Merlin's Dragon

 

 

Author: T. A. Barron

Basil is a dragon like no other. He is as small as a bird, green in colour and does not breathe fire. Born in Woodroot - one of the seven Realms that make up the roots of the Great Tree of Avalon - Basil longs to find out what and who he really is.

The novel is about Basil's journey of self-discovery, and by the end (or very near it) he discovers that (big) size does not matter - it's what you do that counts. In fact, his small size worked to his advantage at the most crucial moment.

While I liked the message that the story was trying deliver, the narrative disappointed me somewhat. Basil spends a long time whining and reflecting all by himself (in between being chased by various creatures), and it isn't until the middle of the novel that something really significant happens (i.e. he meets Merlin) - and then the pace slacks again. When he finally sets off on his journey across the realms, there is very little time and pages left, so Basil (and unfortunately his reader) is forced to rush through all the different places.

I also found the dialogue awkward - the author could not seem to decide which type of tone to use: modern 20th/21st century high school or Elizabethan middle ages/typical myth & legend. Granted, the book is targeted for children (age group 9-12) but that inconsistency is still jarring. All in all, this is one trilogy that I shall not finish - not in a hurry to find the related books.

A Darkness at Sethanon

Author: Raymond E Feist

This is the final book in the Riftwar Saga series. I'm sure I've read the books before, as the characters' names are somewhat familiar, although I can't quite remember the plots. But I was in the mood for dragons and elves, so this seemed right up my alley.

This book has it all - dragons, elves, magicians and an assortment of all creatures good and evil. There's also a bit of time- and space-travelling, jumping about to different worlds and universes.

It starts with an attempt to murder Arutha, the Prince of Krondor during a royal Festival. Forces of evil are gathering in large numbers to prepare for war, but the real motive and target of the Enemy is unknown to the good guys. Pug the magician and his friend Tomas (the guy on the book cover) travel in search of Macros the Black to seek the answers that will save their world from destruction.

Of course, the good guys win in the end, after long hard-fought battles that culminate in a grand showdown in Sethanon. There's a lot of action, a bit of politics, a very fine sprinkling of romance in the mix as well. So it should please a lot of fantasy fans who don't already know Feist.

Sadly, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I don't think I've outgrown the fantasy genre per se - rather, I think I've outgrown Feist. He does a great job describing the swordfighting, battles, castles and travelling through the mountains - to a point where I couldn't really understand his descriptions due to my limited vocabulary in those areas (what's the difference between a barbican and a bailey?), but not so much on the character. Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of characters in the book, but I get the feeling that Feist assumes we know them well enough that only a caricaturistic description suffices.

In the end, I could not really connect with any of them. I think I'll stick with Pratchett and Gaiman in future.

Hand of Isis

Author: Jo Graham

I picked this up at MPH, Gurney Plaza, Penang when I was there co-emceeing a corporate function in March. And I certainly do not regret it.

The story is about Charmian, one of Cleopatra's handmaidens. The name seemed familiar to me until I recalled the Shakespeare play 'Antony & Cleopatra', where Charmian is one of the characters in the play.

This novel is mostly historical fiction, with a bit of fantasy thrown in. It is told in first voice narrative by Charmian, who is also the Queen’s sister, borne of a Thracian woman from the Pharaoh’s harem. Together with another sister, Iras, the daughter of a Nubian serving woman named Asetnefer, they pledge themselves to Isis and represent different aspects of the goddess – Charmian is sensual as Isis Pelagia, Goddess of Love; Iras is the wise and aloof Lady of Amenti who presides with Serapis over the judgement of dead souls; whereas Cleopatra, in her role as Queen and caretaker of the Egyptian people, is Mother of the World, with Osiris as a husband and Horus as her son.

The novel begins in the Halls of Amenti, where Charmian’s dead soul faces Isis for the weighing of her heart against a feather. She then recollects the events that have brought her there, from her childhood right up to the suicidal snake bite to escape capture by the Romans. In between chapters, the novel returns to the scene in the Halls of Amenti, which I felt was effectively done.

