In which I give you fantasy not to be missed!
5 August 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy, The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic:
Top Ten Books I’d Give To Readers Who Have Never Read X:
Well, if you’ve read this blog before you’ll probably realise I focus fairly strongly on fantasy with a sprinkling of sci-fi and a little horror, mystery and history. So, for my ten choices this week I’m going for books from fantasy to give you an idea how you can read many different styles whilst getting your fantasy fix (let’s face it, I never miss a chance to bang on the fantasy drum). This may seem like a bit of a cheat because I do have more than one example for each description but I do only have 10 descriptions!!
Fantasy:
- Children: Something to read to your children (not too young though – particularly if they don’t like spiders!!): The Hobbit by JRTolkien
- For the YA: I’m going to go with Harry Potter by JK Rowling, this is a series that a young person can get their teeth into and grow up with. The series becomes progressively darker and the school setting means that a YA audience can easily relate.
- If you want stories with a fairytale feeling: The Graveyard Book, Stardust, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman – BUT not all of Gaiman’s work is a light read so be careful what you pick up!! Or, Sarah Pinborough who recently wrote three short books that were fairytale retellings – Poison, Charm and Beauty. They depict a different side to Disney’s princesses and although fairytale style are definitely adult books.
- If you want alternative history: there are a few examples for this but, some are a bit deep if you’re new to fantasy and don’t want to move straight to epic – the major series that has turned people’s opinions on their head in terms of fantasy is the Game of Throne series by GRRMartin which is not so much alternative history but does have a mediaeval setting (that being said – this is fairly epic to say the least!). There is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. This is a very indepth venture set during Napoleonic times. Alternatively, the series written by Jasper Kent (The Danilov Quintet) which is an alternative Russian history with Vampires otherwise known as Vorodalak – starts in Napoleonic times and works up to early 1900s. If you want an alternative Victorian history then a bit of Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate might not go amiss – steampunk with a bit of spice. Otherwise you could just opt for Bram Stoker’s Dracula which is a classic.
- Light and whimsical, only bordering slightly on fantasy: I would suggest two authors for this – Joanne Harris (Chocolat, Coastliners or Blackberry Wine) or Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic, The River King. or The Museum of Extraordinary Things).
- Grimdark – well, this is very popular in fantasy at the moment and maybe not for everyone. However, I love Mark Lawrence’s Prince/King and Emperor of Thorns. This series is dark and even more so because of the age of Jorg at the state of the story. But, in spite of this Lawrence’s writing and plotting is second to none. The vision he has for the whole series is nothing short of breathtaking. If you want to try something a little lighter but set in the same world then ML has started a new trilogy starting with Prince of Fools – this is set in the same world as the Broken Empire (Thorn) books but has a different feel completely with two very enjoyable characters – I can’t deny that the ending gets a little bit more heavy BUT I think by then you’ll be totally invested in the main characters.
- Military based, I recently read Django Wexler’s Thousand Names – this is alternative military, apparently known as ‘flintlock’ (thanks to Mogsy for letting me in on that secret!) which apparently means based during the musket era. I really enjoyed this book, it is fairly in depth to be honest but for people who want to go easy on the fantasy element it’s very lightly done. If you fancy something a little bit different then All You Need is KIll is very short, quick and enjoyable – set in the future with battles against aliens but the central character, who dies at the start of the story (that isn’t a spoiler) then comes back to relive the day over and over – groundhog style.
- Something a bit more romantic: – The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Involving a bit of jumping back and forward in time this is a good series (although I haven’t read all of them). If you want something a bit more, ahem, spicy, then Karen Chance or Christine Feehan maybe (so I’m told…..!).
- Detective based: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files – this is one of those series that has a world living in parallel to the everyday mundane world. It involves a wizard called Harry who also acts as a private investigator and assists the police with ‘supernatural, cases. A very entertaining series so far.
- Classic:: I had to do it – I never miss an opportunity! It would be rude not to mention Lord of the Rings by JRTolkien and this way I start and finish the piece with him. However for other classic fantasy – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein – the list could very easily go on and then on some more!
Now, if you were going to dip your toe in the fantasy pond do you think you might be tempted by one of the above?????
