Book Review

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

It's a nice modern day fable. That is, written in the modern day - first published in English in 1993. But the setting of the story takes place sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries in Spain and North Africa which gives it the right ambiance for a classic fable. It follows a young, Spanish shepherd boy, probably in his mid to late teens as he is led by a dream and several people placed in his path by fate to go on a journey to find his "Personal Legend," which in this case is an actual treasure. Like all fables and classic fairy tales it conveys a lot of self-esteem boosting advice and layered life lessons in which not everything is as it seems. And what appears to be a simple straight forward journey turns into over a year of adventure and self discovery for the protagonist. I liked it a lot. It definitely makes you feel good and gives you positive things to ponder. Yes, he finds his Personal Legend but I won't spoil it. It wasn't the kind of ending I was expecting, I'll admit. 

It's a book suitable for all age groups but I can only recommend to those who are already secure in their religious beliefs. It makes use of a lot of biblical stories which I appreciate but it is not solid Christian teachings and could be confusing to a new or immature Christian. Or Muslim for that matter. The author himself is honest about his ecumenical beliefs and the trained eye can spot that sort of vapid new age spiritualism right away.

But that doesn't take away from the quality of a good, engaging story that has a lot of generalized good advice and motivational help. Definitely a keeper and a re-reader for me.

Book Review

Bambi, by Felix Salten
I gotta say.... This book was a total downer. If you enjoy reading books that make you cry, this is for you.

It's not just that Bambi's mother dies. Death seems to be a running theme throughout the book all the way to a random passage a third of the way through of two autumn leaves discussing the ravages of aging before they fall to their deaths from the tree. Obviously this is an anti-hunting book. That doesn't really surprise or bother me. The movie was the same. I love animals and understand the sad nature of the food chain; hunters actually have more respect for it than anyone. I'm just not into feeling guilty for existing. So, again, if you're into crying and assuming guilt trips on behalf of humanity, you'll really like this book. But it doesn't just beat up on mankind. There are also portraits painted of other natural predators in the wild as witness to the cruel lives that animals lead, continuing with the sorrowful tone. Personally, I think it even goes too far in its assessment of dogs and other livestock that serves mankind.
I think the author believed in God because His supremacy is asserted towards the end, but I don't know if he really knew God to have such a depressing outlook on that which is the cycle of life.

That's not to say that I didn't like the book. The prose is absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. The passage of the leaves is very powerful and stands out in my mind. The whole book is like that. And it's also a zoological study of deer. Even though they are anthropomorphic and talk, there's no letter writing or sword waving. Their behavior from being weaned from their mothers to rutting and mating is covered in a manner that adults recognize and that wouldn't confuse children. Although I don't think I'd read it to a kid. It seems too heavy even for children of the 1920s when it was published. I actually do recommend it for its classic value and beautiful writing. 

Book Review

Kazin's Quest, Carey Scheppner

First of The Dragonmage Trilogy, it's an enjoyable fantasy yarn. And I sincerely mean that. I just don't think this trilogy is for me.

It centers around a newly trained mage who by chance is turned into a Dragonmage, that is, he gains the ability to change into a dragon and back at will. He gathers a group of companions together to fulfill a prophecy and defeat a great necromancer. The Dragonmage aspect of it is actually a cool story by itself apart from all the rest and I don't think quite enough time is devoted to it. Instead it gets busy filling the world with a few too many different types of creatures for me to process. I'm all for a little variation from the standard fantasy formula of humans, elves, dwarves, wizards, and generic monstrosities like orcs. But including with these mermaids, zombies, centaurs, minotaurs, two races of upright reptilians - mages and archer warriors, pegasi, and a unicorn just seems to stretch the world a little thin and gives it a lack of depth.

I see it as being written for Dungeons and Dragons or video game players. The story plays out like like an average gamer campaign and the characters "level up" by finding special weapons and being suddenly positioned to acquire new skills. It ends up being a series of battle sequences into which most of the passionate writing is poured with the story being a relatively thin thread that ties them together with slightly juvenile humor. 

But I meant it when I said it had enjoyable aspects... Things that could have been fleshed out more thoroughly in their own separate stories. The concept of the Dragonmage was one but I also really liked the minotaur political structure and intrigue. The dwarves also had a uniqueness to them that felt lacking since they were also fairly typical. I'm actually not sure how to feel about a silly lovesick elf as opposed to the standard arrogant and dissociated kind in the prominent elf role, but these are certainly things worth exploring.

I absolutely recommend it for fans of this particular subset of fantasy genre. It's good, it's just not my favorite. 

Book Review

The Adventures of Sarah Ann Lewis and the Memory Thieves, Joshua C. Carroll

Yes I frequently browse YA fiction. That's where some of more original story ideas have been coming from for the last 20 years. This is a fairly new book too, just released last year. Like many other YA books it follows a "chosen one" type of base in a hidden world setting but this one also features blending genres. For example, A Wrinkle in Time blended sci-fi and religion/mythology. The original Pern trilogy infused science fiction into fantasy. Sarah and the Memory Thieves' plot attempts to tie together science fiction, fantasy, and varying supernatural/religion/mythological elements into its multiverse. It's a very tricky and ambitious project. It's a little unsettling to try to take in at first but the pacing helps smooth out the ride. And it's not a vehicle to bash humanity or be disrespectful towards religion. It's just the story of a girl who wants to help rescue her grandfather and discovers her place in the hidden organization by way of her family's involvement. She's thrust into a position of importance as the only person besides her father that can operate the portal to the multiverse that contains the different beings. It's simplified but explain in a way that feels plausible.

