The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch

An orphan’s life is harsh – and often short – in the mysterious island city of Camorr.  But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist.  As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler.  But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly.  Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own game – or die trying… (Book jacket)

Last night I finished reading The Lies of Locke Lamora and I must be allowed to rave.  Scott Lynch delivered such a wonderful kind of magic with this book.  It’s the kind of story that just sweeps you off your feet and takes you on a thrill-laden adventure you just wish you couldn’t come back from.  I never wanted this book to end.

Set in the city/country of Camorr, where the poor resort to whatever desperate means to beat hunger, cold, and find some means to thrive; and the rich live quite literally in gilded towers, the world of The Lies of Locke Lamora has to be one of the most well-conceived, empathic, most adventure-ripe settings I’ve ever encountered.  It is a world that, for all the fantastical elements that make it seem far-removed from our own, is brutally honest and unapologetically stark in its vivid portrayal of human truth.  You can practically smell the stink of the slums and the sweat of the toiling working class right along with seeing the glow and reflected glory of the elite’s glass towers, the shine of their gold. 

The main plot of the novel dwells on the painful and tragic clash between Locke’s Gentleman Bastards and the forces of a mysterious, vengeful foe called the Gray King.  Locke and his band of skilled and audacious con artists are on a big heist when the Gray King suddenly comes into the picture, compelling Locke to be his accomplice in a mad scheme or else.  It would have been easy for Locke and his crew to deal with this guy, but the Gray King had a malignant and terrible ace up his sleeve – a Bondsmage.  Possessing indescribable magical abilities, the Bondsmage made short work of all the Gentleman Bastards’ efforts to resist or fight back.  With him in the Gray King’s employ as well as a crew of seasoned bruisers, assassins, alchemists, and shark-fighting gladiators, Locke and his friends suffered the most horrific, most tragic consequence.  Locke finds himself bereft of almost everything he held dear, and soon begins a desperate campaign for absolute revenge even if it meant he must pay for it with his own life.

Interspersed among the chapters comprising the central plot of the novel are “interludes” where little by little the history of Locke and his companions are revealed.  Where did they come from, how they all met, who taught them the skills required for them to ply their “trade”, and what were the experiences that brought them together and turned them into a unit as close-knit as any family tied by blood – all these and more are illuminated, rendering you further and further absorbed into their lives.  As a reader I felt so close to them I could just imagine the sound of their voices and footfalls.  I felt so much for them, that it hit me doubly hard when things started to turn bad.  And then I really couldn’t stop turning the pages anymore.  Not knowing immediately what would happen next was plainly unthinkable.  The book just took me by a death-grip and pulled and pushed me to the very end.  Spectacular kind of compulsion, this, that only a good story can deliver.  My eyes felt so sore by the time I finished the book, deep into the dead of night.  I think I might have tried not to blink.   

I loved all the characters, even the bad guys (they were such utterly despicable hell-spawns… perfect), but I developed a soft spot for Locke.  He was a splendid thing.  In spite of being a profligate thief, a shameless liar, and a (somewhat unintentional) killer, he still maintained his own particular brand of innocence and naiveté.  I could just imagine him swagger through town all self-assured and witness his deft mummery.  A rakish leader he might be, but he also deeply cared for his family the way a rough but loving elder brother would.  And then, just like any loving brother would, he turned coldly unforgiving and merciless to those who sought to harm his family.  Relentless in his pursuit for vengeance, his ruthlessness can only be matched by none other than that of his enemy, the Gray King. 

This book was just lent to me by a good friend, but I swear by all that’s holy (or unholy) I will grab myself a copy as soon as I spot it, as well as all of the sequels (I think there are two by now) so that I may re-read at my leisure.  This is just the kind of book that I cherish – one that lets me escape into another world without ever leaving my seat (actually in my case, bed).  How is it possible to get an adrenaline rush while lying down and cuddling with a book?  Well, when the book happens to be something like this.  

Scott Lynch Website 

A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, but once he was called Sparrowhawk, a reckless youth, hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world.  This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death’s threshold to restore the balance.  (Book cover)

This is exactly the kind of book that I love to read, and dream I could write – intelligent, deep, thought-provoking, and with magic and dragons in it!  I have loved Ursula K. Le Guin for a long time, but it had been especially difficult for me to find a complete set of her Earthsea books.   At last, on a serendipitous foray into an obscure corner of my small world (Cubao  J), I came upon a second-hand-books store that had it!  Joyous day it was indeed!  I tried not to get too excited, so I let the books settle for a while in my bookshelf, let them get used to the atmosphere of my room, but constantly I knew they were there, waiting for me.   The Earthsea series has spawned a radio dramatization, a television series, and even an anime film from the famed Studio Ghibli.

