Short Takes

"Inheritance" or "The Vault of Souls", the final book in the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini has received rather mixed reviews. Undoubtedly Christopher Paolini has a knack for forcefully dragging a plot to its fullest extent but their also is a charm in his writing which keeps readers interested despite their will. A few questions  plagued me post reading and it seemed that the author had not given enough effort in satisfying the reader. It was very odd and intriguing the way Galbatorix and Shurikan were defeated without apparent effort or  how an  army consisting of urgals, kulls, dwarves, elves, were-cats and humans struggled to defeat an army of purely humans. These 850 pages would have been better portrayed in half this size as none of us wished to hear how Eragon spent a night healing a child with a cleft lip, an event to which an entire chapter was donated to, or how well-kept the king's jailer's nails were. Despite all my rants, the book was an enjoyable read, though  immensely slow paced.


The Devil You Know (Felix Castor 1) reviewed by Fantasist.
I found this book very disappointing. I have read a number of dresden file books and simply adore them. So it was a shock to find this(also urban fantasy)so drab.
For one the protagonist doesn't have anything to work with. He's supposed to be combating demons and all other sorts of nasties with a tin whistle- yeah that's right- how ummmmm lame.
If that weren't enough the book just kept dragging trying to build a mystery that in the end just doesn't make it worth you while to have kept reading.
The author has a very entertaining writing style that's what makes it even more sad, because the book could have been so much more had the author focused on a little more action and a little less conversation especially of the boring nature. 

The Emperor of Nihon Ja

The adventure continues in the tenth instalment of the best-selling series 

When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.

Why do John Flanagan's books keep getting awesome-er and awesome-er than the last?

Doesn't matter

Cause they're freaking AWESOME!! That's why!

The characters totally well-developed, the descriptions not too sketchy yet not too light, a Wolfwind *wink* of action and suspense, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja fulfilled all my expectations....

The banters. The banters. The banters. For those of whom who enjoy the quirky banters between the Araluens, be warned; They're back and fluttering and devouring-worthy indeed.

*Another smug smile - you'll have to devour this work first to get the meaning of that enigmatic sentence.

Starting on the real review.

This book is set in Nihon-Ja (think of olden times Japan . To study the different styles of sword mastery Horace visits the country but gets stuck in the country's politics as a Senshi(warrior)Clan rises against the king. Horace bound by love and sense of loyalty for the king decides to stay on and help the rightful Emperor and his handful of Senshi warriors reclaim the throne.

On the other hand Will, Halt, Alyss and Selethen (the Arridi Wakir from book 7) are told of Horace's disappearance by Princess Casandra who joins them disguised as her alter-ago Evanlyn. they hire a Skandian crew to travel to Nihon-Ja where they meet a supporter of the Emperor and trek up the mountains to where a tribe loyal to the king. they are strong in number but one problem--because of the social caste system these Kiori have never weld weapons and now the enemy stands at the gates of their hide-away.........

while not the best book of the whole series it was still pretty good as it had all the factors that made me enjoy this series. it had adventure , a good plot which was well executed , humor, the good-natured bickering between Halt, Horace and Will and above all an epic decisive battle.

Pick of the Week

One Man.
35 Years.
100,000 toothpicks.
An amazing kinetic structure of San Francisco.













Fascinated? See how  pingpong balls travel through the whole of this amazing city at http://vimeo.com/22461692

Short Takes

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne.
2-stars
A book needs a plot, a climax and an ending.
This unfortunately had none of the above.
Unless you count 14 kids stuck in a store while the world outside is ravaged by "hail that was not the size of hail" and a gas cloud (that turned some people berserk, or have hallucinations or come out in boils) as a plot. The characters were very uni-dimensional and the only even slightly likeable character was Max, a kid whose age hasn't even been mentioned. Mediocre writing coupled with badly dealt emotional scenes was all there was to read. 
Actually come to think about it, 1 star.

The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston.
This book features some terrific prose. The writing is honed to a level rarely displayed in debut novels. Features a unique idea, and a very well developed protagonist. Miss Swainston offers some very interesting insights into the mentality of a junkie. Although there is an inherent flaw to her unique idea of having giant insects as the enemy; they aren't all that interesting and they can't have a point of view either.
I Liked this one considerably apart from the weird secondary world. I have a problem with weirdness when it stretches the limit of believe-ability, when my brain starts viewing fictional content in terms of toonish animation rather than the visually crisp dream-like experience, I rely on fantasy to deliver.
Don't get me wrong I love animation but things like three human heads on top of a rat's body or a creature with a hand in-place of a head that communicates through sign language may be delightful for some people but just doesn't work for me.(Not that any of these things actually appeared in the book, this is just an example of why I don't love Mieville-ish or new-weird aspects.)

