Jordan Williams

Feet of Clay is viciously busy, even for Pratchett. Filled with numerous threads, winding in ways unkown, he weaves a puzzling, tangled tapestry. Led by the characters, there's plenty of openings for clever humor and goofy jibes, but the story is the real winner from a character-led style, because each page is a surprise or a laugh or a clue or even - somewhat more rare - a touching moment. With Discworld world-building in tow, new creatures and an ever-changing cityscape bring enough to overwhelm, yet laid out over time and with enough explanation, you won't feel like your drowning in the quagmire of all this book holds.

Pratchett is a master at characterization, and in the City Watch books he has several standouts. Again and again, Discworld, comes down to characters, but Feet of Clay is where Pratchett has outdone himself in this regard. Who doesn't love the gritty, big-hearted Commander Vimes and the coldly calculating Vetinari? Add in the realistic, self-conscious werewolf Angua, the brutally honest Captain Carrot, and a traditional alchemical dwarf, and many more, to churn it into a beautiful mess. These fantastic personalities don't always stay the same either, with Vimes developing, Angua learning to accept her werewolfishness, and Cheery shunning stringent social norms to be her own woman. Yes, Pratchett likes to make his points.

While the characters on the Disc are delightful and nuanced, the dialogue is where they are drawn out. Expect a lot of bantering and setup for punes, but despite that, the conversations offer ample insight into the characters and their motivations, though these are further sussed out via third-person thought-processes. Vetinari and Vimes' confrontations are always absolutely on point, starkly clashing the lofty authoritarian and the stubborn rebel in their symbiotic alliance. They work together even at odds with each other because their overall goals align. Angua and Cheery have their bonding girl talks, that aren't actually composed of “girl talk.” I'll stop there, but all except the most ridiculous interactions appear genuine, including the ones that are setups for simple punch line.

One of the touchstones of Discworld is how Pratchett handles underlying, real-world themes. Enter in tidbits on morality, racism, sexism, and the definition of living. Vimes and Ankh-Morpork have a vicious sense of justice, and a broad definition of suicide. The City Watch books tend to challenge Vimes coloring of right and wrong, where he questions himself and doing the right thing. Often, he'll do something in a gray area in-between or something that isn't exactly just, like burning down a criminals precious documents by “accident.” Racism, a la specieism, and sexism come into play with Angua, the werewolf, and her new friend on the lad-filled watch, Cheery, who begins to fight against tradition to be feminine. Lastly, there's man-made creatures called golems who are used as slaves. As Carrot learns more of them, he realizes there's more life to them than everybody thinks, becoming their advocate. This brings some quibbling on the matter of defining life, which is pretty entertaining. There may not be too much depth on any one subject, but these select topics pervade the story and enhance the meaning of an otherwise entertaining tale.

With the fast-paced, intricate storytelling racing between beloved characters, there isn't any room for disappointment. Feet of Clay mesmerizes and excites and ponders in a satirical, lively city that mirrors reality with that canny knack Discworld boasts. Pratchett kills it, forming one of the best in the series thus far.

The Ranger's Apprentice is beginning to get very predictable, especially with Halt's peril, where guessing the eventual outcomes and even how those outcomes come about, takes away from the excitement. The characters continue to develop, but very, very slowly, and besides a couple of heartfelt moments, the banter steals the spotlight. The balance that could have made Halt's Peril a classic alongside it's brethren, isn't present.

The characters do develop, in a slow and sure manner. They mature as they face the traumatizing predicament of their familial mentor, Halt. This brings a heavier mood, while forcing the characters to mature, including Halt a little, who realized he was so close to death. That's about it however, and the rest of the book focuses on the never ending characters' banter and the plot line. The natter is the same as before in style, though Halt's Peril has a dense amount. This undercut the seriousness of the story a bit.

The storyline itself was extremely predictable. This series is meant for a younger age group, who probably want see the twists coming, but I had determined the predicament and solution for Halt way before the characters themselves had. That made the book less intense and interesting.

Still, it is a decent addition to the series. I would like to see an even more mature plot, but the themes themselves in this novel were pretty deep for Ranger's Apprentice, though Happy Ending Syndrome has infected the series, weakening the fretful moments that are further hindered by the copious bantering.

The Dragon Reborn is a long-fused firework. The fuse whips around with flurrying sparks, slowly burning to the anticipated, colorful explosion. The Dragon Reborn weaves a story, among several sets of characters, avoiding intersections up to the explosive finale. The focus on side-characters and world-building makes for an exciting tale, and the plot's zenith doesn't fizzle, either.

Robert Jordan is fantastic at writing various characters' perspectives. This is the main problem with The Great Hunt, because the perspectives were limited primarily to Rand, Egwene, and Nynaeve. Here, the focus is on the side characters: Perrin, Mat, Egwene, and Nynaeve. There are still several cast members that haven't had as much development, such as Elayne, Galad, and Gawyn, who will obviously be extremely important in the future. The characters are developed slowly and progressively during their travelings, keying in on their internal emotions and relationships. The relationships are obvious, lending to the bickering, the dreaming of other characters, and the conversations about others. The main five still steal the spotlight, in terms of their relationships among each other, but Perrin's relationship with the Faile is fun and important, and Elayne continues to garner more attention. Besides character interaction and development, Jordan gives great analogies from character viewpoints, that fit the experiences of the characters. Usually, the analogies involve references to nature.

Watching each of the character's struggles to reach Tear adds development, but the excitement owes to the anticipation of the finale, spurred on by the occasional glances of Rand and interconnections between the characters' travels, like the stalled boat in the Erinin river. This is surely a hero's journey, but not so consumed with Rand like the last two. In essence, it is the other characters' heroic journeys and this is a refreshing twist. Of course, by this time, it is disappointing not to see more of crazed Rand al'Thor, but I believe Robert Jordan will get back to that. And poor Min, what happened to her?

The world-building can't be forgotten. The Aiel are coming into the spotlight, with an emphasis on their culture and world-views. New magic is being explored: bale-fire and Callandor. There's a dreamworld, too, and the growing complications of the Forsaken. The world is building in expectancy with the story.

