Interworld

Interworld 

by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves 

★★☆ 

I tend to love most of what Gaiman writes, but this one fell a bit flat for me. The concept is fascinating, but the execution was a bit off. The adventure story follows Joseph, a normal boy who walks straight into another world. 

He discovers and entire army of different versions of himself from other worlds. There’s Jerzy: from a world with feathers where women lay eggs, Josef: who is really strong, Jai: who meditates and has a huge vocabulary, Jakon: a wolf girl, Jo: a girl with wings, and J’r’ohoho: a centaur. 

The army trains at a boot camp run by the “old man”. Their goal is to, “Protect the Altiverse and stem the tides of magic and science.” That’s a heavy order for the newly inducted Joseph to wrap his head around.

There are two different groups of bad guys. The Binary, who travel on gravitons, freeze the walkers to use them to fuel their ships. Then there are the HEX folk. They use magic to boil walkers and use their souls to power interplane travel. Both sets of villains were a bit cartoonish. In a lot of ways, this novel reminded me of the Percy Jackson series.

BOTTOM LINE: At times there was just too much going on at once. We bounced back and forth so quickly that it was hard to feel attached to the characters. Apparently it started out as an idea for a TV show and I was left wondering if that might have been a better fit for this particular story. I do think this might be a perfect fit for teenage boys.

"I wanted to spare her what I knew: that reality can splinter like a hammered mirror. That it can happen to anybody."

 

"Sometimes war is necessary to teach us the value of peace."

Greek Week: The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune

Heroes of Olympus Series

The Lost Hero

by Rick Riordan

★★★☆

From a salsa-eating Cyclops to a mechanical dragon, the first book in Riordan’s new Heroes of Olympus series is packed with adventure. Beginning the summer after the final book in the Percy Jackson series ended, The Lost Hero introduces us to a new group of half-bloods.

The main character, Jason, wakes up on a bus with no memory of who he is or what he’s doing there. He is with a school group taking a trip to the Grand Canyon. A quirky kid name Leo claims to be his best friend and a girl named Piper obviously is more than just his friend. After being attacked by a storm monster the trio is whisked to Camp Half-Blood by Annabeth. They try to come to terms with their “half-blood” status and their new life.

As is Riordan’s formula with all of his books, they quickly find that they must go on a quest. Along the way they meet infamous Greek characters like Midas and Madea. We learn more about Zeus’ wife Hera as well. Leo grew on me throughout the book. I liked that his character found his strength in an unconventional way.

It’s a bummer that so many of the characters are one-note creations. You meet someone new and in a heart beat you know if they are a “good” guy or a “bad” guy. It’s rare to find anyone who walks that line. I always end his books wishing there was a bit more complexity, but I also enjoy them.

BOTTOM LINE: I think Riordan’s books are an excellent way to introduce young adults to Greek mythology. He makes it fun and accessible and I always learn something. I do wish the characters rang a little more true for me, but I’m also not the target audiences.  

The Son of Neptune

by Rick Riordan

★★★★

This one was fantastic. We dive right back into the story from the last book, but instead of the Greek camp we’ve caught up with Percy, who is missing in the first book. Unfortunately, just like Jason, he has no memory.

We finally make it to the Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood. Apparently there has always been bad blood between the two groups and the current campers know almost nothing about the other camp. Percy meets Frank and Hazel; both a sweet, self-conscious kids who figure out more about themselves with each new challenge. I loved them both as new characters. Hazel has an interesting past that starts in New Orleans and Frank’s family has a long history in Asian tradition, great additions to the series.

Gia, the evil Mother Earth character, and her army of giants are back and the trio must battle them to free Death. Obviously the obstacles are many, but the constant stream of adventure is fun.

BOTTOM LINE: I felt like this one was really a step up from the first book. I love that this series is building towards collaboration between the Greek and Roman camps and I’m looking forward to seeing that play out.

Pairing Books with Movies: Greek Week Edition

  

There are dozens of films dealing with Greek gods and history. They range from an actual cartoon (Hercules) to cartoonishly bad movies (Clash of the Titans circa 1981). They tend to be on the epic side, but some embrace quieter stories. Here are a few that came to mind. Each would go well with any of the books I reviewed this week!

