Adventure and Violence

Deathworld
by Harry Harrison
Hardcover: 456 pages
Publisher: Benbella Books
Rated: 4 stars of 5 possible

The classic science fiction trilogy is reprinted together with a short story from the same universe. Deathworld 1 (1960), Deathworld 2 (1964), and Deathworld 3 (1968) represent formulaic science fiction in which the set of main characters battle for their lives on three separate but quite deadly worlds. The object of their adventures is always survival. The obstacles that Jason dinAlt (a gambler and scoundrel) and his friends overcome are different in each story, yet the components of each feel very much the same, only employed in different settings.

My first reading of these novels, when I was a teen, happened at a time when I had only recently discovered science fiction. I read them then because my school library had them all. I found them to be worthwhile entertainment. I chose to read these stories again many years later to see if, as sometimes happens, my opinion of the entertainment value had changed over the years. Now, I find that the first novel is a little better written than the sequels, though if you like this sort of story, you should at least read the sequels once. They're a fun and interesting way to spend an evening or two.

A Deathworld short story, "The Mothballed Spaceship" is included in my copy of this classic Science Fiction omnibus, and I was excited, at first, to discover that there was something new to me. My excitement quickly evaporated as I read through the first page or two of the story; dull and forgettable are the kindest things I can say about the short story, which should never have been published. It feels unfinished, as if "The Mothballed Spaceship" were the seed of a fourth Deathworld novel that was never fully developed - but for good reason. There's really not much about the story that's interesting enough to develop further.

I couldn't help but care for Jason, scoundrel though he may be...he's lovable in his own way, and his girlfriend, Meta, is just awesome...in fact, I'm just a little bit jealous of her capabilities. That said, Deathworld isn't for everyone. There's major violence involved and the fights get bloody at times. Recommended for ages 16 and up if you don't mind some violence in your entertainment, and of course if you like Science Fiction.

Escape From Reality

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Books 1985
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible

Ender's Game was first published in August 1977 as a novelette in Analog magazine. Card later expanded that short story into a full-length book, which is now his best known novel. Ender's Game is a vision of the future in which gifted children are used to fight in an adult war against alien invaders. It will challenge your assumptions of reality.

While written with YA readers in mind, Ender's Game can be enjoyed by readers of any age from 12 on up. The book is clearly Science Fiction yet is not so technical that it can't be understood easily. There's enough room to imgaine yourself in Ender's world - which makes this a wonderful escape from the pressures of everyday life. At the end of the story, most readers are hungry for more, which the author has provided. This was the first but is most definitely not the last novel starring Ender and his friends.

If you like Science Fiction, this is clearly a book you should read.

For Your Writer's Muse

The Writer's Retreat Kit:
A Guide for Creative Exploration and Personal Expression
By Judy Reeves
Publisher: New World Library; Boxed edition (April 10, 2005)
Paperback: 144 pages/Card Deck: 25 cards
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible.

Despite its resemblance to The Creative Writer's Kit, this kit's contents are quite different. The book has only a few pages in the back for notes rather than a significant portion of pages devoted to writing practice; however, it contains a wealth of information on creating and managing a writer's retreat based on one of twenty themes and several possibilities within each theme.

The bulk of the cards - 20 of them - contain a total of over 400 new and powerful writing prompts, (something here for every writer) while a handful of the cards provide suggestions for entering, managing and leaving your retreat. Each retreat section contains exercises and tips to get writers and artists started and keep them going.

This kit makes the perfect gift for a would-be or practicing writer...or a great treat for yourself. I recommend it for any writer - even when you don't know what you want to write about. There is sure to be something in this kit to trigger your muse, no matter what style of writing you prefer. Can be used alone or in conjunction with other books or kits featuring work by Judy Reeves.

Vampire Hunters

Once Bitten, Twice Shy
By Jennifer Rardin
Publisher: Orbit (October, 2007)
Paperback: 312 pages
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible

Action, adventure, romance and suspense are all tucked neatly into one package that's just the beginning of a not-to-be-missed series featuring Jaz Parks; a sometimes sassy, sometimes witty gal who works for the CIA. She's got an unusual talent - sensing the presence of vampires. This talent makes her the highly desired partner of a most unusual assassin. I'll let Jaz tell you about him.

