It's pretty amazing how consistently this series delivers a great story. I read the first seven books in the series in 2011 and now am just waiting fo...moreIt's pretty amazing how consistently this series delivers a great story. I read the first seven books in the series in 2011 and now am just waiting for the subsequent ones to be published in paperback. So far there are twelve books in the series! The story zips along at a great pace, full of danger, narrow escapes, and all manner of ghouls. In this outing, the apprentice Tom Ward, his master John Gregory, and Tom's friend Alice (daughter of a witch) find themselves in Ireland. The witch assassin Grimalkin is also featured. Part of the appeal of these books are the great characters. It's a great, scary, edge-of-your-seat series. (It also features some great wood-cut illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith.) (less)
This series of books went from self-published success to big publisher success and I'd also listened to the author discuss the series on a podcast. It...moreThis series of books went from self-published success to big publisher success and I'd also listened to the author discuss the series on a podcast. It's straight-up faux-medieval light-hearted adventure that is just pure fun to read, especially while on vacation. Volumes 1 through 3 each contain two stories (previously self-published books) about the adventures of Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater. Things get a bit dicey for them when they get framed for killing a king. Good stuff. (less)
I found this debut novel to be wonderfully evocative of a steampunk'd Victorian world in which the faery world has encroached upon England and even gi...moreI found this debut novel to be wonderfully evocative of a steampunk'd Victorian world in which the faery world has encroached upon England and even given rise to faery slums. The prologue paints the picture of how it came about and I found myself immediately intrigued. The story has two main characters: young Bartholomew Kettle, the titular Peculiar, i.e. a half-breed human-faery child, and Arthur Jelliby, an English gentlemen who reluctantly finds himself caught up in some sinister doings. One description I found particularly apt was "Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure." It's all that. And the story slowly builds, drawing you into the mystery and by its finish events are hurtling along. Not everything's completely wrapped up, though. Looks like a follow-up book is planned. One other point to mention: although this may be classified as being for readers 9 and up, I found the writing to be more sophisticated and would up that figure to teens and up at least. Still, as a nominal adult, I found this book to be very entertaining. (less)
Firedrake the dragon and a furry, mushroom-loving brownie named Sorrel head out looking for the fabled Rim of Heaven, one of the last refuges on Earth...moreFiredrake the dragon and a furry, mushroom-loving brownie named Sorrel head out looking for the fabled Rim of Heaven, one of the last refuges on Earth for dragonkind. Early on their travels they pick up a young orphan named Ben. Trying to hunt them down is an extremely large flightless dragon named Nettlebrand. I read this aloud to the kids and it was okay but I think even they were getting tired of it near the finish. It's not a very exciting story. It's more cute and plodding with several fortunate circumstances aiding our small band of adventurers. Also, the author brings along her own brand of dragon mythology which felt pretty weak even for a chapter book. Everything wraps up nicely in the end but is also easily guessable (something my kids did.) Not great, but I've read worse. (less)
This is the third book of what I understand to be eventually a five-book series. I read the last one six years ago and was looking forward to getting...moreThis is the third book of what I understand to be eventually a five-book series. I read the last one six years ago and was looking forward to getting back into the world of the Abarat. Candy Quackenbush, the young teen from Chickentown USA, has a powerful enemy in Mater Motley, the grandmother to Christopher Carrion. Mater Motley has apocalyptic plans for the twenty-five islands of the Abarat archipelago. I enjoyed the story and rich imagination behind it, but I did like the first two books better. Still, this was a fun continuation of the story. There were some nice surprises. But the sudden love match that Candy gets involved in seems to come completely out of the blue. And the ending really makes you wonder where the author will go in book four. This is also quite literally the heaviest book I've ever read. It's about three pounds at least. The pages are thick and sturdy and frequently feature the authors own artwork. The artwork is by turns creepy and phantasmagoric. I wonder how long the wait will be until book four gets published? (less)
Most people (on Amazon and GoodReads) seem to love this book. I am not one of them. In fact, if I had not decided to read this aloud to my kids (who l...moreMost people (on Amazon and GoodReads) seem to love this book. I am not one of them. In fact, if I had not decided to read this aloud to my kids (who liked it), I wouldn't even have finished this one. The story concerns a 12-year-old girl named September who is whisked off to Fairyland and makes magical friends, must deal with a fickle-minded marquess, and achieve some fuzzy-sounding goals. Whatever. I wasn't buying in for a moment. This is one of those books for which the word "twee" was invented. It seems as though the author tried very hard to combine a Alice In Wonderland vibe with a Wizard of Oz vibe. I just found it tedious. And the language used is frequently unfriendly to those with grade-school vocabularies. Sheesh. Can I tell you how much I hate that? Are you writing for kids or not? Make up your mind. Stop showing off. Yes, this author can write. But this book was frikkin annoying. I'm glad you like it, though. (less)
