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Post #57: The Greek Gods

The Greek Gods by Evslin, Evslin and Hoopes

Post number fifty-seven is for The Greek Gods by Evslin, Evslin and Hoopes. The book was one I'd initially looked at for my Greek Mythology Reader's Advisory and discarded, mostly because I found something that I liked better. That being said, this book was fine; it provided a nice overview of the Gods of the Greek Pantheon, as well as some of the Greek Nature Myths, like Prometheus, Pandora, Psyche & Eros, and Orpheus & Eurydice. The book didn't really provide me with any new information, although the ending to their tale of Psyche and Eros was quite different from the one I'd heard, and the one I'm familiar with.

One thing of note to me as a Percy Jackson fan was the mention of how Arion, Hazel's magical horse, came into being. Its parents were Demeter and Poseidon, in horse form. :)) See, Poseidon wanted to impress Demeter (so he could have sex with her, of course, as the Gods do), so he created the horse for her. She loved it, but still wouldn't give in to him. So she changed herself into a horse and ran from him. He followed suit and chased after her. When he caught up with her, he finally got to have sex with her - as a horse. :-P The result was Arion, an immortal horse who runs like the wind. So there's the story behind Hazel's horse!

Post #56: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Post number fifty-six is for Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, another required reading assignment for my Fantasy Lit course (only three more of these for the semester, hurrah!). I actually bought this book when it first came out and then never got around to reading it. I am not a massive fan of Neil Gaiman; although I've enjoyed many of his books (most notably Stardust and Coraline, and also Good Omens, which was co-written), I don't think he's the best thing since sliced bread. That being said, I liked this book a lot. I found the main character sort of charming and enjoyed the plot and the supporting characters.

Brief spoilery thoughts follow.

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The main character is Nobody Owens, nicknamed Bod. When Bod was a baby, his family was murdered in their home, and only an impromptu nighttime stroll by the toddler saved his life. He wandered into a graveyard, where the denizens ultimately decided to take him in. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and his guardian is Silas, who promises to get him food, since obviously the ghosts cannot (Silas is not a ghost). Bod grows up in the graveyard, getting his lessons from ghosts who have been dead for a very long time (I think they're all from the Victorian Age or earlier, but might be misremembering). Meanwhile, the person who tried to kill him is still looking for him, but can't find him because he's in the safety of the graveyard. Bod also meets Scarlet, a very real girl, and they become friends, although she leaves him when he's quite young (four or five) when her family moves to Scotland. They're reunited towards the end of the book, which is what helps bring the culmination of the plot into being.

You'd think that a child who grows up in a graveyard would be a bit morbid, but he's actually quite thoughtful and funny, and his interactions with the ghosts are wonderful. His parents love him, Silas is the silent and brooding (but deep down deeply caring) sort, but there's humor throughout, most notably with the epitephs on the headstones of the ghosts, and the stories they tell him of we learn from Bod when he's talking about them. The book's chapters are told a year or so apart, so we get the first one when he's a baby, then again when he's four/five, then again when he's ten, etc. He's sixteen when the book ends. There's also illustrations interspersed, and the ones in the first chapter are especially good; they set the tone and mood of the story perfectly and really draw the reader in.

The ending was a little heartbreaking and sad, although perfectly right, and I'll admit that I teared up a bit. I would be curious to see if Gaiman ever writes a sequel.

All in all, this was a really enjoyable book with a really wonderful main character and a fine supporting cast. I would definitely recommend it.

Post #55: The House of Dies Drear

The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

Post number fifty-five is for Virginia Hamilton's The House of Dies Drear, another required book for my Fantasy Lit course. To be honest, I don't know why we read this; I know she wanted to get books that featured non-white characters, which this one does, but it doesn't (to me) fit the fantasy genre in the slightest. The book is billed as a ghost story, but to me that fits under a different category than fantasy. I dunno. Guess I'll have to see what she says in the intro to this book during our discussion.

Slight spoilerish thoughts follow.

