Dreams of Gods and Monsters, by Laini Taylor

This trilogy is up there with my favourite all-time fantasies. It's that good. Zuzanna and Mik—Best. Sidekicks. Ever. They made the trilogy for me.

I confess I was a little hesitant to reread Days of Blood and Starlight (it's been long enough that I knew I needed to reread before starting the third book). It was so bleak, so violent. But then I started it, and there was Zuzanna, fierce and funny and loyal, planning to drop a pee-balloon on Karou's ex-boyfriend, and I knew I was in good hands.

DBS is better on a reread: I've gotten over the shock of all those awful things that happen, and I can appreciate the writing and the characters and the humour and the words, all those gorgeous words. And then it was wonderful to be able to dive right into Dreams of Gods and Monsters.

It didn't disappoint. Look at some of the chapter titles (Taylor is awesome at chapter titles!):

Nightmare ice cream
Bruise the sky
Tilt to panic
Breeds of silence
Hope, dying unsurprised
A candle flame, extinguished by a scream
Cue apocalypse
Pie and dandelions

It's an epic story, and it gets more epic: new characters and settings are introduced, which could be disconcerting in the third book of a trilogy, but they tie in nicely to hints and threads that have been there all along. Characters develop in intense, suspenseful and satisfying ways. There are lots of fist-pumping "yes!" moments, and many great Zuzanna quotes. The ending is not at all what I was expecting (I might write a spoilery review on Goodreads just to get all my feelings out of my system), but it worked, it was awesome, we definitely get our payoff.

I'm kind of assuming that if you're reading this review, you've already read the first two and don't need any explanation of what the books are all about (or that you've given up on me and gone to Goodreads for a synopsis). Laini Taylor's fantasy doesn't fit easily into categories; it's unlike anything else I've ever read. Seraphim and chimaera in a parallel world called Eretz, locked into an endless war of genocide and vengeance, and the only one who can stop them is a blue-haired, human-looking girl whose name means hope. (And the smoking hot angel who loves her hopelessly. Yeah, there's more than a bit of unrequited passion that stokes the pages, but Taylor is really, really good at it, so, yeah, it's pretty good.) Original, fast-paced and intense, and beautifully written.

Having just returned from Provence, I can compare DGM with the strawberry tart that was the best thing I'd ever tasted in my life: I thought I knew what a strawberry tart would taste like, but these strawberries were fresh and sweet and bursting with complex strawberry flavours, and the pastry was so light, so buttery (how can something be light and buttery at the same time???) so perfectly contrasted to the juiciness of the berries, and the custard was silky and creamy, and the whole thing made my brain explode because it didn't have enough receptors to adequately handle the experience. Oh! I want to go back!

What I read on the plane

Safely back from the south of France; still getting over jet lag, and haven't downloaded pictures yet, but I'll share a few as soon as I do. There's a reason why everyone always says, "Ah, Provence!"

So, did I get through that whole list of books I brought with me? Well, not quite. And I read a few I hadn't planned on. Here's what got me through all that waiting in airports and riding on trains and planes:

The Lego Movie. Have you seen this? Okay, it's not a book, but I watched it on the plane and it's hilarious! If you have ever played with Lego, or had kids who played with Lego, you must watch this movie!

Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis. Sometimes on a plane you don't have the mental energy to read something new. This one was on my iPod, and it happened to match the mood I was in, and Connie Willis is just brilliant. I had forgotten how funny this one is, even while it's also very sad. Time traveling historian gets stuck in the Middle Ages during the Black Plague; meanwhile a flu epidemic hits Oxford in the time she came from, so her colleagues can't retrieve her. Lovely parallelism, great building of suspense (you could teach a masterclass in pacing using this book), wonderful characters (including Dunworthy and Colin, whom you'll know if you've read her other time travel novels.) A classic. (If you've read it and want to share thoughts about it, I put a few ideas down in my Goodreads review.)

The Innocent Mage, by Karen Miller. This was a random pick from the library. (I have to bring a few paperbacks in case my iPod battery runs out!) It's a twist on the unknown-peasant-is-actually-the-prophesied-saviour-of-the-kindgom story, and you'll like it or not depending on how the main character rubs you. Asher is belligerent, uncouth, rude, obnoxious—and yet somehow he becomes best friends with the prince and is elevated to a high government position. I liked Asher, I believed in his friendship with Prince Gar, and I enjoyed his mostly unsuccessful struggle to fit in with the appalled courtiers. I still don't know how he's going to save the kingdom, because this book ends on a ridiculous cliffhanger, and I only brought the first book with me!