So Ged learns from a very young age that unlike the other kids, he’s special, gifted – he can do magic!  His beginnings weren’t so bad, he was a naturally curious child who liked to explore and learn more and more about his world and about what he can do in it.  He even ends up helping to save his village from savage invaders, risking his life in the process.  Good thing someone comes along to take him in hand, his teacher, Ogion.  The benevolent and quiet old man believed the boy to be incredibly powerful and sees in him unlimited potential, but Ged is impatient and impulsive.  He thinks the teacher isn’t actually teaching him anything.  So he does something that will have terrible consequences later – in secret he reads a dangerous book and summons up an unexplained darkness that no one will be powerful enough to confront, except Ged himself.   Ogion then does the only thing he could do at that point – he sends the rough-hewn Ged to wizard school, that he may learn what he needs to become a powerful wizard. 

Everyone at school acknowledges Ged’s undeniable giftedness.  But there he meets Jasper, older, more learned and just as confident in his skills as Ged was in his; they quickly rub each other the wrong way.  And though Ged makes good friends in Vetch and in the other aspiring wizards, he carries a constant grudge toward Jasper.  Then comes the fateful day when, issuing a challenge against Jasper, he ends up releasing the Shadow into the world.  In a desperate attempt to save Ged’s life, the Archmage sacrifices his, and Ged is left to hover at the border of life and death.  Thus begins his true development into the wizard he was destined to be, and his journey all over Earthsea in a quest to defeat the unnamed evil no one else but he could possibly face.

I loved every single word of this book.  Reading it, you can clearly see that the author has a profound understanding of what it means to be human – imperfect.  I love the fact that Ged started off just like any other kid who knows that he’s got something that other kids don’t.  He was cocky, boastful, arrogant, and with a little mean streak that helped him dominate all the other kids.  But of course, the world knows exactly how to teach kids like this the lesson that they need.  Ged learns humility the hard way.  In many ways he reminds me strongly of Beowulf (Yes, hero of the earliest known epic in the English language.  Read that, too!).  The point is that Ged learns from his terrible experiences, acknowledges his faults, and works hard to try to remedy the situation himself.  He doesn’t just give up and hide in a corner somewhere, asking other people to protect him.  In the process, he discovers just who his real friends are, and what it means to be only a small part of the great balance of the world, and that having power doesn’t mean having control and dominion over what or who seems powerless. 

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!  I sincerely hope that whoever you are, wherever you are in the world, you may also find something that gives you such pleasure and joy as well-told stories like the Earthsea Saga does for me. 

Ursula K. Le Guin's website

The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade - Sally Gardner

The winds of change are blowing through Paris in the winter of 1789, both for France and for our hero, a striking and mysterious Gypsy boy named Yann Margoza.  He was born with a gift for knowing what people are thinking and an uncanny ability to throw his voice, and he has been using those skills while working for a rather foolish magician.  That work will soon end, however, and on the night of the magician’s final performance, Yann’s life will truly begin.  That’s the night he meets shy Sido, an heiress with a cold-hearted father, a young girl who has only known loneliness until now.  Though they have the shortest of conversations, an attachment is born that will influence both their paths.

And what paths those will be!  While Revolution is afoot in France, Sido is being used as the pawn of a fearful villain who goes by the name Count Kalliovski.  Some have instead called him the devil, and only Yann, for Sido’s sake, will dare oppose him. (Book jacket, “The Red Necklace”)

As the French Revolution descends into nightmare, Yann Margoza, a mysterious and extraordinary practitioner of magic, uses his skills to confound his enemies and help spirit refugees out of France.  If he fails, their fates lie under the blade of the guillotine.  But the question of Yann’s true identity and the kidnapping of his true love, Sido, expose him to dangers that threaten to destroy him.  With Paris on the verge of collapse, Yann must summon all his strength and courage to rescue his beloved Sido and outwit the devil’s own – this time for good. (Book jacket, “The Silver Blade”)

