Born of Defiance -- Review

I've been reading The League series for the last couple of years and generally they are great fun. Science fiction/Romance, if the Star Wars franchise did a Harlequin crossover, these could be them. If Star Wars did a series where it discussed how each of the couples of the Rebel Alliance came to unite. Only, in this case, we swap out Rebels for the Sentella, and Empire for the League. So when I saw that my library ebooks centre had this one available for borrowing, I snatched it up and settled in for an afternoon of losing myself in a galaxy far, far away. However, while I did enjoy the book, it wasn't quite up to the standard of the last few books in the series. 

There are a few problems with this one -- primarily the setting. This is book 8, and up till this point, all the books have been happening chronologically, beginning with the tale of how Nykirian, one of the main badasses running the Sentella, and Kiara come together. The seventh tale ended with hints that it will be Fain and Galene's story, leading from situations that end that story. With this book, however, we get a suspension of this chronological order. It really should be situated between the first and second books in the series, not eighth --- and it takes some doing as a reader to figure out what has happened to the time frame. It was so confusing that, following along with the details as they had been revealed, it seems like  Talyn Batur,the main male protagonist, is his own grandfather or something. The constant "when the heck are they? " really brought me out of being fully immersed in the book several points in the tale.  

The next problem to deal with is a rather annoying trope. It's the "I couldn't possibly tell him/her" trope. In this case, it has to do with the parentage of Talyn. On Andaria, the lineage is fiercely matrilineal and very status-defined. Preservation of a bloodline is worth more than gold -- and marriage deals are made to increase your family's status by linking to a higher-status family.
Personal status is defined by where on the social hierarchy you are, with different families having different ranks. At the bottom of the ranking are those that have been ejected from their families by their matriarchs. Only one level up from that are those that are unacknowledged by their male parent's family --outcasts. Talyn is a member of the unacknowledged ones,  and this fact shapes his whole life, making his social life and workplace hell. His life is restricted in so many ways (some spoilery) - and why? Not because  his father rejected acknowledging him in the first place --- because his mother refused to tell the father about the pregnancy in the first place. And it's not because the father was abusive or otherwise harmful. Just didn't wanna. GAH! This has gone on for twenty some-odd years. You've seen the impact it has had on your kid, now a man, you know your society is majorly prejudiced in this fashion. Yeah, you're a strong military woman, but you are also an idiot. Suck it up buttercup. (And in addition, they keep mentioning how  much he looks like Fain. No one puts two and two together and sends the guy an email?)

The final issue I have with the book is with the amount of times the book tries to prove how much the cards are stacked against Talyn and Felicia -- and yet some of the saves in the book are a little too providential. Probably the greatest is when Felicia  contacts her brother, Lorens,in order to get help pull Talyn out of a certain military situation. They haven't talked ever as adults, he always treated her like crud when they were kids because she is his half-sibling . Conveniently, however, he happens to be high up the military chain of command and can swing this matter -- and takes very little convincing to do so.  It was difficult to buy how easily the pair jump into easy familiarity and trust. He later comments that he cashes in a lot of favours to do so. Maybe I'm cynical, but if I were Lorens, I would be making Felicia jump through a lot more hoops before I cashed in all my markers --even in a society where the males main role is defense of the females.

Would I read this book again? Yes. Just like all the other League books,  it is very entertaining, and in this one you get a lot of hints at backstory of other characters that aren't the focus of the narrative. Would I buy it full -price from the store? No. Thank goodness for libraries.

Dewey's II -- or, a great way to survive a bout of influenza.

I started this blog with the last (first) Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon. When I went on Youtube and saw a favourite vlogger talking about it coming around again, I figured, why not?

Then I got the Plague that has been going around the office. Luckily, I posted a restricted book list last night--only two books. The ones I wanted to get through were (1) The Looking-Glass Wars by Frank Beddor - a current book club item- and (2) A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder by Julie Anne Lindsey. Done! and Done!

