Bogormen

Title: Equal Rites
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 283
Date read: October, 2011

The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did before Death laid a bony hand on his shoulder, was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic, he failed to check on the new-born baby's sex...

Better than "The Light Fantastic", not as good as "Wyrd Sisters". I've never really taken to Terry Pratchett - he tries too hard to be funny, rather than letting it come naturally. This was no exception, so why I really liked both Granny Weatherwax (who wouldn't?!? ;) ) and Esk, I wasn't terribly enamoured by the book itself.

So 2/5 for the book itself - Granny Weatherwax adds the extra 0.5.

Title: The Grounding of Group 6
Author: Julian F. Thompson
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 290
Date read: October, 2011

Parents get mad at their teenagers all the time, right? But what if your parents got so mad that they decided to have you killed?! That's what happened to the kids in Group 6, but they don't know it yet. They think that they've been sent to Coldbrook Country School in order to get straightened out. Sure, all of them admit to having caused their parents a few problems, but they're just normal kids. They have no idea that their parents hate them enough to kill them. Group 6 is about to find out exactly what's in store for them at Coldbrook. Will they survive?

I read about this in "Shelf Discovery" by Lizzie Skurnick, and as the premise sounded absolutely fascinating, and the atmosphere like it would be similar to "Singularity" / "House of Stairs" by William Sleator, I immediately added it to my to-read list. Last week it finally arrived from Amazon.

I'd say it both lived up to my expectations and it didn't. The premise was indeed fascinating, and I thought Julian Thompson handled it well. Sure, you'd have to take a bit of a leap of faith to believe in the premise in the first place, but within the limits he set himself, he made it work. I'd love to have seen the letters to the Doctor though, or heard the other side of the conversations with the parents.

The atmosphere was nothing like William Sleator's books, but I'm not going to fault the book for something I dreamed up.

I know it was probably meant to be annoying, but I loved how Doctor turned everything he said into a song - I've SO been known to do that myself. I do try to limit myself though - I know it tends to annoy people more than amuse them ;)

Title: Ship of Destiny
Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 906
Date read: October, 2011

The dragon, Tintagila, released from her wizardwood coffin, flies high over the Rain Wild river. Below her, Reyn and Selden have been left to drown; while Malta and Satrap attempt to navigate the acid flow of the river in a decomposing boat.

Althea and Brashen are finally at sea together, sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters to rescue the Vestrit family liveship Vivacia, who was stolen by the pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing amongst their ragtag crew, and in the mind of the mad ship itself. And all the while the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as she sails to her destiny.

I hadn't thought it possible, but I have to say that this trilogy is even better than the Farseer trilogy. I think it's possible that I just liked the characters better, and that the plots themselves are comparable.

My favourite part by far was seeing the various characters grow and mature. Malta especially of course, but also Keffria and to a part the Satrap. I think that is one of the greatest strengths of Robin Hobb's writing - the characters aren't static, and they aren't two-dimensional.

I'm sad to see the story end, but think I will wait until my next vacation to read the Golden Fool trilogy - the books are extremely gribbing, and it has been entirely too difficult to put them down to go to bed or get to work this past week. It'll be so much easier if I don't have such constraints.

Title: Pectus' sten (The Stone of Pectus)
Author: Lise Bidstrup
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 250
Date read: October, 2011

What if the world isn't at all like most people think?
What if demons are real, and very, very close?
And what if it all falls upon a boy and a girl to prevent the world to descend into chaos?

Isabell can hardly believe it, when she is approached by a member of the secret "Higher Order". The gentleman tells her a fantastic story about a world that consists of so much more than what people can see, and that this world will only be able to continue, if she agrees to a quest: finding the stone of Pectus.

Laus definitely can't believe it, when he receives a letter saying that he has been chosen to participate in a super-secret TV-show called "The Stone of Pectus". Still, he ends up in a plane heading towards Orvieto, Italy where things turn out to be very different from what he had expected.

I was contacted by the author herself, asking me if I'd be willing to review this book. The premise sounded good, so of course I agreed. Fortunately I did not live to regret that decision ;-) The book arrived late one afternoon, and by the following evening I had finished it. It's a fun story, easy to read, and captures the attention of the reader, even when she - as in this case - is quite a bit older than the target audience.

Thankfully, in a well-written book that really doesn't matter. I enjoyed the plot, loved seeing the friendship grow between Isabell and Laus, and had my own private snigger at the names Lise Bidstrup had chosen for both the good and the bad supernatural creatures (the demons were called "Pravus" and "Ingratus" - once I saw that I was pretty sure it wasn't a coincidence that one of the good guys was called "Auxilius", and stopped to look up the rest :) ). I'm always relieved when I like a book I'm asked to review - it makes everything so much more comfortable :)

Title: Raging Robots and Unruly Uncles
Author: Margaret Mahy
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 96
Date read: October, 2011

Brothers Jasper and Julian get a horrible shock when their children provide them with their heart's desire! Jasper is wicked and his seven faint-hearted sons are a severe disappointment to him. Julian is good, and his tomboy daughter is a disappointment to him. When the children create two tyrranical robots to send to each other, Jasper and Julian begin to realize that they have made a terrible mistake.

