Last Word

2011-04-02T23:30:00.002+08:00

Marisha Pessl - Special Topic in Calamity Physics

2008-07-12T12:00:00.002+08:00

One of those glorious, wordy, coming-of-age books that is certainly in the same league as The Secret History and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of those ephemeral, seminal books that you will never forget.

This tome weighs in at approximately 700 pages; a veritable Lord of the Rings without the eccentric Oxford languages don at the helm. Each page, however, is an intellectual leap of fancy; the only apt term to describe this book would be "scatter-brained." It merrily vacuums up factoid after factoid, deposits it in the reader's arms, and leaves absolutely nothing to chance.

It is a novel of glowing erudition; tracing the sequence of events that lead Blue van Meer and her father, Gareth, to one of the nastiest book endings ever possible. On the way, deaths abound, not least that of one of Blue's muses; each death is surrounded by mysterious goings-on that could only be explained by the counterculture that is prevalent through the book.

As Blue follows her itinerant wanderer father round the known universe, gradually picking up the pieces of her life anew every time she moves to a new school, she inches, slowly, out of her shell; however, this time, she strays a little too far from her bubble.

Funny all the way, and with bits of needless, yet utterly intriguing, factoids constantly in your face, this book is one amazing tome that you will compulsively read, reread and reread; sometimes for the action, sometimes for the mystery, but on a whiplash day, the verbal diarrhea and acrobatics is enough for a fine distraction.

Another of those rare books I have to give an 11/10.

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamorra by Scott Lynch

2008-03-10T07:51:00.003+08:00

Yes, I know I have been neglecting my duties so much that it's almost become a one-man show for Nicholas now. But in my defense 1) my course is heavy and 2) I read comics more these days. Sue me. But hey, I still read. Not as little as you think, though. I shall have nice reviews for Fell, Hard Boiled Wonderland, Outcast (from Chronicles of Ancient Darkness), Zoe Heller's Everything You Know and a good deal of others up during Easter.

But in the meantime, for those of you who read Fantasy, you guys just HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. It's recommended by George R.R. Martin? Y'know? That cool guy who did a Game of Thrones? Agh. Anyway, this novels falls under the 'Fantasy but we don't get caught up with dragons and one rings too much' category. Yeah, Fantasy can be pretty much summed up into three categories for me:

1)Magical hoo-hah all the way (LOTR, Terry Brooks, Eddings, all fall here)
2)Less magical hoo-hah, more political intrigue/plot events and drama (Game of Thrones, Robin Hobb's Farseers and Lamorra fall here)
3)Attempt (mostly, though sometimes successful) at a more deep, underlying meaning. HDM is pretty much the only thing I can put here.

So yeah, Lamorra falls under the 2nd category. It's about conmen, living in a Venice-like city called Camorr, which is divided by upper class nobles and commoners as most fantasy (And non-fantasy) places are. But the bandits here are their own people. Ruled by a Capa, the gangs own territories, all united under a common 'Secret Peace' which dictates that as long as the thieves don't touch what belongs to the nobles, the yellowjackets (city guards) don't go after them unless they get careless and caught in broad daylight.

Locke Lamorra is the 'garrista' (head) of his own gang of thieves. And while he holds fealty to the Capa and pretends to be another one of those common pickpocket gangs, in truth he is, as his mentor Chains puts it 'a fucking ballista bolt through the heart of the Secret Peace'. He goes purely after the nobles, constructing elaborate cons to take money from them. The nobles are usually too proud to admit themselves having being cheated, and even if they tried, they normally don't get a glimpse of his real face anyway.

And so they create a mythical figure, the 'Thorn of Camorr', who is supposedly a master thief who can walk through walls, is a master swordsman and is large and powerful. So everytime the nobles get hit, they blame 'The Thorn', to not make it seem so humiliating.

Of course, in real life, Locke is barely competent with a sword, and really, really can't walk through walls. All he has are wits, and a good band of people on his side. All specializing on different tasks.

The city of Camorr is richly described. Yet done in proper amounts bit by bit so as not to give you a geographic lecture. The city and the people who inhabit come alive, so do their cultures, traditions and Gods in the words of the book. The author's method of interweaving interludes to give us brief glimpses into Locke's past make the story richer, the main characters more endearing.

The first part of the book mostly shows us just how damn good Locke is. Then the second part turns it around almost immediately and you find out where the bulk of the story is. A man calling himself 'The Grey King' has been killing off garristas close to the Capa. Whoever the person is, he is definitely making for the throne of the Capa, and Locke gets involved in it when the Grey King hires him to act as him for one night, when the first open confrontation takes place. Well 'hires' is a strong word. He happens to have evidence of Locke's dealings, and so if Locke doesn't comply, the Capa would find out that someone hasn't been a nice little garrista and obeying the Secret Peace, and well, things would get complicated.

To me, one of the reasons why the book is so good is because of the wealthy amount of backstory. The forming of Locke's 'Gentleman Bastards' makes us close not to just Locke, but everyone else. The Sanza twins, who are for all intents and purposes, older versions of Fred and George. Jean Tannen, the brawler in the group who used to be the fat orphan of business running parents. And then there's the elusive Sabetha who never appears and speaks in the book. Not even in the flashbacks. She is mentioned a lot, however. Apparently something happened between her and Locke, and she's now thousands of miles away from Camorr. We never find out what happened to her exactly by the end of the book, but it's definitely something I'll be looking forward to in the sequel.

I give this book a healthy 8 out of 10.

David Mitchell - Number9Dream

2008-02-17T18:20:00.003+08:00

Just in case you were wondering if anyone could be more Murakami than the man, here comes David Mitchell - a dyed-in-the-wool Englishman at that - to up the ante a little.

His debut work "Ghostwritten" made him a cause celebre amongst the, undoubtedly graying, postmodern literati; people were expecting a magnum opus as a followup.

Number9Dream, I reckon, will be a hard act to follow.

It is about the search of 19-year-old Eiji Miyake for his father, whom he has never met. Told in first person, it begins as a simple coming of age story; but soon, it traverses uncharted literary territory, juxtaposing Eiji Miyake’s actual journey toward identity and understanding with his imaginative journey.

Interleaving narrations are everywhere; a surrealistic tale featuring three anthropomorphic animals, a series of letters from people irrevocably tied to his past, a journal from his grandfather impersonating a friend, all seem to send the tale careering on tangents unbeknownst to anyone but the author, but finally, in the last few chapters, as it regains a semblance of regular narrative, we see each deux ex machina has served its purpose, albeit retrospectively.

Eiji, in his search for his father, does not just find himself the cliched way; he stumbles upon secrets about his family that, again, reinforce his perceptions that his early separation from his family was a godsend, as far as his sanity would have been concerned.

With a Yakuza gang subject to a coup d'etat by the femme fatale, a few impersonations of identity leading to permanent separations, and a good dollop of surreal language, Mitchell has beaten the master himself.

I give it an 11/10 and for good cause.

Kenzaburo Ue - The Silent Cry

2007-11-01T20:37:00.000+08:00

Winning the Nobel Prize for Literature (in 2004, to be exact) DOES make your work stand out a little on bookshelves. Thus it was with great trepidation that I yanked this novel out of its snug little spot in the university library, and promptly made good work of it.

Kenzaburo Ue, for those of you who are Murakami addicts, alludes less to Western culture; unfortunately, this means you are staring at a rather oblique series of references all the way. He writes with a hint of Dostoyevsky; mystical people drift in and out of incongruous events, reminding you that the fixity of life is not as it seems.

The plot involves two brothers, and one's lecherous wife; the wife openly has consensual relations with the brother, but in the end, her legitimate husband takes her back without a whimper. Interspersed between are a series of Nobukoro protests and other events that keep the personal calamities that occur firmly within context.

The novel still has American references galore; frequent allusions to American pop culture abound, and the eagle-eyed will spot the song lyrics and English puns that are spouted regularly.

I give this a 9 out of 10.

Paul Auster - The New York Trilogy

2007-10-28T18:04:00.000+08:00

If anything, one of the most complex books you'll ever read, and something any Murakami fan should read, for, in the words of a respected Murakami fanclub elder, "more Murakami than the man himself."

Paul Auster enjoys transcending the theme of metafiction, frequently slipping himself into his work; that gives this trilogy (each novella numbering a good hundred pages) a rather personal, mystical feel.

The first novella, City of Glass is a detective story turned psychoromp, where the hunted shifts from without the author to within. Gradually, as Stillman himself discovers that he is searching for a person who actually does not exist except in his imagination. Slowly, as he descends into madness, layers of identity and reality are examined, as Paul Auster the writer of the novel; "the author" who reports the events as reality; "Paul Auster the writer", a character in the story; and "Paul Auster the detective", who may or may not exist in the novel.

The second novella, Ghosts, is about a private eye called Blue who is investigating a man named Black for a client named White. Black and White turn out to be the same person, a writer who is writing a story about Blue watching him.

Finally, The Locked Room is the story of a writer who lacks the creativity to produce fiction. Fanshawe, his childhood friend has produced creative work, and when he disappears the writer publishes his work and replaces him in his family. While trying to deal with their relationship, he discovers his creative gift, and it emerges that he is the author of the three stories of the trilogy.

Eventually, in "The Locked Room", the three tales are tied together in a hauntingly perfect manner; in the first two tales, Paul Auster as author explores the transcending of Paul Auster as character, both in eponymous fashion, and while adopting generic colour names; in the third, the main question of the three novels finally comes to a head - Who ACTUALLY narrates these three novels?

And with that thought gently brushing the tip of the reader's consciousness, Auster leaves the reader grappling with issues of his own identity.

This is deemed worthy to be termed a classic of postmodernism; I give it a 9 out of 10.

Will and Me - Dominic Dromgoole

2007-10-17T20:33:00.000+08:00

Writing a review in the middle of reading a book is just about as unorthodox as one can get. Unfortunately, that's precisely the case, and this can only be no ordinary book.

Welcome to "Will and Me", with the telling subheader that says "How Shakespeare Took Over My Life." Life, indeed. Here, Dominic Dromgoole relates his love relationship with the Chief Poet in a dreamy, passionate, yet sometimes self-deprecating way. His series of short, condensed essay-like chapters chronicle a journey of reminiscence, but also one of acute self-awareness. One gets the feeling that Dromgoole is trying to tell himself how he learned from Shakespeare on a whole new personal level - and not a morally-right this-is-how-you-should-be way, and just happens to tell it to us, as well.

A literature enthusiast would be thrilled at the leisurely quality of this book, but also its profoundly intellectual side (more notably, the second part of the book titled 'The Walk', a pilgrimage from Stratford to London's Globe). Quotes from the most famous to the more obscure Shakespeare plays feature extensively here, one of my favourites being:

"Where are my tears? Rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by the root." -- Pandarus, in Troilus and Cressida

It is a wondrous piece of autobiographical tribute to Shakespeare, especially for a budding King Lear student (i.e. yours truly) to listen to his glowing words of praise for a Lawrence Olivier production and suddenly seized with the desire to see it for myself. The headers of each 'short essay' are also catchy and outline this book's uniqueness even more - they all begin with curiously small letters, and consist of an amalgamation of curious key words: 'Glastonbury Cabaret, apeshit sessions and the Falstaff pattern.'

Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. But all is soon explained once the chapter is read.

Dromgoole succeeds in channeling his passion to his readers (who, presumably, are also avid fans of Shakespeare) and manages to endear this connection to us as we sympathise with accounts of his failed attempts at reenacting Shakespeare plays with his peers from Cambridge in a rather shaky theatre company.

Freshly published in 2007, it is contemporary enough to make us admire his attempts to stage art to the modern masses, and historical enough to make the older generation connect with the periods of war gone through by Dromgoole's thespian parents.

"Will and Me" was compelling enough in the first half of reading to move this reader into reviewing it on page 137. It might well be the same for you.

- Michelle Tan

Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

2007-09-24T16:59:00.000+08:00

Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, have absolutely nothing to do with each other for years.

Upon the arrival of the thirtysomething Immigration Scam Young Female Thing who plans on usurping the memories of their long-dead mother, and embarking on a whirlwind relationship with their octogenarian father, squandering all his money in the process, the sisters join forces in an endearingly funny way.

As they deal with her ruthlessness, they realise they are facing a professional, complete with indulgent son, who supplies many moments of mirth in the story. The diabolic mental acuity of the Cruella de Vil is juxtaposed hilariously with the almost-oblivious devotion of their father to completing his tome about tractors in Ukranian; and in a fitting tribute to how she has rendered his - and their - world topsy-turvy, at the end of the story, the biggest family secret of all tumbles.

Winner of the Wodehouse Humour Fiction Award 2006, this novel will touch the heart of any estranged sibling pairing around; it proves, beyond all doubt, that adversity is what it takes to get a family's solidarity gears well-oiled again. The sheer infinitesimality of the feud between Nadezha and Vera is revealed, as they array forces against the young pretender to the throne; and at the end of the tale, as her husband arrives to bail them out of their misery, we are rewarded by a poignant scene of semi-reconciliation between all.

Funny, frightfully funny. It gets a 8.5 out of 10; not a 9, for it is in no way a groundbreaking work whether in style, plot device or idea flow, but a good read for that languid summer poolside deckchair.

Banana Yoshimoto - Kitchen

2007-09-23T21:01:00.000+08:00

The cult classic that propelled Yoshimoto to fame in 1989. It won two of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, and clung on for dear life to the top of the Japanese bestseller lists for a whole year. And counting. Its translation into English was, naturally, greeted with accolades from the Western publishing industry.

Essentially, if you're a fan of the Murakami short story, this is one, writ large. To be exact, two. It purports to be a contiguous story, divided into two parts; both address weighty issues of life, love and death in a postmodern surreal way.

First up, we have "Kitchen", a hundred-word tale that is convincingly aching. Mikage is adopted by Eriko, mother to Yuichi; Eriko herself is far from free of controversy, having undergone a sex change after her/his wife died. Tellingly, in her male incarnation, he was adopted by his future wife's family, whom he eventually eloped with, earning their ire; she finally perished in an accident, leaving Yuichi and Eriko clinging on to each other uncertainly.

The relationship-but-not-there scenario is played out mesmerisingly, as people of all inclinations bedevil their budding sort-of-love. As the story reaches a characteristically quirky Yoshimoto conclusion, with Mikage presenting a gift of pork udon to Yuichi, ties are mended, love still simmers meaningfully under the surface, and the two erstwhile lovers walk away from a previously awkward situation.

Next up is "Moonlight Shadow", a haunting novella about what happens to the remaining lover when one dies. Hitoshi and Hiiragi, brothers, date Satsuki, the protagonist and Yumiko respectively. When Hitoshi and Yumiko perish in a car accident as he picks her up from the airport, things turn awry for Satsuki, who is bent on saying goodbye to Hitoshi.

The entire tale is, seemingly, penned in the past; her journey to saying goodbye to Hitoshi is buffeted by memories that slowly ease the fall. As the story concludes, and Satsuki is hauntingly visited again by her betrothed, the final chilling lines, "I earnestly pray that a trace of my girl-child self will always be with you. For waving goodbye, I thank you." are a sure-fire tear-jerker.

These two novellas will leave you reeling with the power of the written word, in brief. A hearty recommendation is thus attached, and readers of all ages will enjoy this adventure into the more esoteric of genres.

Banana Yoshimoto - Lizard

2007-09-21T17:37:00.001+08:00

An author that I have spent the last few years attempting vainly to track down; and upon my return to Newcastle, a row of shining Yoshimoto works line the shelves of the Japanese literature section.

No more, as they all belong to me now, till the irate coterie of Japanese literature students angrily demand a restraining order on me in the Robinson Library forever more.

This book is a collection of short stories, in the time-honoured tradition of Murakami and his asinine works. Each tale begins and ends the same way; lonely young person strolls through a world resembling a dreamscape of his own design, and later, through a series of seemingly mundane activities, finds the way out of his rut.

People float in and out of the tales like a dream; there are people doing things that would be perfectly mundane in real life, but acquire significance, in this book, as everything slowly interlinks. Magic realism is the key; Yoshimoto, in "A Strange Tale from Down By The River", slowly introduces the death of the protagonist's sister, yet juxtaposes her into the lives of her fiance; his brother, and many other people whose lives make her passing all the more lamentable.

I give it a 9/10 - a good intro to Yoshimoto's work

R.A Salvatore - Servant of the Shard

2007-08-29T12:35:00.000+08:00

Well, this book is a series of the adventures two unnatural allies finds on the face of Faerun, a dangerous assasin named Artemis Entreri and a cunning and unpredictable drow named Jarlaxle. This book here is set after Drizzt Do'Urden has brought the Crystal Shard, a sentient relic of unimaginable power with the goal for ultimate power, to the hands of one of Jarlaxles henchman pretending to be the priest Cadderly in order to steal the crystal shard from him. Artemis Entreri believed he had finally defeated his rival Drizzt in a battle and, seeing his quest finally over, joined Jarlaxle and his dangerous band of mercenaries Bregan Daer'thae in an attempt to make profit on the surface. The story is mainly about the assasin and the drow as they are betrayed by the generals of Jarlaxles own band and must struggle to survive and destroy the shard before it can corrupt anymore souls. R.A Salvatore combines both danger and humour together to make a wonderful story.

I give this a 4 out 5 ^^ My explanation may be a bit ... mrrruh... though. It's been 3 months since i read it.

Don DeLillo - Underworld

2007-08-22T18:53:00.000+08:00

The magnum opus of this acclaimed writer; and some maintain, easily a work of staggering genius. This novel covers the length and breadth of the entire 20th century, easily encapsulating the formative events of the century. In the process, he also intertwines lives that would normally be passed on by under the penmanship of a less accomplished novelist, giving depth beyond compare to the postmodern era we reside in.

Don DeLillo employs imagery that would astound the ordinary reader; metaphors, analogies, similes are tossed around like nobody's business, creating a richly woven texture that is bound to excite even the most pedantic of literature lovers. In DeLillo's tale, two lives are followed; but so many other lives on the periphery are involved that, at times, the novel is in danger of spiralling out of control as a narrative, transmogrifying into a descriptive painting.

The average reader will be hardpressed to make any sense of this work; you have to seriously peer into the details to understand how rich the tapestry of Cold War America is. The many characters who flit in and out of the plot, symbolically represent the porous borders of Cold War America, an age where no one really knew which side was which, an age where enemies changed fluidly almost at the whim of whoever was in power.

If you like Murakami, you'll like him; there's enough wordplay to keep you up all night in the deciphering trade. He endowns characters with the oddest quirks; ranging from the deranged purveyor of the skin trade to the many scientists involved. As the camera pans from character to character, one realises that, in the confusion of a Cold War America struggling to find its feet, the characters and their lives are the best guide to that momentous era.

Chuck Palahniuk - Diary

2007-08-09T18:34:00.000+08:00

One of my most exciting reads all year, and certainly a worthy shot, no doubt, for Best Book of the Year (though, of course, this book has been in the market for a while now.)

I was initially very unimpressed by what I saw; a 230-page tome, with a cover reminiscent of trashy teen fiction, I was ready to fling it to the back of my reading list. But the utterly captivating opening chapter drew me in IMMEDIATELY. And I was hooked. It opens with a rather chilling anatomical description of how each facial muscle works in concert (or not) to form familiar facial expressions.

And how these facial expressions have simply stopped working for a certain Peter who has just committed attempted suicide. And is right now letting his wife Misty proceed with her waitressing job, as the people around her all die. Sort of.

Soon, the novel takes a nihilistic turn, and you realise that there is a shady force, unspoken yet evil, that works behind the scenes, threatening to kill everyone on the island. (Which it DOES eventually do.) The shady force slowly annihilates everyone on the island, as Misty concurrently rediscovers her artistic talent - something she shrugged off when Peter made her pregnant in art school, making her drop out.

As the momentum of the novel builds up to Misty's first art exhibition post-suicide, the killings begin getting more vehement, and for the reader, it takes all one's patience to prevent oneself from flipping to the end, to learn, exactly, who is behind the spate.