The Hunt for Pierre Jnr by David M Henley
Just finished reading the Hunt for Pierre Jnr which was an intelligent and thought provoking sci fi/political thriller based approximately 150 years into the future.
Global warming and the resulting famine plus other catastrophes known as the Second Dark Age have changed the world as we know it and the surviving population live under huge protective domes. This futuristic world is now also populated by psionics – people with psychic, telekinetic or telepathic abilities. I’m not 100% sure why these abilities have developed in certain people, maybe some sort of fallout or mutation following warfare – but, those with such abilities are generally feared by the majority. As a result they are collected, forcibly, as soon as their abilities manifest and placed on islands where their abilities cannot be used to the detriment of the rest of the population.
At the start of the story we are introduced to Peter Lazarus. Peter is a psis who has succeeded in not only escaping from captivity but remaining under the radar and evading re-capture. However, he now willingly gives himself over to the Services (armed military). The reason being to assist with the hunt for Pierre Jnr. Pierre is almost a folklore figure. He’s only 8 years old and his psychic powers are unmatched. Very few people have seen him but those that have encountered him are rarely left unharmed. He is greatly feared.
The world that Henley has created is a much more intense version of that which we are familiar with. The population are linked into the internet (known as the weave) on a virtually constant basis streaming information (using a symbiot that is attached). The Will of the people controls the democratic process with government’s being overthrown or placed in power based on popularity statistics. It’s an interesting concept that leads to political manoeuvering and corruption. At the start of the novel the current government has been in power for a number of years and peace has reigned. As the hunt for Pierre begins however events take a turn for the worse. The authorities, underestimating the threat and not really knowing what they’re going up against force a situation that results in massive destruction of one of the central regions and involves the deaths of over 2,000 people. The government is immediately replaced with a more aggressive one – the main character (or Prime) being Ryu – that has already proven it’s track record of hunting and capturing psis. And so the gauntlet is down.
The style of writing is very much dialogue led and is interesting in that along with regular dialogue there is the stream of conversation that comes through the syms and also the narration being held by psis using telepathy. We are introduced to a number of seemingly random people along the way which usually served to provide background to the world and people. The main psis characters are Peter Lazarus and Tamsin Grey who after a brief spell of working together end up on opposing sides. Their main foe is Ryu – the Prime. Not really such a nice character, assisted by his slightly creepy brother. What I liked here is that it’s very difficult to know just how reliable the characters are. There is always the threat that one or more of them have been ‘tampered’ with without their knowledge and are operating as somebody else’s puppet.
I won’t really go into plot. Yes, there’s a hunt for Pierre and there seems to be a race against two sides to pick up other psis in between times. War is brewing and it’s time for everyone to pick a team.
The main thrust of the story revolves around fear and prejudice. The psis are undoubtedly treated in a harsh manner because of their abilities – are they ever really given a chance to prove themselves? Not really. Is it likely that they will all wish to use their abilities to harm regular people? Who knows. Basically the fear and suspicion that most people have of the unknown is enough to force the situation and their fears are undoubtedly worked on! There are definitely different levels of puppetry going on here.
In terms of criticisms – I had very little to be honest. The only thing I would mention is that this is not a self contained novel and ends unresolved, a platform for the next in series.
Otherwise a thought provoking and fast paced read. I look forward to seeing where this goes next.
My thanks to the publishers for providing a copy for review. The above is my own opinion.
Pirates and Princesses!
Fan Art Up is a weekly feature hosted by Tabitha at Not Yet Read. Details here. Each week I see if I have a book doodle or just a random doodle to place here. This week I’ve read Confessions and the Hunt for Pierre Jnr – I couldn’t come up with any inspiration for a doodle from those two books so instead I’ve gone to one of last week’s reads for inspiration (The House of the Four Winds) and also used the theme for today’s Tough Travel. Hence, pirates and princesses.!
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess…
31 July 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fantasy Review Barn, Princesses, Tough Travelling
It’s Thursday again which means we’re off travelling through the tropes of fantasy with Nathan from the Fantasy Review Barn. This week we’re taking a look at Princesses:
PRINCESSES come in two main kinds:
1. Wimps.
2 Spirited and wilful. Spirited Princesses often disguise themselves as boys and invariably marry commoners of sterling worth.
