Wizard's Bane

Published Information

Author:	Rick Cook
Series:	The Wiz Biz
Published:	October 1997
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	Online

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, one graphic scene)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG-13 (B-word, Sh-word, Lord's name)
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (Niche story)
Overall Rating:	4 out of 10 (Not best writing)

Plot Summary

The book is about a systems programmer, Wiz, from Cupertino who is summoned to a magical world to help good wizards overcome the evil wizards. When he is summoned, the wizard who did the summoning casts an infatuation spell on him so that he will follow a beautiful hedge witch, Moira, around. The wizard is then killed by the evil wizards who have been looking for just such a summoning. Through most of the book, he is fairly useless and causes more problems than he solves.

But he then discovers that magic can be structured like a computer program and builds a compiler, assembler, etc, that allows him to write magic programs that no one has ever seen before. At this point, Moira is captured and he must use his programs to find and save her before she is killed.

Comments

This is actually one of my favorite books of all time. I have read it several times and will probably read it more. But, this book is not the best fantasy I have read by a long shot. In fact, it is fairly simply and in some cases predictable. It also seems like the writer's original profession was not writing. But it is a quick and enjoyable read.

As mentioned above, I love the idea that magic can be controlled by programming. Being a programmer, this is one of those books that just appeals to me. That being said, there are very few people I would recommend this to. I recommend it to every programmer I know, but no one else.

Note, the entire book is available online for free. Click on the book image to go there.

Man's Search for Meaning

Published Information

Author:	Viktor E. Frankl
Published:	1959
Genre:	Historical Biography
Pages:	165

Ratings

Reading Age:	High school
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10

Plot Summary

This book is a memoir of Mr. Frankl and his experience in a concentration camp. In particular what he and others did to survive the experience, in comparison to those that didn't survive. Then he uses these ideas to discuss how others should live their lives because of what he has learned. It is very short book, and doesn't go into much depth on the actual suffering, leaving that to works by other authors, but rather the mentalities and tools needed to survive traumatic events in life.

Comments

Mr. Frankl's experience and the ideas/teachings he was able to draw from are inspiring. It is interesting to me that often times, the greatest teachings or lessons learned in life are from the greatest adversity. We see the same idea in religion and around the world. And while I won't being reading this book every day, I will be picking it up every couple of years to see if I can pick up other lessons that might apply to a different epoch in my life. This was a powerful and humbling book.

This is one of those books that is the "Book of the Month" by many book clubs my friends belong to. It is life changing, with plenty to discuss. This was required reading for one of my MBA classes, as well as required reading for my daughter in high school this next year.

City of Ashes

Published Information

Author:	Cassandra Clare
Series:	The Immortal Instruments #2
Published:	March 2008
Genre:	Urban Fantasy
Pages:	464

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy or stylized violence with detail)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Sexual innuendos and talk of sex)
Language:	PG-13 (B-word, Lord's name, derogatory )
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (Good, but the rest of my family won't be interested)
Overall Rating:	6 out of 10 (Enjoyed it, but soap opera-esque)

Plot Summary

Once again, Clary, Jace, Simon and the others are thrust into the battle between Valentine and the rest of the Shadowhunters. In this case, most of the other shadowhunters do not trust Jace, and from the start of the book, he is placed under arrest at different times and manners. Jace and Clary still don't know what to think about their relationship. They are attracted to each other, but since they discovered they are siblings, that is a little awkward for them. Simon is still trying to win over Clary, but she doesn't return the feelings.

On top of the drama, Simon is transformed into a vampire, Clary discovers she can create new runes of magic that no one knows (in one case, she does a rune for fearless on Alec which causes an almost embarrassing situation with his parents), and Jace is discovered to have strength beyond a normal shadowhunter, at one point jumping a magic wall 30 feet high.

