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.

The Wednesday Wars

Published Information

Author:	Gary D. Schmidt
Published:	May 2007
Genre:	Historical Novel
Pages:	272

Ratings

Violence:	G
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	G
Reading Age:	Junior high (Elementary would even be ok, but much of history in book might be missed)
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (Great feel good book, many in my family have read and will read again)
Overall Rating:	9 out of 10 (One of the best books I have read in a long time)

Plot Summary

Main Chars: Holling, Mrs Baker, Heather (sister), Meryl Lee

The book is set in the late sixties, during the Vietnam war, in New York. Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader who is convinced that teachers are out to get him, in particular, Mrs. Baker. He assumes they arrange schedules and make assignments specifically to torture their students. Especially, him. However, as any teacher will tell you, this is not the case.

On Wednesdays, most of his class is off early in the afternoon to attend either Jewish or Catholic services for youth. Holling, being Presbyterian, goes to neither of these, so has to stay in class. He is the only one. So Mrs. Baker decides to make use of his time. First, she assigns him busy work like cleaning the erasers for the school. But after a few weeks of this, she decides this is a waste of time and so comes up with another scheme to make Holling miserable. They are going to read Shakespeare together.

Turns out, Holling loves to read. His favorite book is Treasure Island, but can't imagine Shakespeare can be that good. However, as the book moves on, Holling realizes that Shakespeare's plays are very applicable in our life and he begins loving this reading. Holling and Mrs. Baker begin to truly enjoy this time together, and as the year progresses, Holling realizes there is much more to Mrs. Baker, and for that matter, many other people in his life that he either took for granted or dismissed, than meets the eye. She helps him grow up in a much more real sense than his father and mother do.

Comments

I loved this book! Once again, I find that often times, my favorites are books that make me stop and think about my own life. What are my priorities? What are my shortcomings? What can I laugh at in my laugh? This book made me stop and think about each of these, along with many other questions. There are times in the book that I had to put the book down because I was laughing so much. I remember when my wife read the book and she kept laughing. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. As an adult, it is so funny to me to think back on when I was a youth, looking at parents, teachers, other adults, and couldn't understand their motives. As an adult, it is hilarious to see life through the eyes of a seventh grader, when I understand more, now, what the adults are thinking.

There are also times I had to momentarily stop reading because of other emotions it made me feel: sadness, joy, or anger. I love how Superman's father (bear with me a sec…) talks about the great promise we humans show both for good and bad. While there aren't super villains in this book, you still see the good and bad in people. We see people who are insensitive to race, or are diva types, as well as the power of forgiveness and love. Once again… great book.

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl
Published:	August 2010
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	368

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Not much detail, but many people die in bad ways)
Sexual Content:	PG (Artemis is temporarily besotted with Holly)
Language:	PG (Standard Fairy swearing)
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (My daughter and I will read it, but probably not more than once)
Overall Rating:	4 out of 10 (Still fun, but hard to follow, and not of same caliber as the rest of the series)

Plot Summary

As the book begins, we find that Artemis has a mental illness that only affects magical creatures called Atlantis Syndrome, with symptoms of paranoia, multiply personalities, OCD, and a few other things. But he has also come up with a plan to save the world (human and fairy) to help rid him of the guilt he has felt (which brought on the illness). He heads off into the Arctic area to show off his new idea to several important people in the fairy world.

At the demonstration, things go well and most of the group begin to buy into his idea. However the discussion is cut short when Artemis picks up an invisible craft flying towards their meeting. This craft is a space probe Foaly sent out years ago that, for some reason, is no longer responding the Foaly's instructions and commands. The probe basically kills all those at the meeting except Artemis, Foaly, and Holly. They are able to escape by using the machine Artemis has invented to save the world.

In a pod they were able to recover, they follow the probe as it drills into the ice and water. Very quickly they realize its destination is Atlantis. Their mission becomes returning to the surface to be able to transmit a distress signal to the fairy community (that and they are running out of air and will die if they don't get out). They are able to get the message and Atlantis is evacuated.

At the same time, Butler has received a message that his sister is in trouble. Butler goes out to meet his sister and shows up just in time for he and sister to be attacked by thousands of mesmerized humans being controlled by an unknown fairy. They are able to escape, but are tracked by some criminal dwarfs intent on killing them. Once again they escape and realize Artemis must be in trouble. Using a tracking device Butler put on Artemis, Butler tracks Artemis and saves Artemis' group from the pod.

Now that they are back together, the realize the events must be related, but are not sure who the perpetrator is. They must work quickly to figure out who is behind all of this and catch them before more damage can be done.

Comments

While the book was fun, it was a disappointment to me for several reasons. First, the book is very different than the others, meaning, Artemis isn't as important as he is in other books in the series. Instead he is more of a comic relief character. I found some of the best parts of the previous books have been the interaction with Artemis and this change was hard for me to accept.

Second, a new villain is introduced, Commander Root's brother to be exact, but we don’t really have time to connect with him. It seems the character development with him is very weak, and he is killed off by the end anyway. Though he is killed off through his own choice. Through the whole book, he seems like a self serving, egotistical type criminal, but it the end, his love for his human wife, whom he mesmerized, who is now very old and about to die, is enough for him to walk off into the sunset with her, saving the day. Just seems out of character.