A fabulous, fabulous book, written in a style that is postmodern, but not vacuously story-devoid at the same time. One of those books that you cannot take your eyes off, be it due to plot, language, or style.

I give it a 10 out of 10, and I have NEVER done that before.

On a related note, CONGRATULATIONS to Bal, our co-writer, for his straight A achievement! Off to Newcastle he goes to join me.

Don DeLillo - Libra

2007-08-08T22:33:00.000+08:00

A take of the JFK murders from a unique viewpoint - that of the upbringing and motives of Lee Harvey Oswald, told from a CIA-conspiracy point of view. Those more familiar with DeLillo's more recent, more surreal works might be surprised at the relatively deep grounding this book possesses; nonetheless, the theme of nurture trumping over nature is relatively well articulated throughout.

Much is made of Oswald's crucially unhappy upbringing, and twisted development; he is portrayed as a character whose hand was forced by fate and circumstances to become the monster he would be. Still, his monstrosities are less diabolic, being the social construct that they are, when put in comparison with those of the people who ultimately kill him in prison.

This book is a rather mesmerising gem of a thriller; it captivates the reader's attention by flitting between two character perspectives, piquing reader interest. A word of warning, though - the book is NOT for those who do not have at least a basic grounding in the facts behind the JFK assassination. Without an appropriate historical context, the book can be a laborious read.

Don DeLillo himself is not for the faint of heart; some detractors have described his prose as "vacuous" and "devoid of anything beyond verbal sophistry". To a certain extent, that is true; DeLillo's fiction can sometimes seem bare on plotline and big on detail.

But above all, you need a rather focused outlook to read his work; concepts and words dash all over the place.

Still, a wonderful tome for a holiday, thought not my idea of a Concise Introduction to DeLillo. That title is best bestowed on Cosmopolis.

I give it a 7 out of 10.

Don DeLillo - Cosmopolis

2007-08-08T22:19:00.000+08:00

A more mature, more modern Don DeLillo work, firmly entrenched in postmodernism. Though a far slender work than his usual plodders, in a sense, it is also, thematically, more varied; it does not fit the mould of his traditional conspiracy theorising that is prevalent in Underworld and Libra; somehow, it strikes you as his attempt to write a coming-of-age tale as an author, one that will be his Norwegian Wood, giving DeLillo a more public audience.

It is the tale of Eric Packer, a 28-year-old multi-billionare asset manager who drives across Manhattan for a haircut. Like James Joyce's Ulysses, it takes place in a single day; the theme of father-son separation is also addressed, as is highly sexed women. Throughout, he has random chance encounters with his wife; he loses huge amounts of money by betting against the yen, which suffers a demise parallelling hiw own downfall.

The book is fast-paced, quirky, flitting from event to event; in that sense, it is less reminiscent of a traditional DeLillo work, where tight plots are eschewed in favour of a more detailed exposition of ambient conditions. The book toys with language in various exciting ways; many a time, words and playful imagery tumble over each other rapidly in an effort to outshine each other.

A brilliant DeLillo work, and easily, his easiest, for the novice.

It gets a 9/10; yes I have been reading a host of good books lately, I must admit.

Rebecca Wells - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

2007-08-02T09:41:00.000+08:00

Wondering why I'm updating this site so often? I'm in Sabah, that is. Where the Internet connection is slow to a fault. This Internet connection is, as I pointed out to a certain hikaraseru, worse than having no Internet at all; at least, without Internet at home, you are guranteed not to have it, and can hence move on with your real life at large. With slow Internet, you are doomed to a lifetime of watching pages load, or paint dry, and my suspicions inform me that the latter is, at this point in time, infinitely preferable.

Which is why I resort to blogging. At least you don't have to wait for anything else to load to start typing.

But enough about my Internet connection. This book certainly ranks amongst one of my favourites of all time, and considering it has an all-female cast - hardly a group I would generally feel empathy for - that confers upon it extra credibility.

It tracks the progress of the four Ya-Yas - Vivi, Teensy, Necie and Caro. Siddalee, Vivi's daughter, a budding playwright, irks her mother by expressing opinions of her unhappy childhood to a reporter, who, sensing paydirt, sensationalises it. Vivi immediately commences internecine warfare with Siddalee, tearing up tickets to her play and refusing invites to her wedding.

As Sidda strives to reconcile with her mother, she enlists the help of her mother's erstwhile partners in crime, the irrepressible Ya-Yas, who, through a series of vivid stories about their antics growing up in the boisterous South of the 60s, slowly explain why Vivi turned out the way she did.

The strength of this novel is less its plotline than its narrative; Wells incisively describes their numerous moments of mischief, ranging from being arrested by the local policeman to swimming in the lake in their yearly summer camp, with so much joie du vivre, that one almost longs to be transported back to that golden age, when technology was far from the overwhelming social binding force it was back then, and there was still good clean fun to be had on streets and pavements that were far from lawless.

Each caper is described in breathtaking grandiosity; no antic is too vanishingly small, no bit of gossip escapes below the radar. Still, weighty issues are also dealt with in the intervening chapters - Sidda learns of her mother Vivi's difficult childhood with a bitter mother and the loss of the first great love of her life; we also see Vivi's journey to deal with her painful issues and become the mother she always wanted to be.

A family fable, spanning three generations, yet never coming off as didactic or plodding, it presents four greying women in their heydays, and, paradoxically, gives them that extra flourish, that va-va-voom, their ostensibly younger grown kids will never muster through their overworked, stress-ridden adult life.

For anyone with more than a passing interest in the zany ways of the American South, this book gets my pick as more than a biopic; it is an examination of the generation gap through three pairs of perpetually dancing eyes.

A 10/10; nothing less. Ya-Yas in Bloom will be reviewed soon!

Donna Tartt - The Little Friend

2007-08-02T09:14:00.000+08:00

Part Huck Finn coming-of-age story, part psycho-thriller, Donna Tartt justifies her decade-long break from the writing trade by unleashing another magnum opus on the world. If you felt The Secret History was a little too top-heavy on the Greek philosophy, too arcane to be accessible, then The Little Friend will no doubt appeal more from a lay perspective.

In lieu of a strong plotline (which is something that, arguably, favours The Secret History as a better representation of Tartt's work), The Little Friend has strong characterisations to offer. Harriet and Hely, the quasi-protagonists turned gunslingers, have a Mark Twain feel to them; they ooze with personality, anchoring the disparate lives of the other characters together, who, at times, seem to solely serve as plot filler.

Throughout, the story tracks two parallel families, as Harriet slowly inches closer to finding out who killed her brother Robin 11 years ago; as the tale of the other family, helmed by Farish, a reformed mental patient, slowly converges, we see the tragic toll income inequality exacts on its victims.

The tale begins as a simple retributive mission; it slowly worms its way into the minds of two equally ruthless individuals, who, at the end of the novel, are close to indistinguishable in the level of manipulation they exact on their followers. Just like Hely, Harriet's loyal sidekick, Farish is well-endowned with grovelling family members; just like Hely, who ultimately sells her out for a pittance - almost, Farish is ultimately felled by one of his own kind.

I give this a 8.5 out of 10 - at 620 pages, it's not my idea of a ravishing holiday read, but with time, a little patience, and unlike A Secret History, no specialist knowledge of obscure Greek rituals, you will make it. Again, one of those books that is a convincing argument AGAINST the yearly Grisham/Clancy/Patterson machine output.

Haruki Murakami - The Elephant Vanishes

2007-07-31T18:02:00.000+08:00

Murakami's rather oddball short story collections have a different tone from his novels. His novels can be a bit too much for the palate; but his short stories are minor masterpieces, no matter which field you're coming from. Each short story ends on a most unsatisfying note; admittedly, so do his novels, but the average reader has long quit attempting to understand the vagaries of the semblance of a story-line. His short stories, on the other hand, are short enough to warrant an extended span of attention, yet quirky enough to leave you hesistant to flip the page to the next one too soon.

This book will leave familiar shivers bristling down your spine; elements of the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle proliferate. The first story is apparently the inspiration behind said novel; and that infernal Noburu Wataya character materialises in half the short stories.

Each story chills the soul in its own unique way. Fans of Raymond Carver will immediately recognise the parallels; but Murakami turns 20/21st century urban fiction into his own plaything. Even short story titles reek of postmodernism; the Kangaroo Communique and the 100% Perfect Girl entice the reader, drawing him in to find out more.

He spins little quirks into each character; they routinely have chance encounters on similarly chance streets, they routinely miss each other and have lapses in communication. Carver's style is, however, more depressing, more morose, while Murakami is ready to portray his wonder at the incomprehensibility of the world.

A very good effort, and a perfect introduction, not just to Murakami's short stories, but even to the entire genre of postmodern short stories as a whole.

This book gets a perfect score, for being vintage Murakami.

Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss

2007-07-31T17:30:00.000+08:00

To be frank, the only reason I picked up this tome was its Booker Prize credentials. (And let's just say I have a rather perverse interest towards the Indian community at large. It's all history.) And I was sorely disappointed at the stereotypes prevalent throught. However, I will not let them detract from the overall level of detail, exquisite even, accorded to each character in the novel that, in my culturally tinted eyes, redeems it a little.

The tale tracks the passage of two characters - 16-year-old Sai, newly orphaned and living with her grandfather in the most remote of mountain passes, and her fledgling romance with her Nepalese tutor Gyan; and the contrasting fortunes of Biju, her grandfather's cook's son, ekeing out a meagre existence in the squalour of Manhattan's decrepit restaurants.

Throughout, issues of culture are tackled, but on, sincerely speaking, a very superficial note. The Indian illegal immigrant point is weakly driven home; we see no development of character of Biju, just a constant struggle to survive each day till he takes home his pay. Sai and Gyan's relationship is as wooden as wooden can be; it meanders along the tried-and-tested girl-meets-boy course, exhibiting no new tricks, no fancy plot twists, no emotional insurgencies, just a rehashing of a very well-worn plot.

Still, Kiran Desai describes well; that has to be admitted. Her characters, though rather flat as carbon copies of traditional stereotypes, are full of life, vivacity, and above all, action. Each action is embellished with detail, detail of how they move, walk, talk, cleverly paralleling the (again steretypical) television montage of India as a riot of colours and action. The cold and calm Indian border region is enlivened by little flourishes of description, rendering a multifaceted imagery of the stark scenery.

Once again, not a wise choice if what you seek is originality of cast or screenplay; but for sheer descriptive value, each character, each location, each circumstance, is played out with the note range of an Indian sitar.

I give it a 7 out of 10.

Louis de Bernieres - Senor Vivo and the Coca Lor

2007-07-31T17:13:00.000+08:00

One of Louis de Bernieres's earlier works, before Captain Corelli's Mandolin catapulted him into instant notoriety - and the indignity of a subpar movie to boot - this novel reflects the writing characteristic of his salad days, where he was happier exploring the intricacies of relationships via a less conventional, more disjointed light.

A very porous narrative follows. The tale tracks an anti-coca warlord through a litany of dangerously tiring trials - from simple threats to the final disastrous deaths of his loved ones. All the way, the narrative eye flits from group to group, highlighting the diversity of issues afflicting those forced to live under the penumbra of the raging coca trade of Colombia.

The prose wittily skewers the multifarous problems of combating the coca trade - as the narrative develops, the continuity concurrently degenerates, skilfully exposing the extent of government corruption in the unravelling of any concerted effort to weed the coca lords out. The narrative style itself is an apt allegory of the futility of said efforts; the longer the government tries, the bolder the coca lords.

Throughout the book, the emphasis is not so much on plot as on character; it is almost as if the tale of the coca trade is best played out through the vignettes of each individual. Each character in the novel reflects a disparate group in Colombia, be it the petty government official frustrated because his hands are tied, the average citizen whose sole role throughout is to provide a social commentary, or the coca lords themselves, who hungrily play the system for what it is worth.

In typical de Bernieres fashion, especially in his earlier works, the humour is understated yet playful; each character is subject to a series of idiosyncracies that expose their fallacies in a slapstick fashion. You will enjoy this read, but let me warn you, if you are the Korean drama type, cherishing solid storyline over artistic license, you will be sorely let down.

I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Haruki Murakami - Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

2007-07-31T13:27:00.000+08:00

One of Murakami's earlier works, and one heck of a definitive one. Murakami practically LAUNCHED his career in surrealist writing via this book (Norwegian Wood being more of a poppy introduction to the man himself), endearing himself to the masses who constantly seek quality fiction with more twists than the entire Harry Potter series.

The story involves 2 converging plotlines (though, to be fair, at the end they don't EVEN converge coherently), of the same people inhabiting 2 separate worlds. The blurb on the book jacket describes it as a "narrative particle accelerator"; there is a modicum of truth in that observation, the story flitting between a functionary in a physics laboratory and a man whose function in life is to read skulls for dreams.

Soon, the INKlings come into the picture, and it slowly assumes science fiction novel qualities; on the other hand, the many trysts, relationships, and breaking of human hearts endears the protagonists to the humanists out there. There is a crushing inevitability of progression throughout; you can see things inexorably accelerating to the conclusion, but for your life, you cannot see the plot twists as they come.

References to Western popular culture are arife; song titles jauntily come and go, and scenes occur in Denny's (a reference readily available in After Dark too); one is immediately struck by how Western this novel is, with its easy references to Western pulp fiction.

A beautiful book, indeed, combining elements from East and West, Oriental and Occidental, fantasy and reality. Indeed, the perfect introduction to Murakami's work, if you cannot stomach the 600-page monstrosity that the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle will prove to be.

Sophie's World - Jostein Gardneer

2007-07-17T12:06:00.000+08:00

Finishing this book in a 3-day blitz prior to my arrival in KYUEM (to run their Induction Week) was possibly one of my most exhausting experiences so far. All things considered, given I had picked up the book on Friday night, and relentlessly punished my way through the book, you can see how this book MIGHT have changed my life.

Sophie receives a package through the post one day; despite her mother's ministrations to stay away from love letters, curiosity overcomes her, and she embarks on a mail-order philosophy course that will irrevocably change her fifteen-year-old world.

The book opens and ends with enigmas galore. Sophie seems to be part of a world created by a Major Albert for his daughter, Hilde; yet the boundaries are incongruous and, at times, arbitrarily shifted for story flow. Many a time, it gets progressively unclear who exists and who doesn't; but then, that is the self-evident doctrine of philosophy; that nothing is what it seems.

As Sophie and Hilde's worlds ineluctably collide, we see a concurrent drift in the philosophy exposed. Philosophy involves colliding and colluding theories; and they slowly melt into each other, as new philosophers expound further on existing theories.

In all, a wonderfully refreshing way to view philosophy. Worth a pick-me-up - and, in a shameless promo effort, only retailing in MPH for RM 23.

After Dark - Haruki Murakami

2007-07-17T11:32:00.000+08:00

Another subtle masterpiece from the Master of Surrealism himself, Murakami; but hot on the metaphorical heels of Kafka on the Shore, some of you will certainly be a tad disappointed.

This tome tracks the motion (or lack thereof) of a group of Japanese through the wee hours of the morning. A central concept is that of transience. Everything floats, is translucent, or shimmers; the female protagonist's sister alternately moves from the world behind the camera to the world before it, and the two main characters spend the night floating restlessly from one conversation to another, whiling away the hours till daybreak.

Again, this book is less Murakami than usual; nothing actually happens throughout. Unlike the relentless energy of the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or the mental flitting-between-scenes that occurs throughout Hard-Boiled Wonderland, this book is a serious exposition of the nature of sleep, and its proponents. People in the novel behave as if they were in a deep sleep, merely with their eyes open in a perfunctory manner; even their movements and thoughts are more languid than one would expect of the coffee-fueled nightstalker.

The language largely mirrors said intended effect; words, sentences, even concepts, are lazily drawn out. Murakami never scopes in to a particular event; he gives it a wide berth, describing it from all possible angles, embellishing it with detail, no doubt, but at the same time, losing vision, one sometimes feels.

On whole, a rather interesting, but ultimately, un-Murakami work. I give it a 7/10.

Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

2007-06-14T14:43:00.000+08:00

It was only when I picked up this book that I realized, 'Hey, I haven't been reading this genre for a HELL of a long time'. By 'this genre', of course I mean fantasy. There were times where I did wonder if I've outgrown this sort of thing, which is why this book has been on my shelf for a hell of a long time. Well, there's also the fact that this book is intimidatingly thick, and the fact that I had A-Levels to worry about, but since three people in my college have recommended it to me, I knew I would have to read it sooner or later.

Now I wish I'd only read it sooner.

You know, once you've read enough fantasy, you feel like you've seen everything. It's the cliche's, I tell you. All powerful thingamabob, good-natured hero, evil villain, odds stacked against the good guys, big war at the end, yeah, we've seen it all. But this book, this book is DELICIOUSLY GRAY. I've been told that it was partially inspired by the real life 'War of the Roses', my history knowledge on that one is close to nil, but that's okay, I love this story all the same.

Now um, about the word 'gray', what I mean is that the characters are (mostly) morally ambiguous. Of course, at the beginning of the story we will be mostly exposed to the 'good guys', and yes, this story still has them, but what drives the story forward is the scheming. Some characters may seem to be plain assholes at first sight, but then you'll eventually realize that they have their reasons for being that way. Of course, like all fantasy novels, it culminates in a war, but there are good and bad guys on both sides, all complete with character flaws that make them all so believably human that it makes you almost not notice that it takes a whopping amount of time out of your life (800 pages is a lot, last time I checked)

Right, so the story is about, for the most part, members of the family of the House of Stark. The novel is divided into chapters that focus on individual characters, switching from Eddard Stark, the ruling Lord of the House, Jon Snow, his bastard son, Catelyn, his wife, Bran Stark, his seven-year old crippled son, and Arya and Sansa, both of whom are his daughters. The story starts when Eddard is called by the current King of the realm to serve as his Hand, back at the main capital in the South (The House of Stark rules the North, icebound part of the realm). There, well, as you'd expect, there are already whispers of a conspiracy to kill the current King (who is his best friend), but there is also the mystery of who crippled his son Bran to worry about, and while the King's advisors and Lords bicker amongst themselves, teetering at the edge of a civil war, we are given glimpses of one Princess Daenerys, sister of the last King, (The current King, Robert Baratheon took the throne from her brother through war. She is currently in exile) as she herself rises to power in a land far from her own. And there is also the business of something darker brewing outside the Wall to the North (which is the northern boundary of the kingdom).

Right, so uh, that last paragraph may have been a bit hard to follow. Make no mistake, the book IS heavy on details, I won't lie to you on that. But not in a Tolkienish way. It's at least bearable enough and easy to follow. Even if you hate seeing lots of names, at one point you'll just realize that the story is just so damn good that you wouldn't really care. Did I also mention that there is a lack of 'magic' as a central theme? Sure, there is some magic, but its only hinted at as a background force. This story focuses on the people, the scheming, the politics. And it does it so well that you won't be able to guess what comes next no matter how much you've read in the past.

Die, Tolkien. This book should be put right up there as one of the all time greats.

(okay, so Tolkien IS dead -_-)

Perfectu scoreu..

Swahili for the Broken Hearted - Peter Moore

2007-05-31T15:13:00.000+08:00

Picked up this book in a random fit of interest in a Birmingham bazaar; since then, this tome occupies pole position in my List of Books I Will Read Again without a bribe. I count many travel books among my inspirations for relentless travel; most of the Tintin books fit snugly in this category. Now, to that bookshelf, we welcome Peter Moore.

He wrote the book/planned the travel post-breakup with a long-term girlfriend; in his own words, he needed to "get away from it all" and rediscover singlehood without the trappings of society breathing down his neck. He, aptly, picked Africa, easily one of the most lawless lands known to Lonely Planet conoisseurs, to drown his sorrows; little did he know that the Sudanese embassy would eat him up all the way.

All throughout, he enters the mythical kingdom of Lesotho, still untouched by tourist litter; he gets a guided tour round a Jo'burg shantytown, easily the place with the highest proportion of shootings per capita; he tries to climb the highest mountain in Africa, to the consternation of everyone around him, not least his guide, who doesn't get his tip; and has a rollickin' fun time all the way.