I first encountered Margaret Mahy in general and Raging Robots and Unruly Uncles in particular when Dad read this aloud to us back in 1990. Ever since then, the book has popped up my in thoughts on a regular basis, but I was never really able to find it anywhere, so I forgot about it again.

Then, when I was browsing Amazon.co.uk the other day, I found that it was finally available from Amazon Marketplace for a decent price, and naturally went straight out and bought it. To my great joy it arrived in the mail a mere 4 busines days later.

Great was my trepidation when I picked it up... would it live up to my expectations? I remembered it as a hilarious story with lots of mischief, but would my 32-year-old-self think likewise?

Fortunately the answer was yes. It fully stood the test of time and I left my husband much bemused by laughing out loud at more than one occasion, without being able to tell him exactly why.

My inner 10-year-old is much appeased.

Title: The Fox Inheritance
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 2/5
# pages: 384
Date read: October 2011

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox.

I read "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it, so I had high hopes for this sequel. Unfortunately it didn't even come close to living up to my expectations. There were aspects of it I liked - especially the Bot-driver Dot - but as a whole it just didn't work for me. The writing was spotty (not just "disjointed for a reason" like in book one), the transitions didn't really work, and though the book tried to lead up to the resolutions of two conflicts, neither were really satisfyingly resolved, as Mary Pearson used what most of all seemed like a deux ex machina to kill two birds with one stone.

It was intriguing enough to keep me reading, which is pretty much the only reason why it gets 2 stars rather than just one, but that's all I can say in its favour.

Title: Dragonsinger Author: Anne McCaffrey Genre: Fantasy Rating: 5/5 # pages: 240 Date read: March 2006, September 2008

Pursuing her dream to be a Harper of Pern, Menolly studies under the Masterharper learning that more is required than a facility with music and a clever way with words.

This is one of those books that would have been too short practically no matter how long it was. One of my very favourite books, and one of my introductions to the fantasy genre. I love the atmosphere it describes, and would love to experience some lessons at Harper Hall myself... even though I'd probably be more likely to be one of the clueless girls (although not as cruel I hope) than Menolly.

I love the lyrics that start off each chapter. Usually when books have lyrics or poems as introductions to chapters I just skip them, but here they seem an integral part of the book :)

It's a shame no more books have been written about Menolly's life at Harper Hall. I was so disappointed with Dragondrums, because I wanted to read more about Menolly - not Piemur.

Those of you who've read more Pern - are there any more books about Harper Hall at all?

Title: The Woman Who Rides Like A Man Author: Tamora Pierce Genre: Fantasy Rating: 9/10 # pages: 216 Date read: August 2007, October 2011

Summary: A knight at last, Alanna of Trebond heads out to seek adventure in the desert of Tortall. Captured by desert tribesmen, she is forced to prove herself in a magical duel to the death. But her real challenge doesn't come until after she wins. As the first female shaman, Alanna must fight to change the ancient traditions of the stubborn desert tribes -- for their own sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

Review: When I first read this quartet, I stopped after the two first books, because it just seemed wrong to me to read about Alanna when she wasn't still at the palace. I didn't realize that her adventures other places could be just as interesting to read. Fortunately I got over it, and now enjoy this book just as much as the rest of the series.

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Title: Third
Author: Lorna Summers
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 965
Date read: July 2007, April 2009, October 2011, December 2014

Summary: Set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to that of "A Handmaid's Tale" this story takes place in a world where only a small percentage of men and women are fertile. The population is kept from extinction by 'thirds' - fertile women who chose to serve as a surrogate mother as often as they can before they retire.

Charlotte Bennigan is an experienced third. Matt is her 6th "little husband", and she's already been pregnant 8 times by the time he moves in, so she assumed she knew exactly what to expect. She knew how to have a friendly, affectionate yet professional relationship with him. But Matt is nothing like any little husband she's ever met before and suddenly it becomes difficult to separate business from pleasure and remember what's appropriate for a third and her 10 year younger little husband.

Review: Third is one of those few books that I really cannot put down - forgoing sleep in order to read just a couple of more pages, not only on my first read-through, but in every subsequent reread. It's LONG (965 pages), but doesn't feel long, because I'm totally drawn in from the very first page. It's well-written, poignant, funny, devastating and just plain fascinating. Though I know what's happening quite well by now, I still alternatively laugh out loud and wipe my eyes while reading it. It has some of my favourite literary scenes, that just break my heart with the beauty and emotion of them.

I love the characterisations - the people become REAL to me, and they draw me in the way few others can. Lorna has managed to make the people three-dimensional, and I ended up caring for all of them and wanting to learn more about their internal relationships, their triumpths and their failures.

Third is still in the final stages of editing and thus not ready for purchase yet. I'll be sure to let you know when that changes.

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