Neil Gaiman interviews Terry Pratchett

"Discworld and the Alzheimer’s together have given me a platform."

— Terry Pratchett

A fascinating chat between two amazing authors: Terry Pratchett interviewed by Neil Gaiman. Pratchett's new Discworld novel Snuff is out today in the U.S.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor

Karou is an art student living in Prague. But unknown to her friends, she has a secret life as foster-daughter and errand-runner for a demon. Karou grew up in the shop of a chimera named Brimstone, who collects teeth (for what purpose, Karou doesn't know) and pays for them with wishes. But Karou doesn't know who she is, really. There is an emptiness inside her that makes her feel that there should be something more. Until she meets the angel, and he tries to kill her.

Anyone who thinks that YA fiction is easy to write should read Laini Taylor's books. Taylor has obviously worked hard to perfect her craft, and it shows in every word, every metaphor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is her best book yet: a magnificently written story in every way. The mystery of who Karou really is, and what's really going on, is compelling, and draws you in as it gradually teases out the reveals.

There is romance—oh, yes, such a romance—but there is also so much more than that. War, and the way that war corrupts all the participants, is a major theme of the book. Daughter of Smoke and Bone shows all too clearly the devastating consequences of war, and the way that each side vilifies the other to justify its own position. This is a book that I think will appeal to teens and adults of both genders.

I hope I won't be spoiling anything to warn that the book ends on a cliffhanger. I didn't realize that it wasn't a standalone book until I got close to the end of the book, and I started realizing that things weren't going to wrap up in time.

Buy Daughter of Smoke and Bone from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Reviewed from ARC. Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong

Enthralled is an anthology of paranormal stories by leading authors in the field. Each story has something to do with the theme of a journey, either physical or metaphorical.

As with any anthology, there are some stories I loved, and others that I didn't care for. Overall, though, this is a strong anthology, and I enjoyed most of the stories. There's a wide variety of stories here: romantic, humorous, tragic, scary, and funny. There are fairies, ghosts, vampires, zombies and various other things that go bump in the night.

Many of the stories in the anthology tie in with a book or series by the story's author. I had no problem understanding any of these stories, but I felt that a couple of them depended too much for character and world development on people having read the corresponding books, and in those cases I found that I never came to care very much about the characters. Good short fiction packs a lot of punch in a short word count, and the ones that were most successful were those, like Carrie Ryan's "Scenic Route," where the author created new characters and a new story within the context of their pre-existing world.

Other stories that I loved in this anthology:

"I.V. League," by Margaret Stohl. It was a little strange at first, but it turned into a hilarious satire of the college admissions process.

"Things About Love" by Jackson Pearce. Although this is another one that ties in with a book, I thought this story stood well alone and had good character development. A young man tries to help a female genie understand love, as he struggles with his own crush on another young man.

"Bridge" by Jeri Smith-Ready. Another book/series tie-in that stands well alone. This is a touching free verse story of two brothers, one dead and one alive, trying to reconcile their past.

"Giovanni’s Farewell" by Claudia Gray is a sweet ghost story about an unfulfilled life.

Authors included in this anthology are: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Caine, Ally Condie, Kimberly Derting, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Mary A. Pearson, Carrie Ryan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jessica Verday, and Rachel Vincent.

Buy Enthralled from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Reviewed from ARC. Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Call for Cybils '11 Panelists!

It's that time of year again. The air has started to take on that Autumn feel, the school buses line the streets in the mornings, and the Cybils have put out the call for panelists. For anyone who isn't familiar with them, the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards, aka the Cybils, are a series of awards given each year by the children's book blogging community to the best children's and young adult books of the year.

This is not one of those casual blog awards that go around from time to time; the Cybils are serious business by people who are passionate about children's and YA books. We have structure and organizers and criteria (literary merit AND kid appeal) and our own internal tracking database. Nominations will open to the public from October 1 to 15, and anyone can nominate. Following that, two rounds of panelists will read the books. The round 1 panel reads the long list of nominated books to choose a shortlist of finalists. The round 2 panel reads the finalists and chooses a winner.

