Ranger's Apprentice

Published Information

Author:	John Flanagan
Genre:	Fantasy

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound(My wife and children also love the books)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (I recommend this to everyone I know that have children)

Plot Summary

The Ranger's Apprentice follows a young man, Will, who is apprenticed by one of the king's Rangers, an elite corp of trackers and archers who are trained to go throughout the kingdom and take care of problems for the king. It is said: "One riot, one ranger." Will's friends were also apprenticed into different disciplines and as the series progresses, different friends are brought it to work with him on missions or errands.

Most of Will's adventures involve his mentor, Halt who trained him as a ranger, and Horace, Will's best friend who was trained as a knight. They travel around the country investigating rumors and rescuing people.

Book Summaries

1. The Ruins of Gorlan (June 2005, 256pp) - Story of Will, a young boy who becomes the Ranger Halt's apprentice. Will and many of his friends have worked toward the day where they can be accepted into a school that they want. When the day comes, all of Will's friends are accepted into their chosen school of apprenticeship, but Will isn't accepted into any of them. But Halt, the King's ranger in the area, recognize some talents that the Rangers value, and take him into training.
2. The Burning Bridge (June 2006, 272pp) - Will, Horace, and another Ranger, Gilan, are sent into a neighboring country to follow up on some news that they have received. When they arrive, they find that Lord Morgarath about to invade. As they investigate, the find a huge bridge that is being built that will allow Morgarath and his armies to invade without any challenge. It is up to the trio to warn the king of the danger, as well as slow down the invasion enough to save the kingdom.
3. The Icebound Land (June 2007, 260pp) - After being captured at the end of book 2, Will and Evanlyn are heading to Skandia as slaves. Halt and Horace vow they will rescue Will and Evanlyn and are expelled from their groups because of this devotion. As Halt and Horace travel towards Skandia, they are attacked by various knights who are trying to build their reputations. But because of Horace's skill, they begin attracting the notice of various knights and rulers in the area.
4. The Battle for Skandia(March 2008, 272pp) - Will and Evanlyn have now escaped their Skandian captors, but on their return to Araluen, they find that the Temujai are invading Skandia, with Araluen being the next on the list. It is up to Will, Evanlyn and other friends to now help the Skandians repulse the invaders to protect them, as well as Araluen.
5. The Sorcerer in the North (Nov 2008, 304pp) - Several years have passed since the previous book. Will is now a ranger of his own fief. Things seems easy until one of the lords in the area die by a mysterious illness. One of Will's friends, Alyss, join him as he investigates what is happening. As he investigates, things get much more interesting. Sorcery is suspected and traitors are everywhere. On top of everything, Alyss is captured. Will will have to make a choice between he mission and his friend.
6. The Siege of Macindaw (Aug 2009, 320pp) - This book takes over right after the events of the previous book. A rogue knight, Keren, has taken over Macindaw, and Alyss is being held captive. As he investigates, he finds that Keren is working with one of the border kingdoms in an attempt to overthrow Araluen. Fortunetaly, Horace joins Will to help. Will the two be able to overthrown Keren, restore the royal family and save Araluen from invaders?
7. Erak's Ransom (Jan 2010, 400pp) - This book jumps back in time (chronologically between books 4 and 5) to the period just before Will is made a ranger and tells the story of how he earned his Silver Oakleaf to enter the Ranger corps. The Rangers learn that the Skandian leader, the man Will worked with to form a truce between Skandia and Araluen, has been captured. As they go to rescue him, they are caught in a trap and taken into the desert. Will and his friends have proven themselves against the forests, the cold, and the cultures that live there. But can they do it in the desert.
8. The Kings of Clonmel (May 2010, 314pp) - Now, back in chronological order, Will, Halt and Horace are called on to track down a religious sect that promises to protect villages from marauders. Little do the people know, the marauders are under the bankroll of the sect. They work together and rob the villages of their gold and other riches. Unfortunately, Halt knows about this sect and knows this will be a dangerous group to overcome. Not only do they rob the people, they do it in a way that makes the village people want to keep the sect in power. They are slowly taking control of more of Araluen...
9. Halt's Peril (Oct 2010, 384pp) - The book continues with Will, Halt and Horace chasing after the leaders of the outlaw group, the Outsiders, from the previous book. Soon, the leader becomes aware that they are being followed and send out his assassins to take care of Will, Halt and Horace. In the encounter, it appears that the assassins have been beaten. However, their weapons were poisoned and Halt very quickly falls to its effects. Should Will save his mentor and friend and find a healer, or continue after the Outsiders?
10. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (April 2011, 352pp) - As the book begins, Horace is about to leave from the country of Nihon-Ja on a mission to understand and learn the warfare techniques in that country. As he prepares, a revolt is staged against the emperor and Horace finds himself making enemies as he protects the emperor. As the emperor goes into hiding, Horace follows. Will, Halt and others learn that Horace has gone missing, so they go to find him. As they do so, they end up working together to find a way to save the emperor.