Ha'penny, by Jo Walton. One of the sequels I said I was going to read, and I did, and it's scary good. Also an excellent lesson in how to build suspense. Inspector Carmichael, who dealt with a murder in Farthing, is now investigating a bombing, which may or may not be part of a conspiracy to kill Hitler (this is an alternate-history in which Britain made peace with Hitler). Carmichael's point of view alternates with Viola Lark, who is playing Hamlet in a production that Hitler plans to visit. Each story has its own suspense, but the alternation between the two adds a whole different layer, as the reader watches their tragically ironic collision course play out in slow motion. It's terrifying how believable Walton makes Britain's slide into fascism.

These are all adult books that are perfectly appropriate for YA audiences (Doomsday Book has very realistic depictions of people dying of plague which might be disturbing, and in Ha'penny characters have sex behind closed doors.)

I'm saving the best for last: in fact, I'm going to save them for another post entirely! Yes, I read Laini Taylor's Dreams of Gods and Monsters, and yes, it was as wonderful as I was hoping, and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Sequels I'm loading onto my iPod for a long plane ride

There's some sequels I'm really excited about that are finally here, and I happen to be going on a trip tomorrow, so these will definitely make the travelling less miserable!

First up, because I've been waiting so long, the conclusion (oh! please tell me it's the conclusion!) to Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. And since it's been so long, I'm going to reread Days of Blood and Starlight first. Soooooo excited!

Didn't have to wait nearly as long for this next one, since I only recently read the first two of Elizabeth Bear's Eternal Sky trilogy. Wow. So original, so epic, so page-turningly brilliant. I can't wait to see what happens to every single one of these amazing characters!

And I only just now finished Jo Walton's Farthing (I picked it up as soon as I finished Among Others) and Farthing was so good I have to read the other two in the Small Change trilogy right away. Classic murder mystery set in an alternate history when Britain made peace with Hitler. Delicious stuff.

And here's a sequel I wish I could put on my iPod right now, but it doesn't come out until Oct 28. At least she finally revealed the release date, and this stunningly gorgeous cover!

I'll be on a bit of a blog hiatus because of the trip. Oh, did I not mention where I was going? Ahem. Tuscany and Provence. For a cycling trip. Yeah, poor me! (I might post a few updates for you if I remember to bring the cord for my camera). See you at the end of May!

Among Others, by Jo Walton

I went looking for this book after reading some of Jo Walton's wonderful reviews of speculative fiction on Tor. (Her latest post is an excerpt from a new novel coming out next month which sounds amazing: can't wait!)

I knew I'd love Among Others when I read the premise, and when I finished the book I knew Jo Walton was my long lost kindred spirit and I would have to stalk her until she agreed to become my BFF. (Or I could just keep following her blog and reading her books: less creepy and almost as satisfying.)

Anyone who was ever bookish and didn't fit in and discovered SF at a critical time in their life is going to find a kindred spirit in Mor, the narrator of Among Others. Something terrible has happened to Mor, and she's run away and is now in the care of a father and aunts she's never met, and she has to go to boarding school, and books are the only thing getting her through. Well, books and fairies, though the fairies in the little patch of woods behind the school don't seem to speak either English or Welsh like the fairies back home.

If you've read much of my blog you know I don't really buy in to fairies (oops, I mean faeries), but these ones are different: they're real. I am quite convinced that Jo Walton spent her childhood dealing with them, and I can understand why Sherwood Smith is miffed that she didn't tell her about them.

In fact, just go read Sherwood Smith's review, because I'm finding it hard to put my feelings about this book into words, and 'liminal' is the best word I've heard yet.

I love Mor as an unreliable narrator. The faeries and the magic are absolutely real to her, but all the way through it's perfectly possible that she's making it all up—or that she's insane. Jo Walton says it's real, but the ambiguity makes the reading experience quite delicious. Plus, Mor doesn't tell us things. We know something terrible happened, but we have to piece it together from stuff Mor lets drop. It sounds like it was a climactic battle between good and evil, the kind that a fantasy would normally conclude with—but this fantasy is all about what happened after, when Mor walked away, injured but alive, from a confrontation she thought would kill her. It's about how to keep going, how to survive.

It's also about how to figure out who you are, where you belong, and the unreliability and ambiguity of the narration work so well to depict this.* The scenes when Mor is trying to find her karass are heartbreakingly real. (I finally gave up and googled "karass": it's from Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, which I really ought to read, and it means a group of people who are cosmically connected.)