The story is based on real historical events and figures. The main star of the novel, however, is Alexandria. Graham does a wonderful job describing the sights and sounds of the city during its heyday, as well as the life of its inhabitants. As Alexandria was home to a great library, and was the ‘apex of Panhellenism’, the three sisters are exposed to the different branches of knowledge under the tutelage of Apollodorus, so together they make a formidable trio in ruling Egypt.

Charmian’s major role, however, is Royal Event Manager. Befitting her representation of the erotic side of Isis, Charmian also has a very healthy sexual appetite, and despite having a child and several lovers, never marries. She does, however, dote upon her own daughter and Cleopatra’s various offspring, and stands by her royal sister throughout her life.

In an exchange with the judges in the Halls of Amenti, the angel Mikhael speaks in her defence:

“You see? One may search far and wide on this earth to find an incorruptible
servant, but You need look no further. Any monarch that ever lived should be
glad of one like her.”
I turned and faced Him. “It’s not that I don’t
appreciate You speaking on my behalf, but You are giving me credit that I do not
deserve! There was nothing anyone could give me that I wanted. How could I be
tempted?”
“And what was it you wanted, then?” Serapis asked.
“The only
thing I have always wanted,” I said. “To be with those I love and to have good
work to do. And as for the rest, justice and mercy and those in need, I didn’t
do anything special. I just tried to be fair. I just did my best.”
“That is
all that the gods can ever ask of anyone,” Isis said.

To be fair and to do one’s best. Isn’t that true?

Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke

I bought it almost a year ago, just after the movie came out. I really wanted to watch the movie, but wanted to read the book before catching the celluloid version. Anyhow, the book took much longer than expected - I stopped reading it halfway several months ago and only picked it up again several weeks later. By then movie was no more, and I had lost interest in it anyway.

It is, after all, a children's book. The beginning was eventful enough, almost like 'Lord of the Rings' with an apparent stranger suddenly showing up, and seemed to set the pace quickly enough. Halfway through, however, I realised that while it would have been terrifying enough for a 12-year-old, it did not have enough suspense to keep me hooked. The 'diabolical celebrations' seemed pretty tame for this mother of three.

What I like about the book, though, is the way it is structured.

This book was written by a book-lover, about book-lovers, for book-lovers.

'Inkheart' precedes each chapter with an excerpt from another book. The excerpt sets the tone for the story, such as the following before Meggie and her father start their journey 'Going South' with apprehension:

"Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wild World," said the Rat. "And that's something that doesn't matter, either to you or to me. I've never been there, and I'm never going, nor you either, if you've got any sense at all."

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

And so, while the story itself may not make it one of your all-time favourites, you may be introduced to several that may.

Good Omens

Authors: Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

I was in one of those moods when I picked this book. Correction: My sister picked it out for me from her vast collection of fantasy at my request for something 'light and fun' to read. Halfway through the the 2nd chapter, I realised it was a parody of 'The Omen' (not something I particularly want to think about while I'm pregnant) but was already having too much fun to stop.

The story revolves around an angel, Aziraphale (Israfil, peniup sangka kala?) and a devil called Crowley, the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Both of them were stationed on Earth as agents of their respective Masters to put things in place leading up to the Apocalypse. However, after spending thousands of years on this world with only each other as familiar company and having acquired a taste for earthly pleasures, they strike a partnership to avoid the Apocalypse from happening.

Trust Pratchett to come up with the hilarious dialogue. And you can always bet on Gaiman to provide the 'other dimension' to your everyday objects and people, like War and Pollution. Okay, so War and Pollution is not exactly everyday stuff but what else do you read about in the news?

It seemed close to blasphemy reading this novel (God knows what was going through their minds while they wrote it), but admittedly it was just too good to put down. Even if you're not planning on reading the whole book, at least read the authors' biography:

For those who really need to know, Terry Pratchett was born in
Buckinghamshire, England, in 1948. He has managed to avoid all the really interesting jobs authors take in order to look good in this kind of biography. In his search for a quiet life he got a job as a Press Officer with the Central Electricity Generating Board just after Three Mile Island, which shows his unerring sense of timing. Now a full-time writer, he lives in Somerset with his wife and daughter. He likes people to buy him banana daiquiris (he knows people don't read author biographies, but feels this might be worth a try).