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I'm not completely sure when this book is set (it was written in 1970), but the book starts out on a small farmstead-type place in North Carolina and moves to Ohio, where the Small family has just decided to move. Dies Drear, from the title, was a white abolitionist who helped slaves move through the Underground Railroad. He was murdered, along with two slaves, back prior to the Civil War, and ever since his house has been classed as "haunted". Thomas, the main character, is the son of a college history professor who wants to move into the house purely for its history; he doesn't believe in ghosts or other supernatural goings-on, so thinks the superstitions are ridiculous. Thomas, on the other hand, is thrilled that they'll be living in a "haunted" house. So he, his mother, twin brothers and father are going to rent the house. The only person on the land is the caretaker, Mr. Pluto, named for the Roman god of Death of the same name. It's not his real name, just a nickname, but it fits him quite well.

There are some strange things that happen almost immediately after Thomas and his family move into the house, and it was fun to read along with Thomas as he discovered them and tried to methodically put things together to get them to make sense. He's quite the logical thinker, and it's fun to read along as he analyzes things and figures things out. There was one sort of WTF moment, though, when Thomas randomly loses his temper with this father; it seems to come out of the blue, and while you get why he's mad when it happens, there's absolutely no build up of the emotions that would support such an outburst. It was the one very strange moment in the entire book, especially because prior to that point, Thomas never once commented about that aspect of his father.

There were lots of twists and turns in this book, which I enjoyed. I won't go into any other details because I don't want to spoil the story or the surprises. Needless to say, if you read it, I think you'll understand why I said what I said about it not really being a fantasy book. It just really doesn't fit that genre. That being said, I enjoyed the book. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged and turning the pages; I wanted to see how things would work out, and was pleased with the ending. It was worth a read, if nothing else.

Post #54: Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Post number fifty-four is for Margaret Peterson Haddix's Among the Hidden, a required reading assignment for my Fantasy Lit course. The book is the first of five all taking place in a sort of dystopian US, where the government is totalitarian and has implemented a Population Law. The books have been around for a long time now, but I never was really interested in reading them (and still wouldn't have looked at the first one, if it weren't required), most likely because dystopian fiction doesn't really do it for me. But this book was a super-fast, easy read, and quite the page-turner once the main character meets Jen.

Brief spoilery thoughts below.

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Luke, the main character, is a "hidden" child, i.e. one that shouldn't have been born because the Population Law indicates that families can only have two children. Luke is the third, so he has to stay hidden away from everyone. This okay, until a new housing development tears down the woods surrounding his family's farm, and he's not allowed outside. The family gets more and more stringent about what he can and can't do (way more can'ts than cans, obviously), but one day while looking out toward the new development, he sees a face in the window of the neighbor's house, when he'd already seen all four of them leave. This face is Jen, a hidden child, and once Luke works up the courage, he goes over to the house to meet her and they become friends.

It's at this point that the book really picked up; prior to this, it was sort of dragging, because Haddix was trying to set up the world and explain the laws and the state of the US government (totalitarian). Jen's family is from the upper class - called Barons - and her dad works for the government, so they get a lot of perks, like super nice houses, junk food to eat, etc. Luke's family, meanwhile, struggles financially, especially when the government declares they can no longer raise their hogs.

Jen is a bit of a radical thinker; she wants "thirds" to have the same rights as everyone else, and she's willing to fight for that belief. Luke, on the other hand, is scared and doesn't want to take a stand; he tells her at one point that it's people like her who change the world, while people like him just sit and wait for things to happen.

What really struck me with all this was how incredibly selfish the parents who disobey the Population Law are. Yes, it's a stupid law, but they are basically having a child that will have no freedom growing up, and maybe even after that, because there's no guarantee that they could get a fake ID and do something as adults. The kids can't go outside, can't go to school, can't go ANYWHERE. They're stuck inside these houses, trapped, and that's just NO way for anyone to live. And that selfishness really made me angry.

My reaction to this book was similar to The Hunger Games, although not in regard to the emotional impact it had on me. Maybe if I were an elementary student reading this it would, but for me myself, as a twenty-something Graduate student, it didn't. What did strike me in terms of similarities, though, was the restrictions that the government had placed on both worlds, and the ways they used their jobs/regions/etc. to dictate who does what and where was almost exactly the same. The only difference is that in this book, the US is still the same, although the initial democratic government has been overthrown, and is now run by a "General" instead of a "President". But whatever; the situations are nearly the same, although at least in Among the Hidden they didn't have to go fight to the death. :-P

Anyway, it was an okay book, but not nearly interesting or entertaining enough for me to read the rest of the series.