There isn't too much to be surprised about in The Dragon Reborn. However, the writing is solid and Robert Jordan makes this a speedy read with plenty of suspense, including world-building, bantering, and character development that makes the venture from point to point worthwhile. The focus on side characters over the protagonist adds interest to a familiar plot. The Dragon Reborn is a good installment, furthering The Wheel of Time, yet a new type of storyline will be a necessary change of pace for The Shadow Rising!

Maskerade is a balanced edition to Discworld, poking fun at opera and delivering fantastic character progression in an exciting plot. Pratchett has a knack for creating the most interesting and unique characters, and that shines through here.

As in other Discworld witch installments, the characters are the most important component and everything else is usually fun fluff, in a manner of speaking, and Maskerade stays true to this pattern. Salzella's snarky comments, Bucket's struggle to make money, Walter's shy and awkward cleaning, Christine's irritating high-pitched squeaks, Agnes's rebellious and insightful personality, all blend with the two classic witches who need no introductions, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, to exhilarate this story. Of course, characters pop up from other veins, such as a couple members of the City Watch, the Librarian, and Death, who goes without saying.

Progression of the characters is straightforward and clear. Agnes runs away from her hometown to sing opera, where she suffers because of her figure and the way she sees the world, which is to say, like a clever witch. Nanny and Granny, though veteran characters, still manage to learn small things in between their bantering. A couple of instances come about where one will notice how the aspects of the other work better than their own in certain situations. This mutual respect and noticed difference in strengths makes reading from both Granny and Nanny's perspectives fantastic.

Pratchett's hallmark with Maskerade is the way he balances his character's wackiness, the plot, the maturing cast, and the satire. The parts that are supposed be realistic and believable are, while the other pieces that are exaggerated don't feel too ridiculous such that they detract from the tale. Compared to the other witches' books, the story is less serious and intense, but the harmony that defines these entries in Discworld is still present, making this a beautiful read.

The Kings of Clonmel, book eight of the Ranger's Apprentice, adds to Halt's background, with a fairly run-of-the-mill story, though it fits the mold of the series.

The plot is straightforward, with Halt, Will, and Horace being the key players, trying to uproot a cult uprising in the kingdom of Clonmel, Halt's hometown. As it turns out, Halt is the rightful king, which is something that didn't seem to be foreshadowed at all in any of the previous books. Ergo, it felt derived and fake, though the ties between him and his brother are interesting. More world-building is done in Clonmel, which is fairly similar to Araluen, with the Genovesan assassins as a cool new addition.

Halt, Will, and Horace move from point A to point B with little trouble on their part and everything goes pretty much according to plan, making the entire storyline pretty uneventful. The intensity primarily lies in the first chapters, Halt's trapped position on the cliff, and the last, the duel. Halt's weak back story and character humor are the most interesting parts, with little in the way of character development or deep dialogue. The main character development seems to be that Halt is complaining about his old age, with Horace and Will being their same old selves. Character development isn't a problem in the series, and putting it on the down low in certain books can be a nice change of pace. However, there are too many weak spots in book eight, especially after the diversity and excitement of book seven, to make support the lack of growth.

The Kings of Clonmel offers decent back story and builds the world a little with Flanagan's favorite trio. Still, this isn't enough to save the book from a straightforward, almost-everything-goes-right plot and the lack of character and dialogue depth. I'm interpreting this book as a flimsy predecessor to a killer second part, so book nine had better deliver!

The Great Hunt is kin to The Eye of the World, containing many similarities in terms of story, character progression, and world-building. The writing is a bit more evolved, with plenty of tasteful foreshadowing, but the distribution of character point-of-views is not as well-rounded as the first book.

The plot lines are very, very similar, with a typical Hero's Journey progression, though the characters become more independent and continue to develop without much aid from Moiraine and Lan. So, the reader can expect a familiar series of events: running from one location to the next; another alternate dimension,\; an ultimate, evil lord; and manifesting magical powers. While the events may feel recycled, they have enough of a twist to feel adequately varied, especially because of the new areas of the world introduced and the character development. And, additional players in the game complicate everything. Jordan pulls together the various strings in a way that is more exciting and coordinated than in the previous.

The characters develop in a focused, persistent, and simple way. Rand learns to accept that he is the Dragon, but only after an entire five hundred pages worth of railing against his destiny. Slowly, he transforms into a leader. Through their Aes Sedai training, Nynaeve learns to be a wee bit humbler as an Accepted and Egwene suffers the duties of a novice. In Tar Valon, they meet encounter couple of other individuals from The Eye of the World, who receive a decent helping of attention, too. As previously mentioned, the fact that Moraine and Lan are MIA for the majority of the book spurs on the self-determination and problem solving skills of the cast.

However, Rand's limelight forces Mat and Perrin into the background, where they hardly receive writing from their point-of-views. This contrasts the number of sections keyed in on them in The Eye of the World: when Perrin and Egwene are split from the group and when Mat is forced to take care of Rand on the rode to Caemlyn . Both Mat and Perrin lack such parts here.

The other problem with the book stems from every girl's crush on Rand, besides Nynaeve, of course. Frankly, this is just irritating. Sure, Rand is quite likable and the protagonist, but pretty self-involved because of all the crazy stuff happening to him. Ergo, why are all of these ladies suddenly fawning over him, especially when he only shows affection for Egwene? I'll attribute it to his ta'veren aspect, for now. If it continues, though, it will drive me up a wall, reminding me of immature, fanciful harem anime.

As for world-building, Robert Jordan expands his realm ten-fold. Aiel make appearances; an inhabited stedding is present; there is a new new city, Cairhien, with its political “house wars;” and a whole new race called the Seanchan, with a very different culture - more along the lines of Chinese imperialism. Those are new elements of the world. Societies and concepts introduced in the first book are explored with comparable diligence. These include the Aes Sedai's leadership hierarchy and politics. At the bottom are Novices, then Accepted, then full-blown Aes Sedai, with the Amyrlin Seat at the tippy top. Each color of Ajah has a specialized affinity, and plenty of these are exemplified by the new Aes Sedai appearing in The Great Hunt. The prologue is a Darkfriends' gathering, which continues to be a particularly curious faction, and the Whitecloaks have a slightly bigger role than they. Specific characters from both parties have third person perspectives, which works for Jordan's involved world-building.