Being a panelist is hard work, but a lot of fun. It's great to participate in such an intense reading and discussion panel with other people who love books as much as you do. To be a panelist, you must blog about children's or YA books at least some of the time, and you must be able to commit the time to read and discuss the books. (Round 1 panelists don't have to read all the books, but should plan on reading at least 3-4 books a week from October through December).

Click here to learn how to apply to be a panelist. Submitting an application doesn't guarantee you a slot, because we always get more applicants than slots, and competition is fierce. If you're applying for one of the Fantasy and Science Fiction panels, I'll be looking for people who are widely read in the genres and show depth and breadth of knowledge about SFF. (For example, paranormal is included in the SFF category, but if that's all you read, you don't have breadth). If your blog doesn't show of your SFF geekiness to it's fullest extent, please feel free to let me know in the comments anything that would help me to fairly consider you. Pictures of you in costume at a con count for bonus points.

New this year the Cybils has added a book apps category! Applicants for panelists in this category must have an iPad. If I weren't already doing SFF, I'd be all over this category. Also, as an experiment this year, we will be allowing nominations of books published as ebooks without a corresponding print edition, with some limitations, in the YA Fiction and SFF YA categories only. So if you're applying for those two categories, be prepared to read some ebooks. (All panelists have to be willing to read ebook review copies, but in all other categories there must be a corresponding print edition). Read more about the changes here.

Let the games begin! May the odds be ever in your favor.

17 ways humanity's first contact with aliens could go down

The Syfy Channel's DVICE blog posted this great slideshow, based on a report from scientists at Pennsylvania State University and NASA's Planetary Science Division. DVICE spiced it up with pictures and references to classic SFF, but the original report, "Would Contact with Extraterrestrials Benefit or Harm Humanity? A Scenario Analysis," looks equally fascinating. The authors of the report are Seth D. Baum, Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University, Jacob D. Haqq-Misr, Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, and Shawn D. Domagal-Goldman, NASA Planetary Science Division. How awesome is it that these serious research institutions are actually thinking about things like this?

17 ways humanity's first contact with aliens could go down

NPR Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

NPR has posted a list of the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books, as nominated and voted on by NPR's audience. As you would expect, this is a terrific list of books. I enjoyed perusing the list and rediscovering old favorites that I'd forgotten, like Rendezvous with Rama, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Crystal Cave. I was pleased to discover that I've read at least 53 of the top 100, with a few more that I might have read but can't remember for certain.

Save the Monstrumologist for a chance to win!

I just heard the sad news that Rick Yancey's excellent YA Monstrumologist series is being discontinued by Simon & Schuster. The loss of this series would be tragic, because there's nothing out there like it. It has a classic horror feel, real literary value, and plenty of action and suspense. Here's my review of book 2: The Curse of the Wendigo

Stephanie Reads is offering a chance to win a complete set of the series, including the new book due out next month, The Isle of Blood. The books will be autographed and personalized by the author. All you have to do to enter is to write Simon & Schuster and ask them to change their decision. Click here for more information and to enter.

Book Review: The Boy at the End of the World

The Boy at the End of the World
by Greg van Eekhout

Fisher's first moments of life could end up being his last. Born from a pod of bubbling gel, he comes to awareness in a lab that is collapsing around him. Fisher manages to escape with the help of a slightly dysfunctional (and humorous) robot that Fisher names Click from the noise that the robot makes. Fisher is the only "specimen" who survived the destruction of the Ark, which was built to preserve the species of the Earth, so he may be the last human left. Accompanied by Click and a young Mammoth that Fisher calls Protein, Fisher sets off to find out if there are any other humans surviving anywhere.

