M.T. Anderson doesn't simply tell stories. He conveys language, eras, settings, personalities, and worlds. He creates characters to embody the storiesM.T. Anderson doesn't simply tell stories. He conveys language, eras, settings, personalities, and worlds. He creates characters to embody the stories and let's them tell the stories in their own particular vernacular and style. This is one such book.
In the middle of the middle ages, in southern Italy, a mild, inexperienced, and sequestered monk mentions he had a dream and finds himself suddenly swept up in political schemes, religious manipulations, and an international heist. He is drafted to join a deceitful expedition, along with a host miscreants and irredeemable sorts, to cross the ocean to the coast of western Asia and steal the bones of St. Nicholas. It quickly turns into a wild and rollicking misadventure full of unexpected turns, disastrous moments, and hilarious improvisation. The unlikeliest of adventures, made all the more amazing by the fact that Anderson's tale is based on actual events--"My primary sources for the novel were the two stunningly detailed contemporary accounts of the theft," he writes in the afterword.
It is an incredible historical adventure conveyed with that particular M.T. Anderson accuracy and flair. Delightful....more
There are the facts of a story and then there's the telling of a story. The plot and other elements of this particular story are quite good as such thThere are the facts of a story and then there's the telling of a story. The plot and other elements of this particular story are quite good as such things go, but it is in Rundell's storytelling that this book really shines. She tells it with flair, personality, and character. Verbal adroitness, humor, bits of wisdom, and honesty about life's grittiness and darkness. It's a pleasure to read her writing; she gives the facts their magic. Add that she's created a good story to tell, and this is an enchanting book. 4.5 stars.
Consider, for instance, the start of this chapter about a third of the way into things:
You cannot expect to launch yourself out of a clear sky into someone else's life--and even more so, onto their boat--and hope they do not notice. The owner of the boat did notice. He was the diametric opposite of pleased.
"What, by the Immortal, is this?"
The man who stood above them was the kind of vast that makes other large men look petite and ballerina-esque. He had dark stubble, a gold earring in each ear, and a burn mark on the left side of his neck. There were lines etched deep across his face, laid on it by the sea.
"What is this rainfall of children? Did I go sailing just to have storms of infants cascading down my sails at me?"
Christopher scrambled to his feet, and Gelifen, slightly dazed, clawed his way to hide in Mal's coat, and they stood staring around them. The sailing boat was large, mahogany wood worn black by time, with a cabin that led belowdecks. Its brass fittings were spiky with green rust, but it moved fast through the dark water. A second sailor, a compact gray-bearded man in his sixties, stared at them openmouthed, a screwdriver in his hand.
"I'm sorry," Mal said. "We had--"
"Sorry?" The larger man breathed hard and angry on them, and his breath had whiskey on it. "Sorry is for farting near the fruit bowl, girl! Sorry isn't good enough when you come erupting over the horizon like a pair of wingless chickens! You could've broken my cargo, you could have torn my sails--you could have cost me thousands."
Mal was flushing bright red, a scarlet that rose up to her hairline. "I don't know what else to say! And--"
"It's not--what we would have chosen to do," said Christopher. He was still winded, and his words came out jagged. "If we'd--had a choice--we wouldn't have--leaped off a cliff." The man turned his bloodshot eyes on him, and he felt himself grow hot under their burning skepticism. "But we had to--because . . . "
"A man was trying to kill us!" finished Mal. "Up there."
