Tough Traveling - The Big City

Tough Traveling is a fun meme that aims to tour all the tropes big and small, abhorred and loved that are littered across the fantasy landscape. It was conceived of and is hosted by Nathan at Fantasy Review Barn and here's how it's explained on the blog: 

Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy.

This week's trope is The Big City:

There has to be somewhere in Fantasyland where everyone comes together. All roads lead to Rome after all. A place where traders prosper, politicians scheme, and criminals thrive.

Ever read a book where it feels like the setting is an additional character in the story?  That's how I'm approaching this list this week.  Stories that take place in cities that feel like they are especially important players.

- Camelot in the Arthurian Legends by Numerous Authors

In my mind, Camelot is the medieval version of a big city.  Well, at least medieval Britain.  Anyhoo, it is the center of all that is civilized and decent at that time and so famous it has a musical named after it and also a spoof musical named after it.  Apparently they eat Spam a lot in Camelot.

- Regalia in Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins 

I just read this book (and loved it!) and it features an underground world where humans, giant cockroaches, bats, rats and spiders uneasily co-exist.  All the humans live in the city of Regalia which is described as being very beautiful.  And you can have dinner with giant bats while there!


and while we're talking about  Suzanne Collins how about 

- The Capitol in The Hunger Games Trilogy

It sure looks lovely in the sun-kissed picture above instead of the pit of corruption and excess that it actually is.   It is definitely the rotten center of The Hunger Games universe and is almost the only city as long as the folks in charge keep everyone suppressed.

- Bulikov in City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Bulikov is a once great city that was the home of Gods and full of magic and miracles.  Then the Gods were beaten and Bulikov struggles to be just a regular city but it can't stop glimmers of the past popping up in random places.  It's a fascinating city in a great book!  And seriously click on the image above to explore it - cool stuff on Robert Jackson Bennett's web page.

- The Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum

I have to admit that I haven't read this one (though I will some day, I promise) so it's all based on movie but The Emerald City is the coolest, greenest city in Oz.

- Cardegoss in Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold 

Cardegoss is the royal seat in the kingdom of Chalion and Cazaril dreads having to go there.  He was betrayed there once and it is the last place in the world he wishes to be.  However when one is called to tutor a royal youngster, it is hard to refuse.  Cardegoss does in fact throw Cazaril's life for a loop and thus makes for a really excellent read!

Before I end this I also wanted to point out that some of our own Big Cities make a number of important appearances in fantasy literature, particularly Urban Fantasy and Alternate Histories.  London and its cousin across the pond, New York seem to be very popular and below are just a few of the books/series that popped out to me where these cities played an important role.

London
Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson
Peter Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch
Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger

New York
The Diviners by Libba Bray
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
The Hidden Goddess by M.K. Hobson
Fables Series by Bill Willingham

This ended up being a much longer list than I thought it was going to be!  I'll be interested to see what the fellow travelers and list makes come up with.  Which Big Cities would you add?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books that Feature Characters Who Aren't What They Seem

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme for bloggers who like books and lists.  It's awesome and is graciously hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.


I love books with characters who are more than they at first seem.  It usually takes one of two forms:  1) the reader is aware of the character's true nature but the other characters in the book are not or 2) characters whose true character is hidden from both the reader and the characters within the book.  The secret of the character is carrying may be as basic as being a girl pretending to be a boy or a more subtle and complex distinction between their public and private personae.

As I started to make the list I was a little astonished at how prevalent this type of character was.  It was difficult to narrow it down to ten.  I also realized it was going to be hard to do the list without being a little spoilery particularly for those books where the characters true nature is initially hidden from the reader as well as internally in the book.  Any books where I felt that listing them may be a little spoilery have been put at the end under a heading so if you are really spoiler phobic you can avert your eyes.
 

1) Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

If you haven't read the books, you may at least be familiar with the popular TV show 'Dexter'.  Dexter is a forensic scientist who also happens to be a serial killer.  I've only read the first book in the series so I'm not sure if it continues as strongly after book one but I was struck with how well Lindsay walks the line and somehow manages to keep Dexter relateable.

2) The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (my review)

Myfanwy Thomas is no longer herself but she must convince everyone else in her super secret intelligence agency that she is still the same person.  She is suffering from a complete amnesia inflicted upon her by an enemy.  Her original self expected what was coming and prepared detailed documents to help her amnesiac self operate as normally as possible so that she could identify and bring down her attacker.  It is really really awesome!