Oh, the allusions! I want to make a list of all the books Mor reads, go read them myself, and then reread Among Others. I'm sure that would add twenty more layers to all the layers I already got on a first read.**

I've said too much; I haven't said enough. I'm pretty sure that anyone who is following my blog will love this book, so just go read it! (It's marketed as adult, but it makes a perfect YA book. The few references to sex are frank but not explicit. Younger readers might get fewer of the classic sci fi references, but it's a great way to find out what books you ought to read!)

Among Others is one of those fancy constructed desserts made with different kinds of bittersweet chocolate: like maybe a warm Venezuelan chocolate brownie with Mexican chocolate ganache, a dollop of Belgian chocolate mousse and a spoonful of Madagascar chocolate gelato; as you eat it you get all the different textures and temperatures and combinations of flavenoids and they enhance each other in different ways as you combine them differently.

Hmm. Chocolate. Might have to go get some now.

Oh! And Jo Walton is Canadian!!

For more great Canadian reads, click through to John Mutford's blog.






*Slightly spoilery so written in yellow; highlight to read:We don't even know which twin Mor is for the longest time: Morganna or Morwenna! (And there's always the insanity possibility: maybe there never was a twin!)

**There's nothing like recognizing an allusion for creating an instant bond between you and the allluding person (like when I was at a Shakespeare festival in Oregon and the person in front of me was wearing a Shepherd Book shirt).

MMGM: Masterpiece, by Elise Broach

Many years ago I encountered the cockroach poet Archy, author of Archy and Mehitabel, and the image of a bug jumping from key to key on a typewriter caught on a hook in my imagination and hangs there still. I don't know what it is about artistic insects, but the narrator of Masterpiece joins an illustrious line of literary invertebrates (think of Charlotte's Web) that are irresistible.

Marvin is a beetle who lives under the kitchen sink. We are introduced to him when he rescues Mrs. Pompaday's contact lens from down the bathroom sink drain. (How to make a character instantly lovable! (At least for those of us who have ever worn contacts!)) Of course Mrs. Pompaday doesn't realize her day was saved by a beetle: staying out of humans' sight is the most important beetle rule, and Marvin has a large beetle family to remind him not to do anything to jeopardize his family's comfortable life in the Pompaday's walls.

But then young James Pompaday gets art supplies for his birthday, and Marvin discovers a remarkable, un-beetle-like talent.

This book appeals on so many levels. Like The Borrowers, it plays with the notion of small people living on the scraps of human life. I loved the description of the beetles' food, and their beetle-eye perspective on human activities.

Then there's the art heist story: everyone loves a good art heist, and this one has action and suspense and also manages to introduce readers to Albrecht Durer without ever seeming didactic. I loved the passion for art that comes across in different ways from the different characters.

But perhaps what's best about Masterpiece is the beautiful friendship story. I loved the characters of James and Marvin, and the way they were able to communicate without words and trust each other without reservation.

Kelly Murphy's illustrations were perfect.

http://www.kelmurphy.com/masterpiece.html

Masterpiece is your favourite picnic food: maybe a really good potato salad, or cold roast chicken. Hearty and fun.

Check out Shannon Messenger for more great MMGM reads, every week.

April 24 is Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Carry around a poem in your pocket and then wear a button or something that invites people to exchange poems with you. Is that not a brilliant idea? Thanks to Mr. Shu for pointing it out and to Poets.org for coming up with it and having a whole collection of poems to choose from. (Their site's a little slow today: I hope that means tons of people are visiting and choosing poems!

I've got a virtual pocket here on this blog and on my Facebook page. (Check back for more poems throughout the day.) I hope you'll share your poems with me!

The poem in my pocket at this exact moment is from the Poets.org site (you can print a PDF of it if you want to share it today):

Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing 

   Under the sun! 

I will touch a hundred flowers 

   And not pick one. 

I will look at cliffs and clouds 

   With quiet eyes, 

Watch the wind bow down the grass, 

   And the grass rise. 

And when lights begin to show 

   Up from the town, 

I will mark which must be mine, 

   And then start down! 

Edna St. Vincent Millay

MMGM: Ondelle of Grioth, by Danika Dinsmore

I'm excited today to announce a book launch that's happening tomorrow: local author Danika Dinsmore is launching the third book in her Faerie Tales from the White Forest series.