Not does the world consistently inflate, it does so without becoming stale, pushing the envelope to the edge on the number of intricacies a given reader can process. Jordan is less inclined to dive into monologues on history or regions or culture, instead leading his characters to these new places and locations, describing them through what transpires. History is a sticky bit where the “show don't tell” dictum is tricky. Jordan makes do by sprinkling history into small chunks that come about with natural questions the characters raise in new areas.

A couple of intriguing dissimilarities are notable from Jordan's writing style from book one to book two. There is more foreshadowing. “Five ride forth and four return.” Much of that foreshadowing, like the previous line, is in the form of prophecy, both good and evil. The final battle in The Great Hunt has a tantalizing build, which explodes in the final pages and remains marginally less abstract than its predecessor. Another tidbit is Jordan's dialed back descriptions of scenery. He opts for taking in the cast's thoughts and actions over describing trees, hills, grasses, and the like. This leads to a faster pace and more content.

The Great Hunt is a great second installment, flaunting all of what made the first book satisfying in a more refined offering. The story, character development, and word-building are fairly similar, but each of which is higher in quality. Primary problems are that not all the characters obtain proportional screen time to what they had in the The Eye of the World and an unfairly exorbitant percentage of the girls are pining over Rand. The Great Hunt is a promising next-spoke in The Wheel of Time's story.

Erak's Ransom is an edge-of-your-seat ride, heavier on the intensity, while still supporting hefty character development and world-building. Despite Will being younger than in the previous two installments of Ranger's Apprentice, this one finds heavier themes and closer proximity to death. Erak's Ransom is the best writing Flanagan has done for the series thus far.

The pacing of the book is a welcome two notches up from books five and six. Erak is captured and held for ransom in a foreign land, Arrida. With a plea to Araluen, Svengal, Erak's first mate, finds help among everyone's favorite characters: Will, Halt, Gilan, Horace, and Evanlyn. The crew runs into all sorts of trouble, one after another, on their mission to ransom Erak. There ends up being a lot of desert and nomadic tribesmen, which Flanagan plugs for smooth world-building. In the midst of the action and conflict, it was difficult to even notice that world-building was taking place. The world just came into being, growing as the story progressed. There isn't a bunch of information up front or in large, boring monologues, but it eases out in the pages. It is very well done world-building, managing to introduce a whole new chunk of land, people, and culture, in an easy to digest and undistracting fashion.

The development focuses on two primary issues, growing up into positions of responsibility and letting go of those under your wing. Evanlyn and Will are in similar positions, eager to stick there necks out and prove their ability, but also hampered by self-doubt. At the same time, King Duncan must allow Evanlyn to bear responsibility so that she may one day rule as queen, and Will is mere months away from becoming a tried and true ranger. Throughout the story they make mistakes, learn, and begin to find their own paths as life moves forward. It's awesome and one of the Ranger's Apprentice biggest draws: watching the characters grow. There is no shortage of that here, for all of the action, and there are plenty of other characters to add in their distinct personalities and bantering, making the atmosphere convivial. The new characters are strong and distinct, too. The antagonists are the only problem. The issue is not that they are a bad character, just that they fall into a typical stereotype, and that isn't terribly dynamic. Keren, in The Siege of Macindaw, shows regret and ends up seeming human. There's MacHaddish, too, who never really seems that bad though he is considered a “bad guy.” These kinds of villains are more realistic and interesting because the reader can empathize with them, if only a bit. Not so much the villains in Erak's Ransom, sadly, who are plain evil. They are still pretty good baddies.

One major annoyance, rewinding to the beginning, is the fact that Pauline has no female friend around her age to be her bridesmaid. Alyss and Jenny are cute as bridesmaids, however it is only logical that Pauline would actually have a companion around her own age other than Halt. The fact that she didn't is disconcerting and irritating.

The only other consideration in Erak's Ransom is that the scenes involving death are more intimate in detail than previously, providing an accurate, uncomfortable taste of dying. Death is ever present in fantasy, especially this kind, and Flanagan has never ignored it. The last breaths of a character dying have never been so described in the series. This shows a sign of maturing in Flanagan's stories, one that is exciting as I look forward to development of the characters and deeper themes in the coming adventures.

Somehow, despite going back in the time line and the fact that I knew the outcomes of this book, I couldn't help my racing pulse as I sped through Will's journey in Erak's Ransom. I was worried for characters who I knew would be fine, and still felt Will's emotions as my own. This empathy and intensity is no easy task to achieve. It's an arcane magic that comes about when a book works. Flanagan achieved this magic in a thrilling story, with plenty of conflict, character, development, and world-building. His Ranger's Apprentice style hit new heights and maturity, making this his strongest installment yet.

Soul Music dives head-first into another of Pratchett's stories on the Disc, this time following the advent of Music With Rocks In. There's lots of satire, plenty of which went over my head. However, there is still plenty here for those that aren't only music fans, such as the unique plot; the dynamic characters, especially if you enjoy the wizards, Dibbler, and Death; the rich world-building, and Pratchett's signature writing style that encapsulates the story. Yeah. This is Discworld, heart and soul.

Music With Rocks In? Be prepared for hidden nominal meanings everywhere, such as the protagonists name and the books title, which receives surprising depth by the end. The plot essentially follows a group of musicians that become the first rock stars, albeit given their musical prowess by a strange source. The lead musician, in a sort of poke at The Day the Music Died, is saved by this power and ends up serving it and starting a huge craze for Music With Rocks In in Ankh Morpork. While the main story follows these musicians, there is an emphasis on a new character, Susan Death, in addition to point-of-views of the wizards, Death, Dibbler, and various other minor persons. There is a wide array of characters within this single Discworld novel, enough to progress the plot along with the character humor and satirical references.

Some Discworld novels impact more-or-less depending on the level of satire and general craziness. The best Discworld novels, in my opinion, are those that focus less on comedic and sarcastic effect and more on story. As far as Soul Music is concerned, it straddles the line between these two points. It is in fact, very well balanced. The musician's tale is surprisingly engrossing as they figure out their own rules and learn the craziness of the music business. The wizards discoveries are fun and still manage to show major points of The Band's progression, just from a different and hilarious perspective. Susan's experience as Death is also extremely interesting, but more so because of her unique, independent character than her adventure itself.

