The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a dystopian young adult novel, and, even if I'm slowly moving away from young adult literature, I love dystopias.

The world in this book is a place where most people are hungry everyday of their lives. Of course these are the ones who live in the districts: the poor ones, the descendants of the rebels that tried to take down the Capitol city, and lost.

As a way to control the population against future rebellions, and to entertain those who are not so unfortunate, the Government hosts the Hunger Games, in which a boy and a girl from each district – 24 children between the ages of 12 and 18, are sent into an arena, pitted against each other, fighting for survival and to the death. There is no escape from the games; once the Tributes are chosen, they either die or win. And only one wins.

Katniss, our heroine, volunteers as a Tribute, saving her younger sister from this fate. Together with Peeta, the boy Tribute from her district, she must try to win, to bring some respite from hardship and hunger to her district.


I liked The Hunger Games. It was well paced and gripping. Action was never missing from the story, but not at the expense of character development. I slowly came to like Katniss, who is quite cold, but made so by her life. By the middle of the book, I was truly rooting for her. The ideas on this book are horrific, after all this is a story where kids fight to death, but it doesn't use blood and guts to cause revulsion. It comes from imagining what it would be like.

The story could also be seen as a social commentary. The hunger in the far away districts, while there is so much in the Capitol – there is a lot of that going out in our world, no need for a dystopia in the far future. The reality TV aspect is also strong. People watch kids slaughter each other on TV. They watch them starve or freeze to death. And there are two sides to this as well. Because most watch it because they have to, but there are those who watch it for fun.

I really hope this gets more developed in the next books. I liked the construction of this imperfect world, twisted to its core. I would like to know what happens next, if it relates with the Capitol, or only District 12. There is potential for a lot in here.

And now for the final comment. The Teams. With hyped books, especially when there is a kickass heroine like Katniss, and when there is more than one male character of suitable age to be a romantic partner, readers will pick sides. It happened in Harry Potter, with the ship wars; it happened with Twilight, with teams for each possible character; and I'm quite sure we can trace this throughout time in literature – Team Darcy and Team Whickham; Team Paris and Team Menelaus, etc. In The Hunger Games, there is Gale, the childhood friend, and Peeta, the competitor/ally in the Games. So even before I finished the book I was asked: Which team?

To that I say: None!

But let me explain. I could see the romantic story being developed. It was hard to miss. However, it is much one sided, and I think there is a reason for that. Katniss has issues – trust issues, among other things. She doesn't need a boyfriend. I think she wouldn't know what to do with one. What she desperately needs is friends. Friends to help her trust in people, not to be so calculating and cold. More than Gale and Peeta, I think she needed more people like Rue and Cinna, who have showed her kindness where she expected none. To some extent Gale and Peeta also fit that role, but again as friends. Not boyfriends.

Another of my problems with picking a side is that I know a lot about one character, and nothing about the other. Hardly seems fair, right? Peeta, I liked. He was homely, pretending to be a bit dumb when he wasn't, and showing cunning when he or Katniss were in danger. Gale seems like he would also be a good sort of guy. But that is about as much as I could get from the book: a nice and quiet guy. Not much to go on. So I'll reserve judgement on the romantic aspect for the next book.

I know I will read the next two in the series, even if I'm expecting to be somewhat disappointed (from what I could gather from skimming the reviews for Mockingjay). With a more definite ending, The Hunger Games could easily be a standalone book – an a very good one at that.

(4/5)

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

Touched by an Alien
Touched by an Alien is the story of Katherine “Kitty” Katt, who goes from being a marketing manager in Pueblo Caliente to helping an Alien Agency protect the Earth from nasty things from Space. The thing is, all the aliens in this agency are drop dead gorgeous (the author turned a major flaw in romance fiction into a feature!), and the hunk (Armani-clad!) that first appears to help her is ready to make his moves on her.

The book drops you right into the action. One minute Kitty is leaving the court house, the next a man sprouts huge wings and starts attacking everyone. Not to be cowered, Kitty rummages her purse in search of a suitable weapon, finds a pen, gets off her high heel shoes (sensible girl!) and goes for the kill.

