My Excuse of the Day

I’m catching up on my reading.  As you can see, my list is pretty substantial.

1.  A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

2.  The Fourth Wall by Walter Jon Williams

3.  The King’s Women by Deryn Lake

4.  Warlock by Wilbur Smith

5.  Mask of Troy by David Gibbins

6.  The Bow of Heaven by Andrew Levkoff

7.  Paradise Lost by John Milton

8.  The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Believe it or not, I’m trying to juggle reading all these books at once on top of having The World’s Most Painful Ear Infection.  I know, it’s stupid to be reading eight books at once.  That’s what happens when you suddenly develop the inability to focus.

So enough of my excuses.  What are you reading?

The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice

(Cover picture courtesy of Simania.)

In a feat of virtuoso storytelling, Anne Rice unleashes Akasha, the queen of the damned, who has risen from a six-thousand-year sleep to let loose the powers of the night.  Akasha has a marvelously devious plan to “save” mankind and destroy the vampire Lestat—in this extraordinarily sensual novel of complex, erotic, electrifying world of the undead.

The Queen of the Damned is, out of all the books in The Vampire Chronicles, the one I enjoyed the most.  Why?  Because I’m shamelessly obsessed with ancient Egypt.

Now, no one really knows much about Pre-Dynastic Egypt and Anne Rice paints a vivid picture of what could have been.  The reasons behind the cannibalism practiced by Maharet and Mekare’s tribe are very intriguing, however, there is little to no evidence supporting the practice of such ritual cannibalism in Egypt.  In fact, the only real evidence of cannibalism in Egypt is found in the autobiography of Ankhtifi, a man who lived during the First Intermediate Period.  As much as it makes a nice story, I have to point out that it was not Akasha and Enkil who united Egypt.  It was Narmer (Menes to the Greeks) and his queen Neithhotep who first ruled over a unified Egypt.

Aside from inaccuracies most people wouldn’t notice, The Queen of the Damned is a good book.  The plot is not very fast, but Anne Rice made up for it in her sensual descriptions and intriguing characters.  Unlike most villains, Akasha is a three dimensional character, with redeeming qualities to complement her gaping flaws.  She also has realistic motivations behind her deeds, which makes her stand out from the crowd.

As with all of Anne Rice’s books, this is not recommended for young or sensitive readers.  There are explicit sex scenes, cannibalism and violence.  Personally, I would not recommend The Queen of the Damned for anyone under the age of fourteen.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

(Cover picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy.  Here, hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets…

After escaping from their cruel aunt and uncle, orphans Prosper and Bo meet a mysterious boy who calls himself the “Thief Lord”.  Clever and charming, the Thief Lord leads a band of street children who enjoy making mischief.  But the Thief Lord also has a dark secret.  And suddenly Prosper and Bo find themselves on a fantastical journey to a forgotten place.  What they discover there will change the course of their destiny.

In The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke transports readers to the enchanting world of Venice, a city filled with canals, gondolas and ancient buildings.  But there’s a dark side to this beautiful city, a side that no one hears about—the side that homeless children like Riccio, Mosca, Hornet, Bo and Prosper deal with every day.  Luckily, the children are taken care of by the Thief Lord, Scipio (as in Scipio Africanus, the long-haired Roman general).  Of course, not everything is as it seems.

Cornelia Funke’s writing style is second to none when it comes to children/tween literature.  She doesn’t usually write stories that take place in the real world, but when she does, she still manages to insert her signature hint of magic.  The Thief Lord seems like your average realistic fiction novel, until the climax, where the magic that was there all along finally reveals itself.  And trust me, even the most attentive reader won’t be able to predict half of the things that happen during the climax.

Full of twists and turns, heartbreak and humour, The Thief Lord will captivate its young readers.  Readers will also be able to identify with at least one of the children, if not all of them, which is the beauty of Cornelia Funke’s stories.  Her writing is fantastic and her pacing is excellent, but what sets her apart from many writers is that she writes characters you will always remember.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Books that Should be Made into Movies (Part One)

Hollywood has gone through a bit of a creative dry spell lately, what with all of its remakes of earlier movies and book adaptations.  The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Lightning Thief…what next?  Well, I have a few suggestions of my own.

1.  Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden

I am actually shocked that some ambitious Hollywood director hasn’t picked up the rights to Conn Iggulden’s bestselling Genghis series.  There have been other movies about Genghis Khan, most notably the one where Omar Sharif was Genghis, but I have a feeling that Conn Iggulden’s version is much more accurate.  If an ambitious director with a large budget (I’m thinking along the lines of James Cameron) was to secure the rights to the series, it would not only be more historically accurate, it would appeal to the masses.  The tale of the khan’s second son who unites the entire Mongol nation and goes on to conquer the largest empire ever is your classic underdog story, which people love.  Oh, and of course it will have lots of battle scenes, which are very popular among theater-going audiences. Continue reading →

A Plea for Diversity in Fantasy

Fantasy has been quite stagnant of late, and frankly, I’m sick of it.  I am sick to death of heroes gallivanting around swinging swords in quasi-Medieval European worlds to defeat the evil king.  Can fantasy writers quit ripping off Tolkein and try to write something different for a change?  Now don’t get me wrong, fantasy is one of my favourite genres, but it’s time for a change, especially in YA fiction.  Here I’ve compiled a list of fantasy writers’ greatest offenses.

1.  Enough already with the vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels and [insert half-something here].

Every genre goes through its trends and fantasy is no different.  But sooner or later these trends have to end.  Except, the fantasy genre in general seems to have no intention of letting go of the usual fantasy creatures.  The funny thing is that most of these creatures come from familiar Western mythology.  Would it really be so bad to include a few oni, Wendigos or even a Nandi bear?  Would it kill fantasy writers to step a little further outside their own culture?  Probably not.  Oh, and calling fairies, “faeries”, or hinting that creatures are familiar fantasy creatures without actually calling them that don’t count. Continue reading →