I also don't like that the book starts you off in a very confusing situation. We have been use to the Artemis of old that is smart, can solve any problem, does whatever it takes, but from the first minute in the book, we know Artemis is not his normal self. He seems crazy, weak, etc. The best way for us to begin this book would have been for the author to walk us through his transition into craziness, especially as he begins to realize he has a problem, rather than drop us the middle. That can sometimes work, but in this case it left me very unsatisfied. It was almost as if the writing was being limited in some fashion outside of the book/story. For example, having to meet a deadline so the author cut some content, or having a limit on the number of pages. I can't imagine any other reason why some of the pieces of the story were summarized rather than detailed. Especially when the last couple of books in the series were quite a bit longer. So why not this one?

Additionally, we now know that there are two Opals running around in the world (from the last book), and she gets a passing mention in this book. That is especially irritating because there were several items I wanted cleared up from the last book regarding her. So what was the point of the book? Add a new villain just to kill him off? Was this whole book basically a setup for the next book where Opal is dealt with? Was the book just to set the stage for how Opal would be released? It seems like a waste of effort if that is all that is achieved.

Finally, for some reason, I had thought the plan was to do seven books? I remember reading that 4 or 5 books ago. So what happened? Story get too big for the series? Making too much money to just end it? I am all for a continuing series, but set that expectation, or at least don't set the expectation of the number of books, and then change. I feel the same way as I felt when Aragon became a four book series. Brandon Sanderson did this as well, but he warned people about it before releasing and explained his reasoning so most people were ok with it. Aragon and Artemis Fowl did not set expectations, and so once again, it was a surprise. And if the next book (assuming there is one) is not of a better quality, then it's not a good surprise.

Overall, compared to the rest of the series, it seemed like a rushed effort and was not up to the caliber of the rest of the series. It almost seemed to me like one of those webisodes that are becoming popular with TV shows these days. Keep the main story running and then add small inserts here and there to explain away plot lines that are about to be introduced.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Published Information

Author:	Stephenie Meyer
Series:	Twilight, parallel to series
Published:	June 2010
Genre:	Urban Fantasy
Pages:	192

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (You are aware of extreme violence occuring, but not many instances of it being described)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Romance is not a key element of this book in the series, but there are cases of using sexuality to control others)
Language:	PG (Can't recall much, but I do think there were some occasions)
Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (Not a normal novel, but fun experience. Buy only if you need to have all of Meyer's books)
Overall Rating:	5 out of 10 (Not really meant to have own plot, etc)

Plot Summary

This book is meant to be a companion to Stephanie Meyer's Eclipse. It basically tells the story of a fairly minor character that you meet at the end of Eclipse. At the conclusion of Eclipse, there is a battle between the team of Cullens and werewolves against Victoria and her recently created Newborn vampire army. In the end, Bree surrenders to the Cullens rather than get killed. However, the Volturi show up just after the fight to "clean up the Newborn army" but arrive too late. When they discover that one has survived, Bree, they kill her.

So the book lasts a couple of weeks or months starting from the point Bree is turned, to the point where she is killed. Basically, you watch her try to fight her urgings to kill without much success. You also meet several other characters, one of which I think shows up in the fourth book, but I am not sure. Anyway, the story was built up so that the actress playing the part of Bree in the movie Eclipse would have some method of understanding the character. Since the effort taken to get most of the story out, Stephanie Meyers just put in a little extra time to fill in the details and release the novella.

Comments

This book isn't meant to be a stand alone. Much of the background to what is happening will be missed without having read the others. Additionally, the book is almost 200 pages, but there are no chapters. There are a couple of breaks that you might normally see in a chapter signifying a new time period or new point of view, but no called out chapters. If you are not into the Twilight series, I don't think this book will be as enjoyable as it could be.

Catching Fire

Published Information

Author:	Suzanne Collins
Series:	Hunger Games #2
Published:	September 2009
Genre:	Science Fiction
Pages:	400

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Hand to hand killing, )
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Kitness and Peeta sleep in same bed, kissing at other times)
Language:	PG (Swearing is mentioned, but not the actual words)
Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (My family will read, some of us more than once)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (While very good, felt like an intermediate step to third book)

Plot Summary

Now that Kitness and Peeta have won the Hunger Games, they think they are safe and life can go back to normal. But they realize very quickly that life will be even more difficult for them. In winning with both of them coming out alive, they have beaten the Capital at their own game, and those who care know it. The leader from the capital, President Snow, visits Kitness and makes it very clear that she will have to keep up the façade of her being in love with Peeta. Kitness' family is at stake, as well as Gale and his family. The president knows that Kitness is in love with Gale, but wants Kitness to feel her very own form of misery. Kitness and Peeta decide to get married to try and convince him that they will do what it takes, but they soon find out that the President will not be satisfied.

Part of the problem is that the way Kitness and Peeta won was shown as a form of defiance. A sign of hope to the rebels. Some of the districts begin revolting. By the time the games have begun several of the districts are in a full revolt. In some cases, the district has already locked down the district, but in others, there are still problems. Before things can get any worse, they lock down district 12, in hopes that Kitness and Peeta can't do any more damage.

Every 25 years, there is a special hunger games, where different rules apply. For example, in the 50th year, twice as many tributes are required. So 4 from each district are sent. Interestingly, this is the one Halemitch won. Now that the 75th year has come around, the rules are changed again. For these games, the tributes will be chosen from the winners of previous games. Kitness and Peeta both realize they are going back this year.

