Un Lun Dun, Mark of the Cat, Grass for His Pillow
#40: Un Lun Dun
China Mieville
Library book. This was weird. Yes, I know, one expects nothing less from China, but this is the tale of two girls who find a way to go from London to Un Lun Dun; a place where old, lost and broken items come to live, where they must find a way to stop a threat to both London and Un Lun Dun--the Smog, which has been growing more and more intelligent over the years.
And this book had pictures. I'd forgotten how fun and entertaining pictures inside a fiction book could be, especially how they're put within the text. China drew them all, and I'm especially fond of the carniverous giraffe. (Yes, I told you it was weird.)
Overall, it's well-written, very witty and creative. Bizarre. I was going to say it reminded me a little of Gaiman's Mirrormask, but China thanks Gaiman for helping him think of things to use, so, there you go. I probably would have liked it a bit better if I were younger, but there's still much to admire about this book, and it's definitely worth the read. Far easier to get into and finish than his other books, and there are enough twists that it's not your average second-world Chosen One plot.
And I'm particularly fond of Curdle the milk carton.
#41: The Mark of the Cat
Andre Norton
Library book. In a world where cats play a large part in society and myth, a young man known for his talent with beasts is shunned from his family and sent on a sort of walkabout to gain his manhood, and ends up finding a destiny heavily entwined with the fierce cats of the desert.
I actually liked this one a lot. The only other Norton I've read is WITCH WORLD, and that was some time ago. This was a pleasant surprise, with only two complaints; one is that it's written in first person, but there are two point of views, and the second comes unexpectedly and without explanation so it took me a while to figure out who was talking. The second was that it ended, well, in a good spot, but there was a lot built up (because of the politics surrounding the hero) that I would have liked to have seen how he handled it, but I didn't get to. (Unless there's a sequel, but I can't really look that up right now.)
#42: Grass for His Pillow
Lian Hearn
Audio book from library for the car. This book is largely about Otori Takeo wrestling with his past and his destiny while trying to stay alive and his love, Kaede, doing much of the same, though they're separated for nearly the whole book.
And it's really better than I'm making it sound. The whole series is good; perhaps it's just the fascination with ancient Japanese culture with some magic skillfully woven in, but I've enjoyed these. Should've started with the first one, but I listened to almost all of it on audio a while back, and I have the first book. I don't remember as much of it as I would have liked, though the second book does a good job of reminding you of what happened.
The audiobook is good. Well, I like the guy's voice, because he sounds much more natural and makes an effort to differentiate between speakers. The woman's voice, while it's Japanese so you know things are pronounced correctly, is much more halting and almost annoying. Neither does she change voices for characters.
Anyway. I'm on the third one on audio now. Yaay. Sure makes the drives go faster.
China Mieville
Library book. This was weird. Yes, I know, one expects nothing less from China, but this is the tale of two girls who find a way to go from London to Un Lun Dun; a place where old, lost and broken items come to live, where they must find a way to stop a threat to both London and Un Lun Dun--the Smog, which has been growing more and more intelligent over the years.
And this book had pictures. I'd forgotten how fun and entertaining pictures inside a fiction book could be, especially how they're put within the text. China drew them all, and I'm especially fond of the carniverous giraffe. (Yes, I told you it was weird.)
Overall, it's well-written, very witty and creative. Bizarre. I was going to say it reminded me a little of Gaiman's Mirrormask, but China thanks Gaiman for helping him think of things to use, so, there you go. I probably would have liked it a bit better if I were younger, but there's still much to admire about this book, and it's definitely worth the read. Far easier to get into and finish than his other books, and there are enough twists that it's not your average second-world Chosen One plot.
And I'm particularly fond of Curdle the milk carton.
#41: The Mark of the Cat
Andre Norton
Library book. In a world where cats play a large part in society and myth, a young man known for his talent with beasts is shunned from his family and sent on a sort of walkabout to gain his manhood, and ends up finding a destiny heavily entwined with the fierce cats of the desert.
I actually liked this one a lot. The only other Norton I've read is WITCH WORLD, and that was some time ago. This was a pleasant surprise, with only two complaints; one is that it's written in first person, but there are two point of views, and the second comes unexpectedly and without explanation so it took me a while to figure out who was talking. The second was that it ended, well, in a good spot, but there was a lot built up (because of the politics surrounding the hero) that I would have liked to have seen how he handled it, but I didn't get to. (Unless there's a sequel, but I can't really look that up right now.)
#42: Grass for His Pillow
Lian Hearn
Audio book from library for the car. This book is largely about Otori Takeo wrestling with his past and his destiny while trying to stay alive and his love, Kaede, doing much of the same, though they're separated for nearly the whole book.
And it's really better than I'm making it sound. The whole series is good; perhaps it's just the fascination with ancient Japanese culture with some magic skillfully woven in, but I've enjoyed these. Should've started with the first one, but I listened to almost all of it on audio a while back, and I have the first book. I don't remember as much of it as I would have liked, though the second book does a good job of reminding you of what happened.
The audiobook is good. Well, I like the guy's voice, because he sounds much more natural and makes an effort to differentiate between speakers. The woman's voice, while it's Japanese so you know things are pronounced correctly, is much more halting and almost annoying. Neither does she change voices for characters.
Anyway. I'm on the third one on audio now. Yaay. Sure makes the drives go faster.