A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time

This is a science fiction children's book, winner the Newbery Medal in 1963. It is also one of the most challenged books. There are plenty of reviews singing its praises. With all this in mind I was really expecting to like it. But it didn't fulfil those expectations. In this case I know exactly why that happened: I read it too late.

A Wrinkle in Time is the story of Charles Wallace, his sister Meg and his friend Calvin. They are trying to save Charles and Meg's father, a scientist that has been missing for quite a while. They have the help of three curious ladies: Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who. These will take them out of Earth to Camazotz where the evil IT has made Charles and Meg's father his prisoner.


I really didn't like the trio in adventure. Well, none of the trios. Because if there is something that is repeated here is the number 3. But back to the characters. Of the three kids that go to save Charles' father, the only one I cared a bit about was Calvin. Maybe because he appeared later on the book, or he wasn't really on the Murry family (or maybe because he was a red-head, probably that). Charles Wallace (and who calls that to a child – and I mean every time they talk to him – what a mouthful!) was just plain creepy. As child wonder, he talks very much like an adult, (actually, better than a lot of adults I know), and he is quite intelligent and perceptive of other people's emotions. And while I like smart kids, Charles had no child-like behaviour that to me he was just a very arrogant adult in a child's body. So yes, Charles was creepy. Meg, the heroine, never really managed to captivate me. She seemed to complain all the time, but do the things all the same. She probably had some depth there that was lost on me.

I'm quite sure that the characters' flaws would pass unnoticed had I read A Wrinkle in Time fifteen or ten years ago. But comparing to what I read nowadays, I couldn't fail to notice and cringe at them. And that brings to another thing that bothered me in this book. The fact that our adventurers were children (this accepting that Charles Wallace is indeed four).

Now, I have no problem with reading about kids having adventures, even if they turn out to be quite dangerous. However, I do have a problem with adults sending children on those adventures, knowing that it is dangerous, and when they could have solved the problem themselves. Although it is explained later on the book why Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which couldn't go to Camazotz, it always felt that they were cowering behind 3 small children. The reason they gave even sounded more like excuse.

The first part of the book didn't impress me. It was setting the scene and introducing the cast of characters – well, its was really getting to know their flaws. It is unremarkable, and just a way to get to the part where the action begins. The positive part is that it can be read quickly.

When the cast finally reaches Camazotz the book picks up. The Science Fiction appears, with its dystopia and mind controlling evil overlord. That I liked, it is exactly my sort of thing. And while the rest of the book is just mediocre, the Camazotz part is pretty good. If I had read this as a child I would be seriously frightened by that place. Even now, it causes some discomfort. Still, despite being a good dystopia, it was all very rushed and didn't make much sense.

I will not be continuing this series. The first book was enough for me, as I didn't really care for the characters, and there were few things about the plot that I liked.

(3,5/5)

Other Reviews: Everything To Do With Books | Libri Touches | Page Turners

Spoilers Blogoversary and the end of the year coming - Time for a Book Giveaway

Like the post title says, Spoilers and Nuts' Spoilers blogoversary is approaching. And there is also the end of the year and all the festivities associated with it, so there is yet more reasons to celebrate. And, although I'm still not sure I'll meet the 75 books mark I proposed myself to reach, I'll get very close to that.

If only I could find a way to celebrate it all together..... Oh wait, I can! Let's host a giveaway!

So here are the rules for the first giveaway I ever hosted. Mmmm, let's call it Spoilers and Nuts giveaway, and make things really complicated for people to enter.

Not really, but I do ask for some things.

Shades of Green by Rhonda Parrish

Shades of Green
Note: I received this book through Goodreads First Reads Programme

Synopsis: Z’thandra, the last swamp elf in Aphanasia, lives with the Reptar, a fierce race of lizard-people, most of whom resent her presence and want her gone from their village. When she discovers a human in the swamp and falls in love with him she must face the most difficult decision of her life. Will she pursue a life of happiness with the man she loves and in doing so condemn the Reptar to extinction, or will she chose to sacrifice her future to offer them hope? In the end the choice she makes will affect the Reptar for generations.

