Wands and Worlds

Book Review: Exodus

2008-05-07T11:57:00.001-04:00

Exodus
by Julie Bertagna

Mara Bell lives on a small island called Wing in what used to be known as the North Atlantic. Now, the whole world is flooded from the melting of the polar icecaps, and as far as the people of Wing know, they are the only ones left in the world. But even Wing is shrinking, as year by year and month by month, the sea rises, swallowing up what little land is left.

Then Mara, who has been using a defunct technology to explore the dead remnants of what used to be a global information network called the Weave, discovers that there may be others still alive: New World cities built above the water in the days when the seas started to rise. With no hope left and nothing to lose, the Wing islanders set out in small boats in hope of finding the New World city of New Mungo.

Mara's boat reaches New Mungo at last, only to discover that things are far, far different than they expected. Mara learns just how much she does have to lose. But no matter how bad things get, Mara can't give up. In the midst of devastation and despair, Mara is determined to find a way to help the people she cares about.

Although global warming is the topic of this book, Exodus is not a message novel. It's just an amazing story that will keep you enthralled and touch your heart. It's a story of the power of individuals to change the world. There are messages in the story - such as the need for individuals to take responsibility for their world - but Bertagna never lets those messages get in the way of what is, first and foremost, a good story. Mara displays unimaginable courage. Some of the things that she did literally made my heart race, and I can't imagine that I would ever have the courage to do the things she did.

There's so much that I loved about this book. I love that there's no black and white absolutes. The character who is ultimately responsible for the evils of the New World is someone who started out trying to do the right thing but who made some bad decisions along the way. I love that Mara is, later in the book, faced with the same decision that she most blamed him for, although on a smaller scale, and that she comes to understand that it's not such an easy decision.

I loved that, while there is a prophecy that seems to apply to Mara, it, too, is not black and white. Does Mara do the things she does because they were foretold? Or is it just a coincidence that some parts of the prophecy seem to match up with her? How much of Mara's actions are predestined, and how much are just because she is a courageous, creative, and determined individual?

I loved the way the drowned city of Glasgow is portrayed, and how it is remembered by the people living amongst its ruins. I love that Mara questions why the "dreamswomen" are not remembered by history like the men.

Bertagna has done an outstanding job with world building. She created not one, but several richly developed cultures, from the treenesters living in harmony with nature, to the high tech city of New Mungo.

The story and central conflict in Exodus are wrapped up in a satisfactory way, but there is room for a sequel, and according to the excerpt in the back of the book, one is on the way. I look forward to reading Zenith when it's released in the U.S. in April, 2009.

Book Review: The Keeper's Shadow

2008-04-22T13:25:00.002-04:00

The Keeper's Shadow
The Longlight Legacy, book 3
by Dennis Foon

In this exciting and powerful conclusion to The Longlight Legacy, time is running out as Darius, Master of the City, begins to accelerate his plans towards an unknown purpose. People are dying, victims of a new technology that seems to rip out their very life force. And Darius appears to be building a new Dreamfield construction that just may make his power unstoppable.

Roan has found the mountaintop sanctuary of the Apsara, a secret group of warrior women descended from one of the four original rebel armies. There, he attempts to forge an alliance between the Apsara, the Brother - the religious sect responsible for the destruction of Roan's village - and other diverse groups both inside and outside the city, to fight the growing power of Darius. But Roan knows that half the battle will be fought in the Dreamfield, so Roan and Lumpy set off on a quest to find the abandoned Foresight Academy, a school founded by the Dirt Eaters, in hopes of finding a map of the Dreamfield in the library there.

Meanwhile, Stowe has escaped the City, but is alone and in bad shape, possessed by a Dirt Eater bent on using or destroying her. Willum and Mabatan find her, but exorcising the Dirt Eater possessing her could kill her or damage her psyche. While Willum tries to save Stowe, Mabatan works to help Alandra, Roan's Dirt Eater friend, as she suffers Dirt withdrawal.

As the various groups converge on the camp of the Brother for a conference of war, Roan tries to find a way to bring the disparate, and sometimes contentious, groups together. Because only by uniting their diverse abilities do they have a prayer of defeating Darius.

The Keeper's Shadow is not only a worthy conclusion, it's probably the best book of the series. Foon masterfully brings together all the elements that he set in motion in the previous books. Roan really comes of age in this book as he struggles to learn how to be a leader, a role he is reluctantly thrust into. All the other characters are wonderful - deep and complex and often more than what they appear to be. Lumpy really comes into his own, showing a keen intelligence and insight coupled with an empathy that gives him a unique ability to bring people together.

While religious and mystical themes play a role in all the books, they really come to the fore in The Keeper's Shadow. The book probes deeply into questions of faith and belief, as Roan struggles to figure out how to lead a religion he doesn't personally believe in, and other characters are shown to have a surprising faith even in the face of personal knowledge. (I can't say more than that without giving away some plot points). Questions are raised, such as, if a religion or a prophecy is "made up," does that mean that it can't also be true? And, of course, the Dreamfield itself, that mystical "other world" of the psyche, plays a key role, as Roan encounters the living, the dead, and even a god there.

Read my reviews of book 1, The Dirt Eaters, and book 2, Freewalker. You can also read my interview with author Dennis Foon here.

Book Review: Ratha's Creature

2008-04-10T18:49:00.006-04:00

Ratha's Creature
The First Book of the Named
by Clare Bell

What if there were prehistoric cats who took the first steps towards civilization? That's the premise behind Ratha's Creature and The Named series. The Named are a tribe of large prehistoric cats who have learned to keep herds of prehistoric herdbeasts. Ratha is a yearling in training to be a herder. Females are discouraged from becoming herders under the dictatorial rule of clan leader Meoran, but Ratha's teacher Thakur believed she had promise and convinced Meoran to allow him to train her. In addition to keeping the herdbeasts from wandering, the herders have to protect them from the Un-Named, cats who have no clan and no name and who live by preying on the herds of the Named.

