Why I like Fantasy, or, Location, Location, Location

...or why Urban Fantasy makes me cringe.

Looking at book blurbs made me realize something. When looking at fantasy (in broad sense) books, if I see the mention of a known city (and by known I mean our world) or nationality, I immediately skip that book. Unless I know and like the author. Or a lot of people keep telling me I should read it. Why does that happen?

I tend not to delve into the realms of urban fantasy. But there are lots of great books that are urban fantasy. I even love some of those. Part is because I like my dragons, and they don't go well with the huff-huff of city life. But part is that by being in a city, it tends to be a real city.

True, this mostly happens with young adult books. True, that sometimes is great to imagine something magical happening where you live. But here comes part of my pickle. It never happens where I live. I need to go into historical fiction to get that, and even there it is very rare.

Doesn't it seem like a good place for Fantasy?
Photo (c) Clara Vale

Furthermore, it seems to happen all on the other side of the ocean. And I've never been there. I know a fair bit of American geography because, well, if I want to understand the majority of geographical references in films and books, I need to know that, for instance, Washington in not in Washington (it took me awhile to get that). That there are 2 big rivers going from north to south. That it takes a freaking long time to drive from one place to another. But the layout of the cities? That I don't have to know.

I always get my kicks when the action takes place in a city I've been to. Because suddenly I can visualize what the author meant. But I think that even if I can do it, there is surely someone who can't, and isn't enjoying it as I am.

In (regular, high, epic) Fantasy, on the other hand everyone stands in the same foot - it's an unfamiliar place, and the author has to show us how it is. Not always done brilliantly, I admit, but at least there is a certain democracy to it. It could be just a map, it could be the slowly unravelling of details and places during the story. But every reader learns at the same time that there is a shop at the end of the street. There isn't an instance where some know, and some don't.

Also, I get a bit of the feeling that setting it in our world is the easy way out – the world is already built, no need to elaborate on that, no need to construct anything. Again, this certainly can be true in some books, where the author tells you is set in New York and assumes you know what the city is all about, but there are lots of others that take the time to characterize the place, so the reader at least has a feeling of what it is like to be there.

And I can use the books I've read to explain my point. In White Cat, it takes place in the States. There are a bunch of locations that are known to me and some that aren't. Are them north or south in relation to the ones I know? No idea. Is it near the ocean or the mountains? I don't know. I know their names and that the character goes there. And that's it.

As an example of urban fantasy in a complete new city I'm going to use China Mieville's Perdido Street Station. There is a map at the beginning, because this is a huge city. I had to refer to it quite a few times. But I started to get a sense of the city as I kept reading. Salacus Fields as the bohemian quarter. The scientific district of Brock Marsh. The places you ought to go, the ones you better stay away from.

And last we have Sunshine. Sunshine made it to this list because while being urban fantasy, and set in an alternate America, it takes place in a fantasy city - New Arcadia. Also because discovering the city and getting to know it is part of the narrative - we are discovering the city at the pace the character needs us to. How a place evolved to what it is. What lies beyond that park. Why people avoid the outskirts.

There are other books that are all about the cities, real or imaginary, or good specimens of fantasy set on cities. And although I’ve realized that I really avoid this kind of books, and it’s kind of hard to find other examples, here are a few (besides those 3 up there) that come to mind:

• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• The City & The City by China Mieville
• Valiant by Holly Black
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente *new*
• Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner *new*

April Ins and Outs

April was such a good month. It always is (because of my birthday ^_^), but this time I managed to read A LOT! Mostly because of Operation Manga!, but still, a lot of reading.

INs
Not many acquisitions this month :( but still a few :D

Bookmooch

Winkie by Clifford Chase
I think this one is a sort-of dystopia, and with something dark concerning teddy bears.

Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
I first came across this book through Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, I think it was in Spaced or some commentary on the series. And I got curious about the book.

Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh
Historical fantasy, heavy with russian folklore. It has been so long on my wishlist that I managed to mooch it twice.

Bought
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
A friend recommended this. Actually she sung its praises lo and high, and told me to get it or else. So I bought it.

Gifts
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Jen7waters from Cuidado com o Dálmata had an extra copy of this book lying around and decided that I deserved to get it!