Post #53: Time's Memory

Time's Memory by Julius Lester

Post number fifty-three is for Julius Lester's Time's Memory, another required reading title for my Fantasy Lit course. I'd never heard of this book before, and most likely would have never picked it up, mostly because - and yes, even I do this - the cover wasn't that interesting, and was sort of monotone in color. I realize now that it's it a sort of African style, which fits with the story, but it still isn't eye-catching (to me) in the slightest. Nonetheless, I liked the book, although it's not a favorite by any means.

Brief spoilery thoughts follow.

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So this book was a little odd in that it kept switching main characters at the start. You start out with Josiah, who is the captain of a slave ship. He's visited by the spirit of his dead wife, who tells him that one of the slaves on the ship is pregnant, and he needs to rescue her and save the child. The woman is Amina, who gives birth but doesn't really to a full-grown adult man named Ekundayo, who is the spirit of Amina's tribal leader. The whole point of this setup is that Ekundayo has been brought to the US (this is prior to the Civil War, obviously), to try to save the world from all of the nyama (i.e. spirits/souls) of the deceased. The more violent the death, the more vengeful the nyama, and Amma, the supreme god of Ekundayo's people, is concerned that they will basically tear the world apart. So there's your setup, and then, suddenly, things change drastically, because Ekundayo's nyama is taken by Amma from his body and placed in that of Nat, a slave in Virginia, who happens to be in love with Ellen, the daughter of the plantation owner (and she with him).

The rest of the book (parts two and three) are all about Nat and what happens to him at the plantation. There's violence courtesy of Nat's father, Gabriel, but Ekundayo finally figures out what he needs to do in order to let the nyama of the dead finally rest.

The overarching theme of this whole thing is basically how important it is to not forget your ancestors, to know their stories, and to share them with others. Ekundayo's able to help everyone with their grief by getting them to cry, and then by sharing their favorite stories of their loved ones. It was these passages that were the most touching in this story, as was the story of Nat and Ellen, who simply were born at the wrong time and place, and had to suffer because of it. This was also a very interesting look at African culture and beliefs, particularly that of the Dogon people of Mali, which is where the idea of a nyama and everything else comes from.

Overall this was a good read, a worthwhile library checkout, but not worth a purchase, at least in my opinion.

Post #52: Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Post number fifty-two is for Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, another required reading assignment for my Fantasy Lit course. I had obviously heard of this book before, but for some reason I had it in my mind that the book was a graphic novel, probably because they made an animated movie out of it (not that that necessarily correlates, but I'm thinking that was my thought process), so kind of avoided it because I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels. But I found this book to be utterly charming and well worth the read. In fact, I think I might just have to purchase it, I enjoyed it so much.

Brief spoilery thoughts follow.

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I loved the nods to fairy tales throughout, with the eldest not being able to seek her fortune because she's the eldest, and the youngest getting to do what she wants and being able to seek the man of her dreams, etc., and I loved the references to Fanny as the step-mother who wasn't actually evil, etc. I also liked how prevalent magic was throughout this, and how it wasn't something that people were necessarily afraid of, but rather took advantage of for their own uses. I found Howl absolutely delightful, even when the reader thought he was out breaking hearts, and Sophie was a wonderful narrator and fantastic character, with her inability to see what was going on with herself and how she was actually the one holding herself back. And Calcifer was wonderful as well; I loved how he and Howl both were wanting Sophie to find a way to break their contract, because neither one of them wanted to go bad. And the ending just made me smile and smile and smile some more, it was just so darn cute. <3

Anyway, I recommend this story for sure, especially if you're a fan of magic and fairy tales, and happily ever afters. :)

Post #51: City of Fire

City of Fire by Laurence Yep

Post number fifty-one (taking me one book past my goal of reading 50 books in a year, hurrah!) is for Laurence Yep's City of Fire, another required reading for my Fantasy Lit course. This book definitely falls under what I would call "high fantasy"; there are magical creatures abounding, but it did what Rick Riordan does and placed the story in a world where there are actual Gods and Goddesses still ruling (and, in the case of this book, still being worshipped). However, it differs significantly from Rick Riordan's books because it's set in a reimagined 1941. And that's all I'll say without a spoiler space.

