The Merchant of Death

           

          "The Merchant of Death" is the opening novel out of a series of ten in "The Pendragon Adventures," in which the main protagonist, Bobby Pendragon, essentially tries to prevent the destruction of the pathways between territories, or dimensions interconnecting the universe. This novel is written by DJ Machale, and was originally copyrighted in September of 2002. Technically, this book is classified as fantasy, but I would add it to the category of speculative fiction due to the fact that this book, along with the rest of the series largely revolve around science, Utopian and dystopian, and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction. From all of that, I would say that the general subject matter in this novel would be the fight for total control/power and how it affects society for the better or worse. Also it would be important to know that the antagonist in the story has almost every power you can think of. MacHale does a great job at his effort to make Saint Dane (the aforementioned antagonist) the literal Devil of the universe. The general plot in this novel focuses over Bobby Pendragon, a seemingly normal fourteen year old boy, and his travels between the territory/planet Denduron and his home Second Earth.Bobby is taken to Denduron with the help of his Uncle Preston, who fights for peace in the universe and is hoping that Bobby can help aid him with his efforts to prevent the oncoming civil war between the two different inhabitants of the planet...The Bedoowan and the Milago. One of the more focused themes in this novel is that power can corrupt the purest heart. I say this, because both the tribes on the territory Denduron are unreasonably corrupted from their fight for ultimate power, and control over one another.


The story is told from the words of the diary Bobby is forced to keep over the course of his journey(s). He writes these journal entries in first person format though. All in all, the style of narrative makes for an interesting, fresh sense of reading. The intended audience for "The Merchant of Death" and the rest of the series are mainly teenage boys, but the book would be very relatable to many teenage girls as well, due to a main female protagonists that accompanies Bobby throughout the book/series. As I said before, the general subject field that this novel is classified in is Fantasy, but I would also consider the book to fall on speculative fiction, and for the same aforementioned reasons. MacHale does a great job of keeping the reader interested by the his buildup of the plot. From the start of the book, he reveals that Denduron is on the verge of war, and as the story develops (rather quickly might I add) the two tribes grow closer and closer towards a bloodshed. In nearly every chapter, a new problem is introduced to the equation making the solving of the overall problem more difficult for Bobby and his alliances. MacHale uses a somewhat unique style of writing to help appeal to his intended audience. He writes this book with a very casual undertone for a book so largely based off the pressures of society, oncoming war, and the fight for domination. Also you uses lots of comical/humorous dialect between characters to help the reader relate to the story. Personally I thought his writing style was very effective, due to the fact that it was simply unique, but done so with the careful precision to eliminate any sort of estrangement the reader might've felt while reading the novel.


               Honestly, this book didn't challenge me in any way to think differently about something/anything. I felt no change in thought about what is going on in my life due to reading this book. Part of the problem with books about speculative fiction is that they are difficult to tie into reality due to the fact that they are, well, speculative. This novel kind of reminded me of Stoneheart in the fact that there is a lot going on all throughout the story at the plot continues to intensify when you think it can't anymore, until the end of the book.

               Honestly, I liked the book, largely because of the unusualness of the plot line, and the ideas the story focuses on in general. The book was well written, and I was impressed by how MacHale captured the essence of thought coming from Bobby with the narrative coming from the format of a journal. I would recommend this book to somebody who enjoys long series, and who enjoys lots of "time continuum-type" novels...focusing on the fabric that is time and space. I would not however recommend this novel or series to anybody who doesn't enjoy science fiction, because that there is a lot dialect and thought based around how the story/journey is possible.