Overall, though this is a very fine piece of fiction which I must admit in-spite of my reservations due to the secondary world weirdness. 

4 stars with reservations.

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

Introduction:

This book came as a pretty pleasant surprise since none of the reviews I had read had prepared me for the book. A mix of all mythology and legendary stories, Michael Scott makes you pick up the book by appealing to an alchemist. Yes the very one who can turn metal to gold and can brew the Elixir of Life. DO NOT try to think of him as from Paulo Coelho's master piece. Nicolas Flamel is of a more...magical? type.

Protagonists:

 The protagonists, twins :Sophie and Josh , however do not fit the bill in any way. They just love each other a little too much, their parents seem to care about them a little too less and they are simply not engaging or enchanting characters.

Take Josh. he is impulsive , suspicious and has little control over his tongue. Sophie's thought process runs the same way as her brother but she hardly ever does any thing at all. Here ends the depth of characters, constantly their love for each other is mentioned and that they have learnt to depend on each other. Other than that there is a hardly any great show of faith in each other and they hardly display any emotions. Only Josh's emotions are shown and those too only revolve around anger, mistrust and later jealousy.

But here end all my misgivings about the book. the idea behind the book is pretty awesome as it must have been difficult combining so many myths, tales,legends and folk stories together. 

Antagonist:

Dr. John Dee, the villain, is one of the most powerful, cunning and devious ones that I have come across in a long time. He is a different sort all together, convincing me that it will be hard to defeat him especially since he possess Excalibur and immense magical abilities without seemingly exhausting his aura at all.

Overall Analysis:

Despite all my misgivings, the idea behind the book is pretty awesome as it must have been difficult combining so many myths, tales,legends and folk stories together. Fast-paced and action packed, Michael Scott's masterpiece  grips the reader like never before.

Buy the book from:
Amazon.com || Amazon.co.uk

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

I had come across "Artemis Fowl" many times before actually reading the book itself. After just flicking through the pages of the book a few times I simply deduced it was a waste of time and hardly deserved any attention. About two years later I was reminded of these books by my sister who is an avid fan of this series. Deciding to give it another chance I started reading it yet again though not with much enthusiasm. I found (not for the first time) that my judgement now is much different than it was some years ago.

Artemis Fowl is 12-year old criminal mastermind who has bamboozled even the cleverest of psychiatrists  He is wholly determined to restore his family fortunes which have been greatly depleted since his father(Artemis Fowl Senior) went missing. Nonetheless even Artemis doesn't know the consequences of his plan which can easily cause an inter-species war. However when he captures Captain Holly Short a member of the 'Fairy People' he finds out that he isn't the only one with brains............

Artemis Fowl is shown to be a intelligent boy who has no care for anyone else except himself. However as the story unwraps we find out that he does care a lot about his mother and even Butler. Although he is obsessed with making money he is shown to think that family came before it. Unlike most people he doesn't believe that his father is dead and he waits eagerly for the day his dad will return.

Butler is Artemis's man-servant and is an expert in all sort of fighting skills. Like all Butlers he was trained to be a body-guard for the Fowls since the age of 10. Although he is shown to be devoid of emotion he does care about Artemis and has learned not to show any surprise at Artemis's wild schemes. In Artemis's own words:
"Butler here, my ...ah...butler, has a Sig Saucer in his shoulder holster, two shrike-throwing knives in his boots, aderringer two-shot up his sleeve, garrotte wire in his watch, and three stun grenades concealed in various pockets. --Butler could kill you a hundred different ways without use of his armoury. Though I'm sure one would be quite sufficient."
Juliet is Butler's sister and a sort of maid for Artemis. Although she plays a minor part in the story she has a very engaging personality. Unlike Butler she is not used to Artemis's ways and usually does not believe what he says.

Angeline Fowl is Artemis's mother. After the disappearance of her husband she suffered a severe mental shock which caused her to start living in her own fantasy world. Artemis loves her a lot and is always hurt when she doesn't even recognise him.

