5 stars! -- I love it!
I must admit, the fact that the library classified this as "horror" had me a bit nervous. But luckily for me, Pandemonium is not a horror novel. The library just didn't know where else to shelve a book about demon possession.
Pandemonium takes place in a parallel universe. It's exactly like our own, except that since the 1950s (or even far before that), demon possession is a fairly regular occurrence. Some people are lucky enough to go their entire life without even seeing a possession, but others seem to be plagued by it.
Demon possession sounds terrible, but in Pandemonium, it's not necessarily a bad thing... Sometimes it just merely is. A demon known as The Painter only possesses people so that he can paint a picture. A noble demon knows at The Captain is always an army hero. Then there's The Truth, who kills people who lie (such as O.J. Simpson), but that's sort of noble too--just unfortunate for the person possessed at the time.
There are certainly bad demon possessions too. The Kamikaze possesses only Japanese men, forces them to highjack planes, and then suicide crashes the plane. And The Angel only possesses pretty little girls, makes them don cute nightdresses, and then goes around kissing sick and elderly people who then die.
So on the one hand, it sucks that a person is temporarily kicked out of their body and loses control while the demon forces them to do whatever it is the demon wants, but to be fair, there are levels of possession. Being possessed by The Painter is certainly a much better outcome than being possessed by The Kamikaze.
Anyway, Pandemonium focuses mainly on The Hellion. The Hellion only possesses little boys of a certain age and makes them act, well, troublesome or mischievous, as the dictionary defines the term, and to an extreme degree.
The main character of the story, Del, was possessed by The Hellion when he was 5 years old. But due to several unexplainable episodes, "noises" in his head that haven't gone away, and the fact that no one else has been possessed by The Hellion since his own possession, Del doesn't believe The Hellion was properly exorcised. While Del believes that he may have The Hellion trapped, he certainly understands that he doesn't have the demon under control.
Pandemonium is a really fascinating story with several unexpected twists. The author did a fabulous job with character development and self-discovery, and the other characters that are introduced, from The Angel turned priest to The Shug to Valis, are all necessary parts of a very intricate and layered universe.
While Pandemonium is set up to be a stand-alone novel, it has the potential to have a sequel, and I really hope Gregory takes advantage of that. The story is fascinating. It was well done, well thought out, and truly fantastic. It's also not religious at all (though it does contain some philosophy), so I think even religious people that are against demon possession can read this, so long as they understand that it's fiction.
So if you want to read a good book with new ideas from a new author, try Pandemonium.
Showing posts with label 5 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 stars. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
World War Z by Max Brooks
5 stars -- I love it!
First of all, sorry it's been a while. It's been busy at work, so even though I haven't been blogging much, I haven't been reading much either.
What I have read, though, is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, which is just amazing.
It's also horrifying, but not in a bloody, violent, gory way. More in a "Now I know I won't survive the zombie apocalypse way." Which I won't. No way.
World War Z is written as a series of interviews. Fictionally, Max Brooks is a reporter who, after WWZ, documents the events of the war for the government. The government takes the cold, hard facts and leaves the interviews that are "too personal," so Max Brooks turns them into this book.
The book never breaks character, and it's terrifying. Set up in loose chronological order, the reader reads interviews with doctors, scientists, military, lay people, and even feral children from around the world.
The first interview takes place in China with the doctor who discovered Patient 0. There are interviews about how different countries did or did not survive. There's an interview with an entrepreneur who developed a completely useless "rabies vaccines" and became a millionaire while supposedly vaccinated people died (and the arose again). A feral child tells, in her childlike speech, how she survived when her mother tried to kill her in order to save her from becoming a zombie. We follow workers in Canada who walk through after the Spring thaw and kill any re-animating zombies.
The picture Brooks paints is bleak. Too little is done too late, and massive amounts of the population are lost. Some countries are entirely overcome (like Japan) or just disappear (North Korea), while some countries not only survive but prosper (Cuba).
And the odd thing is that humans win the war. There's an incredible coming-together of people and countries to beat back this foe, and there's an enormous amount of invention and re-learning. If the future and the past weren't so bleak, this would be one of the most heartwarming tales imagined as countries and peoples unite in one combined force with one combined purpose, working together to regain lost territory.