Troy (2004) / Hercules (1997) / 300 (2006)

 Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) / 

Clash of the Titans (1981 and 2010)

The Odyssey (1997) miniseries / Helen of Troy (2003) / Alexander (2004)

Are there any big ones I missed?

Greek Week Announcement

This is sort of a grown-up bibliophile’s version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. At the beginning of the month I started The Song of Achilles for Care’s readalong. I was loving it, but I was also reading it too fast. It made me think about all the tales of Greek mythology I’d read over the years and all the ones I hadn’t. So I got my copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology off the shelf and started reading it.

That led me to start thinking about all the different movies I’d seen that were set in ancient Greece. This was a slippery slope because there are tons of them; some good and some awful, but usually fun!

Then I remembered how much I’d enjoyed Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and that he had a new series I’d wanted to check out. So I got The Lost Hero (the first book in that series), from the library.

Then I remembered I needed to read a play for Fanda’s Let’s Read Plays monthly challenge. And that led me to another Greek book, The Oresteia play trilogy by Aeschylus.  

So anyway, things got out of control quickly and I was surrounded by a stack of Greek themed books and Greek Week was born! I decided to post about all the crazy gods and their wrath and sneakiness throughout this week to share my craziness with all of you.

And I’ve now learned that if you give a bibliophile a good book on a topic they love, there’s no telling where they’ll end up.

Images from here, here and here. 

Top Ten Books I Wish I Read as a Kid

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish is a freebie so I picked an old topic, Books I wish I read as a kid. Every book on my list is one I enjoyed as an adult, but I know I would have absolutely adored it if I’d read it when I was young.

1) Half Magic series by Edward Eager

2) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

3) The Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

4) A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

5) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

6) The Arthurian Saga by Mary Stewart

7) The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper

8) The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

9) The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

10) Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Photo of me as a kid (check out that sweet carpet!)

What Makes a Good Narrator?

There are so many elements that go into a good audiobook. Obviously the plot of the book itself, but you must consider a slew of other factors. I know that I have a few preferences and I’d love to discuss those today. 

I love when the narrators’ sex matches that of the main character. I hate it when some male tries to do an awful high-pitch imitation of a woman when speaking for a female character. A few examples of perfect narration that come to mind are Lenny Henry’s reading of Anansi Boys, Frank Mueller’s reading of Motherless Brooklyn, and Jenna Lamia’s reading  of The Secret Life of Bees.

I enjoy a full cast of narrators when there are multiple main characters. For example, I’ve listened to a few of Shakespeare’s plays that were done with a full cast and they are excellent! Also, the audiobook of The Help was done this way and it is one of the best I’ve heard.

I almost always dislike it when authors read their own work. For the most part, authors do not have the skill of a seasoned narrator. There are a few major exceptions to this rule that come to mind. Neil Gaiman and David Sedaris are wonderful at narrating their own work! Also, I know Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling both did their books and they’re both great. 

I particularly dislike special effects or music in the background of the performance. Some audiobooks rely on this as a way to explain what is happening to a reader. Here’s a tip, if the book says, “And then he closed the door,” I don’t need to hear the sound of a door closing.

As far as genres go I’ve found that I prefer listening to nonfiction on audio rather than reading it. I’d highly recommend trying one of Erik Larson, Bill Bryson or Mary Roach’s books if you’re interested. Young Adult books, especially series also worked beautifully on audio. I’d recommend the Percy Jackson series, the Flavia de Luce series, the Harry Potter series, the Lemony Snicket series and The Dark Materials series as good audiobooks.

My biggest pet peeve when it comes to narrators is blatant mispronunciations. It drives me bonkers! I don’t mean an English to American difference, like pronouncing aluminum Al– Loo – Mini – Um. I mean just saying the word wrong. Some are funny and others make me cringe. Does this bother anyone else?

Here’s a few of my favorites…

Despot … pronounced DespoTATE

Fruition … pronounced Froot – Uh- Tay - Shun

Guillotine … pronounced GILL – Uh- Teen

Carnagie … pronounced Car – NEG – E

How about all of you, what do you love or hate about audiobook narrators?

