reread spree
Aug. 7th, 2014 01:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silverflight8I'm apparently on a re-read kick, and I have too many to review in the same way I did Mistborn (words! words everywhere!) so here's a quick thing:
The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon and The Lights Go On Again by Kit Pearson
The novels are about Norah and Gavin, two siblings who are sent to Canada as war guests as the Blitz ramps up in England. I'm struggling to think of a good descriptor of the books that involve plot, but the core of the books is really the emotional journeys that Norah and Gavin go through. They move into the house of Florence Ogilvie and Norah immediately has personality conflicts with Aunt Florence.
One thing I think Pearson did really well was portray unusual grief/emotions. Norah is young but she's twelve or so, and she doesn't want to leave England. She's angry with her parents for sending them away, afraid for them, ashamed of running away, angry she's being put in charge of her younger brother, resentful that he can't help being afraid and distressed himself. She's not happy with being put with the Ogilvies and she's not fitting into her new school. It's an ugly combination of emotions that nevertheless feels really honest.
There's also Gavin in The Lights Go On Again who doesn't remember his parents much at all and is more upset at leaving Canada than anything else. I think there's a script for mourning--which Norah fits, she cries and is clearly upset--but Gavin doesn't remember them much and doesn't need or want to cry. More pressing is the issue that he'll have to go back to England, somewhere he remembers no one and is associated with war. It gets resolved and I love their grandfather, but I thought that his anger mixed with guilt towards him and Norah, too, was really honest.
Also I learned that Pearson is gay! That is pretty cool. I read her books when I was a kid and never looked at author bios (nor do I think they would have mentioned it). She's also from Alberta!
The Secrets of the Jedi by Jude Watson
Ahh, yes, my Star Wars obsession. When I say I love Star Wars what I actually mean is "the Prequel EU books" and Jude Watson is at least 50% responsible for this. I think the only post-RotJ books I've read is Zahn's Thrawn trilogy (which is really good, I get why people keep trying to sneak it into yuletide).
Secrets of the Jedi is about Obi-Wan and Siri's relationship. Watson also wrote Jedi Apprentice (about young Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) and Jedi Quest (about Obi-Wan and Anakin) and The Secrets of the Jedi tie into Jedi Apprentice; this book ties into the Jedi Apprentice series. Obi-Wan and Siri, along with their respective masters, are assigned to escort a talented young boy named Talesan Fry to Coruscant after he discovers the plot of a group of bounty hunters. They're partly successful even though the Padawans get separated from their Masters halfway through, but Tal's parents are killed. Years later, when the galaxy is consumed by the Clone Wars, the Temple is informed that Tal, now a successful businessman, has created a perfect codebreaker and is offering the Republic the first bid.
Being Jedi, love is forbidden, and the book has an interesting treatment of it. In one of the Jedi Apprentice books Obi-Wan actually left the Jedi Order once; he felt that the Temple was not helping the civil war on Melida/Daan enough and refused to go back to Coruscant, staying to help. In this book while Obi-Wan and Siri are initially determined to make it work by keeping it a secret, but Qui-Gon finds out and takes him to talk with Yoda. Caught between two dreams--of being a Jedi, which he has struggled to be since he was a child, and the first flush of love--he and Siri decide that leaving the Jedi Order would be something that they could never get over. Siri is adamant upon this point and, having decided to go this path, wants a clean break. Neither sees the other for some twenty years.
When Siri is killed there is one moment where those watching--Anakin, Padmé--are legitimately concerned that he will kill the perpetrator in cold blood (and counter to everything he has done his whole life). I love those hints of stoic characters breaking. (He doesn't kill, though.)
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
The last dragons are hiding in the wet hills of Scotland when they are informed that humans are going to flood their valley, destroying their home. Firedrake, a young dragon, and his brownie companion Sorrel set out to find the storied Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas--a place said in stories to be a beautiful, impregnable home for dragons. Along the way they run into Ben, a young human orphan, who joins them on their quest. They are pursued by a gigantic gold dragon intent on capturing them, and have to seek help from all sorts of strange quarters.