The Boy at the End of the World is a delightful post-apocalyptic novel that strikes the perfect tone for middle-grade readers. It's amusing, touching, and occasionally scary (the nano Intelligence that they meet is quite creepy), and it touches on themes of friendship and what it means to be human.

Fisher has "darkly pigmented" skin, giving this book bonus points for diversity. Here is an interesting post from author Greg van Eekhout talking about Fisher's skin color, the development of the cover, and his own background.

Buy The Boy at the End of the World from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Reviewed from ARC. Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: The Map of Time

The Map of Time
by Félix J. Palma

The Map of Time is an ode to the Victorian era, and in particular to those Victorian writers like H.G. Wells and Bram Stoker who were the forerunners of genre fiction. It's a clever book, with a self-aware narrator who speaks directly to the reader and makes sly asides, and multiple stories that connect in surprising ways. However, it takes more than clever writing to make a good book, and this is one that I didn't enjoy.

One problem is just that this isn't really the time travel science fiction story that I expected. I can't say too much about this without spoiling things, but I think this is a book that will appeal more to literary fiction readers than science fiction/fantasy readers.

If that were the only issue, I would put it down to either inadequate marketing, or my own misunderstanding, and leave it at that. However, there are other problems with the book. The writing style relies too heavily on long, expository passages. The first hundred and fifty pages are a slog, although it does get somewhat better after that. The characters are unlikeable; there wasn't one character that I could truly say I liked or admired, and a few that I outright disliked.

The thing that bothered me the most, though, was the misogyny that permeated the book. Women are objectified and treated with contempt, by the narrator as well as the male characters. The few female characters are portrayed as frigid, empty-headed, or incredibly gullible.

There are two "romances" in the book. The first one involves a wealthy young man who, after seeing a portrait of a Whitechapel prostitute, becomes obsessed with her, stalks her, and pays for her services. And this is the foundation on which their romance is built. Do prostitutes really fall in love with their clients? Pretty Woman aside, I don't think it's credible.

I don't want to spoil anything, but it probably won't come as a surprise to anyone that this woman falls victim to Jack the Ripper. When her "beloved" is offered the opportunity to go back in time and save her from the Ripper, it never occurs to him to go back a little further and save her friends who were also killed by the Ripper. For that matter, it never occurs to him to go back even further and save her from becoming a prostitute in the first place. Of course not, because his own happiness is the important thing and the woman is just an object serving that purpose.

The other romance in this book involves a man concocting an elaborate lie (involving time travel, of course) to get a young woman into bed. When she seems about to acquiesce, he feels a little bad, but then reassures himself that she's only "getting what she deserved." Um, really? This sounds more like a foundation for rape, not romance.

I understand what Palma was trying to do in this book: in the letter from the author at the beginning of the ARC he talks about immersing himself in the Victorian era. Palma was trying to channel the Victorian writers and write from their perspective. However, while he may have emulated their style, I don't think that he has the skill of a Dickens or Wells or Stoker, and even with the biases of earlier centuries, none of those writers wrote with such a misogynistic point of view. By coincidence, the last book I read before reading The Map of Time was Bram Stoker's Dracula, which plays a part in The Map of Time. In Dracula, Mina is actually quite a heroic character, and while the men in the book do treat her with Victorian sensibilities — there's much talk about protecting her, for example — it's clear that they also respect her.

I've read some glowing reviews of this book, so not everyone shares my opinion.

Content advisory: sexual content and graphic descriptions of Jack the Ripper's murders.

Buy The Map of Time from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Reviewed from ARC. Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. Some of the bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

What's your favorite fantasy world?

Underland Press is inviting readers to nominate their favorite secondary worlds for possible inclusion in their forthcoming book, If You Lived Here: The Top 30 All Time Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds. Some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy books are those that take you on a trip of the imagination to elsewhere. There's so many great science fiction and fantasy worlds; which ones will you nominate? Click here to submit your nominations. My only complaint is that the nomination form only has space for three nominations. I don't know that I can pick only three!

