Book Nook Club: mythology

Showing posts with label mythology. Show all posts

May 22, 2011

Women and Other Monsters

Enter into the twisted mind of writer Bernard Schaffer in his collection of short stories, Women and Other Monsters. The collection consists of 5 short stories that are each different, dark and deserving to be read. Each story is written with lots of character and beautiful descriptions. You actually feel like you're there; you can hear the voices, feel the temperature in the room even. And yet, that is all that connects these stories, as they are each unique from one another.

1. The Reluctant Death: This is the first short story in the collection. It is placed pre-civil war, on a plantation farm. Folklore, mysticism and darkness rule here, but there is still a hidden gentleness that emerges. I found this one to be beautiful and mysterious.

2. Codename: Omega: This story was wild, adrenaline pumping and tricky. An American soldier is killed in action during World War 1... only, he's not really dead. He's a superhuman who becomes a secret agent, bent on kicking some serious Nazi tail. Basically, if you liked Quentin Tarantino's, Inglorious Basterds, you'll enjoy this too!

3. Room Service: This story will make you laugh out loud and root for the underdog (for a change). With all these good-guy-vampire books out now, it's refreshing to read the opposite. When Rob's stripper girlfriend goes missing after a "home call", he decides to investigates and doesn't like what he finds. Having nothing to lose, he decides to take his revenge. This story was my personal favorite... good fun.

4. Cold Comforts: A married couple struggles to find intimacy with one another after the death of their unborn child. While she searches for answers at any cost, he finds comfort with another. This story made me do a double take... how twisted can you get, Mr. Schaffer? ;)

5. Nazareth: This story is written very well. It unravels slowly and has a shock factor that will make you want to re-read it. Two alien researchers are studying Earth and the human life form. They discover DNA and decide to change all of humanity with one simple act. Although this story will take you by surprise, you will also find yourself taken by Schaffer's cleverness and satirical humor.

So if you like folklore, history, war, vampires, family dramas or sci-fi, this is the book for you! There really is something for everyone!

Overall, this collection is great. You will peel through it, just to see if the next one can possibly be better than the last. And, as I said before, since they are so vastly different from one another, it's hard to compare. The only thing that was not in my taste, was that once he gave you the shock factor, the story ended. There was no wind-down or conclusion... just an open end for your own imagination to conclude. Like at the end of a great movie, when you go, "WHHHAAAT?!" (Inception, anyone?). Other than that, it was flawless.

5 stars

*This book is currently only available in e-book format*

I was given a free copy of this book to review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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May 15, 2011

Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

Augusta Blythe's does a fabulous job, taking on YA Fantasy in her first novel, Winterborne. The book follows main character, Loie Bryce as she deals with the same teenage dramas every Junior is going through... boys, school, college acceptance... only she's got a few extra to tackle as well, such as losing her parents at the mere age of 5, and her best friend, Mia's impending metamorphosis into a super human on their next birthday. Yes, you read right.

Loie and Mia aren't exactly sure what to expect when they turn 17. All Mia knows is that her father, Mr. Winterborne, had some extraordinary powers and she's due to inherit them as well. Unfortunately, the pair run into trouble when creatures from another realm attempt to intercept her, knowing that she'll be very powerful in just a few short months. Their run ins with leprechauns, pixies, and hell hounds give them a taste of what life will soon become.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it in 2 days and found it irresistible. Reading YA is always fun... but when you add the fantastical element, it becomes great fun! This book kept me guessing throughout. I knew things were not as they seemed, but was still surprised when the big reveal came. The writing was quick moving, with lots of dialogue and very witty and funny. These are smart girls!

Although the real action did not begin until mid point, I was still entertained and anxious throughout. This whole book felt like a prequel, though. I'm sure the true adventures will be in the coming books. I'm looking forward to reading more Super Girl, kick ass stories from Blythe!