A grand adventure to improve characters' lives that have been limited by circumstances, with a strong sense of time and place, a flair for the dramatiA grand adventure to improve characters' lives that have been limited by circumstances, with a strong sense of time and place, a flair for the dramatic and clever, and an appreciation for the tricksy arts. Kids proving to their adults without hope that the rotten adults of the world can be challenged and overcome if you're but brave, bold, and smart enough. A wonderful story....more
A wonderful, historical, atmospheric setting, engaging characters, adventure and intrigue aplenty, magic, myth, and legend, and excellent storytellingA wonderful, historical, atmospheric setting, engaging characters, adventure and intrigue aplenty, magic, myth, and legend, and excellent storytelling. All the ingredients needed for an excellently fun book....more
A fascinating, character-driven adventure in a well-developed post-apocalyptic setting. Exciting, with characters and psychological, interpersonal dynA fascinating, character-driven adventure in a well-developed post-apocalyptic setting. Exciting, with characters and psychological, interpersonal dynamics that are deep and genuine....more
This was an interesting book. An inspiring, indomitable young heroine, uplifting magical realism, grim circumstances, and real human darkness. It didnThis was an interesting book. An inspiring, indomitable young heroine, uplifting magical realism, grim circumstances, and real human darkness. It didn't always mesh quite right. I had to work very hard to suspend my disbelief and enjoy this as a tale; yet, when I succeeded, I was swept away and enjoyed myself. I know there are readers who will absolutely love it....more
Intrigue and adventure abound in this skillfully told tale of young teen siblings caught up in the resistance efforts against a repressive regime. A fIntrigue and adventure abound in this skillfully told tale of young teen siblings caught up in the resistance efforts against a repressive regime. A fictional setting with a slight bit of magic, but otherwise quite grounded in reality. Farr is a gifted storyteller with excellent pacing and plotting and a light, witty touch. I was entirely transported into Rachel and Robert's world, the worries, hopes, and fears, and delighted in their successes. Top notch....more
A prequel to the marvelous The Blacktongue Thief, one of my favorite books in recent memory, and it doesn't disappoint. In that prior book, Galva dom A prequel to the marvelous The Blacktongue Thief, one of my favorite books in recent memory, and it doesn't disappoint. In that prior book, Galva dom Braga is an elder companion to young Kinch Na Shannack as he tells the story of his adventures. In this, Galva tells her own story, that of her initial war campaign as a young soldier seeing battle and death for the first time.
Galva is a very different person than Kinch and, fittingly, tells her story quite differently. Much less gallows humor, much more warfare: tactics and gore and politics--though equally entertaining in its way. It is uniquely Galva's story, adding layers and depth and dimensions to this world that Buehlman has created. And now I want to read The Blacktongue Thief again while I wait hopefully for another installment....more
Amazing, beautiful illustrations convey action, personality, and atmosphere. They immerse readers in a bleak story of desperate survival.
Some apocalypAmazing, beautiful illustrations convey action, personality, and atmosphere. They immerse readers in a bleak story of desperate survival.
Some apocalypse has wiped out the humans and most of the food, and has left the remaining animals wondering what to do in a world of ruins and overlong grey winter. Two young mice are trying to help their colony find new ways of making do even as their community splinters from in-fighting. Some of the other animals out in the wider world can be friendly, but many are deadly. Wix and Pict each get sucked into more adventure than desired: journeys to new places, encounters with new creatures, different cultures, civilizations, politics, and myths.
A beautifully rendered and told tale of a boy, in a fantastical version of middle America, struggling to escape a generational cycle of violence and aA beautifully rendered and told tale of a boy, in a fantastical version of middle America, struggling to escape a generational cycle of violence and abuse. To not become his father, who became his father before him. And of the people he finds on his journey who help him break free and become someone else. Wonderfully imagined world-building, strong characters, and a moving story. Excellent....more
A surprisingly compelling and weighty story where four peers must learn to work together, first to succeed in a wilderness challenge then survive whenA surprisingly compelling and weighty story where four peers must learn to work together, first to succeed in a wilderness challenge then survive when things go wrong and the dangers get real....more
This is a book about tiny fairies trapped in a world of declining magic with hostile earwigs, beetles, newts, pill bugs, ants, centipedes, and worms, This is a book about tiny fairies trapped in a world of declining magic with hostile earwigs, beetles, newts, pill bugs, ants, centipedes, and worms, a world being overrun by mold that is killing them all.
This is a book about ancient secrets, declining magic, myths, legends, heroes, grudges, lies, and feuds, and about family, heartbreak, scars, and personal secrets.
This is a book about a world on the brink of ecological collapse and species extinction, an ever-present, foreboding sense of doom.
This is a book about adventure, bravery, love, and what it takes to make a difference.
A gripping survival story with strong characters that delves into themes like familial and societal bonds and breakdowns, how different people respondA gripping survival story with strong characters that delves into themes like familial and societal bonds and breakdowns, how different people respond differently to crisis and scarcity. Exciting and good....more
More excitement, adventure, character growth, and complex issues--war, economic exploitation, interspecies relations, family, and meaning. Far more thMore excitement, adventure, character growth, and complex issues--war, economic exploitation, interspecies relations, family, and meaning. Far more than a simple space adventure. Gripping and satisfying....more