Harry Potter Exhibit

A few weeks ago, when we were in New York City for Book Expo America, we went to see the Harry Potter exhibit at Discovery Times Square. This is a wonderful exhibit of props, costumes, and set pieces from all of the movies, and I highly recommend it to any Harry Potter fans. Even if you aren't a fan of the movies (I've never liked them as much as the books) it's still a wonderful experience to see real-life versions of all the amazing things from the books: the Fat Lady, the Sword of Gryffindor, the horcruxes, even Dobby and Kreacher.

The exhibit is organized into thematic groupings, such as Quidditch, the common room, and the various classes such as Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. You can see the Marauders' Map and try to puzzle out the margin notes in the Half-Blood Prince's potions book. There are even a few interactive areas where you can sit in Hagrid's chair (it's big!), throw a Quaffle, and pull up mandrakes.

The exhibit runs through September 5 and advance tickets are recommended.

Harry Potter Exhibition information

Buy Tickets

Canadian Prix Aurora Awards Announced

Last month, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association announced the finalists for the Prix Aurora Awards for the English language awards:

www.prixaurorawards.ca/wordpress/

(Thanks to nominated author Craig Russell for the news)

The Fellowship of the Rings Extended Edition in Theaters Tonight!

See The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition in theaters for one night only TONIGHT, June 14! The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will show on June 21, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on June 28.

From the press release:

The events will begin with a new and personal introduction for each film from The Lord of the Rings™ director Peter Jackson captured from the set of his current film, and The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, and will be immediately followed by the Extended Edition feature presentations which altogether include nearly three hours of additional feature footage carefully selected by Peter Jackson.

For more information and to purchase tickets:
http://ping.fm/6Ulqh

Book Review: Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry

Benny Imura was just a toddler on First Night, when the world fell to the zombies, but he has flashes of memory from that night. He remembers his half-brother Tom taking him and running away, leaving his mother behind to become one of the walking dead. Because of this, Benny knows that Tom is a coward, even if other people think he's some bad-ass zombie hunter. Benny refuses to apprentice with Tom, even though he has to find a job by the time he turns fifteen, or his rations will be cut in half. Finally, jobless on the eve of his fifteenth birthday, Benny has no choice but to ask Tom to take him on as an apprentice zombie hunter. But when Tom takes Benny on his first trip into the Rot & Ruin, the zombie-infested world outside the walls of the town, Benny begins to learn that things are not as simple as he expected. For who can make sense of a world where heroes become monsters and monsters turn out to be human?

I'm not all that interested in zombies, and when this book was nominated for the Cybils award, I resisted reading it initially. But when several of my fellow Cybils panelists not only added it to their working shortlists, but actively pushed for it, I had to read it. I was glad that I did!

Rot & Ruin is not only an action-packed story with suspenseful scenes that will keep you reading late into the night, but it also has depth and character development. The heart of the story is Benny's developing relationship with Tom, and coming to terms with the past and the present. Even killing zoms is not as simple as it seems; Benny learns from Tom to recognize that they once were human, with loved ones who might mourn them still. As often is the case in horror, the real monsters are not the zombies, but the humans.

On its surface, Rot & Ruin is a zombie novel, but it's really much more than that. At it's heart it's a Western, with some Samurai mythos added for good measure. (But then, there are close ties between Westerns and Samurai movies, anyway). In one scene where Tom steps into a confrontation, I swear I could hear the music from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in my head.

There's an ethnic diversity in this book that feels genuine, not forced. Of course the survivors of a diverse nation would be diverse, and the population of the town of Mountainside reflects that. Benny himself is half Japanese, and his half-brother Tom is a full Japanese-American. (Tom and Benny share a father but have different mothers). Tom is a hot guy, a deadly fighter, and yet sensitive too, which makes a welcome change from the frequent stereotypes.