So far as characters go, Susan is a fantastic addition to the cast. She is self-assured and bold, but also young, inexperienced, and elusive. Imagine a young Granny Weatherwax that's a bit shy. There's plenty out there that she needs to learn, but getting the chance to watch her learn it is where the satisfaction lies in her story. Imp is also pretty interesting, especially as a Frodo-like character fighting the influence of the magical guitar. Then there are the Wizards, including Ridcully, who are capable at winning plenty of laughs. The trio of the band, Susan, Death, and Albert are the characters that develop. Susan, obviously, learns a lot in the process of taking over Death's job. Albert has to address the problems that Susan is making while trying to find Death on vacation, Death has to come to terms with something – I think? - and Imp, Glod, and Lias, all change as they hit it big, especially in there relationships with each other, which actually become stronger and less self-seeking.

Pratchett wraps it all up nicely with an obese dose of references. Most everything is related to music and much of that Rock ‘n Roll, in case you don't understand the Music With Rocks in reference. There's references to various bands, songs, and events, but the majority of Soul Music is about the showmanship, atmosphere, and lifestyle supported by Rock ‘n Roll. He mirrors crazy shows with broken guitars, screaming girls, and mosh pits. There are terrible bands, plenty of band name changes, lots of calls for encores, and everyone and their mom has to own a guitar. All of these small items that Pratchett includes make Soul Music come alive is if you're in the glory days of Rock. That's a magic of its own.

Soul Music is an exhilarating parody of the advent of Rock ‘n Roll. But, not just that, there is development of Discworld and its characters, and enough references and funny moments to make it a read worth many reads. There's a lot to follow here, and it's extremely satisfying watching the characters grow and come together in their crazy adventure that draws the reader in and puts them in another time and place.

The Siege of Macindaw matures Will's story, focusing on his abilities and developing character relationships. World-building takes a back seat, but the adventure follows Flanagan's typical pattern, except the danger has never been so grim.

Picta, Scotland, is the new portion of The Ranger's Apprentice here, though only cultural elements appear, such as the clothing and spiritual reliefs of the Picta. You also learn that they are highlanders, but that is really all the world-building.

Much of the book focuses on interactions between characters, particularly between Will and Horace and Will and Alyss, but also with the Skandians, Orman, and Malcolm. Will and Horace continue with their usual banter, although more aware of each of other and their conversational style. They also start discussing their feelings about some ladies in their lives. The plot thickens. Will has undisclosed feelings towards Alyss, and near the end you get a great picture of how inefficiently people can handle their desires.

Will and Horace work together to plan a siege using limited resources in a short amount of time. The perspective alternates between Alyss and Will, which is fun and provides a moving dynamic that doesn't allow the book to drag. This is Ranger's Apprentice, so it comes as no surprise that there is no slowdown within the short number of pages. The planning, complexities, and inventiveness of the duo are interesting and goofy, though fairly simple. There was nothing of great surprise in the siege, but the story is still enjoyable, especially with the character humor and interactions.

There are two big signs of maturity compared to the previous Ranger's Apprentice novels. First, the potential dangers that appear, primarily for Alyss as a captive, are big concerns for Will. His mind leaps to dangerous outcomes for her, and the final battle between Will and Keren is surprisingly rife with distressing possibilities. This may be a glimpse of things to come in the series. As for the second sign, Will is not nearly as innocent. He thinks less selflessly and more in terms of his own goals and desires. His squabbles with Horace reveal this thought process, where he tries to manipulate things into going his way. In addition, he seeks out a pretty girl in Seacliff Fief for comfort from his loneliness.

The themes are maturing with the characters, their relationships, and their adult lives. That's awesome and, with Flanagan's consistent writing style, adds to the anticipation for next installment!

Take the Lord of the Rings, replace the undefined magic with something more pinned-down and described, focus less on the landscape and more on the characters, and lose the elves and dwarves, and you are left with The Eye of the World. What is immediately striking about this novel is Robert Jordan's mature writing style that makes the journey exciting with crisp with detail and imagery. The mythology is painstakingly extensive and the setting fantastic. This book is a hallmark of great fantasy writing, though very traditional, being in the vein of a hero's journey.

The story portrays a journey from point a to point b, comprised of several young folk from the Two Rivers. There exists a disparate camaraderie among them. Their interactions and relationships, with their individual lives, drive this journey. Though something bad is usually happening to spur on the characters, there is a determination in how Jordan disassembles their thoughts and feelings, even with cleverly with nonverbal signs, to make this more about the characters than the story. Egwene and Nynaeve are bullheaded and aggressive. Rand, somewhat stereotypical in his moral and willful presence, is easy to understand. Mat is conniving, trouble-making, and a bit paranoid, where Perrin is more reserved. Some of characters start out as pretty simple archetypes, but they each have plenty of background and attention to escape the trap of “I've seen this guy or girl a thousand times before.” On the other hand, Lan and Moiraine are unique and very interesting. I can't forget about Tam, who also exudes awesomeness. The Two River characters are hardened from the soft clay of farm folk to rag-tag soldiers, each in their own way, as they are chased relentlessly and make new discoveries about themselves. And, Jordan is a pro at crafting each person's perspective so that when you switch viewpoints, it is oh so sweet to be inside another characters mind. Even then, small details of the other characters can tip you off to exactly what they are thinking.

The story of good versus evil is great, but fairly typical until the very end and even then, isn't overtly surprising. This being the first book in the series, I'm certainly expecting more intricate plotting to come, but Jordan shines his strengths in character and world-building here. For the world-building, well, the Wheel of Time is rife with history partitioned by ages and wars. The Age of Legend, the War of Shadows, Artur Hawking, and the list of references goes on and on. Jordan pays acute attention to detail, building the world from the ground up and giving us nibbles everywhere to pique are interest and provoke more questions instead of answers. The glossary at the back of this book was actually really enjoyable and is the perfect example of how intricately formed this world is, and there's a feeling that there is plenty more to learn, especially in regards to the magic system. That itself should be special because it seems to have basic elements already appearing: split into male and female counterparts and five elements, plus apparent limits. Hopefully, it will prove less abstract than that final fight scene.