Comments

These are some of the best books I have read in a while. It is meant for a younger audience, so if you are looking for a heavy read, this is not it. From the books, most of them have less than 400 pages, so they are quick and straight forward, but very entertaining. The language could be a little better, but the language that is a big strong is few and far between. If you are looking for books to interest your pre-teen through teen, these might be it.

Series: Kingmaker, Kingbreaker

Published Information

Author:	Karen Miller
Genre:	Fantasy
Titles:	Innocent Mage (July 2005, 672pp) Awakened Mage (October 2007, 736pp)

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG-13 (Fisherman swearing frequently)
Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (Great book, but will only read once or twice)
Overall Rating:	5 out of 10 (More swearing than needed, otherwise, very enjoyable)

Plot Summary

The series sits in a world of two races that were forced upon one another centuries ago: the Olkens and the Doranen. The Doranen were powerful mages who fought wars of magic to gain power, etc. However, one of their race, Morg, became too powerful and began slaughtering all he found that resisted. As the mages ran from Morg, they found the Olken living in a corner of the world. One of the Doranen was able to wield a powerful magic that created a barrier separating Morg from the surviving Doranen and Olken. From that point forward, weather magic must occur to keep the barrier going. The magic causes incredible pain and bloody suffering to the holder, but it is also exquisitely beautiful working the power. The weather worker is always the king.

Thus, with the barrier in place, the two races were preserved, but they were also not able to leave the country they had sealed off. Also, to protect future generations, the mages hide their most powerful magics and created rules so that no one would ever attempt the devastating magics that had almost destroyed them.

Now, the two races live in a kind of harmony. The Doranen, with their magic skills, rule the land. The Olken are a lower class that serve the Doranen. It is in these circumstances that we are introduced to our main characters: Asher, who is an Olken fisherman that has traveled to the capital city in search for wealth that will enable him to take care of his father, Prince Gar who is the son of the king but born without magic, and Dathne, an Olken bookstore owner who is part of a secret circle of people who know the true history of the Olken people, and await an Olken mage that will eventually save the kingdom from unspeakable horrors. Dathne is able to help Asher and Gar meet and Asher quickly rises in the social rankings until he is Asher's right hand man.

In the first book, Morg is allowed into the kingdom because of a curious mage that uses a spell he didn't fully understand. However, Morg is not at his fullest powers. A part of him was not able to come through the small window in the barrier. So he must manipulate and force others to do the work of destroying the barrier in order to be whole again with all his powers. At the end of the book, Morg creates an accident that destroys the king, queen, and sister, leaving Prince Gar to be the king. Morg also gives Gar a semblance of magic. Enough that he can work the magic of the barrier, and then destroy it through Morg's manipulations.