There are a couple of other differences in these games, maybe differences the Capital didn't expect. For example, most of the winners know each other since they see each other at the games each year. In many cases they are friends. So it becomes easy for many of them to form friendships and alliances again. Another difference is that the people in the capital love the winners. They are like celebraties to them. So by the Capital leaders putting the winners back in the arena, the people of the capital are not happy at all. It becomes an even more apparent problem when during the introductions, many of the tributes make comments about how unfair things are and that something should be done. By the time the interviews are over, the city is up in arms about how bad the games are.

However, the games go on. Now, Peeta and Kitness go into the games again, and while some of the tributes are older, or a little more frail, they are all winners and are able to do anything necessary to win. The only chance Peeta and Kitness have will be to enlist the help of some of the other tributes. But which ones can they rely on? They will have to rely upon Halemitch's help more than ever if they hope to survive.

Comments

This second book is just as good as the first, though it is very different. The first book was pointing out problems in society. There is still some of that here, but the book is more about how there are different ways to express disagreement and individuality, even when you are very restricted in your rights. In some cases, we can full out rebel. In other cases, we spread our disagreement with media or word of mouth -- grass roots if you will. But the point is, there is always something we can do to help improve society or overcome persecution from others. It is not always easy, but we can do it. We can't wait for something to happen, rather we must take action.

The book does have a couple of graphic scenes, such as when Gale is tied to a post and whipped, and then nursed back to health. Or when someone tries to cut out a tracker out of Kitness. That being said, the game is not viewed from the same stand point as last time. In the first book, there was quite a bit of brutality between the contestants. There is very little of that in this book. It is more about the tributes figuring out the dangers around them and overcoming them. Overall, the violence isn't as prevelent as in the first.

City of Glass

Published Information

Author:	Cassandra Clare
Series:	The Mortal Instruments #3
Published:	March 2009
Genre:	Urban Fantasy
Pages:	560

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Graphic fantasy violence, death, killing)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Assumed incest, kiss between two guys)
Language:	PG-13 (B-word used, along with other words of that class)
Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (I wouldn't recommend, unless I knew people liked the first couple)
Overall Rating:	4 out of 10 (Mostly low from personal feelings, see below)

Plot Summary

Valentine now has the first two mortal instruments (the cup and the sword) and is looking for the third, the mirror. Jace and Clary want to do everything they can to stop that from happening. Of course, no one seems to know where are what the mirror is. Jace and Clary want to go to the City of Glass to figure out anything more that they can, but Jace doesn't want her to go. It is just too dangerous because the leadership of the shadow hunters cant be trusted. Jace is able to trick Clary into missing the portal, but gets ambushed by some forsaken. Several of the shadow hunters are injured with one being killed, but they are able to teleport to the city. In order to save him, they also take Simon with them, but since he is a vampire, he is not suppose to be there and is in a different kind of danger. Simon is healed, but is imprisoned to be studied. He is the only vampire alive that can walk in the sun. Through the book, Simon realizes that is because Jace allowed him to drink of his blood to save him in book 2. Jace has told Simon that his blood is special (giving him additional speed and strength, just like Clary can create new runes), but they are not completely sure why. The people studying him want to figure out the secret, but Simon continues to tell them he doesn't know anything.

Clary partly wanted to talk to the council to help them figure out what is going on with Valentine, but she also wants to visit a warlock in the city that can help her revive her mother, so Clary is furious that Jace would leave without her, and in her anger, creates a portal herself (which she isn't supposed to be able to do) and steps through, with Luke grabbing her and tagging along. Unknown to her, though, the city is protected from portaling and Clary and Luke end up in Lake Lyn which is poisonous for shadow hunters. In a desperate attempt to save Clary, Luke takes her to his sister's, who is not on good terms with him.

Now all the main characters are in the city and are meeting new friends and reuniting. While they know danger is approaching, they feel fairly secure in the city, since it is protected from demons. However, Valentine has told them he knows a way around protection. The council ignores the warning, and soon, the wards are brought down and demons invade and destroy much of the city and its population. Now, they know Valentine can destroy them by summoning more demons and it is just a matter of time before they are overwhelmed. Valentine offers them an option: surrender and agree to him being king, or he will kill everyone. Finally, it is up to Jace and Clary to figure out how to protect the city and stop Valentine.

On top of the main plot, there are various subplots regarding relationships. For example, Jace and Clary are still very attracted to each other, but know that they can't possibly have a relationship since they are siblings. Simon is still in love with Clary, but knows she doesn't return the sentiment. Not to mention Alec, who is gay, has not come out of the closet, in particular, about his attraction to one of the warlocks. These are all resolved in the book.

Comments

The book was quick moving and I had a hard time putting it down, but it was still a bit of an uncomfortable read for me. Partly from the relationships, and partly from the religious undertones of the book. With the relationships, Jace and Clary have an incestuous relationship going, or so we think throughout the book. Turns out this is not the case, but we don't know that until the end. The assumption in the book is that attraction knows something about siblings, and even through Jace and Clary thought they were siblings, the attraction they felt knew better. We see the opposite as well where Clary meets her real brother (she is ignorant of the relationship) who is handsome, etc, but when he tries to kiss her, she is revolted because he seems to close to her in some way she can't describe. Also, Alec's relationship is dealt with, in the end, by having him kiss the warlock in front of a large crowd of shadow hunters, including his parents. Being that this is a teen action/adventure/romance, both of these are fairly major themes in terms of the plot.