With a couple of strong female characters, and a credible teen romance (from a guy's point of view), Rot & Ruin has something for everyone.

Rot & Ruin was the 2010 Cybils Winner for Teen Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Buy Rot & Ruin from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Audio book from audible.com
Barnes & Noble

The sequel to Rot & Ruin, called Dust & Decay, will be published August 30.

Preorder Dust & Decay from Amazon.com

Preorder Dust & Decay from Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound

Preorder Dust & Decay from Barnes & Noble

Reviewed from library copy. FTC required disclosure: The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight

Thirteen Days to Midnight
by Patrick Carman

Jacob Fielding can’t die. He can’t even suffer injury. His foster father transferred this amazing power to him just before they crashed into a tree, killing Mr. Fielding instantly. But while being indestructible sounds great, it has a darker side, as Jacob and his friends Milo and Oh (short for Ophelia) discover as they try to understand the power, then use it to help people. Death can’t be defeated; put on hold it lies in wait. And the three teens find that there is a terrible price to pay for trying.

Patrick Carman has a knack for writing gripping stories with lots of teen appeal. The straightforward writing style, combined with a dark and creepy story and credible teen characters, should make this a win with reluctant readers. Yet there’s enough depth and character development to also appeal to good readers who enjoy a creepy story. I like that Jacob, the narrator, is just an ordinary teen boy who does the kinds of things that teens do, like trying to impress the girl. Mr. Fielding never explained the power to Jacob, and as the three friends struggle to understand the “black lion,” as they call the power, they make mistakes that they will have to pay for in the end.

Thirteen Days to Midnight was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy & Science Fiction—Teen category.

Buy Thirteen Days to Midnight from:

Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Audio book from audible.com
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Firebrand

Firebrand
by Gillian Philip

Seth is the bastard sun of the dun captain Griogar. His father barely acknowledges his existence, and most of the people in the dun revile and torment him, when they aren't ignoring him. But when his older half-brother Conal takes him under his wing, the two form a special bond. So when Conal is exiled to the full-mortal realm, of course Seth goes with him.

Seth and Conal are Sithe, and have the ability to speak mind-to-mind. Sithe also live extremely long lives, but they aren't immortal and can die on the point of a sword—or in a fire. And in the late 16th century, full mortals consider Sithe abilities to be witchcraft, and witches are burned at the stake. Can Seth and Conal survive long enough to live out the term of their exile and return to their own world?

Firebrand is an exciting story driven by a strong narrative voice that leaps off the page. Seth is an interesting character: stubborn, arrogant, and temperamental, yet redeemed by an abiding loyalty to his brother. Although initially he appears to care about no one but himself, he grows through his love and loyalty to Conal, and he shows a deep ability to care in spite of his prickly exterior. Gillian Philip did an amazing job of creating a narrator who should be unlikeable, but whom we can’t help but begin to like and care about.

The plot is exciting, with enough action to keep the pages turning. In fact, it leaps right into the action as Conal is about to be burned at the stake, then much of the book is a flashback that shows how they got to that point. There’s also plenty of political intrigue, and romance as well.

Firebrand appears to be primarily only available in the UK at this time. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy as a Cybils panelist. There are some copies available on Amazon Marketplace, but other than that, readers in the US may have difficulty finding copies. I hope that this excellent fantasy series will be available in a US edition before too long.

Firebrand was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy & Science Fiction—Teen category.

Firebrand on Amazon.com (try the used and new link)

Firebrand on Amazon UK

FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. Some of the bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Inheritance Book 4 announced

Random House has announced that the fourth and final book of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle will be published on November 8, 2011. The book will be titled Inheritance. Click here for more information on the Random House web site.

Authors for Japan

The pictures and reports coming out of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami are horrifying. When I read things like this:"In the town of Otsuchi, out of a population of 15,000 people, 12,000 people are missing," I want to cry. The thought of it is staggering.