Both were really great  -- Looking Glass was a little better than the other, but that's simply because it had more tricks and turns. I had figured out who the main suspect truly was with the mystery novel early on --cozy mysteries have long been a favourite of mine. Getting the characters from the beginning to the end and seeing how it was deconstructed was entertaining. And just like Looking Glass, this one has openings you can see the future novels using as launching off points. I enjoyed the protagonist quite a bit -- quirky, smart, introverted and can handle herself. She reminds me very much of a friend of mine. The main character, Mia Connor,  has a family that is just as decent and bizarre as that of Stephanie Plum's in the Janet Evanovich series -- but not so carbon copy as to get annoying. It's a danger with any writer of a quirky cozy mystery heroine to avoid being a Stephanie Plum knock-off --but so far this one seems to avoid that trap. And best of all, it does geekery accurately.

I'm going to try to avoid spoiling Looking-Glass Wars for anyone reading this. Which is difficult because I really want to discuss the plot points on this with someone - I already have theories about some of the characters identities! Essentially this is a fairy-tale with a twist -- the author has taken Lewis Carrol's well loved book and turned it slightly on its ear. It predates Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland by 4 years but there are some strong echoes of this book in that movie, particularly in the role of the Mad Hatter. Probably the strongest resonances, however, are simply due to the fact that this book reads like a movie. The pacing, the visual imagery, the world building -- all would make this a cinch to translate to the big screen. If you are a person that dislikes slow books, read this one.
Now I have to go online in search of books 2-4. Oh, and if you do take my advice and bring this to the big screen, I deserve at least a credit in the film, eh?

There's a couple more hours left in this readathon, but I think the Plague is going to keep me from continuing on any further. Bleaugh.

Cheers, friends and fellow read-a-thoners. And here's to doing my third Dewey's readathon in next April! Maybe I will actually get time to do a lot of the events next go round.

Never Judge a Book By Its Cover

So, I was in the library grabbing books to read, in a bit of a rush. Picked up the holds I had waiting, collected a few more of the Y: The Last Man series, and was looking for something to round out the stack of volumes I was about to borrow. I saw this book on display in the "New Books" section.

No time to read the back cover -- it looks like a food book. And addressing organic food --maybe ths is something like what Michael Pollan writes, I thought to myself. Or book in the same vein as "Can You Trust a Tomato in January," by Vince Staten.  Needless to say, I was expecting a bunch of foodie wisdom and rants.

What I got was the joys and travails in the life of a stay-at home mom. Quite the dramatic content shift!  Or to quote Obi-wan..

Although this wasn't what I would probably have picked up for myself, it actually turned out to be not that bad a book. It reminded me a lot of Jenny Lawson's Blogess series, but kid-focused. The author, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, doesn't pull punches and she uses humour to take issue with the state of parenting today. In a world where the mere act of sending a lunch to school with a child is promoted by Martha Stewart and her ilk as an opportunity to get creative with ingredients and presentation, producing little bento boxes of cuteness, she doesn't hold back from telling the world:

She also takes the world of "everyone's child is a special snowflake and/or genius" to task, and gives parents of the world the sad fact that no, their child most likely isn't a genius/ the next Picasso/ insert superlative here. And really, how could they be? The whole idea of everyone being exceptional leads to no one being so. The book covers a wide variety of other topics as well, from finding a new BFF that can relate to your status as a new mom to how not to get sucked into the black hole of being an unappreciated volunteer at the local PTA (in other words, avoiding Mean Girls part II), to reviews of children's books that are a bit problematic when you think about what they are actually saying. (I liked that she agreed with me on The Giving Tree by Sheldon Silverstein being abused by the little boy.)

Overall, I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5. Some of the humour fell a little flat for me, and some of the content was stuff I had heard quite a bit before. But overall, it was good. I would probably recommend this book to my friends with little ones.