What's most fun about it is that it takes place in the 1980's. Technologies that sound like 3D printing and such are futuristic and the only phones she can find when the trouble starts are the one in her house that she can't enter and the one in a neighbor's house that she doesn't trust. The author sets up the forward to connect to the story to make it seem like he's relating real events, which is a creative twist I've always enjoyed.

I liked it. It's indicated that sequels will follow and I think I'll look out for them. It's not the best of the newer YA fiction I've ever read but it's intriguing I'd like to see how it fleshes out.

Book Review

The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
One of these days I should compile a list of required reading for children. This would be right up there at the top of the list.
It is, in fact, a kid's book written in 1961. But like many classic children's literature, it's so much more. Often compared with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I think it's actually better. It's much more clever and not a disturbing downer like Alice was. Then I learned it was written by the same guy that wrote one of my all time favorite stories from my childhood as animated by Looney Tunes - The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics and it all made sense. Oh, my heart! That explains why I found myself really enjoying it. The lessons aren't just for kids and the plot is surprisingly relevant to today. Especially to today, if you find yourself searching for Rhyme and Reason. If you've not read it since you were a child you should reread it. If you've not read it at all, I recommend it for adults as well as children. The wisdom is timeless. I can only hope it's not either too smart for modern kids or that modern kids think they're too smart for it. Adults as well. 

Book Review

The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas

Since The Count of Monte Cristo is in my top 10 favorite books, I always wanted to try this one to see if it would be just as good since it's so different. It certainly is! Dumas was a great storyteller. Not dark and tragic like Count, but adventurous and comic but without losing any dramatic tension.

I admit I don't know much about 17th century French history but I know that some of the characters were real with the circumstances around the historical events enhanced by inserted characters and the fictional main plot. Much like Shakespeare's historical dramas, but easier to read. The story is centered around a young man, D'Artagnan, who is fresh off the farm so to speak. He goes to Paris with the intent of joining the Musketeers and trouble follows him everywhere. Even his initial friendship with the three musketeers is a series of mistakes and misunderstandings. I don't know why the king's men fight constantly with the cardinal's men... that rivalry could probably be explained by some of the history I don't know but it doesn't even matter because it's fun. Much of the early chapters are just plain fun as the characters and their servants are introduced. The hot headed dueling and chest beating as well as their exploits with their various mistresses serve as the backdrop for exploring the characters' personalities. Once that's done they become entangled in the political intrigues of the historical characters which is the more intense portion of the novel. It ends with some exciting twists and revenge upon Milady Clarik who wasn't developed early on but who turned out to be a dark and wicked character indeed. I only would have liked to known the history a little better because I think it would've made the ending easier to understand. After all the conflict with the cardinal and his right hand man Rochefort there is a mutual respect won with them at the end for D'Artagnan that I found surprising. Not disagreeable, just not expected. Perhaps further development of the Rochefort character would've helped.

But no matter it was a great, fun book that is on my list of things to reread and my favorite character didn't die for a change. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Book Review

The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson

It's short and incomplete, but I was aware of that when I bought it. I don't think Jefferson was much interested in putting down his life's works for posterity. Perhaps if he'd started this memoir before the age of 77 he may have gotten more written. That's not to say I'm disappointed in any way though. I chose this edition instead of a biography because I simply don't trust authors to write about the founding fathers, Jefferson in particular, without heavy bias against them. Although I admit the biography I have of James Madison by Ralph Ketchum is pretty good. 

The cons include, as previously stated, that it's evident that Jefferson didn't care to write about himself. So there aren't a lot of details about his childhood and young life. He mentions where he was born, what his father did for a living, the schools he attended, and his marriage with no more sentimentality than one would place in bullet points. However, when he does offer a personal opinion of a mentor or a fellow statesman as well as his notation of the death of his wife, you get a great teaser of what his personality must have been like and makes me wish he'd taken the time to offer a more passionate description of events. Annoyingly, his most animated writing is reserved for his time spent in France. As a Gallophile, he goes into great detail about the early days of France's revolution, his opinion of how he would've acted to prevent the downward turn it took, and his desire to go back and witness it in real time as it was going on. He spends so much time on this that he doesn't even make it to his own presidency or even vice presidency and just gives a brief mention of accepting the role of Washington's Secretary of State.

But the pros outweigh all of this. It's kind of like seeing a diary of our Revolution as it was happening from the viewpoint of the congress as opposed to the battlefield which is certainly different. He offers the unedited edition of the Declaration of Independence in this small volume with the parts stricken out and the parts added in shown in different typefaces. You see a lot of the same arguments that were laid out in the Federalist Papers for how the new government is to be set up with opposing arguments stated by other people in the discussions he had during different sessions. It's fascinating to read about the debate and thought process that went into a monetary system or a redesign of the prison system... things you don't usually think about when speaking of our Revolutionary War. 

I do recommend it but I also think the best way to research Jefferson further is to look into all of his correspondences, many of which have been saved. Not just his personal correspondence with John Adams, but other letters to other people of note in that time. There's a volume out there that has all of these and I may look into it sometime.