The second book comes in the after math of the royal accident. Gar and Asher figure out that something isn't quite right, but can't figure out who is causing the problems. Soon after the accident, Gar looses his magic again can't do the weather magic anymore. As Asher and Gar try to figure out how to keep the magic going, they realize that somehow Asher also has magic and is able to do the weather working. However, one of the rules created when the barrier was established was that Olken would not practice magic on pain of death. So how can Asher continue to work the magic to keep the barrier running, but not get caught and be executed? Moreover, Dathne knows that Asher is the prophesied innocent mage that will save the country. How can she reveal her secret without exposing that she has been lying to him since the day they met?

Comments

So a couple of quick comments with the series. First, I truly enjoyed these two books. It was original (as far as the background, history, story line, etc) with a great story line, not to mention wonderful characters, but it did have an over abundance of swearing. In fact in the books following these, it gets worse to the point that I might not finish the second set of books in this series. Most of the swearing comes from Asher and other Olken (again, lower class, fisherman, etc) but some of the exclaimations that everyone says are fairly vulgar also. I went back and reread and had a hard time getting through it because of the swearing. Never the big words, but enough of others to make it hard to ignore.

Mockingjay

Published Information

Author:	Suzanne Collins
Series:	Hunger Games #3
Published:	August 2010
Genre:	Science Fiction
Pages:	400

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Graphic war violence)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (This is not one you would want to read several times, though it was very good)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (Well written, true to characters and plot, but difficult to read)

Plot Summary

At the end of the last book, Katniss enabled an escape attempt for the tributes. Peeta and other tributes were captured, while Katniss and Fennrick were able to escape, with the help of Gale and Haymitch, and were taken to District 13. However even though Katniss and Fennrick escaped, they have experienced severe psychological trauma. The first section of the book deals with Katniss dealing with her inner nightmares and getting back into a state where she can help the war that is now raging with all the districts and the capital. She truly becomes the Mockingjay that the rebels need.

The next section of the book deals with the propaganda warfare going on between the capital and districts. But as Katniss adds her face to the cause, the Capital adds Peeta. They have some hold on him and begins stating some fairly bad messages for the rebel cause. However, after one particular interview with Peeta, he informs District 13 that an attack is on the way. He gets beaten, but District 13 is able to protect themselves from the attack just in time. It is decided that a small group should try and infiltrate the capital and free Peeta and the other captives. They are successful, but when Katniss runs to Peeta, he tries to kill her. Obviously, he isn't successful. It becomes evident that Peeta has been brainwashed with a technique called "hijacking." They use the venom of the bees that induce fear and horror. Basically, they make him remember good memories, and then inject him with the venom, so that all the good memories become warped and terrible. They realize the Capital allowed the rebels to leave with Peeta.

The last section of the book deals with the Katniss and a small group of other victors and soldiers invading the capital. The rebels send them in with the intention of using footage to continue doing propaganda, but Katniss has her own agenda, to kill President Snow. She begins to make plans, but then the leader of the rebels sends a mostly rehabilitated Peeta to join the group. It becomes evident that the rebel leaders no longer see Katniss as a help alive and have set this up to have Katniss killed. However, the group works together to help Peeta, and he begins to recover more fully, though he is still very concerned he will hurt or kill Katniss, or at least the others in the group.

In the end, Katniss realizes that even killing President Snow might not be enough. She still has people that see her more of a problem rather than a help, and she stops being able to trust anyone. As the final scenes of the war come to a head, Katniss has no idea what to do, or who to do it to.

Comments

This was a very difficult book to read. Not that it was not well written, not that it didn't hold true to the characters, or anything of that sort. The book is hard to read because it deals with the realities of war (at least in a futuristic setting) and that those that survive still have demons and wreckages to sort through. Suzanne Collins doesn't pull her punches and is fairly graphic in some of the fighting. As well, none of the characters are sacred, and none of them come out of this untainted.