Strongly reminiscent of two other of my favorite books (The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy and The Fallen Angels by Susannah Kells), I immediately fell in love with these two books.  What strange serendipity that all three stories happen to be set in the French Revolution and all three are stories of adventure, intrigue and heroism with a generous touch of romance.  I guess I am a sucker for this kind of story.  The main distinction that differentiates Gardner’s books from Baroness Orczy’s and Kells’ books is that they are geared towards a young adult audience.  Compared to “Pimpernel” and “Fallen Angels” these two are quite light, easy, and fantastical.  There was no element of the magical/supernatural in either “Pimpernel” or “Fallen Angels” (just the most thrilling sly and ingenious cleverness and wit) whereas Gardner’s books held a healthy dose of magic.  In fact, there was a scene in The Silver Blade that I felt bordered on the awkward and incongruous (I won’t relate it here, for fear of giving spoilers), but I enjoyed the story so much that I didn't mind a little deus ex machina.  Why is it so rare to find stories like these nowadays?  I thank the gods that I managed to stumble upon these books at a book sale – there they lay in a random pile of pitiful-looking marked-down books and when I saw them, I didn't even think twice.  They were practically calling out my name.  It was fate, definitely fate – and I only paid a seventh of the original price for them!  Fabulous.

What I liked most about these two books is that although the plot centers on the love story between Yann and Sido, it does not detract attention from the deeper underlying themes that pervade the setting of the tale.  The French Revolution was a brutal episode in human history.  It began with noble ideals – equality, fairness, justice, liberty, and so many other lofty dreams – but all too quickly deteriorated into a violent bloodbath where neither the guilty nor the innocent were spared of the lash of human greed and conceit.  Yann suffered the dilemma of his role as a ghostly, magical rescuer colliding with his longing to be free of the blood-covered Hell that Paris had become and simply be together with Sido.  Added into the mix was the fact that he had to confront the monsters of his own personal history, the origin of his strange abilities, and the fearful enemy that threatened him and all those he loved. I appreciated that the hero of this story was portrayed in such a way as to be cognizant enough of the meaning of responsibility and mindful of the consequences of selfishness – especially since this tale was meant for a young adult audience.   Heavens know that young people (everyone, in fact, not just the young) nowadays need to learn that particular lesson among many others.   I also liked the fact that Sido was not satisfied with being a prettified doll sitting in the lap of luxury and wealth, that she managed to overcome her imperfections and didn't settle with being a typecast figure.  Her character clearly showed that wealth and luxury can be as stifling and restricting as any other prison, and she chose not to let herself be held by those opulent bindings. 

While these books are apparently romance-themed, I appreciated the fact that more than being about romance, they dwelt heavily on adventure and heroism, about taking risks and making excruciating decisions and sacrifices.  The plot was quickly paced and exciting – not a dull moment.  It carried you through the characters’ fears, frustrations, dangers, and joys.  You could witness the unfolding of events of one of the most crucial times of history as you followed their tale.  Just wonderful.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a well-told tale, and who wants to savor the closing of a book with a full head and a full heart. 

Please also read The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Fallen Angels if you come across them.  Enjoy! 

Click here for Sally Gardner's website.

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

I experienced this book through audio.  Ethan Hawke performed it.  In his droll, ironic tones, the story was lent a certain gravity that I might not have perceived on my own if I’d read the book myself.  It is the story of Billy Pilgrim and his experiences as a soldier in the Second World War, mostly centering on the bombing and destruction of Dresden.  But of course that’s not all.  Billy Pilgrim also happens to be a time traveler as well as a victim of kidnapping by aliens from a planet called Tralfamador.  I don’t really know how I should feel about all that, but I am glad that this is not just another morality story about the tragedy and uselessness of war much like so many other typical war stories out there.

Too young, scrawny, and sickly, Billy Pilgrim was glaringly unfit to be a soldier (who IS fit to be one, anyway?).  Trudging through the forests of Germany with a few other soldiers equally as hungry and poorly equipped for war as he, he makes the discovery of his ability for time travel.  He goes through the many stages of his own life, past and future.  His parents, his marriage, his children, his abduction by aliens, his plane crash experience, even his own death – he goes through them all.  He keeps coming back to his soldier days, though, and ironically enough, it is his other life/lives that put the horrors he went through in war into perspective instead of the other way around.  These people that he had met throughout his life – fellow soldiers, war survivors and veterans, optometrists, his family, aliens – they all seemed to pass by him like disjointed episodes as he jumped from one time to another.  Yet they all mattered and did not matter all at once; for as was repeated, everything is as it should have been and always will be. So it goes.