I have some brief thoughts, aside from the fact that I really enjoyed this book and found it very easy to read, so you can read those below.

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So there is a sort of ensemble cast in this book, and the chapters alternate viewpoints (although I found a bunch of occurrences where the narrative would lapse into someone else's viewpoint for sentence here or there, and then swith back). The main characters are Scirye, who is a twelve-year-old girl from the Kushan Empire, who has lived a variety of places in her young life because her mother is a diplomat and travels a lot; Leech, who is a runaway from an orphanage currently living on the streets of San Francisco; Bayang, a dragon assassin (not even kidding here!); and Koko, Leech's friend and companion on the streets, who has a bit of a secret and a problem with thievery (Hermes would love him).

The story starts by introducing the characters (this takes a while), and giving them the reason for joining together: a dragon, Badik, has broken into a museum (wherein all these treasures from the Kushan Empire are on display) and stolen something from the "mummy" (for lack of a better word) of the Jade Lady, someone who is held in much esteem in Kushan. The dragon also kills Scirye's sister, and Koko and Leech's mentor. Bayang has her own vendetta against Badik, because he killed her family. So, this common thread discovered, they set out to try to retrieve the stolen relic and get some revenge. Things don't go as planned, though, and it's pretty much one strange and dangerous occurrence after another. The ending is sort of unsatisfying as well, because this is only the first book of a trilogy, and is setting the reader up for that. We do, however, get to meet the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess, Pele, and she is very entertaining.

I think I'll eventually finish this trilogy; the book was fun, fast and engaging, even if the ending made me want to bang my head in frustration because nothing much is accomplished (except that they figure out exactly what Badik [and the person Badik is working for] is trying to do with the stolen relic). I'd like to see how it all ends.

I found the Book Trailer for City of Fire on YouTube, too, if you want to see it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j2PFxSxszQ

Post #50: Rapunzel's Revenge

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

Post number fifty is for Shannon and Dean Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge, another required reading assignment for my Fantasy Lit course. The first part of the on-campus session is focusing on fairy tales, and the fairy tale she's chosen for us to look at is Rapunzel. So we read Zel, a picture book of the actual fairytale (this one, by Paul O. Zelinsky) and this graphic novel, all of which have the basic story down in some form or fashion, but for Zel and Rapunzel's Revenge, we get the same old story with a significant twist.

The catch for Rapunzel's Revenge is that it's set in a sort of Wild West - Rapunzel actually uses the phrase "howdy" at one point, and there are lots of gun-toting hooligans. It was also cute, and LOL funny in some places, and all in all a very quick, enjoyable read. If you like fairy tales, check this one out.

Quick spoilery thoughts follow.

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So Rapunzel meets her real mother much earlier in this book. Because she's defiant and rude and very angry with her "Mother" for lying to her, her mother imprisoners her in a tower, which in this case is actually a tree that's extremely tall that has a hollowed out room at the top. Rapunzel escapes on her own after four years of imprisonment (yay for strong female characters!) and runs into Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame), who is spectacularly fun. Their banter throughout the book is fabulous, and one of my favorite parts of this book. Here was one of my favorite exchanges:

(Rapunzel has gone around a rock to change out of her dress, and Jack is waiting for her to return)

Jack: Aren't you done yet?
Rapunzel: Hold your horses.
Jack: [in small print] Technically, they aren't mine.

I don't know what it is about this part that made me laugh, but it did. I really loved Jack.

Anyway, the whole point of this is that Rapunzel wants revenge on Mother Gothel, so she spends the entirety of the book trying to figure out how to get back to her manor. Throughout all of this, she's exposed to everything Mother Gothel's been doing - she's magical, and is using it for her own gains - and her and Jack try to set things right. He's very much the sidekick companion, but at the same time, she couldn't have done any of it without him, as he's far more savvy than she is (having been locked up in a tree for four years) and really handy to have around.

Anyway, it was a cute book, and a fun twist on the original story. Worth a read, but not a purchase.

Post #49: Akata Witch

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

This week is my on-campus session for Fantasy Lit, and because the professor gives us the class prior to the on-campus meeting and the class after, she crams six books into our required reading for this one day. So post number forty-nine is one of those books: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. I had never heard of this book before, although the reviews I've read of it were absolutely raving, and rightfully so. This was a really fantastic book.