This is a mix of a western with vampires and other ghouls. Cora and her husband Ben specialize in ridding towns of these unnatural monsters. When the...moreThis is a mix of a western with vampires and other ghouls. Cora and her husband Ben specialize in ridding towns of these unnatural monsters. When the marshall of Leadville, Colorado, encounters two mysterious deaths, he employs Cora to get to the bottom of it. This story had a nice flow to it and an engaging heroine. It's light reading in that sort of pulp genre and there's an interesting twist involved that really sets it apart from others of its ilk. I enjoyed this and might read the follow-up at some point. (less)
I have a fascination for circus stories and this one started appearing on people's top ten lists so I was intrigued. In turn-of-the-century London (19...moreI have a fascination for circus stories and this one started appearing on people's top ten lists so I was intrigued. In turn-of-the-century London (19th to 20th century), a travelling circus billed as the Cirque des Rêves appears and is only open at night. It's constructed entirely in black and white and serves as the backdrop for a contest between two magicians, Celia and Marco. But it's not as straight-forward as it sounds.
The first third of the book was very cool as it established a mysterious, dream-like quality, and you quickly come to understand that real magic is masquerading as illusion. The writing is solid and evocative. But then for me the middle third seemed to meander and by the last third I was impatient for things to wrap up. I thought the first third was fantastic, I loved the writing and the atmosphere. But I get annoyed when something is billed as a love story and you don't understand why the characters fall in love except for it being convenient to the story. I thought the love story in The Time Traveler's Wife was much more satisfying. This story has a "fairy tale" sensibility and many people love it. I just didn't find the denouement as compelling as I would've hoped.
Marius don Hellespont and his sidekick, Gerd, are battlefield looters. But they run into trouble and Marius gets mistaken for a king and is brought to...moreMarius don Hellespont and his sidekick, Gerd, are battlefield looters. But they run into trouble and Marius gets mistaken for a king and is brought to the underworld and told that he is now the king of the dead. It's not a job he wants and he needs to find a replacement. But first he's just going to try running away from the dead.
I got completely sucked into the story in the first hundred pages. I lost a bit of steam in the middle section of the book but I didn't lose interest. It's a bizarre story to be sure, and I appreciate that, but for a fantasy adventure it was a little lacking in the suspense category. In the middle of the book I wanted to see more of Gerd. I enjoyed his interactions with Marius. I also enjoyed the above-par writing as well as the original storyline, but I won't be feeling compelled to read the next Marius and Gerd adventure. (less)
This is the final book in one of the odder trilogies I've read. One of the ways this trilogy is unusual is that it's very nearly a fresh set of charac...moreThis is the final book in one of the odder trilogies I've read. One of the ways this trilogy is unusual is that it's very nearly a fresh set of characters in each book -- there are only a few cross-over characters. The setting is an alternate Victorian England where the royalty has been replaced by alien race of lizards. Some characters argue that it's been for the better, other characters argue that they shouldn't be governed by an alien race. The Great Game has three major protagonists, and, like in the previous books, you may recognize some of the names. They are: Smith (an erstwhile retired operative called in to investigate the death of Mycroft Holmes), Lucy Westenra (headstrong operative working for Mycroft), and Harry Houdini (recruited by Mycroft). Part of the fun of these books is catching all the literary references within. Ideas and character names are freely borrowed from such sources as Doyle, Stoker, Dickens, Hugo, etc. The story careens from one scene to the next -- which keeps the pages turning swiftly -- but, like in the first book (The Bookman), I was often confused by what exactly the characters were doing. And, like the characters, often wondered exactly what was going on. That was annoying. Regardless, I enjoyed this trilogy but I must say that I liked the middle book, Camera Obscura, the best. (less)
In this second book of the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth are back at school when strange things start to happen. The magical world, especially th...moreIn this second book of the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth are back at school when strange things start to happen. The magical world, especially the sinister Society of the Evening Star, comes looking for them. Soon they are back at Fablehaven along with some new characters. The Society is desperately trying to get their hands on the magical artifact hidden at Fablehaven. Can Kendra and Seth stop them?