3) 11/22/63 by Stephen King (my review)

I have struggled with Stephen King so I am somewhat surprised to find myself putting one of his books on a Top Ten list but it can't be denied that he's an accomplished writer.  This was the third book of his I tried to read and it was the first that really struck my fancy and got me hooked.  And it definitely fits in this list.  Jake Epping aka George Amberson must not only hide his identity as a man from the future but also that he is on a secret mission to stop the assassination of Kennedy.  He passes himself off as a professional writer, a real estate broker and finally a teacher and drama coach.  The story of his double life is fun if a tad long-winded. 

4) The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

This historical fiction novel set in renaissance Italy starts with the revelation that the death of an older nun from a debilitating illness is not what it seems.  As they prepare her body for burial it becomes clear that her illness was faked and she is decorated with an elaborate and sensuous tattoo on her torso.  The rest of the book is a rewind to the start of the nun's story and an unraveling of who she really is and how she ended up in such mysterious circumstances.

5)  The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (my review)

This whole book is not only about how looks can be deceiving but also how we choose to view ourselves and more importantly the fallacy of how society chooses to label people.  But don't let all that "moral of story" stuff put you off - this is a funny and rollicking adventure about people who are not what they seem.   

6) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (my review)

This is a classic book chock full of mistaken identities and people not really being who they seem.  Sir Percival Glyde surely has a secret but the most fascinating personality for me is the enigmatic Count Fosco.

*********************SPOILERS AHOY******************

7) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (my review)

Ostensibly starting as a story of a British boarding school, it slowly becomes clear that there is something a little off about the school and its students.  The true identity and purpose of the story's narrator and her friends is unclear until the final few chapters. 

8) The First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie

This trilogy of books is bursting at the seams with characters who turn out to be quite different than they initially seem but it is most especially true of Logen Ninefingers and Baez.

9) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

If you've managed to stay spoiler free about this series, I salute you!  I thankfully read it having no idea what I was in for so the twists and turns the MCs take was a thrilling ride.

10 ) Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

I just finished this book and while I didn't love it as much as I hoped, it heavily and effectively uses characters who are not at all what they appear to be.  By the end, you'll have trouble trusting anyone!

Honorable mentions:  Miles Vorkosigan Series by Lois McMaster Bujold, Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer, Monster Blood Tattoo Series by D.M. Cornish, Cinder by Marissa Meyer,The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Princess Bride by William Goldman, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, The Julian Kestrel Mysteries by Kate Ross, In the Woods by Tana French, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett.

As you can see from my honorable mention list I had NO trouble coming up with excellent books for this list!  Which books would you add?

RE-READ: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia have always held a place on my favorite books shelf.  I've re-read the whole series countless times but it's been several years since my last re-read, probably at least a decade.  In the meantime, I've had a good bit more experience with reading widely in YA and MG literature as an adult.  I wondered how it might affect how I reacted to the Narnia books now.   I think it is safe to say that these books, for nostalgia's sake will always have a place in my affections but I was curious how I might react to them semi-objectively.  My goal is to re-read the whole series on audio this year.

The Magician's Nephew was the sixth Narnia book published but chronologically it is a prequel and tells the story of the creation of Narnia.  I decided long ago that I preferred to read the series chronologically rather than in publication order though I perhaps would not recommend that approach to a new reader of the series.  The Magician's Nephew is a strange little book - I remember thinking so when I first read it as well  - and has a different feel to it than the rest of the Narnia books besides perhaps The Last Battle.  The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a much less strange introduction to the world of Narnia. 

THOUGHTS

- I have always liked the connections Lewis makes in this book to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  Digory is the Pevensies' great Uncle who they go and stay with and the Wardrobe is made out of the wood of the tree that was grown from a magic Narnian apple.  The presence of a lamp post in the middle of a wood is explained as is the great uncle's unexpected response to the children's stories of Narnia.  It also explains who the White Witch is.  It's neatly done and I like the connections.

- There is much more winking and nodding to his audience in the book than I remembered.  He addresses young readers directly and makes several more "adult" jabs at the Uncle's lasciviousness and fondness for brandy.  It is really very slyly funny.

- In comparisons with some of the other MG and YA I have been reading I do have to to say that this book (and I suppose the entire series) comes across as less sophisticated, simpler and more deliberate in its message delivery.  It may just be the writing style which doesn't delve too deeply into the characters.

- I listened to the audio narrated by Kenneth Branagh and as you might expect, he does a great job though I wasn't crazy about his Aslan.  But how does one adequately portray Aslan?  I'm not sure it can be done.