When the Armani-clad hunk, Jeff Martini, appears to save the day, the day is quite saved already. Of course there needs to be some damage control, after all a winged monster just appeared in broad daylight and started to attack people, so Kitty is escorted by Martini and the rest of his entourage (all of them male, all of them gorgeous) to a safe place.

And then the flirting starts. Because Martini is very impressed with our girl and makes his claim soon enough. And keeps doing it, to the point that I felt like screaming “Down, boy!” (later I realised I should also have been saying “Down, girl!”).

After the initial action the plot starts to drag a bit, mostly because there is a lot of information being dumped on the reader (and on Kitty, I suppose), but since it is all new, aliens and monsters and other things from space, it's to be expected. Once the plot is moving again, it becomes much better, and goes much faster. And faster means fast, because this book is a page turner, and what is refreshing is that it does not rely on cliffhangers – you genuinely want to know what happens next.

The story was entertaining, and I was chuckling on the right parts at the beginning. Then the jokes got old, and I started to get a bit tired of all the banter. Because if there is something in this book is a lot of banter between characters. There are a lot of cheesy lines (and cheesy pick-up lines), and they soon lose their charm. Also, some of the characters lose a bit of their charm towards the end of the book, especially Kitty (so sensible in the beginning, taking of her shoes before running, only to end up going into a battle with her purse. And her iPod. And her hairspray).

As a Fantasy and Science Fiction aficionado I had some trouble with the believability of this book. This book gets its Science Fiction more from blockbuster movies than the genre literature. There are explosions, monsters, parasites and aliens, but most ends up serving as backdrop to the romance. But there is some development of the plot, and that, I liked. I liked the story of the parasites (once they were on Earth, that is. The idea of jellyfish-like parasites travelling on Space... *shudders*) and the aliens, and even the religion aspect of it.

On the romance part, though, I have nothing to complain about. Well, it was predictable with whom our heroine was going to end up with, but I don't think the author ever wanted it to be a mystery. There was also a hint of what could have been a love triangle, but it was dealt with as a means to character development and not to throw angst at the reader.

If you're a big romance fan, and don't care much about getting the science right, this book is probably for you. If you, like me, like your science fiction to be more about science, you can still enjoy this book as light reading, for the romance and the chuckles.

(3.5/5)

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

Across the Nightingale Floor
Across the Nightingale Floor has been following me for a long time. For a long time I kept almost buying it, but never doing so. And once I finally acquired it, it also took me some time to pick it up. It was a good thing that I read it now, because my interest with oriental things waxes and wanes regularly, and right now I want everything Japanese.

Set in a Japan-but-not-Japan land, i.e., a heavily Japanese inspired land, full with its most traditional costumes, and samurais and ninjas, but not bound by the need to be totally accurate, because it's fantasy. But even the term fantasy is used very loosely here. There are hints of some things that may be magical. A term that I rarely use, but which I like, and fits this book is Speculative Fiction – a what if? kind of book.

Across the Nightingale Floor is the tale of Takeo, who has lost everything but is taken under Lord Otori's wing, who will educate him. Once Takeo's powers become apparent, his education will also be redirected to a sole objective – revenge, Takeo's and Lord Otori's.

Caught in this story is also Kaede, who has been a hostage for a long time, treated as a servant instead of a girl of high birth, and who everyone believes to be cursed.

What I loved the most was the writing style; I found it vivid and to the point, which is always a bonus. But there was a softness about it, something that made me want revel in it. The story was good, but was made great by the way it was told.

This is the first book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I will read the next ones because I loved this one.

(4.5/5)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a classic, and as such, is very hard to write a review for. What can I possibly say that hasn't been said before? Add to that the fact that it's awesome, in a way that I can't really put my finger on, and you've got a terrible case of Reviewer's Block.

So, I've sat around pretending to be writing this review for a long time, when all I really want to say is: “This book is awesome! Go read it!” - There it is, I've said it.