Like the first book, I read this one aloud to the kids. They like it. They want me to read the next one. I'm opting not to. I'm not a big fan of the author's writing style. He hasn't met an alternative for "said" that he doesn't use. I find that very jarring -- especially when reading it aloud. He'd do well to follow Elmore Leonard's third rule for writing: Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
This book seemed a little tedious to me. If my 10-year-old decides to continue this series on his own, he'll probably be just fine with it. But I've got some other ideas for the next read-aloud book.(less)
It's been six years since I read books 1 through 4 of this series and a couple years ago HBO began what has turned out to be a popular show based on t...moreIt's been six years since I read books 1 through 4 of this series and a couple years ago HBO began what has turned out to be a popular show based on them (called Game of Thrones). I saw season one of the show (on Swedish TV) and that just fanned the flames for me to get back into this series. I put aside another book I was in the midst of to get into this one. Martin is a fine writer and his story draws you in completely. I was happy to see some favorite characters show up again. Not much in the way of plot resolution in this book -- two more are due to finish it off. But I was fascinated by where things were going. Winter has finally come. Jon is very busy juggling issues at the Wall. Tyrion's abroad getting into more trouble. Dany's dragons are growing large and very dangerous. This series is just so much fun. Hopefully it won't be a six-year wait until book six: The Winds of Winter.(less)
This one has been on my radar for a while and we were lucky to find it at the local library (in Sweden). This is the story of a sister (Kendra) and he...moreThis one has been on my radar for a while and we were lucky to find it at the local library (in Sweden). This is the story of a sister (Kendra) and her younger brother (Seth) who are to spend a few weeks at their grandparents remote estate set deep in the woods. These two characters immediately endeared themselves to my kids as I read this book aloud to them. What Kendra and Seth soon discover is that their grandparents are the caretakers of a sanctuary for mythical creatures (faeries, naiads, satyrs, etc.) and it can be dangerous. The story moves along briskly and the kids are the best characters. My own kids often chuckled at their interactions. They were thrilled by the story too. We'll be reading book two in this five-book series next. (less)
I was some 200 plus pages through some other trashy fantasy epic when the boredom factor hit my threshold. And I was in the mood for some other differ...moreI was some 200 plus pages through some other trashy fantasy epic when the boredom factor hit my threshold. And I was in the mood for some other different fantasy story, something light, and this looked like fun.... A story about a puny, blue-skinned goblin named Jig with bad eyesight who finds himself pressed into service as a guide underneath the mountain where he lives. His captors are a vain prince, his half-mad wizard brother, a surly dwarf, and a thieving elf girl. And it's got a sense of humor. Jig and his pet fire-spider, Smudge, endure some dungeon-delving escapades with wit and style. (It was mentioned that one character would lose a battle of wits with his shadow.) I enjoyed this tale. Someday, I'll get around to Jig's next adventure, Goblin Hero.(less)
This series of books is tough to ignore. There's the sheer size of it (14 books); the passing of the torch when the original author died with the seri...moreThis series of books is tough to ignore. There's the sheer size of it (14 books); the passing of the torch when the original author died with the series unfinished; and the best-seller numbers whenever another book in the series is released. The Wheel of Time is in your face. I'd ignored it for years because of the size and the cheesy cover art. But then curiousity got the better of me and I thought, well, just check out the first one to make sure you're not missing something. Short story: I'm not missing anything.
