The Gray Wolf Throne, by Cinda Williams Chima

2011, Hyperion

I am still enjoying this series very much.  Chima has managed to continue the characters in the Seven Realms series and added to the depth of most of them.  The plot developments continue to engage the reader.

In The Gray Wolf Throne, the action picks up as Raisa ana'Marianna is hiding in Fetters Ford trying to stay hidden from her various enemies and survive long enough to return home.  She hope to return to the capital city, Fellsmarch, and reunite with her mother, the queen.  Raisa has reached the understanding that she and her mother together may have the combined skills necessary for a successful reign.

The rest of the book is an exciting quest as Raisa, Han, and Amon work together and separately trying to return to Fellsmarch and return Raisa to the line of accession to the Gray Wolf Throne.  As always there is a wonderful combination of wizardry, woodsman-ship, military, and street-smarts.  Every moment of reading is a pleasure and in many parts thrilling enough to get the reader's blood racing.

I am adding "gaming" as a tag for this book.  I believe that students (and adults) who enjoy the role playing games will enjoy this book.  It is one that I would recommend to any reader who enjoys quest based games.

I'm just beginning my semester so life is about to get busy.  I am number eight on the wait list for the next, and final book in the series, The Crimson Crown.  I will need to work hard the next few weeks so that when my name comes up I can put work aside to read.

Peak, by Roland Smith

Everest! What would lead a 14-year-old to Everest by surprise? Smith's story follows Peak Marcello, the son of two "rock rats" from his illegal skyscraper climbing in New York City to Everest. Most of the story is about the attempt at Everest, but there are also several other story lines with in the book including: political relations between China and Nepal, the relationships of climbers and sherpas, family dynamics, sensationalism in the news business and coming of age.

Smith always tells a good story and this one is particularly strong. It kept me up well past my bed-time to finish reading and I had trouble sleeping afterward. (Or it may have just been my biorhythms--who knows.) Although I am not a rock climber I have plenty of exposure to them (my daughter works at REI and there are many climbers in the area where I live). I've also read Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer another book about the various factors around the current craze of guided trips to Everest. I believe both have significant questions about the wisdom of continuing to allow this sort of activity.

Smith's webpage is a great resource, but I am having trouble accessing its content today. I had hoped to gather some information about his research for this book. I know Smith has been around the world and experienced many of the situations (or at least nuggets of them) that he writes about. I wanted to know more about how he researched this book. I'll try his site again later. www.rolandsmith.com

This will be a great read for any

Gideon's Corpse, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

I have been a fan of Preston and Child's Pendergast series.  I think as their popularity as writers grows, the quality of their writing is diminishing.  Even in their most recent Pendergast book, I felt they had shortchanged their readers.  I am guessing that publisher pressures to turn out books quickly are forcing them to release books that are incomplete and not polished as much is they had been before they became best selling writers. I have had a similar experience with reading Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series. I felt the last couple books have ended prematurely.  They feel almost more like chapters that should be part of a longer book.

The plot of this book focuses on terrorism and dirty nuclear weapons.  I think the plot had great potential but the characters, plot and settings were not as well developed as in the earlier books by this writing team. Much of this book is set in New Mexico, a state with which I am very familiar.  I couldn't help but compare the visualizations of New Mexico in earlier books by this writing duo.  I felt that they shortchanged the descriptions of setting and culture of New Mexico.  Particularly, Los Alamos, one of America's nuclear research facilities, deserved a little more detailed description.

For some reason I am less enamored of Gideon as a main character than I am of Pendergast. I can't really explain it, they're both larger than life and surrounded by mystery. Perhaps because Pendergast's history is more complex and revealed more slowly he becomes a more engaging protagonist than  Gideon.  It may also be that Gideon is very much a loner.  Although this could be said of Pendergast as well, he also has a collection of friends and supporters that add texture and depth to Pendergast as a character.

Mastiff: Beka Cooper Series # 3, by Tamora Pierce (2011)

I have long been a fan of Tamora Pierce's work.  The Beka Cooper series is a particular favorite.  Over the series of books Beka works her way up through the "police" system in the land of Tortall.  Readers will have to be able to tolerate some ambiguity.   Even as a long-time reader of Pierce's books, I found myself having to "wait for it" in some of the references.  In this book Beka and her police colleagues have to rush to their Lord's call on a mysterious and highly secretive mission.  It's a sort of "Mission Impossible" set in Pierce's fantasy land of Tortall.