When a forest fire temporarily drives the Named from their home, Ratha discovers that fire is not just an enemy: it's a tool that can be used and controlled. Her discovery frightens the clan and threatens Meoran's leadership, and Ratha is driven out of the clan. Exiled and alone, Ratha lives on the edge of survival until she meets one of the Un-Named, and discovers that not all of the Un-Named are as dimwitted as she has been led to believe.

Ratha's Creature is an intense, emotional roller coaster of a book. It's the coming of age story of a remarkable adolescent, but it's also a story of the eternal battle between social status quo and social change. Ratha is the perfect change agent: she's impulsive, rebellious, and stubborn, but also creative, courageous, and determined. She's a remarkable character that you can't help but like in spite of her shortcomings, and teens will identify with her struggle to make sense of the world around her and find her place in it.

It's the characters - and the interaction between them - that really make this book. Besides Ratha there's Bonechewer, appealing arrogant and sardonic, yet amazingly patient with Ratha's occasionally irascible nature. Then there's Fessran, courageous and loyal, who stands by Ratha even when Ratha loses faith in herself. And finally Thakur, who loves Ratha in his own way, yet fears the change that she represents.

Ratha's Creature is a fast read - I think I read it in less than 24 hours, which is fast for me, because I couldn't put it down. Yet there's a lot to chew on here, too, with an emotional depth and a complexity of social and psychological situations. And here's a remarkable thing: the book has 42 reviews on Amazon.com, and EVERY ONE of them is a five star review. How often do you see that happen?

This book is more appropriate for mature teens than for younger readers; there's a fair bit of graphic violence, and a mating scene which is quite intense, although not overly explicit in language.

Ratha's Creature was first published in 1983 and has long been out of print. It was just republished in 2007 by the Firebird Books imprint of Penguin. They also republished books 2, 3, and 4 of the series. The new edition of Ratha's Creature is available from Amazon.com here.

A brand new book in the series, Ratha's Courage, was originally scheduled for publication in 2007 by Firebird, but publication of this eagerly awaited sequel was inexplicably cancelled. Ratha's Courage is available as an e-book from Baen Books here and should be in print soon.

There's an interesting collection of Ratha's Creature fan art here.

Celebrating Canadian Authors

2008-03-26T09:54:00.002-04:00

Colleen Mondor of Chasing Ray is heading up a celebration of Canadian authors today. Blogs from around the blogosphere are highlighting their favorite Canadian authors, and Colleen has the complete list here. You'll find my profile of Dennis Foon, as well as:

Fuse #8 on graphic novelist Kean Soo
The Seven Imps on illustrator Jessica Meserve and author Martha Brooks
Jocelyn at Teen Book Review on Carol Matas
Colleen herself has chose to highlight Pierre Berton, whose book on the Klondike Gold Rush is one of my husband's favorite books.

More entries continue to come in, so check out the Canadian literary celebration to find out about some great Canadian authors.

Spotlight on author Dennis Foon

2008-03-25T23:22:00.005-04:00

"...I thought you were a Storyteller, not an actor."

"Anything can carry a story, young Lump. Whether it's a song, a tale, a poem, or a play. Our objective remains the same: to plant the seeds of doubt and righteous indignation in the people."

The quote above, from YA science fiction novel freewalker, could just as well describe its author, Dennis Foon. Foon is a novelist, a playwright, and a screen writer, and his works do seem destined to "plant the seeds of doubt and righteous indignation" in people. His books and plays pack a powerful punch, whether he's dealing with environmental devastation and war in The Longlight Legacy, the roots of male aggression in War and Skud, gambling in Chasing the Money and Double or Nothing, or racism in Skin.

I've been absorbed in Foon's fascinating young adult series, The Longlight Legacy, a blend of science fiction and fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by environmental catastrophe and war. I reviewed the first book, The Dirt Eaters, here, and the second book, freewalker, here. I'm currently reading book 3, the keeper's shadow. You can also read my son's review of The Dirt Eaters here and freewalker here.

Dennis was kind enough to answer some interview questions:

"The Longlight Legacy" is very complex, with multiple plot threads, shifting alliances, and very rich and detailed world building. How did you keep everything straight? Can you describe your process of planning and writing the series?

I have to confess that I originally planned it as one not-too-long book. But about half way through the first draft of The Dirt Eaters, as I began digging into the characters, cultures and two worlds, I found my outline exploding on me. I always knew the beginning, middle and end, I just hadn't anticipated how much I'd be discovering when I created my own worlds. I contacted the publisher and told them that I needed three books to tell the story. Luckily, they were delighted and I was able to go where I needed. Having learned my lesson, from that point on I worked off detailed outlines.

The Longlight Legacy is science fiction/fantasy, but your other books and plays seem to be more realistic. What inspired you to try writing SFF for a change?

Actually, I've always had a finger in (and great love for) SFF. My very first (Hopwood Award) winning story was pure fantasy. And even in my realistic work there is usually a sprinkling of magic realism or wild theatricality. My television writing has spanned the gamut of SFF, writing multiple episodes for the space show Deepwater Black,(I had the pleasure on that one to work with Richard Manning of STNG and Farscape) and more recently, 2030 CE ( a Brave New World where kids run everything because of the 30 year life span) I co-created and wrote/consulted during its 2 season run. The Longlight Legacy was my first big foray into SFF prose fiction because I wanted a bigger image structure than reality could provide for the themes I wanted to address.

In both your SFF and your realistic work, you don't seem to shy away from dealing with difficult and controversial issues. You've written about topics such as violence, gambling, racism, and, in the Longlight Legacy, toxic waste and organ harvesting, among other things. Obviously your work has been well received; you've won awards and had good reviews. But has this kind of brutal honesty about the world's problems generated any backlash? Do you find that adults tend to react differently to your work than young people?