White Cat by Holly Black
Again from Jen7waters, but this time a gift for my Bday.

Thank you Carla!

A Mentira do Aquecimento Global: Mito ou Ciência? by Roy Spencer
(Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor.)

A gift from my uncle - a bit of non-fiction in a subject we have in common. Although I'm not very keen on non-fiction, this one actually interests me.

OUTS
Transformation by Carol Berg
I enjoyed this one; it pulled me in and enabled me to read more! Review is here.

The Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones
Finally, that’s what I can say about finishing this book! Also, the review is here.

Varjak Paw by S.F. Said
A sweet children’s story with cats, and cool illustrations. Really cool illustrations. Review to come.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I've been meaning to re-read Graceling for a while now (well, since I finished it the first time). Still love it! And now I feel like re-reading Fire.

The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft            Ebook
This is a classic, and while there is a lot of Cthulhu that is known, there were definitely some things that I didn’t know. So I decided to fix that.
This was just the short story, but it is quite good. I’m afraid that reading it in the dull moments at work was not the best choice, because there is a darkness to it that doesn’t go well with Spanish dance music, or jokes between co-workers. Still a very nice story. One of these days I’m going to get this on paper and enjoy it with more calm.

Sunshine by Robin McKingley
Ahhh, Sunshine! I really liked this one. And wasn’t exactly expecting it. But I trusted good recommendations from fellow bloggers, and it proved right. Here is my review.

Fullmetal Alchemist Volumes 1 to 6 by Hiromu Arakawa
The first volumes of Full Metal Alchemist are pretty much like the series. Which means it is good. There is action, there is a storyline, there is humour and there is drama. Also, the art is pretty neat.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Volumes 2 to 4 by Hayao Miyazaki
I love Nausicaä. Great anime, and the manga is proving to be really good as well. What I didn’t account for when I started the Operation Manga! was how complex this one is. The story, the art, everything – there is so much going on in here.

The Vision of Escaflowne Volume 1 by Katsu Aki
This is quite different from both the anime and the movie (and these were different from each other to start with). I’m not sure is better, but since so much is changed is a bit harder to compare. The target public is quite different and that shows. I might do a rant post about it later.

White Cat by Holly Black
(Actually, this is an IN and an OUT! :D)
Another one that was gripping, I liked it. Review is here.



TBR Variation: -9 (From 194 to 185) YEY!

White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat

Meet Cassel. High School student in the prestigious Wallingford private school, with a lot of friends (or so he thinks), running his own betting scheme, and member of a criminal family. He tries to appear normal. In fact, everything he does is a façade, just pretend, a long con to get people to do what he wants and to like him.

Until he finds himself on the rooftop of the school. During the night. In his boxer shorts. With no way of getting out of there without help. Any semblance of normalcy is lost, and soon enough he is suspended from school because there is no way to know if he was only sleepwalking or had been cursed.


White Cat is clearly YA. That much was clear from the start. And I was kind of dreading that, but thought of the name on the cover and persevered. I mean, the other books by Holly Black I had read were also YA, and I liked them. And, well, I liked White Cat. But…

Let’s start with the good things. Holly Black writing has this strange power of sucking me in even if I’m set on not liking the story. There’s a mixture of good plot and mystery that makes me turn page after page to know what happens next. And in this case the plot was quite good, a bit of mob story meets magic meets YA.

The mystery however, while nice, was not exactly a mystery. Nothing really surprised me there. Not who dunnit, nor the stuff about the white cat, nor any of the other little mysteries. Predictable, and would have been really boring had the writing been worse.

I liked the characters, I really did. But I loved the minor ones: Sam, Cassel’s roommate and Daneca, his friend. And Grampa. Although they get enough screen time, I wish they had a bit more. I really liked the parts they were in and got a bit curious about them.

And now for the bad things. I say again, White Cat is clearly YA. Had it been longer and targeted to more adult audiences, I would have loved it to bits. There were things hinted at, that if they were to be expanded and explored would make this book awesome. The fact that everyone wears gloves and skin touch is something intimate and a bit perverse. That the History of this series is an alternate one to ours, only with curse workers, and that they are victims of discrimination and prejudice, but are also, on most of the cases, the worst criminals. There are undertones of dystopia that I would love to see developed.