I love kitchen-sink fantasy and this novel combines all sorts of magical, fantastic creatures: dwarves, sand elves, dragons, brownies, sea serpents, homunculi, magically-changed animals, and so on. I love the book because it's full of uncertainty and being hunted, but it feels delighted; Firedrake and his companions get help from even humans, meet all sorts of fantastic creatures on their journey, and the ultimate message is both adorable and heartwarming. I mean, you could say it's because it's a children's book, but given the propensity (and popularity) of books like Where the Red Fern Grows (tears, tears down the side of my face) that's no guarantee whatsoever.
If you like whimsical fantasy, cannot recommend enough.
Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Sequel to Hawksong, Snakecharm picks up as Danica discovers she's pregnant. Although the succession is important, the news is potentially disastrous to the fragile new peace. The two courts have two vastly different cultures and neither wants the heir to be raised in the other court. As this is happening, Syfka, a falcon representing the Empress Cjarsa, arrives in the serpents' court. She is looking for a renegade falcon hiding in either court and is openly contemptuous of Danica and Zane's efforts at peace.
The story itself isn't as strong (or as appealing to my id, let's be honest) as Hawksong which has the resonant idea of ending war. Hawksong is the embodiment of make love not war. But the introduction of Syfka and the reveal of Rei does set up the scene for a fourth culture that is incredibly powerful and has been on the sidelines thus far: the falcons. The later books expand the falcons' society, which is wrapped in a lot of mystery and control and, of course, magic.
Hawk of May by Gillian Bradshaw
This book is my favourite Arthurian adaptation, hands down. It follows Gwalchmai (Sir Gawain) in his childhood as he struggles to fit in with the warrior-dominated society. His father, Lot, is the king of the Orcades; his older brother Agravain is blond and bright and exactly the warrior ideal. His mother is Morgause, and she picks up on Gwalchmai's ill-fitting and inducts him into dark magic. Finally on one night where she prepares to sacrifice a man, Gwalchmai breaks and runs away.
Lugh!! Arthur! Agravain apologizing to Gwalchmai!! Swords and horses! Secrets coming out at the end!! (This was helped by the fact the first time I read the books I'd never picked up on the incest thing, so I was legitimately confused why Arthur wouldn't accept Gwalchmai).
Airborn and Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on the airship Aurora, is on crow's nest when he spots a hot-air balloon drifting above the Pacificus Ocean. The balloonist doesn't make it, but a year later, Kate de Vries, his granddaughter, takes the Aurora to further her grandfather's discoveries.
The novel is steampunk, and one of my favourite renditions of the trope. Matt is a born airman, and he loves flying--more comfortable in the air than on the ground, and he loves everything about the Aurora, from the rigging to the hydrium cells to the crew and friends. It's a world where there aren't airplanes but airships sail the world. There are a few other sly hints; Vancouver is Lionsgate City, and instead of Impressionism they've had Depressionism. The Aurora has a few Depressionist paintings and they hang in the smoking room!
They end up having to crash-land on a tropical island and fight pirates. I love Kate's determination to find the cloud cats--she really is very determined. Nothing really fazes her. The idea of the sky as a great sea, full of creatures we haven't discovered, is an intriguing idea. Oppel expands on this in the next book too; the aerozoans freaked me out.
Among Others
I reread this a year later (review from last year) and I'm pleased that I recognize and can think about a lot more books that Mori mentions! Read Zelazny's Amber books (1), have read the Heinlein quote about abandoning baggage, Foundation (1 1/2), and a few more I think I've forgot. Really must get The Dispossessed. It's one of the books that's been on my list forever.
It follows Mori Phelps as she is sent to boarding school in England, after her twin dies while they were trying to stop their mother. But the framing parts aren't important, the book really is about a) magic and b) books. And a little bit of life. But Mori, having been injured, can't play sports that are so important at school, and she doesn't fit in either, so she spends a lot of her time reading science fiction. It's a book about hope too.
--
I'm working on Conspiracy of Kings by Turner and enjoying it a lot so far, though I'm having some trouble with the different perspectives. I think I've reread the previous three books altogether too many times already and I understand them really well now, but there is a lot here I'm skimming--the political bits for one. Sophos is growing up though! Awww.
