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 Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Bryan Davis, Dragons, Dragons in Our Midst, Long Read, Scary
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Several months after the conclusion of Raising Dragons, Bonnie’s father suddenly appears on the scene, claiming that Irene (Bonnie’s mother) is, in fact, still alive, but in critical condition. He insists that the only way Irene can recover is if Bonnie goes with him, so despite suspicion, Bonnie and her father depart for Montana. Billy, Professor Hamilton, Walter, and Billy’s mother uncover more clues and decide that things are not as they seem. They set off to the rescue, guided partly by a book that contains some of Merlin’s prophecies. But unknown dangers await both Bonnie and Billy, trials that will put to test not only their courage, but their faith.
I’m not sure whether the appropriate word to sum this book up would be “Wow” or “Whoa.” Both are entirely applicable. Plot twists and mysteries completely pack this book, and you can hardly stop to catch your breath between chapters while racing through with that age-old question of, “What happens next?” A very, very powerful story. I did rate it five stars, but I should note that in my personal opinion, it ranks at more like four and a half. However, this is entirely due to the fact that I have a rather severe case of medical phobia, and so a great deal of the content in The Candlestone I found to be unnerving. Setting that aside, this story is not to be missed!
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 Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Badgers, Birds, Brian Jacques, Ferrets, Foxes, Funny, Hares, Hedgehogs, Long Read, Mice, Moles, Otters, Rats, Redwall, Snakes, Squirrels, Weasels
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The Searat captain Vizka Longtooth captures a young badger, which he decides to tame. But Gorath (the badger) is angry at the rats for killing his grandparents, and he plans to escape as soon as he can. Meanwhile, badger lord Asheye has a dream, telling him that Salamandastron’s new badger ruler will be found defending Redwall Abbey. He sends out perilous hare Mad Maudie to find the badger and bring him back. If that wasn’t complicated enough, Redwall Abbey has also banished a young hedgehog thief, telling him not to come back for a whole season. The resulting tale does indeed end up making sense in true Redwall fashion.
Doing a review of a Redwall book is always a challenge. I have read all eighteen books before this one, and I already have a favorite picked out. That being said, Eulalia! certainly meets expectations. The characters are just as memorable as always, the story just as complicated, and the ending just as satisfying.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Long Read, Robert Louis Stevenson
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Ever since his father died, Richard Shelton has been living as the ward of Sir Daniel Brackley. Richard, or Dick, as he is called, has for some time been annoyed with Sir Daniel’s habit of changing sides for material gain. Is Sir Daniel for Lancaster or for York? Dick can’t say, but when he begins to suspect Sir Daniel of having a hand in the murder of his father, Sir Richard Shelton, Dick is faced with a difficult decision. Live with the man who has taken care of him all his life, or avenge his father’s death. At last Dick chooses to avenge his father, but has he delayed too long? Sir Daniel suspects that Dick knows something and wishes to get rid of him as quickly—and permanently—as possible.
And, since that’s such a splendid, suspenseful ending, I’ll leave it there. This is a very good book that takes place during the War of Roses in England. Lancaster and York are the two groups vying for the throne. There’s a thread of romance in the story; Dick becomes separated from his lady fair and spends half the book trying to rescue her. But don’t think that that makes the book dull! On the contrary, I had trouble putting it down. It reminds me of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and King Arthur. A very good book, highly recommended by me, and I’m sure multiple others. Plenty of action and, as an added bonus, a secret passage! (Pause for collective ooohs and ahhhs) Okay, so I really liked that part.
The writing style is a little hard to understand at times, but don’t despair. The only time I had to read something twice was when I skipped ahead to peek. Take a lesson from my confusion and don’t skip. This book doesn’t deserve to be read in such a slip-shod, higgledy-piggledy manner. Enjoy!
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