Jordan's writing style paints landscapes and detailed settings for every scene, where some authors choose to trim their descriptions. The writing flows smoothly and poetically at times, in a way that isn't rushed - though I feel very rushed trying to see what happens next. World-building is inserted in small amounts and comes out naturally to the characters who know next to nothing of the world outside the Two Rivers. That kind of world-building is exhilarating as your subconscious attempts to puzzle the pieces together, but your mind will be fixated on the characters and their adventures. It's a balancing act, and a skillful one at that.

The world-building isn't distracting or boring, the plot breathless, and the interactions enthralling. The Eye of the World is a grand Hero's journey with less in the plot, but a tantalizing spin on Tolkien that begs for more of the characters and the world. It's a hallmark of what many fantasies attempt to emulate.

The Sorcerer of the North is a detective and infiltration tale that is new for the Ranger's Apprentice series. Alyss is back in action and the pacing is faster than before.

The plot is new. It's a mystery about a sorcerer, with eyes on Alyss and Will's relationship. Jongleurs are introduced, as are the Scotti, which aligns with Flanagan's habit of adding small world-building features in every book. We only hear tell of the Scotti, but the Jongluers are fleshed out in an interesting manner. With Will's new disguise, his keen dog, the mystery, the politics, and his romantic relationship with Alyss, everything is getting more and more complex. This is a great sign for the series, maturing the themes and circumstances as the characters age with a varied plot.

Pacing is rough compared to all of the other books up to this point. Flanagan really picks up the speed, cutting out all small portions of the story that would have been slower, such as various traveling portions. Also, the gap between this book and the last installation is huge, where some very important developments are missed. Will is a Ranger at the beginning, having already completed his apprenticeship and formed a romantic relationship with Alyss. It's very awkward skipping such an important chunk of Will's life, especially when the books have been basically back-to-back up to this point. Also, Will's hasty training as a Jongleur is skipped, which also means a new character, Berrigan, was robbed the chance of a place in the story. So, with the time time-leap and the faster pace of this book, we lose a bit of the focus on characters that has made this series stand apart.

Stylistically, The Sorcerer of the North is very similar to the other books, however, the characters don't feel quite as deep because there are very few moments to explore them in the heat of this complex adventure. It's exciting and a good installment to the series, with the main frustration being all that time that was skipped between book four and five!

Rincewind's adventures on the Disc are more satirical compared to the plot/character-driven take of the Witches and even the City Watch arcs. That's one of the things to love about Discworld, the variance in the level of satire and storytelling. The Rincewind novels, such as [book:Interesting Times 884288], go so far toward the satirical and sarcastic, that it interferes with the impact. [author:Pratchett 1654] can pull off surprisingly touching stories, but this one's more for laughs.Enter Rincewind, the very British, psuedo-wizzard that just wants to do nothing. Never really developing, his character still succeeds to be quite entertaining. His personality and motivations are a treat to anticipate, as you know he is going to be thrust full force into a zany adventure. Eventually, he is frustrated to the point of ranting, which serves as a kind of build, though I wouldn't go as far as development. The characters aren't quite up to par in this entry of Discworld because of they suffered the same fate. Butterfly is fun and fascinating, yet we don't get to see her enough. Cohen is a fun side-character, but he has almost everything figured out, so he's much less interesting as a primary character. He struggles with the process for buying an apple, which is the most conflict you will get out of him. The barbarians are good side characters, but not for anything greater than comedic effect, besides Teach, who, despite the other straightforward personas, does change and wrestle with himself. Sadly, the villain doesn't have adequate screen time, unusually so for Pratchett, who likes to follow his villains often and closely, drawing out their motivations and quirks. Here, Lord Hong is seen at the beginning and only shortly in the end. What I am saying is this: the characters don't develop, and even with their electric personalities, they don't make Interesting Times a compelling read.The Counterweight Continent is a representation of China and Japan, bringing a host of new victims for Pratchett's writing. This does not disappoint. From the names of the citizens, to their demeanors, to their written language, Pratchett has plenty of ammunition to make for some laugh-out-loud moments. You can expect him to ingeniously poke fun at an overwhelming amount of material here.The plot is exaggeratedly epic, which is to be expected, and there's hefty foreshadowing, so you'll know what's coming. The enjoyment is in getting there, and plenty of interesting turns are taken in these interesting times, particularly when you consider teleportation, the heisting, civilized barbarians, and poor, poor Rincewind, stuck in the folds an incompetent rebellion.With a balance on satire over characters, there is difficulty being deeply engaged in the story. Interesting Times is fun and worth a read, but I find Pratchett's character-driven novels are preferable.

[book:The Battle for Skandia 144350], much like the rest of the Ranger's Apprentice books up to this point, continues to develop the characters and enhance the world, though the fast-paced drive in this installment waned.Everything goes more or less as planned, after the initial discovery of the Temujai army, which makes the plot a bit uneventful thereafter. Halt correctly predicts most of their movements, and nothing happens where the enemy ever seems to get a decent jump on the Skandians in a surprising way, making the battle seem fairly predictable. I must note that [author:Flanagan 34049] doesn't disappoint in his descriptions of the battle scenes, which have a great flow and paint a clear picture. The introduction of the Temujai offered a new culture and race, which is something Flanagan has been doing in each installment, and some of the chapters even follow their perspective, and that pays off nicely.One of the things that stuck out in Flanagan's storytelling was Evanlyn's disappearance as a stowaway. Instead of doing the predictable chapter following Evanlyn's adventure from her perspective, he skips directly from Will and Horace noticing her absence to them finding her safe and sound on the next page. I'm not sure if that portion was edited out, but the unexpected leap was entertaining because the surprise of finding Evanlyn unharmed. Though I'm not a fan of recaps, it was short and sweet enough a summary, which kept the plot moving.The characters are still very well-handled and continue to develop, but relationships seem to be ever more important. Halt and Erak achieve quite a bit of camaraderie and Will and Evanlyn's relationship grows more complicated, it would seem, especially where the book ends. I'm excited to see where that will lead in the future. Will also has an important part to play as a leader of a contingent of soldiers, something likely preparing him for his future as a Ranger.Compared to the previous three novels, the Battle for Skandia boasted the weakest drive, but stayed consistent to those in feel and balance. It is a slow point in the series with a straightforward climax of a battle. Still, it lays plenty of groundwork for future conflict and drama, and I continue to have high expectations for the Ranger's Apprentice.

