Books again
I know I ought to make a real post, but I think I'll clear off the book backlog first/instead (probably "instead", but I'll see how I feel when I 'm done).
Let's begin with the graphic novel Fairest: Wide Awake by Bill Willingham et al. This is a collection of the first few issues of Fairest, the spin-off from Fables following some of the prominent female characters. Most of this volume is about Briar Rose and Lumi the Snow Queen, last seen in an enchanted sleep and abducted by the goblin army. At the end is a one-shot story about Beast pursuing a serial killing lamia in the 1940s. It's not bad, but it's also not great and I imagine it would be very out-of-left-field for anyone who didn't follow Fables. Since I've been gradually cooling on Fables over the years, I'm not overcome with a need to read more of it.
Over the past couple of months, I've read the first six volumes of John Flanagan's The Ranger's Apprentice. This is A_'s favorite series in the world, and he desperately wanted me to read them. He's miffed at me that I've decided to stop with six instead of pushing on through all 10-11 books. Or maybe more... I think there's a spin-off series. Anyway, these are only nominally fantasy... they're essentially adventure stories set in a world bearing a distinct resemblance to a religion-free medieval England, France, Scandinavia, etc. They primarily follow Will, an orphan raised as a ward of the barony. He's taken as an apprentice by Halt, one of the shadowy Rangers that serve as the kingdom's crown representatives, military scouts, and intelligence corps. Along with Halt, some of his fellow orphans, and the local princess, Will will slay monsters, beat off invading armies, foil treacherous plots, and generally rock out all over the place.
The books are clearly juvenile in a lot of ways. Most people are unmistakably good or bad (barring the odd sympathetic villain). The rangers are just too cool to live. Will is good at just about everything everything. There's a lot of violence, but it's mostly pretty sanitary. There's essentially no sex at all... attractive young ladies can ben enslaved by Vikings without getting raped, and then can spend months snowbound alone in a cabin with a young man where's there's a strong mutual attraction without anything happening. It's a good series for any young readers with an inclination toward fantasy, but I think most adults would find it kind of thin.
Sticking with juvenile books, I read The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. These are books two and three of James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy. Our young mindwipe victims continue to be put through grueling succeed-or-die tests by the mysterious WICKED organization. Unlike their isolated maze, though, they now get to rub shoulders with the going-mad-from-plague denizens of the flare-blasted outside world. Their numbers keep getting whittled down, the ultimate agenda remains unclear as does how slaughtering a bunch of teenagers advances it, and people's loyalties are frequently called into doubt. The ultimate resolution was... unsatisfying. I didn't buy some of the final explanations, and it all seemed kind of pointlessly cruel.
Total for the year, twenty-two.
This entry was originally posted at http://squidminion.dreamwidth.org/366034.html.
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Let's begin with the graphic novel Fairest: Wide Awake by Bill Willingham et al. This is a collection of the first few issues of Fairest, the spin-off from Fables following some of the prominent female characters. Most of this volume is about Briar Rose and Lumi the Snow Queen, last seen in an enchanted sleep and abducted by the goblin army. At the end is a one-shot story about Beast pursuing a serial killing lamia in the 1940s. It's not bad, but it's also not great and I imagine it would be very out-of-left-field for anyone who didn't follow Fables. Since I've been gradually cooling on Fables over the years, I'm not overcome with a need to read more of it.
Over the past couple of months, I've read the first six volumes of John Flanagan's The Ranger's Apprentice. This is A_'s favorite series in the world, and he desperately wanted me to read them. He's miffed at me that I've decided to stop with six instead of pushing on through all 10-11 books. Or maybe more... I think there's a spin-off series. Anyway, these are only nominally fantasy... they're essentially adventure stories set in a world bearing a distinct resemblance to a religion-free medieval England, France, Scandinavia, etc. They primarily follow Will, an orphan raised as a ward of the barony. He's taken as an apprentice by Halt, one of the shadowy Rangers that serve as the kingdom's crown representatives, military scouts, and intelligence corps. Along with Halt, some of his fellow orphans, and the local princess, Will will slay monsters, beat off invading armies, foil treacherous plots, and generally rock out all over the place.
The books are clearly juvenile in a lot of ways. Most people are unmistakably good or bad (barring the odd sympathetic villain). The rangers are just too cool to live. Will is good at just about everything everything. There's a lot of violence, but it's mostly pretty sanitary. There's essentially no sex at all... attractive young ladies can ben enslaved by Vikings without getting raped, and then can spend months snowbound alone in a cabin with a young man where's there's a strong mutual attraction without anything happening. It's a good series for any young readers with an inclination toward fantasy, but I think most adults would find it kind of thin.
Sticking with juvenile books, I read The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. These are books two and three of James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy. Our young mindwipe victims continue to be put through grueling succeed-or-die tests by the mysterious WICKED organization. Unlike their isolated maze, though, they now get to rub shoulders with the going-mad-from-plague denizens of the flare-blasted outside world. Their numbers keep getting whittled down, the ultimate agenda remains unclear as does how slaughtering a bunch of teenagers advances it, and people's loyalties are frequently called into doubt. The ultimate resolution was... unsatisfying. I didn't buy some of the final explanations, and it all seemed kind of pointlessly cruel.
Total for the year, twenty-two.
This entry was originally posted at http://squidminion.dreamwidth.org/366034.html.
There are
comments there. You could add one via OpenID.
Or you can comment here if you'd rather; it's okay.