This post took long enough that I finished a book while writing it. I wish I was faster!
The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon and The Lights Go On Again by Kit Pearson
The novels are about Norah and Gavin, two siblings who are sent to Canada as war guests as the Blitz ramps up in England. I'm struggling to think of a good descriptor of the books that involve plot, but the core of the books is really the emotional journeys that Norah and Gavin go through. They move into the house of Florence Ogilvie and Norah immediately has personality conflicts with Aunt Florence.
One thing I think Pearson did really well was portray unusual grief/emotions. Norah is young but she's twelve or so, and she doesn't want to leave England. She's angry with her parents for sending them away, afraid for them, ashamed of running away, angry she's being put in charge of her younger brother, resentful that he can't help being afraid and distressed himself. She's not happy with being put with the Ogilvies and she's not fitting into her new school. It's an ugly combination of emotions that nevertheless feels really honest.
There's also Gavin in The Lights Go On Again who doesn't remember his parents much at all and is more upset at leaving Canada than anything else. I think there's a script for mourning--which Norah fits, she cries and is clearly upset--but Gavin doesn't remember them much and doesn't need or want to cry. More pressing is the issue that he'll have to go back to England, somewhere he remembers no one and is associated with war. It gets resolved and I love their grandfather, but I thought that his anger mixed with guilt towards him and Norah, too, was really honest.
Also I learned that Pearson is gay! That is pretty cool. I read her books when I was a kid and never looked at author bios (nor do I think they would have mentioned it). She's also from Alberta!
The Secrets of the Jedi by Jude Watson
Ahh, yes, my Star Wars obsession. When I say I love Star Wars what I actually mean is "the Prequel EU books" and Jude Watson is at least 50% responsible for this. I think the only post-RotJ books I've read is Zahn's Thrawn trilogy (which is really good, I get why people keep trying to sneak it into yuletide).
Secrets of the Jedi is about Obi-Wan and Siri's relationship. Watson also wrote Jedi Apprentice (about young Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) and Jedi Quest (about Obi-Wan and Anakin) and The Secrets of the Jedi tie into Jedi Apprentice; this book ties into the Jedi Apprentice series. Obi-Wan and Siri, along with their respective masters, are assigned to escort a talented young boy named Talesan Fry to Coruscant after he discovers the plot of a group of bounty hunters. They're partly successful even though the Padawans get separated from their Masters halfway through, but Tal's parents are killed. Years later, when the galaxy is consumed by the Clone Wars, the Temple is informed that Tal, now a successful businessman, has created a perfect codebreaker and is offering the Republic the first bid.
Being Jedi, love is forbidden, and the book has an interesting treatment of it. In one of the Jedi Apprentice books Obi-Wan actually left the Jedi Order once; he felt that the Temple was not helping the civil war on Melida/Daan enough and refused to go back to Coruscant, staying to help. In this book while Obi-Wan and Siri are initially determined to make it work by keeping it a secret, but Qui-Gon finds out and takes him to talk with Yoda. Caught between two dreams--of being a Jedi, which he has struggled to be since he was a child, and the first flush of love--he and Siri decide that leaving the Jedi Order would be something that they could never get over. Siri is adamant upon this point and, having decided to go this path, wants a clean break. Neither sees the other for some twenty years.
When Siri is killed there is one moment where those watching--Anakin, Padmé--are legitimately concerned that he will kill the perpetrator in cold blood (and counter to everything he has done his whole life). I love those hints of stoic characters breaking. (He doesn't kill, though.)
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
The last dragons are hiding in the wet hills of Scotland when they are informed that humans are going to flood their valley, destroying their home. Firedrake, a young dragon, and his brownie companion Sorrel set out to find the storied Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas--a place said in stories to be a beautiful, impregnable home for dragons. Along the way they run into Ben, a young human orphan, who joins them on their quest. They are pursued by a gigantic gold dragon intent on capturing them, and have to seek help from all sorts of strange quarters.