- I was kind of keeping an eye out for sexism, as the topic had recently come up in a discussion about his books.  I ended up being thoroughly confused on the matter.  Lewis was definitely a product of his time - when Aslan chooses the first council among his new creations, he chooses only male animals.  However, I do think he had a very high opinion of women as Polly, and Digory's Aunt for that matter, are portrayed as being smarter and having a good bit more sense then their male counterparts.  *shrugs*

- The strange and eerie.  The wood between the worlds with all the ponds and quiet that makes one drowsy is such a creepy image.  There is a moment when the children almost forget to mark their "home" pond that is really frightening.  Jadis' world with the empty buildings and the row of thrones occupied by frozen giant human beings is also quite an eerie image.  Narnia for me produces happy comforting feelings but there is very little of that feeling in this book.

FINAL VERDICT:  This book still gets 4 out of 5 stars but one of those just might be awarded because of my love for the book in the past.  Lewis is definitely like no other but my greater experience with YA literature these days has rubbed a tiny bit of the shine off.  I'll be interested how I feel about the other books in the series as I get to them.

So what's your verdict on this book?  Have your feelings about it changed over time?  Where does it fall in relation to the other books in the series?

Saturdays in the Garden - In which I love books meant for 11 year olds

OUTSIDE

It's another Saturday of rain, rain, rain.  Rain isn't bad obviously but it is kind of a bummer because I am down in Southern Iowa teaching a class at a Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) workshop.  It's a really fun organization that provides a couple of weekends a year when women can get together in a friendly environment to get exposed to shooting, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, dutch oven cooking etc.... I'm teaching probably the least outdoorsy class, lol - Landscaping for Wildlife.  I feel bad for the participants that they are getting a very wet and soggy weekend.  Many states in the U.S. have a BOW program so if it sounds interesting check it out!

The garden is doing well but not a lot has changed.  I forgot to check on my mustard and flax seeds that I planted to see if they are sprouting.  They've gotten plenty of moisture!  I'm pretty disappointed in how my peppers and tomato starts are coming along - they are still pitifully small and are just producing secondary leaves.  At this rate they won't be ready to go out until late May.  Woe.  Woe is me. 

I also have a LOT to do elsewhere in the yard and am looking forward to having some free weekends to work on it. 

LIFE

It's been all about the pets these days.  A few weeks ago I crowed that my diabetic cat had gone into remission and she was no longer diabetic.  Sadly, it looks like that was too good to be true.  In the weeks since that had happened, she seemed to continue to lose weight, despite eating well, until she was getting very thin.  Then her appetite started to slide off.  I spent a bajillion dollars and got every blood test known to human kind and there was nothing wrong with her except mildly elevated glucose levels.  The vet said that if it wasn't a cat with a history of diabetes, she would have put the slightly elevated level down to stress.  Sigh.... So my cat is still just barely diabetic and had to go back on shots of insulin.  The good news is, since the shots began again, she is acting much more like herself and her appetite has leveled out.  The bad news is I am back to having a very high maintenance cat that needs regimented meals and shots twice a day.

It was also time for the dogs vaccinations and to get stocked up on all the heartworm and flea and tick preventative meds.  So LOTs of money spent at the vet this week.... My pets are my chosen luxury item so I guess that's how it goes:0).

Soggy Doggie

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

M*A*S*H and more M*A*S*H.  It's become comfort watching for me - nothing like some time spent in the Korean War to relax you.  I think I just started season 8.  While the show definitely evolves and changes across the seasons, it really stays pretty good - at least so far.  I know Radar leaves in Season 8 which is a bummer because he is one of the better characters on the show.  Apparently the actor who played him was not AT ALL like his character and was a difficult personality who clashed with most everybody.  This is why I've gotten so that I like to know as little as possible about actors and authors that I like.

The reading has been good this week!  I finished my two middle-grade reads: The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series #1) by Maryrose Wood and Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1) by Suzanne Collins.  They were both 4 star reads and so much fun!  To replace those, I started listening to Mister Slaughter (Matthew Corbett series #3) by Robert McCammon which is part of one of my favorite historical mystery series and Diamond Solitaire (Peter Diamond #2) by Peter Lovesey.  I am also determined to finish Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2) by Dan Simmons this week, before the end of April.  It's all series all the time over here!

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:
SUNDAY: Review of The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey.  This is the first in the Peter Diamond series and you can probably surmise by the fact that I have started book two that I really liked it!!
TUESDAY: Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Authors.  Well, at least for now:0).
THURSDAY:  Tough Traveling: The Ace.  This is a character trope that is not a favorite of mine but I highlight a few characters from fantasy that I think fit this bill.