As with the other books, there are political statements throughout the book. You would have to be purposely ignoring them to miss them. There was one point in the book where the rebels are beginning to take control and a discussion is had over government. They talk about how they want to come up with a government with representatives for the people and a follow-up comment is "Isn't that the government our ancestors had before they messed up?" I didn't quote it exactly, but the idea is correct. The point being that if we, in our world and with our government for the people, aren't careful, it makes no difference how good our government is. We can still blow ourselves up.

The book ends well, in that it ends as it should. War is dirty, psychologically and physically, and changes people. That being said, it is not a happy ending for just about anyone.

Elantris

Published Information

Author:	Brandon Sanderson
Published:	May 2005
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	656 (paperback), 499 (hardcover)

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, two fairly detailed)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Hardcover (Many of family will read multiple times)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (BRIEF EXPLAINATION)

Plot Summary

The book is set in the land of Arelon which up until 10 years ago, was ruled by the city of Elantris. The inhabitants of Elantris held incredible magic that made seem god-like. Even their appearances were more beautiful and glorious that other men. Every so often, someone local would go to sleep and wake up as one of the "gods" and move to Elantris. But 10 years ago, something changed and the "gods" that lived in that city have fallen. They no longer control magic that allowed them to be so powerful and beautiful. Elantris is now the city of damned souls. And now, when people change, their skin blotches, and their hair falls out. Once this happens to someone, they are considered dead by all, and are sent to live in Elantris.

Now, Prince Roaden is engaged to marry Princess Sarene. They have written and communicated through several months and recognize the alliance will be very beneficial to both countries. Additionally, they both recognize something in each other that might allow their marriage to be one of more than convenience. But as she travels to meet Roaden and to be married, he dies. Their marriage contract was written so that if either died before they could actually perform the ceremony, it would be as if they had already wed. So Princess Sarene finds herself widowed without ever having met her husband. As she arrives, she finds that the city is having difficulties, politically and otherwise, and decides that since she is now a princess of this country, she will make it her home and help fix the problems. However, unknown to her, Prince Roaden didn't die. He was changed, and now lives in Elantris.

As Prince Roaden enters Elantris, he finds that things are not what they seem. They people there don't need to eat, but their bodies also don't heal. So any pain felt doesn't go away. So hunger becomes a constant state and, when added to the small pains that occur from little (and not so little) accidents, the pain drives the people of Elantris into a vegetative state where they give into the pain, lie down, and slowly become buried in the muck of the streets. Roaden, seeing and recognizing what is happening to this people, his people, he decides to see what he can do to help them.

At the same time, a leader of the Shu-Dereth faith, named Hrathen, arrives in the land with the mandate to convert or destroy the land within three months. This land, as well as Princess Sarene's home land are the last two countries still to be converted to the Shu-Dereth faith. Unfortunately, conversion is often forced through Shu-Dereth lead insurrection, or through war. Will the same happen in these two lands?

Comments

This is one of my favorite books of all time. There is so much to read into the narrative. Leadership, religious differences, and prejudices are all discussed in the book, and done in such a way that the storyline is not interrupted.

One of the main themes of the book deals with when good (or in the book "god-like") people "fall from grace." In our lives, we often see those who seem to be doing everything right. They work hard, they are good to their friends, live their religion, and yet bad things still happen to them. In this book, the fall from grace has nothing to do with how the Elantrians lived or how good they were. Rather, there was some aspect of their environment that was out of their power. How do we react when that happens in our lives? Do we give up after we have hurt too much? Or do we endure no matter what the difficulties and survive?

The Book Thief

Published Information

Author:	Markus Zusak
Published:	March 2006
Genre:	Historical Fiction
Pages:	560

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Some scenes of war)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG-13 (Lots of German swear words)
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (One of the best books I have read in a while)
Overall Rating:	10 out of 10 (Well written, feel good ending after terrible tragedy)

Plot Summary

The book is about a girl, Liesel, who lives in Nazi Germany during the time of World War II. She is left by her mother to live with an older couple who raise and take care of her. Her new "father", Hans, plays the accordion and is a painter for the town in which they live. Her "mother", Rosa, swears, harasses people (mostly her husband), does laundry for many of the folks in town and takes care of the house. She has a friend (who is a boy) named Rudy. However, the book is told from the point of view of the Grim Reaper. He talks about how he meets Liesel several times over the course of the war, and how this girl changes him.

