Entries Categorized as 'Advanced Readers'
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Jules Verne, Long Read, Seafaring
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The English brig James Cook, under the command of Captain Gibson, carries out costal trading in the Pacific waters off the coast of New Zealand. Unbeknownst to the Captain, his bosun Flig Balt and a no-good sailor called Vin Mod are plotting a mutiny. Between the two of them, they manage to infiltrate the crew with ruffians who have agreed to help them murder Captian Gibson and anyone who sides with him. The would-be mutineers have the advantage until the James Cook picks up two Dutch castaways, Karl and Peter Kip. Angered by the Kip brothers’ interference, Flig and Vin decide to carry out their plan with one small modification: To pin the murder on the Kips. Trapped by a mound of evidence (provided by the wily Vin Mod), the Kip brothers are convicted and sentenced to hard labor for life in the penal colony of Port Arthur. Can Mr. Hawkins, the only friend the Kips have left, find some scrap of material proof that they are innocent?
Frankly, I was a bit disappointed in this one. It was easy to put down, and rather repetitive. Of course, it might be the translation, as it was originally written in French, but then Verne was French, so one would assume all his books were originally in French. The ending caught me by surprise. It was scientific, but strange-sounding to the point of improbability. There were sections about the history of some of the islands in that area, which might be interesting to anyone wanting to know the times they were discovered and by whom.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, C. S. Lewis, Long Read, Scary, Space Trilogy
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Mark Studdok’s love for his work, no, his love for being part of some important proceeding, has kept him away from home so much that his wife, Jane, is regretting ever marrying him. She has begun having very disturbing dreams, which are interfering with her goal of remaining a capable business woman. A company called the N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments) has made the college Mark works at an offer for a piece of land called “The Wood.” Mark joins the “progressive” side that wishes to sell the land, as the N.I.C.E.’s wish to bring their headquarters there would greatly benefit the college. So the land is sold and within days, workmen begin cutting down the wood, turning people out of their homes and generally creating havoc. What does Mark care? Lord Feverstone, another member of the college, (you may remember him as Doctor Divine from the first book) has offered him a job with the N.I.C.E. Mark accepts and finds himself engrossed in a dark world of intrigue, agendas, and a complete disregard for all humane feelings.
Meanwhile, Jane discovers that her dreams are actually coming true. She talks with a friend about it, who introduces her to a group of people dedicated to fighting the evil that the N.I.C.E. has brought about. But the group is small. How can it hope to succeed? They can do very little. Meanwhile, they wait, now doubting, now sure, while that Hideous Strength grows stronger.
I sat down to try and condense this amazing book into a summary and goodnight! It just doesn’t condense! That was the gist of it, but there’s so much more. Mark discovers that the N.I.C.E. is actually run by dark forces, and… Whew, it makes a tingle run up my spine just to think about it. This is a great book. As a warning, if you don’t handle mad scientist well, be careful with this story. There are some pretty detailed descriptions of the absolutely disgusting results of an experiment on a dead man. The N.I.C.E. is all about getting rid of red tape and being allowed to do whatever it wants to do. This is not in any way a “light and fluffy” storyline, but it’s hard to put down. The Meeting in the first chapter might bog you down, but don’t worry—it picks up quickly after that.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Review
Tags:Janette Oke, Pioneers
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Starting a journey West with the man she loves, Marty’s dream is shattered, just like that. Her husband is killed and she is left with practically nothing. Expecting a child and nowhere to turn, her only choice is to accept a proposal from Clark Davis, a man she does not know. Their marriage is for convenience only — his wife died, leaving him with a young girl who needs a mother, and Marty needs shelter and protection for the coming months. This first book in the series follows Marty through her initial hatred of her circumstances to her acceptance of her surroundings and Clark… Maybe even love.
I’d heard of Janette Oke’s books on several occasions and finally decided to give one a try. I read Love Comes Softly in a single afternoon and enjoyed it quite a bit. The story moves along swiftly, without feeling rushed. The scenes are simply written, but have deep meaning. There are eight books total in this series, continuing the story of Marty and the following generations. I have linked to a complete boxed set.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, C. S. Lewis, Space Trilogy
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Picking up right where Out of the Silent Planet leaves off, Perelandra finds Dr. Ransom preparing to go to space again. But this time, he’s headed for Venus (or Perelandra). Once he lands, Ransom discovers that Perelandra is a newly created world which still exists in a Eden-like innocence. However, this new created state won’t last forever, especially when Professor Weston shows up once again. Ransom must stop Weston from corrupting Perelandra before it’s too late.
I normally think of C. S. Lewis as the guy who wrote Narnia. Big misconception. He wrote much more, and this particular trilogy is just as good. I found that Perelandra dragged a bit at the beginning and end, but picked up in the middle enough to compensate for that. Some bits of the story are quite funny, although not nearly enough to leave you in stitches the whole way through. I must mention that I have enjoyed the third and final book, That Hideous Strength much more than the first two. But as I’ve always experienced with Lewis’ books, this one’s a definite keeper.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Mysteries, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Garth Nix, Scary, The Keys to the Kingdom
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Arthur Penhaligon suffers from asthma. On his first day at his new school, he has a nasty attack and collapses. A strange man called Mister Monday and his butler appear and, along with some considerably confusing talk, give Arthur a mysterious key, shaped like the hand of a minute clock. Then they vanish. Arthur thinks it’s all just a weird hallucination, but that doesn’t explain why he still has the key — which Mister Monday will do anything to get back. Monday sends out his Fetchers (particularly nasty dog-faced men) to retrieve the precious item, and a terrible plague breaks out that no one can find the cure for. Arthur is sure he’s the only one who can help. But how?
It might be noted that the plot has much more depth to it than I’ve managed to portray in my summary! I thought it was very interesting. A definite page-turner, though much more intense (at least at the beginning) than I’m used to reading. Overall, I was quite pleased, and I plan to read the next book, Grim Tuesday.
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