They kept repeating that:  So it goes.  Nothing could have changed anything, not even being abducted by aliens, not even traveling through time.  Does any of it make sense, does anything we do affect history, or destiny?  Maybe not.  Maybe there’s no need to.  We all will face fate one day.  Wars will always be what they are.  Life will always be what it is.  The Tralfamadorians’ advice goes:  dwell on the happy times. 

I liked this book very much.  I liked how anti-melodramatic it is – not one word here romanticized war.  Its alternate title is “The Children’s Crusade”, reiterating that ‘war is fought by babies.’  I liked the way Ethan Hawke read it – languidly and almost lazily with an ironic lilt that could sometimes be alternately witty and sarcastic.  This story gets into you.  The voice of Billy Pilgrim – his honesty, his good nature, his acceptance, his grief – gets to you.  I’m so glad I got to experience it.  Few other of its kind could be as timeless and provocative as this is.  I strongly recommend it.  

Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan 2010

Having a hankering for something historical, I decided to give this series a try.  It aired in 2010, and consisted of twenty two episodes.  Samurai drama, a hint of fantasy, wartime Japan, and the indomitable Japanese fighting spirit comprise the series’ main themes.  It first came out as a video game, but soon had an anime series, manga series, and feature films.

The story revolves around Chizuru, the daughter of a western-trained doctor who abandoned her.  As she travels from Edo to Kyoto in search of her father, she is assaulted by monstrous vampire-like soldiers and is saved by members of the Shinsengumi (Kyoto's police force).  It just so happens that the Shinsengumi are also on the hunt for her father, so they keep her with them.  Chizuru then begins to get to know the members of the group and soon becomes unwilling to separate.  She also discovers that her father created an “elixir” that was designed to create a superior soldier for the Shinsengumi.  This elixir’s formulation is based on the blood of a special race they called oni who possess extraordinary abilities such as rapid healing and heightened fighting prowess.  However, the elixir was a failure – whoever ingested it turned into uncontrollable blood-lusting monsters called Rasetsu.  The Shinsengumi needed to find Chizuru’s father to get him to make an antidote or to improve on the said elixir. 

Perhaps the best thing I could say about the series is that the events were pretty much historically accurate.  The series was set during the time when the Shinsengumi is drawn into the shogunate’s efforts to ward off the impending dominance of a new government and western culture.  I liked how it showed the despair of the soldiers as they watched the slow but inevitable death of the samurai culture – swords give way to guns, and so on.   The series focused more on this theme rather than on the more fantastic aspect of the story, i.e., their battles against the oni and the Rasetsu.  I’m also pretty thankful that they didn’t give the story any corny romantic “harem” angle even though it was the story of a young girl surrounded by incredibly handsome young men who are likely to fall all over themselves falling in love with her.  No such thing – what a relief.  And it also had an appropriately moving and tragic ending.  Well, given the fact that it is about war and a dying culture, it would have been pretty unlikely that nobody would die.  Good thing it didn't have a cheesy happily ever after ending – it gave the whole thing more credibility. 

The art was good and clean but I wouldn't call unique or remarkable.  The pace and plot development of the story was good, and the characters were interesting, if a bit underdeveloped.  I wasn't bored, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next, either.  I appreciated the series, but wouldn't say it’s among the best I've seen.  Still, you might want to give it a try.  

More information on Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan

Enchantment - Orson Scott Card

Book jacket synopsis:

The moment young Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed.  Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay as still as death – while a malevolent presence stirred in the hidden depths below.

Now years later, Ivan is compelled to return.  He finds the clearing just as he left it.  This time he does not run…

This is probably the third or fourth time I’ve reread this book.  It’s one of those stories that I gravitate towards when the world around me seems to have lost all its magic, and all its inhabitants seem to be moving about merely following patterns that loop back and never change.

As the title suggests, it’s a story that lets me want to believe that there are still some things beautiful and wonderful in the world.  I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always had a special fondness for fairy tales, and that Sleeping Beauty is my favourite.  Well, this particular adaptation of Sleeping Beauty is one of the best I’ve ever encountered so far.