With the last book, Valentine took possession of the first Mortal Instrument, the Mortal Cup. In this book, he is after the second, the Sword of Souls. He intent is to turn it from a sword with angelic power to a sword with demonic powers. To do so, he must use the blood of the four main types of underworlders: a werewolf, a vampire, a member of the fay, and a warlock. Valentine is able to get the fay and warlock before anyone realizes what he is up to. From there, our heroes know it is a race to find Valentine and the sword before he draws the rest of the blood he needs and completes the ceremony to turn the sword.

Comments

While I enjoyed the book, as it might seem from the plot, this book is much heavier into the relationships between the characters than I normally like. While I think a good book often has love, and relationships as a key element, there is a point where it becomes a romance or soap. This book comes pretty close to that for me, which I wouldn't normally choose to read.

This book drives fairly deeply into what familial relationships mean. What defines a family? Blood or just close relationships? In the end, blood means a whole lot less than the actual relationships that are built up over time. In particular, Jace's father is the villian and Jace is forced to choose between the Valentine, his blood father, and those that have raised him and been with him throughout his life.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Published Information

Author:	Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith
Published:	April 2009
Genre:	Classic remake with zombies
Pages:	320

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13+ (Fighting zombies, nuf said)
Sexual Content:	G (In Jane Austin's world)
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Young Adult
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (See comments)
Overall Rating:	4 out of 10 (See comments)

Plot Summary

If you have read the original "Pride and Prejudice", you will know most of the plot. The difference being that zombies are overriding England and the most valued traits of a man or woman are not familial relations and ties, but rather the martial arts school attended and the demonstrated ability to kill the "unmentionables", aka zombies.

Comments

First line of Pride and Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

First line of this book: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

This is the type of change throughout all the book. If you are willing to look a "Pride and Prejudice" from a dark, comic perspective, you will enjoy this book. Otherwise, don't bother. You will waste your time and not enjoy the read.

As for my recommendations, there is a small niche of people that will enjoy this. Do not buy unless you are sure you are a part of that niche. The only way you would know that is if you have read a book similar (like "Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters" or "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer"). If you aren't sure, just borrow. And now that I have read it, I probably won't read other books of the same genre, unless I happen to be in that mood with several hours to spare in one sitting.

Dune

Published Information

Author:	Frank Herbert
Series:	Dune
Published:	1965
Genre:	Sci Fi
Pages:	544

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Brutal fight scenes, battles)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Some sexual dialog)
Language:	PG-13 (B-word used)
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound (I have read several times)
Overall Rating:	9 out of 10 (See below)

Plot Summary

The book is set in a futuristic society that spans galaxies and intergalactic travel is common. There are several races or societies that exist: the navigators and the CHOAM guild who have the ability to guide shape ships through interstellar "space folds", Bene Gesserit sisters who have memories of generations of other sisters in their heads and are expert at manipulation and mind/body control, Suk School doctors who are highly trained physicians supposedly totally loyal to their employers, mentats who are basically human computers (most computers having been outlawed because of history predating the novel), and several important families, chief in the book being the Atreides, and the Harkonnens. And most important of all, melange or the "Spice", is a enhancement drug that most of the universe depends on for space travel, computations, and other abilities that people depend upon. This drug is only found on one planet, Arrakis, desert world and home of the Fremen and the gigantic desert worms the Freman ride.

Dune is the story of Paul Atreides who starts the book as the son of the Duke Leto Atreides, but is left to die in the deserts of Arrakis with his mother, after Duke Leto is captured. They find their way to the Fremen and are taken in and live with them. As Paul grows, it becomes evident that he is more important to the universe than anyone thought. Paul becomes the leader of the Freman and the one man that can control the spice distribution. In the end all the factions travel to Arrakis to fight for who controls the spice and who rules the galactic empire.

Comments

The book is the standard "prince is exiled/thought dead but in the end is able to regain his position and more" book, but in a science fiction world. But though the tale is very common, the specifics are so imaginative and believable that it has become one of the classics, much like the Lord of the Rings is in the fantasy realm.