Steven Ø'Connell
12/17/13
Rating *** 3/5

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs

         
                                    
                       
               
                     The author of this prodigious fictitious novel, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, is the one and only Ransom Riggs. This novel was published in June of the year 2011. The novel reveals the tale of a boy who, following a horrific family tragedy, follows clues that take him to an abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island. The novel is told through a combination of narrative and indigenous photographs from the personal archives of collectors listed by the author.  Jacob Portman is 16 year old teenager, living in Florida and suffering from incurable heedlessness . One bright spot in his life is his Grandpa heedlessness, an elderly man with a dark and maybe sinister past and an odd collection of old photos. When Grandpa Portman is tragically murdered, the police say a pack of feral dogs killed him. Jacob, though, saw the beast that did the deed. It was a monster, just like the one Grandpa Portman had claimed was chasing him – the very same story Jacob had grown to disbelieve. Motionless about his grandfather's death, he is now in search of an answer. After reading this tale, I believe the overall theme is to really watch out for life changing decisions, they may just alter your current lifestyle into something unimaginable. 
                                    
                         
                         The story is told in the first person point of view. It all begins when Jacob Portman's grandfather is murdered for what he believes are the dark monsters of the unknown. That specific event leads Jacob to a trans of confusion and suspicions on his behalf. He easily convinces his father to take a trip to a Welsh island for "bird watching". Once they arrive, Jacob notices that everything and everyone there is so strange. Their personality is just not normal. That unravels the curious Jacob into discovering his grandfathers past as an orphan. The intended audience for this book are mainly for young adults because this really makes you realize that once we get older decision making gets tougher.  I believe this novel falls into the category of Historical fiction and mystery for young adults. This book is breath taking to me because I LOVE novels that are mysterious and have just a hint of horror, which the climax of those type of novels is way more interesting than any other bland book.Moving on,The photographs are tucked into the pages as illustrations. While you read, it feels like the author has allowed the photos to steer the narrative into the "right" direction. This makes the novel seem like an adventure. While it sounds odd to admire an author of a fantasy book for exploring, I refer more to the process of a writer opening himself up to things beyond his control. It is a risk to allow an object to pull the story off a plotted path. And it is precisely this risk that rewards the reader. Last but not least, I noticed that the author has a very unique way of capturing the authors attention. He uses such old vintage photographs at play.  The author’s ability to use the photos to play with the reader’s imagination, while still holding the tension of the plot, is extraordinary. This kind of attribute can feel like a self-conscious reminder of the authorial hand. But in this case, the use of found art is an elegant tool that reinforces the message of the book. This is a very positive effect of grasping the intended audience's attention. 
                           
                And then I wonder: is it the role of grandparents, themselves, that is used to introduce mystery and magic into modern day American tales, or is it simply the immigrant tale itself? There is still a kind of mystique to immigrant culture, or so it appears in contemporary American literature. There is some kind of an assumption that the immigrant brings with him/her magic or old traditions from their countries that don’t exist in America. This novel really made me think of a few questions just out of curiosity. This book also made me realize that should really not be looking forward to adulthood. This by far has been the uniquest book I've ever read. 
                  This book could have not been better at all! It has a little bit of everything.I would recommend this book 100% to be read completely, because you will enjoy every second of it!


Chelsea C. 
12.18.2013
Rating:***** 5/5 
                 

My book is called Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It is a science fiction book that was first copyrighted in 2005. The book is about a girl named Tally who always dreamed of becoming a pretty. When Tally meets Shay, she learns that being pretty isn't the most important thing. The theme of the book is that looks aren't as important as your personality.

Uglies is written in third person point of view, which helped me understand the plot better. The book takes place in the future, where on your sixteenth birthday, you got an operation that would turn you pretty. Tally always wanted to become pretty until she met Shay, who taught her that she was pretty the way she was. Shay taught her about a place called the Smoke, where people could live without getting the operation. However, after living in the Smoke for a while, the government finds and captures many of the people living there. They capture Shay and turn her pretty, and Tally finds that the only way to save her is to become pretty herself. The intended audience of the book is people that are my age, thirteen or fourteen. The book is science fiction, and you can know this by the strange medical technology that is not used today. There are also things like hovercars and hoverboards that give away the genre. The author's style was to use cliff hangers and suspense to keep me interested, and it worked very well to keep me reading.

The book affected me by making me surprised when Shay and Tally became pretty, and it made me and other readers realize that being pretty wasn't important. Uglies did not change my views very much, because although I did see other people as pretty, it wasn't ever important to me. This book reminded me of Divergent, by Veronica Roth because in both books, the main character differed a lot from what society wanted people to be.