Opinion: Shades of Green is a small book, that promised to be quick – and since it was won through Goodreads I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect.

The story is simple, in the way that follows only one character, but there still a fair amount of background history to keep me interested. However, I wished there was a bit more on the book about History of the Curse, there is something good there that could have be expanded.

The races that are presented are all humanoids, but all different in culture and looks. The ones we get to know a lot about are the Reptar, and I have to admit Reptelian humanoids are not my kind of thing (well, animal-based humanoids are not my kind of thing – always found it a bit silly), but they grew on me as I was learning more about them.

The main character, however, is a swamp elf, the last of her kind, and we learn about the resentment the Reptar in her village towards her, and how she learns to endure it. She is faced with some tough choices and it was nice to see how she came to terms with her decisions.

As I was closing in on the end, I was predicting the regular ending of this kind of stories. How wrong I was. The ending was unexpected, different, and yet suitable to the story. Things might have happen a tad too fast for my liking but it was a good ending.

One thing I have to point out is that the book could have benefited from better editing. There weren't any major flaws in it, but I did find some errors.

I liked this story, it was quick and to the point, and didn't really need to be any longer. And it was nice to be surprised by the ending.

(3.5/5)

The City & The City by China Miéville

The City & The City by China Miéville
The City & The City is the big winner this year, taking all the awards (not all, but the World Fantasy Award, the Hugo, the Locus and the Arthur C. Clarke, among others). And even if I didn’t find it mindblowing, I have to agree that all of these are well deserved.

But although these awards scream Fantasy and Science Fiction, in its essence The City & The City is detective fiction, a murder mystery with some stokes of dystopia. The main character, Tyador Borlú, a detective in the Besź police, is faced with the murder of a young woman, who no one knows the name, no one knows who she is, and who no one is missing. The investigation of this murder will reveal that there is more than it seems, will upset rebel and political groups, and will take Borlú across the most peculiar of borders.

The City & The City was a different book, one that I liked immensely. More than the characters and the story, I liked the cities, the wordbuilding, that was complex and believable, without losing its magic. It was a place I wish I could visit, especially because there is a complexity in geography that, were it to exist, would be amazing to experience.

I did like the story, and had trouble putting the book down. There was much that was about the crime itself, but there was also space for explaining the culture of the cities, and their common history (even if I wished there was a bit more about the Precursor Era). But I must confess there was some predictability on the plot. By the middle of the book I already knew which was going to be Borlú's fate, even if I didn't have a clue about who was the murderer.

Another thing that I liked about The City & The City was the dystopia side of it, a dystopia that is not that much political, but more cultural, made of bogeymen and fear.

But there were things that I didn't like about this book. One of them was the writing style. I'm not sure why, I had no problem in Perdido Street Station, but here I kept finding it hard to follow. The other thing isn't so much a dislike, but something that dampened my enjoyment of the book, and it was the fact that I felt distant from the characters. They were good characters, but the story was something that was happening far away from me, I wasn't there with them.

I enjoyed reading The City & The City, and if another book is written in this universe, I'll definitely read it.

(4/5)

Other Reviews: Dreams and Speculation | Stuff

Vouchers, Reviewing and Writing

Vouchers
Bookdepository is giving away -10% vouchers that we can share with friends, so if you want one, just fill in the form below - I'll send you one.





Reviewing
A few days ago The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really) posted about an article about the top 20 most annoying book reviewer cliches and how to use them all in one meaningless review. It's a very interesting article, and some of those clichés do make me think of reviews right away. I'm even guilty of some of them.

Here is the list:

1. Gripping

2. Poignant: if anything at all sad happens in the book, it will be described as poignant

3. Compelling

4. Nuanced: in reviewerspeak, this means, "The writing in the book is really great. I just can't come up with the specific words to explain why."

5. Lyrical: see definition of nuanced, above.

6. Tour de force

7. Readable

8. Haunting

9. Deceptively simple: as in, "deceptively simple prose"

10. Rollicking: a favorite for reviewers when writing about comedy/adventure books

11. Fully realized

12. At once: as in, "Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict is at once a compelling mystery and a gripping thriller." See, I just used three of the most annoying clichés without any visible effort. Piece of cake.