Captain Holly Short is the fairy Artemis manages to kidnap. Forced by the law to obey his instructions (because she was in his house) she is restricted from leaving her room. However the LEP police officer cleverly manages to escape. She has a sarcastic but kind personality. She even helps Butler and Artemis's mom despite the fact that Artemis kidnapped her.

Julius Root is the head of the LEP Recon squad (the one which Holly belongs to). Often he is hard on Holly because she is the first female Recon officer and is a test case to see if more female faries can join. He cares a lot about Holly and goes through a lot of trouble to try to rescue her.

Foaly is a centaur in LEP Re-con who surpasses average intelligence. He enjoys antagonizing Root and is the only one who can get away with it. He has a secure position in Re-con because no one has more knowledge about technology then him. He is slightly paranoid and believes that human intelligence agencies are everywhere even in the Lower Elements. He wears a tin-foil hat to stop them from reading his mind but come on! a genius has a right to be slightly paranoid, doesn't he?

Mulch Diggums is a kleptomaniac dwarf who soon got tired of mining in his early life. He resolved to use his talents for another purpose namely digging and entering the human's land. Of course he had to give up his magic for this but he was ready for the consequences. His other 'talents' include dwarf gas and I am so grossed out about it that I'd rather not mention what it does. He was sent by the LEP to try and rescue Holly from Artemis's clutches.

This was a really great book, an awesome start to any series. Eoin Colfer has done a great job specially in developing the characters. Once you have started to read it you simply cannot stop reading it. The plot was great and even without it the story would still have been an enjoyable read. After the end of the book you still crave for more.Its lucky that there are sequels otherwise I would want to murder the author. Its a book you should read in one go because gaps between the book cause it to loosen its grasp on you.

Buy the book from:
Amazon.com || Amazon.co.uk
Book Depository || Indiebound

Michael Sullivan on Basing Characters on Real Life People || Author Guest Post

Michael Sullivan on 

Basing Characters on Real Life People 

Hello, my name is Michael J. Sullivan and I’m the author of The Riyria Revelations which was originally a six-book epic fantasy that is just now hitting the street as a trilogy (2 books in each volume) from Orbit. As part of the launch of the series, Fantasist as graciously offered me the opportunity for a guest blog, so here I am.

In coming up with the topic I thought about questions that pop up frequently in emails or when I’m meeting with people at a convention or signing. On many occasions I’ve been asked where I get my ideas for characters.

I know that everyone reads for different reasons, but for me I primarily read (and write) to be entertained. I find that I enjoy books most when I fall in love with the characters. So it is there that I always start.

The two main protagonists are Royce and Hadrian. Hadrian is a conflicted man going through somewhat of a mid-life crisis. He makes his living by operating on the fringes of society, performing tasks that nobles don’t want to dirty their hands with, but he’s not pleased with what he is often asked to do. He provides the conscience to his partner, Royce Melborn.  To say Royce has had a hard life would be an understatement. He was abandoned as a child, grew up on the “mean streets” of Ratibor, betrayed by those he trusted, and ended up losing his best friend by committing an unspeakable act (that as it turns out really wasn’t his fault). Now obviously I don’t know anyone that fits the description of these two characters, but I do find myself channeling them from time to time.  Hadrian shares my dreams of achieving some great deed, of being a hero, saving the kingdom, and winning the girl. As for Royce, he is extremely loyal and protective of the ones he loves. When my kids or wife are dealing with “difficult people” I can feel Royce bubbling to the surface. “Do you want me to speak with them?”  I ask. The answer is always a resounding, “No,” probably because they know all too well how it would go.

As for women, the three main characters of the series are Arista, Thrace, and Gwen. I see my wife in each of them.  Arista is capable and yet sometimes doubts her own abilities. She worries about whether she will ultimately triumph over whatever challenge she is currently going up against. Gwen, because she is open, honest, and loves Royce—not despite his rough exterior, but because she can see his true self. He tries to hide but she sees through it. She loves him for what he is—without any reservations. As for Thrace, I can’t go into why she is like Robin, as it would spoil a major plot point. Let’s just say she goes through a lot of changes over the course of the series and I really like seeing the transitions she goes through.

So there you have it. I might be a bit more like Royce then I let on as it is evident as I look back at this that we are both thieves. I’ve stolen inspiration from myself and my wife, and he…well he steals everything else (and sometimes the show). I want to once again thank Fantasist for inviting me over to chat…the coffee and crumb cake was great, and I didn’t even make a mess.