But the scope of what happened, which I believe was incredibly underplayed in the book, is enormous and almost unimaginable. The book gives the barest glimpse of how horrible things truly were, barely touching on some subjects that made me, at least, recoil.
World War Z is amazing, and Brooks did a wonderful job. The way he was able to write technically or creatively depending on the character, his acclimation of actual historic events, the scope of his imagined world--it's breathtaking.
I really, really recommend that everyone reads this as there's a little bit of something for everyone, yet as a whole, it pulls together as a strong and well-written horror novel. But it's not bloody or gory or offputting in any way.
So read it, be horrified and completely fascinated at the same time, and then do what I plan on doing and invest in some bullets... :)
First of all, sorry it's been a while. It's been busy at work, so even though I haven't been blogging much, I haven't been reading much either.
What I have read, though, is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, which is just amazing.
It's also horrifying, but not in a bloody, violent, gory way. More in a "Now I know I won't survive the zombie apocalypse way." Which I won't. No way.
World War Z is written as a series of interviews. Fictionally, Max Brooks is a reporter who, after WWZ, documents the events of the war for the government. The government takes the cold, hard facts and leaves the interviews that are "too personal," so Max Brooks turns them into this book.
The book never breaks character, and it's terrifying. Set up in loose chronological order, the reader reads interviews with doctors, scientists, military, lay people, and even feral children from around the world.
The first interview takes place in China with the doctor who discovered Patient 0. There are interviews about how different countries did or did not survive. There's an interview with an entrepreneur who developed a completely useless "rabies vaccines" and became a millionaire while supposedly vaccinated people died (and the arose again). A feral child tells, in her childlike speech, how she survived when her mother tried to kill her in order to save her from becoming a zombie. We follow workers in Canada who walk through after the Spring thaw and kill any re-animating zombies.
The picture Brooks paints is bleak. Too little is done too late, and massive amounts of the population are lost. Some countries are entirely overcome (like Japan) or just disappear (North Korea), while some countries not only survive but prosper (Cuba).
And the odd thing is that humans win the war. There's an incredible coming-together of people and countries to beat back this foe, and there's an enormous amount of invention and re-learning. If the future and the past weren't so bleak, this would be one of the most heartwarming tales imagined as countries and peoples unite in one combined force with one combined purpose, working together to regain lost territory.
But the scope of what happened, which I believe was incredibly underplayed in the book, is enormous and almost unimaginable. The book gives the barest glimpse of how horrible things truly were, barely touching on some subjects that made me, at least, recoil.
World War Z is amazing, and Brooks did a wonderful job. The way he was able to write technically or creatively depending on the character, his acclimation of actual historic events, the scope of his imagined world--it's breathtaking.
I really, really recommend that everyone reads this as there's a little bit of something for everyone, yet as a whole, it pulls together as a strong and well-written horror novel. But it's not bloody or gory or offputting in any way.
So read it, be horrified and completely fascinated at the same time, and then do what I plan on doing and invest in some bullets... :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
5 stars -- I love it.
If you haven't read any Meg Rosoff, I really recommend you do. She's a brilliant writer, and the breadth of topics her books cover is fairly wide. I've read What I Was (I rated it 4 stars), How I Live Now (5 stars), and Just In Case (which got 3 stars from me). Obviously my favorite was How I Live Now, but I didn't dislike any of them.
The Bride's Farewell is another wonderful book that I hope Rosoff is proud to have written. The story is just beautiful and Pell is such a wonderful character, and the way everyone's story is interwoven is played so well.
The story begins with Pell running away from her home on her wedding day. Set in England in the mid-1800s, Pell doesn't live in a world where it's wise for a young girl to be on her own nor is it considered normal to desire to be single.
Planning to take only her horse, Jack, and minimal supplies, Pell also ends up taking her adopted younger brother, Bean, a mute. Together they travel to a horse farm where Pell is sure she can find work with horses, as she is a horse whisperer and even more skilled than her now-ex-fiance, Birdie, a farrier.