The necromancer Johannes Cabal is approached by three gentlemen from The Fear Institute for help in retrieving something called the Phobic Animus (the...moreThe necromancer Johannes Cabal is approached by three gentlemen from The Fear Institute for help in retrieving something called the Phobic Animus (the source of all fears) from the Dreamlands. Cabal accepts but only because he can then get his hands on the Silver Key which gains one entry to the Dreamlands. He doesn't really care about the Fear Institute and their goals. As ever, Cabal is looking out for number one and to hell with the consequences. This outing has more of a fantasy feel to it and much less of a gothic old world charm that I really enjoyed in the first two books. This third Johannes Cabal tale is still fun, but I still like the first one best. But as Cabal is such a charming anti-hero, I'll be on board for any subsequent Cabal tales. Still, I found the ending of this one a little bit confusing. Discuss. (less)
Samuel Johnson, they young boy who was the hero of The Gates, returns in this follow-up story. The arch-demon from Hell, Mrs. Abernathy, is nursing a...moreSamuel Johnson, they young boy who was the hero of The Gates, returns in this follow-up story. The arch-demon from Hell, Mrs. Abernathy, is nursing a grudge and wants revenge against Samuel and his dog Boswell. Naturally things get out-of-hand and four truculent dwarves also get involved. This is fun, funny stuff complete with footnotes and can be read very quickly. Still, The Gates is much better. Still again, I'd read a third installment in a heartbeat. (less)
I think any fan of children's books would be familiar with the works of Chris Van Allsburg. After all, he's written Jumanji, The Garden of Abdul Gasaz...moreI think any fan of children's books would be familiar with the works of Chris Van Allsburg. After all, he's written Jumanji, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, The Polar Express and many others. One of which was a beguiling collection of strange pictures with tantalizing captions called The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. In that book you were left to wonder what the stories were surrounding these unconnected pictures. Now 14 authors are trying their hand at it and the result is this handsome book. I decided to read it aloud to the kids. (I needed a book and this was handy.) Some nights I read one story, most others I could read two before lights-out. It's a pretty solid collection, there were only a couple stories I didn't really care for. One that the kids particularly liked was the third one, written by Sherman Alexie. It featured two naughty siblings and my kids giggled like mad as I read it. The last story was one by Stephen King and it's the longest of the bunch. Kids were riveted and had to tell Mama all about it afterwards. Fun stuff. (less)
This was a book I had planned to read aloud to the kids but when my eldest was starved for reading material, I threw this one his way. He read it in a...moreThis was a book I had planned to read aloud to the kids but when my eldest was starved for reading material, I threw this one his way. He read it in about 3 sittings -- faster than I did anyway. He was delighted by it and recounted many of the fun parts to his younger sister. Any fan of fairy tales will be happy with this one. It manages to combine some of the best of the Grimm tales into one story featuring Hansel and Gretel. The author uses a lot of clever narration, jumping in here and there to address the reader directly, stuff like "Make sure any little kids around aren't listening to this next part." After devouring the first half of the book, my son couldn't wait to tell me that Hansel & Gretel "had their heads cut off!" And my daughter added, "But they put them back on again!" And the author slips in some genuine bits from the source material to educate you a little about the fairy tales. It's told in a breezy, no-nonsense manner that makes for a fast, fun read. (less)
This book essentially finishes the story begun in The World House which I read last March. A random selection of people, upon discovering an odd puzzl...moreThis book essentially finishes the story begun in The World House which I read last March. A random selection of people, upon discovering an odd puzzle box and dangerous situations, find themselves trapped in a mysterious house that defies logic, has endless corridors, rooms, and dangers. In this story they realize that they must somehow re-imprison the Prisoner who was inadvertently loosed in the first book. This Prisoner is evil and has god-like powers. It's not going to be easy. Not everyone will survive. And in this go-round, a train is added to the House. It can be somewhat confusing tracking the various characters and I often lost sight of their motivations and relationships. But I stuck with it and got a better handle on things in the latter half of the book. You might classify this story as fantasy but horror would be a closer fit. Though it combines elements of both. I just wish the plotting had been clearer. (less)
