some desperately ill person. This is actually how the book starts, a healing, swiftly followed by Avry’s capture and pending execution and then her rescue by a band of characters who have a different scheme in mind. Ironicially it appears as though Healer may be the only healer now remaining since their persecution and so her fortune seems to be changing in that she’s suddenly become a desirable asset to have.
I enjoy Maria Snyder’s writing. She once again brings us a new world filled with a range of different characters, landscapes and magical possibilities. The reading is easy, fairly fast paced and not filled with huge chunks of overly descriptive world building or back history. The characters are well written and you gradually learn about them as the story progresses. There’s a lot of imagination going on here and plenty more to discover in the future series which this one plays in to quite nicely. We have many magical abilities – I think about 15? although we’re only introduced to about four here. Obviously we learn a good deal about Avry’s ability to heal which basically lends her the power to take on a person’s illness or injury which she can recover from at a greatly increased pace. Coupled with this ability is the strange phenomenon of the Lilys – plants that seem to be carnivorous and filled with deadly venom. Well, there are two types of Lily, Peace and Death and Avry seems to have some sort of connection which remains to be explored.
I liked the characters – the ‘baddie’ is a royal pain – patronising and a bit sadistic. We have Kerrick who you can’t help liking, he’s also a mage, connected to the earth and forest and able to blend into the plants and trees. Apparently he smells like fresh cut grass and sunshine and in spite of his grumpy demeanour you can’t help knowing that he’s a bit gorgeous and you also just know that the two of them will become romantically linked. What I like about the romance is it’s a slow burner. Certainly not love at first sight!
If I was going to level any criticisms I would say that this book will probably feel very ‘familiar’ to fans of the Study series. The world is very similar, the landscape and even the fact that there are magical abilities. The other thing is that maybe MS needs to get a bit more hardened to letting some of her characters go – particularly looking at some of the circumstances and overwhelming odds that they sometimes face. It would make it more realistic. In actual fact we do lose one of the characters from this story but I think if you were to look critically you would say that it was obvious. It’s not that I particularly like to lose characters that I’ve become attached to just that sometimes it feels improbable given the situations they find themselves in. I suppose it helps having a healer in the midst of the pack who can help them to recover from any injuries sustained, but still…
Anyway, I really liked joining Avry and Kerrick and will look forward to picking up their story in the next instalment.
Hounded by Kevin Hearne, readalong
For the next few weeks I will be joining a number of bloggers and commenting and answering questions about Hounded by Kevin Hearne. I love this series! It’s so fresh, the world is brilliant and Atticus is an amazing Druid with a cool Deerhound who he can communicate with. The thing I like the best about this series is that Kevin Hearne seems to be really enjoying himself righting about the characters and it really comes across with the humour.
Just added the reading schedule and name of host bloggers for info. If you’re reading this and you’re interested in reading along then go and check them out:
April 06th: Special interview with Kevin Hearne & announcement of winners!
1) Kevin Hearne had the most perfect beginning for this book: “There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and formost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius.” If you were to live for centuries what do you think you would be excited to see?
If I could have lived for 2000 years like Atticus I think the most exciting thing would be to meet some of the amazing people who have now passed away. But on top of that if you really had that much time I would like to travel and see the world.
2)In the 2nd chapter we learn about the amulet and its protection powers! Do you think having met the Morrigan and heard about Aenghus Og that it will be enough to protect Atticus? I mean the Morrigan has a point about hot chicks coming after him and his defenses might be down! He is very male!
I think his amulet will be enough to protect him – after all he spent a L O N G time making it and poured a lot of himself into the magic. To clarify though – I think it will only protect him against magic attacks – as for defence against feminine charms I think he’s on his own with that one!
3) The literary world’s coolest dog is introduced in this chapter! Did you love Oberon immediately? Show me a picture or describe the type of animal you would love to have as a talking companion! (Cat, Dog, Mouse, Sloth, Horse—what is your pick–pictures please)? I love Oberon – and more to the point his relationship with Atticus which is so funny.
My initial reaction would be to say my dogs – I have two. But, on reflection perhaps I would go for something else. Mmm, no, going to stick with the dogs – you can walk around with your dog and nobody would be suspicious after all. The picture below is actually my brother’s dog – he’s called Jake and he’s a year old and really gorgeous. I would dognap him but he’s so big he wouldn’t fit in my house! (Plus Dude and Jack would be very unhappy). Jake is a Deerhound lurcher and he is exactly what I picture when I read about Oberon.