Sure that Birdie will now marry her younger sister Nell, Pell has no regrets about leaving... until Bean disappears with Jack, presumably stolen by the man who hired Pell's services at the horse fair and disappeared without paying.
The rest of the book details Pell's search for Bean and Jack, as she's sure they're in danger and unhappy without her. She meets many people who come to care for her, including the ultimately imporant Dogman, who all help her in her search (in some way or another).
I don't want to give too much away, because I really feel like Rosoff tells it well enough that you should read it from her. It's a beautiful story, but it's realistic enough as well. Not everyone ends up happy, and Meg certainly portrays some of the hardships that occurred in the 1800s, to be honest, but Pell does, and since she's our main character, I feel happy enough with the ending.
So go out and get a Meg Rosoff book. They're well worth the emotions they can bring to the forefront. Rosoff's books are a joy to read.
If you haven't read any Meg Rosoff, I really recommend you do. She's a brilliant writer, and the breadth of topics her books cover is fairly wide. I've read What I Was (I rated it 4 stars), How I Live Now (5 stars), and Just In Case (which got 3 stars from me). Obviously my favorite was How I Live Now, but I didn't dislike any of them.
The Bride's Farewell is another wonderful book that I hope Rosoff is proud to have written. The story is just beautiful and Pell is such a wonderful character, and the way everyone's story is interwoven is played so well.
The story begins with Pell running away from her home on her wedding day. Set in England in the mid-1800s, Pell doesn't live in a world where it's wise for a young girl to be on her own nor is it considered normal to desire to be single.
Planning to take only her horse, Jack, and minimal supplies, Pell also ends up taking her adopted younger brother, Bean, a mute. Together they travel to a horse farm where Pell is sure she can find work with horses, as she is a horse whisperer and even more skilled than her now-ex-fiance, Birdie, a farrier.
Sure that Birdie will now marry her younger sister Nell, Pell has no regrets about leaving... until Bean disappears with Jack, presumably stolen by the man who hired Pell's services at the horse fair and disappeared without paying.
The rest of the book details Pell's search for Bean and Jack, as she's sure they're in danger and unhappy without her. She meets many people who come to care for her, including the ultimately imporant Dogman, who all help her in her search (in some way or another).
I don't want to give too much away, because I really feel like Rosoff tells it well enough that you should read it from her. It's a beautiful story, but it's realistic enough as well. Not everyone ends up happy, and Meg certainly portrays some of the hardships that occurred in the 1800s, to be honest, but Pell does, and since she's our main character, I feel happy enough with the ending.
So go out and get a Meg Rosoff book. They're well worth the emotions they can bring to the forefront. Rosoff's books are a joy to read.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
5 stars -- I love this book!
So... my husband grabbed this off the library shelf (with several others I haven't read yet) and said, "I got these for you. I think you'll like them." So I read the back-ad/flap copy and took them home. And I'm glad I did!
Boneshaker (an adult book, imagine that) is a steampunk zombie book that takes place in late-1800's Seattle, Washington. But because I'm in the American midwest, I don't know the history of Seattle, and I could have believed that the book takes place in a re-imagined modern-day Seattle. After all, steampunk necessitates change in many modern conveniences... and there wasn't very much of the Victorian element in the book at all.
In the late-1800s, the Russians want to find gold in Alaska and they pay a brilliant scientist for his invention, the Boneshaker. The scientist, Levi Blue, builds it and then takes it for "a test run" under Seattle (although there are various theories about what the "test run" really was). The Boneshaker just "happens" to go underneath Seattle's financial district, which causes a lot of chaos in and of itself, but it also opens up a gas leak. The gas, hypothesized to come from Mount Ranier and called the Blight, makes people sick. And sometimes the people turn into zombies if they don't die from the Blight.
So downtown Seattle is walled in to contain the gas, and the people are evacuated to the Outskirts.
Our story begins 15 years later when Levi's widow and son re-enter the walled-in district. A small group of people have decided to live within the walls, and it is these people that both help and hinder our two main characters. They meet the Chinese, whose presence in the area is never really explained, although they are the ones who pump in fresh air; the mad scientist Minnericht, who may or may not be Levi and who has set himself up as the king of the walled-in area, and many of his cohorts; and a variety of people referred to as "Doornails" who choose to live there for no particular reason but are now in perpetual debt to Minnericht. They also meet several airship captains (pirates!) who dip in and out of the walled-in area but don't live there.