Sure, I agree with other reviewers that the funny streak vanishes sometimes, but one has to bear in mind good travel writing is far and few between, and the bar has to be lowered accordingly. Bear in mind that most tourist sights have been worked and reworked by countless fledgling journalists trying to ape their way onto the colour pages of each broadsheet's Travel pullout. With focused competition like this, one simply cannot compare.

To his credit, his narrative takes in a LOT of educational soundbites - much is made of the history and culture of the places he travels through, and one gets the feeling this is less a George Bush than a Michael Moore travelogue. Many genuinely funny bits abound, mind you - his attempts to get that elusive Sudanese visa, with long distance phone calls from various (badly telecom-linked, may I add) parts of Africa back to a Sudanese embassy in Malawi that has already given up all hope on him, complete with respective abusive language, are some of the best bits of travel writing I have read all year.

Thumbs up, Peter Moore - you get that 9/10. This is one of the truly inspirational travel books of our time, mateys. (He's Australian, by the way, like nearly all good travellers are.)

Gridlock - Ben Elton

2007-05-30T01:09:00.000+08:00

Wondering why I update this site lots now?

It's because I DO read a lot, silly.

At the Yorkshire Dales camp, this book was first to go; it has been taunting me in the flat kitchen for awhile now. Knowing Elton's humour pedigree (Blackadder ring a bell, anyone?), I was eager to pick this tome up. And a rollicking laugh I had, but at the same time, a few hard questions made an indelible mark.

It's a comic romp through London, and a LOT of the UK, describing how a disabled nuclear physicist and an equally disabled university student take on the insidiuous forces that want to lay down a comprehensive UK road network. Elton pits Digby, the Minister of Public Transport, who is secretly getting kickbacks from the Road Lobby (an insidious force throughout the novel), against the two protagonists, and Toff, a rhyme-wielding gangsta rappa turned full-blooded parking attendant.

The jokes get a little crass at times; he, sometimes, is unable to make that seamless transition from one-liner to full-blown 400-page gagfest. Otherwise, through the humour, there is ample fodder to mull over.

He exposes the extent of the road and oil lobby as a deciding factor impeding progress on public transport issues. The plans for a hydrogen car, Geoffrey the disabled nuclear physicist, maintain, cannot be used to aid the private transport industry; he intends to sell them to the public transport industry, but is dealt a fatal blow by Digby's surrogate henchmen before that.

Issues such as disability, the environmental damage of private transport, the influence of lobby groups on political decisions, discrimination and prejudice, are all handled deftly by Elton via humour. The novel ends with a victory for the private transport lobby; but Elton makes it sound so ironic, so unflatteringly blase, that the car lobby seems to have won a Pyrhhic victory.

Twists abound; the car chase at the end is 100 pages of pure laugh-out-loud-on-bus (to disgust of fellow commuters, no doubt.) Elton's gags seem a little contrived at times; he abandons all semblance of realism midway through the book, sending Deborah the wheelchair-bound student dodging lamp-posts and setting off wheelchair-operated explosives, all thanks to her physicist lover. Mental abuse is also inflicted throughout on the antagonists; lovely Digby suffers an inglorious political fall from grace midway after his sexuality dogs him in the midst of a major party policy speech.

Funny, no doubt; but raising issues that you would never imagine were linked.

I give it a 7.5/10.

Restless - William Boyd

2007-05-30T00:29:00.000+08:00

With a close-to-zero posting record on this site, and the other inveterate readers all committing carbon chains to memory, I am here to fill the void.

Just call me Nicholas.

This book has been on my hitlist for a while now - any book with espionage and Award Winning on its jacket simultaneously sends me into paroxyms of delight. So here goes. I took it to the Yorkshire Dales on a camp, and by Day 2, was beginning to evade the manly wiles of football in a vainglorious effort to finish this book.

Sally Gilmartin, born Eva Delectorskaya, has a tale to tell - and that tale, of dodging Russian double agents, near-assassinations by moles in her own subspecialty of the British Secret Service, is ingeniously interwoven with the comparatively mundane account of her own daughter, slowly, but assiduously, putting the pieces together.

The opening chapters start almost innocuously - a death, a recruitment to the Secret Service; no surprises for what is after all an espionage novel. As the second chapter unfolds, we see Sally's daughter, Ruth, together with son Joachim, slowly at the receiving end of chapters of her mother's secret story. The sharp tones of espionage are lushly interwoven with the excruciating minutiae of Ruth's (in comparison) rather contrived woes with men (Hamid), her thesis, and her reworking of her relationship with her mother

But this novel is well played out. Twists ensue till the very end; no one is who they seem to be. A lot of internalisation occurs; we peer deep, deep into Eva's thought processes, realising how hard it can be to constantly morph identities.

Overall, a good thriller, and more than a good vacuous read on the beach.

I give it 8/10. Would have got more but for the sparing use of linguistic devices in the first few chapters, ensuring a draggy opening.

Book Review: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

2006-12-07T07:03:00.000+08:00

Being a parent is the biggest joy you can ever recieve in the world, cynicism aside, Khairul. Sure we can be jerks to our parents 80% of the time, and we're parasites, feeding off their money and goodwill, but it's an evolutionary as well as religous imperative(one of the only places where they actually agree) that we pass our genes on to the next generation. And of course, since some of us hate our parents more than others, it doesn't mean that being a parent has to suck, unless of course, if you're just that selfish -you like your money being spent on yourself, thank you- or maybe because you're just helpless when it comes to taking care of yourself, let alone a child. In that case, well evolution wins - your genes probably don't deserve to be carried on anyway.

But I digress.

In any case, you know how people believe that no matter how bad things get, your parents will always have this innate love for you that can't be changed? Well this book questions that. In a sense, it's the direct opposite of the Mitch Albom book I reviewed before this one. The story is about Eva Khatchadourian (I do hope I got that spelt right), whose son, Kevin killed seven classmates, a teacher and a cafeteria worker in school with a semi automatic. The story is told via a series of letters written by Eva to her estranged husband, and recounts everything about Kevin as she tries to understand why he turned out the way he did.

Worried that her son's psychopathic tendencies may have resulted from her deficits as a mother, Eva probes the most intimate and shocking aspects of her inner life, her marriage, and her resentment of motherhood. The book tackles the sensitive proposition that mothers can be unmoved by -and even dislike- their own children. Eva struggles with her lack of ready emotion from the moment Kevin is placed in her arms and the subsequent hellish years of raising a boy who seems to enjoy nothing more than taunting his mother. Having dramatically scaled back on her career, she becomes a stay-at-home mom only to discover that her son, while seemingly slow, is whip smart and vindictive - and cunning enough to play for his father with disastrous results.

This book, on the whole is disturbing on so many levels. Not that it's hard to imagine hating your own child when he/she makes life hard for you. This book suggests that a mother can resent you from the moment you were born. The moments explored throughout the book show us the complex emotions involved on Eva's side, though we are often reminded that they are recounted as she remembered them. She acknowledges that some parts may have just been dramatized because, well, when you're in the shoes of the so-called-victim (and some of us like to play that part oh so well), you tend to dramatize events.

So is it really her fault that Kevin turned out the way he did? Or was it unavoidable? Was he just born to be a killer? Read the book and decide for yourself. If anything, the book kept me turning pages - but that's because I dig this sort of thing. Don't expect it to be the kind of book that makes you smile and feel good though - as I said before, this book is just poles apart from Mitch Albom.

In the meantime though, the award for best birthday present goes to Feera.

9 out of 10.

PS: Notably, the ending has a twist I didn't see coming. Now that doesn't happen very often anymore.

Book Review: For One More Day by Mitch Albom

2006-11-09T08:52:00.000+08:00

I'm not exactly a fan of Mitch Albom's books. Frankly, I'm not a fan of 'soul-enriching' books, most of the time they feel fake, which, admittedly, Mitch Albom doesn't really do, but I prefer books that reach your heart without admitting that that's what they're trying to do. Am I making any sense?

Anyway, Mitch Albom's latest offering is only in hardcover for now, so unless you're that desperate for a tender, heartwarming moment, and I mean moment (I finished it in less that two hours), you probably wouldn't want to shell out RM68.90. I performed the same maneuver that I did on Khairul years ago when Lyra's Oxford came out- I let him buy it. The victim this time was a particular girl in college who happens to enjoy these soul-reaching books (she also lent me Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, which I will also be reviewing soon). The verdict? It's nothing special, really, not if you've read 'Five People You Meet In Heaven' and 'Tuesdays With Morrie', but I might just buy the paperback version for my mother's next birthday. (through Amazon, probably, since by her next birthday, I'll be halfway across the globe)

The premise is simple- it's about a man who screwed up in life, who wants to end it, and just as he is about to, he meets his mother. The catch is, his mother died years ago. Creepy? Well, the story opens by admitting that 'This is a ghost story, but then, every family is a ghost story', a statement which echoes till the end of the book of a subconscious truth in most of today's families. Despite our best efforts, we often end up estranged from our parents, allowing them to fade away like ghosts into our past.

The central idea or message of the story is the power of a mother's love, and the sacrifices that you don't see happening in front of you. Littered throughout the narrative are occasional notes by the storyteller, divided into 'Times When My Mother Stood Up For Me', and 'Times When I Did Not Stand Up For My Mother'. And there are occasional notes from the mother herself to him, on his first day of school, on the day of his marriage, basically at turning points in their life. It is explained that his mother had a habit of slipping him notes, most of the time because she was afraid she might miss saying something whenever they were together, and she wanted him to know all these things. These breaks from the narrative serve to create a more personal experience, and admittedly, despite not expecting to be impressed after reading '5 People You Meet In Heaven', there were moments when I felt moved enough to shed tears.

However, characteristic of Albom's writing is that, as usual, it's short. None of the Albom books are long, and to some of you, you might say that therein lies the beauty- that he can capture your hearts with so little pages. And this was admittedly true with his previous works. Personally, however, I found this one to fall slightly short on that mark. It was short, and I felt that it could have enraptured me more if it had only been slightly longer. Despite the effectiveness of the author's technique, there is a sense of isolation that the reader feels at times, being a mere passenger. This book doesn't draw you in and place you into the main character's shoes as well as the previous books. And while you I did, as I said before, shed tears, they were really minimal. To sum it up- the book could have been more moving if there were just a bit more longer.

The characters are mostly typical- the down on his luck man is the down on his luck man. At the beginning of the story his is self-destructive. Part of the story's intrigue is finding out where he messed up, and why he did. However if that is what the author intended to achieve, part of that magic is lost by the plainness of Chick (the main character's name). It's not that you don't feel any sympathy for him, it's just that he's nothing you've never seen before. The mother is the loving mother, as usual. I just feel that it could have been a much more atypical story if the mother had appeared to be more harsh, so that the idea could be driven across with more power.

I hope all this doesn't make you doubt this book, though. Like I said, it still holds power over you. There is a twist waiting at the end of the book, and it's not a glaringly obvious one that you can see coming from a mile away. That in itself is a feat that is hard to achieve nowadays when most twists have been seen before.

So pick up this book. It's well worth the read. I know some people don't believe in the intensity of a mother's love anymore, I mean, today we are so quick to judge- if they bar us from something, our automatic assumption is that they don't love us. This book will make you believe. I have another friend in college who finds it derogative if you tell someone 'But your mother still loves you!' And I used to agree with her, considering it's usually used to tell a person that 'No one else could possibly love you.'

Now I think, no, it's not derogative to have your mother love you. I love my mother, and the book reminded me of why. Because sometimes, you know, you tend to forget.

7 out of 10.

Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

2006-10-01T16:50:00.000+08:00

Nothing I can say about this book can possibly do it justice- it is just THAT good. As far as 'mature, adult' books go, this stands as high as His Dark Materials does on the 'young adult/children's' pedestal for me.

The story is a recollection of past events by the main character, Richard Papen whose life undergoes a dramatic change when he enrols in Hampden college, where he enters a Grecian classics class which is, as far as when the story begins, exclusive to only five other people- Henry, the 'leader' of the pack, Francis the metro/homo-sexual, Charles and Camilla who are twins, and Edmund (more affectionately known as 'Bunny'), who is effectively one of the most annoying characters I have ever run across in a novel before. The class is so exclusive that before Richard, their mentor, Julian has never taken in any other students before- not counting the fact that entering that particular class entails dropping every other subject. The main character, who comes from a less-than-wealthy family in California finds himself living a charade, trying to fit in with these intellectual and rich students. This circle of six end up isolating themselves from the rest of the college population, somehow bound together by an invisible thread that starts to unravel the moment murder is brought into the equation.

This is a gripping story of close friendships, betrayal, and the darkness hidden in the human soul. The events in this story are as unpredictable and sudden as life itself, and on the whole it represents the human struggle to escape that degree of 'self', to be free. In an attempt to escape 'themselves' through a bacchanal, they end up unwittingly killing an innocent man, and ironically, they end up writing themselves as characters in what can only be described as a tragedy.

‘Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that’s why we’re so anxious to lose them, don’t you think? Remember the Erinyes?’
‘The Furies,’ said Bunny, his eyes dazzled and lost beneath the bang of hair.
‘Exactly. And how did they drive people mad? They turned up the volume of the inner monologue, magnified qualities already present to great excess, made people so much themselves that they couldn’t stand it.’

The effects of each moment recollected by the narrator is magnified by the masterful language and style of the author. The story varies quickly from being gloomy, vivid, dreamy and ironically funny (though not unappropriately so) at some points. We share the intimate bond the narrator shares with his friends, and yet there is always the underlying reminder that he doesn't really know them at all. They are almost like ghosts, drawn together by a single event which keeps them in its firm grip. There is a sense of disillusionment throughout the book, especially with Henry, which reminds us that in life, we never really know the true motives of the things the people around us do, even if they are our friends.

Later we are witness to the change in their behaviors and the helplessness of anyone to lessen their distress. The power of the Furies is at large, and the forces between them are becoming more and more scrambled. Extreme states of victimisation and paranoia are even reached when friends seem like enemies and shadows lurk where there are none (the secret histories of others). This ties with the central act of the motive for the bacchanal, almost as if the attempt to break the fact of their isolated selves is what entails their downfall, for trying to deny a certain central element in their tragedy.

All in all, this book is a wonderful read. Superbly written and chilling to the core, I give it a perfect score. (ooh, it rhymes!)

Book Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

2006-10-01T16:30:00.000+08:00

Anyone who remembers 'Stolen' by the same author deserves credit- it feels like an eternity since I first read and reviewed it. Since then, Kelley Armstrong has been on a roll, adding book after book to her 'Women of the Underworld' series, although the series took a departure from the original character, werewolf Elena Michaels to explore the lives of other characters such as the witch- Paige Winterbourne and Savannah's dead mother... I forgot her name. It goes without saying that, purist that I am, I did not follow the books which did not directly involve Elena. So now, four books later, here I am again, picking up the book which chronicles the welcome return of the kick-ass sole female werewolf in Armstrong's dark modern world.

Like the first two books, 'Bitten' and 'Stolen', Armstrong retains her first-person narrative, and it's good to see that Elena is as bitter and sarcastic as ever. The unusual twist this time around is that she is- wait for it!- pregnant! Considering the fact that she's supposed to be the first female werewolf since, ever, it becomes quite a bit of a problem for her. (seriously, how could they not see it coming, considering the ridiculous amount of sex they have? The werewolf pack walks around the house naked for crying out loud. How the other three or four men can control their inhibitions while Clayton Danvers, Elena's lover takes the prize is beyond me)

After dealing with rogue werewolves in the first book, and a secret government operation in the second, the third brings zombies. Yes, zombies. Looking over the list of storyline themes, you're probably thinking that the book series is a bunch of B-grade crap, which admittedly, it is in a sense. But it's good crap, if only because of Elena's sarcastic narration and 'charming' personality. Her pop-culture references are reminiscent of Buffy, to which she is often compared to by critics.

Ah, back to zombies. Yes, this book revolves around Jack the Ripper's 'From Hell' letter, and how when Clayton unwittingly strikes a mosquito with Elena's blood on the letter, a spell is triggered which opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. Toronto may be looking for a new tourism boost, but 'Gateway to Hell' isn't quite the new slogan the city had in mind. As I said before- it's purely a B-movie fest, albeit sexier and wittier. Killer rats, vampires and zombies, oh my. The story has a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, in my honest opinion, it falls quite short of expectation. The lack of a solid villain could be seen as one of the story's main flaws. Most of the time, Elena and co. are dishing out punishment on random things that just come their way without explanation. It doesn't help that the story feels a bit far-fetched as well. (What is Jack The Ripper's 'From Hell' letter doing all the way in Canada, for example?) Somehow the story lacks the drive that was in 'Stolen', despite the fact that secret government operations are really a recycled plot device, namely 'stolen', pardon the pun, from the most hated Buffy the Vampire Slayer season ever to appear on TV.

Somehow, pregnancy also seems to take the fire out of our main character. And the direction Kelley Armstrong is taking her character is also questionable. Are successive stories going to be about Elena making it work as a soccer mom? A person juggling a toddler while battling the forces of darkness? While it would make for some interesting comedy, I can't help but think that the more this progresses, Elena is going to become less and less the self-absorbed, ass-kicking bitch I was first introduced to four years ago.

(sigh)

It shouldn't deter you from reading the book though. It's okay enough. I've seen worse. *cough*TheLightAges*cough*

I give it a 6 out of 10.

Book Review: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner

2006-07-18T00:10:00.000+08:00

The novel ‘Sophie’s World’, written by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaardner isn’t all that it would seem to be. Indeed, with a title like that, and by reading the first few pages or so about a young girl named Sophie and her life, the book almost sets itself up like a children’s or a young adult centered storybook. This assumption just might be true, in a way, since the main purpose of this book is education in the basics of philosophy, and it is done in such a way that possibly even a twelve-year old can understand it, let alone a person who’s about to study it at a platform of higher education.

So the story starts with minor details of Sophie’s life, and how when she comes home one day from school, she receives a letter with nothing but two questions in it: ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Where do you come from?’ With no way to identify the sender, or where it came from in the first place, this letter is only the beginning of other letters with equally thought-provoking questions, as well as letters containing, as the letters claim, ‘a crash course in philosophy’. These letters cover philosophy from the time of Plato to the slightly more modern Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his ‘Social Contract’.

In order to keep the reader interested, the story obviously isn’t all about the philosophy lesson. There are questions resolved, starting with the obvious ‘Who is the person sending Sophie these letters?’ followed by the fact that she also starts to receive birthday cards and letters addressed to one ‘Hilde Knaag’, a girl she has never met before in her entire life.

Where the story starts, it seems like a story about real life, or something that very well could have happened. Then things start getting bizarre. Characters from storybooks or old fairy tales appear abruptly, say cryptic things, then disappear. A videotape she receives shows Ancient Greece. Real Ancient Greece, not the kind made in a studio. The reader won’t be able to help but wonder if our young Sophie is going mad.

Then of course, comes the twist that no one sees coming, just like in every other good book. Obviously I won’t say what it is here, but it is one of the best things about this book. What makes it an enjoyable read is its unpredictability. Almost anything can happen. And while you’re reading it, you won’t realize that what you’re really reading is a Philosophy textbook disguised as a story, not until you finish and think about it again.

There is a lot to learn from this book, and the language used is mostly simple and easy enough to understand, making it a lot easier to digest than a textbook. For me it was an introduction into the world of philosophy, and I don’t think I’ll ever look at the world around me quite the same ever again. So all in all, if you’re looking for a good read, and want to learn something new as well, this is the book for you.

But then again, this should probably only be for people who are interested in philosophy. Honestly speaking, I wasn't that interested in philosophy, and thus I found myself skipping or rushing through some parts. Of course, it seems like a cool deep thing, like 'Whoa, where do we come from?' or 'Whoa, what does it mean to be human?' So well, though some parts were intriguing to me, eventually it got old by the end of the book. I mean, as a general way to look at it, I think people who like to discuss 'Why men exist' over a coffee at Starbucks are people who like to believe they are deep. Personally, I admit that philosophy is important in some expects, but I don't trust the ideas different people have when it comes to 'How man should live to be most productive/happy'.