With religion, there were several references to biblical events. I don't mind when religion is brought up in a fantasy book, but I start having problems when Christianity is brought in. For example, the mark of Cain is used to save someone, and angels are summoned and captured by men. I don't think I would have minded if angels were generic creatures fighting for good, like the demons fight for evil, but when specific angels from the bible are summoned, captured, forced to fulfill wishes, and killed, I have a more difficult time with it.

Hunger Games

Published Information

Author:	Suzanne Collins
Series:	Hunger Games #1
Published:	October 2008
Genre:	Science Fiction
Pages:	374

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Book about teenagers killing each other)
Sexual Content:	PG (There is quite a bit of kissing once the game starts)
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	High school (More mature themes)
Buy Recommend:	HARDBOUND, PAPERBACK, BORROW. (EXPLAINATION)
Overall Rating:	9 out of 10 (Plot driven, fast moving, makes you think when done)

Plot Summary

The background of the story is a future earth after some kind of holocaust. At some point after the disaster, a state system evolved where there was a capital and 13 districts. Each of the cities was responsible for some type of production: coal mining, fishing, agriculture, fabric, etc, with the capital city being the governing body. At some point, the 13 districts revolted against the Capital because of working conditions, or something along those lines. The 13th district was made an example of and was destroyed. All the other districts were forced into submission once again. But as a constant reminder of the power of the Capital over the other districts, the Hunger Games were created.

Each district, excepting the Capital, must use a lottery system to choose one girl and one boy from each city. These "tributes" then go to the Capital and compete in the Hunger Games. The games are a duel to the death in a fabricated environment that can be a jungle, snowy wasteland, beach, or anything else that can be imagined. The environment is built to force the tributes to come together to fight. In some cases, the landscape causes this (for example, only one body of water to drink from). In other cases, the game coordinators release some form of destruction that you must run away from (such as a fire) and by running away from it, the game coordinators herd you into proximity of other tributes. When the tributes first enter the game, there is basically a pile of weapons, food, and survival gear available. But if you want any of it, you have to be prepared to fight/kill others to get it. Only one person is allowed to leave the games. The winner then gets a life of luxury and immunity from other games. However, previous winners do serve as coaches for the current games, so you never really get away from it. Again, the idea is that the Capital has all control and can do what they want, so the districts shouldn't even hope to think they can be successful in revolting again.

With this back drop, we are introduced to district 12. District 12 is the coal mining district. It is very poor, and most activity is severely limited. You can't leave the district, you can't hunt, you can't speak freely against the capital, etc. Kitness lives in District 12. Her father was killed in a coal mining accident, and her mother completely shut down after that for a while, so she has been the provider for the family. She provides by illegally hunting outside the district and then selling her catches to others in the district. As the tribute selection occurs, Kitness' little sister is chosen. Kitness immediately volunteers to go in her sted, thus again protecting her family. So Kitness and Peeta, the other tribute, leave for the capital to prepare for the games.

Kitness knows if she is to return to District 12, Peeta will be killed, if not by someone else, then by her. And while she doesn't feel anything towards him romantically, he did help her at a very desperate time in her life. He tossed her some burnt bread when her family had nothing. That small act saved her life and the life of her family, right after her father had died.

As she participates in the games, she also begins realizing that some of the other tributes have also lived very similar lives as her. In fact, one from District 11, Rue, reminds her so much of her sister, that they form an alliance to help each other. So how can she win if it means she has to kill others that are beginning to mean so much to her?

Comments

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is well thought out, and fairly simple. Yet the commentary it provides on today's society kept me thinking about it for days. It is not a happy book, though it does end well. Suffering and death are key elements of the book, and what the tributes are forced to go through to survive is psychologically hard (though not necessarily to the reader).

I just read this for the second time in preparation for this review, and by the third chapter, you begin feeling a little drained just reading it. But it is very hard to put down.

In looking at our society, some of the themes that are dealt with are: handling government when we feel it has overstepped it bounds, why some of society don't care or even realize there are others suffering and dying while they enjoy an incredible amount of indulgence, how some of the more wealthy see others simply as entertainment or worker bees and treat them as little more than a pet, and how difficult it is for some in our society to step outside the bounds their environment has placed them in. The book doesn't present solutions for these problems, but rather makes us re-evaluate our lives and recognize if we are part of the problem rather than the solution.

With all that in mind, I would not recommend this for junior high youth unless you are planning on reading it with them. The issues dealt with, and the actions the tributes are forced to take are fairly intense, and could be disturbing.

Choke

Published Information

Author:	Obert Skye
Series:	Pillage #2
Published:	June 2010
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	352

Ratings

Violence:	PG
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior high
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (We will not read more than once)
Overall Rating:	5 out of 10 (Fun, but not as original as the first, contrived in some cases)

Plot Summary

It has been eight months since the dragons were released and destroyed by Beck. And while you might think causing city wide destruction might be cause to help you change, Beck still gets himself into trouble. During the first couple of chapters in the book, he successfully destroys the shop classroom by trying to inflated an earth ball that turns out to be a weather balloon in the room, and puts Kate and himself in the hospital from the injuries. Once again, everyone at school thinks he is the boy to be avoided… Including Kate's parents.