This series doesn't disappoint. Here we are with the seventh book in the series and the stories keep getting better. They are chock-full of scary Spoo...moreThis series doesn't disappoint. Here we are with the seventh book in the series and the stories keep getting better. They are chock-full of scary Spook business, dangerous opponents, narrow escapes, and surprising developments. I started reading this series aloud to Luke at the beginning of the year. But I was only about 50 pages into this one when he demanded to be able to read it on his own. (He didn't want to wait the glacial pace it would take to have to wait for me to read it. Besides, it's too scary for his younger sister -- creeps out his mother a bit too!). Luke polished this off in a matter of days and wanted to tell me all about it. I wasn't having that! I wanted to read this fresh myself! I really like this series. We'll wait for book #8 to come out in paperback before continuing. One of the things that makes this series so good is that the main characters are so interesting. Young Tom Ward is the apprentice; the Spook, his master, is crusty old John Gregory; and his good friend Alice is the daughter of a witch (Gregory doesn't trust her but she proves her worth time and again.) And the villains are equally varied, from the various beasts, abhumans, boggarts, and numerous witches of every stripe. Great stories. (less)
I bought this one a couple years ago when it first came out and figured it would be a good one to read since I'm currently in Sweden and Norse mytholo...moreI bought this one a couple years ago when it first came out and figured it would be a good one to read since I'm currently in Sweden and Norse mythology takes a big role in this story. I have a passing familiarity with Norse mythology (which I enjoy more than Greek) since I've read D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Gods and Giants several times to my kids and I've also started a grown-up book about Norse mythology. So I actually recognized some of the lesser known Norse gods' names. (Beyond Thor, Odin, and Loki, can you name some?) Anyway, this story uses a murdered woman who becomes a Valkyrie as its protagonist as she joins forces with some of the gods to prevent Ragnarok (a Norse end-of-the-world scenario featuring deaths of gods, natural disasters, and rebirth). But I didn't get a good sense of the main character (christened Mist) and couldn't figure out which gods were on which side of the fighting. I was also frequently lost as to many of the characters motives and didn't really understand what was happening. Perhaps you can tell where this review is heading? Either I'm not that smart, wasn't paying close enough attention, or things were clear as mud. But at only 292 pages, I finished it anyway. (less)
Though set in the same alternate steampunk world as The Bookman, this story stands on its own for the most part. This story is set three years after t...moreThough set in the same alternate steampunk world as The Bookman, this story stands on its own for the most part. This story is set three years after the events portrayed in The Bookman and begins in France. Our protagonist is Milady de Winter, a headstrong operative of the Quiet Council. The Council is sort of an elite police unit though with an agenda of its own. Milady is tasked with investigating a strange murder scene which blossoms into something much bigger and more dangerous.
Although my wife read The Bookman and liked it, she got about halfway through this one and said, "Oh gross!" and tossed it away in disgust. I thought that boded well for me. This story is indeed darker than The Bookman and I also enjoyed it more as well. Like in The Bookman, famous people from other works of literature pop up here too. I won't spoil it for you by telling you who, though. I am really enjoying this trilogy and looking forward to the final volume, The Great Game, due next year. (less)
I needed another book to read aloud to the kids and this one was available. It's been around since 1900! It was very interesting to see all the differ...moreI needed another book to read aloud to the kids and this one was available. It's been around since 1900! It was very interesting to see all the differences from the well-known movie. The first difference that strikes you is that the Ruby Slippers are actually Silver Shoes. And nobody ever says "Follow the yellow brick road!" Instead, "the road of yellow brick" is mentioned. There's more interesting back-stories to the origins of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. It's kind of cool and a little gruesome getting into the Tin Woodman's back story -- it's much more in keeping with fairy tales of old. But it's dealt with so matter-of-factly that my two kids didn't blink an eye at any of it. They enjoyed the story and looked forward to every night's reading from it. As for me, it was fun actually reading the source material to such an old, well-loved movie. (less)
This is book number 6 in the series that I've been reading aloud to Luke and the only reason it took a while to finish is that we were pretty busy doi...moreThis is book number 6 in the series that I've been reading aloud to Luke and the only reason it took a while to finish is that we were pretty busy doing other things like moving to Sweden for a year. You know how that is. Anyway, in this outing, the brave young Tom Ward gets recruited by his Mam to head south to Greece to fight a dangerous menace known as the Ordeen. Tom is in for some nasty surprises and some tough decisions.
Luke and I read to page 270 or so when he just couldn't wait for the next reading. I told him to go ahead and keep reading on his own but NOT to tell me what happens on pain of death. He finished the book in two days and then valiantly kept his mouth shut about the exciting conclusion and shocking developments. As luck would have it, we have the seventh book on hand and since Luke was itching to get started on it, I told him to forge ahead without me and I'd read it after he was done with it. He read about 100 pages in that one on the first day.(less)
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