Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 124

Off the Bookshelf: WINTER, by Marissa Meyer

The fourth book of the Lunar Chronicles.

Wow. Does the author put her characters through torture after torment after catastrophe after torture after despair or WHAT?

Can you believe it took me this long to figure out that Winter = Snow White? Well, duh, evil stepmother ... but a lot of faerie tale characters had evil stepmothers.

How come it's always stepmothers, never stepfathers? Well, there probably are faerie tales or folktales out there that do have evil stepfathers in abundance, but the stories I grew up with all seem to have ... okay, was there an evil stepfather in the Ring Cycle? Lots of Norse or maybe Welsh mythology? And of course, in Greco-Roman mythology many heroes had nasty stepfathers, but wouldn't you be kind of nasty to the kid you had to raise as your own, knowing that your wife fooled around with one of the gods --whether she knew it or not?

I'm getting off the subject.

Love the book. Biting my nails, silently shouting "When is it going to end and they get their happily ever after?" Haven't they earned it by now? Well, yes, and there are hints that everyone gets at least closer to settling down with their prince charming -- or roguish captain -- or mutant soldier-hero -- or loyal, honorable guard captain .... but they've all been changed and scarred and bruised by what they've gone through. It's gonna take a long time to recover from that. (Speaking of scars, Meyer did a masterful job making me kinda-sorta sympathetic for nasty old Levana. Almost. The nasty twitch made her choices. I'll probably have to read Fairest next to get her POV of the whole situation. *sigh*)

And if you read the graphic novel, Wires and Nerve , which is Iko's story, basically, you get a good idea of what everybody is going through as they heal. Love Iko, by the way. You really should read the graphic novel.

Here's where I wonder what the author is going to do for an encore, but I already read that book, Heartless . If you ever get a chance to see Meyer in person, do. It's a fascinating time, just getting a glimpse into how her imagination works.

GIZMOS, Beauty & the Beast fan fiction

Robin, Mouse decided, knew everything worth knowing. She didn't make him feel stupid, or that he wasted her time when he asked questions. She got him in to see symposium exhibits that almost everyone else was prohibited from seeing. He was impressed when she pulled out a gold plastic card with her name on it and flashed it at the guards at the doors, then gestured Mouse in with her. At one place, she even introduced him to a man in a white lab coat as her friend, Arthur. That was when he told her that his friends called him Mouse. Robin smiled wider, eyes sparkling, as though he had given her a wonderful present. As they walked through more exhibit halls, she explained anything he wanted to know. He hung on her every word, as breathlessly eager as when Father read aloud.
"How do you know all this?" he asked, when she paused for breath.
"I just do. I read it, or I hear people talk about it." Robin looked around the hall. Dismay crossed her face when she found the clock.

"What?" he blurted, sure something terrible had happened.
"I was supposed to check into my hotel an hour ago. If I'm late, I could lose my room, and I'll probably miss Dr. Maximovich's lecture." She rubbed her eyes, like Father did when he had a headache. "The story of my life -- always goofing up somewhere."
"Then run." Mouse couldn't understand why she was so worried about time. To his delight, Robin laughed.
"Mouse, I am so glad I met you. Will you save me a seat, if I don't get back in time?"
"I'll go with you."

Book of the Week: THE PIRATE AND THE PROFESSOR

            Common sense said the pirate vessel blockading the colony world Sorendaal wouldn’t be very impressed to know he was on board the Stellar Peace. Not unless they wanted him to do some weapons research for them.
            “Getting a signal,” the communications officer said. He sounded surprised.
            Darrak didn’t turn to look at the man. He could tell by the rank, salty damp odor that the man had ruined his uniform with nervous sweat. If he had been part of the military instead of a volunteer for a semi-suicidal peace mission, he would have been booted from the service. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on the viewpoint – this wasn’t the military. Darrak hoped he never saw any military belonging to the Central Allied Worlds, because they were the enemy.
            Ironic, considering that the pirate crew that effectively blockaded Sorendaal from the rest of the universe was high on the list of preferred allies in this battle to hold civilization together. It just proved how turned around and inside out everything had become, when the government he once served was the enemy and the pirates that had claimed control of this colony world presented the best chance of stability and safety.
            “Stellar Peace, this is the Nova Vendetta. We have received your signal,” a woman said. “Why should we believe a word you say?”
            “Can’t be,” Captain Marker whispered, and turned in his command chair to lock gazes with Darrak.
            “Wrong, captain,” the woman said. “This is the Nova Vendetta. We are not a ghost ship, as we will prove if you give us any reason to believe you’re here to cause trouble.”