For the most part, adults have been just as receptive to my work as young people. I try to write the kinds of things I enjoy seeing or reading -- stories that are engaging and thought provoking. Probably because I get bored so easily. But I have had the odd negative experience. My book Skud was singled out by some for being gratuitously violent -- despite the fact that it is specifically about "manhood training" and the roots of aggressiveness in males -- and is certainly not gratuitously violent. But no doubt that theme makes some people very uncomfortable. For example, the play it was based on, War, was banned in one city because of its provocative language. When I asked what words were offensive, I was told some of the slang, like "skrunk" and "skud," were objectionable and I was asked to change those words. I pointed out that these slang words were invented by me. So I had the honor of having imaginary words censored!

You were born in the United States, but moved to Canada at a young age, lived there most of your life, and became a Canadian citizen. What drew you to Canada, and what aspects of living in Canada do you find most appealing?

I spent my childhood summers at Camp Tamakwa in Algonquin Park and it was an oasis from my family and the chaos of the city I grew up in, Detroit. Because of those idyllic summers, I promised myself that one day I would come to live in Canada. When I graduated from the University of Michigan's Residential College, I was offered a fellowship in Playwriting at the University of British Columbia. Theatre was booming in Vancouver at that time, and with some fellow UBC grads we started a theatre company, Green Thumb. I never looked back. Canada is by no means a perfect society, but it does have an intrinsically humanistic bent with a decent system of universal health care and other proper social services. And my adopted city of Vancouver is simply one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

After high school, you studied religion before you became interested in writing and changed your focus. Have your religious studies influenced your writing?

I studied the phenomonology of religious experience. The Longlight Legacy is one of my first developed attempts at exploring some of my mystical obsessions. But those early, intense studies most certainly filter through the rest of my work.

What are some of your favorite books and authors?

At the moment I'm thoroughly enjoying Tom Holland's excellent history book, Persian Fire, Martin Kemp's Leonardo and am about to crack open Lukyanenko's Nightwatch. I'm addicted to Jasper Fforde who is pure, unabashed guilty pleasure, bow down to Cormac McCarthy (Blood Meridien was a big inspiration for Dirt Eaters) and Philip Pullman, adore Ian McEwen and David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas blew my mind) and love having my brain messed with by Haruki Mirakami. And I'm currently adapting Allan Stratton's Chanda's Secrets as a screenplay, and Michael Ignatieff's Scar Tissue for the stage. Both terrific, heartfelt novels.

* * *

You can read a biography of Dennis Foon here.

Book Review: freewalker

2008-03-25T14:21:00.004-04:00

freewalker
by Dennis Foon
The Longlight Legacy, book 2

In The Dirt Eaters, Roan and his sister Stowe were the only survivors of Longlight, a town living by principles of peace and hidden away from a world devastated by war and toxic waste, until it was destroyed by raiders and its inhabitants massacred. Roan escaped, but he was unable to save Stowe, who was captured and taken away to the city.

Now Roan is living in Newlight, a sanctuary where he is attempting to start a new life, along with friends he met in his travels: Lumpy, a Mor-Tick survivor, and Alandra, a healer. The three of them are caring for fourteen children that they rescued from being sent to the city to be used by the Masters of the City. Like Roan and Stowe, the fourteen children have special abilities, which Alandra has cautiously begun to explore. Alandra has been taking the children to the Dreamfield, a dimension of the spirit that can be reached by eating Dirt, a substance mined from an asteroid impact site which conveys special mental powers to those who eat it. Then disaster strikes, as all fourteen children simultaneously fall into a coma. When Alandra is unable to awake them, Roan and Lumpy set off to try to find a way to save the children.

Meanwhile, Stowe has been deified in the city as "Our Stowe," an idol created by the Masters to control the population through worship. Stowe is no longer the frightened child she was when she was brought to the city; her training and her experiences have made her wise beyond her years. She plays her roles well - loving adopted daughter to Darius, the Eldest, as well as the idol Our Stowe, but she knows that she is being used and manipulated by Darius. Stowe's growing powers are formidable, but she is as yet no match for the Masters and Darius, so she meekly bides her time until she can find a way to escape.

It's impossible to try to describe these books in a few paragraphs, and my description above barely scratches the surface of this rich, complex book. As I was reading this book, it struck me that it reminds me in some ways of one of my all-time favorite books, Frank Herbert's Dune. Beyond the obvious similarity between The Longlight Legacy's Dirt and Dune's melange, both addictive substances with mind-enhancing abilities, there's a complex web of politics and shifting allegiances and secret orders and spies and traitors and mysticism here that evokes a sense of Dune without being derivative.

In spite of these similarities, The Longlight Legacy is a highly original series. Foon has done an amazing job of creating a richly detailed world populated by a variety of cultures and characters. In this second book of the series, we finally get to know Stowe, and she's quite a compelling character - in some ways she's still a young girl, and a girl wounded by her experiences, in other ways, she's as wily and manipulative as the Masters who trained her. Stowe is also addicted to Dirt, an addiction that sometimes drives her to extremes.

Then there's Roan, who is wrestling with both the demons of the past and prophecies of the future. Roan must confront his own demons of guilt and loss before he can help the children. Along the way, his preconceptions, and those of the reader, are shattered time and again, as people turn out to be different than Roan has come to believe.

The story is intense and holds your interest, although I did find Stowe's story to be the more compelling of the two in this book. This is definitely a series that I'm going to want to go back and read again.

There are some horrifying things in the book, such as organ harvesting from children to keep the Masters alive, so this isn't a book for sensitive readers. Although there is a summary of the first book at the beginning of this one, I highly recommend reading The Dirt Eaters first because of the complexity of the series.