So, White Cat is a nice book, entertaining and gripping. But there was a glimpse of something great that disappointed me more than it would had it just been missing. Let’s hope that Red Glove, the second on the series is better.

Rating: 4 out 5

Other Reviews: A Blog About Nothing | Book Lovers Inc. | Musings of a Reader Happy | Soul Sisters | What Book Is That?

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Gam.co

Other Stuff: This book was a Birthday gift to me by a friend. This review is a birthday gift for her. Happy Birthday Carlita!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'm So Happy Were Recommended To Me

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is Books I'm So Happy Were Recommended To Me


This is not exactly easy - I have to look through the books I've read and see what was actually recommend to me, and decide whether I would have picked them up on my own. And knowing myself, and my history with books and shiny things I probably would anyway, because it just like Pokemon - I gotta get 'em all! Also, I usually do all the recommending by shoving the books onto people's hands.


So, this list has books that I probably wouldn't ever dream of picking up, books I might think of reading and end up never doing it, and books that I was probably going to read eventually.

In no particular order because I can't be bothered to compare them. Well, the first ones are the recommendations from Jen because there are many of them.

	Map of Time by Felix J. Palma I loved this book. Was completely blown away by it. And I would never have read it if it wasn't for Jen and her review.
	Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl Another one by Jen, also from her review (she knows what words to write to convince me). Really funny and really silly, I quite enjoyed it.
	Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder This one I probably would have read it. Eventually. If I ever gotten round to buy it. But Jen kept singing its praises that eventually I borrowed it from her. And I liked it!
	Sunshine by Robin McKinley This is a recent one. Recommended by Ana Nunes and Jen, I really liked. And would probably not read it otherwise.
	Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien A long time ago, before I was really into fantasy, a friend of mine kept saying that I should read these books, that they were really great, and that they were making a movie out of it. So I did. And thanks to these books Prague, Budapest and Bratislava are pretty much a blur in my head because I had it between 2 pages most of the time.
	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley When it comes to science fiction and dystopias, a friend of mine always recommends Brave New World. And I have to concur. Great book. Also, there is this comic/comparison with 1984 thing that made curious.
	Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier Not a recommendation, but a gift, one that I'm really grateful for because I would have never picked up this book. Not in a million years. And I loved it to bits. So, Thanks Mum!
	Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepúlveda Not exactly a recommendation, and not only for me. My Portuguese teacher, on 7th grade (I think) brought this one to class, and we would read a chapter a day. Eventually this tradition died out before we could finish it, but the teacher lent it to me so I could finish it. Later on, I bought a copy for me. A really lovely book.
	Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees Another one that wasn't a recommendation to me, but a recommendation on a forum about obscure fantasy books. There is also a prologue by Neil Gaiman that convinced me as well.
	Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver This was a recommendation to me, but not by someone - it was by Amazon and its recommendations page. It kept appearing, and I got curious and bought it. And loved the entire series!

Transformation by Carol Berg

Transformation

Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for sixteen years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone. But from the moment he is sold to the arrogant, careless Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne's uneasy peace begins to crumble. And when he discovers a demon lurking in the Derzhi court, he must find hope and strength in a most unlikely place...



The characters of Transformation sucked me in from the start: the calm but spunky slave, and the spoilt but (very secretly) honourable prince. Their interaction was great, the voice in which it was told even better.

This is a story told by Seyonne, a slave since the age of 16, but he doesn't give away his past easily, it slowly unravels, depending on the will of the character to revisit it. He is bought by Zander, the prince of the Derzhi empire, and it doesn't take long to get himself in trouble.

Even though this is fantasy, there aren't elves and dwarves (and hobbits) all around. Sure there are different "races", but they are mostly different tribes. Some are different in appearance, but mostly human. Some can do magic, some can't. I liked that these different races had personality and culture of their own; their differences not a result of different physique, but of having a different history.

The central point in this story are the demons, the way they possess people and how the main character gets rid of them. I actually liked this, despite being a bit afraid at first. It isn't The Exorcist, and even if there is a lot of religion in the story as part of the cultural background, it never becomes more than that.