I want to talk about a few things, and will try not to get too terribly spoilery in terms of the plot. But I'll put a spoiler space all the same.

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The main character in this story is Sunny, who is the youngest child (and only daughter) of a Nigerian couple. Sunny, however, was born in the US, so she feels like she's between two worlds. The Nigerian term for a black born outside of Nigeria is "akata", hence the title. Sunny is also albino, so she gets picked on a lot for being ugly, and they use the term "akata" as an insult to her. However, Sunny befriends Orlu, a boy at her school, who in turn introduces her to Chichi, and they all three become friends. It is through Chichi and Orlu that Sunny is taught about the Leopard People: people who practice magic, or juju. It turns out that Sunny is what they call a Free Agent, which means she has juju that isn't passed through her bloodline. Orlu then introduces Chichi and Sunny to Sasha, a boy from the US who has been sent to Nigeria as punishment for some acts of juju that he used on some boys who were picking on his sister. The four of them become friends, and are ultimately told that they're to be a coven which are coming together to fight a great evil.

I don't want to spoil any more of the plot than that, but I have a few other thoughts. First of all, this book was incredibly well-paced; it was a page-turner from the very first words, and I absolutely loved the characters, especially Sunny (who is the narrator and therefore everything is from her pov although the book is written in third person) and Orlu, who are most likely going to end up hooking up in some form or fashion. The book sets itself up for a sequel, which the author said in an interview that she's working on, so I'm really excited about that.

The other obvious thing is that this book is very different from other fantasy books, most notably because the characters are all people of color, and the book is set in Nigeria; it's about as far away from US Urban Fantasy as you can get, and it is seriously fantastic. I highly recommend this book.

Post #48: Zel

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Post number forty-eight is for Donna Jo Napoli's Zel, which is a retelling of the famous fairy tale Rapunzel. While there were definitely some massive similarities between the two stories, there were enough differences to make the book intriguing and different, although it's quite dark. I enjoyed seeing the twist on the story we all know so well.

Spoilery thoughts follow.

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So the same old, same old, goes with this story: Zel is taken as an infant by a witch, because she caught Zel's father stealing Rapunzel from her garden. The catch is that the witch in this case was a very religious, pious woman for many years, who finally sold her soul to the devil because she was barren and wanted a child. The devil gave her a gift - an uncanny ability with plants - and told her it was from this gift that she would get her child. The witch - referred to only as Mother throughout this entire book - takes Zel and raises her in a secluded portion of countryside that they call the alm. (I get the feeling this is set in Germany, fwiw, although this is never actually confirmed outright.)

In the initial tale, Rapunzel meets the prince only when he comes to her tower. However, in Zel, it is precisely because she's met this boy - Konrad, who is actually a Count - beforehand that Mother decides she must be locked away. She's shut up for two years, throughout which Konrad searches for her ceasingly, and during this time is when the book gets really dark. For being shut away has impacted Zel in some very dark and dangerous ways; she's basically suicidal, although she doesn't ever actually hurt herself with the intent to end her life. She also sees visions that aren't there, and most of them involve Konrad's horse, Meta. She does some other things that are just disturbing and kind of gross, as well, which basically paint a very bleak mental picture of her.

The ending is the same as always; Mother finds out that Zel has been meeting up with Konrad, and she banishes her from the tower, thereby ensuring that Konrad won't ever see her again. She also pushes Konrad out of the tower, but at the last minute decides to save his life by conjuring up a bunch of brambles at the base, which he then falls upon and blinds himself.

I couldn't help but feel extremely sorry for Konrad this entire time. The book starts with him rushing about trying to find something for Zel (she asks him for a still-warm, fertilized goose egg), and when he finally gets it, she's gone, and that's the last time he sees her until two years later, when he finally stumbles upon her tower. In the meantime, he spends nearly every waking moment (much to the alarm of his family) looking for her; then he finds her, only to have her disappear AGAIN for multiple years. But at least they get their happy ending, I suppose.

Anyway, it was an interesting retelling of a tale we all know, but I found parts of it to be super dark, which I suppose keeps with the intial fairy tales. But if you're expecting sunshine and roses, this is definitely not the book for you!