I love kitchen-sink fantasy and this novel combines all sorts of magical, fantastic creatures: dwarves, sand elves, dragons, brownies, sea serpents, homunculi, magically-changed animals, and so on. I love the book because it's full of uncertainty and being hunted, but it feels delighted; Firedrake and his companions get help from even humans, meet all sorts of fantastic creatures on their journey, and the ultimate message is both adorable and heartwarming. I mean, you could say it's because it's a children's book, but given the propensity (and popularity) of books like Where the Red Fern Grows (tears, tears down the side of my face) that's no guarantee whatsoever.
If you like whimsical fantasy, cannot recommend enough.
Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Sequel to Hawksong, Snakecharm picks up as Danica discovers she's pregnant. Although the succession is important, the news is potentially disastrous to the fragile new peace. The two courts have two vastly different cultures and neither wants the heir to be raised in the other court. As this is happening, Syfka, a falcon representing the Empress Cjarsa, arrives in the serpents' court. She is looking for a renegade falcon hiding in either court and is openly contemptuous of Danica and Zane's efforts at peace.
The story itself isn't as strong (or as appealing to my id, let's be honest) as Hawksong which has the resonant idea of ending war. Hawksong is the embodiment of make love not war. But the introduction of Syfka and the reveal of Rei does set up the scene for a fourth culture that is incredibly powerful and has been on the sidelines thus far: the falcons. The later books expand the falcons' society, which is wrapped in a lot of mystery and control and, of course, magic.
Hawk of May by Gillian Bradshaw
This book is my favourite Arthurian adaptation, hands down. It follows Gwalchmai (Sir Gawain) in his childhood as he struggles to fit in with the warrior-dominated society. His father, Lot, is the king of the Orcades; his older brother Agravain is blond and bright and exactly the warrior ideal. His mother is Morgause, and she picks up on Gwalchmai's ill-fitting and inducts him into dark magic. Finally on one night where she prepares to sacrifice a man, Gwalchmai breaks and runs away.
Lugh!! Arthur! Agravain apologizing to Gwalchmai!! Swords and horses! Secrets coming out at the end!! (This was helped by the fact the first time I read the books I'd never picked up on the incest thing, so I was legitimately confused why Arthur wouldn't accept Gwalchmai).
Airborn and Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on the airship Aurora, is on crow's nest when he spots a hot-air balloon drifting above the Pacificus Ocean. The balloonist doesn't make it, but a year later, Kate de Vries, his granddaughter, takes the Aurora to further her grandfather's discoveries.
The novel is steampunk, and one of my favourite renditions of the trope. Matt is a born airman, and he loves flying--more comfortable in the air than on the ground, and he loves everything about the Aurora, from the rigging to the hydrium cells to the crew and friends. It's a world where there aren't airplanes but airships sail the world. There are a few other sly hints; Vancouver is Lionsgate City, and instead of Impressionism they've had Depressionism. The Aurora has a few Depressionist paintings and they hang in the smoking room!
They end up having to crash-land on a tropical island and fight pirates. I love Kate's determination to find the cloud cats--she really is very determined. Nothing really fazes her. The idea of the sky as a great sea, full of creatures we haven't discovered, is an intriguing idea. Oppel expands on this in the next book too; the aerozoans freaked me out.
Among Others
I reread this a year later (review from last year) and I'm pleased that I recognize and can think about a lot more books that Mori mentions! Read Zelazny's Amber books (1), have read the Heinlein quote about abandoning baggage, Foundation (1 1/2), and a few more I think I've forgot. Really must get The Dispossessed. It's one of the books that's been on my list forever.
It follows Mori Phelps as she is sent to boarding school in England, after her twin dies while they were trying to stop their mother. But the framing parts aren't important, the book really is about a) magic and b) books. And a little bit of life. But Mori, having been injured, can't play sports that are so important at school, and she doesn't fit in either, so she spends a lot of her time reading science fiction. It's a book about hope too.
--
I'm working on Conspiracy of Kings by Turner and enjoying it a lot so far, though I'm having some trouble with the different perspectives. I think I've reread the previous three books altogether too many times already and I understand them really well now, but there is a lot here I'm skimming--the political bits for one. Sophos is growing up though! Awww.
This post took long enough that I finished a book while writing it. I wish I was faster!