The book encompasses so many different ideas that you pick up different gems each time you read. "Fear is the great mind-killer" is a mantra that many characters take up, meaning when you allow fear to take over, you can't accomplish anything. Fear, itself, ends up being the killer if you can't control it because you panic rather than doing what is rational.

Another theme is the greatest strength comes from passing through the greatest affliction and suffering. In the book, a Bene Gesserit's rite of passage is suffering a torturous pain without flinching, the greatest warriors in the universe are trained in the most harsh and destitute climates, and the Reverend Mother's sight comes from allowing a deadly poison to enter your body and making your body change the poison to something that is safe. In real life, some of the greatest heroes are those that have overcome great odds to be able to influence lives. In some cases that is poverty, in other cases, oppression and hatred. But in the book, as with life, our greatest accomplishments are after we have passed through our individual trial, our own gom jabbar.

One thing to note. This is one of Frank Herbert's most tame books as far as content goes and this in the only one I would recommend. Be careful picking up other books of his, or other Dune books written after his death by his son. Specifically, violence and sexual content are ratcheted up quite a bit in some of the other books.

The Name of the Wind

Published Information

Author:	Patrick Rothfuss
Series:	The Kingkiller Chronicle #1
Published:	April 2008
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	736

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, brutal in some parts)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Shakespeare type innuendos)
Language:	PG-13 (Use of B-word and off color language)
Reading Age:	Young adult
Buy Recommend:	Paperback (See comments below)
Overall Rating:	8 out of 10 (Fast paced, imaginitive and thoughtful)

Plot Summary

The book is about a man named Kvothe who is an innkeeper, with an unknown past. After some dark events begin happening in the local area, a scribe walk into the inn and recognizes him for who he really is: a hero, a kingkiller, a city burner, and several other names refering to the mystery of who he really is. He has been hiding for several years to get away from his life of fame and infamy.

The scribe had heard that he was in the area and wanted to get the real story of who he in, and is able to get Kvothe to agree to tell his story, but says it will take three days. This book is basically the first day of him telling his story.

He begins life in a troupe of traveling entertainers and gets much of his education from some of the people that tag along with the group. He is very quick at picking things up, both knowledge as well as experience, and begins his training in arcane arts from a traveling arcanist that joins the group.

After his family and friends are killed, he lives a hard life of begging a stealing in a big city, until he figures out a way to join the Academy, where the arcane arts are studied more in depth.

Once in the academy, he learns that life, whether in the city as a beggar, or in the academy as a student, there are dangers that need to be avoided, and challenges to be faced. But much of his life, at this point is driven by his desire to learn, and his thirst to avenge the death of his family.

At the end of the book, we find that this story telling, while hard for Kvothe, is a type of healing that is needed in his life.

Comments

I had a friend recommend this book to me saying that it was better than a couple of books that I really have loved in the past. I was skeptical, but he was right. While there are several elements of the book that remind me of stories such as Harry Potter (attending the school of magic, and dealing with an annoying, rich rival), Ender (Kvothe is incredibly smart, picks up everything very quickly, but compared to what people expect, he is too young for all he is able to accomplish), or Eragon (on the trail of a evil from legends to avenge his family), Rothfuss does an excellent job making the story very original and full of life. The characters are believable and full of depth.

However, there are a few moments where the story seems too incredible. In stories like the Lord of the Rings or Shannara, it makes since that so many things are happening to the hero simply because the are on a dangerous quest. In the case of Kvothe, much of what happens is just dumb luck. But the story is enjoyable enough that I am able to see past that.

All in all, I would recommend this book to any of my friends that enjoy epic fantasy and consider it one of my favorites. That being said, I only recommend paperback because it took the author several years to write this book, and the second one has been in the works for several years as well. It is a little frustrating to see such a good book and then not be able to follow up with the rest of the story. And the rest of the story is needed. Not cliff hanger, but you know there is more.