The story follows Arthur Dent, who is quite annoyed because his house is going to be demolished to make way for an overpass. Of course that should be the least of his problems because Earth is going to be demolished to make way for an overpass. What follows is a parade of nonsense, surreal moments, funny stories and much wackiness.

To elaborate more on the awesomeness of the book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is extremely funny, described by the author as “a story with a long beginning and then an ending”, which is true, but causes no problem for the reader. You just want to keep on reading more and more. It is filled with so much nonsense, that it ends up making perfect sense. More than a story, it a Universe, one that is most fun to be in. Sometimes is not so much about the characters and their plight, but where they are and how they got there. That being said, I loved the characters, all of them.

If there is any down side to this book is that it feels terribly short (I want more! Now!), but that's is easily rectified as there are four more books in this trilogy (written by Douglas Adams, that is – there is a sixth one by Eoin Colfer). I will be getting my hands on them as soon as I can.

Now, go read this book!

(4.5/5)

Back from Holidays and New Books in

I'm back from my holidays in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, and finally I had time to stop. Yesterday I had to go to Lisbon (3-hour train trip) just to do an English test for a job interview. That was done in 30 minutes. Finally a day to rest! (I usually need holidays to recover from the holidays :S) 

I was waiting for some books to arrive, and today, finally, came the last one. A jibe from the mailman as well. He says I need a bigger mailbox, industrial size. I have to agree.

Sunny Beach, view from the Swimming Pool

So, first the holidays. I went to a resort in the Black Sea, where there is not much to do besides beach, sun, pool and reading. So I read a lot.

I finished Perdido Street Station (reviewed), and started on the books that won the What should I take with me in Holiday Poll. I started with Brother Grimm, which was fast (440 pages is 2 days :D). Then came Watership Down, that took me awhile (or at least felt like it - it was just 3 days). I started The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy on the day of my return, and finished it on the plane (still with another 3 hours of flight ahead of me - and no paper to write a review in). When I got the chance to go to my cabin luggage I picked up Across the Nightingale Floor, and finished it yesterday, on my trip to Lisbon.

I still have reviews to write for the last three books, though. The only book left from that poll to read is The Beginning Place, which I started today!


And today I received the book I won on the Book Lovers Inc. 450 followers Giveaway. Thanks so much for this book!

This week I also received 3 books that I bought (no mooched books, those came all before I went on holiday). And with 2 of the books came bookmarks (I love bookmarks, although I rarely used them)

Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore, the Graphic Novel - I already have books 1, 2 and 4 on the Legend of Drizzt Graphic Novel series. This one seemed to be out of stock everywhere, so I got it second hand.

The City & The City by China Miéville - I bought it while I was still reading Perdido Street Station (and realised that I still had one Bookdepository voucher to use and I had to so before going on holidays - so I bought this one and Palimpsest while waiting for the plane in the airport). It has been nominated (and won) a lot of prizes this year, including the Hugo, Arthur C. Clarke and Locus awards.

Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente - This one had been stalking me for a while, popping up everywhere, and it was nominated to a few awards (losing the Hugo and Locus to China Miéville), so I decided to give it a try.

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch - The book I won! It has a great cover and the blurb says:

Katherine "Kitty" Katt joins forces with gorgeous aliens to protect the Earth, kick evil enemy butt, and save the day...

Looks like a fast and fun read.

Reading Challenge - 40 to 44

40 - The Third by Ricardo Pinto
The Third God is the last book of the Stone Dance of the Chameleon, a much anticipated ending to the series. Although the wait for this third book has been long, it was worth it.

I loved reading this series, but, like it usually happens with good things, I'm sad that it came to an end. Different from most fantasy I've read, it evokes a vivid imagery every time I think about it. Not a fast or light read, but an immensely enjoyable one. I will probably do a re-read of the entire series in a near future.

[Full Review]

(4.5/5)

41 - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Now, this one was just boring.