I think we've had enough productive/happy. So much that we're blowing up each other just for more wealth. Maybe if we didn't divide each other so much-

Hah. Never going to happen. Mankind is a plague.

I give this book a 6 out of 10.

Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

2006-07-18T00:03:00.000+08:00

Ever since the success of Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci Code’, the number of historical fiction novels in bookstores has increased dramatically. Everyone wants to do it now, hoping to become instant millionaires as well. And it wouldn’t be so annoying if it weren’t for the fact that, on a shelf with 14 titles, 10 of them would most likely be historical fiction, with the words ‘Better than ‘The Da Vinci Code!’ or ‘As good as The Da Vinci Code!’ emblazoned on the cover.

To start with, this novel doesn’t make any such claims on the front cover, which is just as well, because though it does touch historical avenues once in a while, it is nothing like ‘The Da Vinci Code’.

The novel is basically about a young teenage girl, whose father disappeared while searching for his mentor. Both her father and his mentor were historians, studying well, history, but more specifically the fact and fiction of ‘Vlad the Impaler’, or more widely known to this generation as ‘Dracula’. The girl then sets off with what she knows, hoping to track her father down.

The story is told in layers. It goes back and forth between two different stories- the story of the girl looking for her father, and the story her father told her about his time at university, when he was first introduced to his mentor and how he subsequently developed an interest in researching Dracula’s roots in history. Although this slows the story’s pace somewhat (to me I had to get at least a hundred pages in before it started getting exciting), to the patient reader, it is well worth the wait because once the book starts picking up the pace, it develops into a good thriller/horror story, keeping you turning the pages just to see what happens next.

Personally though, to me the only flaw in this book is its ending, which I find rather unsatisfying after the long buildup. But then that’s just a matter of perspective. I know other people who would disagree, and say that the ending was perfect. Either way, I found the book well worth the read. The language the author uses is not too complicated, and she keeps you guessing by leading us up to events which lead on to other events, and so forth.

Keep in mind, however, that all this excitement only happens AFTER the first hundred or so pages, so you're going to have to be really patient to enjoy this book. Stephen King fans would be used to this sort of treatment by now, so you should find this book okay, considering it's not just historical fiction, it's also relatively slow paced, but intricately detailed, and it delves into the horror genre as well every so often.

I still think the ending could have been better. More...tragic. But then I know some of you saps like endings where everyone's happy and dancing in the moonlight. So... there.

7 out of 10.

Book Review: Republic of Trees by Sam Taylor

2006-04-30T20:25:00.000+08:00

If any of you read my blog, you might be wondering what's been taking me so long to do this. After all, the cover is exciting enough, now you want to know whether the book itself is worth it or not.

To start off, the idea sounds innocent enough that I'll admit that I was fooled into buying it. This time I wasn't really fooled by the cover- I actually thought that I shouldn't judge it by its cover- the fact that the girl is topless there doesn't mean that the story is that dirty. Well I was wrong there. If I had judged the book by its cover, I would have known where I was headed.

But then I may never have read this book if that were the case, and that in itself is a loss as well.

It's true that this story is anything but innocent, but in a moment I'll get to why you should read this book.

Now, the innocent concept is about four young teenagers in the French countryside who run away to live in the forest and start their own noble community which they call the 'Republic of Trees'. Using Jean Jacque Rosseau's 'Social Contract' (don't pretend to be smart, please. Just click on that link and read it a bit, it'll do you a whole world of good) as a backbone, they start making up their rules, their way of living, and hey, everyone's happy. The main character Michael gets to climb trees. His brother and his best friend get to go hunting with a rifle. Isobel gets to go sunbathing. You get the idea.

But ah, the story isn't a whole load of roses. As I have said earlier, this book is anything but an innocent, fun read for those below twelve. Words like 'erection' do make their appearance in this book, and hey, big deal, right? The main characters are teens. They'd have to be castrated to not have any urges. But no, that's not really where the bulk of the story is. The bulk of the story really falls into place when a fifth character- Joy is introduced. While Joy seems to bring no harm to the way things work at first, seduction, love, jealousy...well things do fall apart. And in a bloody way. You'll have to read it to believe it.

There is a sort of dream-like quality to the way this story is told. Michael, the narrator won't remember all the details of everything that's happened, instead he picks out what he does and tells it to you, leaving you to assume to fill in the blanks. It adds a sense of realism to this story- in that seriously, if a story were narrated through a first-person POV, how the heck to those people remember every last detail? There is also a childish innocence to the way he narrates that you will feel ebb as the story progresses. And as things get ugly, well the dream turns into a nightmare.

The climax is a heartstopper, and the dark closing we're given ends this story in a way that tells you straight to your face: "IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ENID BLYTON, YOU GOT THE WRONG BOOK SUCKER!"

And that in itself is art, I'd say. The darkness of it all. This book is like William Golding's Lord of the Flies in a sense. The darkness of the human heart, portrayed in all its realism is what makes it all the more beautiful. If you don't mind being disturbed and having long periods of going, "Holy shit...they were kids. How could they..." then by all means, this book is the book for you.

I wouldn't say I loved every last moment of it. It's not that kind of book. But if you're looking for something that will leave a mark, then look no further. This will leave bloody footprints all over your mind. And again, the dream-like, self-righteous style of delivery makes this book all the more a frightening read.

A powerful debut from author Sam Taylor. I hope he keeps on writing, because really, there comes a time in life when you realize that you have way too much happy endings.

9 out of 10 because of its masterful delivery.

Book Review: Dark Cities Underground by Lisa Goldstein

2006-04-30T20:09:00.000+08:00

Another Egyptian book. No wait, I haven't put much reviews up for the tons of others I've been getting into, so you guys won't really know what I'm talking about. Let's just say that I have a newfound obession with Egyptian mythology, and leave it at that. So looking at the cover, it should be pretty obvious why I picked it off the bookshelf. And the fact that it was only 6.00 bucks at PLB made the deal all the more sweeter.

Now, I highly doubt that Lisa Goldstein would be familiar to any one of you. Despite the fact that she's got quite a number of awards under her belt (I've been doing my research), she doesn't seem to surface much in mainstream fiction. Her genre is...how shall I put it? Different. As different as Khairul's music taste. Like 'The Streets' "Pyeow pyeow" to Britney's mainstream caterwauling. I know it's a subject of much debate right now on my blog, to which I shall admit defeat for now. But enough about that- now to the review.

Despite having Anubis on the front cover, the story isn't that heavily Egyptian. It greatly focuses on the central character Ruthie, a journalist who's trying to write a book on a boy, whose mother is a famous children's author. Word was that his mother got her insipration to write her fantasy books from stories that the boy told her as a child. (The boy is now in his 50s) It mostly revolves around this 'other world' to which the boy found the gate to underground, through a door he found in a great big tree.

Whoa. Stop. Alice in Wonderland-ish? Getting turned off by how childish this is starting to sound? Don't. There's more.

The idea for this book is really simple. Peter Pan (not the Indonesian band), Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, even. What if, all these authors got their inspiration from a particular place, if not directly themselves, then from people they knew who ended up there at one time or another? This place, this underground world that the boy mentioned above stumbled into, that goldmine for inspiration, is what this book revolves around.

Of course, there's much more to that underground world that talking mermaids, fairies and such. In fact, you'll find no such thing there. So how does it work, exactly? That's where I would be giving away too much. Because there are...say, other people interested in this place apart from the journalist author, who's just trying to write her book, and the boy, who's now trying to reconnect the events of his past. And not everyone has good intentions.

No romanticism in this novel. Unless you're looking for ickiness, considering the main male character is 50 and the woman is well, 40. Definitely not an outing for people looking for a good love story. But in a sense, sometimes books like these are fun to pick up if only to get away from the moaning and whimpering of lovebirds who you know are going to be kissing before the story ends.

The story develops itself at a suitably fast pace. By the end of the first chapter, you already know that great things are going to happen in this book, thus making it hard to put down, just because you want to understand what the heck is going on. It probably doesn't help that every once in a while, you're treated to a slight glimpse as to what the 'other parties' are doing.

So pick it up if the concept intrigues you. Either wait for me to come home or buy it from Borders, I'm quite sure I saw it there.

Of course, it won't cost 6 bucks if you buy it there. ^^

8 out of 10.

Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

2006-03-23T13:40:00.000+08:00

How often do I admit to liking something Japanese? How often do I admit to liking a romance novel? Never, right? Well here I am, about to do both of those things now. This book is damn good. No, really.

For those of you who don't know, 'Norwegian Wood' is the title of a Beatles song, and if you've heard it before, it almost echoes throughout the whole book, the melancholy tune and sentiment imbuing the work. The novel begins with a brief introductory chapter by Toru Watanabe, who upon hearing an orchestrial cover of the song, remembers his life about seventeen years ago, and the rest of the book retells those times. The murky ambiguity and confusion of The Beatles song is similar to the novel. It is a love story, or several love story. Baffling as love usually is. The Beatles sang: 'I once had a girl/or should I say/she once had me." Toru is similarly unclear as to how he should consider the relationships he is in.

There are two women involved. One is Naoko. In high school she was Toru's best (and only) friend's girlfriend, and the three of them got along really well. Then the best friend, Kizuki, committed suicide. Toru and Naoko didn't see each other for one year after the funeral. Toru wants to escape Kobe, where they grew up, and so he goes to a university in Tokyo. Here he runs into Naoko again who also goes to college here. They see each other on occasion, and make love once- after which she leaves Tokyo. Emotionally unstable, she returns to her family, and later on goes to live in a sort of sanitorium.

The second woman who Toru gets involved in is Midori, whom he meets after Naoko has left. She is in the same Drama class as him, and quite selfish and eccentric. Both Midori and Naoko are not entirely approachable. Both like, or even love Toru, but they are wary of having him close or revealing too much about themselves. Midori's father, who she says is in Uruguay is actually in the hospital. Toru accepts things as they are, and often tries to help but doesn't want to intrude on things. He is drawn to Midori, but feels an obligation to Naoko.

The story is told in an almost biographical style, which makes it feel all the more real because you feel like Toru is telling you his story. And the emotions, the way they are conveyed, the uncertainty surrounding them, they make this story feel all the more real. They make this story a lot more emotionally intense than your average love story.

Powerful in its delivery, and the reality that surrounds it.

8 out of 10. Minus two because it's from a Japanese author. XD

Book Review: Slaves of the Mastery

2006-03-10T21:06:00.000+08:00

I've got a theory about trilogies; I call it The Second Book Theorem. Starting with His Dark Materials, I noticed that in most of the trilogies I've encountered, the second book in the trilogy, more often than not, is the best in the series. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials), Lirael (The Old Kingdom Trilogy), That-Second-Book-Whose-Title-I-Forget (The Elenium) and now, joining their ranks is Slaves of the Mastery, of The Wind On Fire Trilogy.

The first book sucked. Tanked. Majorly. It was a whole lot of bad from Badonia. There was almost no point in reading the first book. Hell, you can skip it and come out largely unscathed, plotwise. In fact, I recommend you to completely ignore the first book. It's nothing compared to this one.

This book? Oh, it's just one of the best fantasy books in a trilogy that I've read in a while, right behind Lirael and The Subtle Knife. The characters are again one of the strongest points in this book, but this time, add a compelling plot and wonderful pacing to that list.

I don't really like divulging details about the plot but...

Well, Aramanth, released from the grip of the Morah, becomes kinder - weaker. The city had let its guard down and its defences were few. Then came the Mastery and its army, marching in to annihilate Aramanth and enslave its people. This they did, burning the city to the grounds and the Hath family were all captured, save for Kestrel, who had been hiding in the city and somehow got away. Now, she will have to find her family again and set them free...

Well, there's more to it than that, and you see Bowman, along with Mumpo, develop further, growing wiser/stronger. Also, the introduction of Sisi, the Johdilla, adds more depth (even if she herself lacks it) and color (now this she has a lot of) to the proceedings.

It's wonderful how everything gets together so well in this book and I was actually amazed that the author had this in him, considering the H-U-G-E disappointment that was The Wind Singer. All in all, reading this was a pleasure and I expect most of you will feel the same.

I give this an 8 out of 10.

Book Review: The Wind Singer

2006-03-10T20:57:00.000+08:00

This is the first book in a trilogy that chronicles the lives and adventures of a trio of children belonging to a tribe of people called the Manths. These people live in a city called Aramanth where exams are everything. Failure to pass an exam carries with it a heavy sentence of being demoted of your privileges, should you acquire them. It's all terribly depressing, and deeply unfair, as Kestrel points out rather er, subtly in the town square.

Ultimately, her defiance to the system led her to carry the responsibility of loosening the grip an evil entity called the Morah on the city. She has to go on a journey unlike any other, endure the deserts and "walk through the fire" to gain the Singer's Voice, or whatever it was called. Then, and only then will her people be free, hence enabling them to "seek the homeland".

Needless to say, this is all boring. I read through the book with a half-heart, not really wanting to know what happens next. One of the few things that made me read on was Kestrel's relationship to her twin brother, Bowman - their love for each other, although somewhat well, nauseating, was real. Also, their father's attempt at a quiet mutiny by convincing his fellow "failures" to do their best at what they know, as opposed to attempting to be an all-rounder.

All right, Whatever. By the end of the book I felt slightly cheated, even if I grew to love the Hath family, Kestrel and Bowman, especially. That's the only saving grace for this book: the characters. The plot and everything else just felt half-baked.

Pick this one up at your own risk.

4 out of 10

Book Review: Princess by Jean P. Sasson

2006-02-18T23:06:00.000+08:00

Bet none of you saw THIS coming, did you? It's an autobiography of a woman living in Saudi Arabia. Try to imagine that if you will. Me. Saudi Arabia. Woman. Autobiography. Autobiography. Me. Well, I did say I was going to try and diversify when it came to reading, and Nadia gave me a hand (thanks, love) by passing me this book, along with two others: Tuesdays with Morrie (awesome, awesome book), and A Child Called It. All three are autobiographies.

Right, now the name itself brings an image of a rich, beautiful girl, covered in diamonds and rubies, living in the lap of luxury, getting everything she wants when she wants it. If that image is what you have in mind, then it's going to be shot down to hell once you open the book. What follows is a riveting story of oppression, oh how women are treated in Saudi Arabia. They have to real rights, no say in anything, and are viewed only as things used for breeding with and sexual pleasure. In a family, sons are treasured, daughters are reviled, for fear that they might 'sully the family name'. Since birth, women are taught to be obedient to men, and men are taught to be stuck up, arrogant pricks who abuse them.

The story follows the life of Sultana, from her childhood days till her marriage, of all the trials and tribulations she has to go through as she dreams for a change in her world- one that will permit her to achieve her other dreams, for indeed, in Saudi Arabia, women have no right to achieve anything they want. From the way the story is told, (especially if you're a girl), prepare to spend a lot of time snarling and growling, and feeling sorry for, not this woman in particular, but the entire female population of Saudi Arabia. To describe some of the things they have to go through here would not do the book justice, so I'll leave it to you to read for yourself. You'll be surprised as to how harsh and extreme things are in these book, considering the fact that Arabs tend to generate the 'holier-than-thou' image on us Muslims.

The language is simple and clear. Using the first-person narrative, the author draws us into the main character's shoes in such an effective manner that you will feel as though you are the person, and, to an extent, wish that someone would sweep in there with a plane, rescue all the women, then drop a nuclear bomb on the remaining men. The story doesn't end as the book finishes- as it sets the stage for two sequels (which I hope to be reading really soon). It ends in a mournful, sad yet hopeful note. Which is, something that I'm thankful for. The way I see it, autobiographies are meant to end sadly. (part of the reason why I hated the Memoirs of a Geisha movie)

Rivetting and a page-turner. Despite what I expected it to be, it turned out to be a book that I will always remember.

8.5 out of 10.

Book Review: The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell

2006-02-11T01:13:00.000+08:00

Holy crap. Nicholas Pang, I will not doubt any book you throw my way anymore. NEVER. In fact, I'm finally opening that Haruki Murakami book right now. Yes, finally. Shouldn't have doubted your choices, never will again. ^^ Because this book just blew me away.

Now, I expected something Adrian Mole-ish from this book. The lead character is after all, a British teenager who narrates the story through letters he writes to his favorite singer (not a diary, but it almost passes of a kind of diary. Unique, really) And its almost a coming-of-age novel, teen angst and it is humorous at times, because of the way it's narrated early on. But this book is really much, much, more mature, with more heart-wrenching scenes and darkness in it that it's a lot more than I really expected it to be.

The basic premise of this book is about a boy, Raymond Marks whose life changes when he gets accused of being...well, *something* by the local community due to a slight misunderstanding, and his fucked-up Headmaster. From then on life spirals downwards for him and his single mom, as he (eleven as this is happening) is sort of ostracized from society and the people who were once his friends. This however, is told in a more past tense form as the story really unfolds as he is leaving home, headed to a place called Grimsby where he is going to work as a construction worker. The events of the past he tells to his favorite singer Morissey, through his letters, piece together his past and eventually lead to where he is now.

The story is purely a roller coaster ride of emotions. There are characters you will hate with such intensity, and then there are ones you'll love and cry for, the main character included. And despite being a novel with a teenager as the main character, only the last 40 or so pages are dedicated to any form of romance, which is also left without being developed because frankly, this story isn't about this boy's love life, it's about his growing up, and the challenges he face due to being 'less than normal', due to being 'the wrong boy' as he sees it.

I shed tears more than once while reading this book. And seriously, I haven't been moved this much for a long time now, not since- oh well, I'd rather not bring it up, but it's a really really good book- one that I plan to own when I get home. Cuz I have to return this to the library in a few days- so later I'm going to look for one at Borders or Kino and buy it. It's that damn good.

Something about the main character reminds me of Khairul though- how he adores that one singer that no one else he knows seems to appreciate, and yet he fiercely defends that-

Oh wait, Khairul doesn't defend Chris Martin anymore.

But I digress.

I give this book a perfect score, and it fully deserves it.

Book Review: A Mango-Shaped Space

2006-01-21T18:19:00.000+08:00

I found this book in the Young Adult section accidentally, just combing through the list of titles. The book's size was a little bigger than the rest on its shelf (and it was the only one there) so I took it out and...

...IT HAS A PRETTY COVER! OOOH!

Seriously though, I picked this up only because I can get a 25% discount on The Time Traveller's Wife and only on an impulse.

It was a good decision, in retrospect.

The book details the life of Mia ...or the adolescent part of it, anyway. Mia is a normal middle-child who has a bitch as a sister and a weirdo of a little brother; so what's new?

Well, for starters, she can see colors when no one can.

You see, for Mia, letters and numbers and sounds, they all have colors for her. For example, the mew of her cat, Mango, has the color of, well, mango. (Hence the name.) To her, this is normal but when her parents find out, they collectively freak out.

--------------------------------

Mia's Mom: I told you not to take drugs!
Mia's Dad: What drugs? My cousin was the one who took drugs! And how is that relevante here?
Mia: (exasperated silence)

--------------------------------

Mia's parents, like all parents would after finding out their daughters are seeing things they're not, thought she was nuts. She's not. Quite simply, she has a condition that is not harmful nor is it a disability.

She has synasthesia.

After that discovery, the book primarily deals with coming to terms with Mia's condition. Mia accepting it with joy; her family supporting her and her best friend...

...ah, yes. Mia gets into a fight with her best friend. It's interesting how it plays out but the potential is lost near the end. But it's pretty good.

Also, as with any typical teen story, there has to be a tinge of romance. It's not sappy and it has an almost clinical outlook on it. But well, by this time, you can already guesss what will happen.

All in all, it's a good book, if slightly flawed. Give it a shot but don't expect too much out of it.

7 out of 10

Book Review: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

2006-01-20T12:58:00.000+08:00

Wikipedia. Horror. Link. HP Lovecraft. Link. Clive Barker. And I get this. It's going to be made a movie. (Yes, I know, ANOTHER movie tie-in) pretty soon, so upon running into it at Pay Less Books, I decided that I'd get a peek at it before the movie comes out. It was described as a children's book, but a horror book at the same time. So it intrigued me. THIS is what I should have been reading during my days as a kid. THIS is the bedtime story I want to tell my children (If I ever get married. Hm. Nah) Because hey, it's a children's story. It's like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.... Of Doom'.