Arthur C. Clarke, 1917 - 2008

2008-03-19T17:05:00.008-04:00

By now, you may have heard the sad news that science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke has passed away. Clarke was one of my favorite writers as a youth, and his writing had a big influence on me. Besides being one of a handful of science fiction writers whose work inspired a life-long love of the genre, he also had a lot to do with my teenage dream of being an astronaut. While I grew out of wanting to be an astronaut, his stories, with their optimistic view of technology and of mankind's future, influenced my worldview.

Clarke's most famous work is the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he wrote with Stanley Kubrick based on Clarke's short story The Sentinel. My favorite of his novels was always Rendezvous with Rama, in which a team of astronauts explores a strange, unoccupied, 30-mile long alien spacecraft traveling through the solar system. I loved the mystery and the ambiguity as they attempted to decipher all the strange things they found in Rama before time ran out. However, to me, Clarke's best works were his short stories: they were clever, pithy, and often ended with a surprising twist. They often displayed both his concern about the world's problems, and his optimism that mankind can rise above our petty differences and evolve to a new level.

Clarke is famous for his three laws, the last of which has been widely quoted:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

The world has lost a brilliant man and a great writer.

Other references:

The New York Times Obituary

A bibliography of his work at ArthurCCLarke.net

Edited to add:

Galley Cat Post.

LiveJournal tribute by rpk (Brian Siano).

Colleen Lindsay shares her remembrances of Sir Arthur.

Matthew Cheney muses on the end of an era.

IEEE Spectrum: Final Thoughts from Sir Arthur C. Clarke

Monarch buttefly deforestation

2008-03-12T22:15:00.005-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows how important the monarch butterflies have been in my life. My family started raising monarchs together as a family project six or seven years ago, and every summer we search for monarch eggs, nurture them through all the stages, and release the butterflies. These little creatures are a miracle, and we never get tired of watching them make their amazing transformations. Several years ago we started planting milkweed to encourage the monarchs to come around our house. My husband was inspired by our experiences with monarchs to write a book, The Dark Dreamweaver, which includes a monarch wizard. If it weren't for the monarchs, I probably wouldn't be here, blogging about children's books.

One amazing thing about the monarchs is their annual migration. Every year in the Fall, they migrate to Mexico, where they spend the winter. In the Spring they migrate northwards again. There are several generations between the northbound butterflies in the Spring and the southbound ones in the Fall, yet somehow those southbound butterflies know where to go, and they go to the same places year after year. Unfortunately, those places are under attack by loggers. Now, a new satellite image recently published shows that in spite of Mexico's creation of protected zones, illegal logging continues to devastate the monarch buttefly overwintering grounds.

Click here to view a pair of satellite images of Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico. The first image was taken in 2004, and the second one was taken on February 23, 2008. The image clearly shows large areas that have been clear cut inside the protected zone, where logging has been illegal by presidental decree since 2000.

If this deforestation continues, the monarch migration could be disrupted. If that happens, this beautiful and inspiring creature could disappear from the earth.

Butterfly image © copyright 2005 Sheila Ruth; all rights reserved.

Book Review: The Key to Rondo

2008-03-10T22:00:00.001-04:00

The Key to Rondo
by Emily Rodda

It all started when Leo inherited Aunt Bethany's music box. The music box is beautifully painted with tiny, detailed scenes that Leo loves examining with a magnifying glass. It also comes with rules: never wind the box more than three times; never turn the key while the music is playing; never pick up the box while the music is playing; and never close the lid until the music has stopped. Aunt Bethany left the box to Leo because she knew that Leo is the responsible type who will follow the rules. But when Leo's obnoxious cousin Mimi Langlander comes to stay, the rules get broken and the unexpected happens.

Mimi and Leo discover that the music box is the gateway to the land of Rondo, and together they travel to Rondo to rescue Mimi's dog Mutt, who has been kidnapped by the evil Blue Queen. Leo doesn't even want to be in Rondo. He doesn't want to risk his life to help Mimi find her annoying dog. But Mimi is determined to rescue Mutt, and Leo can't just abandon her. But what Leo learns in Rondo convinces him to stay; he realizes that they must do more than just rescue Mutt. Rondo needs their help, and Leo isn't leaving until they do what needs to be done.

Accomplishing this won't be easy. Leo and Mimi are in an unfamiliar land, and knowing whom to trust is as difficult as navigating the dangers of Rondo. But the two children find friends and help in unexpected places, and, more importantly, learn to trust and care for each other.

The Key to Rondo uses many standard fantasy elements, but it's saved from being cliché by the imaginative way that Rodda develops those elements. The land of Rondo is beautifully detailed and peopled with interesting characters who sometimes turn out to be more than they seem. There are many imaginative details that make the book a delight to read, from the cameo appearances by fairy tale characters, to the infestation of "dots," a pest species in Rondo that look exactly like Aunt Bethany's gingerbread men. (Although I loved this latter detail, I admit to also being annoyed that it wasn't more fully developed; I wanted to know how this obviously invasive species was introduced to Rondo, and if they were indeed related to Aunt Bethany's gingerbread).

Sophisticated readers may find that The Key to Rondo doesn't have enough depth to hold their interest. However, it's a gentle fantasy that's perfect for younger readers, especially those who find many YA, and even middle-grade, fantasies too intense. There's enough tension and conflict in The Key to Rondo to keep it interesting, without being overly frightening or violent.

Book Review: Betrayal on Orbis 2

2008-02-27T20:52:00.005-05:00

Betrayal on Orbis 2
The Softwire, book 2
by P.J. Haarsma

Johnny Turnbull - JT to his friends - is a softwire: he has the rare and highly prized ability to communicate mentally with computers. But JT and his friends are indentured servants. They were born from frozen embryos on a seed-ship, and their parents, who were already dead before the children were born, sent the children to the Rings of Orbis in hopes of a better life. JT and the other children will have to work off their parents' debt for the passage as servants on Orbis; when their term is ended, they will have the opportunity to apply to become citizens.