I read Mastiff using the "read for free" option on my ebook reader.  That meant I had to go to the bookstore regularly to work my way through the book.  I'm getting to know the staff at the local store quite well.  I found myself scheduling an hour of time each and every day so that I could finish the book.

In this book Beka not only has to "save the day" but she also has to contend with several personal losses (I'm not going to be a spoiler here).  Overall this in one of the most satisfying books I've read in the YA fantasy genre in a long time.

Micro, by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston (2011)

Preston was chosen to finish this manuscript after Crichton died in 2008.  I'm a fan of both writers, so I was most satisfied with the collaboration.  I'm going to give this book to my daughter, a biology major.  One of the elements of the writings of both of these authors that I appreciate is their ability to take science/anthropology and use it to write compelling stories that help us understand the world(s) around us.

Earlier this year I heard a segment on NPR about micro-drones being developed for military espionage.  Micro was a bit ahead in fully elaborating the possibilities of micro machines.  To this concept Crichton adds the micro world of biology.  It's not the microscopic world that has been used in some science fiction--instead a sort of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, sort of world.  Set in Hawaii we are allowed to see the ecology of the island in detail. Crichton/Preston do a great job (from my non-biologist eyes) of portraying the forces of nature at play in the natural world.

This book will be a great way to engage those with scientific interests with fiction.  It's a good story and will also keep devoted fiction readers entertained.

Dragon Soldier, by Timothy Zahn

This is the second in the Dragonback adventure series. It looks as if there are six books in the series. I was captivated by the first, less so with this. But, I'm certain that it's the context of this one that threw me off. In this second book Jack Morgan attempts to help his symbiont dragon, Draycos, prevent the destruction of his species. To do so he enlists and a mercenary soldier (child soldier) to gather intelligence about the possible strategic knowledge on identity of the "bad guys." There is some "shoot-em-up" which will probably appeal to boys more than it does to me. There is a strong female character.

The series gets good reviews and appears to be relatively popular. I enjoyed the first book a lot, but am not inspired to pick up the next one unless someone tells me that there is a switch in the plot line. The reviewers on the Barnes & noble site seem to agree with me.

It's recommended for ages 12 and older, but I think I might stay with younger adolescents.

The Contest, by Gordon Korman, 2002

This started a bit slowly for me. It begins with a contest to climb Everest that Dominic Alexis is determined to win. The adventure is for a famous mountaineer to guide a team of teens to the top of Everest, the youngest climbing team ever. Dom's older brother, Chris has already been accepted into the training camp by virtue of his status as a climber. Dom wins inclusion in the camp by finding the letters spelling out EVEREST in a contest sponsored by a sports bar/drink manufacturer.

The first part of the book is all about picking the four teens who will climb from the initial pool of ten. Lots of drama, some climbing. But, when the finalists have training run in Alaska the adventure begins. I was reading sort of complacently--teen drama etc. I was planning to take a bit of a nap part way through.

Then I hit the Alaska climb. I don't know if Korman's descriptions of climbing strategies is accurate, but they sure are thrilling. I will be reading the next two books in the series.

Book one in Korman's Everest series. Lexile 690, Ages 9-12.

Becka Cooper Book 2: Blood Hound, by Tamora Pierce

I have been a fan of Pierce's various series for a long time now. I particularly enjoyed her first book in the Beka Cooper series. Beka is a street kid who lives and works in the slums "the lower city" of the capital city of Tortal. (Yes this is fantasy fiction). In the first book we followed her as she worked through the apprenticeship and training to become a "dog" (police office) in the roughest area of the city. She is aided by her "powers" to hear the spirits of dead who are riding pigeons, communicate with "spinners" (dust devils), and her cat who is a magical creature--perhaps a god.

In the second book Beka is now a full fledged "dog" and in search of good working partners. The main plot of the book surrounds a counterfeiting ring. A sub theme in the book appears to be GLBT rights. Several of the secondary characters are homosexual or transgendered. There is also more explicit sexuality than has appeared in Pierce's previous books.