Book of the Week: THE PIRATE AND THE PROFESSOR

            Kiryn emerged from her bedroom with her tears dry and her head aching, and found her father’s former crew waiting. They were a vast difference from the refined, powerful people of Sorendaal’s colonial government who had surrounded her when the news of the starship’s destruction first arrived. No wine or other refined, expensive beverages for these men. Tanned by radiation, scarred by shipboard explosions, grim and heavy-set, they sat around the oval table where her father, the governor, had entertained ambassadors and officials. Their glasses were filled with murky brews that could have come from the coolant tanks of their battered, fierce starships.            She was gladder to see these men than anyone else who might have come to console her. Kiryn knew they wouldn’t speak soothing words and offer useless philosophy and homilies to to ease her pain. They would be just as angry as she that Captain Niall Encardi, the Terror of the Spacelanes, had met his death at the hands of the government that had once begged, long ago, for his help.
            What did it matter if galactic civilization and the government of the Central Allied Worlds shredded a little more every day, and the soldiers in the attacking ships had been rebels? The government provided those weapons and trained those soldiers, and failed to keep its vaunted control over the far-flung colonies throughout the galaxy. The end result was the same. Her father and mother were dead, despite their ship being clearly marked an ambassadorial vessel and transmitting their identification on all frequencies.
            Their deaths hadn’t been an accident.

Book of the Week: THE PIRATE AND THE PROFESSOR

Commonwealth Universe novel
Colonies
Downfall/Era I

This week's book is actually a novella. This week's and next week's books were once part of an anthology called Damsels OF Distress -- meaning the damsels caused the distress, rather than being in it.

For those who might be interested, PIRATE and SADDLE were based on some fun speculating based on two favorite old movies. First: What if Captain Blood had a daughter? and then: What if Zorro had a daughter? And what if their stories weren't set in the past, but on a far distance planet in the future? And so we have stories of two strong young women filling in when their heroic fathers aren't around.

THE PIRATE AND THE PROFESSOR
from Writers Exchange

As civilization crumbles, Kiryn realizes the only way to protect her planet from pirates is to become one. She takes up the mantle of her father, a reformed pirate who saved his homeworld.

As captain of the legendary pirate ship, Nova Vendetta, she makes her homeworld a haven for the downtrodden. Then the scholarly representative of a neglected colony comes as a peace envoy and makes her think of more than just surviving. When the two of them are shot down in the badlands of her planet, they become partners to survive, then friends, then maybe something more.

Off the Bookshelf: REMEMBRANCE, Meg Cabot

The most recent Mediator novel.

Jesse and Suze are getting on with their lives. Or at least, they're trying to. He's doing his internship, on his way to being a doctor. She's earning her counseling degree and working at her former high school. Unfortunately, a former ghost and the mediator who time-traveled to bring him back to life aren't allowed to settle down into happily-ever-after. At least, not without some complications and ghostly bumps along the way.

An old, egotistical nemesis returns. He's using his millions and his power and influence to force Suze to team up with him. And if he can send Jesse back to the world of the dead, even better. Then there's the very angry, protective ghost who doesn't seem to understand that Suze is trying to help her very trouble, best friend from elementary school. Then to make things even more complicated, Suze's step-nieces seem to take after her side of the family ... but they aren't blood relatives, so how did that happen?

Another fun romp with some serious, more grown-up overtones. I hope this won't be the last Mediator book, now that Cabot has returned to the trials and tribulations of the mediator and her (former) ghostly true love. I was disappointed to read that she has stated there will be no more 1-800-where-r-u books (Hint: read them!) but since she hasn't stated there are no more Mediator books ... hope remains!

GIZMOS, Beauty & the Beast fan fiction

"Do what?" Robin asked, typing her initials into the scoreboard.
"Score so high."
She glanced over her shoulder, smiled at him, and turned around so she leaned back against the game. "If I tell you the secret, promise not to tell anyone else?" Her smile grew wider when Mouse nodded. "Okay. You watch for the patterns of the program. It's all on computer chips, right?"
"Chips?" Mouse muttered, lost. "Oh -- yeah -- chips."
"Computer programs. Once you figure out the pattern, you can predict what's next and avoid getting zapped." She glanced over her shoulder at her score, and shrugged. "At least, predict most of the time. Never said I was perfect."
"Neat. How long?"
"How long for what?"

"Figure the pattern." Mouse wished he had a quarter.
"Three days, and I still don't have it down pat."
"Three days? How many quarters?"
"I cheated. My mother bought the game for me."
"Not cheating."
"Want to try?" She smiled at him, dug in her pocket, and came up with a quarter.

"Can I?" Mouse's face lit up like the game had exploded all over him.