As Liesel gets to know her new "parents", they take in a Jewish man. Obviously, this is very dangerous in Nazi Germany, but Hans had made a promise to help this man years earlier. But the best they can do is keep him in the basement. Liesel becomes good friends with this man and spends much of her time talking to him and helping him live the world through her eyes. At one point, he becomes very sick and she brings him gifts of the outside world to try and help him know that she has been thinking about them.

As the war begins to wind down, things become very dangerous for the family, especially with them hiding a Jewish man. We begin to see how fear can truly beat down on the people in the town, especially Hans family. More than anything, through some of the sub-plots in the book, we see the true power of words, both spoken and written and how they can change the course of the world.

Comments

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Recently, I have wondered if I have ever read a book that I would consider a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. It wouldn't necessarily be a book that was action packed, or a book that was incredibly funny. Rather, it would be a book that would lift me up and make me a better person for having read it. It would make me thing about life and what it is to be human. I would be one that I would think about for days after having read it. And even though it might not be an exciting book, it would be one I would have a difficult time putting down. This is one of those books. It does have its moments of excitement. It is very funny. But it also brought me to tears, and made me feel alive. I feel like a better person for having read this book.

The Deerslayer

Published Information

Author:	James Fenimore Cooper
Series:	Leatherstocking Tales #1
Published:	1841
Genre:	Adventure
Pages:	608 (Version at B&N)

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Result of scalping shown, people killed)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (Classic, but very mentally challenging)
Overall Rating:	5 out of 10 (Portrayed as adventure, but mostly a discourse on human nature and religion)

Plot Summary

The Deerslayer is set in the 1740's, the frontier time of America as the French and Indian wars. The colonies are still small and two classes of colonials have formed: the settlers, and the frontiersmen (not sure if that was the exact names used). The frontiersmen live on the edge of civilization and are the trappers and hunters. They also have the most contact with Indians. In some cases this is a good thing, and in others not so much. The French and trying to undermine the colonists and actually pay Indians for the scalps of colonials regardless of age or sex. The settlements do the same thing with Indian scalps: they will trade Indian scalps for money, again without regard to age or sex.

With that setting in mind, we meet two companions: Natty Bumppo, otherwise known as the Deerslayer, and Hurry Harry. Both are frontiersman, and are on their way to a lake in upstate New York. Deerslayer is going there to meet an Indian friend, Chingachgook (meaning Big Serpent, which is how Deerslayer calls him), to help him rescue his true love, Wah-ta-Wah, who had been captured by the Huron tribe. Hurry was traveling with him to meet with Tom Sutter. Tom lives on the lake with his two daughter, one of which Hurry wants to marry.

Once they arrive, the realize the same Huron tribe that captured Wah-to-Wah is also in the area. Tom and Hurry are of the opinion that Indian scalps are valuable and immediately try and find a way to raid the tribe and take some scalps. They are captured in the process, so it is up to Deerslayer to keep the girls safe, and try and save Tom and Hurry. Deerslayer does meet up with Serpent, and they hatch some plans to rescue the men, as well as Wah-ta-Wah.

The daughters, one who is beautiful, and one who is "simple", also do what they can to help. In some cases, the plans work out, and in some cases things don't go quite as planned. But by the end of the story, the plot doesn't go where you might expect.