In the first book, Virus on Orbis 1, JT had to solve the problem of a malfunction with the central computer, while trying to prove that he wasn't the once causing the problem. Now, JT, his sister Ketheria, and the other children in their group have other problems. Their guarantor, Weegin, is essentially bankrupt, and instead of turning the children over to the Keepers as directed, he takes them to Orbis 2 to sell them.

JT ends up with a new job, communicating with the Samirans, huge aliens who live in the water and are responsible for cooling the crystals harvested on Orbis. Because of his softwire abilities, JT is the only one who can communicate directly with the Samirans. The Samirans are upset, and it's JT's job to find out why before the Samirans can disrupt the upcoming harvest of the critical Crystal of Life. If he succeeds, he'll be a hero on Orbis. If he fails, the consequences will be enormous. But JT learns that there are dirty secrets lurking under the surface of Orbis, and that there is more at stake than success or failure of the harvest.

Betrayal on Orbis 2 is the kind of outer space adventure that I loved in middle school. With non-stop excitement, rich world building, and lots of cool aliens and technology, this is a great book for science fiction fans and reluctant readers. JT is an interesting and well-developed character, and his character development is well-done within the context of the story without slowing down the action. JT struggles with wanting to do what is right, but wanting to protect himself and his friends, two goals that are sometimes at odds. In one powerful scene, JT, who has been made controller of the group by the guarantor, is ordered to punish one of the other children who has been a bully and a problem for JT and the other children. JT knows that it would be wrong, though, and refuses to do it, until the guarantor threatens JT's sister if he doesn't perform the punishment.

Many of the minor characters are not as well developed, although the bully Switzer is more fully developed in this book than in the first one, and in many ways becomes a sympathetic character while still remaining a thorn in JT's side. Haarsma excels at creating sympathetic villians, who are convincingly hateful but have enough pathos to make them "human," even the aliens. In fact, some of the alien secondary characters are more interesting than the human ones.

You could probably read Betrayal on Orbis 2 without having read the first book, but I think it will make more sense if you read Virus on Orbis 1 first. Go ahead and read them both; The Softwire is a great science fiction series. Put it in the hands of reluctant readers and watch them get hooked.

Betrayal on Orbis 2 will be published on March 25, 2008.

Haarsma has set up a foundation to encourage reluctant readers and to help provide books for libraries, schools, and other institutions in need. Click here for more information about the The Kids Need to Read Foundation.

There's also a multi-player online game (MMORPG) associated with the books; I haven't played it, but it looks really cool. I might actually try it! Click here for the Rings of Orbis game.

Andre Norton Award 2007 final ballot

2008-02-24T22:20:00.005-05:00

The final ballot for the Nebula Awards has been announced. There are seven finalists for the Andre Norton award, which is the Nebula's young adult category, and I've read five of them! The five that I've read have all been excellent books and it'll be interesting to see which one wins the final voting. The books on the final Andre Norton ballot are:

(books I've read are in bold, and I've added a link to my review for books that I've reviewed)

Vintage: A Ghost Story, by Steve Berman

Into the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst* my review

The Shadow Speaker, by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu my review

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex**

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog, by Ysabeau S. Wilce my review

The Lion Hunter, by Elizabeth Wein

* Cybils finalist
** Cybils winner

(Via Sarah Beth Durst)

Congrats, Greg!

2008-02-20T21:18:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Greg Fishbone, author of The Penguins of Doom, on the birth of his beautiful daughter Alexi. Today, 6-day-old Alexi is the guest blogger on Greg's blog. Read Alexi's observations of this strange universe she finds herself in.

Book Review: Ink Exchange

2008-02-18T15:25:00.005-05:00

Ink Exchange
by Melissa Marr

On the surface, Leslie seems like a normal teen, but she hides the truth of her life from her friends. Ever since her mother left, Leslie's life has been difficult. Her father has basically abdicated responsibility for the family, and Leslie's drug-addicted brother controls the house. Leslie tries to pay the bills when she can, and stay out of the way of her brother's drug dealing cronies—especially since some of those cronies raped her with her brother's permission for payment of his debt. Leslie lives in fear, but she's determined to take control of her life. She decides to get a tattoo as a symbol, a promise to herself, and a way to reclaim her own body.

One of Leslie's friends is Aislinn, the new Summer Queen of the faerie. But Aislinn is keeping her own secrets—she doesn't tell Leslie about her new faerie life, or that her new friends are not human. Aislinn wants Leslie to have as normal a life as possible, so she has forbidden any of the faerie to reveal themselves or their nature to Leslie. But keeping secrets can have unforeseen consequences. Leslie doesn't realize that her new tattoo will tie her to the faerie King of the Dark Court, Irial. Nor does she know that Aislinn's friend Niall, who appears to show an interest in her, is really a faerie whose powers are devastating to mortals.

As Leslie becomes more closely tied to the Dark Court, she finds the darkness exhilarating and liberating. But the price that Leslie has to pay for freedom from fear may be more than she is willing to pay.

Ink Exchange is the sequel to Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, and if anything, I liked it even better than Wicked Lovely. It's a very different book—much darker, for example—but I thought the writing showed more maturity and I found it a very compelling read.

Leslie is a difficult character to identify with, because she keeps her emotions so tightly restrained due to the devastating events in her recent past. But I think Marr successfully walks the line in portraying a character who is both "broken" and strong. But more interesting than Leslie are some of the faerie characters: Niall, who is tormented by his attraction to Leslie, knowing what will happen if he gets too close, and Irial, a reluctant Dark Lord who isn't entirely evil in spite of the horrifying things he does. I love the duality in these characters, the yin and yang of characters who have aspects of both darkness and light. Irial cares about his people and feels a deep sense of responsibility. If he didn't have both the darkness and the caring, he wouldn't be as good a king for the Dark Court. And conversely, Marr shows the dark side of the Summer King as well.