"My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best--assassination. And I help. You could say I'm an Assistant Assassin. But then I'd have to kick your..." (Rardin, 2007)

Written in a lively, friendly style, this fast-paced novel is a gripper and a page-turner. The savvy reader will soon catch on that Jaz is hiding her vulnerablity behind that tough-as-nails exterior personna she displays to the world around her and doesn't want to admit that she's human... or is she? Hints are dropped that something which happened in this gal's past might have changed her.

Romances aren't usually my thing but the sub-category of paranormals is wide open, uncharted reading territory for me. I have a favorable impression though from reading this sample offering, which I recommend to those 16 and up seeking something different than the usual romantic suspense novel.

Beautifully Haunting

For One More Day
By Mitch Albom
Publisher: Hyperion (September 26, 2006)
Hardcover: 208 pages
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

For One More Day is a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss. It is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and beyond. The novel explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

Alright. I will admit For One More Day isn't the type of novel I would be likely to purchase for myself. This was one of my Christmas gifts in 2007. I decided to give it a fair chance, since one can always stop reading if the book isn't to his or her taste. Surprise! I was hooked from the first page, and after a chapter or two, putting it aside for sleep was difficult, not picking it up again was never an option... I HAD to find out what happened.

The novel is slim, but provides a mountain of food for thought. It brings one to a new appreciation of his or her own family members along with a reminder not to take anyone for granted. Unlike Charles "Chick" Benetto (the story's main character), we only get one life and one chance to appreciate those we love, though we may wish otherwise. I know I do.

The author brings out all the emotional impact and the turmoil that the main character feels, making the reader also feel as if he or she were that character or someone closely related. Recommended reading for those 18 and up who may be looking for something more than a quick and easy read. This book deserves thought and consideration of the issues it addresses.

Magical Romance

A Distant Magic
By Mary Jo Putney
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (July 17, 2007)
Rating: 3 stars of 5 possible

Jean Macrae’s family is one of the most prominent clans of Guardians, humans whose magical powers come from nature, but Jean considers her skills modest at best. She has never been able to summon the intense, earth-altering ability that has marked the most talented Guardians, and she is content without the adventure that such skill brings . . . until the day she is confronted by a handsome stranger whose magic imprisons her on his pirate ship.

This is a blend of fantasy and romance, but not quite my cup of tea. The novel is slow-paced and seems to drag on forever before it gets to the conclusion. Perhaps it would have been better if I read the previous two books prior to beginning this one, but then again, perhaps not. What comes before doesn't always boost a weak ending.

While parts of the story made me want to continue reading through to the end, I also found parts of the story almost too slow-paced for my tastes. Fortunately the good parts were spread about in just the right places... All-in-all, I'd say this trilogy would probably be better off as a single novel, but condensed somewhat from the length of the three individual books.

Recommended: Adults 18 and up, but only if you like slow-reading romances. There's not nearly enough fantasy here for die-hard fantasy fans like me.

Believe Impossible Things

Cover image used with permission of the author.

Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess
by C.B. Smith
https://www.createspace.com/3346382
Trade Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Raging Squirrel Press
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

Jaynie Morrison is a sixteen-year-old girl with an insatiable need for adventure. She satisfies this desire by causing all manner of random mischief, making her material nuisance number one. But with her seventeenth birthday imminent, a snag in her material world arrives - random magical happenings.

Her father once claimed that her mother was a Faërie Queen, who vanished shortly after Jaynie turned three. Jaynie wonders if her father is telling the truth. She wonders if her mother really vanished after all. But mostly she is confused and wonders if her mother's Faërie magic is causing the magical happenings that have invaded her world. In Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess, Jaynie sets out to answer these questions.

This novel starts off slow, with a description of the cosmos and the creation of planet earth that does nothing for the main story. The entire first chapter could be cut with no harm to, and indeed, with possible improvement of the story. The next few chapters provide a basis for the character of Jaynie with some outrageousness about her shoes and some monkeys that make absoutely no sense... but they are kinda fun chapters at that... still, a condensation of this material to about half the words and only one chapter would move the story along a bit better... Don't let the slow beginning stop you from finishing this enjoyable story, which picks up a bit when Jaynie begins the search for her mother and the answers to her questions. It's well worth the time spent reading.

