The Sword of Truth review

To whom it may concern:

Hey guys,

Um... A bit tired today, so I'm going to cheat.

"How's he going to cheat!" they ask


Two ways-- One, I will be reviewing a series instead of one book. Two, It's a series I started a while ago.

Okay, here we go:

Today I am reviewing the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. And I guess I have to say right off the bat, one of the reasons I've wanted to review this series is that I want to have atleast something on my blog that gets five stars. If you haven't read it, read it! If you have read it, love it!


Summary from Barnes and Noble.com (for book one):

"In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help ... and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence.

In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-- to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have
just changed ... or that their time has run out.

This is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend."



The first book starts off this action packed series with a resounding bang that left me realing. And for the most part, the books only get better from there on out. You fall in love with the characters. You feel swept up in the events and it is almost as though you are transported to Goodkind's beautifully described landscapes and settings. Not only is the series an excellent example of premier fantasy but it is thought provoking and deep and has themes that almost every person in the world can associate to.






This series gets a solid five stars from me. Because it really did change the way I look at life. Some of the books themselves are not five star worthy but as a collected whole, the series is probably some of the best literature I have ever read.










One Star:


The story line. It is hard enough to write a story that is interesting and cohesive in one 600 page novel. But Goodkind did it in eleven. And it is not as though there are eleven separate but interesting stories, all of the books have one overarching storyline which is epic, endearing, exciting, and lasting.







Two Stars:

The Protagonist. Richard is the most respectable, interesting, and all around awesome character I've ever read. And on top of that, he is never annoying. Ask me about annoying protagonists sometime and I can give you a two hour rant that ranges from Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter. But you never want to smack Richard upside the head, for not seeing something you saw in the plot line or for making irrational emotional decision that you as the reader would never see anyone doing. And most of all, he doesn't whine about having to be the hero.





One Star:

The other characters. Not only does Sword of Truth have an amazing protagonist, but the rest of the cast of characters are so lifelike and full fill their roles perfectly. From the comical ever hungry wizard Zedd to the stunning, intelligent and charming Kahlan, and the terrifying, blood chilling characters of Darken Rahl and Jangang. The characters of The Sword of Truth are the stuff of dreams (in a good way).





One Star:

The philosophical aspects. I mentioned in my Paper Towns blog that John Green's books are like philosophy in a bottle. And the reason I like that style of writing is because of The Sword of Truth. I found myself, while reading many of the books, stunned that the book could be a fascinating story and a, at times, chillingly accurate social commentary.





I've read books that have philosophy in them but most of them tend to include the philosophy of the the narrator and shove their opinions down your throat. But The Sword Of Truth allows its philosophical concepts to be expressed by the characters in situations, allowing you to form your own opinions about what is happening. By the way, does anyone know a synonym for philosophy? Because I've used a variation of the word 'philosophy' seven times in the paragraph and a nice synonym would do me a world of good.









I suppose this post is going to have to be long than I originally thought that it was going to be. I guess 'cheating' did me no good. But I can't justify writing a blog about The Sword of Truth without mentioning the new television series, Legend of the Seeker, that is based on The Wizard's First Rule (the first book in the series if you didn't catch the title from the picture).





The Legend of the Seeker suffers from based on book syndrome as do many other popular movie or television adaptations from literature. If you read the books, and then proceed to watch the TV show, you will be either slack jawed in disbelief or angrily throwing things because the writers for the show use the plot of Wizard's First Rule like Barbarossa uses the Pirates Code: it's more of a guideline than actual rules (Pirates of the Caribbean reference!). The only thing that maintains some accuracy to the books are the characters but Legend of the Seeker Richard (Craig Horner) falls short of my expectations for Richard. Kahlan (Bridget Reagan) and Zedd (Bruce Spence) are good. If you know the books well, you'll be very disappointed. However, that being said, the series in itself is interesting and well paced. If you view it as a standalone piece, separate from the books, it is quite good.




Okay, that's all. Please do read Sword of Truth if you haven't (a tall order for all of you slow readers out there, sorry!).


Until my next blog.


Best Wishes,


Adam

Paper Towns review

To whom it may concern:

Hi everybody.

Well I thought I would pop in a review before bed. But first I wanted to share an important piece of my life. My sister was watching Must Love Dogs tonight on TV, and I occasionally poked my head in to see what was going on. I gleaned two important thoughts from what I saw of Must Love Dogs, number one: TV movies are destructive to brain cells, an number two: dogs are awesome. So instead of frying my brain trying to understand the plot connections of TV movie writers, I played with my pooches. And then I dug up some pictures of them to share with all of you.

Aren't they cute?

Anyway, tonight I am reviewing Paper Towns, by the one and only John Green, our Nerdfighters figurehead.

Paper Towns by John Green

Summary form Barnes & Noble:

"When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night-dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge-he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q."

Here's my take on it:

So, I will tell you right off the bat that I went into reading this book with expectations. I had some definite preconceived notions for what it would be like, thanks to Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. I must say, I wasn't disappointed.

Paper Towns was fantastic. It was another book that, like John Green's other two, somehow magically glue themselves to your hands, you just can't put it down until the very last page. And also like Alaska and Katherines, Paper Towns was like a philosophy class in a book. The breadth and depth of the thematic elements, and the remarkable realistic way that the characters deal with them, is inspirational and compelling. It really is like philosophy in a can, just add water (don't actually add water. Water damages books.)