13. Timely

14. " X meets X meets X": as in, "Stephen King meets Charles Dickens meets Agatha Christie in this haunting yet rollicking mystery."

15. Page-turner

16. Sweeping: almost exclusively reserved for books with more than 300 pages

17. That said: as in, "Stephenie Meyer couldn't identify quality writing with a compass and a trained guide; that said, Twilight is a harmless read."

18. Riveting

19. Unflinching: used to describe books that have any number of unpleasant occurences -- rape, war, infidelity, death of a child, etc.

20. Powerful

The prize of the competition

Writing
The final item of this post is about writing, my own writing. Juliet Marillier Café and Mundo Mariller, together with the author Juliet Marillier held a creative writing competition to win a copy of her new book, Seer of Sevenwaters (that I'm anxiously waiting for).

I participated on JM Café, with a prose text. Unfortunately I didn't win. If you are curious about my piece, you can read it here.

Reading Challenge - 56 to 60

56 - The Restaurant at the end of the Universe by Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the end of the Universe is the second book on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and it is much like the first one. It is a lot of fun, very silly, and very good.

[Full Review]

(4/5)





57 - Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

I really liked Poison Study and, even if the plot was predictable at times, the characters made the book a page turner. I'll keep on reading the rest of the series because I really want to know more about these characters and this world, especially about Commander and Ixia.

[Full Review]

(4/5)


58 - Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

This is a good sequel to Poison Study, the story continues where it was left off on the first book, with Yelena going to Sitia, ready to start to learn about magic. Of course, with Yelena being Yelena trouble does not take long to appear. This means that there is a plot full of action, danger, and Yelena doing what she does best – saving the day!

I liked Magic Study as much as I did Poison Study, it was a good follow up book, where I got to know more about the those two lands, and was presented with more great characters.

[Full Review]

(4/5)

59 - Black Sun Rising by C. S. Friedman
I had a lot of expectations for this book. It seemed like a good fantasy book, long and dark. But I just couldn't finish it. And that is a rare thing for me.

I made it to page 335 out of 589 – in the middle of an earthquake, where the characters have two options and both mean death, and close to the Castle of the Evil Guy – but I really have no desire to keep reading or find out what happens next.

[Full Review]

(1/5)


60 - Mordred's curse by Ian McDowell

Mordred's Curse starts with what I felt was like a slap in the face. It took me by surprise, both due to the language and the intensity of it.

After the initial surprise was gone, the book proved to be both enjoyable and memorable.

[Full Review]

(4.5/5)

Mordred's curse by Ian McDowell

Mordred's Curse

Mordred's Curse starts with what I felt was like a slap in the face. It took me by surprise, both due to the language and the intensity of it. It goes like this:

“I don't care what Guinevere and Gawain say; this won't be Mordred's Life of Arthur, but Mordred's Life of Mordred. Fuck them; they can chronicle my sanctimonious progenitor's exploits if they've got the stomach for it.”

These first sentences are a great synopsis of the book, much better than the one found on the back cover. After the initial surprise was gone, the book proved to be both enjoyable and memorable.

First, I have to say I'm not a fan of the Arthurian Legend – I mean, I like it well enough, but I don't go out of my way to get books on the subject (in short, meh...). This happens mostly because I don't really care for Arthur. Or Guinevere. And even Merlin doesn't interest me that much. The one character I do like, mostly because of his complexity in terms of relationships (and also because no-one likes him), is Mordred. So this book was like an early Christmas: a book about Mordred, told by Mordred, just like his autobiography.

But despite this, I was actually amazed by how much I enjoyed this book.

Like I said before, Mordred's Curse tells the story of Mordred, even though this is not complete, and about his relationship with the other characters. Truth be told, most of the appeal of the book was how Mordred related to others (and others to him), and not so much about his deeds and adventures (although those are good too).

Most of these relationships are with members of his family: with Lot, his “father”, where there is no love, and much hate; with Morgawse, his mother, that is heavily influenced by her relationship with Arthur; with Gawain, the older brother; with Guinevere, in a role usually given to Lancelot (who is absent in this tale).