Over all, Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess is a fun read for those who like their fantasy chock full of adventure with a few abusrdities tucked in for good measure. Parts of the adventure in Sörmlandia remind me of The White Queen, from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll saying “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Believing impossible things is good for the imagination and brings out the creative side of humans... we should all get more practice in such beliefs.

Recommended for Fantasy readers ages 14 and up who are looking for a good adventure and a fairly quick read.

Sucks To Be Me Launch Party (Now Over)

Sucks to Be Me
The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe)
by Kimberly Pauley
Sucks to Be Me Launch Party
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (August 26, 2008)

Hey, Ya'all!  My good friend, Kimberly Pauley just published her new book, Sucks to Be Me. Sure, it's a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What I'm sure you will find, is a barrel of fun... vampire style.

Like the snail I can sometimes be, I haven't read Sucks to Be Me yet, but at least I do have a copy in my possession.  It looks like Sucks to Be Me is next on my to be read list, and there WILL be a review here someday... hopefully soon.  In the meantime, why not join the party on Kim's website. There are tons of cool prizes to be had by some lucky grand prize winner, and there are other, smaller prizes too that you can enter to win. 

What you need to know:
September 11th will be the final entry day for the grand prize pack. The grand prize contest closes on September 21st.

So yeah, why are ya'all hangin' out here with me when Kim has something much better going on at her place?  Oh, and, if you're still here reading this... you can get an extra entry into the drawing for that big prize package Kim is giving away... just tell her you read my blog and point back to this entry. Now, on with ya! Click the link to Kim's site at the top of this entry and join the fun!

A Timeless Love Story

Cover image courtesy of medelgado.com

The First Sandcastle: A Novel
by M. E. Delgado
http://www.medelgado.com/
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Barrio City Press (March 2, 2008)
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

The First Sandcastle is a coming of age story about a young man growing up in a dysfunctional family. The main character, Marlo Clemente, attempts to reconcile the love he feels for his mother and the warped view of life taught by his father... that women are evil.

Marlo's art and his friends provide solace from everyday home life. When one of Marlo's friends (Danny) falls in love with a girl who uses Danny for her own purposes and then crushes his hopes and dreams, this only reinforces what Marlo has learned from his father.

How Marlo deals with the further confusion that sets in when he meets a girl he feels is unlike others is a captivating story that gives the reader a lot to think about. The peer pressure of growing up, and the issues a normal teen must deal with, along with the not-quite-separate issues that evolve from the family's dysfunctional relationships among themselves and others are deeply felt by the reader. The timeless feel and the steady pacing of this story should provide a basis for a wide audience, though I have the feeling that it is also the ideal YA novel.

Mr. Delgado builds the highly emotional story to a dramatic climax and makes the reader feel every minute of Marlo's pain when he discovers that he's just as his girlfriend's mother says: "exactly like all the other boys". Marlo's relationship with his own mother improves and she helps him realize that we are all human and fallible.

Disappointment Is The Word

The Essential Writer's Notebook:
A step-By-Step Guide to Better Writing
Natalie Goldberg
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press (July 2001)
Spiral-bound: 160 pages
Rating: 1 star of 5 possible

Much of the content of this book is merely blank lined pages that would best serve my purposes if those blank pages were not interrupted by so much art and having the writing prompts appear scattered throughout, in what I am certain are going to turn out to be the wrong places much of the time. As with the writing prompts, the author's paintings are scattered throughout the book, inhibiting the usefulness of the volume.

As an educational tool, this book is lacking much due to the content being so scattered; as a writer's journal or writing exercise book, it is only so-so for the same reason. Since there is no way to predict how much a writer will put out based on one prompt, I would rather have seen a section at the front devoted to the prompts, and a second section (maybe at the back) devoted to the paintings, making them easier both to find and to use as prompts. Another point concerning the paintings... well, they can best be described as eclectic, and though they might serve as prompts to some writers, to me they are so much wasted paper. This writer's painting style just does not fit my taste in art.

Since the book is wire-bound inside a cover that hides the wires (nice looking, I'll admit), I can't even take the darned thing apart to reorganize the paintings as I would prefer to have them. If I had seen this at a traditional bookstore, where I could have examined the book prior to purchasing it, I probably would not have made the purchase. This book is very much not recommended to anyone, with the possible exception of rabid fans of the author who MUST have every book with her name on the cover and who happen to also like the author's painting style.