I found the characters to have little depth, and the plot was hardly novel. Despite this, the characters (or at least Marianne) do evolve a bit to reach the unsurprising ending: they all make good marriages (makes me wonder if there is more to life than that).

Final opinion: watch the movies/mini-series and you'll be more entertained than with the book.

On another note, I'm not sure what Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is about (I suppose there will be sea monsters in it, but after my experience with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I am in no rush to find out), but if anyone wants to make a remake of this book in which little Margaret turns out to be an evil murderess possessed by the devil, killing everyone on revenge because they spend the entire book ignoring her, I'll read it. Because I'm not entirely sure why there was a need for a third sister if she is to be forgotten during most of the book.

(3/5)


42 - The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett

The Painted Man is hardly ground-breaking fantasy, but it has nice concepts and the action packed plot means it's an easy and fast read, and enjoyable enough. I will read the next one in the series, because I want to know what happens next, not because I loved this first book.

[Full Review]

(3.5/5)


43 - Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
Perdido Street Station comes highly recommended on the steampunk genre, and is the winner of various awards. I haven't read much of steampunk (if you consider Wells' The Time Machine steampunk, then that's all I've read), so I decided to give the genre a try. And I can say this will not be my last book (either on the genre or by China Miéville).

[Full Review]

(4.5/5)


44 - Brother Grimm by Craig Russell
Detective novels are not my thing, I like Fantasy and Science Fiction and weird stuff far better. I picked Brother Grimm because of its fairy tales connection, and didn't care that it was the second book on a series.

I liked the book well enough, a bit like CSI, but more focused on the detective part than on collecting the forensics. It is a fast read, and enjoyable. There is plenty of action and twisted murders, but there is still room for more deep musings about the significance of Fairy Tales, and especially of the Brothers Grimm task of collecting all the fairy tales through Germany, in a way of collecting the essence of the German People.

The one thing I have to point out is that there seemed to be much repetition of the characters descriptions (time and time again referring “the two Sex-Crime SoKo members, Petra Maas and Hans Rödger” as such every time they appear, especially when they didn't provide much to action. They were there but didn't do much).

I might read the first novel of the series if it comes my way.

(4/5)

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Perdido Street Station

Perdido Street Station comes highly recommended on the steampunk genre, and is the winner of various awards. I haven't read much of steampunk (if you consider Wells' The Time Machine steampunk, then that's all I've read), so I decided to give the genre a try. And I can say this will not be my last book (either on the genre or by China Miéville).

There are two important characters in Perdido Street Station, Isaac, the scientist; and Yagharek, the Garuda (yes, a garuda, a bird-man flying humanoid). The story follows both, as Yagharek reaches New Crobuzon, the city that is the stage of this book, and asks Isaac for help. Yagharek has been made earthbound as his sentence for a crime, and this means that his wings have been sawed off. He asks Isaac to help him fly again, by any means that he can. Isaac as a scientist, will take this problem full on, studying all manner of flying things (and like with any scientist, the solution will be his field of expertise, his life long research).

The problems start (or escalate, because New Crobuzon is a polluted city-state, with a corrupt government, keen on spying on its inhabitants, most of which are terribly poor and lost to drugs) when one of the grubs Isaac acquires grows into a moth, and starts attacking the city. And Isaac will try to fight this new menace.

Perdido Street Station took me a long time to read. Not because it was boring (it wasn't, although there is always a lot of information being given to the reader), but because it was intricate, not a story to be rushed, but to be enjoyed and appreciated. There are parts where the descriptions are beautiful, poetic even, and that bring a vivid image to our minds. This is extremely good, because the creatures and places in the book are built in likewise fashion, of different parts stuck together, in ways that shouldn't, and sights so alien that couldn't possibly belong there.

What I loved the most about Perdido Street Station was the science. When the main character is a scientist, an unorthodox one, full of seemingly crazy ideas and theories, that branch through all the possible fields, there is a chance that the story will feature some science. And, if in the beginning I was unsure and unconvinced by the slow moving plot, all it took to hook me in was a lecture in physics by Isaac (and followed later on by another one on biology). But amidst all the science that happens in New Crobuzon, all the inventions and clockwork (because, after all, this is steampunk), there is still space for magic.