But, because there is always a but, the ending didn't quite work out for me. It seemed pretty tame and easy compared to all the rest, and the tying of loose threads seemed unnecessarily long. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I think it should have had a bit more of a bang to it. Despite that, it was still a pretty decent ending, just not to the level of the rest of the book

This book reads like a standalone, although it is the first in a series. I imagine that the other books take place in the same universe, but not with the same characters.

Still, it was a very enjoyable book and a keeper, even if the ending was a bit of a let down. I liked the writing a lot and will definitely check out other books by this author.


Rating: 4 out 5

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Gam.co

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Sunshine

Rae Seddon, commonly known as Sunshine, quite happy to make cinnamon rolls and have all her life around the bakery, decides to go to the lake which proves to be trouble. In her words, "it was a dumb thing to do, but not that dumb".

Because there are dark things about, and the darkest of the Others are vampires, and of course, Sunshine is kidnapped by them. And no-one escapes vampires.

Wait, don't run. I know I said vampires, and with a character named Sunshine and this description you are thinking "oh no, not another vampire urban fantasy". I also groan at the thought of yet another vampire book (even though I've read very few of those). Yep, this is urban fantasy. Yep, there are vampires. But this is what urban fantasy should be like.

Sunshine is told in a kind of different way - and it takes some getting used to. It is told in the first person by Sunshine, but more like she is thinking. Do you know when you are remembering something, and rehearsing how you are going to tell it to someone, and the thoughts seem to ramble and deviate and then get back on track? (hmmm..maybe it's just me) That's how this book is. And I loved it. It resonates with my thoughts and makes you actually pay attention to reading because a missed paragraph can make you stare at the page thinking "how the hell did we get here!?". This, together with the plot, means that it is a complex book, but in no way is it complicated.

As a character, Sunshine is great. She is flawed, she gets angry, she can do great things and actually be astonished that she can do them. She is human, and so believable that is like she is there. This is her story, and as such we get to see so much of her.

And then there are the vampires. I would say to forget all the romantic notions of vampires, but that wouldn't be quite right. There is a kind of gothic feel to it, and wooden stakes are still your best friend (as well as day-time and sunshine). But they are different than most vampires seen in fiction, there's an otherliness to them that suits them.

Another thing that I loved was the fact that until the very ending I was still learning about this world, which is so alike and so different from our own. The information comes in bits and pieces as Sunshine mentions them, the mental picture forms slowly and a bit haphazardly, but there is a sense that there are still parts of the town unknown to me, and that they exist with a life of their own, not just as backdrop.

Sunshine is a different book for sure, and is hard to talk about it without people jumping to clichés. This is vampire urban fantasy by the mere fact that it is set in a city and there are vampires. Everything else is new and fresh.

All that is left for me is to say is to tell you to go read it and thank Ana Nunes and Jen7waters for recommending this one to me.

Rating: 4.5 out 5

Other Reviews: Bookworming in the 21st Century | Cuidado com o Dálmata | Dreams & Speculation | Floresta de Livros | Paperback Dolls | Starmetal Oak Book Blog 

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Happy International Day of the Book

I could make a bigger post out of it, but I'm tackling Mt. Doom To-Be-Read, in what I'm calling Operation Manga! Since I've come home for holidays I've taken care of the 6 volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist. Now I think I'll go read the 3 volumes of Nausicaa that I still have to read, followed by The Legend of Drizzt or Escaflowne.

So:

Happy International Day of the Book

Do a lot of Reading!!


Also, happy Easter!

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones

Cathedral of the Sea
Cathedral of the Sea follows the fortunes of the Estanyol family, from their peasant roots to a son, Arnau, who flees the land only to realize spectacular wealth and devastating problems. During Arnau’s lifetime Barcelona becomes a city of light and darkness, dominated by the construction of the city’s great pride—the cathedral of Santa Maria de la Mar — and by its shame, the deadly Inquisition. As a young man, Arnau joins the powerful guild of stone-workers and helps to build the church with his own hands, while his best friend and adopted brother Joan studies to become a priest. When Arnau, who secretly loves a forbidden Jewish woman named Mar, is betrayed and hauled before the Inquisitor, he finds himself face-to-face with his own brother. Will he lose his life just as his beloved Cathedral of the Sea is finally completed?