As he waits to heal, strange things start happening again: a rose plant attacks him for no apparent reason, a very white man, whom Beck nicknames Whitey, appears in the hospital and threatens him with a sword if he doesn't release the queen dragon, and a reporter from a nearby city approaches him several times trying to get him to reveal what he knows about dragons. Things aren't normal by a long shot and most adults don't believe any of it.

When he gets out of the hospital, he gets back together with Kate (after apologizing, and convincing her how sorry he is) and Wyatt and they discuss what to do about the situation. They decide to find the last dragon egg that supposedly was lost in the last book, and hatch it. The intent is to kill it once the dragon hatches, but plans never goes as expected.

Comments

I didn't like this book as much as the original. While it was still funny and fast paced, there were almost too many plot twists (literally and figuratively) to enjoy. It seems that much of the story line is contrived to enable a specific action sequence to occur. So young kids (older elementary or junior high) will still love it just as much as the first, but I would guess most others will force themselves to read it because of how good the first one was and hope the next one (the book left it wide open for a sequel, but I haven't heard anything official… not that I am really connected.) will be more original.

Pillage

Published Information

Author:	Obert Skye
Series:	Pillage #1
Published:	August 2008
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	312

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Dragons killed by stabbing neck)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (My family has read it together)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (Fun, fast-paced)

Plot Summary

Beck Phillips has had a difficult life. He doesn't remember his dad, his mom is a bit crazy, and he tends to act first and think later, which gets him into trouble all on his own. When his mother dies, his uncle sends for Beck to come live with him. His uncle is fairly well off and owns a mansion in the hills, so Beck thinks things are looking up. That is, until he reaches Kingsplot, where his uncle lives. Turns out, his uncle doesn't know he is there and won't come out of the attic of the house, there are only a couple of stewards in the entire house (six including himself), and worst of all the butler, Thomas still lives in the 50s and doesn't believe in modern conveniences such as TVs, video games, and regular toothpaste.

Additionally, like the rest of his family, his uncle is quite crazy himself and laughed at by most of the people in town. That being the case, many of the kids at school also laugh at him. But Beck hasn't never backed down from bullies or others that have tried to pick on him and he very quickly gets into trouble. However, plants have begun helping him. In one case, vines wrap up some boys who are picking on him and take them out of the school. In another case, the salad on everyone's plates in the cafeteria rise up and try and smother the boys. The rest of the school realizes something is different about Beck, but aren't sure what to believe.

Fortunately, Beck does make two friends: a boy, Milo, that he runs into in his yard while he is exploring, and a girl, Kate, that he met on the train ride up. Since Beck's uncle hasn't been to forthcoming on speaking with Beck, they decide to explore the grounds (something that has been forbidden) and look for the basement (something that he has been told doesn't exist). In there adventures, they discover some of the truth about the Phillips family. Specifically, they can make plants grow faster than normal and do things that plants normally can't (which explains the plants that attacked the bullies). Also, there is a curse on the family that is related to dragons. Only the Pillage line can awaken them to enjoy the plunder of the dragons. But the curse states the women in the family will go crazy and the men will be killed by the dragons before they can enjoy the riches.

Of course, with Beck's propensity for trouble, he finds the eggs and allows them to hatch without realizing the full portent of the curse.

Comments

The book is simple and full of humor, most of it coming from Beck's mouth and getting him into trouble. The first chapter is one of the funniest chapters I have ever read. The rest of the book is a little more mellow than the first chapter, but just as entertaining. Many times, when he got himself in trouble with his choices, I found myself sitting in his stead. How many times have you been tempted to do something dumb, try to talk yourself out of doing it because nothing good with come of it, and then go ahead anyway. I know I have done that many times in the past, and it is great to be able to laugh at myself through the eyes of Beck.

Beck, though he does not think about what he does before hand does believe in finished what he starts and in taking responsibility. In this case, Beck decides he has to destroy the dragons once they start pillaging, even though he was tricked into releasing the dragons in the first place.

All in all, the book is an easy read that most young children will enjoy, but is full of humor based on human nature and modern culture that will get adults to laugh.

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl #6
Published:	July 2008
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	432

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, not extreme)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG (Fairy language swear words)
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (Several in my family will read this many times)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (One of my favorites of the series)

Plot Summary

Artemis comes home one day to find that his mother is dying of a very advanced form of what appears to be a magical disease that the fairies thought they had eradicated years ago (about 8, to be precise). He calls in Holly, Fouly, and N^O1 to help him figure out what is wrong and what can be done about it. To his horror, he finds out the only cure is found from liquids drawn from the body of an extinct monkey species that he helped eradicate eight years ago to fund his search for his father.

Through manipulation and out right lying to Holly and the others, he convinces them to help him go back in time to steal the monkey before his younger self can sell it. Problems start occuring as they go back. First, things aren't happening as he remembers them. Then, because of "poor memory", they are captured by the much younger butler. Holly and Artemis (the older version) escape and have to match wits against his younger version. The older version is more experienced and knowledgeble, especially with fairies, but the younger version hasn't learned that he has limits yet.

However, as the older Artemis continues his efforts, he begins realizing that there is more at work here than just a simple disease. Some one pulling strings that he can't see. In the end, Opal makes an appearance and forces both Artemises to work together to survive.

Comments

Just as with the other books in the series, there are plenty of topics to discuss and think about. In particular, when comparing the two Artemises, there are plenty of comments made about how far Artemis has changed, and most importantly, why he has changed.