I have read, years ago, that in Fantasy/Science Fiction you have to choose your mojo: you'll either have technology or magic, but not both. I've seen this “rule” defied before, of course, but never as well as in Perdido Street Station, where magic occurs next to a completely analytical Constructed Intelligence (a robot, with Artificial Intelligence, in our world), and it's entirely believable (although I always have to give praise to any author that makes magic entirely believable).

Of all the characters, the one I loved the most was Yagharek, even after I discovered what his crime was. To me, this book was about him, his journey, both geographical and interior, and I always looked forward to those chapters between parts, told in his voice, of his fears and hopes. I also liked Isaac, especially because as the “hero”, he is a completely different one, that coughs and wheezes when he has to run or do the slightest bit of physical work.

There are also other species other than human and garuda, there are insect khepri, water-based vodyanoi, the prickly cactacae people, and a multitude of other different races. With this motley population, there is space to show the tolerance and xenophobia that exists in New Crobuzon. Some races stand apart, some mingle, and some individuals just do as they please.

Betrayal is also a theme in Perdido Street Station, it occurs throughout the novel. In some cases it left me angry, others deeply heartbroken. In all, it was a book that gauged strong emotions, from some amazement and revulsion at the beginning, to the bitter sweet ending.

I loved this book, it appealed to the scientist in me, it was different and it was unmistakeably good.

(4.5/5)

Other reviews: Speculative Horizons

One Lovely Blog Award

One Lovely Blog Award

Kah Woei from The Books of my Life has awarded me with One Lovely Blog Award. Thank You so much!!!

The Rules:

• Accept the award, post in on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
• Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
• Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know that they have been chosen for this award.

15 blogs that I've recently discovered:

1. 5 Line Reviews
2. All Booked Up
3. Bookworming in the 21st Century
4. Cuidado com o Dálmata
5. Daisy Chains Book Reviews
6. Ex Libris
7. In Which a Girl Reads
8. My Fluttering Heart
9. Page Turners
10. Queen of Happy Ending
11. Reading Teen
12. Reading with Tequila
13. Red House Books
14. Speculative Horizons
15. There's a Book

What should I read next? (2)

I discovered I will be going on holidays next week (a bit of end of PhD. celebration for my mother and a chance to rest after 6 years of work). I'm still getting the details of where I'm going, but it will be a week of doing nothing. I probably will be able to read a lot, so I have to pack accordingly.

So, I decided to make the What should I read next a more regular feature, and in this second time I ask the question: What should I take with me on holiday. You can choose up to 3 books from the following options:






A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace leave Earth in search of Meg's father, Mr. Murry. Mr. Murry is a scientist who has been missing since the birth of Charles Wallace, Meg's baby brother. Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsist, however, assist the children in their journey by helping them to tesseract or wrinkle in time. They soon discover that their father has been detained by IT. IT tries to transform people into mindless robots. Will they be able to overpower IT? Will they be able to save their father?

Across the nightingale floor by Lian Hearn

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord, lida Sadamu, surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard. Brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people, Takeo has learned only the ways of peace. Why, then, does he possess the deadly skills that make him so valuable to the sinister Tribe? These supernatural powers will lead him to his violent destiny within the walls of Inuyama - and to an impossible longing for a girl who can never be his. His journey is one of revenge and treachery, honour and loyalty, beauty and magic, and the passion of first love.

Brother Grimm by Craig Russell

A girl's body lies, posed, on the pale sand of a Hamburg beach, a message concealed in her hand. "I have been underground, and now it is time for me to return home..."

Jan Fabel, of the Hamburg murder squad, struggles to interpret the twisted imagery of a dark and brutal mind. Four days later, a man and a woman are found deep in woodland, their throats slashed deep and wide, the names "Hansel" and "Gretel", in the same, tiny, obsessively neat writing, rolled tight and pressed into their hands. It becomes clear that each new crime is a grisly reference to folk stories collected almost two hundred years ago by the Brothers Grimm.