Sexual orientation issues are a leading cause of suicide in young adults. I believe it is important for teachers to be aware of books they can recommend to students who have need this opportunity to explore the challenges they are facing. The sexuality issues are all treated very tastefully. But, I think teachers who have been fans of the other Pierce series should read the entirety of this book before they recommend it to readers. It is for a more mature reader than the Circle of Magic, Protector of the Small, Immortals, or Song of the Lioness series.

Benny and Babe by Eoin Colfer

I am a fan of Colfer's work. His fantasies can appeal to almost any reader because they have an added layer of irony about the entire genre. Benny and Babe isn't a fantasy, rather realistic fiction set in contemporary Ireland. Overall I give this a very positive review--it addresses issues of male/female adolescent friendships, bullying, and general adolescent issues. Unfortunately for American readers there is also a lot of regional background knowledge assumed. It may be a good book to help students learn to read over cultural information they don't understand to get to the good "bits" of a book. It's a skill they can use in reading fiction that is written in unfamiliar registers (Swift, Shakespeare, Wharton, etc.). But, it probably isn't going to become a classic book or one included in the "canon" so I'd only recommend using it with students who are Colfer aficionados. Those students will need a bit of introduction to the book and a strategy for reading over the unfamiliar bits in the first chapter, "Culchie Hurling."

Having spent a lot of time on Puget Sound I enjoyed the setting of the book, a seashore town, and the fishing adventures of Benny and Babe . Readers from desert climates may not have the feel of the setting, but the stories of adolescent adventures and attempts to make some spending money through summer vacation may carry them through the book. Those who live in or have visited resort communities will appreciate the tensions between the townies and the vacationers. The life threatening adventure near the end of the book will grab almost any reader, but especial those who live or have visited the Pacific Coast of the US.

I doubt this book will have a wide readership because of the regional idiosyncrasies, but it is one I will recommend to a few selected readers ready for its challenges.

The White Darkness by by Geraldine McCaughrean

This is challenging reading--you have to really be ready for visualizing the action and setting. The main character, Sym, gets "kidnapped" by her "uncle" and and dragged off to Antarctica. Much of the book is the gradual psychological exploration of how Sym got to this place both physically and emotionally. It is also a pretty good review of the psychology behind some of the explorers and adventurers. I had read "Into Thin Air" a while ago by John Krakauer. It's about climbers dying on Mt. Everest (he was almost one of them). The idea of what makes people pursue extreme sports is one I like to explore sometimes.

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a reading accident. I download audio books to my smart phone and this was on the library's website. I went through a "dragon" phase about 6 years ago and decided to go ahead and listen to it. It was surprising. I hadn't read the first book so I started this cold and had to figure out the context. That wasn't too bad, but it would be a good idea to go back and read the first.



I'm definitely appreciating the historical perspective. I need to read up a bit on this period in China. I don't remember there being much of a French presence. Using fiction to explore history is a great idea. But, I worry that if authors don't get the facts right they may be creating misinformation in reader's minds.


View all my reviews.

Young Zorro: The Iron Brand, by Jan Adkins

I loved Isabelle Allende's version of Zorro so as soon as I saw this title I picked it up. It began a little slowly--but soon I fell into the plot and setting. Set in the Pueblo de los Angeles in the 1700's this would be a great novel for Hispanic kids with an interest in the history of California or Hispanics in the USA. I think teens will enjoy the plot line and character development while at the same time learn a lot about the history of California and the relationships between Native peoples, the Roman Catholic church, and Spanish explorers.

No historian, I can only hope that the details of this book are accurate. (That might be a good task for my next historical reading project!)

One interesting link to a more advanced read would be the plot device--a modern descendant of the de la Vega family is called in when a secret room full of artifacts is discovered after an earthquake. This is reminiscent of Laurie R. King's device of the artifacts her narrator is sent that initiates the Mary Russell series. When teaching kids how to write fiction this is a great place to begin. How can an object be the initiating event for a story? In King's books the artifact does indeed serve as the initiation of the tale. In this book it is just the chest with ancient papers telling the stories that begins the tale.

I certain hope for more books in this series. We need lots of readings for Hispanics students and a better historical view of the development of American cultures in the western states.

The School Library Journal's reviewer wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the book as I. He called it a "Hardy Boys" knock-off. Having worked with striving readers most of my life, sometimes this sort of formula provides the predictable structure that allows them to move through enough print to become proficient. I'll be eager to find out the responses of actual kids. I think I'll give it to one this afternoon. I'll update when I get a response.