Goop Soup: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie book 3 by David Lubar

My review of Goop Soup is up at my new blog, The Prairie Library. If you have young kids you should really check it out!

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

It’s hard for me to believe this book took three years before it emerged in the U.S. market. But I’m glad it’s here now. I hope it gets popular because I enjoyed this story and want to hear more about what other readers thought.

Claudia has prepared all her life to marry the prince. But as the wedding day approaches, the aloofness of her father, the Warden, and certain rumors spur Claudia to action. Questions must be answered. Finn, a cell-born without father or mother, scared and alone, is released into the world of Incarceron – a vast prison system, dark and dangerous, a great experiment gone wrong.

I totally read for plot. It usually can’t be helped but this time I became engrossed by the all the elements of plot. The exposition, setting and intro material about characters, etc, pulled me in. This is hard to accomplish. I usually can’t wait to get to the middle of a story and become worried that I’m wasting my time. There’s a lot of action and intrigue in the first few pages so I had no problem getting into it. The raising climax was nail biting. Where is the prison? How is it controlled? How is it that no one gets in or out? The climax is fairly predictable. We’re set up to know what to expect. And then, for the most part, it happens. But the resolution was great. I wasn’t sure about the prison’s location but at least one of my theories was in the ball-park. And I didn’t see the last bit coming (I don’t want to give anything away but it was a gasp moment). I am so excited I won a copy of the sequel, Sapphique (available this Dec. in the U.S.), because I am really intrigued by the futuristic society and the prison. I want to see how Claudia and Finn attempt to achieve their goals.

Let’s talk prose. Fisher uses third person narration in Incarceron and it works very well as she alternates between the two worlds. I enjoyed the “quotes” at the beginning of each chapter that were bits of Incarceron legend or the gossipy private letters between characters that are full of intrigue. This story is set in a technologically repressed future (creating a "high fantasy" feel) and a couple times I found the dialog sounds a bit too “today.” But it’s not a big deal and is probably just me being picky. However, there were some times I got lost. The descriptions can be hard to interpret. With a re-read I usually got what was going on. This is the only real drawback to this book. Nonetheless, I didn’t find they stopped me from wanting to continue. Incarceron is a fast read that reminded me of The Hunger Games. Both are fantasy set in the future, they feature a good dose of violence and action but, oddly, remain very innocent. The swearing is infrequent (mostly “bitch” and “hell”) and there are no sex scenes. I think this is a book you can give your young adult and not worry so much about content. I think the story is ok for younger readers but they may have difficulty with some of the tricky descriptions. But that doesn’t mean younger  kids (or adults) wouldn’t enjoy Incarceron. I sure did!
Publisher: Dial, 2010 (originally in G.B. in 2007)     Pages: 442
Rating: 4.5 Stars     Recommended Age: 13 and up    Source: IC Public Library

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the army. - Scalzi 9

These are the opening words to Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, a science-fiction novel wherein humans compete with extra terrestrials for inhabitable planets. If you like action and adventure you’ll get it here since colonizing the universe incurs a lot of conflict. The colonizing officials find it expedient to recruit earth’s elderly, with life experience to draw from and nothing left to lose, and transform them into battle-ready soldiers. These recruits have no idea what they’re in for, literally, as earth is under an information quarantine. John Perry is one such recruit and this novel tells his native-earthling-turned-super-space-soldier story.

Scalzi has an abundant sense of sarcasm which is injected into John’s Perry’s first-person narration that I found amusing. The humor kept an otherwise serious colonial commentary feeling lighthearted and fun to read. The characters were great, especially some of the minor ones. There’s sort of a love story here but it’s secondary to the main plot. Speaking of which, it took awhile before the main conflict is revealed but it wasn’t a drawback for me. I was so engrossed in Perry’s transformation and his training that I didn’t get bored wondering what it was all pushing towards. I saw the end “twist” coming but it was still a great ending and was not disappointing for having figured how things would end. Scalzi’s descriptions of planets, aliens and technology were sufficient and enjoyable for me. If things get real technical I tend to get lost and bored. This was not the case with Old Man’s War. Overall, this was a fast and fun read. If you’ve never visited Scalzi’s blog check it out here: http://whatever.scalzi.com/. If you’re not into science-fiction you’ll find he posts on a lot of topics, book-ish and more.

