Ranger's Apprentice

Published Information

Author:	John Flanagan
Genre:	Fantasy

Ratings

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

Plot Summary

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

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

Book Summaries

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

Comments

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

City of Bones

Published Information

Author:	Cassandra Clare
Series:	The Mortal Instruments Series, #1
Published:	March 2007
Genre:	Modern Fantasy
Pages:	496

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Fantasy violence, demon blood)
Sexual Content:	PG-13 (Teen flirting, kiss)
Language:	PG-13 (B and A words used)
Reading Age:	High School
Buy Recommend:	Borrow (I am only one if family that might enjoy it)
Overall Rating:	6 out of 10 (Imaginative, light read)

Plot Summary

The book is set in an alternate reality where most people have no idea magic and monsters exist, but a small subset of the population can see how the world really is. The normal people are called mundanes, and the sub population are called shadowhunters. The world is populated by humans, underworlders (fairy, werewolves, vampires, etc), and demons. Demons don't belong in our universe, but invade every once in a while. It is the shadowhunters job to remove them to keep the mundanes safe.

As the book begins, Clary and Simon are mundanes who, very quickly, become involved with the shadowhunters world. Clary witnesses a group of shadowhunters, Jace, Alec, and Isabelle, killing a demon, not knowing that she is seeing things no other mundane can see. The shadowhunters are just as surprised when they realize she has seen them. Later, as a demon attacks Clary, the shadowhunters realize Clary is someone special.

The rest of the book is dealing with figuring out who Clary is, and that she is much more involved in the shadowhunter world than anyone at first believed. She holds the information necessary to find a hidden item of power, the Mortal Cup, one of the Mortal Instruments, that allow new shadowhunters to be created.

Comments

I did enjoy this book. It was a quick read and worth the time. It was fast paced and kept me turning pages. There were some points where the book was very predictable, though, and that was a bit disappointing.

As a parent, there are a couple of topics that can be considered offensive, but more importantly should be discussed if you allow your teenagers to read it (Please note, these will include spoilers):

• One of the characters is homosexual, but isn't open about it. Some of the characters know about it, and it brings in some tensions about relationships.
• One of the characters grew up in an emotionally abusive home, but believes his parents to be dead. Later, he is reunited with his father, though it turns out his father is the bad guy of the book. But even with that being the case, he still has wanted a father all his life and is willing to overlook (at least for a while) who is father is.
• One of the main themes of the book is that demons and angels exist. Demons are evil, and angels are fighting on the side of the light. At one point, the main characters need to find some holy weapons. The go to a Catholic church, but have a discussion that they could have gone to any religious sect to find the weapons, since all sects are just the same thing taught from a different culture.
• Along those lines, one of the characters thinks shadowhunters must be "believers" then, since they are fight evil using holy weapons. That is not the case, and one of the shadowhunters explains that this is just a job that he is good at, and if god does exist, he doesn't care.

Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Published Information

Author:	Brandon Mull
Series:	Fablehaven #5
Published:	March 2010
Genre:	Fantasy
Pages:	544

Ratings

Violence:	PG-13 (Some fantasy battles and fighting, death)
Sexual Content:	PG
Language:	PG
Reading Age:	Junior High and up
Buy Recommend:	Hardbound. (Multiple people in family will read)
Overall Rating:	7 out of 10 (Enjoyable, light read, somewhat predictable. Probably not read again)

Plot Summary

For the series up until this point, Kendra and Seth have been working with their family and friends of the Knights of the Dawn to fight against the Society of the Evening Star. The Society has been raiding magical animal preserves around the world to find keys that will enable them to release demons that were imprisoned thousands of years ago. If they succeed, the earth and all its inhabitants would be enslaved or destroyed by the demons.

As this book begins, the Society is in possession of most of the keys needed to unlock the prison and are looking for the final two keys that are required. As the Society continues to succeed in their efforts and it looks more likely that the demons will be released, Kendra and Seth become desperate and go to great risks to make a final attempt to save the world.

Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the development of the characters, especially where it is unclear of their intentions or where their loyalties lie. The story was engaging and kept me guessing until the end, even though clues were there if I had been able to follow them.

One of the major themes of the book is that we all make mistakes. In some cases, we try and run from those mistakes, and in other cases we take responsibility for what we have done and do everything we can to correct the consequence of our actions. Which do we want to do? According to Mull's characters, it is harder to take responsibility, but in the end you are better for it. Even the most evil or misguided can make amends and work toward the greater good, though the price is often incredibly high.