This was my favorite book in the series. Partly because of the paradoxes that are there and the way they make you think. What would you do if you could go back in time? That is always fun for me to think about.

One thing I didn't like. The Opal in the past turns out to be this all powerful fairy because of some of the research she has done on exotic animals. She is so powerful that very little stands in her way, not even Artemis, except for some quick thinking. However, the Opal we have met in the past (meaning previous books) didn't have near the power or intellegence that this Opal from the past (meaning 8 years ago) had. So what happened. And now (spoiler alert) that both Opals are in the present, as well as both Artemises, how will things get resolved such that the Opal from the past is reverted to the Opal from the previous books? I hope the seventh book explains that...

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl #5
Published:	September 2006
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	400

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Demons fighting, tense situations)
Sexual Content:	PG (Artemis is becoming a teenager and noticing girls)
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (Family will read multiple times)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (One of my favorites of the series)

Plot Summary

In Artemis' study of the fairies, he learns a bit about an eighth lost race of fairies (first seven I think are pixie, elf, dwarf, troll, goblin, gnome, and centaur). The legend is that when fairies decided to hide below ground to be safe from humans, demons, the eighth race, decided to move their entire race into Limbo until such time as they were strong enough to return and retake the above ground area.

In his studies, he begins to see that the spell wrought by the demon warlocks to move their colony to Limbo is slowly desolving and that if something isn't done soon, the demons will all reappear if our time, once again causing rippling affects across the human/fairy relation (meaning there will be one). Artemis resolves to do something about it and tries to talk with a demon that is scheduled to reappear. All appears to go wel until Artemis realizes another human has discovered that demons are real and it trying to capture a demon for her own goals. This person is Minerva, a ten year old female genius, similar to Artemis.

As the story unfolds, Artemis and Minerva go head to head with capturing the demon, with Artemis succeeding. But as he does so, one of Minerva's henchmen, who is very unstable, decides to take matters into his hands to capture the demon for his own reasons. Once again, Artemis to the rescue, but this time to save the girl and the demon colony that is slowly disolving.

Comments

First off, while demons are very prevelent in the book, they are not what we often thing of when we hear of demons. Rather than being fiends of hell, they are simply another form of fairy that are aggressive in their normal state, at least as adults.

One of my favorite things about the book is discussion about this new race. They have been gone for 10,000 years as far as humans are aware and have changed over time. Specifically, their animosity towards humans has grown, and the normal leaders, warlocks which are much more intellectual rather than aggressive, no longer exist. We know all about elves, dwarfs, etc, but to learn of a new race altogether was fun.

One of the best themes of the book is the idea that different is not bad. Different is just different. This is discussed from the point of Artemis and Minerva being unique humans, as well as N⁰1 not being a normal demon. And yet it is through their very uniqiness or differences that they are able to bring about change.

One pet peeve. At one point, their is no way out for the main characters and you wonder what will happen. Specifically, they need five magic beings, and they only have five. All of the sudden a magic demon appears (now granted, he was mentioned once, but he was presumed dead) that allows them to fit their need. I really don't like it when problems are solved by something that could not have been foreseen. The greatest thrill in a book for me is figuring out, or at least thinking about, solutions to the problems the characters are facing. When clues are dropped in such a way that when the solution is presented (whether I figured the clues out or not) and I realize I could have figured out the solution, I am fulfilled. When the solution is presented, though, and there was no way for me to figure it out, deux ex machina, it bugs me. Mr Colfer doesn't do it very often so I continue to enjoy the books.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl #4
Published:	May 2005
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	352

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Very intense scenes, one death of main character)
Sexual Content:	G
Language:	G
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (EXPLAINATION)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (Very enjoyable)

Plot Summary

Upon helping stop the goblin revolution, Artemis had his mind wiped. This book begins with Artemis not remembering much of fairies, but still a better person (with morales, etc). However, Opal, who was one of the masterminds of the goblin revolt, has arranged to escape from her prison. She faked a coma for a year, and then replaced herself with a clone.

Once freed, she plans to wreck revenge on all those her spoiled her plan. Specifically, she wants to kill Holly, Root, Artemis, and Fouly. Since they all think she is encarcerated, they miss clues that they are being led into traps specifically designed to ruin each of them. Holly, in particular, is framed for killing Root, but told, by Opal, that she still has a chance to save Artemis. So after "killing" Root, she flies as fast as she can toward Artemis, thus looking like she is fleeing a crime scene.

Holly is able to track down Artemis, but arrives there just as a bio-bomb is going off. Bulter, though, was able to save Artemis. So Holly now must work with Artemis, who doesn't remember anything, and Mulch, who is now her partner in a private detective agency, to find Opal. Once they do find her, they unravel a plot that would put humans and fairies on a collison course that can only end with fairies being discovered, and then, destroyed. They have saved fairies before, but now they are running from the LEPrecon force, Artemis doesn't remember anything about fairies, and they are running out of time.

Comments

Once again, a great installment in the series. I am having a hard time keeping all the books separate, at least when making comments, but here goes. As I was reading this book, I found a comment online critizing the book for being too focused on technology. That is very true. Very little of the book relies on magic to keep the story line flowing. Rather, it is the new LEP suits, or fairy cloning.

As with all books in the series, the story line is well thought out, and if you are sharp or are looking, you will find the clues left by the author to explain how Artemis figures out his ways out of the problems. Of course it is easiest to find them on later readings, once you know Artemis' solutions. As always, a great and quick read.