[book:Inheritance 7664041] was a fitting end to the cycle, with great battles, secrets, and characters. It follows suit to the rest of the series, with some nice plot developments and a very satisfying conclusion. The faults of the book perhaps lie in the details.First comes the good. The primary characters in Inheritance are handled very well. We see Eragon continue to develop and be way less annoying in his awkward relationship with Arya, King Orrin devolves into a drunk, and Roran continues being awesome, not actually changing much. The development of Nasuada and Murtagh particularly shines, and let's not forget about the maturing Elva. From these examples, the character development bodes very, very well for Inheritance. The characters themselves, including those mentioned and Orik, Glaedr, Saphira, Jeod, Angela, and Jormundur all have attractive attributes and personalities that uniquely define them. The downside to the characterization at times is that minor side characters, especially some of the Palancar Valley characters, blurred, and I didn't know who was who. Baldor and Delwin, in particular, were difficult to distinguish apart from their names.This kind of leads to the biggest problem with this book, the telling. The issue with Baldor and Delwin could have been solved, among other things, if [author:Christopher Paolini 8349] had shown more than told. I felt like the circumstances and happenings were being described second-hand, which knocked me out of the story. I wanted to connect much more than I did, but the phrases where Eragon filled in so and so on specific details were downright distracting. Also, it was too long. The book would have made a fantastic movie, pruning off the excess and leaving the memorable characters, developments, and action-filled plot. All the stuff that slows it down - yes, I mean Eragon and Saphira's flight to Vroengard and other parts - may have been better if they had been cut out completely. Not that I dislike the slow parts of journeys, I really do, and Paolini did a beautiful job of keeping interest with Nasuada's imprisonment alternating chapters with Eragon's flight, but the pacing still didn't work. Maybe, instead of cutting out all of the unnecessary details, this series just needed to be split into more numerous, shorter installments.Inheritance's dialogue is an improvement over [book:Brisingr 2248573]'s flamboyant use of antiquated speech, which came off as pretentious. It's less potent here and polishes the speech to a level that isn't blinding. However, some of the dialogue is irritating because they transform into egregious monologues. One of the most aggravating recurrences was when someone would ask, “Are you sure?” to another character, usually Eragon. At this point in the series, you would think they would have stopped by now, but tons of characters continue to pester each other with this recurring question when its obvious to everyone the character is sure because we've been hearing about their plan for the last few pages. It drove me nuts when Queen Islanzadi asked Eragon this question, and noted the danger, after he explained his final plan for the siege of Urubaen. So much for the wise elves. No duh it's dangerous, that's going to be inherent in any plan involving attacking Galbatorix!!!This transitions to another positive point, Galbatorix. Paolini does some magic with writing him, particularly his voice, and it really shines, which is when we finally get to glimpse the notorious rider himself. And, that continues to lead to another great aspect of this book, the fights and such. The last battle, as well as Roran's side mission, are fun and provide lots of excitement. The last battle is handled superbly and wraps up well, with the only qualm in how Eragon defeats Galbatorix, which is using a rather obvious and large hole in Galbatorix's magic control system. It's implied that Galbatorix may not have known of the weakness, but from what we know, that doesn't seem to add up and appears disingenuous to his character, who would have taken precautions or at least considered the matter. I'm not saying what Eragon did wasn't cool, it just wasn't very hefty because any magician could have used a similar method to undermine Galbatorix's control, though not in such an epic way due to the power of the eldunari. This bothered me because any magician could have eventually killed Galbatorix using an attack in this way, which makes it seem less special when Eragon undermines the system.Where that part of the battle falls short, Paolini redeems with his conclusion of the series. He wraps up everything in a bittersweet note that he obviously ripped from the Lord of the Rings. Though, it's unique in it's own Inheritance Cycle way, and particularly captures a great deal of melancholy in the various partings that are described. In fact, the ending was pretty emotional for me, when much of this book and series failed to connect, which is something for which I have to applaud Paolini. With such a strong conclusion, a spark of new hope and imagination, and the end of a saga, there really isn't room to complain, is there? Ha, I'm sure not everyone will find the ending satisfying, but it was hinted at in an in-your-face way throughout all four books, so no one should whine.Inheritance is a great wrap-up to Eragon's journey, alive with characters and battles, it's a good book. The pacing is rough and the book seems like it should have been split into two separate novels and there are things that can irritate in the writing, particularly aspects of the dialogue and the ratio of telling to showing. On a closing note, I must say that the ending is touching and beautiful, in its own right.

[book:Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious 26598215] by [author:David Dark 161099] isn't about religion. It is about a different perspective on religion, being open-minded, and living in community with others. So, as a generalization the book is primarily about open-mindedness. Dark uses a heavy sentence structure and plenty of vivid metaphors throughout.Life's too Short is no doubt an enlightening read, discussing why people don't talk about religion and determined that they should even though their beliefs are sure to differ. Dark redefines religion as we know it to be pertinent in all aspects of one's life and one requiring communion.This review is not about the topics so much, but for the delivery. Dark uses complex, weighty sentences to discuss his ideas and concepts, which ends up coming about in a very loose and seemingly disorganized way. Be prepared to re-read sentences. His presentation doesn't make the best arguments because of the sporadic layout, but instead is entertaining and alluring with its digressions and tangents. The metaphors to pop culture are apt and strike a chord with those that have intersecting attention collections and the personal one's are just as powerful.With an interesting and certainly pertinent topic, the material is interesting. Dark uses wonderful metaphors and examples to highlight and expand on his ideas, only hindered at times by his large sentences and short attention-span. This is surely a book worth the quick read.