4) In this chapter Flidais asked Atticus what his name is and then precedes to ask if anyone actually believes he is Greek? He says nobody pays attention to names here. Do you know what your name means and where it comes from? Or do you have a name you wish had? Let’s talk names!
To be honest I had no idea what my name meant so I just looked it up – and apparently it is celtic – and means waterfall!
5) We learn about Atticus’ lawyers in this chapter, a rather unique combo! Without jumping ahead, would you hire a lawyer combination of two supernaturals who on the surface would appear to be natural enemies or at the very least two very Alpha attitudes? What would be the positives and negatives of that decision.
Well, I think it would be good to have these two lawyers. They know what’s going on and how to get out of a spot. Plus they have lots of backup! They also know about Atticus and so he’s never in the tricky position of having to explain himself. On the negative side I guess you’re a bit bound by certain laws of the supernatural which are restrictive in some ways but on the whole I think the pros outweigh the cons!
Second Foundation by Issac Asimov, second group read along
And, so we’ve finally finished the three Issac Asimov novels as part of a sci-fi readalong being hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. It makes me sort of sad that it’s come to an end. The discussions have been great and I’ve enjoyed reading some sci fi much more than I expected and actually understood what was going on (I was expecting to feel like a raging dunce!) Below are the final questions for discussion but please don’t read these if you haven’t read these novels as they will definitely SPOIL the plot!
1. Now that the trilogy is over, discuss your feelings on Asimov’s portrayal of female characters?
I think that Asimov did a really good job portraying the females in the story and gave both of them key roles in the plot. I suppose reading the book in the year 2012 they did come across as a little old fashioned but I think given when these stories were written he does a good job and I think it was probably quite risky for him to include such strong female roles because it can deter some male readers.
2. After all the back and forth mind control of the first part of Second Foundation, what was your state of mind reading this second section of the book? Were you suspicious of everyone? Did you figure things out? Were you just going along for the ride?
To be honest I wasn’t really trying to second guess the ending although I had started to feel as though the location of Second Foundation would be hidden amongst the systems we already knew – I just didn’t know where! In terms of all the mind control flipping back and forth I was just enjoying it as and when it was revealed.
3. Throughout the three novels we were shown a couple of versions of Trantor. Which is more appealing to you? Which would you rather visit?
I preferred the latter version of Trantor. I didn’t like the earlier version before the collapse – I thought it was all too glossy and fickle. I liked the way towards the end that Trantor had actually turned a corner, soil had been revealed and plants had started to grow once again on the surface.
4. How have your thoughts about Hari Seldon, his plan, and either or both Foundations changed, or not, during the course of these three novels?
I feel like I’ve come a long way! We’ve twisted and turned along the way. Been told one thing, then another, liked one person and then found that we didn’t like them, believed there was one Foundation only to find there was two and believed them to be poles apart when in fact they were cheek by jowl. I must hand it to Asimov he’s a master of strategy. I feel like his nickname should be the Trickster.
5. What, if anything, surprised you in this last half of the book? How do you feel Second Foundation held up compared to the other two books in the trilogy?
The biggest surprise for me in this half of the book was the discovery that Arcadia had been mind controlled from her birth – I hadn’t really understood just how far in advance the second Foundation people had been planning. I think this was probably my favourite installment. Particularly the first half which I though was gripping.
6. Did any themes stand out for you in this series? What are you taking away from the experience of reading the Foundation trilogy?
The particular theme that I think comes across is that no one is perfect. I liked the way that the control changed from control based on religious belief, then commerce then mind control. I also think that Asimov was trying to demonstrate that in spite of who is in charge they all have their own foibles.
I think what I’m taking away from this experience is: engagement with a great group of bloggers who have really active minds and get involved in some fantastic discussions. At the end of the day reading is a bit of a solo pursuit and so getting involved in a readalong at least allows you to explore the story more fully and also awakens ideas that you didn’t know you had. It also sometimes highlights different points of view and I found it really interesting how I may or may not like a character in contrast with some of the others. I also have surprised myself and found that I liked sci fi a whole lot more than I thought. I admit that I need to STOP judging a book by it’s cover – because I would never have picked these up otherwise! and I feel almost pleased with myself that I took part, completed the readalong and didn’t struggle too much to ‘get’ the plot. Although, again, I readily admit that I didn’t second guess anything.