Comments

This was actually a harder book to read than I expected. First off, the story is an adventure that could have been written in less than 200 pages. But the author mixed in some fairly serious discussions into the story, as well as comments about nature, both of the earth and "being" as well as the gifts and expectations of different races of humans. If I had read the book for its discussions of human nature and the need for each of us to be true to who we are, I might have rated the book much higher than I did, but I didn't expect that, and so survived the book rather than truly enjoyed it. That being said, Cooper does an excellent job in his arguments in the book. It is very thought provoking, and while I didn't enjoy the book as much as I would have liked, I did keep thinking about the book for the next several days.

It is interesting to note that during Cooper's time, the books were not considered all that great. Critics didn't enjoy it all that much. But after several decades, the books were much more critically acclaimed, until now, they are considered classics.

If you do read it, don't read it for the plot or adventure. If you do, you will be bored and lose interest. But if you go in for the discourses from Deerslayer on the gift of the "white man" being that of Christianity, forgiveness, and kindness, you will not be disappointed. In fact, you might look at our world now and recognize how far we are from what we should be, regardless of our race or color. We, as a whole human race, should be better at being true to who we are and how we treat others. This would be an interesting book club read, if prepared for properly.

"The Deerslayer" can also be found online, for free, at http://www.literaturepage.com/read/cooper-deerslayer.html.

The Alchemyst

Published Information

Author:	Michael Scott
Series:	The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel #1
Published:	May 2007
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	400

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG (Don't remember anything bad)
Reading Age:	Junior high, though might be a bit scary
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (This book will be read several times in my house.)
Overall Rating:	6 out of 10 (Fast paced, enjoyable read)

Plot Summary

Sophie and Josh Newman are 15 year old twins who have taken up summer jobs in San Francisco. Josh works in a book shop for Nick Fleming and Sophie lands a job at the coffee shop across the street working for Perry Fleming, Nick's wife. In the first couple of chapters we learn that Nick and Perry are anything but normal and are actually near immortal humans. Specifically, Nick is Nicholas Flamel, the famous alchemist, and Perry is a very powerful sorceress. Both have been living for centuries and now work to protect the earth from being destroyed by the Dark Elders, basically evil gods who once ruled the earth, but were beaten by humans and their iron.

On top of everything, it turns out that Sophie and Josh are also a part of saving the world, and are part of a prophesy in which they will have the power to save or destroy the world. They problem is that they don't understand this magic world, have no magic of their own that they are aware of, and are just learning to drive. How can they be the prophesied twins to save the world from the Dark Elders? Fortunately, Nick and Perry, along with an ancient vampire, will all work together to train them. But will it be soon enough? The Dark Elders have also discovered their existence and are sending all of their servants, as well as themselves, to try and capture, if not kill the twins.

Comments

So a couple of things on this book. First, vampire books are becoming popular, as are books about the gods. This is the first one that I have read that attempts to blend the two. Of course, vampires are a little different that we normally think, as are the gods. But they are still present, and in an enjoyable form

Second, the author makes a habit of describing something a character does by explaining it from a non-standard point of view. For instance, most authors might say the following: "Joe said some words and then cracked a smile. Jane noticed the smile and wasn't sure what it meant." This author says (in some instances): "Joe said some words. Jane wasn't sure what the smile meant." In other words, it is implied that Joe cracked a smile. There were several times where I went searching back into the book to figure out when "Joe smiled." It took most of the book before I figured out this grammatical structure/style and it was very frustrating until then. In fact it was still frustrating because you are not sure Jane was talking about Joe's smile, her smile, or a random smile that appeared in the air.

Third, "deux ex machina" is a standard in this book. There are several times when there is no possible way to escape, but all of the sudden, the main characters are able to call upon a here to fore unknown power to fix the problem. That is one of my pet peeves. That being said, it isn't as obvious as I have seen in other books so it didn't bother me so much.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and a good page turner. At the end of the book, you find that the author has based much of the book on research of people that really did exist. That has made me want to go back and re-read just to see the real human aspect of the characters. Obviously, they didn't have mystical magic powers, but they were real scientists of their times.