Musings on the Written Word

Friday, April 28, 2006

For Love of Mother-Not

Book 6/12

Alan Dean Foster's For Love of Mother-Not

I fell in love with Mr. Foster's writing when my dad introduced me to the trilogy detailing the formation of the Commonwealth. I considered a lot of the thranx names maddening to pronounce, and I was a little confused about what was going on, but the writing called to me. It was intelligent, it was smooth, and it captured my attention - despite the struggle with "foreign" syntax. This book only served to reinforce my delight with his prose. *-*

This is the first of the Pip and Flinx books, and I have every intention of reading the remainder of the series - for Pip, if nothing else (come on - a blue and pink flying snake? That just demands attention!). Flinx is a typical teenager, and he's WRITTEN that way - no "adult" behaviors, no overly-mature thoughts, no ridiculous situations where a kid magically has infinite wisdom - Flinx is a kid, and he behaves as one. He's a street-smart kid, so there is a level of maturity there, but he's still a kid, and he gets his ego bruised and battered, and he panics over losing Mother Mastiff and Pip. He's wholly believable, and his determination is admirable. The entire story echoes the title (I have always loved this title) beautifully, and it draws you into the world of Moth easily. It was a little disappointing that the antagonists were stock (a group of people convinced they're improving the world by violating the morals/ethics of most people who want them erased from the planet; and then the oh-so-perfect Peaceforcers who are convinced they're saving the world), but it wasn't over-the-top; they weren't sympathetic, but they weren't really worthy of hatred, either.

My only real complaint about the book was the end where Flinx - out of the blue - decides he's going to take up juggling as a career. I had to flip pages back, wondering what I had missed because it was just thrown out there, with no previous hints or clues. The final section really feels tacked on at the last minute, and while it's proven to nicely segue into the second book, it threw me out of the plot of this book. I understand that you want to bridge multiple books together into a single arc, but throwing curve balls at the end is just obnoxious. It felt like a time-shift had occurred, and this isn't that kind of science fiction book. If that section really needed to be there, then I think it needed to be fleshed out more - show Flinx's recovery from the warehouse explosion, some hint of why he chose juggling, just something to provide a neat explanation. Dropping such things out of the sky smacks of deus ex machina, which is a literary habit I despise the most.

Overall, though, the book was great. The pacing was smooth, the world is amazing (I love the Devilopes), and the characters stick with you. I'm really glad that my admiration of Mr. Foster's writing has persisted. *-*

Posted by Andria :: 8:12 AM :: 0 comments

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Princess of Wands

Book 5/12

John Ringo's Princess of Wands

This book was one in a stack my father gave me, complete with his ringing endorsement (which should be considered a tad suspect as John Ringo is one of his favorite authors). I was leery about it when he started in on the description, and I interrupted numerous times to remind him that I'm no longer Christian, and I'm not really wild about them, either. He assured me this book wasn't a Bible endorsement and to just give it a chance (followed by the advice of, "If you can't get through the first section, read the second. If you can't get through that, read the third. You should at least read the Epilogue."). I decided to give it a try - mostly because when I reached into the box of Books From Dad, it was on top (and I didn't feel like hauling the box out of the closet).

According to the cover, this is the first book in a new series, and I'm afraid to say, the odds are I won't read the rest of the series. The book is funny (the second part was an absolute riot at times - really made me wonder if Mr. Ringo had an axe to grind *-*), and it's an interesting concept - true believers of every religion (correction, every "good" religion) coming together to fight evil - but I had zero connection to the main character, Barb Everette. Barb is (despite frequent protests to the contrary) a Bible-thumper, submissive little housewife, who just happens (through growing up in a military family) to have a background in martial arts and a fondness for artillery. If she could drop the religious spouting and the high-minded morals, she'd be an interesting character, but, for me, she was just a preachy little mouse I actually wanted to see get mauled by some of the demons. I had no sympathy for her, and instead of being submerged into the story, I really just read it. If the series is going to go anywhere, I think Barb needs to be smacked upside the head with a dose of reality. Considering devotion to faith is integral to her abilities, though, I can't see that happening.

The first part made no sense; I was confused as to what was going on, and it ended abruptly. I actually went back and checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped any pages, because there had to be a reason I felt clueless. I still can't quite figure out how Almandu was vanquished with just a simple fire, because I'd think a demon would be a little sturdier than that. Also, killing off the one character who IS sympathetic is just annoying (though, as he'd serve no purpose in the remainder of the series, I can see the justification for it). The second part finally provided the explanations I needed, and it was funny. There is a poetic justice to a writer detailing a Con, right down to a Slush Party. *-* If we'd left the whole aspect of demon-hunting out of it, I would have proclaimed the book worthwhile. There is commentary that any writer can enjoy, and he nailed every aspect of a Con perfectly. Then we had the ridiculous battle (which was at least better than the first one), and I lost interest again. The third part was just irritating - it had no point (literally - there wasn't even an actual demon!). It was a fluffy-bunny story detailing mother-daughter relations. The only thing that saved the book from being hurled across the room was Lazarus (and that's only because I'm partial to felines). The Epilogue is two pages in length, and I'm really confused as to why Dad proclaimed it the reason to read the book. It was random and not particularly interesting. Again, I had to check and make sure I wasn't skipping pages.

If Barb were a little more sympathetic, I'd probably read the series; unfortunately, I'm never going to have any connection to her - the Bible-thumping grated on my nerves. It's a shame, too, because the humor and concept really are great; the protagonist just kills it. If you don't mind her Christian snobbery, though, I'd recommend the book, because you'd probably be able to connect with her and truly enjoy it. If nothing else, reading the second part for the writing/Con humor is definitely worth it. *-*

Posted by Andria :: 8:37 AM :: 0 comments

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Working For the Devil

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow.

This is the first book in a series about a necromance who is given the task of hunting down a demon who has stolen something from the Devil and which could have "end of the world" possibilities if used.

Dante, the main character, is not only forced to take the job but must also except a demon partner to help her.

The story is fast paced and Saintcrow is one of those talented authors who can show you other character's emotions from the sometime limited 1st person POV.

While I would have preferred a bit different ending inregards to one of the subplots -- I hold hope out that it will come out the right way as the series continues. :)

17/52

Posted by Amme :: 8:41 AM :: 0 comments