My contributions this week below – and don’t forget to check out the other participants – there are usually some pretty good books floating around this event that you might just want to add to your tbr – another one couldn’t hurt – you know you want to!
Princess Miana – King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Married to Jorg at the tender age of 13 – don’t let her age deceive you. This young lady is no shrinking violet. She has been raised a Princess and she certainly acts like it! She can give Jorg a run for his money.
Princess Aisha – Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff. Sister to the Shogun – her initial introduction to the story makes her look like a spoiled and pampered princess with long lacquered fingernails, fancy clothes and ladies in waiting. In truth she is far from this initial impression and for me I would have appreciated the role being developed more. Stormdancer – Japanese steampunk and griffins – oh yes! Plus – look at the gorgeous cover!
Princess Eowyn – this is a slight cheat as I’m not totally sure that Eowyn was a princess. Anyway, it’s LoTR so it has to have an obligatory mention. Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden. She dressed as a man in order to ride with the Riders of Rohan and take part in the battle of Pelennor Fields. She played rather a crucial role as it happens. Suffering the slimy interest of Grima Wormtongue and brought low by the unrequited love of Aragorn – hey lady, take a ticket and join the queue!
Princess Clarice – The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. Clarice dresses as a young man in order to experience travels on her quest to become a master swords woman! Having 11 other sisters requires that all these princesses can hold their own. They’re sent into the wild world to learn a trade. High seas adventures with pirates and sea monsters. Much fun.
Princess Daenerys Targaryen – Game of Thrones by GRRM – no introduction really needed here methinks. And, she has three dragons!!!!
That’s it for this week – stopping at five – but I would like to give mentions to Princess Buttercup – can’t miss an opp to throw in the Princess Bride and also Sarah Pinborough’s fairytale retellings Poison/Charm/Beauty – twisted retellings I might add. Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty like you’ve never seen them before!
Confessions by Kanae Minato
Confessions is a compelling and shocking story narrated by individual characters whose separate chapters will eventually reveal a full picture of the events that occurred leading up to the death of a young girl.
The story starts in a highschool classroom where a home tutor (Yuko) informs her students of her decision to leave her job. She relates a story about how she came to be a teacher and goes on to more personal issues including why she raises her child (Manami) as a lone parent – sometimes necessitating bringing her to school. (Unfortunately during one such occasion Manami goes missing and her body is eventually found floating in the school swimming pool.) Yuko believes that two of her students are responsible for the death of Manami. And so the story begins.
I wondered if I would enjoy Confessions for two reason (1) it sometimes feel that translations quite literally do lose something in translation – slight nuances and descriptions for example – and this can sometimes give the text a quite blunt feeling. (2) I’ve already seen the film for this and so wondered if it would lose some of the suspense.
Neither fear turned out to be well founded. This book gripped me in a way that meant I was virtually unable to put it down.
As I said above the story is related by different individuals. through which we eventually build up a picture of three of the students and three of the mothers involved. Starting with the teacher we move on to other key players including the two accused students. Each chapter builds upon the last as you uncover a different side to the story. Each provides an intense and sometimes scary insight into the motivations of each character and more than that displays how small misunderstandings have the ability, Chinese whisper style, to turn into a much bigger issue. I loved the complexities of this story and the way that all the strands from each character eventually paint a much bigger picture.
The writing style is very straight forward and uncluttered, you could accuse it of being a little stark and yet I enjoyed if for this particular story. It doesn’t need flourishes and embellishments but works on a much more psychological basis and the sparseness of the writing helps to reinforce that somehow – like there are no distractions just very straight forward accounts from each narrator that are sometimes sad, sometimes shocking and sometimes will turn your feelings on their head.
Nothing here is quite as it first seems and I sometimes felt myself having sympathy in the least expected place!
It’s a story that takes a look at motherhood. It looks at the way that the pressures of society work differently on people. It delves into the effects of peer pressure. It shows the impact that a simple misunderstanding can have and the ripples that can cause. A book of murder and revenge – where strangely enough the murder is almost downplayed and the revenge comes across very quietly and creepily.
I definitely recommend this book.
This is my second book towards the Japanese Literature Challenge (8) being hosted over at Dolce Bellezza details here.
I received a copy of this courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley. The above is my own opinion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 