tiny pink books

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn Book Two) by Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books, 2007

The Well of Ascension is the second installment to Brandon Sanderson’s exciting Mistborn Trilogy.  As part two in a fantasy epic, The Well of Ascension begins in the middle of the turmoil left over from the first book.  The oppressive government has fallen and Vin, a mighty Mistborn, is left with her friends and new found love, Elend, to lead the people through the chaos.  In Sanderson’s world, certain people have the power of Allomancy, the ability to swallow metals and “burn” them within their bodies to gain supernatural powers.  Most Allomancers can only burn one kind of metal for a single power, but Mistborn are rare beings who have the ability to burn lots of different metals for lots of different powers.  The book is a mix of personal and political action.  Society seems on the verge of collapse and everyone is scrambling to find their place in the new order.  Vin, as well as several other characters, are further developed throughout this installment, which leaves us (of course!) with a stunning, cliff hanger of an ending.

This is a fantasy epic.  It takes a mouthful (as demonstrated above!) to even vaguely touch upon the plot and the world that Sanderson has created in these Mistborn books.  There are all the prerequisite fantasy touches–the maps at the beginning of the books, the kings, the far off lands, the epic battles between entire armies, the prophesies, etc.  The most striking thing about these books, however, is that they are so well written and entertaining that they are great reads, even for someone like me who is not normally “into” fantasy.  I don’t mean to say that I never have and never will read fantasy, I just mean that if you tend to shy away from books with dragons and knights on their covers, much like I do, you still might want to pick up the Mistborn books.

Recommended to readers looking for a fast-paced and fun trilogy centered around a strong female character.  Appropriate for YA readers who can handle the bulk of these books.  I would not recommend this to readers seeking anything too serious.  In order to enjoy the Mistborn books, one has to be light hearted enough to accept Sanderson’s magical world of Allomancy.  Those who do will be rewarded!

The Pool of Fire by John Christopher (pseudonym for Samuel Youd)

While I can’t say that I was disappointed by this final chapter to the Tripods Trilogy, I have to admit that was just slightly below the first and second books in the series (The White Mountains and The City of Gold and Lead, respectively).  The story takes off from where we were left, at the end of The City of Gold and Lead-In a world where alien Masters control all of mankind through strange, mandatory metal caps, only one small group of free men survive, hidden in a remote camp.  Will, our story’s hero, has escaped the city of the alien Masters and has returned to the last surviving free men to report back everything he has learned, most importantly the deadly plan of the Masters to covert the Earth’s air into a breathable atmosphere for themselves, killing every other living creature on earth.  Now, humans are forced to take action and strike down the Masters before it is too late.

While I assure readers that Christopher delivers another action packed, adventurous book, it is noted that The Pool of Fire is slightly off pace; it begins to feel episodic, with periods of thrill followed by periods of drag, towards the end.  Of course, maybe this isn’t fair to Christopher-he had to wrap up the epic struggle that he created and he does so with a satisfying conclusion.  Even with the pacing issues of the final book, I am still thoroughly satisfied with the trilogy as a whole.  I would recommend the trilogy to children and tweens seeking an adventure or science fiction series.  One thing that I liked a lot about this series is the fact that it has a wide appeal due to its action packed plot that plays nicely with its more thoughtful elements that contemplate concepts of humanity and freedom.

The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher (pseudonym for Samuel Youd)

The second book of the Tripods Trilogy, The City of Gold and Lead continues the science fiction adventure that began with The White Mountains.  The world has been taken over by aliens who rule in large, three-legged machines.  Humans are controlled by metal caps, which are melded to their skulls at the age of 14.  Will, the main character, is a young man who is part of a small group of free men, who have escaped the capping process and live secretly in the mountains.  In The City of Gold and Lead, Will and another boy are sent to be slaves in the city of the alien “Masters,” as they call themselves, to gather information and report back.  The dangerous journey provides a frightening look at the dark reality that the Masters have created for the humans.

Much like The White Mountains, I found this book to be an exciting and engaging read.  The plot is adventurous and fast paced, but the themes of humanity and freedom are still just as evident, making this book stand as something that is filled with thrilling adventure and a thought provoking depth.  The biggest difference in The City of Gold and Lead is that it is much more rooted in the science fiction genre than The White Mountains was.  We learn much more about the alien Masters, their city, and their technologies in this book, although Christopher manages to inject enough plot movement to make sure that it never becomes too slow.

Recommended for children and tween readers who enjoyed The White Mountains.  Those who enjoy adventurous page turners, especially boys, will enjoy these timeless thrillers.  I also think that, although this is a children’s book, the combination of action and depth makes this an enjoyable read for teens and adults who are open to reading younger people’s literature.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine HarrisAce Books, 2002

Book two in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Mysteries, Living Dead in Dallas delivers yet another fun and fast paced vampire meets mystery meets steamy romance combination.