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl #3
Published:	May 2003
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	320

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Scenes of violence, concussion grenade shatters teeth of several people)
Sexual Content:	G
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (Great book, family will read multiple times)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (Exciting, page turner, well thought out)

Plot Summary

Now that Artemis' mother and father are safe and back at home, his parents are trying to convince him to leave the family business of crime (which they are doing) and do something good. Artemis decides he needs to pull one more big money making scheme and then he will be done. He builds a cube based on fairy computers and his own intellegence that can read anything (translates, cracks codes, hooks into networks and satellite feeds, etc). Basically it can do just about anything to computer systems and information. He scheme is to threaten a big time criminal billionare, Jon Spiro, that Artemis will release the cube to the market now (and destroy Jon's investments, etc) if the Jon doesn't pay him a huge sum of money. The go through a demonstration of the cubes powers and Jon recognizes what the cube can do. Unfortunately, Jon prepared for the meeting and steels the cube, injuring Bulter.

During the demonstration, one of the systems that is tapped is the fairy system Fouly has created for the People. From the tap, they now know someone human can find out about the fairies and they send Holly Short to investigate. Holly shows up in time to find and heal Artemis and Butler. As they talk, they realize they have to help each other, once again, to recover the cube before Jon Spiro is able to break Artemis' code and activate the cube for his own purposes. However, the fairies have one requirement. Since the problem for the fairies is happening because of Artemis' scheme, he has to submit to a mind wipe after they have recovered the cube.

Comments

As the books have progressed, it has been fun watching Artemis change. By the end of this book, Artemis has developed morales, is willing to help because it is the right thing to do, and forms friendships. But the best part of this progression, especially as seen in this installment, is that changing to become a better person doesn't mean that you don't have to face the consequences of your past actions.

For example, even though they are able to pull off the rescue (I can't imagine anyone reading this would be shocked by that revelation...), Butler has aged 15-20 years and is not as mobile as he once was, and Artemis must still submit to a mind wipe. Grant it, it is understood by the fairies as well as the reader that Artemis will try and beat the wipe, but that is for another review... Anyway, the point is that even when we do change, we still have to pay the piper for what we have done in the past. We can atone for it, but consequences often times can't be skipped.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl #2
Published:	May 2002
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	288

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Non-graphic violence, many scenes)
Sexual Content:	G
Language:	G (Fairy swear words)
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (Not as good as first, but most of my family will read more than once)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (Great story, but not as original as first)

Plot Summary

Now that Artemis has successfully stolen fairy gold, was able to avoid a brain wipe, and was able to bribe them into healing his mother, the fairies are cautious and keep an eye on him. So, when a goblin crime occurs in fairy world where human technology is involved, Artemis is implicated, brought into custody, and questioned. Artemis is able to prove he isn't involved, but is willing to help... for a favor. Artemis has located his father and will need fairy help to recover him.

And so, Artemis, Butler, Holly and the others join forces to figure out what is happening with the goblins and how human technology has been involved. And if they are able to safeguard the fairy security and stop the goblin problems, they will all be off to the Arctic Circle in Russia to save Artemis' father.

Comments

This is a great follow up to the original. Even though it is common to find authors joining enemies to accomplish a common goal, Mr Colfer does it in such a way that it seems natural. There are still gabs at each other, but also a grudging respect for each other. The fairies, Holly in particular, begin to trust and understand him. And as the story progresses, Artemis shows an even more uncharacteristic human side where he is willing to give up everything to help his father. Once again showing that love and compassion can change even the greatest criminal beings.

Artemis Fowl

Published Information

Author:	Eoin Colfer
Series:	Artemis Fowl
Published:	May 2001
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	288

Ratings

Violence:	PG (There is one scene fairly intense)
Sexual Content:	G
Language:	PG (There is swearing in fairly tongue...)
Reading Age:	Elementary
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound(This is one of my most favorite books of all time)
Overall Rating:	9 out of 10 (Funny, good for children as well as adults, very fast paced)

Plot Summary

Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old boy who has lost his father, and his mother has gone crazy. He is also a genius criminal mastermind. In his searching for ways to make money to find his dad and heal his mother, he has discovered a secret. Fairies exist, they do hoard gold, and they have a book of rules they must follow. With that combination, Artemis realizes he can exploit the fairies and make enough money to fund his future plans. One challenge is that no one has ever successfully laid claim to fairy gold. Of course, the fairies have never dealt with someone like Artemis Fowl.

Comments

This is the second time I have read this book. I love it! While the rest of the series is excellent, the first is still the best. It is full of humor and had me rolling several times, even being the second time reading the novel.

This book/series is also one of those that are difficult to classify. It has all the magic, creatures, and adventure of a fantasy, but has techology and gadgets like you would expect in a Sci Fi. It is targeted towards young readers who are advancing to more advanced, long chapter books, yet the story and writing style still keep an adult entertained.

Some of the interesting themes or aspects of the book revolve around Artemis' style of a criminal. He has no problem exploiting anyone, but he usually does it for a specific reason. In this case, gathering enough money so that he can hunt for his father. Also, by the end of the book, he begins questioning his motives and recognizes he has crossed bounderies that he is not comfortable crossing. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that he is slowly getting out of the criminal game. With the last book coming out in a couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see how he ends up.