Neil Gaiman used to be a journalist, but gave it all up to write
comics, which he claims are a totally valid late-twentieth-century art form, and he's even won awards for them, so that's all right. He's 5'11" tall, owns a number of black T-shirts, and although he's not overly keen on banana daiquiris, is always very flattered when appreciative fans send him money (he's read Terry Pratchett's biography, and, although he doubts that this will have any effect, figures what the hell).

Now excuse me, but I need to go catch up on all those Discworld novels.

Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman

This book belongs to my sister. Halfway through reading it, I realised that I have actually seen parts of the original TV miniseries back in London - the book is a novelisation of the TV show. I didn't follow the miniseries - there must have been a serious lack of eyecandy to get me properly hooked - but the book I like very much.

The idea of people and events, conveniently sidelined by the rat-racers, falling through the cracks of London to exist in a parallel world - now who would have thought of that? A universe where an Angel called Islington resides under the watch of Afro-Anglo monks (Blackfriars, anyone?) and an elderly Earl holds Court on a moving Underground train. The most ingenious of all - Knightsbridge as a scary district. How true is that?

What struck me was how the villainous pair in this book is similar to the twosome in Terry Pratchett's 'The Truth': a short one with the words and brains partnering a huge hunk of a man who is mostly brawn. I suppose it is a prerequsite for bad guy characterisation, like the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine. Another similarity is one of the villain's penchant for fine antiques.

I'm not saying much more. Read it to find out.

The Truth

Author: Terry Pratchett

Truth be told, I've never read Terry Pratchett before. I suppose for someone who lists fantasy fiction as one of her favourite genres, this seems pretty close to sacreligious.

This book, I must say, was a pretty good introduction to Pratchett's work, despite being the 25th Discworld novel. It revolves around a certain William de Worde, a second son who ekes out a living writing newsletters to various important persons. Having met a group of dwarves with a printing press, he subsequently starts a newspaper and turns into an investigative journalist-cum-news editor. Along the way he is joined by a reformed vampire, a talking dog and a bunch of homeless folks.

What I love about this book is how it satirises the media, be it mainstream broadsheet or tabloid. Oh, and horror movies' preoccupation with heaving bosoms. Of all the characters, the vampire Otto Chriek is my favourite.

Quotable quotes from the book:

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!"

"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on."

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

Author: JK Rowling

Book 7 (Final) of Harry Potter Series.

Yes, I know it's late, but hey, I'm not a diehard Potter fan who's willing to spend hours queueing up for the book. My sister had preordered one from MPH in Subang, and the other sisters wanted to read it too, so of course as eldest sister I have to mengalah lah kan?

Anyway, I've read all the other Potter books in the correct order, though none of them personally belong to me. I've never reread any of them, and I may not remember every tiny detail (can't even remember exactly what all the Horcruxes were before book 7) so please excuse me if I am not quite up to the mark of a true blue supporter of the Boy Who Lived.

If anyone out there has not read the book, be warned: SPOILERS APLENTY.

Right, so where do I start?

The first couple of chapters were quite gripping. We see Voldermort torturing a captive, and it sets the mood for a dark and sinister ride. Alas, that was about as sinister as it got. If you want a really dark book with real plot twists, go for the second halves of Books Four (Goblet of Fire), Five (Order of the Pheonix) and Six (Half-Blood Prince).

Throughout the book, there's a repetitive pattern: Harry gets caught, almost gets killed, and barely manages to escape. It's okay the first two times, but afterwards it gets a bit predictable. The final instalment, while action-packed, leads to a final showdown between Harry and the Dark Lord (as expected), but somehow ended on a damp Squib. I expected a big duel to shake the very foundations of Hogwarts (there was, after all, a very powerful wand involved) but one zap and that was it? Apparently Rowling didn't want to associate Voldermort with a spectacular ending, but it still would've been fun to see what the Elder Wand could actually do.