Like most children's books, this book features children who get whisked off to magical faraway places, or just places that are plain bizzarre where they see things from their wildest dreams. The main character, Harvey Swick is sent to the Holiday House, a place that every child would want to go. There its always spring in the morning, summer in the afternoon, Halloween in the evening (Autumn) and Christmas at night (winter). Oh yay, joy. In an Enid Blyton book, the children will have fun, then go home, and live happily ever after, just that they miss the place.

But then Enid Blyton had no hand at all in this.

The children aren't allowed to leave, and the Holiday House seems to have secrets of the demonic kind. Will Harvey Swick be able to get out alive?

What I love about this book is its disturbing underlaying tones which might not seem too apparent to the average child, but oh yes, its there. And the bad guys don't explode into rainbows and candy. It's got darkness which it doesn't try too desperately to hide. And unlike a certain other book about a certain factory of chocolates, the bizarreness of this book doesn't feel all that childish. Sure there are transformations and stuff. But no one gets turned into a giant blueberry. And the tour-guide isn't a Depp-turned-into-Michael-Jackson.

Extra points for that.

Granted, I haven't read Chocolate Factory, but the movie just made it so much less appealing to me, that I don't think I ever will.

Good thing I picked this up before the movie, then.

I give it a 7 out of 10.

Book Review: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

2006-01-20T10:54:00.000+08:00

Early holidays. My reading list was still thick and I was still on a no-buying policy when it came to books. Then one day dad went to Borders. ^^ And then I found this.

You won't find a proper synopsis at the back of the book, but I took a chance. This is what was promised at the back: a wide range of characters stuck in royally messed up situations. These include a literature analyst, a sorcerer, a hideously deformed clown, a body-switching werewolf, a girl dressed up as a guy, and a brainwashed British lord who is also a poet. Oh, and did I mention that this book involves time travel?

Apparently word goes around that as far as time-travel related novels go, this one is one of the best And after reading it, I can see why. It has the sense of wit, adventure, and a large array of things that don't make sense, but come together just cleanly at the end, leaving you going 'Oh!' Not in an errotic sense >< I think too much. So anyway, the main character, the literature guy is offered a chance to go back in time to see this poet he's researching for his book, in exchange for him briefing and explaining the situation to a bunch of other rich guys who are paying his benefactor to go back and witness the event. They arrive, they witness the event, but just as the others are leaving, the main character gets left behind in 18th century England with no money, no connections, and no place to go.

And then there's the fact that some Egyptian guy seems intent on learning the secret of time travel from him, which he knows nothing of- not that the Egyptian guy cares. It's all in the torturing anyway. So yeah, one royally messed up situation leading to another, there's rarely a dull moment in this book. It's like a kind of adventure that Indiana Jones would kill to be a part of.

The romance isn't so well developed as the other parts of the book, but hey, who cares? (Not me, that's for sure). Keep me excited and up till wee hours of the morning, turning pages and I'm happy. More than happy, even. I'm hooked. I used to only take interest in Greecian and Roman deities, but lately I've been checking up on Ancient Egyptian culture too. ^^ Woot!

Ah, and for anyone interested in writing scenes involving sword-fights, pay close attention: The final scene of this book pulls off a very good sword fight, which isn't draggy nor is it dull. And just whoa, I'll say it's one of the best face-offs I've read in a book.

I won't rant more. I'll just say it's good, and leave it here with 9 out of 10.

Book Review: Abhorsen by Garth Nix

2006-01-20T10:44:00.000+08:00

The concluding chapter in the Old Kingdom Trilogy (which I still insist should be a duology) It picks up where Lirael left off. It doesn't feel like an all new story altogether, because it's not meant to be. It's meant to tie up the story and that's what it does. Nothing more. Nothing less. This book is satisfying enough, in the sense that it maintains the same things that made Lirael good, and threw in more tight situations, and higher stakes. The story itself starts with the main character trapped on an island with the enemies preparing to make their move. And it only gets more and more intense.

Abhorsen is a roller coaster ride. Where Lirael and Sabriel had time to try and bring out the world in the back of your mind, Abhorsen has you rushing along from one place to another as the characters try to save it. The characters develop a lot more here from this point onwards, partially because they have no choice, partially because of the situations they've come out from in 'Lirael' and partially because of the revelations made at the end of that book. (I'm not giving anything away). Character dynamics are better in this book, as far as I'm concerned. But as it serves only as a conclusion, there's not much else I can say about this book.

There is an underlying 'coming-of-age' and 'accepting what you are' kind of theme running overall in this one. And it wraps up with a tragedy or two, which is always good, or it would have ended up too rosy. But it is at that final tragedy that you realize how much the character Lirael has grown. And you'll appreciate this book all the more for it.

I heard that there's a sequel for this. That short, small, purple book. I'm not picking it up, if only because I feel like this was a good fullstop. Too much dragging of a good thing makes it annoying.
*cough*starwarsprequels*cough*

7 out of 10 for this book.

8.5 out of 10 for the last two books, or if Lirael and Abhorsen had just been joined into one.

For the entire trilogy (which unfortunately includes Sabriel), I'll give it a 6. So for everyone's sake, let's pretend 'Sabriel' doesn't exist.

Book Review: Lirael by Garth Nix

2006-01-20T10:27:00.000+08:00

Odd how I should be getting to this before Khairul, considering that the trilogy was his discovery.
And after how I attacked the last book, you might find it funny that I originally wanted to decide between 'Sabriel' and 'East' while I was shopping with Khairul at Kinokuniya- to which when I asked for his opinion, he asked me to choose 'East', and I rather reluctantly did so. Part of me was screaming that 'Sabriel' was better. Why else would it have a fancier cover? Why else would there be so many copies in Kinokuniya? Well, needless to say I don't regret picking 'East' one bit. But it's funny how Khairul came back later to pick up 'Sabriel'. I'd almost forgotten about it because of 'East'.

Right, in this book, Garth Nix is finally getting somewhere. I say this because most of the holes in Sabriel were filled in this one (most, not all). And in the grand scheme of things, eventually you'll realise that 'Oh, THIS is the main character of the trilogy, NOT Sabriel.' And then you'll sigh with relief. Because 'Lirael' is so much more interesting. (Both the book 'Lirael' and the character 'Lirael'.) Unlike Sabriel, she isn't born to a 'wonderful sacred duty/destiny', so you can feel the contrast there. Far from in, in fact. Lirael is a suicidal girl who was drawn and detailed with quirks, a missing past, guilt, resilience, and a sense of wanting to belong. Sabriel was a hero, who had a sacred duty... and she did it. End of story. Now, Lirael weaves a more tangled web than Sabriel, and that makes it so much better.

The story starts years after Sabriel, introducing us to Lirael. She's a completely different character than Sabriel, as she doesn't start out as an Abhorsen or a necromancer. She is meant to be a Clayr, a Seer. Only her powers haven't developed yet, which causes her to feel like she doesn't belong. Hence the suicidal tendecies. She's a very depressed girl. Though I admit that strong commanding characters like Sabriel turn me on more, Sabriel didn't have enough behind her to make her feel real, while Lirael does. Add a missing past to Lirael's life (she has never met her mother, which leads her to doubt that she has inherited any Clayr blood at all), and you've got a character that you actually want to turn pages for.

In terms of her journey, it feels better because what the villains are actually attempting to do are not exactly clear, with a complicated web drawing it different, unique people- from Sabriel's son Sameth, to the scientific Nicholas who has something inside of him, to the companions of Lirael and Sameth, respectively The Disreputable Dog and Mogget. Yes, a talking dog AND a talking cat. Throughout the story, Dog and Mogget drop hints that there's a lot more going on then we're being led on to, which makes the story feel a lot less linear and more complicated than the first book.

There are more twists in this one. More intense scenes. Even the world feels a bit more alive now.

If anything though, the villains still feel traditional. But they're still a lot better than the one in Sabriel, which, by the time you finish this book, you'll realize that the book 'Sabriel', in the grand scheme of things, was a waste of time.

9 out of 10. It's well worth a read.

Book Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix

2006-01-20T10:10:00.000+08:00

The first book in the Old Kingdom trilogy. Yes I've finally gotten round to reading the whole thing, regardless of the fact that it was originally quite far down my reading list. Nicholas borrowed it from me, and another guy subsequently borrowed it from him, and I the other guy told me that it was worth the time. It convinced me that maybe there was something exceptional about this book after all, now that Khairul wasn't the only person who was telling me 'Sabriel is good!'.

As Khairul has mentioned in his review, the story opens with the birth of the main character, then immediately jumps to a point in her life where she's about to embark on her journey to save her dad (who happens to be a necromancer. Lots of dead things mentioned in this book), which leads her from one thing to another. The world is drawn nicely, though there wasn't so much emphasis on descriptions. This was both a good thing and a bad thing, in my opinion. Good because the descriptions didn't bore me and drag too long, just enough to get me interested in the world, bad because it got me interested, but didn't care enough to satisfy my curiosity. The world in this book is attention-grabbing enough, but in the end it left me feeling that there was a lot more to it than the author was going on about.

For the storyline, it felt quite linear to me. But maybe that's because I've just read one too many fantasy novels. Though I like journeys, and there was a plus point that the setting was a cold place, and the end of it all. it feels like going somewhere, oh, go somewhere else, oh, go somewhere else, fight the bad guy, end. There was a total of one twist throughout the story which was of any significance, as far as I was concerned, but it felt quite lame in the grand scheme of things, which ended up with me not liking the main couple so much. The characters are alive, but like the world they are alive enough to warrant wanting to find out more- something you'll never get. If there was a character that I felt satisfied with, it was Mogget, the talking cat. Sarcastic and mean, he adds life to the story which the other two characters- Sabriel and Touchstone lacked in one way or another.

It didn't help that the bad guy was just the bad guy and nothing more. I expected a lot more character dynamics, and that left me feeling a tad bit disappointed.

On the whole scale though, its adequate for a fantasy story. Though it introduces a few new concepts, the delivery of it felt rushed and the characters weren't as endearing as they could have been. But apart from that, it should be alright, especially if you're new to this genre. Otherwise you'll feel like it could have been so much more.

6 out of 10. At least it's not 'The Light Ages'. (pukes)

Book Review: Spirit-Walker

2005-11-11T09:07:00.000+08:00

I know what you're thinking: 'Ooooh! Pretty cover!' Or is it just me? Anyway, I guess there was some good in picking up Wolf Brother late, because apparently, here the sequel is! And to add to the happiness- it's in hardcover, and I NEVER buy books in hardcover unless they're from PLB. The reasons why I bought this particular one in hardcover are 1) It's pretty, 2)It was the birthday present from mom, and 3) for a hardcover book, it's pretty darn cheap- 50 bucks. Normal hardcover books have a tendency to go to 60 and 70.

Oh well, money matters aside, let's get down to the book itself. Now, Spirit-Walker takes off a few seasons after the end of Wolf Brother. Torak's been spending time with the Ravens, and far off somewhere else, Wolf has grown up. Needless to say, they still think about each other. If you were hoping for a reunion, then rejoice. If you were not hoping for a reunion because it would somehow cheapen the goodbye from Wolf Brother, don't worry so much about it- the reunion doesn't happen on page one. It happens quite late into the story anyway. The entire story is being told through the perspectives of three characters: Torak, Wolf, and Renn (yes, she's back).
So, after dispatching the demon-bear in Wolf Brother and having learnt a few important bits about his past, in this book Torak is going to have to dispatch yet another demon. Not a physical one this time- it's a sickness that has been spreading around the forest, causing people and animals to go mad. Suspecting that the whole thing ties to him and what he really is (no, he doesn't know yet. Fin-Kedinn told him), he sets off on a journey to find the cure, which takes him beyond the forest this time- to the sea.

Once again Paver pulls off her magic of drawing you into her world. With a new major setting, she introduces new concepts, new aspects of the living world she introduced to you in the first book, without being too repetitive. And it remains every bit as believeable as the first. Well, not counting one or two bits. And it's every bit as captivating- her ability to keep you turning pages hasn't deteriorated (yet. give her a couple more billion dollars and the ability to write up to book Five, and then we'll see), and at the end of the day, if you enjoyed the first one, you will love this one. The descriptions of the way people lived, their beliefs, its all here.

If there are any flaws, then I'd say that it still feels a bit rushed, though not as rushed as Wolf Brother. So that's at least an improvement. The storyline is constructed well enough, but there are a few things that might be a bit predictable. Apart from that, the revelation at the ending didn't feel explosive enough, even if Paver might have inteded for it to be that way.

All in all, a good read.

9 out of 10. Keep em' coming Ms Paver!

(Soul Eater, the next book comes out in 2006)

Book Review: The Tribes of Palos Verdes

2005-10-21T11:52:00.000+08:00

Now here's a book that, until Feera lent it to me, was nowhere on my radar. She lent it to me quite recently, but I read it almost immediately after I put The Belgariad down. No wait, not almost. I read it immediately ><. Syat and Khairul, don't hold it against me for not reading YOUR books instantly- yours are thicker. This book is thin. So I decided to get it over and done with quickly.

And words can't express how glad I am that I decided to read it quickly. It's good. Seriously. The story revolves around a girl, Medina, and her twin brother Jim who live in Palos Verdes, California. It's a modern setting. No, it's not a fantasy book. It leans more towards Young Adult, though it arguably stands on a higher ground in terms of maturity. At first glance, it seems like another adolescent's account of growing up, of coming-of-age, but beneath that, what it really is is a subtle account of a family breakdown.

And that's where it becomes real. Medina's life is far from perfect to begin with. Her breasts are small (this fact is highlighted quite often), 'plastic girls' at high school stop to make fun of her every so often, she doesn't have much friends other than her brother, no, slash that, she hardly has ANY friends other than her brother, and to top it all off, her parents' marriage is disintegrating. To keep her mind off her troubles, Medina resorts to surfing at the beach right outside her house, taking up the challenge of bigger and bigger waves. Taking up bigger and bigger risks.

Meanwhile, her relationship with her brother starts falling apart as her brother sides with her resentful mother when the marriage falls apart. Her mother doesn't make it any easier for her either- to put it frankly, her mother's a bitch. She seems to blame Medina for everything now that her husband is out of the house, making Medina's life even more miserable. Medina doesn't really have anyone to turn to- her father left the house and she is, as far as she is concerned, not welcome to his new life yet. And so she endures living at home with her mother and Jim, who seems to drift further and further away everyday.

This story is told as simply as it would be told to a diary or a passerby, but the emotions felt are slotted between the lines. Symbolism is used to great effect in the story, which increases it's impact on the reader. It takes the reader down dark roads- houses with broken marriages, smoking pot, and the real extent of how hostile people can be to you in school if you're not 'popular enough'.

At the end of it all, it's a very powerful book which will get you thinking of a lot of things. And I'm not talking about the surfing. About life, your parents, and your siblings. Honestly said this is the first book to get me this emotionally swept up in a long while. Reading about Jim and Medina reminded me of my sister to some extent, and how close we used to be before boarding school. That, and how I still silently vow to murder any boy who breaks her heart.

I want a copy of this book for myself. I wager Feera won't part with it for any amount of money, so I guess it's time to hit the Kino Navi.

9 out of 10.

Book Review: The Belgariad-Volume

2005-10-21T11:27:00.000+08:00

All powerful thingamabob, bad guys want it- oh wait, I've done this before. So there's really no need to tell you that as far as fantasy goes, The Belgariad doesn't really break any new ground. Or maybe, back when it was first published, this area was still considered new because Tolkien had probably only used it once. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this book series sucks. In fact I gave it 7.5 for the last volume, and this one is going to get a higher score. It's good. Just not exceptional if you're only starting to read it after touching all other sorts of fantasy series. Because honestly, how many more stories do we need about all-powerful thingamabobs?

On to business now. The previous volume stopped at book three out of the full series (Which has a total of five books). So maybe that's where the groundbreaking factor is: Who needs trilogies when you can do quintologies? HAHA! I'm not even sure if I used the proper word, so I'll move on. Anyway, the first volume ended with the good guys getting a hold over the all powerful thingamabob I talked about last time. So the final volume focuses on 1)fleeing back to their own country with the thingamabob intact and 2) going on an all out war with the bad guys with the odds against them (aren't they always?). What adds uniqueness to this story is that, at this point it is told by following the two main characters- The starry-eyed Garrion and his reluctant bride-to-be, Princess Ce'Nedra. (don't ask me how to pronounce that) Garrion's story focuses on him getting used to the throne, and, subsequently, learning of the prophecy on how he must kill the Evil God that the bad guys worship with his flaming sword of doom! Okay, so it's not called the flaming sword of doom... I'm beginning to sound like Shahril ><. The Orb apparently was meant to be attached to a sword, to create Garrion's ultimate weapon. It does fulfill requirements for being an ultimate weapon- considering they had to beat a powerful boss at the end of Volume One to obtain it, says the laws of videogames. So, with his sword, he can now fulfill the prophecy, which says he must fight Torak, the Evil God. Catch now is that there are TWO prophecies. One that belongs to the good guys, and another that belongs to the bad guys. Respectively, the good guys say that they will win, and the bad guys say that they will win. Even though it is as clear as the light of day to the reader which prophecy in the end, will be the true one, it is not to the characters in the story, and so Garrion, though fearing for his life, marches forth with Belgarath the sorcerer (think Gandalf) and Silk (my favourite character, sarcastic thief/spy) to confront Torak, hoping that if he can kill off the God quickly, he will avert the need for a war which will cause the deaths of, well, a lot of people.

Don't worry, the war isn't averted. In fact, it is used as a diversion by Princess Ce'Nedra to ensure her husband-to-be gets across the borders safely. No wait, that doesn't sound very humane, does it? Bah. Anyway, the parts of the book that don't involve Garrion involve Ce'Nedra developing from the spoilt princess into army leader, delivering speeches to rouse armies and making deals with kingdoms, etc. etc. Basically it involves her growing up, and what the other characters involved in the war have to do. At this point it gets a bit confusing, considering that there are, in my opinion, way too much characters to follow. But it doesn't in any way destroy the finer points of this book- which as in the last volume, was the livid description of the world. Yes, I would say that that is David Eddings' best aspect. Countries have actual borders, customs, food, you get the picture. The world is almost as alive as if it were real. And you want to get to know it all the more.

What is obvious, though I don't mind it so much, is like in LOTR, there seems to be a lot of racial tension which reflects our world. Dark-skinned people are more evil, primitive, and deserve to die while the Westerns are high and mighty, the good guys in gleaming armor. If the author is implying what I think, and what some other sensitive people think, he is implying, then maybe he needs a good smack on the head. Which is why, again, I say that The Belgariad is good, but not dynamic. The good guys are infinitely good, and the bad guys are infinitely bad. Fullstop. Good is good and bad is bad.

And the ending is explosive. Ultraman-ish, I'd say. (chuckles) You'll find out what I mean if you read it yourself. But how the bad guy dies itself is a laugh. It's unique, I'll give it that, but I still found it hillarious.

And despite all that, I find that I enjoyed it all the same. Assuming I retain my interest as soon as I get to the bottom of my reading list, I'll move on to the Malloreon.

Or I'll shove Khairul's books further down the reading list some more and put the Malloreon there.

Ah well.

8 out of 10.