One thing that upset me is that the Advanced Reading Copy I read is labeled for "Ages 12 and up." I really don't think that this is a book that most twelve-year-olds are ready to read. There are alcohol and drug use, reference to a rape in Leslie's recent past, and some pretty horrifying deaths. I think it would have been more responsible of the publisher to label it as "Ages 14 and up," knowing that twelve-year-olds who are emotionally ready to deal with such things would read it anyway.

Ink Exchange is scheduled for an April 29, 2008 release.

The 2007 Cybils Winners!

2008-02-14T10:38:00.003-05:00

Hooray! The winners of the 2007 Cybils awards have been announced! For fantasy & science fiction, two outstanding books won:

Elementary/Middle Grade:

The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re- named it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve-year-old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother--accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and a slightly illegal hovercar--and realizes that there's more at stake than just her mother's whereabouts. A terrific satire with a touching ending and spot-on illustrations by the author, the novel is heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. Gratuity's narrative voice as she struggles to define "the true meaning of Smekday" will draw readers in.
Nominated by jennifer, aka literaticat.

Young Adult:

Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
On her first day as a Lady’s Maid, Dashti finds herself locked in a tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Thus begins a life-and-death battle against evil and time. Lyrically written and set in ancient central Asia, this novel retells a little-known Brother’s Grimm fairy tale with desperate, heart-wrenching emotion. Readers will be drawn in by the beautiful language and fighting spirit of Dashti, whose faith, spunk and ingenuity affect not only the darkness of her tower, but also the hearts and futures of kings.
Nominated by Sarah Miller.

I loved both of these books and think that they are outstanding choices!

View the 2007 Cybils winners in all categories

Congratulations to the authors, illustrators, and publishers of the winners!

I'd like to thank the Cybils Fantasy and Science Fiction category judges for their hard work in reading the finalists and choosing the two fantasy and science fiction winners:

Gwenda Bond, a writer and critic
Libby Gruner, an English professor who specializes in Children's and YA literature
Chris Rettstatt, YA author of the Kaimira series
Janelle Bitikofer, YA/Children's writer
Michele Fry, Independent scholar and writer

My favorite books that didn't make the Cybils shortlist

2008-02-11T22:05:00.000-05:00

I love the Cybils Fantasy and Science Fiction shortlist. It's a beautiful list of ten amazing books that I think all deserve to be on the list. But, to come up with the list, we all had to make compromises, and each of us on the nominating committee had to sacrifice some of our favorite books. While we're waiting for the announcement of the winners on February 14, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite Fantasy and Science Fiction Cybils nominees that didn't make the shortlist:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J. K. Rowling
I know that a lot of people thought that there were problems with this book: too much time in the tent, and the darn epilogue that either was unnecessary or didn't go far enough, depending on your point of view. But, I loved it. It affected me so strongly that I had some kind of post-reading emotional reaction. For days after I finished it, I was moody, irritable, and weepy. Part of that was just because it was the last book in the series, but part of it was a reaction to the powerful themes, events, and character development. Camping notwithstanding, I really thought this was one of the best books of the year.

Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon
by Rick Yancey
This is a fast-paced book with an "everyman" hero and a healthy dose of humor. With fast cars and demons from hell, it's a great book for reluctant readers who love action movies. Read my review of The Seal of Solomon.

Wildwood Dancing
by Juliet Marillier
Based loosely on the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, this book is no fairy tale: it's a richly textured, fully developed fantasy that draws on Transylvanian folklore. Jena is a strong heroine, fighting to protect her family and all she loves in a world where women are powerless. Read my review of Wildwood Dancing.

Through the Eyes of a Raptor
by Julie Hahnke
When American Kelly MacBride's mother dies, she's sent to live with her grandmother in Scotland. Kelly is a stranger in a strange land, as she learns to adjust to the customs of her new land. But things are stranger than she realizes at first, as Kelly begins to suspect that there are supernatural forces at work.

I'll admit it: this book caught me by surprise. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I found it a well-written novel which drew me in and held my interest. I engaged with the main character and felt her pain over the loss of her mother. I liked the fact that it kept surprising me, and that good and evil aren't always clear-cut or black and white. I hope to publish a longer review soon.

Dragon Slippers
by Jessica Day George
The best thing about this book is the dragons: each dragon has a distinctive personality, and you can't help but like them. This is a must read for dragon lovers. Read my review of Dragon Slippers.

First Light
by Rebecca Stead
Although superficially similar to City of Ember, First Light is very different in a lot of ways. It's a compelling, character-driven story about two children facing challenges in the context of their environment. Read my review of First Light.

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy
by Gregory Maguire
This was another book that caught me by surprise. I didn't have any interest in reading a book about a tooth fairy, but once I started, I was totally captivated by the twin stories: one of a family trying to survive a natural disaster, and the other of a lonely skibbereen seeking his place in the world. Read my review of What-the-Dickens.

Cybils update

2008-02-11T19:35:00.000-05:00

Less than three days left until the Cybils winners are announced! The winners will be posted on Valentine's Day, February 14: this Thursday! Look for them on the Cybils blog. I'm so excited and I can't wait to see all the winners! What a great Valentine for book lovers.

While we're waiting, here's a few more reviews of Fantasy and Science Fiction nominees by members of the nominating committee:

The judging committee members aren't supposed to post reviews of the finalists until after the announcement of the winners (because it might give too much away!) But if any of the judges post reviews after the announcement on the 14th, I'll post links to them here!

Sarah Beth Durst takes on Snow White and Rose Red

2008-02-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

Sarah Beth Durst, author of Cybils Fantasy and Science Fiction finalist Into the Wild, has an ongoing feature on her blog where she posts obscure fairy tales with humorous commentary. Last week she posted a hilarious version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red. If you want a good laugh, check it out!

