Author: Gail Carson Levine
Genre: fiction, young adult, fantasy
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2001
Pages: 241
This one may seem a little out of place among the other books I've reviewed so far, especially considering who I am: a twenty-something male college student. Throw into the mix the fact that I like to do much of my reading while I'm riding a stationary bike at the gym. Imagine, if you will, a tall young man striding into the weight room, dressed in gym clothes, a towel draped over his neck, with a water bottle in one hand and The Two Princesses of Bamarre in the other. Yeah. I had fun with this one.
In my defense, I picked this one up at my girlfriend's recommendation. I also had had some exposure to Levine's work before. In high school it seemed like all of my friends who were girls named Ella Enchanted as their favorite book, so I borrowed it from my sister and read it to see what the deal was. More recently, Levine came to my university for a science fiction and fantasy convention and read some of her latest work. I enjoyed both experiences, so I felt like I knew what I was getting into with this book.
And like Ella Enchanted, for the type of book that this is, it is pretty good. As you might guess, it tells the tale of two princesses in a place called Bamarre. Meryl, the older of the two, is the outgoing, adventurous type, always looking forward to the day when she can go on a quest and fight the monsters that constantly threaten their kingdom. Addie is her complete opposite---timid, introverted, and desiring only to live a safe and secure life. But when the mysterious and fatal illness called the Gray Death strikes, it's up to Addie to find the cure to save her sister and, incidentally, all of Bamarre.
It's a fun little story, but I have to admit it is rather predictable. From the first few pages I had a pretty good idea how the whole thing was going to play out. To Levine's credit, the author does a good job of preparing you so nothing seems to come out of nowhere, but maybe she's just a little too good at foreshadowing. On the other hand, the ending brings an unexpected twist.
I also had a problem with her sparseness of description. Now I myself am a fan of minimal description. The detail found in The Lord of the Rings is a little too much for me. Let the reader imagine as much as possible, I say. But in this book I didn't know how to imagine some things because the author doesn't describe them at all. As a reader not well versed in fantasy, I had only Shrek as an image of an ogre, which probably isn't what Levine had in mind. But she never really describes the monster. This isn't a huge hindrance to the story, but it might have been a little more alive to me had there been just a bit more description.
Still, I stand by what I said before: It's a fun little story. A nice escape from the humdrum of everyday life. And wouldn't some of those gifts Addie receives be nice? I would love to have a pair of those seven-league boots.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Three Men in a Boat, to Say Nothing of the Dog
Author: Jerome K. Jerome
Genre: nonfiction (?), travel
Publication info: Time Incorporated, 1964 (originally published in 1889)
Pages: 211
Well, now I know where Connie Willis got a lot of her ideas. I picked up this book because of the many references to it in her To Say Nothing of the Dog (not the least of which is the title). The two books have a very similar tone; I can tell that this was a great inspiration for Willis.
The premise is very simple: Three men with a severe case of hypochondria decide that a boating trip up the Thames would do them good. So they rent out a boat and take their fourteen-day journey, of course bringing their dog, Montmorency, with them. The narrator describes in wonderful ironic wit all the troubles they come across on their journey, and all along the way he inserts little anecdotes that somehow relate to the present action.
It's a silly book, all in all---and I loved it. There isn't much of a plot, but it was very entertaining. What I think I liked most about it was the voice of the narrator. He is a fine example of the unreliable narrator with his subtle sarcasm and hypocrisy. For instance, at one point he talks about the fun of getting in the way of steam launches that think they own the river; a few chapters later, he complains about the ignorant boats that are in the way of the steam launch that is towing them. And he loves work---watching it, that is.
I recommend this to anyone looking for some fun, light reading, or to anyone looking for an escape. What better way to escape than taking a trip up the Thames? And even though it was written well over a hundred years ago, its humor can still be appreciated today.
Genre: nonfiction (?), travel
Publication info: Time Incorporated, 1964 (originally published in 1889)
Pages: 211
Well, now I know where Connie Willis got a lot of her ideas. I picked up this book because of the many references to it in her To Say Nothing of the Dog (not the least of which is the title). The two books have a very similar tone; I can tell that this was a great inspiration for Willis.
The premise is very simple: Three men with a severe case of hypochondria decide that a boating trip up the Thames would do them good. So they rent out a boat and take their fourteen-day journey, of course bringing their dog, Montmorency, with them. The narrator describes in wonderful ironic wit all the troubles they come across on their journey, and all along the way he inserts little anecdotes that somehow relate to the present action.
