BOOKS. And sort of a meme.
These aren't decent book reviews, mostly reactions. That are full of spoilers, please note.
Diana Wynne Jones, House of Many Ways:
1. Oh, well, that's creepy as hell.
2. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL BABY HOWL, I am amazed he wasn't actually a kid like that because it would explain so much.
TWINKLE
This seriously messes with the idea of Sophie as a common sense heroine.Why would anyone with an ounce of sense marry Howl? And stay married? For the entertainment of all around them - it's the only possible reason. XD But I'm imagining a crossover where Granny Weatherwax meets her and genuinely approves of her, if in a well-hidden way, and then looks between Sophie and Howl and has to restrain real tears.
I'm sad there are no glimpses of Flower-in-the-Night and Abdullah; I'm dreadfully fond of them. And while I liked the book well enough, it felt like Charmain was barely there. I didn't dislike her, but somehow she hardly made an impact, which is strange for a Jones protagonist. Or any of her characters, really - they're often easy to like or dislike deeply from introduction, in various ways. I did like that she let everyone call her Charming, and that she could have got a handsome prince - Peter practically dropped into her lap! - but she hardly notices, she's got books and magic powers and a dog. Waif and the King were adorable. The lubbockin storyline was horrific but - but - quite effective ... but the mental eggy image! Of course, "Twinkle" makes everything better. LOOOOOOOOOOOOL HOWL.
Jonathan Stroud, Heroes of the Valley:
Jonathan Stroud is a writer whose books I'll pretty much always pick up, which is weird because including this one, I've read two of them. But I loved Buried Fire and everyone everywhere recommends the Bartimaeus trilogy, which I'd totally read if I could find the first book of the trilogy.
It's a good thing I have positive associations with Stroud, because I HATED THIS BOOK. Well, the beginning of the book. The main character spends all his time being a wretched shitbiscuit, in a way that obviously means that he will eventually be taught A Lesson. In these cases there are generally decent examples of behaviour around the protagonist, but it dawned on me that all the characters were equally unappetising biscuits. Even the two nice ones! All awful!
So I hated that until there came sympathetic moments for more of the cast, which actually did very little to mitigate how nasty they were - then I admired it. I'm pretty sure Stroud was writing the characters that way in order to characterise the world. As far as I can tell - excuse my historical limits - the setting is of Norse farmers in a Roman or pre-Roman era. The world is tough, and though the characters are distinct, there's something in all their viewpoints that is cynical, narrow, and harsh, an attitude that could easily develop in that kind of life.
There's more nuance than I was expecting, and certainly it came about in ways I wasn't expecting and left me gaping at the book. Even the Lessons Learned by the main character aren't cloying, even if they are typical, and then some of the other, wonderfully creepy, surprisingly meta, layered stuff that happens... Now I think the book is kind of wonderful, though it's hard for me to say I like it. I might love it a little. Or would at least defend its honour with fisticuffs at dawn, sort of thing. I salute you, Jonathan Stroud.
I saw this meme around: Give me a character I know, and I will tell you which of the Endless from "Sandman" they belong to. If anyone wants to throw characters at me, that's cool, but my mind immediately made a list of random character anyway:
Illyria, Angel: the Series - untied from Destiny (all the Old Ones would have been tied up in Destiny, just 'cos) and now tied to Destruction.
Tsuna, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Death. All the Vongola are hers. Dying will, yo!
Kyoko, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Delight-Delirium.
Annie, Gunnerkrigg Court - Death. Obviously.
Ysengrin, Gunnerkrigg Court - DESTRUCTION :D
Gokudera, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Destiny is like, 'Quit humping my leg, kid.'
Yuugi, Yu-Gi-Oh! - Destiny. But only because Atem's is also. Before that, it was Dream.
Hanna, Hanna is Not a Boy's Name - Death, though it might have been someone else, before. ...Gosh they'd get along so well, the really adorable douchebags.
Veser, Hanna is Not a Boy's Name - Desire. Side effect of selkie/siren blood. And that is why his life is like a dartboard and the scores are measured in increasing amounts of derisive laughter. Gosh, Desire, why you gotta be that way.
Norrington, Pirates of the Caribbean - I don't know, except he should make out with Destruction. That. would work. Some kind of 'dereliction of duty' + 'WELL NOW MY LIFE IS RUINED' thing. Anyway. Still, he definitely doesn't belong to Destruction.