Another trip to the Graphic novel stacks

Y:The Last Man, Vol. 7:Paper Dolls
Author: Brian K Vaughan
Illustrators: Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, Jose Marzan
Genre: Graphic Novel

 As a child, I can remember receiving sets of paper dolls. They'd vary in design and character, but always the same format -- a  figure, perforated into hardened cardboard, with a foldable stand that fit into two notches at the bottom of the doll's image. Outfits for various features of the doll's life would be included, with little tabs to fold around the doll. But at the bottom of it all, the figure would be wearing the sparsest of underthings that would coincidentally be conveniently hidden no matter what various outfits it wore. From astronaut gear to bikini-wearing beach babe. Inevitably -- sometimes almost instantaneously -- the tabs for the clothes would break off, and another outfit would be discarded. Eventually, so would the doll, its cardboard base worn to a nubbin, having suffered one too many bends at the waist and legs.

       The seventh collection of "Y: The Last Man: Paper Dolls" can be seen as an extension of that paper doll metaphor. If this volume of the work has a theme, I'd say it's continual push/pull of secrets and the desire for their divulgence by various authorities -- whether that is the  church, the media, the government or the scientific community. We get that interplay with all the members of the Y crew-- even Ampersand to a certain extent. Just like a child seeing a set of paper dolls that have been done up, societal authorities are eager to strip the main characters (and some of the satellite characters)  to see the inner workings. And just like that omnipotent seven year-old, little care is taken towards how that impacts them.

At the same time the graphic novel is working in how personal rights are being casually violated, the author is also entwining the broad mesh of characters together. Rose and Dr.Alison, Ampersand and Yorick and Beth, Other Beth and Hero. Even Yorick's mother, Congresswoman Brown, has her past tied in with that of an antagonist from the story. I liked how the details of how Ampersand came to be with Yorick interweaves personal connections for the reader between two of the members of the Y crew. Equally interesting here is 335's backstory and how she became a member of the Culper Ring. It's stated in the story that she was nearly too old for their notice -- and we ain't talking because she was collecting OAP. Which further highlights the cultish nature of Culper Ring -- loss of personal identity, induction occuring before the age of informed legal consent --how is it any different than the Sisters of the Amazon and other cult groups that spring up in the 3.5 years after "the Great Unmanning"?  As these are the supposed "good guys" of the government, this tarnishes the group in the reader's eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if this builds to 355 having a crisis of conscience of some sort in later episodes.

 All in all, this is a great addition to this series.I would definitely recommend it.

 ISBN:  9781845762414
Publication date/Publisher: May 1, 2006  by Vertigo
Link: http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/graphic_novels/?gn=5163

Dewey's Book 4: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Several years ago, I managed to snag a ticket to see Neil Gaiman when he was doing a tour for the Ocean at the End of the Lane. Getting to hear him read this book in person was really something - he is pretty darn eloquent. It had the desired effect of getting me to buy it, but for some reason I never quite got around to finding out how the story ends. I had too much on my plate to read, or the books from the library that week were too enticing. Most of all, I think I just didn't want to ruin the memory of the reading in case the rest of the book turned out to be a dud, as some reviewers had hinted might happen. (NB: Ignorance is bliss. Spread the word.)

Today I sat down and read it. In one go. Captivated. It wraps you up in the world he's created of regular people and "varmints" and "fleas" and Hempstocks. A world where people can have a side of the house that only ever shows the full moon, no matter what quarter it should be. A world where an entire ocean can be contained in a pond. And where a property boundary can be life-changing, literally. He introduces us to a homewrecking supervillain named Ursula Monkton. And a new use for old toys. There's bravado. Fear. Mystery of many kinds. And sacrifice. It had my heart pounding and my brain bemused several times.

Good job, Neil. 5 stars.

Dewey's Book #3 :
Y: The Last Man, vol. 6: Girl on Girl

Finishing off my graphic novels today with this one. I'd say this one is a 4.