Book Review: Shadow Of The Wind

2005-10-12T05:34:00.000+08:00

The book was on the top ten bestseller's list for Kinokuniya. God how shallow that makes me sound. I read mainstream books! Horror! And it's not fantasy for once! Well, not that my life centers solely on fantasy books, but you've probably noticed by now that I'm not the type to lean into more 'realistic' books so often, except when they're good. GOOD. Think Dan Brown and some of dad's Grisham books. This here, ladies and gentlemen, is no exception. With a well-rounded blend of horror, romance, politics and humor, 'Shadow of the Wind' is no ordinary Victorian thriller. Ambitious would be one word to describe it, as it attempts to tackle almost everything. While that may sound dangerous, Carlos Ruiz Zafon pulls it off anyway, and he'll keep you turning pages until you reach the end of the book (I know I took a long time to finish it, but that was purely because of the fact that I was busy. At home this would be the kind of book I finish overnight)

The story is narrated by one Daniel, the son of a Barcelone bookseller, who, as a part of family tradition is allowed to go to a place called the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books' where he will choose one book and protect it for as long as he lives. When he does, he chooses the book 'Shadow of the Wind' written by one Julian Carax. As it turns out, the book is extremely rare, and it seems that a shady person seems to be after it, ready to offer money for it and known to resort to less than seemly methods to get his hands on Carax books which he later burns. This of course leads to the mystery, as to who this person is and why he hates Carax so. And at the same time, where is Carax? The author was said to have disappeared or died somewhere in France by the time the main character develops an interest in him. Not buying it, young Daniel decides to run his own investigation into the life and history of Carax, hoping to be able to track the man back into the present. Along the way he is helped along mostly by a beggar he helped off the streets named Fumero, who also seems to have a history of his own. This story is quite complex in the sense that there so many subplots that you'll get the impression that the subplots have subplots, and that may sound like it might induce headaches, but in all honesty, it won't.

In fact that is what keeps you turning pages, I think. The characters have so much behind them, and are so alive that it feels like you're feeling them. The effective use of the first-person narrative helps that point along as well, as the thriller takes time off to be a love story at certain moments involving the main character's relationship with his best friend's sister, and at the flashbacks involving Carax. The main character isn't particularly heroic, truth be told, but that's another reason why this book is good. The main character is human enough for you to sympathize for every time shit happens. The story develops by moving ahead with events, as well as filling holes in the history of the characters, tying up just nicely at the end. And although some may find the revelation to be quite predictable, it doesn't in any way hamper the style of this book.

If there is a flaw in this book, it would only be that the events tend to be uneven, in the sense that some things that could have been developed further weren't, like the concept of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books itself. But all in all, it still provides a satisfying, engrossing read.

God bless Lucia Graves for translating this book! (yeah, it was originally Spanish)

9 out of 10. And it probably deserves more.

Book Review: Pour Your Heart Into It

2005-10-04T15:46:00.000+08:00

How many of us here drink coffee? And how many of us have had Starbucks, at least once? And how many of those are fans of the brand? What is it that we like about the establishment? The coffee is great but what really kept us coming back? Well, according to Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks Corporation, it's the atmosphere, the romance of drinking coffee and the warmth their stores exudes.

Throughtout this book, Howard tells us with great enthusiasm about how Starbucks became what it is now, from a humble little store in Seattle selling (only!) dark-roasted beans to a multi-billion, multi-store, multi-multi-multi company. Yeah, this is a business book, people.

What's unconventional about it is that it's actually fun to read. The history of the brand is absorbing and how everything seemed to fall into place just for them is wowing.

Perhaps it's all propaganda? Well, certain parts certainly felt that. I even seriously contemplated about getting a job as a barista down at the Wangsa Maju branch of Starbucks. But their mission statement is really empowering to their employees (here we go, propaganda...) and the company seems to really care about them. Great health plans, a revolutionary stock option called Bean Stock; it all seemed like Starbucks wants to make sure everyone felt like their in a family.

It all looks good on paper, but is it really the truth? *shrugs* I don't know and I'm not going to spend time trying to find out. All I know is that this book is a fascinating read.

I give it a 7 out of 10. (Which means, hey, borrow it from me but don't complain if you don't like it.)

Book Review: Message in a Bottle

2005-09-22T15:13:00.000+08:00

Buy a box of Kleenex upon the purchase of this book; you're gonna need it. And guys, read this as far away as possible from persons of the opposite sex; you don't want them to think you're a wussy. (And for the record, I'm not either.) Once you've found a cosy enough closet to dwell in for the hours you'll spend reading this, peel the edges of the book carefully. You're going to want to keep it on a shelf when you're done.

Kleenex. Closet. What's new? It's a Nicholas Sparks book so naturally, this is a book on romance and judging by the fact that it's been made into a movie starring Kevin Costner, I'll go out on a limb and say it was wildly successful with women and SNAGs everywhere.

And rightly so too. As with all of Sparks' books, this is a touching one. By the end, you'll be crying silently and softly to yourself, wondering if you'll ever experience even the briefest moment like those the characters in this book do. (Hence the Kleenex.) And it's the kind of crying that makes you feel good.

However, if you've even read anything by Sparks before this, the effect will be slightly diminished. I've read The Notebook and True Believer, so this is actually the third one I've read. While I was still touched and amazed at the characters Sparks conjured up, at one point I thought to myself, "Hmm... typical Nicholas Sparks scene," right around the time they were making love.

But what wasn't typical about it, depends on whether you were expecting it to end like a normal Nicholas Sparks book. Because u\if you did, then you're going to be in for a neat surprise.

I give it a 7 out of 10.

Book Review: American Gods

2005-09-20T16:12:00.000+08:00

With a title like that, one might assume that it's a book about the rich and famous in America. To an extent, that is accurate, but the "gods" are no longer rich, nor famous. Who (or, more accurately, what) are Neil Gaiman referring to? To the literal gods, of course. Those deities of the Norse and Hindu, among others. And there are a lot. Ever wondered what happened to Thor? Well, he shot himself in the '70s.

What drove Thor to kill himself? And what made the deities, who are, supposedly, all-mighty and powerful, become so... human? According to Wednesday, who is, the American version of Odin (more on that later), gods feed on prayer and belief. Now, with modern amenities and entertainment, man no longer believe in the old gods, preferring to spend time devoting the new gods, i.e. the television, media... etc.

And why are these gods called American, when they are Nordic or Hindi in origin? You see, (again, according to Wednesday) gods come to new lands when their believers go there, carrying them in their minds, and creating them there. So, using this theory, we'd have a few hundred Odins running around the world.

Throughout the novel, we see their world through Shadow's eyes, who works for Wednesday. Technically, this is a Dan Brown-ish novel. But it has so many elements in it that you won't be able to tell. Short stories are abound. History lessons, too, actually. There're elements of thriller, horror, humour and God knows what else Gaiman thought was suitable to throw in there.

If you're planning to read this, be forewarned that it's going to be a long read. Like, weeks. The pace is slow but not boring. It's just the right kind of speed for a book this ambitious. Gaiman gives you time to put down the book and process all the information, and then think about it some more before continuing. If you're looking for a Dan Brown book, don't bother with this.

I give this book a 7.5 out of 10

Book Review: Minnow On The Say

2005-09-19T09:29:00.000+08:00

Here's a book I ran into by chance in the school library back when I was in Form Three. My reading frenzy was at it's peak, then, and I made an almost daily routine of visiting the library to borrow two books (as I was allowed only that amount). Since the selection of books in SMKTM wasn't exactly as wide as KYUEM's (but at least better than Sains Seremban's), I normally picked books randomly, without discrimination. This book was one of my first finds. It was good enough for me to buy my own copy when I finally found it, three years later.

Anyway, this book has an Enid Blyton-ish feel to it (I'm judging based on the very few Blyton books I've read. My sister is the Enid Blyton reader, not me), what with two innocent young boys as main characters, out on a kind of adventure or, more accurately, treasure hunt. Obstacles appear along the way, but it's nothing that can't be worked around. And at the very end, the clues and mystery surrounding the treasure is resolved, in an unexpected way. No, I'm not spoiling anything for you by saying that, it would have been pretty obvious how things would turn out from the moment you read the synopsis at the back of the book.

Regardless of predictability, Minnow on the Say is a charming tale. The author manages to capture the childlike innocence of two twelve-year old boys, Adam and David, who are on the search of Adam's family treasure. An orphan, Adam lives with his Aunt Dinah, who can barely afford to take care of him since she's not working, and the pension they live on from their grandfather isn't much either. When the talk of sending Adam to live with his cousins in Birmingham arises, Adam decides to find the treasure so that he can stay. The story is mainly seen through David, Adam's best friend who is drawn into the search as his friendship with Adam develops.

The story is set in the Barleys, a rural countryside somewhere in the UK, I'd say. I haven't taken Geography for three years now, so pardon my lack of sense. Either way, the author paints a beautiful picture of peace as she describes the place, with the green grass and the River Say behind the two main characters' houses. (Hence the 'Say' in the title. 'Minnow' is the name of the canoe that they use on their treasure hunting adventures). And the events that unfold as every chapter passes are the kind that keep you turning pages. From the discovery of the rhyme that was to be the clue to the treasure:

'When Phillip came to the single Rose
over the water,
The treasure was taken where no one knows
None but my daughter.

To the unexpected (almost) discovery of the treasure, the author never leaves you at a dull moment. The language is simple, and the story doesn't drag, so it's perfect for teens or children, at length. Think of it as a children's version of 'The Da Vinci' code, if you must. Minus the history lessons and killing, keeping only the 'treasure hunting' air.

A good read for when you need to keep things simple.

8 out of 10.

Book Review: The Belgariad- Volume One

2005-09-16T18:18:00.000+08:00

All powerful thingamabob. Bad guy wants it. Good guys want to stop bad guy from getting it because bad guy is either going to use it to take over the world or cause a lot of property damage. Good guy has an ultimate hero meant to get ultimate thingamabob. Guided by an old powerful guy whose power is supposed to be unrivalled except for maybe that of the bad guy, and a bunch of other different characters who don't nescesarrily get along, ultimate hero travels in search of ultimate thingamabob. Results in showdown. Good guys win.

That's the premise of your typical fantasy story. And truth be told, The Belgariad uses just that. Being the cheapskate who knows that buying the individual 5 books will cost him at least 160 bucks, I have taken the easier way out (not PLB, sadly) and bought the 2-book edition, where the first volume is a combination of the first three books while the second volume is a combination of the two remaining books. One volume costs 60 bucks, resulting in me having only to spend RM120. Saves RM40.

But don't think that RM40 is the only thing I gained from all this. I also learned a very important lesson. And that is that regardless of having an all too typical premise, with not much twists to wait out for, a book can still be entertaining if the author knows how to keep you interested. Now while David Eddings hasn't really created a storyline to shout about, the world he weaves is alive and diverse enough for you to keep turning pages as the motley crue of good guys travel from place to place in pursuit of the bad guy's lackey who has the thingamabob. Now some might say that creating a rich world with its history isn't new- Tolkien got there first. Well I'll admit the truth of that, but at least this diverse world isn't accompanied by annoying loud monologues, and the only characters that do go 'thee' and 'thou' are soundly made fun of by the other characters, who at least have the sense to talk like normal people.

Now in the Belgariad, the thingabamob is The Orb (of what, I can't remember), which is supposed to contain such awesome powers that it can cause uh... bad things. And a bad minion working for the ultimate bad God stole The Orb in hopes of using it to 'revive' his master (apparently Gods in this world can be rendered comatose too). Fighting to prevent this are Belgarath and Polgara- a sorcerer and a sorceress, who are also surprisingly a father-daughter team that take the opportunity to lash at each other once in a while. Though this hardly makes up for the sarcastic, horny Church nights supplied in The Elenium, their antics are good enough for a laugh once in a while. The main character is a starry-eyed and reluctant as Frodo, however. Meet Garion. He's not really special (they never are in the beginning of the book, are they?) but he's somehow meant to get The Orb back and kill the comatose God for good. Or at least thats how the prophecy's supposed to go. Accompanied by, like I said, a motley bunch of characters who don't nescesarrily get along with each other. Think, a guy who can talk to horses, a knight who thinks he's invincible, a werebear (of sorts), a guy who can walk through walls, a sarcastic spy (my favourite character) and a bitchy, spoiled brat princess. Their different personalities and their frequent quarrels add color to the already colorful world David Eddings has laid out in front of us, making the story all the more enjoyable. Though, as in The Elenium, the main characters and only two or three others truly get character development, that's a flaw you'll hardly really notice until you get to the end of the book and think back. So that's a plus side I guess.

But as I said, the main attraction is the world itself. As the poor fellows who signed up to be main characters trudge through snow, sand, forest, etc. etc., whilst getting shot at, poisoned, maimed, etc. etc., you'll notice that the places where they go are very much alive. Countries have their own culture, their own style of dressing, etc. etc. I found the Nyissans particularly interesting, but as the slot of 'main evil bad guy' had already been taken by the time their evil queen had been introduced, she had to leave rather early, depriving the reader of a sex scene (HAAARAAAAM!, scream the Biddah Police) between a brainwashed little boy and a narcissistic woman. Oh, wait, that was a good thing.

I haven't bought Volume Two, and despite the fact that I highly doubt there to be any surprising twists awaiting me in Volume Two, I'll buy it anyway because I like this book enough to do so.

Robin Hobb still rules the fantasy arena in my book, but David Eddings still deserves som respect.

Oh yeah, and it's better than The Elenium.

7.5 out of 10.

Book Review: The New Lovecraft Circle

2005-09-15T11:16:00.000+08:00

H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most renowned authors when it comes to horror. He's not that famous here in Malaysia, though. Blame it on lack of publicity for books, plus the fact that he's well, dead, and can't promote new things. His stories redefined the horror genre, in a sense, and till this day some stories are labelled as 'Lovecraftian style horror' because his style is, in essence, different than that of typical horror stories. Strangely enough, his original plan was to write sci-fi. He didn't like the fact that most sci-fi stories of that era depicted 'aliens' as 'humanly'. Indeed, the demons or Old Ones in his stories are meant to be aliens, in a sense, though they are a lot more bizarre. Think, really bizarre. Like beings that don't have actual physical form due to the fact that they live on a different plane altogether, or beings composed of sound. It's weird, but some people love it all the same. His stories are based on what he calls the Cthlhu Mythos, a chronology of events ranging from millions of years in the past since before dinosaurs were even on Earth, to the present day. All of them revolve around the 'Old Ones', who were said to have inhabited Earth at some point in time, and are now trying to come back here. Before you buy this book, you might have to decide whether you like Lovecraft's style. To try reading some of his works for FREE, click HERE.

And some knowledge on the Cthlhu Mythos itself would be helpful, though not essential. For that, click HERE.

So basically, this book is a compilation of stories based on the Mythos, written by Lovecraft's fans or friends. Truth be told, however, you don't need to be a fan of Lovecraft's works to read them. They're creepy all the same, exploring areas concerning demons, and insanity, and like Lovecraft's original stories, most are written in first person view, amplifying the horror factor when it comes to the bits about insanity. Though there are one or two stories that are more like history reports which you can skip, ones like 'The Statement of One John Gibson', where it is written as a statement, followed by a cassette recording from an asylum are REALLY good. Others to check out are 'The Plain of Sound' and 'Demoniacal'. New and bizarre concepts are explored in certain stories, like the usage of rock and roll occult music to summon a demon, and a futuristic movie set with shapeshifting actors. All in all, as it is an anthology, it's hard to judge as a whole, and it's hard to give it an accurate score.

As a newly-converted Lovecraft fan, I give it an 8 out of 10.

Aï! Aï! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Book Review: Royal Assassin

2005-09-14T23:09:00.000+08:00

The second book in the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, and by far possibly the best of the three, this book picks up where the first left off, with Regal's assassination attempt on Fitz failed miserably, where the main character still isn't in a situation to do anything about it but return to Buckeep as he is bound by duty to the King. Regal grows impatient to succeed the throne, and as he grows more ambitious, so do his attempts grow more extreme. Though the premise of being stuck in a situation where you can't do anything to the person who's repeatedly trying to kill you has been used (and proved to be fun to read) in the previous book, this book explores further into Fitz growingly complicated life. His duty to the King interferes with his love life, which recieves a stunning revival with the return of a certain someone, his ability with the Skill leads to some problems, conspiracies are being formed, and all the while, the Kingdom is STILL under fire from the Red Pirates, who seem to be getting further and further inland. And still no one is getting any closer to solving the mystery of Forging.

A lot of characters are developed in this book, again proving Robin Hobb's finesse. Most first-person type books aren't very capable of giving a balanced view on its other characters, but Robin Hobb pulls it off. Verity faces his problems as King-in-Waiting. Burrich's disapproval of Fitz's usage of the Skill still threatens their relationship. The Fool remains as mysterious as ever, and darker characters are given more spotlight in this book. The turn of events also remains, as before, unpredictable, making this book harder to put down than the first as the twists come so suddenly and so unexpectedly that they send you reeling with every passing chapter. The ending also end convieniently for you to start rushing to the stores for Book 3.

Another matter that I would like to bring to attention is the introduction of the character Nighteyes, the wolf, which leads to the forming of possibly the most powerful human-animal bonds ever.

Robin Hobb again wields power over our emotions. Expect to grumble, scream, shout and smile with every event that the main character experiences. With the bulk of the Farseer Trilogy in this book, if you've gotten this far, you'll realize that the 60+bucks spent (on this one and the one before) was well spent. More than well spent, even. I keep it with me, alongside His Dark Materials and The Sight, which shows just how much I adore this series.

And yet I only have Shahril to discuss it with. (rolls eyes)

Khairul won't take my word for this, but this book deserves a 10 out of 10. 12 even. It's that damn good.

Book Review: Wolf Brother

2005-09-10T09:15:00.000+08:00

There, with Stephen King behind me, I’ve finally returned to my original pace. Yep, I’m done with Wolf Brother, in less than a day too, and when that happens, you know what that means, haha. Well even if it is no secret that I have a passion for books that have wolves in them, I’ll try my best not to let that influence my judgment in this review. Now Wolf Brother has been out for quite a while now, truthfully. I remember seeing a book review in the paper, comparing its success to the success of Harry Potter. (Another book that has received this form of praise is Lionboy, though I have yet to try that one out. Guess wolves come first.) Being a diehard Potter fan, though my enthusiasm for the series has particularly declined since the tragedy that was Order of the Phoenix, I would not say that this book is better than Harry Potter, but that’s only because in my honest opinion, the two books are two different categories altogether. Although they’re both categorized under the Young Adult section, the brand of fantasy involved in the two are significantly different, which means that Wolf Brother is a truly original concept not derived in any way from Rowling’s work.

Now, where Rowling painted a world of magic and sorcery hidden in our own world, colored it with bright characters and interesting objects, Michelle Paver takes a world that could very well exist in our own, set right after the thaw of the Ice Age, when Man was still exploring the vast lands. (Which specific era, Mesolithic, Paleolithic, don’t ask. I’ve forgotten how to tell the difference). The main character is Torak, a young boy who’s just lost his father to a bear possessed by a demon. At his deathbed, his father sends him on a quest tied to the destruction of the demon-bear, as if the bear isn’t stopped, the Forests will all die. Or something catastrophic of that magnitude. The opening of the book immediately thrusts us into that situation, which might prove to be a little too fast for some people, but if you’re willing to ignore it, the story steadily builds up at an interesting pace, revealing more things about Torak’s past and his world as the story progresses. Seeing that the premise of this story is basically a journey, it would of course be filled with some other characters, friends and enemies. Although the demon-bear would be considered as the penultimate monster-enemy-that-deserves-a-climactic-battle in the finale, the twist of logic in this story is that Torak’s enemies include nature itself. Fever, avalanches, wild animals, you get the picture. Magic exists in this book, though not in such an obvious way as portrayed in Harry Potter where wands and flashy lights define ‘magic’. Magic as depicted in this book is more primal, and less obvious, though the end of the book hinted that even more would be in store for the sequels, leaving me obviously craving more.