We meet Ivan, a ten-year-old Russian boy, suffering from identity crisis.  His parents have suddenly decided that everyone will turn Jew – and that this will have serious implications as to which parts of his anatomy will remain unscathed; all this in a desperate effort to escape Russia.  They sojourn at a relative’s farm in Ukraine, where on one of his running sprees, Ivan finds the sleeping princess Katerina and runs away, frightened by the palpable evil that guards her resting place.  The family flies to America where Ivan grows up to be a scholar and an athlete; but not for one moment has he forgotten the mysterious clearing, and the sleeping beauty that lies in the middle of a great chasm filled with dead leaves. He returns to her, unable to move on with his life unless he does, and when he does find her he takes his destiny in hand and his life – as well as Katerina’s – become hopelessly entangled in events that lead them to discover what truly mattered in their lives.  But did he actually end up saving the princess, or bringing her further trouble?  Was Ivan the man that the princess needed, or will he end up regretting his actions and wishing he had left Katerina trapped under the curse forever? 

Baba Yaga is certainly powerful, but it is never enough.  She ensorcells Bear, the god of winter, and taps into his power, using it to get even more.  The curse she placed on Katerina and the Bear seemed fool proof, until Ivan came along.  And now she must use all her wiles and employ all her magic to get everything back to how she wishes it to be.  But even as they find themselves betrayed left and right by people supposedly trustworthy, Ivan and Katerina manage to find some allies of their own. 

I love how this book sent me back in time to when I was a kid eating up all the books on folk tales in my school library.  I remember the tales from Russia; Baba Yaga and the Bear, and brave Ivan who had as many or even more adventures than did the more western Jack.  I loved that the characters that peopled this story weren’t glamorized.  They all had their own problems to deal with – even the witch and the gods had their unpleasant circumstances to face.  I love that both Ivan and Katerina were not your stereotypical fairy tale prince and princess.  They both surely had their many failings right along with the qualities that redeem them in each other’s eyes.  But their journey is a long and perilous one, filled with magic and science, bitterness and betrayal, and intertwined along with theirs are the lives of everyone around them. How were they to know that they held the fragile balance of the world in their hands?  Too many times in the book did it seem doubtful that goodness, nobility, sacrifice, and even love would make any difference in their efforts against their terrible and powerful adversary.  And I am taken along for the ride.  I follow them across the unseen bridge through time and space into two different worlds, each with their own brand of good and evil, of truth and lies, and most of all, of magic. 

As long as I can read, and as long as the pages of this book are intact, I believe I shall never tire of reading it over and over.  Rarely is there ever such a book that comes this close to the soul that once it is found, it is ever let go.  I hope you find such a book yourself, and gain a revitalizing source of magic when and where there seems to be no more magic to be found. 

Chronicle

Tonight I saw a recent film called “Chronicle” directed by Joshua Trank.  It’s one of those unexpected movies that suddenly become really popular hits even though it didn’t have any overhyped superstar Hollywood celebrity cast members, publicity, and all that paraphernalia.  It was pure story – and I loved it from start to finish.

It centers on Andrew, a high school senior who is faced with such a hard life to cope with – poverty, a mother who’s very ill, an abusive drunk of a father, bullying at school, isolation and loneliness.  The one person he could call a friend is his cousin, Matt. 

One day Matt forces him to go to a party.  Things don’t go well for Andrew there and Steve, their popular classmate, approaches Andrew and urges him to explore something that had been discovered in the woods.  It turns out to be a cavern that leads deep underground, tunneling into the earth.  There Andrew, Steve and Matt encounter something inexplicable – an alien object or creature.  Their contact with this object causes the three of them to develop telekinetic powers.  As they explore and experiment with their newfound abilities, getting stronger and becoming more and more creative with it, the friendship and camaraderie among the three friends grow as well.  Things seem to be looking up for Andrew; he has friends now, and he has power.  But it didn’t make anything easier for him and as his troubles continually plague and overwhelm him, he feels all the more alone and desperate.  Andrew starts to lose control and use his power in a very destructive manner.  He succumbs to his despair and lets all Hell break loose in a seething rampage that leads to the story’s inexorable tragic culmination. 

I love how the film is entitled “Chronicle” because the events unfold from the perspective of a number of different cameras, but mostly Andrew’s own.  You see the story from a third party point of view; you are merely an observer, chronicling the events of the developing drama.  In effect, the camera perspective becomes as much a barrier between you, the audience, and Andrew’s world, as it was between Andrew and the harsh realities of his world.  It allowed him to feel detached, isolated, and safe from all the cruelty and the loneliness.