And of course with Arthur. This played a very important role in the story, and I really loved to see all the variations and shifts. A lot of Mordred's actions are a result of Arthur's attitude towards him – first as his uncle, then as his father.

But, concerning character development, it seems that Arthur and Merlin (who makes only a brief appearance) seem to have drawn the shortest straw. Their characterisation didn't convince me as much as the others characters did.

Going back to the language, Mordred's Curse is full of cursing (pun intended). As well as the swear words, there are a lot of innovative ways to insult someone. Add the fact that the descriptions are quite vivid, and Mordred does describe some gory and gross things, this book may not be everyone.

I really liked it, though, and will try to find a copy of the second book – Merlin's gift.

(4.5/5)

Black Sun Rising by C. S. Friedman

Black Sun Rising
I had a lot of expectations for this book. It seemed like a good fantasy book, long and dark. But I just couldn't finish it. And that is a rare thing for me.

Black Sun Rising is a mixture of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It is set in the Planet Erna, that has been colonised by the human race. Yet this planet is very different from Earth, where there are fae currents going around that can be Worked like magic. This can be done consciously or not, and the latter can be quite dangerous as it makes nightmares and other terrible things come true.

The plot was slow moving, and at points I felt that it completely stopped. There were paragraphs that said nothing of consequence, and others where a small sentence would have sufficed. The story is also full of twists that, maybe because of the pacing, never really astonished me or made me care.

Yep, just like this.

What I also didn't care about were the characters – I couldn't really connect with them. The only one that I sort of liked was Gerald Tarrant, but that wasn't so much because of any qualities he had, but because I kept imagining him as David Bowie. His character was somewhat less one-dimensional than the others, but still there isn't that much to him – and the big twist concerning him was quite obvious since the beginning.

The world building was actually pretty good, and I'm still left wondering a bit about it. Yet not enough that justifies the torment of continuing to read the book.

About half-way through this it was getting harder and harder to stay interested on the story. I went to look for reviews to find out if it got better or not (some say yes, some say it gets even worse towards the end). Yet I couldn't read much more – I simply stopped caring about the entire thing and went to Wikipedia to read the plot summary and call it quits.

So, I made it to page 335 out of 589 – in the middle of an earthquake, where the characters have two options and both mean death, and close to the Castle of the Evil Guy – but I really have no desire to keep reading or find out what happens next.

(1/5)

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Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study

This is a good sequel to Poison Study, the story continues where it was left off on the first book, with Yelena going to Sitia, ready to start to learn about magic. Of course, with Yelena being Yelena trouble does not take long to appear. This means that there is a plot full of action, danger, and Yelena doing what she does best – saving the day!

This book reminded me somewhat of the English tests I used to take, where I was asked to compare and contrast two photos. Here I have two countries to do just that, each with its problems and differences. The southern country of Sitia is nothing like Ixia – it is a much warmer country, where there are no military districts (actually there seems to be very little military) but clans, ruled by a council, and where magicians are treasured and educated instead of hunted down and killed.

Like in Poison Study, I liked that the author showed that no place is perfect, that people in power have different motivations, and, above all, that nothing is as simple as black and white.

And just like the previous book, this one also features very good characters, that you wish you could spend more time with. This is true for both new and old characters, even if the latter (with the exception of Yelena and Irys) take some time to appear. While I was engrossed with learning about Sitia, having a lot of fun with my new charcters, in the back of my mind I was always wondering what was happening in Ixia, and how my favourite characters were faring. And yet, to me, the best character on this book was a horse. This shows how good Maria V. Snyder is at creating great characters!

Being set in Sitia, where magic is not outlawed and is actually a predominant part of its culture, meant that I got to learn more about the magic in the series, the hows and whys. Unfortunately I wasn't entirely convinced about it, it seemed to me a bit vague, and unformed. Also, for something that is seemingly random, that you either have it or not, a lot of the characters appeared to be lucky on that aspect (although the fact that most part of the book is set on a magic school contributes to this), and it did irk me a bit that all of them were such powerful magicians.

I liked Magic Study as much as I did Poison Study, it was a good follow up book, where I got to know more about the those two lands, and was presented with more great characters.

(4/5)