What a long read this one has been - 3 months with one book! Definitely not normal for me. I don't know if it was reading it in a new language, or the fact that it is indeed a big book or the story itself, but this one just kept going on and on.

I've read other books while reading this one, usually picking them up because I needed something lighter to read. But that doesn't mean I wasn't liking it. Because I did like it, but can't really say I loved it, either - it was an ok book, full of drama, and intrigue.

As a piece of historical fiction it is great, and it's greater still because I am in the city where it takes place - streets and villages are familiar to me, and I could get a sense of what and where it was happening.

But I think in the end it ended up being too much drama and too long for me to properly enjoy. I liked it while reading, but didn't have an overwhelming urge to know what was going to happen next. But I was able to pick this one up at random times and stop reading for a long time without really losing anything. It is kind of memorable, and but all so pretty much meh...

There must be have been a lot of research made into this (there is a long author's note at the end where I think he explains all the research and where ideas come from, but, surprise surprise, I didn't bother to read), and it shows. But when the fiction begins, and especially with the characters, it falls a bit flat. The characters had depth, and were well thought, but I just couldn't relate with them. Any of them. Which is really sad.

It's a long epic book, and it's quite good in its genre, but the truth is that it didn't pull me in like other books usually do.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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March Ins and Outs

March's Ins and Outs

Here is a long overdue post, but in my defense I wrote it quite a while ago, and managed to lose it between computers and thumb drives. I'm pretty sure the file will turn up once I finish up writing this.

March was the month I pick up the reading rhythm (Hurray!), although on the buying/mooching side it is pretty much the same - I might need to accept that I'm addicted to getting books. But on my defence they are mostly graphic novels, and once started, are gone in a flash.

And so, without further ado:

INs
Bookmooch
Although there are a lot of book here they came on just 2 packages - meaning I definitely tried to cut back on mooching, but decided to do it in bulk.

Volumes 1 to 6 of Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Ever since I watched the anime I wanted to read the manga, because hey, it's more of the same! Now I can start and see if I like it more than the anime.






The Riddle-master of Hed and Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
Books 1 and 2 of The Riddle-master trilogy. I want to figure out if I like Patricia A. McKillip or not. After reading Alphabet of Thorn I kind of liked the worldbuilding and the general idea but not the writing or the plot - it's kind of weird, really - so I'll give this author another try.

Bought (New)
Volume 2 of The Sandman - Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
I'm slowly making my way through this series - I've read Volume 1 and liked it. On other note, I found out that the Spanish edition of this is simply stunning (as with a lot of other graphic novels), that almost makes buy it (not reading, though).






Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Another author that I'm giving a second try - I read Deerskin and thought it was okay and kind of nice, and want to see if I can get more of a response from this one. Also, it has such a pretty cover (even if it's yellow). It has lots of spirals (I really like spirals) and it actually sparkles and glitters (and the irony that a book about vampires sparkles is not lost on me).







OUTs
Read books!
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
I spent most of February reading this one - actually I finished it on the 1st of March, which makes it a bit silly to appear here. I enjoyed this one a lot. You can find the review here.






The King's Wrath by Fiona McIntosh
I got this one from David Gemmell Award (as seen on the February Ins and Outs), so I started it as soon as I finished Jane Eyre.
Review






Sr. Bentley : O Enraba Passarinhos by Ágata Ramos Simões
This one was fast and amusing read. And also the first book I reviewed in Portuguese, as it world not really make much sense in English. Review in Portuguese here.





Valiant by Holly Black
I picked Valiant up, first because I wanted to read it, and second, because I thought a YA book might help me pick up rhythm. I wasn't wrong. I also loved this book which help a lot with speed - I was reading it anytime I had a chance - on the train, standing up and with very poor balance, while cooking, and...hmmm...while on the loo. Review in here.



The Princess & the Penis by R.J. Silver
This one was for free on GoodReads, so I downloaded it to my phone and read it at work when there was not much to do. Really amusing, and for a sort-of-parody, quite well written and with good messages. You can read it for free here.









TBR changes: +6 book - from 188 to 194 (it's frightening that I'm closing on 200 books to read)