Warren Rochelle's Blog, page 29

A Review of The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my third Sarah Addison Allen novel and there is a lot here that is familiar from the first two: small town in the North Carolina mountains, star-crossed lovers who need to (choose one or three: to grow up, finally come of age, declare independence from overbearing or overprotective or just plain over, parents, realize they are loved and are in love), family secrets, hidden for years, and some very gentle magic.

Here we are in Bald Slope, a NC ski resort and Josey Cirrini, the daughter of the man who built the resort and tranformed the town) finds herself trapped at home, carrying for her mother, who seems determined to make Josie be her personal servant forever. But Josie has fallen in love with her mailman. And Della Lee Baker, "a local waitress who is one part [her] nemesis--and two parts fairy godmother," is hiding in Josey's closet Della Lee's tough lover forces Josey out of her closet, as it were, and into the life she is letting pass her by. She meets Chloe Finley, who is "hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry ..." Plus Jake and Adam (the mailman) complicate things, especially as Josie must learn to love.

Predictable, yes, although there are some plot twists that are surprising. Sweet, yes, just like the sweets that haunt Josey as she becomes her own woman.

If you liked the first two, you will love this one. I did find myself wishing for some meatier stuff, like the gay character in Garden Spells.



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Review of WWW:Wonder, by Robert Sawyer

WWW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


WWW:Wonder is the third book in what Sawyer is calling the WWW Trilogy (WWW = Worldwide Web, I think), and for those who haven't read the first two, here's a quick summary of the story so far, bearing in mind there are two primary intersecting plot lines. The Chinese, to protect their people from foreign influences, set up a Great Firewall, as it were, and cut off their country from the Internet/Worldwide Web. This action mysteriously creates Webmind, a sentient artificial intelligence who exists in the Web.

The other plot line is centered on Caitlin Decter,a 16-year-old mathematical genius whose family has just moved to Waterloo, Ontario, from Texas. They learn of a Japanese scientist who is able, via connections to the internet and some miraculous hardware, gives Caitlin her sight. Because of this connection she has to the internet, Caitlin discovers Webmind. Complications ensue, particularly when the US National Security Agency initially decides Webmind is a threat to human freedom and must be eliminated.

WWW: Wonder is the climax of the trilogy. Webmind, "a vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged frm the infrastructure of the World Wide Web" (after the Chinese attempt at isolation and cultural purity) is changing the world, "from curing cancer to easing international tensions." But, people are afraid, especially Colonel Peyton Hume, an expert on AI for the Pentagon and associated with the NSA, is desperately trying to bring Webmind down. He seeks helps from hackers, but they began to disapppear.

Is Webmind killing them? Can Hume take down this vast entity? Can Caitlin protect Webmind? Lots of drama (including Caitlin negotiating her own coming of age, her first boyfriend) and a few miracles thrown in--which brings me to an overall impression of what is a fun read this novel is science fiction and it is a fairy tale. The elements of the Quest are here: miraculous or unusual birth for the Hero (Webmind, of course), a road of trials as he comes of age and learns his powers, his helpers, the wise old man and a wise old woman (Caitlin's parents, I think, and her Japanese surgeon), the Quest, the descent into the realm of the dead (when Webmind is cut off from part of his self, due to a second Chinese firewall) and the return with the boon, the Grail. Webmind also, in many ways, reminds me of a fairy godfather. He has many powers, such as being able to monitor just about anything and everyone who is on or uses the web. And the ending--a spoiler maybe?--happily ever after.

Like all the Sawyer novels I have read: he has a message a drum to beat, but for the most part, he doesn't let that trump story.

Give it a look.












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Review of WWW:Wonder, by

WWW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


WWW:Wonder is the third book in what Sawyer is calling the WWW Trilogy (WWW = Worldwide Web, I think), and for those who haven't read the first two, here's a quick summary of the story so far, bearing in mind there are two primary intersecting plot lines. The Chinese, to protect their people from foreign influences, set up a Great Firewall, as it were, and cut off their country from the Internet/Worldwide Web. This action mysteriously creates Webmind, a sentient artificial intelligence who exists in the Web.

The other plot line is centered on Caitlin Decter,a 16-year-old mathematical genius whose family has just moved to Waterloo, Ontario, from Texas. They learn of a Japanese scientist who is able, via connections to the internet and some miraculous hardware, gives Caitlin her sight. Because of this connection she has to the internet, Caitlin discovers Webmind. Complications ensue, particularly when the US National Security Agency initially decides Webmind is a threat to human freedom and must be eliminated.