A group of authors in the UK has organized an online auction to raise money to help the Japanese through the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. You can bid on 150 donated items and services, including things like autographed books, critiques, cover designs, and web site creation. All money raised goes directly to the British Red Cross. Bidding is open now, and continues until 8pm GMT on Sunday, March 20.

Although the auction is hosted in the UK, overseas bids are accepted as long as those bids are in UK pounds. This is a great opportunity for those of us in the US to get copies of books currently only available in the UK, and help the people of Japan at the same time.

I'd like to point out a couple of items that might be of particular interest to readers of this blog:

Signed first edition hardback of SCRIVENER’S MOON by Philip Reeve
Sequel to Fever Crumb and A Web of Air. I don't think that Web of Air is even available in the U.S. yet, and it looks like Scrivener's Moon isn't even available in the UK until April, so it'll probably be a while before there's a US edition. Reeve says, "...if the buyer wishes, I can do a drawing on the title page as well." Who wouldn't wish a Philip Reeve drawing on the title page? Bidding will probably go pretty high on this one, but it's for a good cause, right?

Signed copies of FIREBRAND and BAD FAITH by Gillian Philip + two signed FIREBRAND posters + character naming
Firebrand, by Gillian Philip, is an excellent UK fantasy that I read for the Cybils. I'm actually rereading it right now so that I can review it, and I'm enjoying it just as much the second time around. This one is not generally available in the US either, and I highly recommend it. It combines fey folk with medieval witch burnings and a strong narrative voice from an interesting POV character.

There are many other excellent items and services to bid on, so head on over to Authors for Japan and check it out.

Book Review: Finnikin of the Rock

Finnikin of the Rock
by Melina Marchetta

As the son of the Captain of the King's guard, Finnikin grew up at the palace with the royal children as playmates. All that changed when the royal family of Lumatere was brutally assassinated, and the land invaded by a cousin of the King. After five days of horror, a barrier of darkness surrounded Lumatere, trapping half of the population inside the kingdom, while those who had fled were trapped without, exiles from their own land.

Finnikin is one of those exiles, and he has spent the last 10 years growing up under the protection and guidance of the former King's First Man, Sir Topher. The two travel all the lands, doing what they can to help the other exiles in the refugee camps, and trying to find a new homeland for their people. Then Finnikin and Sir Topher are summoned to the cloister of the goddess Lagrami, where they are introduced to a girl, the novice Evangeline, who claims to know that the crown prince is alive.

Accompanied by Evangeline—one might say bullied by her—Finnikin and Sir Topher begin a dangerous journey to try to find the truth, seek the crown prince, and gather together the remnants of their people.

Finnikin of the Rock is a lovely, meaty fantasy: the kind I cut my teeth on. The world building is rich, with not one, but many different cultures sharing the continent. The Lumateran culture in particular is interesting, different enough from our own to seem exotic. At times, though, the differences are off-putting and make it hard to identify with the characters. For example, the Lumaterans have a habit of insulting those they care most about. The insults are, to my ear, cutting, but they apparently are a type of bonding.

The writing seems forced in places, such as when the author is too-obviously concealing information from the reader. Of course, limiting the reader's knowledge to what the character knows and figures out is a valid and frequently used technique in these types of stories, but in some places here it's done so obviously that the reader is left feeling like Finnikin must be an idiot for not figuring things out.

Some things are not well-explained. For example, what is the cause of the dark barrier surrounding Lumatere? There's generally no magic in this world, although there are some magical-type abilities that come from the goddess. However, one wouldn't think that a goddess would create such a thing that would cause such pain to her people, and if not her, then where did the power come from to create it?

Overall, I found reading Finnikin of the Rock frustrating, because I liked a lot of it so much, but there were enough things that bothered me that I couldn't lose myself in it. Even so, I think this is a book with strong appeal to fans of high fantasy. There are enough other bloggers who loved it unreservedly that I think it deserves a place in a school or library collection, where I think many young epic fantasy readers will eat it up.