It's a silly book, all in all---and I loved it. There isn't much of a plot, but it was very entertaining. What I think I liked most about it was the voice of the narrator. He is a fine example of the unreliable narrator with his subtle sarcasm and hypocrisy. For instance, at one point he talks about the fun of getting in the way of steam launches that think they own the river; a few chapters later, he complains about the ignorant boats that are in the way of the steam launch that is towing them. And he loves work---watching it, that is.
I recommend this to anyone looking for some fun, light reading, or to anyone looking for an escape. What better way to escape than taking a trip up the Thames? And even though it was written well over a hundred years ago, its humor can still be appreciated today.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
To Say Nothing of the Dog
Author: Connie Willis
Genre: fiction, sf
Publication info: Bantam Books, 1998
Pages: 493
I loved this book. Connie Willis has not disappointed me yet. My first encounter with her work was several years ago when I read Doomsday Book. I don't know why it took me so long to come back to her because I loved that one as well. The two books actually take place in the same universe, so to speak, but whereas Doomsday Book has a more or less serious theme, To Say Nothing of the Dog is lighthearted most of the way through.
And not just lighthearted. It's downright hilarious. Imagine P. G. Wodehouse writing science fiction, and this book is what you get. Rarely does a book make me laugh out loud, but this one did many, many times. The narrator's dry and witty voice, the quirky characters, the very human-like animals---they all combined to make one heck of a funny story. I also really liked the "summaries" at the beginning of every chapter.
The premise is a little hard to explain, mainly because it is based on the most complex idea of time travel I have ever heard of in science fiction. Willis really has thought it through, which is nice, but it's also a little confusing because sometimes the plot turns on a concept I don't entirely understand (incongruities and slippage, for example). But I enjoyed the story so much that I trusted her and kept going.
Basically, a historian from 2057 named Ned Henry is on the hunt for something called the bishop's bird stump. He has to travel back to 1940 to find out what became of it. But trouble arises when another historian, Verity Kindle, brings through time a cat from 1888. Now Ned has to go back to Victorian England and together with Verity prevent history from changing---because it's amazing what difference a single cat can make.
Most of the action takes place in the Victorian Period, and Willis does a great job portraying that era, not to mention subtly making fun of it. Her style makes the book a lot of fun to read. She seems to know England very well, even though she herself is American.
What more can I say? I loved this book, and I highly recommend it anyone---even to those not terribly interested in science fiction. It's the story that makes it. The story makes it great.
Genre: fiction, sf
Publication info: Bantam Books, 1998
Pages: 493
I loved this book. Connie Willis has not disappointed me yet. My first encounter with her work was several years ago when I read Doomsday Book. I don't know why it took me so long to come back to her because I loved that one as well. The two books actually take place in the same universe, so to speak, but whereas Doomsday Book has a more or less serious theme, To Say Nothing of the Dog is lighthearted most of the way through.
And not just lighthearted. It's downright hilarious. Imagine P. G. Wodehouse writing science fiction, and this book is what you get. Rarely does a book make me laugh out loud, but this one did many, many times. The narrator's dry and witty voice, the quirky characters, the very human-like animals---they all combined to make one heck of a funny story. I also really liked the "summaries" at the beginning of every chapter.
The premise is a little hard to explain, mainly because it is based on the most complex idea of time travel I have ever heard of in science fiction. Willis really has thought it through, which is nice, but it's also a little confusing because sometimes the plot turns on a concept I don't entirely understand (incongruities and slippage, for example). But I enjoyed the story so much that I trusted her and kept going.
Basically, a historian from 2057 named Ned Henry is on the hunt for something called the bishop's bird stump. He has to travel back to 1940 to find out what became of it. But trouble arises when another historian, Verity Kindle, brings through time a cat from 1888. Now Ned has to go back to Victorian England and together with Verity prevent history from changing---because it's amazing what difference a single cat can make.
Most of the action takes place in the Victorian Period, and Willis does a great job portraying that era, not to mention subtly making fun of it. Her style makes the book a lot of fun to read. She seems to know England very well, even though she herself is American.
What more can I say? I loved this book, and I highly recommend it anyone---even to those not terribly interested in science fiction. It's the story that makes it. The story makes it great.
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