Diana Wynne Jones, House of Many Ways:
1. Oh, well, that's creepy as hell.
2. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL BABY HOWL, I am amazed he wasn't actually a kid like that because it would explain so much.
TWINKLE
This seriously messes with the idea of Sophie as a common sense heroine.Why would anyone with an ounce of sense marry Howl? And stay married? For the entertainment of all around them - it's the only possible reason. XD But I'm imagining a crossover where Granny Weatherwax meets her and genuinely approves of her, if in a well-hidden way, and then looks between Sophie and Howl and has to restrain real tears.
I'm sad there are no glimpses of Flower-in-the-Night and Abdullah; I'm dreadfully fond of them. And while I liked the book well enough, it felt like Charmain was barely there. I didn't dislike her, but somehow she hardly made an impact, which is strange for a Jones protagonist. Or any of her characters, really - they're often easy to like or dislike deeply from introduction, in various ways. I did like that she let everyone call her Charming, and that she could have got a handsome prince - Peter practically dropped into her lap! - but she hardly notices, she's got books and magic powers and a dog. Waif and the King were adorable. The lubbockin storyline was horrific but - but - quite effective ... but the mental eggy image! Of course, "Twinkle" makes everything better. LOOOOOOOOOOOOL HOWL.
Jonathan Stroud, Heroes of the Valley:
Jonathan Stroud is a writer whose books I'll pretty much always pick up, which is weird because including this one, I've read two of them. But I loved Buried Fire and everyone everywhere recommends the Bartimaeus trilogy, which I'd totally read if I could find the first book of the trilogy.
It's a good thing I have positive associations with Stroud, because I HATED THIS BOOK. Well, the beginning of the book. The main character spends all his time being a wretched shitbiscuit, in a way that obviously means that he will eventually be taught A Lesson. In these cases there are generally decent examples of behaviour around the protagonist, but it dawned on me that all the characters were equally unappetising biscuits. Even the two nice ones! All awful!
So I hated that until there came sympathetic moments for more of the cast, which actually did very little to mitigate how nasty they were - then I admired it. I'm pretty sure Stroud was writing the characters that way in order to characterise the world. As far as I can tell - excuse my historical limits - the setting is of Norse farmers in a Roman or pre-Roman era. The world is tough, and though the characters are distinct, there's something in all their viewpoints that is cynical, narrow, and harsh, an attitude that could easily develop in that kind of life.
There's more nuance than I was expecting, and certainly it came about in ways I wasn't expecting and left me gaping at the book. Even the Lessons Learned by the main character aren't cloying, even if they are typical, and then some of the other, wonderfully creepy, surprisingly meta, layered stuff that happens... Now I think the book is kind of wonderful, though it's hard for me to say I like it. I might love it a little. Or would at least defend its honour with fisticuffs at dawn, sort of thing. I salute you, Jonathan Stroud.
I saw this meme around: Give me a character I know, and I will tell you which of the Endless from "Sandman" they belong to. If anyone wants to throw characters at me, that's cool, but my mind immediately made a list of random character anyway:
Illyria, Angel: the Series - untied from Destiny (all the Old Ones would have been tied up in Destiny, just 'cos) and now tied to Destruction.
Tsuna, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Death. All the Vongola are hers. Dying will, yo!
Kyoko, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Delight-Delirium.
Annie, Gunnerkrigg Court - Death. Obviously.
Ysengrin, Gunnerkrigg Court - DESTRUCTION :D
Gokudera, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! - Destiny is like, 'Quit humping my leg, kid.'
Yuugi, Yu-Gi-Oh! - Destiny. But only because Atem's is also. Before that, it was Dream.
Hanna, Hanna is Not a Boy's Name - Death, though it might have been someone else, before. ...Gosh they'd get along so well, the really adorable douchebags.
Veser, Hanna is Not a Boy's Name - Desire. Side effect of selkie/siren blood. And that is why his life is like a dartboard and the scores are measured in increasing amounts of derisive laughter. Gosh, Desire, why you gotta be that way.
Norrington, Pirates of the Caribbean - I don't know, except he should make out with Destruction. That. would work. Some kind of 'dereliction of duty' + 'WELL NOW MY LIFE IS RUINED' thing. Anyway. Still, he definitely doesn't belong to Destruction.