Zeke, the son, enters the district so that he can clear both his father and his grandfather's name (his grandfather, Maynard Wilkes, died due to the Blight while freeing prisoners initially left to die in their jail cells. Some people view Maynard as a hero... some don't), and Briar, our main character, comes after to find and save him.
As is wont to happen, Zeke falls into the wrong hands, and Briar falls into all the right ones.
I really, really liked this story. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in less than a day. I loved the zombies, but the book isn't so zombie-heavy as to make it seem like "just another zombie book." The steampunk comes out heavily in crazily awesome inventions, with new ones popping up all the time. Plus(this is huge for me!), a majority of the story revolves around whether Minnericht is or is not Levi Blue, and despite the fact that a majority of the story is told from Briar's POV and she appears to know the truth, the reader isn't privvy as to whether Minnericht is or is not Levi Blue until the very end.
The author did a fantastic job of keeping the who's, why's, and how's hidden without hindering the story. A lot of the time, a plot like this gets to be, "Will you just tell me already?!" or "I already know what you keep trying to hide," but in this story, neither of those things happened.
This is a fantastic sci-fi book, and if you have any interest in steampunk, zombies, Seattle, good action stories, etc., I think you should read this. It's even worth the half-day you lose trying to finish it :) Plus, the type is a reddish-brown, and I adore different-colored fonts.
So... my husband grabbed this off the library shelf (with several others I haven't read yet) and said, "I got these for you. I think you'll like them." So I read the back-ad/flap copy and took them home. And I'm glad I did!
Boneshaker (an adult book, imagine that) is a steampunk zombie book that takes place in late-1800's Seattle, Washington. But because I'm in the American midwest, I don't know the history of Seattle, and I could have believed that the book takes place in a re-imagined modern-day Seattle. After all, steampunk necessitates change in many modern conveniences... and there wasn't very much of the Victorian element in the book at all.
In the late-1800s, the Russians want to find gold in Alaska and they pay a brilliant scientist for his invention, the Boneshaker. The scientist, Levi Blue, builds it and then takes it for "a test run" under Seattle (although there are various theories about what the "test run" really was). The Boneshaker just "happens" to go underneath Seattle's financial district, which causes a lot of chaos in and of itself, but it also opens up a gas leak. The gas, hypothesized to come from Mount Ranier and called the Blight, makes people sick. And sometimes the people turn into zombies if they don't die from the Blight.
So downtown Seattle is walled in to contain the gas, and the people are evacuated to the Outskirts.
Our story begins 15 years later when Levi's widow and son re-enter the walled-in district. A small group of people have decided to live within the walls, and it is these people that both help and hinder our two main characters. They meet the Chinese, whose presence in the area is never really explained, although they are the ones who pump in fresh air; the mad scientist Minnericht, who may or may not be Levi and who has set himself up as the king of the walled-in area, and many of his cohorts; and a variety of people referred to as "Doornails" who choose to live there for no particular reason but are now in perpetual debt to Minnericht. They also meet several airship captains (pirates!) who dip in and out of the walled-in area but don't live there.
Zeke, the son, enters the district so that he can clear both his father and his grandfather's name (his grandfather, Maynard Wilkes, died due to the Blight while freeing prisoners initially left to die in their jail cells. Some people view Maynard as a hero... some don't), and Briar, our main character, comes after to find and save him.
As is wont to happen, Zeke falls into the wrong hands, and Briar falls into all the right ones.
I really, really liked this story. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in less than a day. I loved the zombies, but the book isn't so zombie-heavy as to make it seem like "just another zombie book." The steampunk comes out heavily in crazily awesome inventions, with new ones popping up all the time. Plus(this is huge for me!), a majority of the story revolves around whether Minnericht is or is not Levi Blue, and despite the fact that a majority of the story is told from Briar's POV and she appears to know the truth, the reader isn't privvy as to whether Minnericht is or is not Levi Blue until the very end.