WWW: Wonder is the climax of the trilogy. Webmind, "a vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged frm the infrastructure of the World Wide Web" (after the Chinese attempt at isolation and cultural purity) is changing the world, "from curing cancer to easing international tensions." But, people are afraid, especially Colonel Peyton Hume, an expert on AI for the Pentagon and associated with the NSA, is desperately trying to bring Webmind down. He seeks helps from hackers, but they began to disapppear.

Is Webmind killing them? Can Hume take down this vast entity? Can Caitlin protect Webmind? Lots of drama (including Caitlin negotiating her own coming of age, her first boyfriend) and a few miracles thrown in--which brings me to an overall impression of what is a fun read this novel is science fiction and it is a fairy tale. The elements of the Quest are here: miraculous or unusual birth for the Hero (Webmind, of course), a road of trials as he comes of age and learns his powers, his helpers, the wise old man and a wise old woman (Caitlin's parents, I think, and her Japanese surgeon), the Quest, the descent into the realm of the dead (when Webmind is cut off from part of his self, due to a second Chinese firewall) and the return with the boon, the Grail. Webmind also, in many ways, reminds me of a fairy godfather. He has many powers, such as being able to monitor just about anything and everyone who is on or uses the web. And the ending--a spoiler maybe?--happily ever after.

Like all the Sawyer novels I have read: he has a message a drum to beat, but for the most part, he doesn't let that trump story.

Give it a look.












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Review of Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First, I think Eoin Colfer's name is seriously cool.

That said, this YA novel is a fun read, and I can see why Colfer's series about this adolescent (twelve in this, the first book) millionaire/genius/criminal mastermind is so popular. Colfer's Faerie, with its LEPrecon unit (an elite branch of the Lower Elements Police) is cleverly imagined. He occasionally ventures into cuteness, but bearably so. I do like the Lower Elements being forces to contend with, and not just variations of Tinker Belle. These fairies are armed and dangerous.

Artemis, who is something of a poor little rich kid, is smart and wicked himself and his confrontation with the fey does keep one engaged.

I would think kids who liked Harry might like Artemis, too.



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Review of English Fairy Tales and Legends, edited by Rosalind Kerven

English Fairy Tales and Legends by Rosalind Kerven

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have had this book on my "to be read" shelf for quite a long time (and we won't even try to figure how long it's been since I bought it--via Edward R. Hamilton, by the way, a used bookseller worth checking out). Published by the National Trust in England, it is a beautiful and well-made book. Many of the stories will be familiar, such as King Arthur and the Hideous Hag, Tom Tit Tot, Jack the Giant Killer, Robin Hood, and the Seventh Son.

What I found particularly noteworthy and interesting were the Notes and Sources at the end. I found Kerven's discussion of variations of the tale and the different sources to be fascinating in part because I am engaged in a long-term personal study and reading of fairy tales and also because they are just well-written.

Definitely worth a look.



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Review of The Lilac Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang

The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


About 2, maybe 3? years ago, I set myself the goal of reading all the color fairy tale collections edited by Andrew Lang. I vaguely remembered reading some of them when I was in elementary school, but I don't recall too many of the stories.

I was inspired to do this by Robin McKinley, who is one of my fantasy author heroines, as she did the same thing. I also thought it would be a good idea because I write fantasy myself. I saw this is as a way to immerse myself in the genre's fairy tale roots,to renew and refresh my knowledge of the stories and how they work, how their plots are designed, and to reacquaint myself with the stock characters. I also wanted to explore the universality of fairy tales, these heroes and heroines and monsters and villains with a thousand faces. Lang did an amazing job collecting stories from all over the world, taking the patient reader beyond the traditional Western European tales with which many of us are familiar.

The Lilac Fairy Book is the last one on the list.

So, what can I say now after having read all 12 colors? A few things, albeit somewhat randomly and casually:

We tell the same stories, from culture to culture, as far a part as India and North America, over and over, stories inhabited by the same characters: the third sons, the holy fools, the villainous and evil stepmothers, the vain princesses, the crones, the little old men, the fairies, the talking beasts. They speak to our psyches. The versions Lang collected and edited have been just that--edited, as gay characters are seemingly invisible, but I wonder, as I read the stories of intense best friends, what the original stories were. Perhaps Lang was a bit of a Puritan; I don't know. The stories are often like dreams (or nightmares), particularly in plots that shift and change without logic and warning. Fairy tales (which often don't have any fairies in them) can be quite brutal and violent. Yes, traditional fairy tales do reinforce traditional gender roles: men go out, have adventures, women stay at home. Marriage is a happy ending. Obedience is a virtue. The retellings and reinterpretations become, then, all the valuable and powerful. Happily ever after is possible--and that is a good thing.