Book Review: Incarceron

2008-02-03T22:57:00.001-05:00

Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron is a 2007 Cybils finalist.

Incarceron is a prison, a penal colony of sorts. All "criminals, undesirables, political extremists, degenerates, lunatics" were placed in Incarceron, along with 70 wise men called Sapienti to guide them, and then the prison was sealed. No one can enter or leave Incarceron and only one person—the Warden of Incarceron—even knows where it is located.

Centuries later, most of the inmates don't believe that "outside" even exists. But Finn does. Finn has no memories of a time before he awoke in a cell in Incarceron a few years back. Most people believe he was born of Incarceron - a child of the prison created from the recycled bits and pieces of human waste. But Finn believes that he came from Outside, and is determined to find a way back. Life in Incarceron is brutal, violent, and harsh, and Finn survives through a combination of wits and recklessness, and with the help of his oathbrother, Keiro. When Finn gains possession of an ancient artifact, a crystal key, he believes it is proof that he came from Outside. Finn and Keiro, along with an elderly Sapient and a rescued slave, embark on a quest to find the way out of Incarceron.

Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a position of wealth and prestige. But Claudia is trapped as surely as the inmates of Incarceron; she lives in a society bound by strict social rules, and her destiny was set for her from the time she was a young child, when she was betrothed to the Crown Prince of the Realm. The Crown Prince, Caspar, is spoiled, self-absorbed, and unpleasant. Claudia can handle Caspar—her father has trained her for this her entire life—but the thought of a lifetime of nothing but court politics is depressing for the spirited, curious young woman. Claudia believes that the key to her future lies in Incarceron, and along with her tutor, a Sapienti named Jared, seeks a way into the prison.

As Claudia seeks a way in and Finn seeks a way out, the two come into communication. Each finds that they must come to terms with a reality that is far different than either expects. As they battle for their lives, dark secrets are revealed and loyalties called into question. And the greatest enemy of all may be Incarceron itself.

Incarceron is a riveting book that keeps you turning pages. There are plenty of plot twists, mysteries, excitement, and secrets to hold your attention from the beginning to the very end. Even things that seem obvious may not be as they seem; there's enough ambiguity to keep you guessing.

The characters are fascinating and have depth and dimension, even many of the minor characters. Many of them seem to be holding back secrets, and motivations and loyalties aren't always clear. Finn and Claudia are remarkably well-drawn and complex characters. Living in such a brutal environment, Finn has had to develop a certain ruthlessness and recklessness to survive, and yet somehow he has managed to keep a sense of compassion and humanity as well. Claudia is also ruthless in her own way, and well-suited to the political machinations of her world, yet increasingly impatient with them. She fears her father, and yet retains an independence of self in spite of her years of training. As the story progresses, she becomes increasingly willing to take risks and step outside what is expected of her.

Although much is resolved and much is revealed, there are some things left open at the end of the book, and the reader is left with a sense that there are still secrets left to be revealed. Luckily, there's a sequel in the works, to be called Sapphique.

Unfortunately, Incarceron is not published in the U.S. yet. It is available from some of the Marketplace vendors on Amazon.com, or from Amazon UK.

Vocabulary quiz/meme

2008-02-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

I don't often participate in these meme things, but I love words, so when I found out about this vocabulary quiz, I couldn't resist.

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!

You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Thanks to Shaken and Stirred for pointing this out.

Absence, Congrats, and Break a Leg

2008-02-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I've been really busy with some family things:

My son participates in a First Lego League team, which I coach. First Lego League is a program where a team of kids builds a robot using Lego Mindstorms to accomplish a series of missions. They also have to do a project related to the theme for the year. This year's theme is energy conservation and alternative energy use. The tournament was last weekend and I'm thrilled to say that their team, the Sorcerers of Science, won the Team Spirit award. They're a great team and they really earned the cool Lego trophy. Congratulations to the Sorcerers of Science!
The other thing that's been keeping us busy is that my son is playing the title role in the musical Oliver, based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, at the Oregon Ridge Dinner Theatre. Nick and I have been helping with the lighting and sound crew so we've all been busy with rehearsals. Opening night is tonight and I want to wish all the cast and crew, but especially my son, a great opening night. Break a leg!

I hope to start posting reviews again over the next couple of days. And, of course, it's less than two weeks until the Cybils winners are announced!

Inheritance book 3 announcement

2008-01-16T11:39:00.000-05:00

Random House has announced that book 3 of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle will be called Brisingr! It will be released on September 20, 2008. The cover features a picture of the gold dragon Glaedr.

From the press release:

“BRISINGR is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it’s always felt right to me,” said Christopher Paolini. “As the first ancient-language word that Eragon learns, it has held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. In this new book, it will be revealed to be even more meaningful than even Eragon could have known.”

Read the press release here.

Brisingr is the sequel to the popular books Eragon and Eldest. Fans have speculated that the title of the third book would begin with an 'E' also, like the first two books. Empire was a popular guess for the book 3 title. I think the actual title will catch a lot of people by surprise.

The Random House AuthorTracker email provides more clues to the title and cover: "Both elements of the cover, the gold dragon Glaedr and the title, touch on Eragon’s inheritance. With his painting, John Jude Palencar has captured the dignity and wisdom of Glaedr, and Random House has again designed an awesome book cover."

Book Review: Dragon's Keep

2008-01-13T15:03:00.001-05:00

Dragon's Keep
by Janet Lee Carey

When King Arthur's younger sister Evaine was exiled to Wilde Island, Merlin made a prophecy to her:

The signs all point to the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island.... Three things the stars say of this queen. She shall redeem the name Pendragon. End war with the wave of her hand. And restore the glory of Wilde Island.