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK:
SUNDAY: Re-read Review of The Magicians's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
TUESDAY: Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who... Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish
WEDNESDAY: Review of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
THURSDAY:   Tough Travels - The Big City.  Hosted by Fantasy Review Barn.

Well it's 9:00 pm now on Saturday and I'm ready for bed, lol.  Hope y'all are more lively than I and that anyone participating in Dewey's read-a-thon today is still going strong!  Have a great week.

Tough Traveling - The Ace

Tough Traveling is a fun meme that aims to tour all the tropes big and small, abhorred and loved that are littered across the fantasy landscape. It was conceived of and is hosted by Nathan at Fantasy Review Barn and here's how it's explained on the blog: 

Each Thursday, our copy of ‘The Tough Guide to Fantasyland’ in hand, we shall tour the mystical countryside looking for adventure and fun (and tropes) from all over fantasy.

This week's trope is The Ace

Some people are just ridiculously good at everything.  Be it magic, swordplay, or all of the above.  THE ACE has no equal.

As I was mentally flipping through my fantasy books, I realized I could think of  many characters that could be considered Aces (Hermione Granger, Miles Vorkosigan) but in my mind they don't really fit the trope.  The Ace is a little more extreme in my mind and they often swim in the shallower end of character development pool.  I am actually not a bog fan of this character trope unless it is done for ridiculousness' sake.


- Kvothe from the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

There's no way that you could accuse Kvothe of being poorly developed but he is ridiculously good at everything.  He's an exceptional wizard, fighter, musician and, as we find out in book two much to my eye-rolling disbelief, lover.  He's a legend and it will be interesting to see where else Rothfuss takes him.

- Legion (Stephen Leeds) from the Legion Series by Brandon Sanderson

Legion is an interesting take on this trope.  He does in fact have knowledge and skills in a vast array of subjects and his expertise is sought out by the most powerful people in the world.  His knowledge and skills however come from his wide array of personae or aspects, all experts in different disciplines, that most people, including Legion himself, believe are imaginary.  Is he really just so amazingly brilliant that his mind had to shatter to deal with it or are the aspects something else?

- Kelsier from The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson seems to like this trope (though the above and this one are the only books of his I have read) which is probably why I struggle with him.  Kelsier is a master Mistborn, a legend who escaped an inescapable prison and who plans to take downq no less than a God.  His plan to do so is also clever and incredibly well-planned.

-  Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Okay, so Gilderoy isn't really an Ace but he thinks he is or more accurately he wants others to think he is.  He's actually completely incompetent and reading his boasting and self-justification of his magic gone wrong is hilarious and very irritating.

I'm not sure why I couldn't come up with a million of these characters - I feel like I run into them a lot though maybe more frequently in romance novels.  If you want a vaster array than my paltry list, check out what the other participants have come up with. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite (well kinda) Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme for bloggers who like books and lists.  It's awesome and is graciously hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Because I like to make a bigger and hairier deal out of everything, I found myself perplexed by this week's topic.  What does favorite authors really mean??  There are authors whose work I adore and I've read a ton of their books but their books haven't really made an impact on my life besides giving me joy.  Then there are a handful of authors whose books I adore and though I've maybe only read 2 or 3 of their books, I've walked away feeling wiser or more aware of life's truths after reading them.  I feel like they both deserve a place don't they?  So I think I'll list some favorites from both categories.

They share a couple of characteristics: 1) If I haven't already I'd like to at least try everything they've written and 2) I've liked, if not loved, everything I've read by them.  They are first and foremost authors I enjoy reading.  There is nobody like Proust or Thomas Mann on here (I've actually not read either - perhaps they are delightful!).

The Impact Authors

1) C.S. Lewis

I'm pretty sure I've read all of his fiction and dipped my toe into his non-fiction.  The Chronicles of Narnia was a treasured favorite of my childhood and while I'm not a religious person I am fascinated by religion and I think Lewis deserves some of the credit for that.  Reading Narnia first as a straight set of adventures and then when older picking out all the symbolism and allegory kept me completely spellbound.  I loved how well these books worked as both

2) Dorothy Dunnett

For me, reading her books is like being completely immersed in a different time and place. I feel like I come out understanding exactly what it was like to live in 16th century Europe. She is the historical fiction writer that all others must live up to in my book.

3) Lois McMaster Bujold

She's the SF&F writer that everybody seems to forget about.  She writes equally well in both genres and her emphasis is always on character which I think is why I love her so.  Many of her books leave me feeling happy AND contemplative and I love that.  She may not be as ground-breaking as Ursula K. LeGuin or C.J. Cherryh but she is quietly writing some of the best character-driven fiction out there. 