The author did a fantastic job of keeping the who's, why's, and how's hidden without hindering the story. A lot of the time, a plot like this gets to be, "Will you just tell me already?!" or "I already know what you keep trying to hide," but in this story, neither of those things happened.
This is a fantastic sci-fi book, and if you have any interest in steampunk, zombies, Seattle, good action stories, etc., I think you should read this. It's even worth the half-day you lose trying to finish it :) Plus, the type is a reddish-brown, and I adore different-colored fonts.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
5 stars - I love it!
The Unfinished Angel is a wonderful book. It is for children or juveniles (a bit younger than I usually read), but it's really sweet.
I think what attracted me to the book is the cover... or rather, the back cover :) The front cover is a simply drawn rainbow-colored pigeon. On the back or multi-colored pigeon footprints. It's adorable. I love rainbows, and the simplicity of this cover (with its intriguing title) drew me in.
The story is told from the point of view (POV) of an angel, who readily admits he doesn't think he's all he's supposed to be. He doesn't have a mission; he doesn't know what he's supposed to do for people; nor does he have all the words he knows he needs to communicate properly. Reading from his POV is like reading a story told by someone who speaks English as a second language, but it's done well enough that you don't mind.
I really enjoyed reading his made-up words. Some of them are just so perfect. For example, "... below the mountains is a blue-green lake, and above the mountains at night is a blue-black sky all pokeled with blue-white stars." Pokeled is exactly how the sky looks at night! He describes the secondary main character, Zola, as having "crippy-croppy hair." It certainly puts a strong image in my head.
The book's plot is simple, and it doesn't end up finishing the angel or answering any of his many questions, but it's a sweet and simple story that I think would entrance younger children.
If you have a 7-10 year old, this is definitely something you can read to them or with them.
The Unfinished Angel is a wonderful book. It is for children or juveniles (a bit younger than I usually read), but it's really sweet.
I think what attracted me to the book is the cover... or rather, the back cover :) The front cover is a simply drawn rainbow-colored pigeon. On the back or multi-colored pigeon footprints. It's adorable. I love rainbows, and the simplicity of this cover (with its intriguing title) drew me in.
The story is told from the point of view (POV) of an angel, who readily admits he doesn't think he's all he's supposed to be. He doesn't have a mission; he doesn't know what he's supposed to do for people; nor does he have all the words he knows he needs to communicate properly. Reading from his POV is like reading a story told by someone who speaks English as a second language, but it's done well enough that you don't mind.
I really enjoyed reading his made-up words. Some of them are just so perfect. For example, "... below the mountains is a blue-green lake, and above the mountains at night is a blue-black sky all pokeled with blue-white stars." Pokeled is exactly how the sky looks at night! He describes the secondary main character, Zola, as having "crippy-croppy hair." It certainly puts a strong image in my head.
The book's plot is simple, and it doesn't end up finishing the angel or answering any of his many questions, but it's a sweet and simple story that I think would entrance younger children.
If you have a 7-10 year old, this is definitely something you can read to them or with them.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
5 stars -- I loved it
This book is amazing (I admit... it made me cry for a bit). It helps, of course, that it takes place in Australia, but Saving Francesca surpassed my expectations.
When my husband saw the title, his first question was, "What does Francesca need saving from?" It's a tricky question to answer in the beginning. There are so many real and serious issues Francis is facing. Her normally upbeat and pushy mother refuses to leave her bed; she has just started at a new school -- an all boys' school, but for thirty girls recently admitted; none of her friends are among the thirty girls at her school, and for a girl of 16 years, that can be huge; and the boy she likes kisses her, but then admits he has a girlfriend. It's easy to think that Francesca needs saving from her mother, her family, her school, her friends, even herself, but I'll let you read it to find out which it really is.
Depression is difficult and hurtful, and Melina Marchetta handled the issue nicely. She even brings it to a satisfactory conclusion, and it's completely believable.
The main character, Francesca, is a perfectly believable female teenager, and her angst is understandable and even mostly explainable -- although sometimes it's not. Francis admits to being angry at her dad for no reason she can find.
Overall, I highly recommend you read this book. It's simple but amazing.