[b:The Icebound Land 127823 The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, #3) John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441400105s/127823.jpg 6627894] focuses on world-building and a couple key character relationships over the course of a fairly predictable plot. While [b:The Burning Bridge 144349 The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice, #2) John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440471172s/144349.jpg 6627890] ended with some surprising elements, this story is straightforward.Halt is such a powerful character that his storyline lacks true conflict after his bar brawl and subsequent punishment. The interest in that line lies in the world-building surrounding Horace and Halt's venture into Gallica. Will and Evanlyn's captivity is pretty interesting and picks up in the second half, when Will becomes a junkie. So, the presentation works, with the pull of the lines picking up when another might slow down and dragging the reader through the short chapters in a flurry.World-building and characters seem to be the primary focus of this iteration, with Skandia and Gallica achieving plenty of attention. They are based of Scandinavia and France respectively, which boast two very different cultures. Gallica is a disjoint set of fiefs ruled by marauding knights that uphold a hollow chivalry, and Skandia is home to tough raiders. Halt and Horace build a much better relationship, with Halt understanding Horace's skill and Horace learning to trust and learn from Halt. Who, might I ask, is the ranger's apprentice now? Evanlyn and Will bond through the trials on their journey to Skandia, supporting each other when they know things are bleak. Evanlyn gets excellent development particularly in that she bears the brunt of both her and Will's escape, which is awesome as we see her character really come out and receive due attention.However, Will's drugged stupor ends up being a poorly masked plot-device to focus on Evanlyn. At the end of the book, he wakes up and appears fine. Instead of seeing a kid struggling with a continuous fight with addiction, he is completely withdrawn for that duration and just snaps out of it after four weeks off the warmweed. Will might struggle with this in the next book, so I may be speaking out of turn, but that is doubtful considering how we last see Will. The problem is internal conflict that should have occurred from any kind of addiction is utterly dropped. Whilst aimed for kids, [a:Flanagan 34049 John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1204665476p2/34049.jpg] could have pulled off something to that effect, I'm confident. Guess we'll see if he does anything with that in the sequel.That's all I've got. Flanagan keeps up with his fine storytelling. Though it isn't as original as The Burning Bridge, the character's are given wise development individually and in their relationships. In addition, there is plenty of world-building packed into the fast-paced story.

[b:East of Eden 4406 East of Eden John Steinbeck https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441547516s/4406.jpg 2574991] is a metaphorical play that tries to pin down good and evil and love, set in the Salinas Valley of California around 1900. There are several characters that are followed, each having bents toward good and evil and distinct personalities. The metaphor draws on the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, using both the sets of Charles and Adam and Aaron and Caleb to mirror them. The sum is an atypical story with a lot of character background and development that loses its way along the winding contemplative turn it takes.The characters are given plenty of background. Adam and Charles' family, Cathy, and the Hamiltons are given quite the history and attention. This makes for a thick book, covering all these characters, who sometimes windup of being of little importance. The characters each struggle with their own internal conflicts, which is most clearly seen in Caleb and Charles, who wrestle with their darker sides. Charles even reaches a point where he just about murders his brother Adam because of jealousy, but he doesn't complete the deed as Cain did. Charles and Adams story continues in the next generation with Adam's sons matching the characteristics of both Cain and Abel again, but under different circumstances and with different personalities. Though Caleb doesn't directly kill his brother, he does cause his death.The characterization, while one of the greatest strengths, like Cathy's psychotic absence of love and Sam Hamilton's affable pondering, it is at times second-best. Adam seems to be a completely different person jumping from his arguments with his brother to his life in Salinas Valley. While his devastating marriage could surely cause great changes in him, something doesn't add up. His personality is not as examining after his depression. Instead of reverting to a passive, inquiring sense of the world, he becomes extremely passive like he's just there. He lays about for the better part of his kids years just talking to Lee? It doesn't quite add up in that regard or make sense that he would barely talk to his kids. Maybe the times were just different, but it seems disjointed, like Adam is a completely different person from who we know in the first half. Caleb's development is by far the most interesting as he sways between cruelty and love and selflessness and self-possession, which is deeply engaging as this is exactly with what humans struggle. I think Caleb should have been the protagonist over Adam because I could understand his character better. Even Cathy I felt I understood better. Though she's a complete psychopathic, Steinbeck does great presentation of her.The books primary plot follows Cathy and most of the tension comes from her chapters. The plot is repeatedly thrown on the sideline as characters back-stories are developed, which leads to a very slow start. The book picks up for a while as Cathy does crazy stuff and Adam fights returning home. Then, things slow way down in Salinas and never regain that level of intensity. The book's shift between the second half and first half is confusing, because the entire book appears to change, though it is actually on the same theme.Steinbeck's presentation in the book is confusing, referring to himself in the first person. He mentions himself about three or four times in East of Eden and is barely even seen. For the first quarter of the book, I suspected he would come in as the main character, but he doesn't. That didn't add anything to the read, except to distract. Perhaps these events of the book were loosely based on people in [a:John 585 John Steinbeck https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1182118389p2/585.jpg]'s life?So, I found East of Eden an interesting read because of the characters that were given lots of development and focus as they internally struggled with themselves to do the right thing. With Cathy's psychosis portrayed in a very interesting manner and the tense plot points involving her, well, that makes the book pretty interesting. While these are done very well and kept me involved, the book was too long and focused on some minor characters more than it needed to, such as a Joe and Dessie. The parallelism is cool, too, but not worth the hype this book seems to garner.