Beautifully imagined and executed, this film is definitely an amplified reflection of this, our world.  This is what happens when people are pushed too far – they break.  It is a glaring commentary on the truth around us – poverty, domestic abuse, bullying, and isolation.  Once people become sunk in despair, they look for something that they feel empowering and they let loose.  Look around at the shooting rampages in schools, bombs thrown around like so many cigarette stubs, massacres left and right.  This movie made me look hard, and let me think about my actions, the actions of the people around me, and so much more.  I highly recommend this to everyone.  See it, think about it, and maybe it will change everything, including yourself.

See the trailer of CHRONICLE

Rain, Flood, and Songs of Love and Death

For three days and three nights, my town suffered from severe flooding.  Monsoon rains have been unforgiving and merciless.  In our house, flood waters came up to mid-thigh.  Out on the streets the waters came up to higher than a man.  We carried what we could up to the second story of our home, and locked ourselves in with enough food and water that would last for about two, maybe three nights. You can just imagine our fear and worry, the frustration at the unstopping pouring rain.  

Still, this was not as bad as it had been in September 2009, when a typhoon called Ondoy came and submerged practically the whole city and claimed thousands of lives.  Much had been lost then.  I could definitely say that for my family at least, this time around wasn’t as bad as it was before.  We are now on the recovery, cleaning the mud and debris from our homes and our streets; and hoping, like we did before, that such a thing will not happen again.  But nature doesn’t play favorites.  We wait and see. 

During those nights of fear, anxiety, and loss of electricity, I chose to read “Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love.” I thought it was most appropriate for reading in candlelight.  And I was right; I couldn’t have chosen a better book to read that time.  Edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, the stories in this book were alternately tragic, joyful, sexy, suspenseful, mysterious, and poetic.  It’s a smooth blend of the best that sci-fi, fantasy, and romance have to offer.  I’d like to say that I have a favorite among them, but I definitely enjoyed all of the tales, and I will surely revisit this book in the uncertain future.  This book is absolutely beautiful, and will stay in my mental list of most memorable books.  The premise at the back says:

From zombie-infested woods in a post-apocalyptic America to faerie-haunted rural fields in eighteenth century England, from the kingdoms of high fantasy to the alien world of a galaxy-spanning empire, join star-crossed lovers as they struggle against the forces of magic and fate.

Here are the story titles and their authors:

1. Love Hurts – Jim Butcher

2. The Marrying Maid – Jo Beverly

3. Rooftops – Carrie Vaughn

4. Hurt Me – M.L.N. Hanover

5. Demon Lover – Cecelia Holland

6. The Wayfarer’s Advice – Melinda M. Snodgrass

7. Blue Boots – Robin Hobb

8. The Thing About Cassandra – Neil Gaiman

9. After the Blood – Marjorie M. Liu

10. You, and You Alone – Jacqueline Carey

11. His Wolf – Lisa Tuttle

12. Courting Trouble – Linnea Sinclair

13. The Demon Dancer – Mary Jo Putney

14. Under/Above the Water – Tanith Lee

15. Kaskia – Peter S. Beagle

16. Man in the Mirror – Yasmine Galenorn

17. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows – Diana Gabaldon

Final Fantasy Tactics for PS1

A warrior takes sword in hand, clasping a gem to his heart...

Engraving vanishing memories into the sword,

He places finely honed skills into the stone.

Spoken from the sword, handed down from the stone,

Now the story can be told...

The Zodiac Brave Story

I am reliving my long-lost youth again by playing this game.  It's my all-time favorite.  It's much like playing chess.  You need to be a pretty good strategist to really enjoy it.  The story is fabulous, too.  Of course this is a Final Fantasy game, after all, so the indispensables are there: epic battles, unrecognized heroes, gods and deities, dragons, castles, princes and princesses, and a quest to save the world.  Too bad they never made another like it, though there have been so many that have adapted a similar format.  I'm so glad it could be downloaded for the PS3.  I highly recommend it.  Enjoy! 

Thomas the Rhymer - Ellen Kushner

The best thing about this story is the music.  You could almost see yourself in the halls of the kings and nobles, in the gardens and fountains, and in the magical realm of Elfland, immersed in the powerful music and magic of minstrelsy.  Seldom have I encountered a book with so much music and sound in it.  You will hear the susurration of silks, the rustling of leaves, the baa-ing of sheep, stories of tragic loves and heroic rescues, and music, music, music. It’s wonderful to hear music from your own imagination, brought to you by the power of words on a page.