Overall, Uglies was a very good book and I would definitely recommend it. I liked the action that occurred in the book. I also really enjoyed the very different characteristics of each person in the book, and how one character could be the complete opposite of the other. This book was great and I recommend it for anybody who likes action books that occur in the future, like The Hunger Games or Divergent.

Jamie J

12/18/13

**** 4/5

    Blade of Tyshalle was written by Matthew Strover as a sequel to Heroes Die.  This sci-fi fantasy novel was published April 3, 2001.  At the end of the last book, Harry Michelson, also known as Caine, was stabbed by his enemy, causing him to loose control of his legs.  He works as an executive for the studio he used to work for.  His old school friend Chris Hansen sends him a message from over-world (another dimension used for the "studio" as a place for actors to go and record their adventures for others to watch) that HRVP (a genetically enhanced version of Rabies) has erupted.  Harry must save over world while discovering how the outbreak was planned to colonize Over-world while still saving his wife and child.  The overall theme of the book is that you don't know how things will work out, all you can do is try to achieve whatever you are trying to achieve.

    The story is told from Harry's point of view as he watches his life unravel at home.  He finds a plot to kill his wife on over-world, his daughter is taken from him, and his Dad is put under the yolk (cyborged for labor).  Harry has to return to over-world as a cripple, watch his wife (Shanna) killed and be captured by his old enemies before his epic battle with the old god, Ma'elkoth.  While this story is mainly science fiction fantasy, is is riddled with philosophy and the major elements of the book are wrapped around the philosophical statements that Strover makes.  Strover keeps you reading with constant plot twists and the unraveling mysteries that make up his world.  The style is unlike to what I have read before as it brimming with curses and violence, yet there is philosophy at every turn.  This is one of a kind as far as the books I have read.  Blade of Tyshalle is definitely meant for an adult audience.

    I was appalled at times to the violence and at some of his ideas about mankind.  He refers to the Blind God, or the God of Dust and Ashes, which is the god of human nature.  While there are many gods on over-world there is only the one left here.  It is the real antagonist in the book as it takes over the minds of the other antagonists.  At the end of the book Strover attempts to summarize the meaning of life as nonexistent.  I found many of the things he talked about to be very interesting and disagreed with some, but this is as it should be.  Many of the ideas discussed, where beliefs that I already held.  Blade of Tyshalle and its prequel are unlike other books I have read.

    Blade of Tyshalle has many plot twisting mysteries and philosophical ideas that are unlike other books.  Although it has much unnecessary violence, the themes in this book are quite amazing.  I recommend Blade of Tyshalle to any one who likes a good plot or philosophy, but do beware of the violence included.

Amber Carlson

12/18/13

***** 5/5

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

 
  I have recently been reading a book called The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The copywright date of the book is June 2, 2008 and it is a mystery book. It is a fiction story about a little boy named Hugo who lives in the wall of a train station and everyday he wakes up to go and mend the clocks. He later is given an automaton which is suppoed to work but it doesnt. Throughout the book he is trying to figure out to make the automaton work until he finds this key... The overall theme of the book is to never give up.
   The book is told in 3rd person point of view. The story is about a boy who lives on his own in the walls of a railroad station. Everyday he gets up and mends the clocks to keep them going. Throughout the story he faces challenges and he manages to get around them. The intended audience are mainly kids and small children. The genre of the book is fiction and the book fits me because I remember a time that I never gave up just like Hugo. The author keeps me interested because I always wanna find out what happens next to Hugo and his life. I think that the authors style is effective because there are some very god pictures in the book that expin to the audience what is going on.
   The book affected me because it taught me that even when times are hard and frustrating, you can never give up and have to keep going. It fits into my world view because when Hugos dad died I can relate to that when my Grandpa passed away a few years ago. It was hard and very sad but I knew that couldnt keep me from doing what i needed to do. This book did not bring up any memories from other books that I have read because this book is different from other books.
   I would like to acknowlege how the author did a really good job using good detail and explaining everything very well. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books that are long and have alot going on.