As for the story’s pace, as the opening was a bit sudden, the rest of the story falls in place rather quickly, and takes you through a roller-coaster ride which will keep you turning pages, as there is seldom a long moment of quiet rest for the main characters. This doesn’t mean that the author doesn’t take time to detail her world enough though, in fact, the journey takes Torak far enough for the reader to appreciate how the world was before machines and stone buildings were made. The raw power of nature, and the tribal spirit of Man, Michelle Paver pulls off this piece of work wonderfully. I wouldn’t be able to judge yet, but if I’m not mistaken, the ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ series would possibly be comparable to this story, though Clan of the Cave Bear would probably be targeted for older audiences, judging by its thickness. One of these days, if Michelle Paver takes too long to write a sequel, I might just pick it up.
If there was any flaw in this book as far as I can tell, it’s that the pace can sometimes get a bit too fast, to a point where you probably won’t feel for some characters as much as you would like to. You’ll probably realize this at the very end, however, so don’t worry about having to drag yourself through this book, because you definitely won’t. In a sense that this book is a definite crowd pleaser for adults and children alike, in the end you could probably compare it to Harry Potter after all. So from now on, maybe I shouldn’t look at that ‘as good as Harry Potter’ tag so skeptically. Judging from past disappointments, however, I will still avoid the ‘better than Phillip Pullman’s Dark Materials’ tag, and the ever-annoying, still rampant in the market ‘BETTER THAN THE DA VINCI CODE’ tag.
All in all, yeah, I’m satisfied.

8.5 out of 10. Bring on the sequel, Ms. Paver!

P.S-This author would like to point out that the ‘better than Da Vinci Code’ tag, has only not disappointed him once, and that was for ‘The Rule of Four’.

Book Review: The Tommyknockers

2005-09-09T07:50:00.000+08:00

My third Stephen King book that I've finished. Where to begin? Of course with the name 'Stephen King' emblazoned on the cover, one can't help but expect a lot, regardless of whether you're a newcomer or a longtime fan (I'm neither). Others, who have tried Stephen King and decided that his style is way too slow-paced for their tastes would know well enough to stop trying. Longtime fans who haven't read this have probably been discouraged by bad reviews, considering the fact that most fans who have tend to use the words 'disappointment' and 'Tommyknockers' in the same sentence. Well, since I'm neither a longtime fan nor a newcomer, in the end I'll have to say that I'm neither disappointed nor impressed for that matter. This book merely just 'is', where it does have glaring flaws as some fans claim, it has certain areas where it makes up for those flaws.

Alright, 'The Tommyknockers' is practically about an alien invasion of some sort. B-Grade? Not quite. And it's definitely not as typical as most 'body-snatchers' type alien stories are, though the premise would sound the same. The first part revolves around one Bobbi Anderson, who stumbles upon a strange metal object deep in the woods on the outskirts of a small town called Haven. Overcome by a strange urge, she begins digging it out, while small changes start happening to her. The story then shifts to that of Jim Gardner, Bobbi's boyfriend who's out of town at the time. Being the main protagonist of the story, he finds himself back in Haven (albeit, after a long series of unnescesarry events) to find that something is changing not just Bobbi, but all the folks of Haven. This series of events are told through small 'chapters', as the focus is removed from Jim to the rest of Haven's inhabitants, who notice the changes one way or another. And after following the viewpoint of all these people, the story ties up at the end with Gardner. A rather unique style, I'd say, which probably earns this story extra points. And since I'm an occasional sci-fi fan, the whole 'alien' premise wasn't a turn-off. It helped that the aliens weren't exactly typical, and as King always does, he makes his characters as real as real can be. Cynical, and sarcastic at times, characters in this story as you'd expect real life people to. That has always been King's finer points, in my honest opinion.

Now to the downsides. As I have often said, King isn't someone who makes you want to speed through a book. Chances are, you'll want to put down the book come 100th page or so, but as usual, if you stick around long enough, the fun'll come around eventually. You may take a few days (or weeks in my case) to get through the book, and at the end, you may not find those weeks worth it, but you won't curse yourself for paying for the book either (especially if you buy it at PLB like me). The plot has a few holes in it, here and there, and the climactic confrontations at the end left much to be desired, and you'll feel like King had a lot more explaining to do (on the Tommyknockers' part. The human parts were as usual, elaborated all TOO well).

This book has its share of moments, and being a horror novel, the moments I'm talking about are creepy. Sorta. Depends on how you define creepy. Talking dolls, and Jesus potraits, oh, and a Coke machine that moves around and kills people. Oh yeah. I'd say the moving Coke machine was the best thing in this book. Haha.

Seeing that I absolutely loved 'Salem's Lot', comparisons between the two are inevitable, so I'll just say that 'Salem's Lot' was way better than this. Of course this may possibly due to the effects the Cthulhu Mythos has had on my perception of aliens. But in all due honesty, 'Salem's Lot' didn't have as much flaws as this one did, but Tommyknockers still makes a decent read.

Now I can finally get my claws on Wolf Brother.

5 out of 10.

Book Review: Shade's Children

2005-08-30T16:44:00.000+08:00

Sci-fi? Garth Nix?! [Paradox. Unsolvable simultaneously. Shutting down.]

Well, yes. It seems that Mr. Nix is multi-talented, after all. But one quick look at the cover, it's so damn obvious that it's still a fantasy-type story. Sure, they've got grenades, guns and holographic machine-mind entities... but that was present in the Old Kingdom Trilogy too. (Minus the holographic egoistical bastard, Shade.) So, nah, it's not really a sci-fi story after all.

It did have a Blade Runner-esque feel to it though, even if I haven't seen the movie and thus have no real authority to say that. Ahem. Anyway, it's set in a post-apocalyptic future where no adults are present and the world is overpopulated by Creatures created by the Overlords. Apparently, sometime fifteen years ago, when the Change happened, they came (from another dimension, presumably) and translocated all adults into, you guessed it, another dimension. Shocking.

What happened to the children then? Well, in true Big Brother-style, the Overlords put all of them in the Dorms, where they are bred, fed and when they reach their 14th birthday, carried off to the Meat Factory (or as the Overlords called it, the Central Processing Facility) to be made into Creatures. I can't stress how B-movie that all sounded. *rolls eyes*

Actually, despite the Lava3 premise, Shade's Children is an enjoyable read. The four characters (Gold-Eye, Ninde, Ella and Drum) are quite endearing. The way they interact with each other and their views are fascinating. On that merit alone, this book would have scored 8 out of 10, but...

Y'see, Mr. Nix never really explained how the Overlords came and who they really are. It's frustrating to learn the existence of a supremely evil race of villains only to be deprived of the essential knowledge of who and what they are, much less why they came here in the first place. It's a lot like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII but at least in that game, the designers had the decency to explain why he wanted to destroy the world, even if that explanation is a clichéd one. With the Overlords, apparently all they wanted to do was pit their creatures against one another, kind of like a violent version of a Magic: The Gathering tournament. Imagine if Sephiroth was really a 12 year old pimply geek... *shudders*

Shade was also another complaint. It was so friggin' obvious that he's going to betray them (maybe I've read one too many Dan Brown novels), you just want to bitch-slap Ella and point her to the blinking neon sign above Shade's robotic spider head that said, "U R SCREWED MUAHAHAHAHA!" Honestly, people, if you're a team leader you should've picked it up and there really is no excuse since Ninde is a mind-reader, for God's sakes!

Lastly, the ending wasn't as satisfying as one should be. Maybe it's Mr. Nix's one flaw, because most of his endings are done this way: abrupt. Though, in this case, it was atrocious; I had to re-read it several times, and I still don't get it! *grumble grumble* So, in that fashion, I shall end this by rating the book 5 out of 10.

And I'm being nice.

[Shut down and restart.]

Book Review: Assassin's Apprentice

2005-08-14T13:59:00.000+08:00

Ah yes, the fantasy genre loves trilogies. The Malloreon, The Elenium, The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials, the Magic the Gathering Cycles, yes, the fantasy genre has been carried a long way on trilogies. We've gotten so accustomed to it that a fantasy book series with less than three books would be considered 'too short' and a series with more than three books would be considerd 'too long' (coughRobertJordancough). It's not a bad thing, really. More than once, the books that have swept me off my feet have come from trilogies. I think I need not gush on how much the His Dark Materials trilogy has affected my life. In fact, since the discovery of HDM, I haven't found any other trilogy that can actually captivate me and make me run to KLCC three days in a row to grab the rest of the trilogy.

Enter the Farseer Trilogy.

I remember reading a review on this series in 'The Star' before, though I won't say that the review was what compelled me to buy the series. Quite honestly, I took it out of instinct, grabbing it spontaneously off the shelf, not having anything else to read at that time. Guess that's how I tend to grab books I fall in love with. His Dark Materials, and now this trilogy are a testament to that fact.

Yes, this is another fantasy trilogy, with dragons, magic, kings and pirates, but to label it as 'typical' fantasy would be the biggest mistake anyone could ever make. The story revolves around FitzChivalry, bastard of the would-be King to the Farseer throne. At the young age of 6, (he can't recall much from before that age), he is sent to Buckeep Castle to be raised by his father's bloodline. His father, Prince Chivalry, who was supposed to be next in line to the throne was exiled upon discovery of his adultery, yet Fitz remains in the castle, raised at first by the stablemaster, Burrich. Through his eyes, we see the political games played inside the castle walls, where the main players are the two other Princes, Prince Verity (Chivalry's brother) and Prince Regal (stepbrother). Though Prince Verity, being the second son after Chivalry, is slated to be next to claim the throne from King Shrewd, it is no secret that the ambitious Regal will stop at nothing to try and claim the throne for himself. And at the same time, Fitz himself is often at the recieving end of Regal's hatred- apparently Chivalry never got along well with Regal well either. Regal would want nothing better than to have Fitz out of the castle, denied of any right to living under the Farseer name.

Which leads to the question, why exactly is Fitz allowed to stay on in the castle? Apparently, bastards can be used as weapons against the kingdom, as far as King Shrewd is concerned. The Farseer line comes with the ability to use a type of magic known as 'The Skill'. The Skill allows for reading the minds of other people across certain distances, manipulating, confusing, etc. etc. Where are the fancy fireballs, you ask? You won't find any here. There are only two forms of magic in this world- The Skill, and The Wit. The Wit allows for a psychic bonding with an animal familiar. People with The Wit in general can communicate with, not control animals, often resulting in being ostracized from society. The Wit is looked as 'dirty, dark' magic, and people who are caught with the ability are killed outright. It isn't until halfway through this book that Fitz is revealed to be capable of using The Wit, though Burrich forbids him from telling anyone about it, and forbids him from using it altogether, warning him that using The Wit will result in Fitz turning into an animal himself.

Magic aside, the brunt of this book is spent on detailing Fitz's early years in Buckeep, all the way until he starts learning under Chade (one of King Shrewd's assassins) to become an assassin. Hence the title. At the same time he also has to contend with Skill lessons, which don't go too well very often. When not in the castle, he tries to develop a normal love relationship with Molly, his love interest. And he juggles all this with the fact that someone is trying to kill him. Obviously, it's Regal. But with Regal being a Prince, there's not much that Fitz can do but try to stay alive.

Ah yes, Regal. I wouldn't be going too far by saying that he makes Umbridge of Potter fame look like a kind elderly lady who gives out candy to little children. The power that Hobb wields in this book, by making it told through a first-person viewpoint will make you weep, scream and hate along with Fitz once you get sucked in. And once you hate Regal, and I can guarantee that you will, you'll start turning pages, eager to see this bastard (not Fitz) get what he deserves. Though the opening for the book is arguably slow (it made one of my friends give up on it), once things kick into full gear (Regal starts causing problems, Fitz starts his lessons, his past is slowly revealed), you're not going to want to put this book down. And once you're done, you'll scream because you'll want Book Two immediately, but you'll sigh with relief knowing that your money was well spent.

Not picking up this book, for fantasy lovers, is a crime of the highest degree.

9 out of 10. Simply because the REALLY good parts are yet to come..

Book Review: The Light Ages

2005-08-12T18:07:00.000+08:00

Now, where do I even begin? I bought this book out of sheer wanting something extra to bring to KYUEM, and so I picked this randomly out of the fantasy shelf. And when I saw the statement '...rival Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials Saga...', I immediately decided to give this one a go. Well, not THAT immediately, there was another book I was going to buy, forgot the title, but I flipped a coin, and this thing one, and so I ended taking this one home, a decision that I would later regeret. Now, I'm not one for slamming books really. I rarely pick up a book that I absolutely do not want to read, and hey, I did FINISH this book, but I must point out that I did so at an absolutley sluggish pace (2 weeks, which, for me, is a LONG period when it comes to books. My friends can testify to that) And, boy was I glad that I finished it! Now I can toss it aside and start worrying about the rest of the books on my reading list.

Basically this story revolves around a fantasy version of London, darker, smokier, foggier, and run on a substance called aether, the fundamental base of 'magic'. Aether basically dictates life, the guilds control the aether, and those without guilds are forced to live in poverty. This story is basically of the transition from the 'Dark Ages', ruled by aether, to a 'Light Age', where things change for the better. The story is told through the eyes of one Robert Burrows, who plays a part in the change. The story basically involves a large amount of power play and politics, discussions and social classes. Simply said, some could relate it to David Copperfield or any other story written by Charles Dickens, albeit the fantasy settings. The world has its fair of issues to deal with, poverty being only one of them. There are also changelings, people who have been exposed to too much aether to the point that they are transformed into trolls, or other deformed monstrosities. Before you get any ideas of them being a problem in the 'mindless destruction' department, the problem really is that they're still human, just not treated that way.

Now, the author seems to want you to know every last detail of the narrator's life, and London, which is a good thing in certain point of views, but most of the time it throws the flow of the story off track, which is not a good thing. It doesn't help that I'm not a fan of political stuff, not to mention the fact that, when compared to Pullman, I expected a journey. Getting this, well, it got me disappointed. If you like this kind of stuff, then maybe you want to pick this up. On all other accounts, it'll make turning pages seem like a chore, so avoid like the plague.

3 out of 10. And I'm being nice.

Book Review: The Thousand Orcs

2005-08-07T20:35:00.000+08:00

This, my friend, is the book of a damn good trilogy. The Thousand Orc, by R.A Salvatore, may not sound like much of a title. But its whats on the inside that counts right? And the story on this baby is awesome! Of course to truly understand the whole story and get a feel for the character, you're going top have to start from the top which is going to be the... Crystal Shard Trilogy i think. Then work your way up until you reach this trilogy. I'll be doing reviews on them later.

Back to this one. I'll go briefly into the plot. It starts with how a group of travelling dwarves were climbing up a hill and suddenly bombarded by rocks and spears. Only two of em survived and so they hid together and saw orcs and frost giants in league with each other. Taking this as very bad news, they crawled out of their hiding place, one with a very bad limp, and walked all the way to meet Bruenor the dwarf, king of the Battlehammer Clan and his bad of friends. Wulgar and Cattie-Brie, adopted children of Bruenor. Drizzt Do'Urden, a rebel dark elf and Regis, a plump halfling. Together they make up the heroic band of Icewind Dale. Now, a lttle story on their background.

Wulgar is a barbarian, captured young by Bruenor when he was fighting against Bruenor. lol, he made the mistake of bashing Bruenor on the head with a staff. As a side note, DO NOT bash any dwarfs on the head. Doesn't work. So anyway, Wulfgar got a closer look at the beer mug elbem on Bruenor's shield and found himself in a cave since Bruenor didn't have the heart to kill him. Oh also i forgot to mention that the barbarians were attacking this village and the dwarves helped the villagers so...

Anyway Catti-Brie's story is different. She was adopted when she was a wee' little baby. You see, Bruenor and his dwarven gang was a tad too late to save this village from an orc raid. Of course, the orcs were all slain and all that but the damage was done. Catti-Brie was the only surviving thing there so Bruenor took her in and raised her as his own. Now she speaks with a dwarven slang.

Drizzt Do'Urden, dark elf by nature, Paladin Knight by heart. Which is ironice since his whole race is an evil race, their only purpose killing and chaos. His race is known for their evil ways and their unmatched swordsmanship and powerful mages. In this case, Drizzt Do'Urde is the best swordsman from The Underdark, a place from under the earth where the majority of his race live without light. Oh dark elves can't stand light and have that heat seeing thing ability. Anyway, Drizzt here, or known simply as Drizit, can't stand the evil ways of his race and ran away. He came unto the face of the earth to escape his race. He wandered around marvelling at trees and skunks and fishes. Then one day he met the great Montolio De Brauchee, a blind ranger and worshipper of the goddess Miellikki. He helped Drizzt find his way and thought him every thing he needs to know to live in this world of ours. Of course, his tale is longer than the rest so i'll stop here. If you want to know Drizzt's history, get the Dark Elf Trilogy. It explains everything about him.

Regis is a plump halfling, more used to politics than war. That is why he is so charming. Plus the fact that he has a magical pendant that hypnotizes almost anyone. I wish i had that pendant... Anyway, he is the closest friend and adviser to Bruenor.

Back to the story plot. Ahem. Bruenor already got wind of what was happening although not as large as Frost Giants in league with Orcs so he was doing what every friendly dwarven king does in this sort of situation. Walk around with an army of battle ready dwarves at his back, warning villages and having fun with the Squisher. Or was it the Pulper? Its a mean machine though that's all i can say about it. It squishes stuffs. Anyway, remember the two dwarven friends?Well, they went to this village and stayed there to recuperate. One of them left the other and went the WRONG way in search of Bruenor. Bruenor was already on the way from another direction. Lucky thing something happened and they both met up somewhere... i can't really remember. Anyway, the town was under sieged by then and so the dwarves charge to the rescue. Of course, they were surrounded by then by a thousand orc (title) and Frost Giants lobbing rocks at them. And stuffs happened and Drizzt went out to spy on the enemy. More stuffs happened and when drizzt came back from the spying mission with his skin on, he witnessed what he thought to be the downfall of Bruenor although it wasn't Bruenor who died. Just one of his loyal followers who was wearing his helmet when Bruenor was injured and dying.

And so ends book one of this marvellous trilogy. I give this a full ten out of ten.

Book Review: His Dark Materials Continued 2

2005-08-07T20:10:00.000+08:00

Now ain't that touching? I got blammed twice for reviewing truthfully! To each their own opinions eh? lol

Anyway... Today, ladies and gentleman, i shall be reviewing to what would be thebest book in the whole trilogy of His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. The Amber Spyglass.

Ladies and gentleman, if you are a book enthusiast, bored with all your collection of books, then this is the right books for you. For those who aren't book enthusiast but planning to read books, get this trilogy. The Amber Spyglass makes buying the whole set and reading it worth it. In book three, the children, Will and Lyra, fins out their destiny (or was that in book 2? Can't remember...) and also, finds out that in all worlds, there is NO god. No Heaven and Hell, no sin, nothing. Only Angels with one of them claiming to be god. Heaven is just a floating piece of rock covered with clouds. In the war to come, it becomes a war machine. Anyway, the term Dust is a bit confusing. It can't be seen with the naked eye. Plus, from what i read, i think in that story, Dust is god. At least i think so since everything is made of Dust. I can't really exlain to you what the Dust looks like so...

Anyway, in this book, Will and Lyra ventures into the World Of The Dead, more like a prison camp for all dead people, the holy ones, the sinners and the innocent with harpies guarding the place. Will and Lyra will make an agreement with the harpies and in exchange let the souls free to join once again with Dust and their dead daemons. Oh did i mention that once you die in Lyra's world, your daemon disappears? SORRY for not mentioning it before.

Back to the plot. Will and Lyra leads the souls of the dead out from the souls prison camp, guided by a harpy. Will cuts open a portal to the real world to find it ravaged by war between angels and humans lead by Lyra's father. And from there it gets somewhat blurry in my memory so i'm afraid i can't tell you what happens next. All i can say is when the war is over, the story is not yet over.

This book has everything. A very sad ending, one that will make you cry if you really dig this book. I give this book a 10 out of 10. A must read for book enthusiast.

Book Review: Touching Spirit Bear

2005-08-05T10:21:00.000+08:00

'Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. Remember that.'

Yes, it's another one of my YA books. The way Pai puts it, they're easier to read and understand, and they don't cause headaches, so I don't think I'll be kicking the habit of reading Young Adult anytime soon. I'm still not sure what drove me to buying this book. Possibly, I had just finished His Dark Materials at the time, and was still obsessing over how cool bears were, saw this book, and thought 'OOOOH! BEAR!'. Oh well.