Finnikin of the Rock was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy & Science Fiction—Teen category.

Buy Finnikin of the Rock from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Audio book from audible.com
Barnes & Noble

FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Please Ignore Vera Dietz
by A.S. King

To say my friend died is one thing.

To say my friend screwed me over and then died five months later is another.

— Vera Dietz (from the prologue)

Vera's best friend Charlie is dead, and Vera has to live forever with the fact that she hated him at the end, that he rejected her and hurt her after a life-long friendship. While Vera tries to come to terms with his death and the events preceding it, she delivers pizzas, fights with her dad, makes out with an older guy at the town landmark pagoda, and secretly takes up drinking. She also has to deal with the thousand Charlies who visit her, trying to get her to clear his name. But Vera isn't ready yet, and isn't sure that she wants to.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a smart, intense book written in an authentic teen voice. Most of the book is narrated by Vera, but there are occasional interjections from Charlie, Vera's dad, and even the pagoda. Scenes in the present alternate with Vera's memories of past times with Charlie, memories that all have relevance to what happened in the end. Part of the pleasure of this book is the mystery; the truth is revealed gradually as the layers of exactly what happened are rolled back.

The truth that is revealed is horrible, and sad, and deep. This is a story of a lost soul, and maybe if the people around him had done things differently, it might have made a difference. And yet, as layer after layer is revealed, one also begins to see that the truth is complicated, and that knowing the right thing to do isn't always easy. In the end, this is a book that made me cry.

Recommended age range: teen

Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy/Science Fiction: Teen category.

FTC required disclosure: Book reviewed from library copy. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.

Book Review: The Curse of the Wendigo

The Curse of the Wendigo
The Monstrumologist, Book 2
by Rick Yancey

This sequel to last year's The Monstrumologist, finds Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, the Monstrumologist of the title, in the interesting position of arguing against the existence of a monster. When Warthrop receives word that his former mentor intends to propose adding the Wendigo, a mythical American monster that resembles a vampire in some ways, to the canon of Monstrumology at the next conference, Warthrop prepares a speech in opposition to the inclusion of such superstitious nonsense. When Warthrop's old friend John Chanler disappears on a quest for the Wendigo, Warthrop and his young assistant, narrator Will Henry, begin a dangerous journey through the Canadian wilderness in search of Chanler, even though Warthrop believes that search to be hopeless.

I've never been a fan of horror, but I love this series in spite of my squeamishness. I probably would never have picked up the first book, especially with it's original hideous cover, except for three things: it was nominated for the Cybils in 2009, I'm a fan of Rick Yancey (here, here, and here) and my teenage son, who also doesn't like horror, gave it his highest recommendation.

The series is wonderfully written, in a style reminiscent of classic horror, yet with a modern sensibility that will appeal to today's teens. There are some, er, pretty graphic scenes, so this isn't a series for younger children or sensitive readers.

For most of the book, The Curse of the Wendigo is slightly less of a bloodbath than the original Monstrumologist book, and moves a little more slowly, relying on suspense more than outright horror. However, there are still enough detailed descriptions of bodies with entrails hanging out and eyes removed to satisfy the most jaded horror reader.

But really, The Curse of the Wendigo is very much a character driven book. And what characters! I adore Will Henry. On the surface he is obsequious and timid, yet underneath he has a depth of resolve and courage, which is revealed to a much greater degree in this book. We also see Dr. Warthrop in new light here, as some of his past, and some unexpected aspects of his personality, are revealed. Through their hardships, his relationship with Will Henry develops, and while he is still the same arrogant and impatient doctor, by the end some change has crept in. There are some new characters introduced, including Lilly, a delightfully obnoxious 13-year-old girl who makes it her mission to torment Will, and who is certainly destined to be the first female Monstrumologist.

The Curse of the Wendigo was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy/Science Fiction: Teen category.

FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.