Entries Categorized as 'Advanced Readers'
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Arthur Conan Doyle, dinosaurs, Scary
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Ed Alalone, an English reporter, seeking to distinguish himself in the eyes of one Gladys Hungerton, goes in search of a dangerous adventure and winds up in the wilds of South America. He, two professors of science, and Lord John Roxton (big game hunter) are searching for a conjectured land — one that has been sheltered from outside influence time out of mind, and one where dinosaurs still exist.
And I’ll leave it at that. How to write a book summary in two sentences. On a serious note, though, I really enjoy this book. Granted, the whole thing is based off of the theory of evolution, but setting that aside, it’s great. Very interesting, some very funny parts, and a very large sprinkling of terror. (Imagine yourself in the dark jungle at night, no gun, and you start hearing stealthy noises behind you… Dinosaur noises… Get the picture?) Don’t read it at night and you’ll be fine. I also don’t recommend going outside at night after reading it and hearing the bushes rustle. Oh, and some of you may recognize Doyle as the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Donkeys, Lloyd C. Douglas, Long Read, Sad
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Tribune Marcellus of the Roman army angers a prince and is sent to command a fort in Minoa, a notorious outpost in Israel where military offenders are sent as an “honor.” While there, he is ordered to crucify Jesus Christ — and wins His robe. Afterward, Marcellus is commissioned by curious emperor Tiberius to find out all he can about this mysterious man Jesus, so that he can report the facts to the dying emperor.
Vivid and captivating. Douglas spins a good story that is very intense. All sorts of things have happened by the time you are even a quarter of the way finished. Demetrius, Marcellus’ slave, is a good example of a loyal friend, and I’m very glad he was included in the book. This is a well-written story with many plot twists, but it has a few problems. A few things in here are just downright odd. However, if you can get past a few quirks, The Robe is well worth the time you’ll need to finish such a long book.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:future, Ray Bradbury, Scary
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Guy Montag is a fireman in the future. Now, firemen have a different type of job in this story. They burn things, rather than put out fires. What do they burn? Books. Why? Because if nobody reads, nobody will think, nobody will be offended by truth, and everybody will be happy. Right? No. Montag thinks his job is wrong, but what can he do about it?
A rather interesting book with a big warning attached to it. I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 immensely, with few problems. My main complaint is that the last ten pages or so were a bit far fetched. Other than that, I highly recommend this one.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fiction, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:C. S. Lewis, Space Trilogy
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This fantastical book starts off with a bang when Ransom, the hero of the story, is kidnapped by two scientists, who force him on a spaceship they have created and whisk him away to Malacandra, the red planet. On the trip, Ransom finds out that they believe he is to be a sort of a human sacrifice for an unknown terror. Upon arriving, though, he manages to escape and sets off on the journey of a lifetime.
Lewis’ descriptions of Malacandra are absoultely mind-boggling. Little things that turn what you know as reality to something quite… well, different. Nothing seems the same. The plot is good, and continues to draw you in until the climax. Out of the entire trilogy, though, I liked this one the least. But it sets the stage for the other two, and is certainly not a waste of time.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Review
Tags:Mark Twain, Out of Print
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This book is a collection of “letters” written by a fictitious man named Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, to the Keokuk Saturday Post. They tell of this peaceable stranger’s experiences in the outside world, including a train ride and seeing a play.
There is some bad language, as there is in most of Mark Twain’s books. I can’t say that I found the letter all that funny. I would put them at fair-to-moderately humorous. Humorous should not be confused with funny. In my mind, humorous refers to a smile and light guffaw or snort, while funny would be a grin and chuckle or giggle. That being said, I will add that, as I have mentioned in most of my Mark Twain reviews, his wry good humor is all over it.
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