Book the Week: SLIPPING THE WEAVE

Commonwealth Universe novel
Khybors story

From Writers Exchange

“Interfacing?” He sat up straight, alerted to the implications that didn’t quite solidify right away in his thoughts. Rorin always loved that churning of theories and possibilities, and waiting for a brainstorm to hit.
“Never mind that. You were asking about Elin. She’s out on a training expedition right now. Don’t expect her back for three, four days.”
“Training who?”
“The children. All the children who survived. She’s the only mother they have now, and the way they cling to her … it’s a little frightening, if you take enough time to sit back and really think about it.” He settled back further in his chair and clasped his hands on the cluttered surface of his desk.
“What’s frightening about it? Elin’s always been especially protective of children. That’s her whole dream, inherited down through the family line. Finding a place where the children can be safe. You’d think a poisonous place like Norbra, our enemies would leave us alone and hope the world would kill us off, so they don’t have to expend time and resources.” Rorin grunted and fought off a shudder of pure disgust. “That hope certainly didn’t pan out.”
“Definitely not, and they’re going to regret …” He sighed. “It didn’t occur to me until now, the way you’re talking, you’ve taken the big step, haven’t you? No turning back.”
“If you mean that I’ve made it impossible for my superiors to ignore that I’ve got Khybor blood and Khybor sympathies, absolutely. I’m committed.” He grinned. “So … how is Elin doing with instant motherhood?”
“It’s been an interesting experience. She’s ready to die for those children, and they know it, and they also know she won’t tolerate even one second of rebellion. It’s life-and-death, even inside the walls here. I might be the administrator, and officially I’m the final authority, but the truth is that Elin is queen of Norbra. We’re all here to support her vision, her plans.”
“That makes more sense than anything I’ve heard in a long time. So, how do I find her majesty and pay my respects?”

Dr. Teller tipped his head back and laughed.

Book of the Week: SLIPPING THE WEAVE

Commonwealth Novel
Khybors story

From Writers Exchange


“The only Khybor?” Dr. Teller frowned as he settled into his desk. Then he shook his head and a weary chuckle escaped him. “Is that what they’re telling all of you back in the core worlds?”
“Well, all the adults were slaughtered and the children were so badly damaged they needed life-support tubes and had to be shipped off-planet to better equipped medical facilities. There were all sorts of stories of equipment problems and sabotage, and needing to do a purge of the staff here, because the Set’ri had infiltrated some of their own to prepare for the attack.” Rorin thought for a moment, while the administrator just watched him, that hint of a smile waiting to emerge. “What is idle speculation, what is hopeful theorizing from our enemies, and what is self-defensive lies?”
“Granted, we did do all we could to hide the numbers of the children who survived the massacre and what condition they were in. Yes, all of them required life-support tubes. And yes, we did consider shipping them off-planet for more sophisticated care than we could offer them. However … we’re a long way from Vidan. It wasn’t just the communication lags that slowed down our decisions and asking for assistance.”
“The higher-level facilities were reluctant to help, reluctant to take the children? Public sentiment was entirely in our favor for a while.” Rorin sighed. “For a while.”
“Exactly. We couldn’t guarantee that the hangers-on of the attackers weren’t still in the area. All we needed to do to complete the massacre was let the children out of our custody, put them on a ship, under the control of one person with Set’ri tendencies. All their ethical guidelines and healer vows wouldn’t matter, like wet paper in a tornado, compared to Set’ri dogma. We chose to take our chances with the equipment we had, with people here who valued the children and supported Khybor survival. Then …” That hint of a smile returned. “Then it didn’t matter anymore.”
“How many children did you lose? The stories that filtered back to us said there were major equipment problems, all sorts of strange things going on. No one could be sure if it was the planet itself, the supposed curse of Norbra from the ancient myths, refusing to let any children live on this planet, or something worse was happening.”

“Hmm, that’s interesting. I know the first generation or two that tried to settle here did reinforce the stories of the ancient queen and the punishment of the higher powers, but … Yes, that much is true. We did have equipment problems, but it was related to khrystal interfacing with the equipment.”

The War Room

Want to win a FREE book?

Yeah, the most dangerous and most fun four-letter word in the English language ...

Here's what you gotta do:

Go to Goodreads and enter the drawing for my SF romance, BLUE FIRE.

That's all.

I'm giving away 3 print copies of this Desert Breeze novel, with the entry period running until August 7.

Then when that one is done, I'm doing another giveaway, this time for STARBLUE, the sequel to BLUE FIRE, which deals with the quest of Starblue Ash, daughter of our heroes, Rhianni Day and Petroc Ash.

And keep your eyes peeled. Only 3 more excerpts for the current fan fiction short story, "Gizmos," set in the Beauty and the Beast universe, then in August the fan fiction -- available in full at Wattpad -- will change to a Phoenix fan story, "Turnabout is not Fair Play." You can read excerpts of fan fiction here every Saturday, and full stories all the time on Wattpad. Every month, I post a new fan fiction, taking from my archives. If you want to get a PDF copy of the stories for yourself, I'm giving away an old story each month to subscribers to my newsletter. The form to sign up is to the right, here on the blog. How much easier could it be?