fantasy
Comic Review: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love it so much!!! Action and adventure and friendship and travel and everything… Ah, so good!
So this is the story of two unlikely traveling companions, who go looking for adventure and go up against a dirty pirate king. They escape from hoards of bad guys in Delilah’s flying boat, and then stop for a cup of Selim’s famously delicious tea and biscuits. Continue reading
Book Review: Wizard’s Castle
Wizard’s Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this so much more reading it for the second time! This delightful fairy tale follows Sophie, who has been cursed by a witch to look old even though she’s only 18. Sophie ends up in the house of the Wizard Howl, where the front door magically opens into four different places. (This book has also been published as “Howl’s Moving Castle”.)
The world-building is brilliant! The magic system is really imaginative and interesting. The characters have such great dialogue and good development. I just adore this book! Continue reading
Book Review: The Boy Who Lost Fairyland
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to describe the delicious whimsy and melancholy of Valente’s books? It’s impossible to do, but I shall try.
It’s like spiced cinnamon tea served in a golden teacup with all the honeyed tears of your childhood heart when it first broke into pieces. No, that’s not it. It’s like cool peppermint tea in a silver chalice and all your favorite golden words at the bottom… no, no, that’s not it either. It’s like your heart and mind are at war, and when they finally call a truce they sit down for a lunch of memory sandwiches and warm library books baked with pink icing. But it’s all wrapped up in a glittering fairy story, so you don’t mind so much that your heart was just sliced open and your mind picked apart.
This fourth book in the Fairyland series is no exception! I was wary, as many were, since this book is not about September; but I immediately fell in love with the new characters, and cheered them on through their adventures.
This is the story of Hawthorne, who is whisked away to be a changeling and make trouble in the world of men. When he meets Tamburlaine, they become friends and discover that they are not so very different. The two find their way to Fairyland and are immediately roped into a quest. Continue reading
Recent Reads
Book Review: Shades of Grey
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gah! The Ending! What?!? My brain can’t stand it, and my heart is limping along all hurt and crushed and stuff. Dis book!
Okay, let me start from the top. This is the story of a dystopian future world where most people can only see one color or some not any color at all. The Greys are looked down on and oppressed by the Colorgentsia, and everyone’s place in society is determined by the percentage of color they can see.
There’s definitely a “1984-Big-Brother” vibe going on with the government controlling every aspect of the citizen’s lives.
In the middle of it all is Eddie, a high-color Red with a bright future, until he meets and instantly falls in love with a Grey named Jane. Jane is involved with some very deep revolutionary stuff, and Eddie gets dragged into it all, somewhat against his will, but mostly because he’s too good-hearted, kind, and morally upright to cheat and play the system like everyone else does. Continue reading
Manga and The Giver Quartet
Book Review: Looking for God in Harry Potter
Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this in-depth analysis of the Harry Potter books, specifically tying together classic Christian themes and symbols. The author has become an expert on Harry Potter and gives lectures at B&N University. He also has a degree in Classical Languages and Literature, so you know he really knows what he’s talking about!
At the time this was written, only the first 5 HP books had been published, so the author also speculates, sometimes with funny results, about what he thought might happen in the final two books. I wish that there were a newer edition of this with thoughts on the final books.
The book begins with a personal story about the author reading HP to his children, and tells how many people in Christian communities have bad-mouthed the books in the past. He addresses concerns some Christians might have about HP enticing children into actual witchcraft, and very thoroughly disproves that notion! He uses Scripture, classic story-telling tools, and quotes from HP to show how the HP books actually give a very clear picture of a Christian world, a loving God, and the everyman’s search for purity through Christ. Continue reading
Top 10 Books of 2015
Book Review: The Goddess Test
As part of my BookTube Made Me Read It list, I read “The Goddess Test” by Aimee Carter!
Thoughts on Tomes: https://youtu.be/RrQmIBS5t9A Continue reading