I felt Rowling spent too long on the locket Horcrux and rushed through the others. I mean, the locket's been carried over from the last book, and it takes you through half of this one before it's finally destroyed. It reminded me of LOTR where Frodo wears the Ring around his neck, complete with the emotional side effects on the bearer, but I liked that Rowling made it affect Ron Weasley the most and his subsequent role in destroying it.

The eventual revelation that Harry himself was a Horcrux (since Harry had this mental link with Voldermort, it was really no surprise) and had to die in order to destroy Voldermort - this idea seemed to have been borrowed from the Matrix movies. Only Harry somehow didn't die. I suppose destroying Horcruxes really only destroys the soul within it, but the original functionality of the item is sustained, so that's why Harry Potter ended up alive and well. Some people had a problem with that, calling JK Rowling a cop-out, but I can accept it. Besides, didn't the ring Horcrux also turn out to be the Resurrection Stone (more on this later) and function as one?

Prior to the book's release, Rowling did say some characters will die. I wished she'd expanded a bit more on them before they met their ends though. I especially hoped she'd write a bit more about Lupin. I mean, he's a werewolf with issues, who wanted to fill Sirius Black's shoes as Harry's guardian while (according to Harry) running away from his responsibility as a father, so I was looking forward to a bit more about him, even a depiction of how he and Tonks died. Maybe the movie (of course there'll be one) could show a a one-on-one between Lupin and Fenrir Greyback, the baddie werewolf? Just a thought.

The most interesting thing about Book 7, though, is the depiction of flawed characters and redeemed ones. I like flawed characters - hey, no one's perfect. I liked that Dumbledore was not such a goody-goody after all, that even he was tempted by absolute power, albeit at a young age. And that he succumbed to that temptation even at a later phase, when everyone believes him to be wise and the epitome of goodness - it's a pretty refreshing character development. I did feel that Rita Skeeter's biography was a bit tame though. A reflection of real-life media pre-release hype, maybe?

But my favourite, I have to say, is Severus Snape. His character has always been an enigma, right from the start in Book One. You know he's a Death Eater, and that he hates Harry Potter's guts, but somehow Dumbledore trusts him and he's always saving Harry's life. You could always tell there's something about his past that's more than meets the eye, and there's a hint of it in a previous book, in the flashbacks of James Potter and gang taunting him as a student and Lily (Harry's mum) coming to his rescue. I admit that when he killed Dumbledore it shocked me, but Rowling's explanation in Book Seven confirmed my suspicion of his feelings for Lily. In fact, when Harry used the Resurrection Stone, I half expected Severus Snape to be among those joining him.

Throughout the series, I couldn't help wishing that Harry would feel some remorse for how he'd treated Snape. The bit in the Epilogue where Harry's all grown up and about to send his second son, Albus Severus, off to Hogwarts for the first time, satisfied my wish. When he said to Albus, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I knew." Snape's death was justified. The rest of the epilogue, though, was unnecessary. Harry ending up with Ginny, and Ron with Hermione, with kids and all? It was just too convenient. Maybe it's to set up the scene for some spin-off series?

Neville ending up as a hero, killing off Nagini the Horcrux, was another gem. I have to admit that after Harry's turn as a snivelling, whingeing teenager in Book Five, I didn't like him so much and didn't want him to have all the glory to himself. So it was wonderful that Neville, so often portrayed as a geek, was the one to wield Godric Gryffindor's sword and destroy the snake. I did find it strange, though, how he managed to pull out the sword from the Sorting Hat after the goblins had reclaimed it as their own. You'd think the goblins would've put up some sort of magical defences to keep the sword in their midst.

Snape's character, I felt, was the most complex and compelling of all. Dumbledore's also was interesting. Lupin's could've been, while the other characters, including Harry himself, sometimes appeared too predictable. James Potter and Sirius Black, to me (and I know this will seriously anger Potter fans) had no real likeable qualities except that one happens to be Harry's dad and the other his godfather with a cool bike.

All in all though, I think Rowling did a wonderful job creating this fantasy world, but it's probably more suited to children than adults. I'm sticking with Tolkien, Weis and Hickman.

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