Month: August 2019

A Book Review, Just for You (yes you)

/ Andrew Barrett / Leave a comment

Every once in awhile, you pick up a book not knowing what you’re in for. You start reading the book, and 100 pages in, you feel like you’ve got a solid grip on where the story is headed. But then, 250 pages in, you’re painfully slamming the book into your lap at 1 a.m. in complete disbelief! (True story). Safe to say, this book defied my expectations.

The book to which I refer is none other than WiZrD. Spoiler Alert: the capitalization of Z and D in the title is never explained. If you can live with this, then let’s proceed.

The bike on the cover is significant. It is used as a bike throughout the novel.

In my opinion, this book crushes it.

WiZrd (1995) is a 90’s book through and through. The diction (including homophobic slurs), pop-culture references and the overall feel of the book screams 90’s. Being roughly the same age as the main character when this book came out, this resonated with me. The nostalgia inspired me to go through some old photos and I found this picture of myself from from the fourth grade:

I was the biggest kid in my class.

Now for the synopsis… Just wait for it…wait for it…

Bryce is an eighth grader who moved with his family to the desert community Pinyon Ridge, Arizona. It used to be an old west town, but in recent years it had tourists and a erudite community of artists.

You see, the town flourishes, and busts, and flourishes, and busts, over and over again. It is a long running cycle. One hundred years before our story, when the local Wizard mine ran dry, the town fell into chaos. According to the local Native Americans (only referred to as “Indians” in the book, so 90’s), there is an evil spirit that lives underneath the town.

As the book progresses, this book delivers on the new-kid-in-town story, likeable younger sister, romantic interest, bully, more bullies, and it all feels very typical of young adult fiction. But around 100 pages in, the book changes. The town is changing. People die, children die. In gruesome ways. With breakneck speed, the book skips genres from young adult fiction to horror.

This messes with your expectations. I will be careful here because I don’t want to throw out any spoilers, and I want people to read this book. With most genres, you expect there to be an amicable resolution. The characters are more or less safe. By the time this book reveals itself as a horror novel, you are constantly surprised by what happens. I read the last 50 pages last night (I am so tired), but there were those moments when I said “I cannot believe that just happened!” or “you have to be kidding me!”

I would compare WiZrD with It. WiZrD is a compelling horror novel involving children. Kudos to Mr. Zell for getting the reader so emotionally invested in the characters…those poor souls.

My only minor criticism of this book was the runaway story threads. There were characters in the book that get lost in the shuffle during the final climactic sequence, and you want to know what happened to them. I will never know, and it saddens me.

All around, I have positive things to say about this book. I would rate it as a 90/100. Mid-90’s, mysterious, horrific, relatable, horrific again – what’s not to like!

All that being said, I continue to click away at this short story. I am getting close to a mental space where I could potentially see myself maybe sometime in the future possibly posting and/or discussing a portion of it.

Thank you for reading this review. I hope it was everything you thought it would be. If not, I welcome discussion in the comments. Too long? Too short? Too many parenthetic comments? Please let me know.

When those thoughts start piling up in my head, that’s when I put Pen to Keyboard.

Look Out Now! Review Time!

/ Andrew Barrett / Leave a comment

For today’s review, we look at a book that has been called a modern(ish) fantasy classic. Although it’s not universally praised, there are many in the fantasy world who adore this book. At the risk of alienating some of the precious few people who read this blog, I am going to go out on a limb and say that I did not love this book.

You may ask, what book are you referring to? Why wouldn’t you put the title first? Do you even know how to write? Fair points. Don’t despair. The book is…

THE EYE OF THE WORLD by Robert Jordan

This is the first installment in Jordon’s epic fantasy series: The Wheel of Time. He wrote many entries in this series, and even after he passed away, the books continued to come out. Also, Amazon is developing Wheel of Time into a series so it is relevant again.

Lan is the guy doing a wheelie with his horse. Moiraine is the wizard on the white horse with great posture. Rand, the main character, might be the guy whose body is partially severed by book binding.

I didn’t hate this book as much as some. I don’t curse its creation. Also, I’m generally aware of its common criticisms. It’s a Tolkien ripoff, its characters are dull and the story moves like a glacier.

It just so happens that I agree with these criticisms. Imagine that!

First, this book was not particularly shy about borrowing a little from Tolkien. In Lord of the Rings, we have Mount Doom. In The Wheel of Time, we have the Mountains of Dhoom. Honestly, this was the least of my criticisms. This book is very much its own book. It has its own fantasy setting. I didn’t read about a single dwarf or elf. Apart from plagiarizing a few geographical features, I did not see many other similarities. He probably should have landed on another name for the mountain. Mount Sadness? The Peaks of Annihilation! Death Summit! Death Summit clearly is the best choice.