Publisher: Tor, 2005     Pages: 320     Source: IC Public Library

Rating: 3.5 Stars           Recommended Age: 17 and up for language and sexuality

Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Fantasy or science fiction? In many ways, Graceling is classic fantasy. Cashore creates a new world, The Seven Kingdoms, and provides a map to help you keep your bearings. I never felt lost and the imaginary world isn’t very different from North America, but I enjoyed The Seven Kingdoms anyways. It’s a time before electricity with lots of dark tunnels and sword fighting. There are no wizards or elves but gracelings, individuals born with enhanced abilities, easily identified by their eyes. The ability aspect reminds me of X-men which is considered science fiction. But there’s nothing else particularly scientific about this story. I think it’s safe to say Graceling is fantasy that will appeal to fans of science fiction.

Cashore’s writing style was easy, fluid and fun to read. I would call this “light” reading but it wasn’t exactly childish either. It’s a nice medium between adult and children’s prose. The story is pretty captivating, starting in medias res, with a lot of action, secret councils and life-saving missions. I liked Katsa, the sixteen-year-old girl who struggles with the nature of her grace (aka ability) to kill. The violence she commits weighs her down and she wrestles with controlling her grace and not letting her grace control her. She’s a strong individual with an independent spirit which leads her to be rather stubborn at times. I liked that she wasn’t perfect and that she makes some mistakes. This book made me think about how I use my abilities. Some people are smart, good at making friends, financially successful, etc. but do we use our abilities to serve ourselves or those around us? In her youth, Katsa is manipulated but as she matures she learns that only she decides what her grace will be used for. There are some twists, dark secrets and, of course, a quest to set things right!

Causes for concern: These are reasons why my age rec. is so high. There are some mentions about menstruation. Katsa and her boyfriend have sex on several occasions (there isn’t much detail but there is an oh-so-convenient birth-control herb). Katsa is adamant that she will not marry and is willing for her bf to be unhappy so that she can be fulfilled. There is a lot of violence and descriptions of Katsa killing people. Just some things for parents to know and to talk about with young readers.

I enjoyed the story overall and am interested in reading the sequel, Fire. Check out the author’s blog: http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/
Publisher: Graphia, Houghton Mifflin, 2008     Recommended Age: 16 and up
Rating: 3 Stars                                                         Source: IC Public Library            Pages: 471

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Stranded in the Canadian wilderness, thirteen-year-old Brian overcomes physical and psychological challenges in order to survive. Hatchet is fast-paced with short chapters making it a good choice for reluctant readers. The prose is simple and often repeats itself – the end of phrases being echoed in Brian’s mind. The repetition was frustrating for me and got in the way of enjoying the story. But this is likely a matter of personal preference. The fact that, not only does Brian survive, but he does very well by himself, with only shoe strings and a hatchet is rather unbelievable. That’s an adult talking. Every thirteen-year-old knows he or she is perfectly capable of doing just what Brian does. And that’s the magic of reading – a suspension of beliefs or seeing your “true” self reflected in the character. In the end, I enjoyed Hatchet and recommend it for late elementary/ early middle school students.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 1987     Recommended Age: 10 +
Source: IC Public Library                         Pages: 195
Rating: 3 Stars

Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

At once, Chabon’s prose transports you over a thousand years into the past to a world of swordsmen and swindlers. If the text seems verbose, that’s because it is and the prolific use of virtually unknown and archaic words may get you down (especially we younger folk). My advice, just go with it and stop reaching for the dictionary. By page forty, many of the terms became self-explanatory and I enjoyed the story without worrying about them. And as far as the story goes, it’s great – a true adventure tale that reminds me of The Hobbit without the fantastic dragon. Don’t get me wrong, Gentlemen is historical fiction and not fantasy. But two unlikely friends, on the road in search of glory and fortune, do remind me of hobbits and dwarfs in Tolkien’s story. I’ve read Chabon’s short story collection, Werewolves in Their Youth (which I didn’t care for), but Gentlemen is completely different. It’s got plenty of humor, fight scenes, elephants and a twist I didn’t see coming. Chabon’s style is elegant and his recreation of a lost era masterful.
Rating: 3 stars                          Pages: with afterword, 204
Publisher: Del Rey Books Trade Paperback Edition, copyright 2007
Source: Barnes and Noble     More on this author at: http://www.southwestern.edu/library/writers-voice/chabon.html