Peyton Zachry
Mr. Lankford
12/17/13
***** 5/5 stars
  

Catching Fire

                           


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book in the Hunger Games series. It was published on September 9th in 2009. The first book in this series is called The Hunger Games. The third, and final book is called Mocking Jay. The book starts off talking about Katniss' (the main character) life after the games.(The Hunger Games) It then talks about everything Katniss has to deal with up until the next Hunger Games. This year would be the 75th anniversary of the hunger games. It talks about how she gets through it.

The genre that I would put this book in is the Science Fiction genre. I would put it in this genre because it has a lot of futuristic ideas that I have barely even heard of and because it has the idea of the United States collapsing and that Panem (the country in which they live) was built on the ruins of the old United States. I would say that this book would be intended for anybody above the age of seven and under the age of twenty-two.

This book affected me in a different way because it didn't really make me look at the world differently or make me re-think any of my choices, it just made me want to do archery way more than I used to. This also just made me want to write more. It didn't make me think of any other book. I just thought it was awesome.

I loved this book! I saw the movie. I have read the whole series twice. Best book I have ever read. I don't care if some people don't agree with me, but this is an amazing book. I recommend this book to every thing alive and dead. Seriously, read it to your dog or your pet parrot named Pete or the tree in your backyard or even the mice in your streets. It is a favorite of mine. It is great.

Isabella Alvear
12/17/13
RATING: ***** 5/5

The Meowmorphosis Book Review

         The book I read is called The Meowmorphosis, and is written by Coleridge Cook. It was published in 2011, and was written as a new version of The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka. A man named Gregor Samsa woke up to find he is a cat. He then leaves his family and learns a internal lesson that involves him not standing up for himself to have his own life, and freedom from having to pay off his fathers debt. The theme of this book is you shall have no life of your own if you continue to work for someone else, so forge your own path, and have freedom.

          The story is told by the author, describing Gregor's thoughts and feelings, in 3rd person. It is told from the moment he wakes up, and discovers he has four legs. The intended audience is for college students or higher, and it is a philosophical book, with a little bit of dark fantasy tied in. The book fits into those genres because it is about morals of Gregor, his role he plays/should play in life, and also he turned into a fluffy kitten. Also he had encountered some cats which took him away to his trial in court, and Gregor was quite sluggish as a cat, almost like a stereo-typical zombie. Coleridge keeps the reader interested by having Gregor taken against his will, and also penetrating deeper into his thoughts and his life with his family. Also the authors style is to make it seem that you are experiencing all of the troubles Gregor is having, and that you are there with him. That style is very effective for the readers, because it keeps them engrossed in the book, and it gives more insight about all the different events happening in his life that tie into the worst problem- his lack of freedom. 

           This book effected me by making me think of how some people are so unfortunate to the point where they too are in debt and must slave for the entirety of their lives, just to help pay off some money they owe, therefore dooming further generations into slaving away their lives, instead of choosing the path they would wish to take. I am more fortunate however, and am able to make my own choices, and determine what I would like to do. Because of this book I now am more thankful of the fact that I may do what I please once I am older, and that I don't have to work to pay back money to others. The Meowmorphosis brought back memories of another book I have read, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, because both books are told very specifically from the main character's point of view. Plus the autistic boy in The Curious Incident chose what he wished to do, whereas Gregor was forced to pay money instead of doing what he wished. 

           I loved the way the author described everything in detail, for it seemed you could experience Gregor's life alongside him, or as him. Plus it was a philosophical book, and even though the mood was quite solemn, it still was very enjoyable because it made you wonder about Gregor's role in the world and whether he was going to/meant to change it. I recommend this book for anyone who reads at a college level or higher so as to understand the complex themes more in-depth. Plus if you ever read and enjoy this book, it would be best to read the original to which it was based off of, The Metamorphosis. 

           Sarah Willmann       Dec 17, 2013        4.5 */ 5*