Thursday, June 28, 2007
Early through Mid June
Barefoot Gen: The day After by Keiji Nakazawa - a memoir in graphic form. This is an extremely disturbing and intense eye-witness telling of life in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped. The author was 7 when he and hismother survived the bombing and intense fires and radiation poisoning following the bombing. His story is told as if happened and felt to him so that telling the hallucinations from non-hallucinations is difficult.
Promethea Volume 1 by Alan Moore - graphic fiction. Sophie Bangs is a college student interested in the myths around Promethea. She gets more than she expected when she interviews a woman who was and is Promethea and finds the myths, gods, worlds taking over her world and body.
Meridian Volume 1 by Barbara Kesel - graphic fiction. Crossgen created the Sigilverse first and wrote its history and people before separating out and telling its stories as different series (Sigil, Mystic, Meridian, and Scion). Meridian was enjoyed by the whole family and there was hoarding that had to be dealt with severely! The hero of Medidian is Sephie who reminded me quite a bit of the hero of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Sephie is a sheltered, athletic daughter of a leader. Her neighbours love her and cherish their life in harmony with thei hovering islands. When she receives the mysterious sigil mark her father is killed and her uncle wages war on her island state. She sees how her uncle separates some beings into worthy and others into unworthy and experiences the degradation off the environment that other states live with. Very good!
The Usurpers Crown, Scorcerers Treason, and The Firebird's Vengeance by Sarah Zettel. Scifi/fantasy. These are all novels of Isavalta. Isavalta is a world that borders on our world and can be reached by those with the skills or talents to sail through the seas of dreams/death/gods. The main ourworld characters are Grace and Ingrid (sisters) and Bridget (Ingrid's daughter) and Anna (Bridget's daughter) each of these women finds her life entwined with the politics and people of Isavalta and they are changed by their experiences. Nice story lines and the plots and people were not difficult to remember and keep separate (and yet related).
Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book falls into line with Margaret Haddix' other books about our future and genetic engineering. Bethany is suddenly dumped with an Aunty she knew nothing about while her loving and sheltering parents kiss her and run to keep her safe. What mystery is this and who is at risk? What makes a person a person and individual? What do we do when we realize our parents are flawed?
The Forest in the Hallway by Gordon Smith. The jacket blurb sounded interesting and I liked the cover artwork; that got the book home with me from the library and onto the top of my reading pile. The story did not live up to the jacket. There are a lot of details and interesting characters but they are disjointed and not fully developed. For instance, words on a page have actual power when said and blown on and this is brought forth several times but then dropped, there is an interesting alarm system at the witch's house but it seems to be described for the coolness of the idea, used briefly, and then gone. (sigh) written down it sounds fine and good but in the reading it was unsatisfying and distracting. I would have preferred a series set in the universe with more time and story given to the different ses of characters and magical ideas.
The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein - a memoir. Harry Bernstein was part of a poor Jewish family with an alchoholic father living in a small town in England during WW1. Their street is divided between Christians and Jews and while they shop from each other and mingle when necessary (Christian women light the fires for Jewish families on the sabbath), generally the two keep separate lives. The worst thing that can happen is for a Jewish girl to fall in love with a christian boy. At least it seems that way until the war brings its horror to the street and love brings life. It's an interesting story but overwritten. It is disconcerting to have the story told in adult words with adult hindsight with the interjection of verbatim toddler words in the author's voice. I think the editor could have helped a lot more.
Promethea Volume 1 by Alan Moore - graphic fiction. Sophie Bangs is a college student interested in the myths around Promethea. She gets more than she expected when she interviews a woman who was and is Promethea and finds the myths, gods, worlds taking over her world and body.
Meridian Volume 1 by Barbara Kesel - graphic fiction. Crossgen created the Sigilverse first and wrote its history and people before separating out and telling its stories as different series (Sigil, Mystic, Meridian, and Scion). Meridian was enjoyed by the whole family and there was hoarding that had to be dealt with severely! The hero of Medidian is Sephie who reminded me quite a bit of the hero of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Sephie is a sheltered, athletic daughter of a leader. Her neighbours love her and cherish their life in harmony with thei hovering islands. When she receives the mysterious sigil mark her father is killed and her uncle wages war on her island state. She sees how her uncle separates some beings into worthy and others into unworthy and experiences the degradation off the environment that other states live with. Very good!
The Usurpers Crown, Scorcerers Treason, and The Firebird's Vengeance by Sarah Zettel. Scifi/fantasy. These are all novels of Isavalta. Isavalta is a world that borders on our world and can be reached by those with the skills or talents to sail through the seas of dreams/death/gods. The main ourworld characters are Grace and Ingrid (sisters) and Bridget (Ingrid's daughter) and Anna (Bridget's daughter) each of these women finds her life entwined with the politics and people of Isavalta and they are changed by their experiences. Nice story lines and the plots and people were not difficult to remember and keep separate (and yet related).
Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book falls into line with Margaret Haddix' other books about our future and genetic engineering. Bethany is suddenly dumped with an Aunty she knew nothing about while her loving and sheltering parents kiss her and run to keep her safe. What mystery is this and who is at risk? What makes a person a person and individual? What do we do when we realize our parents are flawed?
The Forest in the Hallway by Gordon Smith. The jacket blurb sounded interesting and I liked the cover artwork; that got the book home with me from the library and onto the top of my reading pile. The story did not live up to the jacket. There are a lot of details and interesting characters but they are disjointed and not fully developed. For instance, words on a page have actual power when said and blown on and this is brought forth several times but then dropped, there is an interesting alarm system at the witch's house but it seems to be described for the coolness of the idea, used briefly, and then gone. (sigh) written down it sounds fine and good but in the reading it was unsatisfying and distracting. I would have preferred a series set in the universe with more time and story given to the different ses of characters and magical ideas.
The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein - a memoir. Harry Bernstein was part of a poor Jewish family with an alchoholic father living in a small town in England during WW1. Their street is divided between Christians and Jews and while they shop from each other and mingle when necessary (Christian women light the fires for Jewish families on the sabbath), generally the two keep separate lives. The worst thing that can happen is for a Jewish girl to fall in love with a christian boy. At least it seems that way until the war brings its horror to the street and love brings life. It's an interesting story but overwritten. It is disconcerting to have the story told in adult words with adult hindsight with the interjection of verbatim toddler words in the author's voice. I think the editor could have helped a lot more.
# posted by JJ @ 4:21 PM 