4 Stars.

*This book is currently only available in e-book format*

I was given a free copy of this book to review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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October 30, 2009

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Quick note -- "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" refers, in fact, to a series of five books, not a single volume. The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian tell a large story in their own right, though each has its own plotline beside. I'm hoping that my son, who clued me in to the series and has recently joined the Book Nook as a contributor, will pick up reviewing some of the individual books. In the meantime, here's my take on the series:

This is good stuff! I am usually very skeptical of attempts to blend classic mythology with the modern world. It usually comes out very sloppy. "Percy Jackson" does not. The world is at least as seamless as that of Harry Potter. (Please forgive the comparison, but it was, surely, inevitable.)

The premise? The Greek gods are real. They have been central to Western civilization, and have therefore moved west as Western civilization did. The mythical Mount Olympus is now located at what would be the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Other landmarks of Greek lore have also moved west. The entrance to Hades, for example, is now in California. The famed and feared Sea of Monsters is what we know as the Bermuda Triangle.

You and I, being mortals, are deceived by a mystical substance called Mist, which makes us see things in a comprehensible fashion. Percy might be attacked by Echidna and the Chimera, but onlookers see something else. A cyclops walking around New York isn't recognized.

Mist is about as clever a device as I've ever seen for explaining why a fantasy world can blend into the real world without being noticed. Riordan, though, doesn't stop there. His characters from Greek mythology are well-presented. Besides the twelve Olympians, Hades, Hestia, Persephone, and Pan; he brings out the minor gods Janus, Morpheus, and others for a war with the titans. Atlas, Hyperion, Kronos, Oceanus, and even Prometheus (in a brilliantly-written appearance) are prominent as the story progresses.

More than that, his use of the Greek monsters shows that he put effort into knowing who they were and what they did. In many ways, this story gives a good background in Greek mythology. Much as I suggested that The Mysterious Benedict Society should get kids interested in learning about Morse Code, this should get kids interested in Greek myths. That, surely, is a great thing. His portrayal of centaurs is quite possibly the only true-to-myth one I've ever seen in fantasy writing.

Best of all, Rick Riordan did not clean up, or (shall we say?) Disney-fy the Greek gods. They're a dysfunctional family. Many of the demi-gods that we meet don't know their immortal parents, because the immortals can't be bothered to keep track of their kids. Many of those who do come to hate their immortal parents for abandoning them. In fact, the war might never have happened if not for this failing among the gods.

Humor runs through the books as well, though. It is narrated in the first person and somewhat informally, though well. Chapter names are hilarious, though. "The Gods Vote How To Kill Us," "I Get a New Enemy For Christmas," and "The Underworld Sends Me a Collect Call," to grab just a few.

Overall, this is a family-affirming story that reinforces values such as loyalty, resolve, and ... well, ... doing the right thing. Percy's confrontations with the Olympians drive home that he's not so much on their side as he is on the side of doing what's right -- sometimes dragging them into it.

One of us will come back and hit on the books individually shortly, I hope. For now, though, I'm giving the series as a whole a somewhat-conservative four stars.

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March 6, 2009

Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins

What i found in this book is that it was a whole lot of filler to tell a story that probably could have been told in about 50 pages. True to his style, Robbins does manage to throw in some good comedic points, and he truly is the master of the metaphor, but this time I didn't feel it was enough. I had read this book once before, and didn't like it much then either. I was hoping that this go-round I would enjoy it more, as it's been a good 5 or 6 years. No, sadly.

This is not one of Robbins' better novels. While I do enjoy most of his work, "Skinny Legs and All" being one of my favourite books of all time, this one is just didn't do it for me. Robbins jumps around from past to present, and after reading 4 or 5 pages of dialogue that doesn't seem to fit into the whole package of the book, I found myself wondering if he just didn't meet his required amount of words and was padding.

Would I recommend the work of Tom Robbins to another person, yes. Would I recommend this book? probably not. It just didn't captivate me the way "Another Roadside Attraction" or "Jitterbug Perfume" did. In fact, I found myself, many a night, almost forcing myself to continue reading it.

I give this 2 stars. Well written, just not entertaining.

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May 22, 2011

Women and Other Monsters

May 15, 2011

Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

October 30, 2009

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

March 6, 2009

Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins

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