This post is part of Audiobook Week hosted by Devourer of Books

Image from here.

Book Reviews: Percy Jackson Series 4 and 5

***There are no spoilers for Book 4 or 5, but my reviews assume you’ve read the first 3 books.

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4)
by Rick Riordan
★★★★

As the fourth book opens, Kronos is still out to destroy Mt. Olympus with the help of the half-blood Luke. Percy and his friends, Grover, Annabeth and Tyson, go on a quest to find the inventor Daedelus in the infamous Labyrinth.

This book felt longer and more creative than the rest of the series. I think that’s because it touched on so many different locations and plots. Percy spends time on Calypso’s island, Camp Half-Blood and Mount St. Helena. He struggles with his feelings for both Annabeth and the Rachel, a human who like his mom, can see through the “mist.” We also see Daedelus’ history unfold through Percy’s dreams.

The book wraps up many of the open plots. Grover’s search for the lost god Pan reaches its conclusion. Nico, Hades son, must come to terms with his sister’s death and decide which side he will fight on. This is a solid addition to the series, adding just as many complications as it eliminates.


The Last Olympian (Book 5)
by Rick Riordan
★★★★

As with all of the books in the series, we’re thrown into the midst of the action in the first chapter. The Olympians and Camp Half-Blood residents are at war with the Titans and danger is everywhere. When characters are dying, no matter if it’s friend or foe, it lends a somber tone to the story.

Percy really embraces his role as a leader in this book. The half-bloods must band together if they want to save Olympia and the gods. Percy takes and reigns and tries to organize the ranks. He also makes a trip to the Underworld in order to increase their chances.

A lot happens in this final installment and the action is nonstop. I was glad Percy finally got a chance to see his father’s (Poseidon) kingdom. My favorite part about this book was learning more about Luke’s character. I loved that Percy is forced to see his opponent as a fellow half-blood with his own struggles and not just as the enemy. I also loved that Riordan fleshed out the subplot of the gods claiming or not claiming their half-blood children. To me that was the real heart of the series. The kids, whether they are half-bloods or not, just want to be acknowledged and loved by their parents. The lack of attention from the gods was the source for much of the strife throughout the books.

A Few Things I Don’t Love About the Series

1) All of the books are more action driven than character driven. When this is the case it’s hard for me to become attached to the characters.

2) A lot of characters, a little depth. This is a similar complaint to #1. There are so many people/creatures introduced in each book, but very few are given solid back stories. I don’t expect that for every character, but I feel like we could have had a bit more with the main few.

3) Almost a whole year passes between each book. The plots take place mainly over the summer, while the school year passes unseen between books. That seems strange to me, because the characters barely change. Each book feels like a week has past, not nine months or so. The characters show some increase in maturity, but the difference between age 12 and 16 is huge and I don’t think that was shown. I feel like the entire series could have taken place over the course of 1 or 2 years.

A Few of My Favorite Things About the Series

1) The chapter titles, they never fail to make me laugh. They’re always absurd summaries of what is about to happen. For example “I accidentally vaporized my pre-algebra teacher” and “I Drive My Dog Into a Tree.”

2) Percy’s mom, she’s not a central character, but I still love her. She’s supportive and kind and was even willing to marry a truly awful man in order to protect her son. I was happy that she seemed to have ended up with a good guy in the end (we learn this in the 4th book).

3) Being re-educated in Greek mythology in a really fun way. I’ve also been fascinated by the Greek gods and all of the legends that surround them. In college I was one class away from earning a minor in Classical Studies (but really, what would I have done with that?). These books have been a great refresher course, a Who’s Who of Greek mythology.

All-in-all I think this is the perfect series for teenage boys. The action, occasional references to crushes, desire undertake quests and emphasis on loyalty and friendship are all reasons for that conclusion. If you know a 10 to 15-year-old looking for a new book, this is a great choice. Even though I liked some of the books more than others, I rated them all 4 stars. They are solid books, but predictable, fun reads, but nothing I would feel compelled to revisit.