5 Things I Would Do Differently: Blogging

Every blogger, when they look back at how they started out, has things they would do differently.  I am no different!  So what would I change if I could go back in time?

1.  I would learn more about the technical aspects of blogging.

Sure, I actually planned out my blog, but to be perfectly honest, I had no idea what the heck I was doing.  I had read some blogging articles, but I was absolutely clueless about all of the blogging terms and still decided to have a go at it.  Patience has never been one of my virtues.

Looking back, I was pretty pathetic.  I’m ridiculously grateful to everyone in the forums for helping me when I asked dumb questions like “What’s a pingback?” and “Is this a spam comment?”  Now, with a lot more experience, I know what these things are.  However, I should have done a lot more research beforehand. Continue reading →

Change and Contemplation

I’ve been thinking a lot about some new things I can do to change things up here on The Mad Reviewer.  Articles, book reviews and interviews are fine, but I find that I’m getting bored with writing the same things all of the time and I’m sure you’re getting bored with reading the same things all of the time.  That’s why I searched around the internet to see if I could shamelessly steal borrow ideas from other book reviewers.  I’m not going to give too much away because I want some things to be surprises, but here are some things I’ve thought of:

  1. Articles about how certain historical figures are often portrayed in fiction, especially figures in ancient history.  I know a lot more about ancient history than I do about any other period, so expect a lot of Roman, Greek and Egyptian articles.
  2. The Best and Worst…sequels, opening lines, characters, etc.
  3. An in-depth look at books that became movies and what my opinion is of them as compared to the general consensus of fans.

However, there’s one thing I want to ask you guys:

So what do you think of these ideas?  Do you have any of your own?  You can always comment or email me if you want an article on a specific book-related topic.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

(Cover picture courtesy of Redditor’s Choice.)

In The Chrysalids John Wyndham takes the reader into the anguished heart of a community where the chances of breeding true are less than 50 per cent and where deviations are rooted out and destroyed as offences and abominations.  The narrator of The Chrysalids is David, who can communicate with a small group of other young people by means of ‘thought shapes’.  This deviation from a cruelly rigid norm goes unnoticed at first.  But sooner or later the secret is bound to be discovered, and the results are violent, horrific…and believable.

The Chrysalids is one of those few high school novel study favourites that actually doesn’t talk down to students.  Heaven forbid they read an age appropriate novel that has practical messages about life in it!  Well, the reading level is far below what I would consider high school, but it’s definitely a case of content making this a high school book.  Incest (between half-cousins), sexuality, torture and death are some of the things students will encounter in The Chrysalids.  By grade ten, which is when it is usually taught here in Saskatchewan, I would hope that fifteen and sixteen-year-olds are mature enough to handle such things.

The Chrysalids is a very short novel that covers a fairly large time period and there were times I was confused as to what the heck was going on.  However, John Wyndham generally managed to keep the plot on track while developing his characters decently well.  David won’t win any prizes for greatest male lead ever, but he’s not a bad character and you really do feel for him and his predicament in Waknuk as a telepath in a society that banishes ‘deviations’ to the Fringes.

My favourite part of The Chrysalids is how John Wyndham constructed the Waknuk society.  It’s heavily implied that many centuries ago a nuclear war wiped out the ‘Old People’ (us) and the people of Waknuk are still dealing with the nuclear fallout.  How do they deal with it?  By turning to a warped version of Christianity and a book called Repentances written during the time of Tribulation (the nuclear war) that reflects the fear of the new radiation-induced deformities.  While I won’t get too much into religion, let’s just say that the version of Christianity preached by the community leaders is not the version that I saw when I read the Bible and leave it at that.

The Chrysalids can be enjoyed on many different levels.  Some could see it as a crusade against religious fundamentalism and the role of fear in keeping citizens obedient.  It could be seen as social commentary on the hypocrisy of people’s fear of anything “Other”, especially when the New Zealand woman calls David’s people ‘primitive’ for not embracing telepathy.  It can even been seen as a story of forbidden love between two half-cousins, if you’re so inclined.  I’m not, but it can still be interpreted that way.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Last Call for Reader Suggestions

Officially, ‘Reader Suggestion Week’ ended at 11:59pm last night, but I only received two comments, so I’m extending it just for today.

Do you want to see me review a particular book or author?  Do you have a suggestion for an article?  Would you like me to change something about the site layout to make it easier to navigate?  Do you want more or less articles, author interviews, book reviews and/or guest posts?

You guys, my readers, are what make The Mad Reviewer possible, so I want your reading experience here to be as pleasant as possible.  I’m not about to get offended if you offer me, a self-appointed reviewer/critic, some constructive criticism.  I can take what I dish out, believe me.

If you don’t want to comment below, send your suggestion through my contact page.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’s dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

(Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Well, as of today it’s one month until the release of The Lost Prince, the first book in the new Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten Trilogy.  One of the only downsides to obtaining a book on NetGalley is that you read it earlier than everyone else and as a result, have to wait even longer for the next book!  I honestly can’t wait for the next book, which will be coming out in 2013.  Anyway, on with the review!

You shouldn’t read this book unless you’ve read all four of the previous books in the Iron Fey series.  It contains major spoilers and you will definitely be left wondering how the heck certain things happened unless you read all the previous books in the series.  With that said, if you have read the rest of the series, The Lost Prince is an amazing add-on book.  It focuses on Ethan Chase, Meghan’s little brother who was kidnapped by Machina in The Iron King.  Only now, he’s eighteen years old and about as emotionally scarred as you would expect from his experiences with the cruel, remorseless faeries.  It doesn’t help that Meghan left him at a young age to become the Iron Queen with Ash as her Prince Consort.

It also doesn’t help that Ethan has The Sight and, as a result, gets noticed by Them a lot.  He’s paranoid (with good reason) and refuses to get close to anyone for fear that the faeries may hurt them to get to him.  That’s why Mackenzie (Kenzie for short) St. James, a school reporter determined to dig up his past, becomes such an important character.  Although she may seem one dimensional or even just plain crazy, we learn that Ethan isn’t the only one with huge secrets.

An amazing plot, reappearances of old favourite characters, three dimensional new characters and a larger picture of the fantastic world of the Nevernever…what more could you ask for?  Iron Fey fans will love the fifth installment in the series, so go ahead and pre-order it if you haven’t already!  It releases on October 23, 2012.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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