...And yet I see darkly in the stars...a beast"

Many years later, Evaine's descendent Rosalind grows up knowing that she is to be the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island and destined to fulfill the prophecy. But there's one problem: Rosalind was born with a birth defect. The ring finger on her left hand is a dragon's claw instead of a finger, a sure mark of the devil. Rosalind has had to spend her entire life gloved, for fear that someone will see the mark.

Rosalind's mother, Queen Gweneth, is determined that she will find a way to heal her of her mark. She believes that once healed, Rosalind will marry the English Prince Henry, currently in exile in France, and that the two of them will become king and queen of England. To this end, Queen Gweneth subjects Rosalind to the ministrations of healer after healer. None of the healers are allowed to know what the problem is, of course, so they have to work without knowing what they are trying to cure. Some of the cures are unpleasant, and none of them works.

A dragon's mark is especially bad, because Wilde Island is beset by a dragon, who attacks and kills the inhabitants. Dragons are not looked on with favor on Wilde Island. When the dragon abducts Rosalind, she learns a lot more about dragons than she ever wanted to know, and her destiny turns out to be very different than she expected.

Dragon's Keep is a beautiful book, but a dark one. Rosalind's life is such a horror, and that the pain of it is caused by the mother who thinks she is doing the best for her daughter is unspeakable. When Rosalind is abducted by the dragon, her life is still a horror, but in a very different way. It raises the question of just who is the beast in Merlin's prophecy: the dragon or the mother? Queen Gweneth reminds me of some parents who push their children too much in areas such as sports or acting, thinking that they are helping their child and not realizing that they're carrying it too far. (As a stage parent myself, I can see how easy it is to get carried away and think that you are doing what's best for your child).

Dragon's Keep also shows how different sides in a war can perceive the same things very differently. Dragon Slippers, which I reviewed yesterday, deals with the same theme. It was interesting reading these two books so close together. They are, in many ways, very different books: where Dragon Slippers is humorous and lighthearted, although with some darker moments, Dragon's Keep is dark and intense.

The dragons in the two books are very different as well; the dragons in Dragon Slippers are so very human whereas the dragons in Dragon's Keep are clearly a different species with an alien (to us) way of thinking. And yet both books deal with the same theme of reconciling the "us vs. them" mentality in a war. In Dragon Slippers, the author takes the approach of making the dragons so likable that the reader can easily bridge the gap between "us" and "them." The dragons in Dragon's Keep, however, seem harsh to us, and yet as time goes on, we begin, as does Rosalind, to understand how they think, and we find ourselves drawn to them. And so the gap is bridged, and bridged in a way that has a stronger psychological impact.

I hope that my description hasn't led you to believe that these weighty themes drag down the story, because they don't. I doubt I would have noticed all the above quite so strongly if I hadn't read both books practically back-to-back during my Cybils reading. Dragon's Keep is a strong story, exciting, and enjoyable to read. The plot twists and revelations hold your interest and pull the story along. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in dragons, or who just likes interesting, thought-provoking fantasies.

Book Review: Dragon Slippers

2008-01-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

Dragon Slippers
by Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers is a 2007 Cybils nominee.

Creel and her brother Hagen live with their aunt and uncle, who took them in when their parents died. But the family is poor, and Creel, with no prospects for a good marriage, is a liability. So Creel's aunt sets her mind on a plan: Creel will offer herself to the dragon, and when the dragon takes her prisoner, a brave knight will rescue her and marry her, taking the entire family to live in his castle. Creel knows it's a stupid plan, but she has no choice but to go along with it.

Right from the start, things don't go according to plan. The dragon doesn't want to take her prisoner. He really doesn't want to battle a knight. And he doesn't hoard gold; he hoards shoes. Creel makes a deal with him: she'll leave, taking the need to battle the knight with her, in exchange for a pair of shoes. As Creel heads off to seek her fortune in the city, she has no idea just how much trouble those shoes are going to cause...

Dragon Slippers is a must-read book for dragon fans. It's a delightful book with a fairy-tale feel, but with more depth and better developed characters than your typical fairy tale. The story is told in the first person, and Creel's voice is a fascinating blend of naiveté and worldliness. She has a certain appealing innocence about her, and yet she displays quite a bit of grit and determination.

But the best thing about this book is the dragons. Author Jessica Day George has imbued her dragons with distinctive personalities. And each dragon hoards something different: one collects shoes, another one tapestries and others...well, you'll just have to read it and see. I don't want to give too much away. From the noble Shardas to the anxiety-ridden Feniul, you'll love them all. The book is at its best when the dragons are in the picture.

There's more to this book than dragons, though. There's a budding romance with a prince and even a ball, but Creel is no passive Cinderella. She's determined to make her own way in the world, and the ball is one for people who want to start their own business to help them find patrons to invest money to get them started. There's also a war, and heroes, and a message about how leaders sometimes distort the truth for their own ends.

For all Creel's good points, though, at times she seems a bit dim. You want to slap her for the things that she doesn't see. And the book drags a little in places. Overall, though, it's quite an enjoyable story that will appeal to dragon lovers and those who love modern fairy-tale type stories.

The Battle of Pelennor Fields - in candy

2008-01-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Shaken & Stirred, I discovered this amazing sculpture of The Battle of Pelennor Fields from The Return of the King, made entirely out of candy! My favorite part is Grond, the battering ram, made from red licorice ropes. Pure awesomeness!

Click here to see it

Edited to add:

There's a Kid safe edition for those who don't like the bad language

New Cybils SFF Reviews

2008-01-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

The nominating committee deliberations are over and the shortlists have been posted, but some of the nominating committee members have continued to post new reviews of the nominees. The following books were reviewed by members of the Fantasy and Science Fiction Nominating Committee over the last week:

View the complete list of 2007 Fantasy and Science Fiction Cybils nominees

View the shortlist of 2007 Cybils Fantasy and Science Fiction finalists