In Living Dead in Dallas the lovable Sookie Stackhouse takes a break from her waitress job at the bar to travel to Dallas with her vampire boyfriend, Bill, and do a little work for the ruling vampire clan there.  But wait, there’s more!  Back home in Bon Temps, Louisiana one of Sookie’s has been murdered, there’s a strange and supernatural creature on the lose in the woods, and Sookie and Bill are still facing some bumps in their relationship.

Recommended to readers who enjoyed Dead Until Dark, the first book of the series, and to more readers looking for a fun, fast-paced guilty pleasure of a book.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Ace Books, 2001

The first of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire novels, Dead Until Dark is a page turner of a book that’s part vampire story, part mystery, and part trashy romance novel.  Set in Bon Temps, Louisiana, Dead Until Dark introduces us to Sookie Stackhouse, a beautiful, charming and telepathic sweetheart who lives with her grandmother and works at the local bar.  Her telepathy, however, is not seen as a gift to Sookie or the few who understand her ability to read minds.  Sookie puts so much mental effort into blocking out the thoughts of others that she’s seen has half crazy by most people who know her.  Never able to retain a close relationship, sexual or otherwise, Sookie makes due with her little life, plastering a smile on her face to cover up the inappropriate and awkward thoughts that penetrate her mind.

The story begins when a vampire comes into Sookie’s bar.  Now that synthetic blood is available and they no longer have to hide, vampires have “come out of the coffin” in this world.   Naturally, Sookie and the vampire, Bill, begin to fall for each other and, not so naturally, a crop of unsavory murders begin to plague the town.  Somehow, Sookie becomes the center of it all, delivering us one fun book of murder mystery, supernatural, and steamy romance.

I have to admit, I absolutely could not put this book down.  It’s everything you want in a good bathtub or vacation book—it’s exciting, it’s a little bit creepy, and it’s unapologetically trashy!  A different kind of romance + vampires than Twilight books, Dead Until Dark might be a good book for the adults who read Twlight and grew frustrated with the chasteness of the action (or lack thereof).  I’d also recommend this book to readers looking for an offbeat trashy fun book (because we all need a trashy fun book every now and again). 

The White Mountains by John Christopher (pseudonym for Samuel Youd)

The White Mountains is the first of a classic children’s science fiction trilogy that was first published in the 1960’s.  In The White Mountains, humans live quaint and old fashioned lives in the shadows of the Tripods, large, mechanical beings who rule above humans.  Will, age 13, realizes that he does not want a part in the capping process, a creepy and ceremonial event that is required for all villagers at the age of 14.  He realizes that those who have been capped obey the Tripods without question.  Fueling his distrust of the capping process, Will meets a stranger who tells him that they are men in the world who live without being capped.  The stranger gives Will a map and Will leaves the village with his cousin Henry on a dangerous journey in search of place where they can grow to be free thinking men.

Although quite simple in terms of action, it’s hard to sum up the plot of The White Mountains with much justice because the Christopher’s world is full of subtly dark elements. The Tripods, familiar aliens to any classic science fiction reader (or watcher, for that matter!), have a creepy hint of cruelty that adds to all the excitement of this book.  The subservient nature of the capped humans is intriguing as well.  On top of that, the quest/journey nature of the plot makes it hard to put down. 

There’s a lot of books to compare The White Mountains to:  War of the Worlds (the book, not the radio play) and The Giver are the two that jump out the most for me.  The White Mountains successfully manages to be both a science fiction book and a book that’s appropriate for children and tweens without doing a disservice to either.  It’s exciting and it’s dark, yet it’s also relatively tame in terms of violence and fight factor and its written with a clear and concise use of language to boot!  Recommended for older children and tweens, especially boys, who want an exciting adventure book, a book about human free will (like The Giver), or both!

Boy:  Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl

I can’t remember whether or not I had ever read this book as a child, but I am certainly pleased that I picked it up for a little quick lunchtime reading in my grownup life.  Boy is the autobiography of children’s literature legend Roald Dahl.  A simple and classic account of boyhood, Boy recounts Dahl’s early childhood in Wales, his family summer holidays in Norway, and his experiences in English boarding schools. 

I think Boy is a great biography for children.  Dahl keeps things interesting by choosing nothing but the funniest, the most interesting, and the most horrific stories to share with his readers.  Although the memories recounted in Boy are vividly reconstructed with meticulous details, there is an odd sense of emotional detachment that keeps these stories simple and accessible to the young reader.