I give Paper Towns a whopping 4 stars. I would give it a full 5 if I hadn't read Looking for Alaska first, and as it is it probably deserves a 4 ½ . Unfortunately half a star is just an irregular hexagon.

One star: Margo Roth Spiegelman. Another fictional woman that I now have a crush on. Thank you John Green, you make my fantasies so much more ... fantastical.

One star: Florida. The armpit of the USA, and yet, by the end of the book, you actually like it, kudos to John Green, only he could make a place like Florida appealing.

One star: The idea of paper towns, paper people working paper jobs, in paper buildings. Creepy, deep, awesome. Also, the actual definition of a paper town, quite cool as well. Trust mapmakers to do crazy stuff like that.

One star: The road trip. Funny, so true, well written. Makes me wish gas was less expensive.

An invisible ½ a star: The feeling you have right after finishing the book, usually summed up in this exclamation: Woah.

Alright, with that, I am calling it a night. I'll go give my dogs a pat on the head for all of you.

Until next I write,

Adam

Graceling review

To whom it may concern:

Hello all. How are you? Do you like being asked rhetorical questions? Do my pathetic attempts at humor bore you? My apologies, one more piece of evidence in the growing case file for why I should not write late at night. But on to more important things.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Summary from Amazon.com:

"Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.

Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be."


Here's my take on it:

Fantasy is my favorite genre, and when I read a book like this it reminds me why. Graceling was a riveting read that I finished in the same session as I started. It was a deep yet engrossing journey of self discovery in a world where our problems seem trivial. It has the well deserved place amongst a very select group of books that I have laughed out loud and also teared up at while reading.

However, I must admit (since it can't be all sunshine and daisies) that it did take me awhile to get involved in the lives of the characters, because the names used (for both people and places) were, in a word, horrible. I found myself unable to take many of the characters seriously when they were laden with names like Po, Randa, or Bitterblue. Luckily the book was so good, that by the end most of the tragically odd names had become endearing, though I still found myself snickering at the expense of poor Bitterblue's name. On the plus side, if ... odd ... naming choices in a book I wrote were my largest concern, I would be quite happy with that. So, Kudos Kristin Cashore, and thank you for a great book.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. Fantastic book. I give it four very magical stars. Heres why:

Two stars: A beautiful rich fantasy world that is painted for you in a way that only the imagination can provide. The idea behind the world is ingenious, a refreshing step away from the normal elements of fantasy, and it is carried out with an elegance and precision that should make any writer proud.

One star: A charming cast of characters that you quickly fall in love with. The kind of characters you can cry with, laugh with, and go on daring adventures with.

One star: A compelling, heartening story that never goes into the ridiculous, or tries too hard to entertain, and yet, manages to be surprising, exciting, and mostly free of the storybook cliches which haunt too many books.

Later guys,

Adam

Brisingr review

To whom it may concern:

So most everyone has heard of the up and coming writer Christopher Paolini, his book Eragon. His talent for storytelling shook the literary community, as readers and authors alike wondered at a book of Eragon's caliber from such a young author. After Eragon, Paolini released Eldest, it's sequel and second in his intended trilogy. However, soon into writing the third installment our young author realized that his work would require an additional book to be given the series the coverage it needed. So, in the spirit of the American super-size, Christopher Paolini expanded his Trilogy into a Quartet, and released Brisingr the third book in the story.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Summary from Barnes & Noble.com:

“OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.

Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?”

Here's my take on it:

If you give enough computers to young people across the world, eventually one of them will write something passable as a novel. However, if you allow that author continued access to said computer he or she will most likely end up disappointing their newly formed fan base. Not that Brisingr was a complete disappointment, it was simply less than the level of it's predecessors. Now, don't get me wrong, the book had some great moments, moments of humor, moments of sadness, and moments of magic induced butt-kicking. What it did not have was moments of surprise. The entirety of the book seemed to revolve around Eragon going back and doing all the things fans wanted him to do in the second book. There were even a few cliched moments of “dragons can breathe fire” slapstick. The only part of the book I didn't see coming from four blocks away was the great revelation behind Galbatorix's power.

Ok, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. The book was still an enjoyable read. I put it down at the end with mixed feelings towards where the plot was going (and where it has been for that matter), but still had a sense of enjoyment at having read it. It definitely felt like it was a piece of a whole, that although it may not, on its own be the best book I have ever read, it continued the story line of the series, much like the most recent Bond movie. In the new set of Bond movies Casino Royale blew everyones socks off (Bond can be Blonde?!) and the hype for Quantum of Solace was even more than that of Casino, so all those people who had fallen for Daniel Craig in the first one got their hopes way way up. Unfortunately Quantum of Solace was not at all what they made it out to be, it actually it kind of sucked. But it set up the plot for number 3 really nicely. The same is true of Brisingr. Plenty of exciting plot lines just ready to by used in number four, not as many exciting twists and turns.

3 stars. One star for the *Spoiler* (see below). One star for the writing and story line. And one very sheepish star in the hopes that the next one will be better.

SPOILER--

One star for: The death of Oromis. Had to be done, you can't have the Heroes wise and elderly mentor hanging around all the time. He needs to impart his wisdom about the secret powerful artifacts that make the dark lord powerful, and then he has worn out his literary usefulness. Once his usefulness is gone he should be disposed of in some pathetic way, like blown of a tower by Avada Kad--- wait a minute, am I the only one who sees similarities here???

--END SPOILER

Okay. Well that's all folks, sorry for the mind-numbingly long post, until next time.

Later guys,

Adam