by Jane | Sep 5, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
Joe Abercrombie’s Half the World is a sequel to Half a King, the story of Yorvi, a young man thrust into a kingship he didn’t want. However, rather than describing further exploits of Yarvi, this book focusses on two young warriors, Thorn and Brand. During a training exercise, Thorn, the only female trainee, accidentally kills her opponent and Brand stands up for her when she is declared a murderer. Thorn faces death and Brand is stricken from the raid he so much wants to participate in.
Yarvi, a secondary character in this book, is now Minister to King Uthril, and puts Thorn and Brand on his crew for a diplomatic mission to the other side of the world. The two face many trials, both physical and social, on their travels. They learn much about themselves and each other by the time they return home. But what happens then? What will they do with what they have learned? What decisions will they make?
A great addition to the “Half” series, Half the World is a book to be enjoyed by adults and youth alike. Abercrombie’s newest book Half a Crown has recently been released, and I can’t wait to see what he has next in store for the readers.
by Jane | Aug 10, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
In Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Yarvi, a young boy with a deformed hand, becomes king when his father and brother are killed. He doesn’t want the crown but has no choice. Though he feels that no one will ever accept him as king, he takes the throne under the auspices of his strong but harsh mother and supportive uncle. Immediately, they send him to war to avenge his father. But when he reaches the battlefield, Yarvi is betrayed by someone close to him and is sold into slavery.
Wanting nothing more than to regain his throne and have his revenge, Yarvi finds a set of unlikely comrades to assist him in his long journey back to his home. Along the way, the companions face dangers from weather, disease, and sword.
Although Half a King has not been marketed as young adult, but simply a fantasy novel, it has many elements of YA. The protagonist is young, and he faces many challenges. Uncertain of himself in the beginning, he grows enough during the book to consider this a coming-of-age story.
I would recommend this book for young adults and adults. It reads very fast and will maintain your attention throughout. Pick up the book and enjoy.
by Jane | Aug 1, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
What if you were a 12-year-old girl and you start receiving mysterious notes telling you to write a letter in order to save your friend’s life? This is exactly what Miranda does in When You Reach Me. The only child of a single mother, she has the same trials and tribulations of most children that age, but add to it this remarkable occurrence, and the book becomes one of wonder and intrigue.
Author Rebecca Stead tells this story in the voice of Miranda, and as such, it is fluid and very easy to read. We grieve with Miranda when she seems to lose her best friend Sal and rejoice with her when she finds new friends Colin ad Annmarie. But beyond all this preteen angst are the mysterious notes. They seem to know things about Miranda that nobody should know, even things that haven’t happened yet.
It is this hook that will keep you reading. Who is this mysterious person and how can he or she possibly know these things? But more importantly, what should Miranda do about it?
When You Reach Me is a fast, easy read that will keep you engaged until the end. Young adults will love it, but adults will also find it entertaining.
by Jane | Jul 15, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
Who wouldn’t want to have superheroes as parents? Celia West, that’s who. With a father who can knock down walls and a mother who can start fires with her hands, Carrie was expected to inherit some power of her own. When she didn’t, her father started ignoring her and she felt like a failure. Now, she’s all grown up and working as a forensic accountant, trying very hard to distance herself from her parents. Unfortunately, avoiding her parents is impossible. Since their secret identities were revealed, she has been a kidnap victim so often, it is now commonplace to her. And who is going to rescue her but her super parents and their super colleagues?
But Celia’s life gets even more complicated when her job draws her into contact with a super villain who once attacked the city and fought her parents. Stories come out about her rebellious teenage years, but more than that, her own exploration draws her into a story, not just about he villain, but also her parents and the other super humans.
In After the Golden Age, Carrie Vaughn presents a delightful story of a young woman with more problems than most trying to understand her place in the world. Humor, mystery, and suspense fill the pages. If you ever read comic books, this will be a fun read for you.
by Jane | Jul 13, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
Feyre is a young girl who must hunt for her family to put food on the table, because neither her crippled father nor older sisters will help. One day while hunting in forbidden woods, she kills a wolf. Unfortunately, it was not a wolf she killed but a faerie in disguise. Since this is a crime, a faerie named Tamlin comes to take her away to live in his world.
A Crown of Thorn and Roses, Sarah J. Maas’ newest book tells a tale of a world divided between man and faeries. A truce ending a war between the two erected a wall to separate them. a wall which humans were not allowed to pass. Now Feyre has been taken across that wall against her will to live among the faeries. When she arrives, she finds they are none too welcoming to her, because she has killed their friend. Lucien is especially mean to her. Feyre is very unhappy, until she finds that her feelings toward her captor Tamlin, the faeries in general, and even Lucien begin to change. In fact, she may be falling in love.
A Crown of Thorn and Roses reminded me greatly of “Beauty and the Beast”. In fact, Maas draws heavily on the tale.The only real difference is that Feyre is a strong, independent woman, who even in captivity, tries to help her family, at a possible cost to her own life. The relationships and enchantments also vary enough to keep the reader entertained. In spite of the similarities, A Crown of Thorn and Roses is a well-written young adult novel, which fans of Maas’ other books are sure to enjoy.
by Jane | Jul 5, 2015 | Write Here Write Now
Last week I posted some of my thoughts on These Are the Voyages, Vol.2 by Marc Cushman. Having just finished the book, I thought I should continue with some more information other than what William Shatner was doing to maintain his image onthe show. The second season was actually a very interesting one. Gene Coon was on board to produce most of the shows until stepping down near the end, three comedies were produced thanks to him, and George Takei missed out on some juicy parts by taking a role in a John Wayne movie.
One of the most interesting things to me about this book series is how a script was developed, first from an idea, then to an outline, the first draft script, and several drafts later to a finished product. It is reported that George Takei was a little upset when Walter Koenig joined the cast, because he was afraid it would take lines away from his character. And that it did. But more than that, it took away entire roles. There were many scripts that had Sulu listed for certain things. For instance, he was supposed to be in the landing parties in “Who Mourns For Adonais” and “The Apple”. When he had taken time away to film The Green Berets, he missed out on others, such as “The Trouble With Tribbles” and “The Gamesters of Triskelion”. Takei did not return to the series until “Return to Tomorrow”, with no big parts for him the rest of that season.
Having read the first two volumes of this series, I also understand what a great influence Gene Coon had. Apparently, he was the only one on the production staff who had a sense of humor, except for Script Consultant D. C. Fontana. He was responsible for the comedy of “I, Mudd” and “The Trouble With Tribbles.” All the cast, except for Leonard Nimoy, loved what he was doing with the humor, but theirs weren’t the votes that counted. Gene Roddenberry was involved in another project at the time these were produced and was none too happy when he returned. Coon’s resignation as producer was at least partially due to these artistic differences. Still, he was brought back to rewrite “A Piece of the Action,” and I, for one, am glad he was. It’s one of my favorite episodes. After Coon resigned, Fontana was left to supply the comedic elements, but there would be no more all-out comedies.
There’s more, much more to be garnered from this book, so if you’re a Star Trek fan, I would definitely recommend getting a copy for yourself. I’ll report on Volume 3 soon with more Star Trek tidbits.