The hunt is on for a serial killer who is exploring the darkest, most fundamental fears hidden in ancient fairy tales. A predator who kills and then disappears into the shadows.

A monster we all learned to fear in childhood

In Camelot's shadow by Sarah Zettel

Fleeing from the knowledge that her father had promised her to an evil sorcerer, Risa of the Morelands refused to be a sacrifice. Armed with her bow and her confidence, she swore to evade the wicked Euberacon's claim. And when she stumbled upon Sir Gawain, returning to Camelot to warn of a plot against the kingdom, she thought she'd discovered the perfect place to hide. Surely the sorcerer Euberacon would not approach her at court?

Now ensnared with court and political intrigue, Risa is out of her element. And Euberacon has forced a strong transformation spell upon her. There might be one chance left to save kingdom and soul -- but it would take all the strength and power she had . . .

Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea by Diana Marcellas

When the seafaring Allemanii arrived in the land of Yarvannet, they destroyed the shari'a witches who posed a threat to their rule. When young healer Brierley Mefell, who believes she may be the last of the shari'a, comes to the aid of a noblewoman and saves her life, she unwittingly becomes a pawn in a dangerous political game that could lead to her death or to an unexpected and surprising love. Marcellas's first novel begins a fantasy epic that mixes political intrigue and forbidden magic with the personal story of a young woman's journey toward self-knowledge and maturity. A well-paced plot and strongly realized characters make this a suitable choice for most fantasy collections.

Mordred's curse by Ian McDowell

Raised by his witch-mother, Mordred of Orkney has a burning desire to serve his uncle, King Arthur, but after he discovers that he is the bastard son of the king, and Arthur rejects him, Mordred's worship of King Arthur becomes a deep, all-consuming hatred.

The amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

When the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion. Set in a modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, electrifying thriller will enthral readers of all ages.

The beginning place by Ursula K. Le Guin

Fleeing from the monotony of his life, Hugh Rogers finds his way to "the beginning place"--a gateway to Tembreabrezi, an idyllic, unchanging world of eternal twilight. Irena Pannis was thirteen when she first found the beginning place. Now, seven years later, she has grown to know and love the gentle inhabitants of Tembreabrezi, or Mountaintown, and she sees Hugh as a trespasser. But then a monstrous shadow threatens to destroy Mountaintown, and Hugh and Irena join forces to seek it out. Along the way, they begin to fall in love. Are they on their way to a new beginning...or a fateful end?

The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place. This is volume one in the Trilogy of five.

The Ninth Circle by Alex Bell

A man comes to on the floor of a shabby apartment in the middle of Budapest. His head is glued to the floorboards with his own blood. There's a fortune in cash on the kitchen table. And he has no idea where, or who, he is. He can do extraordinary things—speak any number of languages fluently, go three days without food or sleep, and fight with extraordinary prowess. But without a name, without a past, he's isolated from the rest of the world; a stranger to everyone, including himself—until a chance encounter with a young scholar leads to his first friendship and his first hint that someone out there knows more about him than he does. Someone is sending him clues about his past. Photographs hidden in books and crates of wine. Cryptic clues pointing towards a murdered woman. And clear warnings against Stephomi, his only friend. But that's not all; Gabriel Antaeus is seeing strange, impossible things: a burning man is stalking his dreams and haunting his mirrors, his dreams are filled with violence from the past, and his pregnant young neighbor is surrounded by an extraordinary golden aura. Something dark and violent in Gabriel's past is trying to resurface. And as he pieces the clues together, everything points towards an astounding war between angels and demons—a battle not just for the future of the world but for the minds and souls of everyone in it.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren - he felt sure of it. So did his brother Hazel, for Fiver's sixth sense was never wrong. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver's vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all...Published in 1972, "Watership Down" is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival against the odds.