The trio is taken on board a cargo ship, continuing their travels. But it's a cargo ship with a particular payload and it's wanted by the Royal Australian Navy.The viewpoint on who the evildoers are in this volume is transient --is it Kilina and her crew? Is it the Australian Navy?  Old players from earlier episodes are re-introduced again, with  Alter Tse'elon, the Israeli Army Officer who originally tried to kidnap Yorick , appearing for a brief interlude. And then there is Girlfriend Beth. By the end of this book we are up to date  on how her and Yorick met and why she is in Australia to begin with. .

Dewey's book 2:

Y:The Last Man --- vol 5. Ring of Truth by Bryan K Vaughan and Pia Guerre.

The adventure continues from the last volume. This volume, more than the others, focuses on the female players of the series. In this one we:  meet up with two Beths -- one new, and one Yorick's girlfriend; delve into Hero's backstory some more and how she comes to be with the Daughters of the Amazons; and 355 has to make a difficult choice about which task to give her allegiance to. But the most important revelations in this edition belong to Allison --both the true cause of what may have saved both Yorick and Ampersand from the plague, and a hint that she may have an unsuspected affiliation with one of the groups that has been threatening them.

Great book -- longer than the last one and riveting.

Dewey's Book # 1:

Y: The Last Man --- Safeword


What would be the ultimate in world disasters you can think of? A tsunami? A drastic earthquake? Aliens coming from the planet Boggart and destroying civilization as we know it? All would be horrific, but humans are pretty darn adaptable. While a large portion of the Earth's inhabitants might die, so long as there are at least a few men and women around, eventually humanity could repopulate. In Y: The Last Man, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra takes the idea of drastic world-changing events and examine the impact of the male half of all of the species suddenly ceasing to exist. All, except for one male capuchin monkey, Ampersand, and Yorick Brown, our affable schmuck of a protagonist. When his mother, a Congresswoman in the American government realizes that her son has managed to survive, an agent of the Culper Ring, going only by 355,  a super-secret agency controlled by the government is assigned to him --- to make sure that Yorick stays alive despite the intentions of various radical groups that have sprung up in response to the crisis . Along the way the two are joined by Dr.Allison Mann, a scientist specializing in bioengineering of human clones
. Together, the trio is making their way overland from Washington, DC to San Francisco, California -- the location of Dr. Mann's laboratory-- in order to figure out why Yorick survived and billions of other males did not.

When we start back up in this edition, the trio has been travelling for a year and a half.and are heading into Colorado. Ampersand is doing poorly, so the trio splits up; 355 and the doc head with Ampersand to the nearest treatment place for Ampersand, while Yorick is left with a Culper agent friend of 355's -- agent 711. After the expected crude jokes on Yorick's part ---seriously, dude? You're insulting the friend of a woman that can kill you in a billion different ways? ---355 entrusts him with one of her guns --and 355 also gives agent 711 the journals she's been keeping while on the trip.  and they take off.  His time with 711 is lifechanging in ways that this reader was not expecting. Later in the volume we are introduced to another militia-based organization searching for control -- the so-called "Sons of Arizona."

Overall, this was a good installment. I'd give it a solid 4 stars.

Dewey's

Tomorrow I am participating for the first time in a read-athon. The Dewey's 24-hour Read-athon to be precise. For my time zone, it will start at 5 AM, Pacific Daylight Savings time. The goal is to do as much reading as possible in 24 hours, much like the title says.

Here are the books I am going to pick from:

The Definites:

Y: The Last Man by Brian K Vaughan et al.. Books 4, 5, 6.

Cinder by Marissa Mayer

The Possibles:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Zombicorns by John Green

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Codex Born by Jim C. Hines

Seven for a Secret by Elizabeth Bear

This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor


The Slim Chances:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

We shall see how far I get!

A definition

Compendium: n. 1. a selection, esp. of a variety of games or other objects, in one container. 2. A book containing a collection of useful hints. 3. a summary, abridgement or epitome. 4. A brief treatment or account of a subject. 

Source: Dictionary.com

The Great Compendium: a blog wherein books and other items shall distinctly digested, discussed, displayed or designed as necessary.