The book gives us the life of Thomas, a minstrel.  We meet him first when, as a young travelling harper trying to find escape from the consequences of his youthful indiscretions, he finds himself in the care of a farmer and his wife deep in the quiet countryside.  He sings them his songs, new and old, and shares with them the gift of his music. The couple takes him in and is soon as fond of him as if he was their own child.  There among the hills, ranges, meadows, and music he meets Elspeth.  Their love is young and innocent, playful and easy.  But Thomas’ fate takes a drastic turn when one day while taking a stroll through the trees, he encounters the wondrous Queen of Elfland, who strikes a bargain with him and takes him from Earth and into her magical realm to be her lover and servant for seven years. 

In Elfland Thomas meets many strange and wonderful characters.  Hunter, the queen’s brother, tries to challenge him at every turn.  Thomas’ invisible servant sees to his needs but also hides a grim and sad story of her own.  There is the dove that weeps tears of blood when it hears Thomas’ music – bespelled by Hunter.  There is the King Who Waits, who calls Thomas “brother” and with whom Thomas feels a strange bond.  And then of course, the Queen.  He serves as her harper and singer in the halls and as the lover in her bed.  Thomas’ time in Elfland is full of magical stories, mysteries and riddles that he must solve, as well as innocents he feels compelled to save from cruel fates.  His true mettle as a minstrel is tested there, and he learns more about himself and about life and death from his incredible experiences.  At the end of seven years, and as a reward for solving a riddle and making a noble sacrifice, the Queen returns him to Earth with the gift of “a tongue that cannot lie.” 

I will leave the rest of the story for you to discover.  It is filled with magic and music.  If you enjoy a good, colorful fantasy enhanced by lyrical and imaginative storytelling, then you will appreciate this book.  It is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.  It also strongly reminded me of the tale of “Tam Lin” (I think it might be based loosely on this folk tale because of the many similarities and direct references.) and “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell” which I also enjoyed immensely and consider as one of the most memorable books I ever read.  In any case, I believe "Thomas the Rhymer" is definitely worth reading.  Enjoy! 

The Prestige - Christopher Priest

I finished the book "The Prestige" by Christopher Priest, and it is simply spectacular!  I'm so terribly fortunate to have been given the chance to read so many great books, and this is definitely one of those.  I've seen the movie and I loved it (awesome director [Christopher Nolan] and fabulous cast [Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine] ), but the novel just gives you an entirely different perspective since YOU get to create the world and the people in your mind.  The revelations simply become all the more astonishing.

The novel transports you to the 19th century, where two talented magicians are locked in a bitter rivalry that consumes both their lives, spanning even to the generations that follow them.  Both equally obsessed with revenge and with outdoing the other, they attack and retaliate all through each other's every success and failure in search of a means to bring about his rival's downfall.  As they guard their magician's secrets jealously, they begin to weary of the endless enmity and resentment.  Yet still they inadvertently and inevitably bring disaster and tragedy on each other, even as they seek to find reconciliation and an end to the bitter feud. 

The story is told in memoirs and journals, in confessions and revelations, all of which culminate in a final horrifying discovery - the terrible outcome of their contest.  The entire book, from start to finish, is an incredible balancing act - full of mystery and illusion - a perfected magical performance all on its own.  Even the look of the book is strange and captivating.  I also love the typeset of the text - it really gave the whole story a period ambiance. The pace is gradual at first, then builds up until you can't let go of the book without knowing what happens next anymore.  Central to the novel is the slow but sure revelation of the true characters of the two magicians. Who is the hero; who is the villain?  One can't say.  Who won in the end?  I don't think anyone did.  They both gained and lost just as much. Who was the better magician?  Impossible to tell.  They both did to perfection what only the great magicians could do - they kept their secrets well.

This is an absolutely brilliant book - it won the World Fantasy Award even though it is only toward the end that one can find elements of science fiction in it.  It is so unlike anything I've ever read before.  Christopher Priest must be a real magician or a true genius.  Otherwise he must be a truly gifted madman to have produced such work as this.  I definitely recommend it to all readers who enjoy deep, thought-provoking, mind-boggling material - and to most everyone else who loves to read good stuff.