The Red Pyramid

Published Information

Author:	Rick Riordan
Series:	The Kane Chronicles #1
Published:	May 2010
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	516

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, rough fighting)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG-13 (One main character takes Lord's name in vain frequently)
Reading Age:	Junior High
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (My family will probably read this several times)
Overall Rating:	6 out of 10 (Fun and fast paced, and good themes, but deus ex machina is rampant)

Plot Summary

Carter and Sadie are brother and sister, but they only get to see each other twice a year. And they don't look forward to it. But this year, when they meet up, the witness their dad destroy an Egyptian relic and unleash a powerful magic, including an evil being that magically puts their dad in a coffin, and "sinks" him into the earth.

Turns out that Carter and Sadie are from a long, royal line of Egyptians that have magically powers to communicate, fight, and in some cases, work with long thought dead or imagined gods. (Note: in this book, gods are simply very powerful beings that have been around for a long time, not all knowing, all powerful entities that created all existence, etc) Their dad seemingly released several gods in an attempt to save their mother, his wife, from the dead. But his plans seem to have backfired and the gods are taking their revenge on him and his children.

To make matters worse, there is also an organization, the House of Light, that has existed for centeries that have made it their business to make sure humans do not work with gods in any way. They thing Carter and Sadie have entered into a pact to work with the gods and help them escape their prison confines, to which they were bond by the House of Light, centuries ago. That being said, they are trying to kill the children before they can do any real damage.

So, in fact, Carter and Sadie do turn to some of the gods for teaching and training to figure how they can come into their powers, avoid capture by the evil gods and the house of light, and save their parents, both of whom have been thought to be dead.

They will find life was much simplier when they didn't know anything about these Egyptian gods.

Comments

This was a great book. I loved reading it and finished it much sooner than I should have. The story was fun and full of action for the characters, as well as very humorous. I found myself laughing out loud a few times in the book. The plot was well devised, though predictable at times. Of course, Mr Riordan was targeting pre-teen through teen for an audience. They will love it.

I only had two major complaints. First, Sadie says the Lord's name in vain frequently. Enough so that it bothered me. It wasn't needed and didn't add anything to the story. Second, there were several spots in the book where the characters would just about die, or get seriously hurt when all of the sudden, someone would appear, as if by magic, and save them. Or, worse, they would come into more super human magical ability that would save the day. I don't mind when a book is saved at the last minute by something that should be expected to save the character, but when a character that was thought to be dead shows up and kills all the baddies, that is a little too much.

All that being said, it was a great book, more so, for the message portrayed. In particular the idea that power is not evil when we don't allow it to control us, but rather use if for the benefit of others. Also, the idea that we do have power within us that is beyond what we can believe, if we just give it a chance.

My children will love this book, and I am sure it will be just as popular as the Percy Jackson set, if not more.

Eoin Colfer

My first run in with Eoin Colfer's books was his Artemis Fowl series. I had seen them in the book store and they always seemed to sell well. When my daughter started mentioning it, I decided to take the plunge. I read the first couple of books and an have been hooked ever since. Since my first reading of Artemis Fowl (I am planning on re-reading them all...), I have also tried his other books. It amazes me how different the books are and the different voices present in each. From "Artemis Fowl" which is a blend of fantasy and sci fi, to "Airman" which is an alternate reality of the 1800's, to "Half-Moon Investigations" which is like a young Sherlock Holmes meets a playground gumshoe. Each that I have read have been enjoyable and full of unexpected turns.

Moreover, my children have loved the books as well. We don't own all his books, nor have I read all his books as seen below, but those that we do own, we buy in hardbound. It Mr. Colfer writes a book, I am going to buy it eventually.

I haven't tried the Benny Shaw or Ed series yet. It is my understanding that they are targeting a younger audience than I usually read, but I will probably pick them up from the library one of these days.

I am very excited for the last Artemis Fowl which is supposedly due to come out early August. My goal will be to re-read the other books (and review them) before then. We'll see how that goes. Just started a new job, so might not have the time I normally do, but I am going to try.

Bibliography

• Benny Shaw
  • Benny and Omar - 1998
  • Benny and Babe - 1999
• Ed
  • Ed's Funny Feet - 2000
  • Ed's Bed - 2001
• Artemis Fowl
  • Artemis Fowl - 2001 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident - 2002 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code - 2003 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception - 2005 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony - 2006 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox - 2008 (Have read)
  • Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex - 2010 (Soon to be released)
• Artemis Fowl Companion Books
  • Artemis Fowl: The Seventh Dwarf - 2004 (Short story, also found in "The Artemis Fowl Files")
  • The Artemis Fowl Files - 2004
  • Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel - 2007
  • Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident the Graphic Novel - 2007
• The Supernaturalist
  • The Supernaturalist - 2004 (Have read)
  • The Supernaturalist 2 - 2010 (Not released yet)
• Legend of...
  • Eoin Colfer's Legend of Spud Murphy - 2004
  • Eoin Colfer's Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth - 2006
  • Eoin Colfer's Legend of the Worst Boy in the World - 2007
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  The first five novels written by Douglas Adams. This is a sixth.
  • And Another Thing... - 2009
• Standalone Novels
  • Going Potty - 1999
  • The Wish List - 2000
  • Half Moon Investigations - 2006 (Have read)
  • Airman - 2008 (Have read)
  • Click: One Novel ten authors, chapter 3 - 2007
  • Plugged - 2011 (Not released yet)