Thanks again Carl for hosting.
Lynn 😀
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
27 February 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Elizabeth Haynes, Into the Darkest Corner
Just finished reading Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes and frankly I’m staggered that this is a debut novel!
Basically this book is all about obsession in it’s different forms and tells a fairly creepy yet gripping story of domestic violence. The story is told in two different timelines and concentrates on Cathy. Cathy as she was a few years ago (2004), happy go lucky, bit of a party animal, group of fairly wild friends, late nights, lots of laughs and Cathy as she is now in (2007). 2007 Cathy is not the same person at all. Basically, earlier version Cathy meets a nice young man! Good looking, well dressed, sexy, funny, got a job, bit mysterious. All her friends think he’s the bees knees and the camels hips. What can go wrong? Enter obsession in it’s first guise. The stalker guy. Lee. He takes over, slowly at first with little unobtrusive things that cause self doubt until finally he is totally controlling Cathy’s every move. And, eventually, he turns violent. Things reach a head when Cathy plans her escape!
Reading alongside the earlier story we learn about Cathy 2007 and here enters obsession in it’s guise of OCD. These chapters are unbelievable and quite painful to read. Cathy’s life is completely dictated by her OCD. She has to rise at the crack of dawn just so that she’ll be able to arrive at work (almost) on time after having undertaken countless checks of her apartment before leaving. On returning home at night she then takes at least 1.5 hours to recheck the apartment – and that is assuming she isn’t exhausted and can complete the checks correctly. And these are just a few of the things that control Cathy. She has no friends and no social life and lives life on the edge of exhaustion and on the verge of panic. She is trying to turn things around though and with the help of a new neighbour who seems to recognise some of Cathy’s symptoms she is starting to make tiny steps forwards – until she receives a phone call from the police which brings everything crashing down.
This is a difficult review to write because it tackles such difficult subjects. Domestic violence, stalking and obsessive compulsive disorders. They don’t particularly sound like the ingredients for cheerful reading and yet in spite of this I found this story compelling. I read it in two days, virtually ignored the weekend in order to do so, and frankly it was an emotional read (okay, I may have got a bit weepie there at one point – and I consider myself to be a bit of a tough cookie as a rule.)
There is a lot of detail going on here, particularly in Cathy’s story about OCD. I thought the level of detail was necessary to the story though in order to reinforce Cathy’s obsessions to the reader – I think if you were just told once about her rituals you’d put it to the back of your mind and it wouldn’t be as powerful as having to read about them all the time, so, whilst this can seem a bit repetitive at times I thought it was relevant. There is also a certain level of violence, graphic language and sexual content. I didn’t think any of it was gratuitous or overly explicit. You were simply being made aware of what was going on.
I think what Elizabeth Haynes managed to do really well was write Lee. He is so wrong! The thing is you can just imagine him. He’s so perfect on the outside but so sinister within. He’s devious, creepy and just a total ‘not right’. That’s what kept the tension for me and just plain gave me the shivers. And the fact that Cathy seems to be all alone in the knowledge of Lee’s true character and is just really terrorised by him – even before he ratchets up the stakes. It really brings home the fact that you really can’t judge a person on their appearance. it also makes you reconsider the number of times you’ve thought ‘why don’t people get out of these relationships’. This book demonstrates how difficult that really is.
Obviously things steadily reach a dramatic finale in both storylines. I wouldn’t describe it as a thriller particularly although there was plenty of suspense and tension. If you’re looking more for a thriller I don’t think this will cut it for you. It is undeniably tense and there are certainly a few goosebump moments.
In terms of criticisms – I was a bit sceptical about the fact that all Cathy’s friends seemed to desert her – I’m not saying it isn’t plausible but I think those parts of the story should have had more built into them to make them believable to the reader. Otherwise it almost seemed as though they all just dropped out of the story.
On the whole I would definitely recommend this – although I would be cautious about who to. It’s certainly not YA and it could be too close to home for some people to read about.
Into the Darkest Corner