This book is amazing (I admit... it made me cry for a bit). It helps, of course, that it takes place in Australia, but Saving Francesca surpassed my expectations.
When my husband saw the title, his first question was, "What does Francesca need saving from?" It's a tricky question to answer in the beginning. There are so many real and serious issues Francis is facing. Her normally upbeat and pushy mother refuses to leave her bed; she has just started at a new school -- an all boys' school, but for thirty girls recently admitted; none of her friends are among the thirty girls at her school, and for a girl of 16 years, that can be huge; and the boy she likes kisses her, but then admits he has a girlfriend. It's easy to think that Francesca needs saving from her mother, her family, her school, her friends, even herself, but I'll let you read it to find out which it really is.
Depression is difficult and hurtful, and Melina Marchetta handled the issue nicely. She even brings it to a satisfactory conclusion, and it's completely believable.
The main character, Francesca, is a perfectly believable female teenager, and her angst is understandable and even mostly explainable -- although sometimes it's not. Francis admits to being angry at her dad for no reason she can find.
Overall, I highly recommend you read this book. It's simple but amazing.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Splendor by Anna Godbersen
4 stars -- I liked it.
The fourth and final book in the Luxe novels, Splendor ends the series perfectly. It's one of the first times I can remember being perfectly pleased with a series' ending. Other series tend to tie things up too nicely or don't really have an end at all, but this one was perfect.
You definitely have to read the first three books in the series (The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy) for this one to make sense for these are not stand-alone novels. They follow the lives of several upper-class New York socialites in the late 1800's, early 1900's.
In all of the novels, the heroines are the Holland girls, but there are a number of characters that readers aren't sure how to feel about. Finally, though, readers find closure. A former maid, in the beginning petty and untrustworthy, had wormed her way into high society and was being cast in a gentler light. Unsure whether I was supposed to still hate her or whether I should begin liking her for her ingenuity and success, the way she was left was perfect. The hated rival to Elizabeth Holland is given a taste of her own medicine. Henry Schoonmaker, a cad and unlikable fellow for the majority of the series, is redeemed in readers' eyes, only to be given an appropriate ending, as well. Henry had been getting on my good side, but the way the author left him made me smile--he was a cad, after all.
There was a new twist in this story as well. Elizabeth had been remarried in a previous novel, and I felt like she was settling, because she was. But we find out that all is not as it seems in her new marriage, and Elizabeth--often weak and malleable--finds her backbone unexpectedly, and then finds happiness as well.
Like I said, I really like how this series ended. Everyone got exactly what they deserved, and for a series that I was only reading due to the pretty dresses on the cover (fabulous covers, Harper), I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I appreciate the progression of this series and its characters. Well done.
The fourth and final book in the Luxe novels, Splendor ends the series perfectly. It's one of the first times I can remember being perfectly pleased with a series' ending. Other series tend to tie things up too nicely or don't really have an end at all, but this one was perfect.
You definitely have to read the first three books in the series (The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy) for this one to make sense for these are not stand-alone novels. They follow the lives of several upper-class New York socialites in the late 1800's, early 1900's.
In all of the novels, the heroines are the Holland girls, but there are a number of characters that readers aren't sure how to feel about. Finally, though, readers find closure. A former maid, in the beginning petty and untrustworthy, had wormed her way into high society and was being cast in a gentler light. Unsure whether I was supposed to still hate her or whether I should begin liking her for her ingenuity and success, the way she was left was perfect. The hated rival to Elizabeth Holland is given a taste of her own medicine. Henry Schoonmaker, a cad and unlikable fellow for the majority of the series, is redeemed in readers' eyes, only to be given an appropriate ending, as well. Henry had been getting on my good side, but the way the author left him made me smile--he was a cad, after all.
There was a new twist in this story as well. Elizabeth had been remarried in a previous novel, and I felt like she was settling, because she was. But we find out that all is not as it seems in her new marriage, and Elizabeth--often weak and malleable--finds her backbone unexpectedly, and then finds happiness as well.
Like I said, I really like how this series ended. Everyone got exactly what they deserved, and for a series that I was only reading due to the pretty dresses on the cover (fabulous covers, Harper), I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I appreciate the progression of this series and its characters. Well done.
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