I reviewed the first two books here and here. Ondelle of Grioth continues the story of Brigitta, young faerie of the White Forest who has a large destiny on her small shoulders. The fate of the White Forest is at stake, but no one believes Brigitta is carrying Elder Ondelle's memories and knowledge. Brigitta is sure she knows how to prevent the coming crisis, but if no one will listen to her she'll have to take matters into her own hands. Again.

Danika has created a complex, believable world full of fun, tangible details. Her faerie society and mythology are entirely original, giving surprising depth and texture to sparkly little people with wings. (I've never been much of a faerie fan, but I can get behind the White Forest faeries!) Ondelle of Grioth adds to our understanding of the mythology and sees Brigitta struggling more as she realizes the extent of the burden laid on her by Ondelle.

In celebration of Ondelle's imminent launch, Danika agreed to answer a bunch of random questions, in which we discover her rabid Dr. Who fandom, her deep and wide-ranging love of poetry, and her eclectic desk decorating scheme:

1. Brigitta carries the memories of Ondelle with her, and they surface whenever she needs to learn a piece of knowledge. If you could choose someone's memories and knowledge to carry with you, who would it be? (Fictional or real)

Hands down, Doctor Who! (although that might completely blow my puny human mind)

2. Brigitta travels through a lot of inhospitable wilderness on her adventures. What sorts of wilderness have you travelled through? Are you more of a city girl or an outdoor adventurer? 

I like adventures of all shapes and sizes, although I used to spend a lot more time in the actual wilderness and traveling to offbeat places. I’m game for a live transmedia experience or a day in snow shoes. My husband and I like to bike-camp whenever we can.

3. What's on your desk right now?

Ummmm…. stuff? I actually have a very large desk. “L” shaped. It’s probably never moving from my office because it weighs a ton. 

I have an IN box, which I’ve realized I should change to an OUT box, because nothing ever leaves it. 

I also have an obsession with file folders. It gives the illusion that I’m organized. I’ve got 3 file folder holders on my desk stuffed with files on everything from writing projects to conference workshops to tax information.

Also: a dictionary I rarely open anymore thanks to my computer, a hat sporting the word PURE, desktop Cranium game, photo of my parents, caricature of my husband and me, basket of scratch paper, crystal faerie, faerie clock, stuffed monkey, stuffed gecko, Pillsbury Doughboy timer (for timed writing exercises), pens in holders, stapler, fasteners, reminders, binders, set of runes, box of business cards, small painting of orchids that I bought for my Dad when I was 12, massive notebook for current WIP, some journals, some exquisite corpses I drew with the kids, my Geek Girl Con panel name plate, and a bit of orgonite (mysteriously left for me on my book table at FaerieWorlds last year).

Yeah, it’s a big desk.

4. Dark chocolate or milk? 

Dark! (but I won’t turn away milk chocolate if you’re offering)

5. Is there a fictional character you wish were real so you could be best friends? 

See #1. 
(Or any of the Doctor’s companions. They’d all be fun. And I think River Song and I would get along splendidly)

From my own series, I’m drawn to Ondelle. She’s both tragic and wise. I think we would have been good friends. 

6. It's National Poetry Month! Do you have a favourite poem, or favourite poet? 

I actually have an MFA in poetry, and used to produce the Seattle Poetry Festival, but to pick a favourite poem or poet would be impossible. I will tell you it was due to an interest in Allen Ginsberg and the Beats that I ended up at Naropa University. I wrote my thesis on the experimental work of Bernadette Mayer. Studied under Anne Waldman, Andrew Schelling, and Anselm Hollo. And I have a soft spot for Neruda, Frank O’Hara, Toi Derricotte, Rumi, Joanne Kyger… and now I am feeling quite GUILTY because of all the neglected books of poetry on my shelf. Oh, poetry, how I have abandoned you… 

(Ginsberg’s “Father Death Blues” gets me every time. I have a framed and signed hand written print of it on my wall. He used to sing it and play his harmonium.) 

7. How many more books in the White Forest Chronicles (can you tell us?) Do you know how it all ends?

There are meant to be six, but several fans have asked for a book about Brigitta’s little sister Himalette. They really like her and she doesn’t really have much page time in the rest of the series. So, I’m thinking about adding her story. 

I DO know how it all ends. And although that has changed over the past few years, I’m pretty satisfied with the current version. And nobody, not even my publisher, knows what that is yet!

Thanks, Danika! Here's Allen Ginsberg, (and here's the lyrics):



For more Marvelous Middle-Grade books, go see what's up at Shannon Messenger's blog!