It's been a good journey.










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Review of The White City, by Elizabeth Bear

The White City by Elizabeth Bear

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I like Elizabeth Bear's work a lot and there is much to admire in this short novel that again explores the world of Sebastian, the vampire (or wampyr), and his sorceress friend, Abby, in a universe where magic is real as are vampires and America's revolution comes in the late 19th century and in the 1930's, Prussia has conquered Britain and the royal family is in exile in New Amsterdam.

The texture of the world is rich. Yet, I felt like I was an outsider. I wondered if I hadn't read her last story set in this universe would I be able to figure things out, would I care?

I don't know.



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Review of The Peach Keeper, by Sarah Addision Allen

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is my third Sarah Addison Allen novel, and like the first two, I found things I liked: the small town North Carolina setting, the use of what I would call gentle magic, the interconnected love stories that are rooted in family histories, the secrets that never fail to haunt us. Willa, the scion of a once-rich old family, is trying to build a life "beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow" in her home town, Walls of Water. Blue Ridge Madam, the finest mansion in town, once owned by her family, is being renovated by "an old classmate--socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood, of the very prominent Osgood famiy." Will this put the past to rest? Then, a skeleton is found buried beneath the lone peach tree on the estate, which turns out to be those of a traveling salesman, Tucker Devlin, "who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water 75 years ago," and apparently Willa's grandmother and on Paxton's grandmother as well. The discovery of the skeleton bring to light long-kept secrets and, of course, there are the romantic complications for both women. They come together in an unlikely friendship (which I consider one of the book's strengths)and together face the mutual mysteries of their past as they navigate present day romances and familial complications.

I also found Peach Keeper to the weakest of the three Her familiar plot structure--the two interconnected romantic and mystery story lines, two women, and so on, for me, lacked the depth of the first two I read: Garden Spells and The Girl Who Chased the Moon, especially Garden. Yes, these are not meant to be deep books, but romances with happy, albeit complicated endings, but even so the character depth isn't as present as in the first two. I liked the other story lines that make for interesting complications, such as in Garden: the estranged gay couple, the relative who was compelled to give gifts that she knew would be needed (just not how) and the abusive history of one of the two central female protagonists. The gentle magic just isn't as developed, either. I loved the magical cooking in Garden, and the interfering apple tree with its prescient apples. The wallpaper that liked a mood ring in Moon was a nice touch. Here, peaches seem to have some magical powers, and the moment is the Women's Society meeting where they all suddenly tell the truth, painful or not, was fun--but the pervasive sweetness of the magic in Garden especially. Allen's recurring plot structure seems too easy here, and I thought she dodged the question with Sebastian who seems to be such a gay character--or is he?

I did enjoy reading this book and I don't mind the familiar plot structure, but I felt she could have done a lot more with it.



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The Called: now available as an ebook

For those folks with Kindles and Sony Readers and the like:

The Called, as an ebook is now available at IPG:

http://www.ipgbook.com/showbook.cfm?b...
B8D70E0-3048-6445-43B9435D50D4E7A0

The Girl Who Chased The Moon

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If I could, I would add a .5 to my 3. I liked this novel, although not quite as much as Garden Spells, Allen's first novel, which I think is a more layered and textured work. And, the plot of Girl is akin to Spells: small North Carolina town, 2 outsider/misfit (even if they live in the town) protagonists--women--family histories that have secrets, learning to love again, thanks to good men, and some magic or the supernatural, tracking down the secrets, solving the mysteries.

And yes, I guess some might call Allen a "chick lit" writer, as romance definitely drives a lot of the plot, but so does the family mysteries, the issues of trust, and finding one's place.

Here, Emily Benedict comes home to figure who her mother was--and who she might be as well, in the new world she finds herself in after her mother's death. Family secrets, town secrets, and other mysteries: "Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes." (Allen does have a recurring baking motif going on.)

The other woman is Julia, the baker, and her baking becomes her language of lvoe, her language of the heart, past and present, lost and maybe found. "Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a dancing ghost in Emily's backyard" (she moves in with her grandfather--who is next door to Julia).

No, these are not the deepest of tales, but they are fun and sweet--like a well-made cake.

Both, by the way, are, I think, premo for movies.





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