4) Edith Wharton

I hesitate to put her on this list because I've only read her major works  - Ethan From, The Age of Innoncence, House of Mirth and The Buccanneers - but I love how she writes and how brilliantly her stories dissect the society of her time.  I find her books incisive while also completely mesmerizing.  She also is a complete genius at writing interesting, complicated characters.

5) Jane Austen

So Austen does the same thing as Wharton but with a sly wit that makes every part of my brain smile AND she manages to give them all a happy ending.  I wish there were 30 more Austen novels and I would devour them all and feel like I had a better grasp on human nature after each one

The Fun Crowd

6) Georgette Heyer

She wrote regency romances in the first half of this century and did so, so delightfully that she made me fall in love with the romance genre again ;0).  I've read 16 of her books and positively adored at least 15 of them.  I finally had to stop mainlining her books because I needed a few in reserve for when I needed to be infused with a little joy.


 7) Agatha Christie

I could read Agatha Christie books on a constant loop and be pretty happy about it.  I like the era her books are set in and the mysteries are usually bar none. 

8) Patrick O'Brian

I need to re-read the Aubrey and Maturin series because it gives me such joy and gave me the never-to-be-fulfilled yearning to be part of a British Man-O-War's crew circa 1800.  Seriously. Weevilly biscuits and all.  Especially if Stephen Maturin was along and we could geek out about Natural History and I could convince him that he didn't need to kill EVERYthing.  And if he actually looked like Paul Bettany.

9) Mary Roach

She almost went in the impact group because her first book Stiff changed how I think about non-fiction.  Since reading it, she is on my immediate read list for everything she publishes.  I'm tempted to break into her house just to read all her notes (Just kidding! sort of.). In all her books she tackles subjects that are somewhat taboo and handles them with a balance of humor and respect that must have been difficult to master.  It is obvious that she finds much joy in all her subjects and it's completely contagious.  Don't think you are interested in the gastro-intestinal system?  Read her latest book, Gulp, and you'll discover that you are completely fascinated by it!

10) Garth Nix

I love his imagination and am really bummed that I've read most of his major works.  His YA is inventive and interesting and his characters so easy to get behind.  I'll read anything he puts out.

Well, that's ten.  I think if you asked me to make this list tomorrow it would likely be different.  Some of these will be favorites for my whole life while others are likely just favorites for right now.  I will probably look at other's lists and completely regret that I didn't include another ten authors that are my REAL favorites:).  But it's getting late so I better stop dithering....

REVIEW: The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey

The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey

Original Publication Year:1991

Genre(s): Mystery, Contemporary

Series: Peter Diamond #1

Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel (1992)

Format: Audio (from Library)

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

I think probably the best thing I can say about this older mystery title is that it  frequently surprised me.  That's what a mystery novel should ideally do - lead you along a winding path to a shocking conclusion.  The conclusion was perhaps not shocking but the rest of the book definitely kept me on my mental toes, going places I didn't expect and fully embracing a complex plot and characters.

A young red-headed women is found floating in a lake and no one seems to know who she is.  It is not even clear if her death is the result of foul play.  Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond of the Bath murder squad is given the case.  He's an old school detective who shuns technology and  is currently under a cloud of corruption charges.  Nevertheless, he tackles the case with energy and soon discovers that it has more layers than he ever expected which involves some rare missing letters written by Jane Austen. 

Peter Diamond at first appears to be the quintessential cranky British detective - he bullies his inferiors and alienates everyone while believing staunchly that his ideas are the best.  Quite frankly, I was struggling to sympathize with him.  A change in his life occurs midway through the book however and it reveals a different side to him and by the end of the book I had developed a grudging respect for him as a reader must with these cantankerous old cops.

The book also, somewhat unexpectedly, turns the narrative over for a few chapters to two of the key witnesses in the case as they tell the story leading up to the victim's death from their perspectives. Both are under suspicion so the whole time I wondered if they were reliable narrators.  It adds a dimension of suspense as well as providing a broader view of the crime.  It also muddles the picture of what exactly happened. 

I went into this book expecting a pretty generic sort of British mystery.  While still having all the elements of those mysteries it ends up being a little more interesting and complex then expected.  Diamond's not going to become my favorite detective of all time but he did develop into an intriguing figure.

Simon Prebble was a great narrator for the audio version of the book. 

FINAL VERDICT:  A surprisingly complex contemporary British mystery.  Excited that this is the start of a series and will definitely be reading on in the series! 4 out of 5 Stars.