But hold on there…I went this far without giving a synopsis. I feel great shame.

This book is about a dark, malevolent force that seeks to take over the world. Who will stop him? Who is the chosen one? Well, that brings us to a small farming town on the outskirts of everything. Three boys, roughly the same age, are being pursued by a dark rider. He is evil, and he has brought evil things with him. Fortunately, a wizard (an Aes Sedai) and her bodyguard (Warder) happen to come to the town just as evil descends. They all flee with an army of Trollocs (dog orcs?) on their trail. A few other people from the town come with them and they pick a few up on the way. It is a large party. They are not memorable.

That is a good segue into the second criticism. Our main character is Rand, one of the three farming boys. To me, Rand is …bland. (NAILED IT!) I had a hard time sympathizing with his character. Rand was paper thin. He just wanted to go home. He worried a lot. He seldom made important decisions. He was along for the ride.

The supporting cast of characters who filled out the remainder of the party are too many to name. Because there are so many, they do not get enough air time to allow for meaningful character development. One character goes dark side for a bit, another develops powers, there’s a strained romance. It felt very paint-by-numbers.

Finally, this was a long book. Let’s shave off about 300 pages and pick up the old pace. By the time they reach the actual Eye of the World, I was so over this book. The Eye itself, as well as the climax of the book, was confusing anyway.

Without beating this book to dust, I will say I rate it a 3.9 out of 10. It has its moments, certainly, but overall it just felt like a never-ending trek with one-dimensional characters. I started to understand why the Dark One wanted to kill them so badly.

One time in Disneyland, I was stuck on the “It’s A Small World After All” ride, and that song kept playing over and over again. I just wanted it all to end. That was this book. But I understand there are those who have dutifully read the entire series. More power to you. The books I prefer have a compelling plot, interesting characters, and a real ending. But hey, to each their own.

That’s all for now. I keep plugging away at the short story. It’s coming along. I look forward to typing at you some more. When these thoughts start piling up in my head, that’s when I put Pen to Keyboard.

[cue outro music]

This song shall never leave your head.

Hey! Here comes a Book Review! Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

/ Andrew Barrett / 4 Comments
Image result for sleeping giants review

Welcome back. How have you been? I am well, thank you for asking.

Now that we have dispensed with the pleasantries, let’s get right to it.

Today, a review. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (I would rate the author’s name as a 10/10).

I picked this gem up at a book sale and it was the best $5 I’ve spent in quite awhile (Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is a close second – so smooth). There is much to love in this book. Where to begin…with a synopsis of course!

Sleeping Giants is the first of the “Themis Files” trilogy (a trilogy I intend to finish). On Earth, there is a giant robot which was dismembered and buried underground in different locations all over the planet. This happened long ago by forces unknown. Sleeping Giants chronicles the discovery of the first robotic body part (a giant hand!), the systematic, global search for the remaining parts, and the process of learning to pilot the robot. As the story goes on, we also get a glimpse at its mysterious origins.

What immediately jumps out is the narrative style of this book. It was written as a series of files, i.e., recorded conversations, scientific journal entries and personal diaries. Primarily, you are reading question and answer interviews. The questioner is always the same person; an unseen, nondescript, clandestine, quasi-governmental figure who is shrouded in mystery (so many adjectives!). His character lends a dry humor to the story. He initially presents as a callous and unemotional figure, but as the story progresses, his character has more and more dimension.

Given the narrative style, much of the story is told through dialogue. It continuously impressed me that the author was able to interject description and setting through the dialogue. The only time it felt contrived was during the climactic action sequence (it required a character to constantly describe his actions through his own dialogue). Nevertheless, the style did not slow or dull the story. Actually, that’s an understatement. If anything, it quickened the pace of the story.

This book was a quick, exciting read. Part adventure, part science fiction, all robotic fun. It was 336 pages, but in actuality, it read much faster due to all of the white space on the pages from the question-answer format.

I certainly intend on reading the remaining books. Why not? They are inexpensive on Amazon in Kindle format and can be read in a day. Well, it can be read in a day if you don’t have adult responsibilities getting in the way (I hate doing the dishes).

Overall, I would rate this book an 9.1/10. It is smart, swift and fills the reader with awe from time to time. I am looking forward to reading (and reviewing!) the other two books in the trilogy. I have left a link below for you to check this one out. Highly recommend!

Well, that’s all. I look forward to typing at you more in the future. When these thoughts start piling up in my head, that’s when I put Pen to Keyboard.

[cue outro music – Paranoid Android]