The novel revolves around Cole Matthews, a fifteen year old boy who's been in trouble for a quite a long time. Stealing, fighting, etc. etc. Everything a juvenile delinquent should be. Though there wasn't any mention of rape... oh well, he's fifteen. Give him time.

The latest in Cole's impressive list of juvenile activities is smashing one Peter Driscal's skull into the sidewalk. For this, Cole will have to choose between prison and Native American Circle Justice~ which means choosing either a year behind bars or isolation for a year. Seeing the fact that the dumb people on the Circle Justice council believe that Cole has to be 'healed' spiritually, and the fact that Cole has no intention of spending a year where people get sexually deprived, he picks isolation.

And so he is sent to a remote Alaskan island where he will have no contact whatsoever with the outside world for a year. (The horror! His e-mail account will definitely expire over that much time!) That is, save for the occasional visits by Circle Justice members Garvey and Edwin who check in on him from time to time to drop supplies. Considering himself smarter than the idiots who put him on the island to begin with, Cole begins to plan his escape. Building a raft doesn't work, so he attempts swimming~ which turns out to be a dumb idea. Alaskan waters aren't exactly warm.

Furious that he can't escape, he takes it out on everything else. The shelter that Garvey and Edwin constructed for him, for one, and, well, a bear. Now if you're beginning to think that this bear is going to be the one that will guide him to Cole's spiritual recovery as well as redemption, has the ability to talk, thus spouting words of wisdom every few pages and singing jolly, motivational songs, well, you're only half right. No wait, way off.

The bear sends Cole down his road of redemption, alright. By mauling him. Now how does help, you wonder? Well I'm not spoiling that. The story is basically about what Cole learns over his period of isolation from nature and Inuit philospohy, and how he comes to terms with himself. And you get to see how Cole develops from a bitter person who is angry at the world to a...dying, bitter person who is angry at the world. Okay, I was just kidding.

Overall, this book is a good read. I re-read it a few times, which is more than I can say for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is now collecting dust on my shelf. And if I say it's worth re-reading, there, it's good.

Which makes me wonder if the juvenile delinquent centers in Malaysia should start working together with Zoo Negara, maybe toss in one juvenile per day into the bear cage and see what happens. It just might work. Though I don't think sending our juveniles to isolated islands can really work. Our waters aren't that cold, and hey, if Indons can swim to shore, I'm sure that fresh, young bodies with minds of serial rapists can do so too. But it does get me wondering about the prison system, though. Native American's 'heal' their guilty rather than punish. What good does punishment really do for anyone save for the fact that the victims get a minor sense of pleasure?

Oh well.

8 out of 10.

The Old Kingdom Trilogy - Sabriel

2005-08-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

The name of this trilogy is actually quite unofficial. Word is that Garth Nix never really properly named his fantastic series about Death, beyond Death and the ultimate battle between Good and Evil, or the Living and the Living Dead, in this case.

We start the trilogy with the first important character to be introduced, Sabriel. The book starts off with a prologue detailing the circumstances of her birth, a very extraordinary one, I might say. Here, like in East, we see how she was meant to be different, and what lies in her destiny.

Which is to say that yes, she's the titular character for a bloody good reason.

Of course, it wasn't revealed what she will become in that one chapter. But in the next, we'll become more acquainted with the powers that she has inherited. Don't worry if it seemed that it was a sudden introduction to her world. Garth Nix does a commendable job describing what she can do, without being too intricate with the details, unlike a certain fantasy author... (coughtolkiencough)

His skill, of course, means nothing if the world he created was uninteresting. That is, thankfully, not so. Garth Nix has created a rich world, or should I say, worlds? In practicality, the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre (spelling?) are two very different universes. While one is blooming with magic, the other is devoid of them, much like our world. In fact, Ancelstierre is almost a bit by bit copy of our world, complete with modern day weaponry and electricity! It's amazing how the author can fuse the two elements (that is, modernity and traditional swords and sorcery fantasy) together so seamlessly that they feel right.

Like any good fantasy novels, Sabriel could not possibly be complete without a talking cat. Well, yes, it sounded silly but you'll learn to love and loath (and re-love) Mogget, a cat that's not really a cat. His personality is so like a certain friend of mine that I can't help but to love him!

And the action scenes... ah, yes. Satisfying. Romance seemed a little bit stilted, but that might be because I didn't like Sabriel's love interest enough. They do, however, make a great couple, if not my favorite. And for that, this book deserves an 8 out of 10.

And yes, I'm being really critical. If it weren't for a book club, I'd have said ten out of ten. Go figure.

Book Review: Hart's War

2005-08-04T19:00:00.000+08:00

I can't remember when I got this book. All I know is that my father rented this book from the National Library, gave me a choice whether to read this book or a book with a women drawn on its cover. Needless to say, yours truly took this book and began reading it.

This is a story of a Tommy Hart, a law student turned pilot who became a prisoner of war after his bomber was shot down. Captured by the Germans, he led a routine life until a black flier joined the camp. Lincoln Scott was disliked because of his skin color, and was later accused of killing a very popular figure inside the camp. Scott was ordered to go on trial, like a court marshall. Hart was ordered to defend Scott and in the process revealing the truth on why Trader Vic (the man who holds hatred against Scott) was killed.

My father thought it was about a war like World War I & II, Cold War, and the rest. Well, most of the time, the war's actually took place in a courtroom. For those of you who are John Grisham fans, take note. Honestly I haven't read any of his works so... can't make a direct comparison.

John Katzenbach's rather average usage of words and sentences really transformed this book. It's not as hardcore as Tom Clancy, but it does make things easier to understand. Suspense are aplenty inside this book and the twists are tight. But perhaps the best thing about this book is the feeling that it creates. It stirs up my feeling everytime I read the book, something that other political/military novels fail to create. That, in my opinion, is a plus point.

This is my The Sight. A nine out of ten.

Book Review: Stolen

2005-08-04T16:38:00.000+08:00

'Stolen' is the sequel to another novel called 'Bitten' written by the same author. Surpassing its predecessor by far, let's ignore 'Bitten' for now and focus on this one. The main character of both books is Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world. Why? Well apparently, you can only become a werewolf by two different ways. One is by inheriting the gene from your parents, and apparently, this method is only available for males. The second is by, as you should know, getting scratched. Except the problem is that getting attacked by a werewolf and surviving with a scratch is damned near impossible, as the book claims. So how did Elena survive? She got scratched by her mate/boyfriend Clayton Danvers while she was at university. Who says werewolves can't be intellectuals?

Now where 'Bitten' was about a battle amongst werewolves themselves, 'Stolen' takes it one notch higher by introducing the fact that werewolves aren't the only supernatural beings in the world, which comes as a shock to Elena since she isn't exactly the most well-informed member of the Pack about affairs regarding other 'monsters'. Apparently, a covert government organization is tracking down and catching werewolves, vampires, shamans, sorcerers and witches to study.

As Elena puts it, yeah, it sounds like a badly written season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but what makes this book worth the read is the suspense and the characters themselves. As the story is told in a first-person point of view, an insight into Elena's mind and how she looks at things make the book fun to read. The book also has its share of twists and betrayals, which only help strengthen my case when I say that this book is good!

Werewolves rule!

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Book Review: His Dark Materials Continued

2005-08-04T14:48:00.000+08:00

What? Its he truth. I mean, its the first book! Its not the second or third where it really counts! The first books of any trilogies are always a bit lacking since it is the introduction to the whole trilogy right? So anyway, yeah it got a 9 on my watch.

Now for book two. Book two, The Subtle Knife, introduces to us a lot more characters. Say for an example Will. He is a boy, around the same age with Lyra which is 12 by the way. Anyway, his world is not the same as Lyra's as it is set in our own world where you don't see souls eating Frosties and what not. So anyway, the first chapter tells us off Will's life. Currently, he was sneaking back into his own house after dropping off his mother at a neighbours house to get a box of letter from his missing father. There, he found out that two people were already in his house. Okay i myself was confused with this part since the two people, as far as i can remember, played no important role except for the fact that Will ran away and found a portal leading to another world which so happened to be the on where Lyra followed her father into the OTHERWORLD. Of course that doesn't mean there's only two worlds. There's lots more where that came from, lots more!

Anyway, the story continues onwards to how Will met Lyra, how Will received guradianship of THE KNIFE! Its called the Subtle Knife (duh). Its a knife with two edges, one so sharp it can cut trhough anything. The other, so subtle it can rip the reality barrier in two and thus open up a portal to any world. Then the story proceeds onwards to tell us how they got into trouble and used the knife and all that. Oh did i mention Will lost two fingers?

Now the thing i like bout this second book is the characters. Phillip managed to make them.. real. Its got great character build up. You feel what they feel and al that, get my drift? Its awesome. Plus he keeps to a constant storyline and has this way of writing that makes it impossible to put the book down. I'd give it a full ten out of ten. Or in the words of nighteyes, a twelve out of ten.

Admin. Note

2005-08-04T07:37:00.000+08:00

As a rule, just because a book has been reviewed by someone else, doesn't mean that you can't review it again. Especially if it's something as big as His Dark Materials. C'mon Khairul, you can't POSSIBLY sit happily watching Shahril giving a '9' to the biggest thing of all time! Of course, if you don't do it (rolls up sleeves), I'm going to have to defend Lyra.

Book Review: His Dark Materials

2005-08-03T23:11:00.000+08:00

His Dark Materials IS NOT childish as the title may imply nor is it those horny erotic stuffs. Sure title sounds a bit weird but its one hell of story.

His Dark Materials is a trilogy. First book is called The Northern Lights or Golden Compass. Don't ask me why there are two titles. Anyway this book tells the beginning of a story with Lyra, the main character of this trilogy, and Pantlamoin, her daemon(NOT demon) getting into trouble by being where they were not supposed to be in the first place. Now before i start on this, let me explain a few things. Daemons are peoples souls except that you can see em on the outside. And touch em too. There is a taboo though where no one can touch another daemon except for their own. Plus, no one can go far without their daemon. Its like having your heart tugged. Oh also, daemons have animal forms although before people reach their adolescense, their shapes are not constant meaning shapeshifters. After the children become adults or teenagers, their daemons will stay in a shape that would best describe the person. Now, back to storytelling. I only told the intro so for those who want to read the book and not wish for spoilers, READ NO FURTHER. Just scroll below and see the rating.

Okay, i can't remember the story in detail so i may skip a few parts. I'll try my best. Now this book tells us about how Lyra got into trouble for sneaking into this meeting. Then her uncle found her out and told her to stay put. Then she saw the headmaster pouring poison into her uncle's wine. Obviously she told her uncle. And then after a few moments off talking nice and getting rid of poison and all that, others people pour into the room and onwards to a slide show. Lyra got her first glimpse of Dust (Will be explained later on in the rest of the trilogy) and of a tower hidden in the clouds, an alternate world. And so stuffs happened and whooosh! She was swept away into a gipsy boat and all that, met a witch and a talking bear or panzerbjson or something like that. So from there she did all sort of stuffs, basically getting into trouble. And loads of it. Its a kids thing right? Oh and did i mention that her uncle turned out to be her father? That's a shocker. Anyway, her father managed to rip open a dimension gate using the energy from a severed bond between body and soul. He used Lyra's friend so... Anyway, she followed him into the other dimension and so ends book one. Now i skipped a lot of parts so you have to read it by yourself. I give book one a 9 out of 10.

I shall start reviewing book two later as it is late in the night and my mom glaring at me. I tell if looks could blast a hole in a wall, i would be full of holes as well as the wall in front me and my neighbours house. So goodnight everyone!

Book Review: The Treasured One

2005-08-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

Helloooooo everybody! Its a ME! Lol, Nighteyes invited me to do this. I must say it is very interesting. My thanks and regards to him.

Ahem... now onwards to reviewing. Now, this book by David and Leigh Eddings is quite interesting despite the fact that all books by David Eddings seems to be based on Elder gods and Younger gods, a rock which is stronger than a god, an evil elder god wanting it but got beaten to it by the CHOSEN one which happened to be a clueless young man named Belgarion or Garion for short (Note: I DID NOT STEAL HIS NAME) in The Belgariad trilogy and a horny sarcastic CHURCH knight Sparhawk famous for his dry sense of humour, sharp wit, bleak mood and broken nose in another series. But in this case, the Younger Gods are heroes this time instead of people who ultimately become stronger than the gods. Of course, they still have rocky elements to help them save the day against an evil Bug Thing like opals and what not from Mother Sea who has dry humour and Father Earth. It was weird hearing the Gods calling them Mother and Father. Anyway, the Bug Thing. Its not called that of course. Its called THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE NAMED. How many evil nemesis of every living thing has that title? A lot..

Anyway, this books storyline was a little rushed but it turned out to be a good read since it involved humour, action and romance if i remember correctly. I'd give it a six... out of ten.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2005-08-03T14:31:00.000+08:00

(Warning. MAJOR MAJOR spoilers ahead. Not that I never spoil anything in my reviews, but this time I'm providing spoilers for a book with a fanbase so big that I won't be surprised if I get injured for not putting this warning beforehand)

I still remember how I was first introduced to Harry Potter. I was in Form One, then, and a friend named Adileen lent me the book, saying that it was really good. Being naive as I was back then, I judged the book by its cover, and jumped to the conclusion that the book was 'too childish' for me. I returned it without ever getting past the first chapter. Imagine my surprise then, when my father came home from work a few days later, handing me the very same book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone before he simply said, "Here, read this and let me know what the whole fuss is about." Intrigued, I did as I was told. Back then my dad dictated my reading list, since he was still the one paying for the books. I found the first chapter as boring as I did the first time around, but this time I went just a little bit further, touching the parts where Harry went to Diagon Alley...

And then I was sucked in. Forever destined to be a loyal fan to the series regardless of how much time has passed since then. Upon finishing the first book, I then quickly started demanding Books 2, 3 (which until now remains my favourite), and 4. Book Five I bought on my own when I was in Form Four, and now only recently, I have acquired the sixth book in the series for a whopping RM99.90. Unlike the first four books, I didn't immediately sink into the book upon acquiring it, due to the fact that my friends were over at my house that very night, and I had other matters to attend to. I only really locked on to it the moment I got back here, to KYUEM.

Now, where to begin? Book Six has been receiving a series of mixed reviews from everyone. Some say that it's good, some say that it's not, but what everyone can agree on is that it didn't suck as much as Book Five, which until now remains the only Harry Potter book that I haven't re-read more than ten times. It is good to see that JK Rowling has ditched the whole 'angry teen' phase and started moving on, and her style hasn't deteriorated at all. She's still capable of gluing her readers to her book, keeping them turning pages until the very end. For that, I'm glad. Overall, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HBP) provides a good read, and wasn't nearly as irritating as Book Five, which was more of a chore to read. But being the second-last book in the series, Rowling still leaves much to be desired, and here's where the complaints start.

A newspaper review that slammed HBP was titled 'Harry Potter and the Half-Baked Plot'. I find myself in a position where I have no choice but to agree with the journalist who wrote the said article. Book Six opens with so much promise, and builds up so much that you feel like you're in Book Two all over again, due to the darker atmosphere. This is of course, a good thing. Chamber of Secrets was damn good. After the disappointment that was Book Five, you'll probably start thinking 'She's back. She's doing her thing again. Yes! RM99.90 well spent!' It is at the final half of the book that you'll start noticing that something's missing. It's as though Rowling got impatient and just wanted to wrap things up quickly so that the cash would just roll in. And so you get an opening that compares to Chamber of Secrets but a closing that almost brought this book down to Order of the Phoenix's standards. Not even Dumbledore's death was as dramatic as it could have been. But then that just could have been me, because to me the guy had a 'I'm going to die' label on him since Book One. That's what you get for being the fatherly, protective figure for the main character. Other examples that fall into this category are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Star Wars), John Thornton (Call of the Wild), Tsinga (The Sight), Prince Verity (The Farseer Trilogy), Gandalf...the Gray (Lord of the Rings), Joyce Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)... and well, others. Lots of others whose names just don't seem to come to mind right now. But you get the idea.

I'm just glad that Lupin's alive ^^.

Book Six also sees the coupling of some characters. Too much coupling, in my opinion, that at some points the book seems more like a fanfic than the actual story. Let's see, Cho's so far off Harry's radar that she's barely mentioned in this story, so now we have (not in chronological order) Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Dean, Lavender Brown/Ron, Hermione/Cormac McLaggen, Lupin/Tonks and Bill/Fleur. See what I mean? I'm just glad that Hermione and Ron haven't confessed their feelings to each other yet. I'm not quite ready to see them stop bickering yet, though personally it was much more fun watching them bicker when the fact that they liked each other wasn't too obvious.

And in the end, after the good opening, there are just one too many loose ends, and ends that were tied up too quickly that they leave much to be desired.

But that aside, overall Book Six was a good read. Looks like Prisoner of Azkaban will remain my favourite for a while longer...

A 7 out of 10. Sad fact is that Rowling missed her chance to score an 11.

Book Review: The Sight

2005-08-03T14:09:00.000+08:00

God, I've wanted to do this for ages, and now I've finally gotten round to doing it. Here is a book that I almost religiously carry around with me everywhere I go. Not literally, of course, but you get the picture. I am that much in love with it. I read this book at the perfect time, when I had just finished Prisoner of Azkaban, found Werewolf Apocalypse, and when my obsession with wolves led on to a minor case of therianthrope. So yeah, this book added gasoline to the fire, along with 'Blood and Chocolate' with found its way into my arms not too long after. And for a touch of historical value, I'll bet none of you know this~

'The Sight' is the first book that I have ever bought with my own money! All my previous books were daddy-sponsored, but this one looked too much like a children/teenage book to my dad that he refused to fork out even a single penny for it. I don't mind though. I wanted the book enough to pay for myself, and it set me down the dark, dark road of allowing Kinokuniya to drain my allowance.

Personal stuff aside, 'The Sight' is an awesome, awesome book. It revolves around a female wolf, Larka, who has been endowed with the gift of the Sight, a rare ability among wolf-kind. It is at about the time of Larka's birth that the wolf Morgra has taken command of the Balkar (a group of vicious male wolves), and decreed herself as the 'First of Wolves'. Being the power-hungry bitch that she is, Morgra isn't satisfied with just being the ruler of wolves. She wants Larka's power to aid her go much, much further~ to discover the secret of Man and to rule above all Lera (the word used for 'animals'). Larka's family isn't too keen on handing Larka over though. And so the first half of the book narrates the trials and hardships the family has to go through while fleeing Morgra's wolves. Eventually though, Larka realizes that for the safety of all she holds dear, she has to go off on her own and learn to master her power, so that she may challenge Morgra and liberate her kind.

Don't get me wrong though, 'The Sight' isn't set in a fantasy world. It's set very much in our world, and manages to relate to actual historical events, like the activities of Vlad the Impaler for example. But with the social heirarchy, history and politics of the Varg (the word used for 'wolves') constructed so thoroughly, it feels real enough to pull you in and drag you along for one heck of a ride, where everything ties off just nicely enough at the end.

'The Sight' has its fair share of drama and suspense. And it helps that the characters feel very much alive for you to feel for and love. Even the 'evil' characters aren't truly evil, or without motive other than pure world domination like most stereotypical villains. It's about time that the 'Big Bad Wolf' image be thrown away, I think. This books does justice to the often victimized wolves by portraying them as they really are instead of making them bloodthirsty killing machines.

And the cover's pretty. As Nicholas puts it, the way things are, the saying 'You can't judge a book by its cover' is not useable anymore. Bestselling books normally bring in enough cash for the author to hire better artists to make really, really pretty covers. As a result, most of the bestsellers are the ones with pretty covers. His Dark Materials, anyone?

Despite the amount of time that has passed since I've read this thing, it remains solid on my top ten favourite list.

10 out of 10. Possibly 12.

Foreword

2005-08-03T14:06:00.000+08:00

Basically I decided that the book reviews deserve a different place to be put up. And I thought that it would be fun to drag along some friends to contribute as well. This way, we'll know what to dash to the bookstores for and what to avoid like the plague, or more frankly, we'll know what we want to borrow from each other, you cheapskates, you.