[b:Brisingr 2248573 Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle, #3) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391443970s/2248573.jpg 3124969] was not as driven as either of it's predecessors, but meandered for a majority of the story. Both the beginning and ending were strong, leaving the middle slow. [a:Paolini 8349 Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1412963950p2/8349.jpg] still managed to imbue interesting world-building and excitement.Characters are handled as in [b:Eldest 45978 Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387119654s/45978.jpg 2035753], with camera time divided between Roran, Nasuada, and Eragon. The characters have matured much over the first two installments, which has led to slower rate of growth. Roran becomes a leader in the Varden, Eragon struggles with moral dilemma's and the extent of his role in the conflict, and Nasuada gets a little screen time acting like a total boss.Finally concluding the vendetta with the Ra'zac and Eragon's acquisition of a sword are by far the best parts in Brisingr, with the final fight scene also exciting, but that leaves a whole lot of space in the middle. Some of this is made to great use, particularly Eragon's dealing with Sloan and his ride back with Arya. Other parts seem dry, such as when Eragon is traveling and when he is in Tronjheim. Inserting portions with Roran helped keep me engaged, yet the viewpoint switching lacked the overarching purpose and consistency in Eldest. It was still a plus, in my opinion, to see the characters develop. This just made the presentation appear a bit ambiguous.The dialogue in Brisingr got more irritating than usual, with really long expositions and dated dialect. This is a part of the first and second books, no doubt. The first half of Brisingr is jam packed with it to the point it started detracting from the experience instead of just giving the series a bit of character.That may be related to the problem with Brisingr, the amount of fluff and unnecessary number of pages. I think that Paolini's third book tried to stretch itself too far, though it's obvious it is preparing a lot of different plot elements for Inheritance. The story just meandered and started to drag along.With a bit more pomp and the mid-book drag, Brisingr doesn't actually have many negatives and still does a good job with characters and world-building. It has a better writing style than [b:Eragon 113436 Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366212852s/113436.jpg 3178011], but a less cohesive, driven story than Eldest. Keeping in mind that Brisingr is setting up for [b:Inheritance 7664041 Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390886502s/7664041.jpg 10260587], I think that it can be expected that the reader will see a payoff for the patience here in book four.

[b:The Burning Bridge 144349 The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice, #2) John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440471172s/144349.jpg 6627890] sees the characters and plot from the [b:The Ruins of Gorlan 60400 The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1) John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1293952830s/60400.jpg 810498] develop and new characters introduced. The sense of adventure and simplicity characterizing the first book is still present, though steadily discoveries are made about the world and the story diverges from that of a stereotypical fantasy.Will, Horace, and Alyss are all present in this book, with Gilan and Halt back, of course. Will struggles with self-confidence after having achieved a great victory in the first novel, Horace is keen on learning new skills as a knight, and Alyss is enjoying her role as an apprentice diplomat. Halt must deal with struggles of his own. Case in point, the characters have obvious development throughout this book, in both small and big ways. The best part is their heightened maturity, with Will and Horace continuing to squabble, but at the same time compromising and coming to decisions together. They are not as childish as they were before. Dynamic characters make this a wonderful and realistic series.The plot builds and unfolds, in what is satisfyingly not going to be a fourteen book epic quest line, at least it doesn't appear that way. This book concludes the arc with Morgalath in a fun and unique way. This book could have followed the path of a tropy fantasy novel. In fact, it set up for an ending that would be just that, however the book pulled some surprise twists that predict a unique series. [a:John Flanagan 34049 John Flanagan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1204665476p2/34049.jpg]'s interesting story sheds a new perspective on fantasy and treads its own path.The Burning Bridge slowly expands the world of The Ranger's Apprentice, discovering new lands and cultures, building the characters from the first installment, and plotting a new trajectory for the story. It continues to be simple, but proficiently executed, which makes it so fun to read.

So, [b:Perfect State 25188109 Perfect State Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426951197s/25188109.jpg 44897384] is a new take on the classic Matrix idea of brains in a test tube. These brains are also used for energy and live in a manipulated world designed to make the human denizens happy, or at least distracted. That's about it for similarities, though. The humans are told by the authoritative power, the Wode, exactly what is going on, that their body's are being harvested and their worlds illusions. Each individual receives his or her own world and can interact with other Liveborn as much as he or she pleases. The setting is world's apart from the Matrix and just as interesting. Perfect State relies on this premise, banter, action, and typical [a:Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg] plot surprises to make for a zippy set of pages.Sanderson's concentration in Perfect State is on the world. There is a lot of world building done in a book less than a hundred pages, but Sanderson knows how to balance both direct explanations to the reader with subtler, indirect methods that show the mechanics of the world in action. Be prepared to learn loads about the universe.Filling in the rest of the space are the characters. The protagonist is bold and curious, but also conflicted, determining the meaning of life in a simulated world. Machineborn and liveborn come into play as different types of beings in this universe, which provide great room for philosophizing and ethical dilemmas. The characters banter quite a bit, a la Sanderson, and are rather convivial and energetic, making them fun characters to read.The fit right into the fast moving plot, which ends up being only a stepping stone for greater things to come. It does take a surprising turn, yet its too short and not complete by far.Perfect State is a fantastic setup, introducing a brand new world, characters, and an initial plot. It is not very self-contained and leaves off on a cliffhanger, so follow ups are a must. Altogether, it's enjoyable, just not enough meat to make a sating course!

[b:Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell 21411388 Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426179951s/21411388.jpg 40712188] captures the tough, weathered spirit of the frontier. Life is rough in the forests, but people still fight for what they love, whether it be family or money, with an unyielding willpower. The novella only has a few characters, but delves into them effectively while introducing a brand new [a:Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg] world.Silence is painstakingly developed, being a solid, forest-bred woman. Through dialogue, her actions, and flash backs, we learn so much about her character, including why she is a hard woman and what she truly cares about in her life. Silence is the focal point of the story. Sanderson's crazy new magic system steeped in Jewish superstition and tradition is only the gravy, the real meat is Silence.The frontier setting is fun, intermixed with the eery shades, it is constantly harrowing. The mythology and setting coalesce to make a delightfully foreboding miasma. This complements Silence's character, which shouldn't be a surprise because this environment made her who she is.While many of Sanderson's works are faster paced and banter-filled, this tale sacrifices both of those for development of the characters, using meaningful, expressive dialogue and flashbacks. This kind of dialogue is closest to what he conservatively uses in [b:The Emperor's Soul 13578175 The Emperor's Soul Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343059311s/13578175.jpg 19161502], where he doesn't waste a word. The flashbacks are reminiscent of that novella, too.The tone of Shadows for Silence is serious, but the plot is lickety-split and fun. Combined with the fleeting glimpse of the tantalizing world Sanderson has invented, this novella won't last anybody long. However, the undivided attention to Silence's character is what makes this a stand out in Sanderson's voluminous set of works.

[b:Dragondrums 28553 Dragondrums (Harper Hall, #3) Anne McCaffrey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410942131s/28553.jpg 1592020] is a good standalone. However, the rags-to-riches theme that permeates Pern stories is becoming stale. I enjoyed the book, yet it seems formulaic.Piemur is now the main character of the story, which is great because he is a fascinating side character from Menolly's story in [b:Dragonsinger 28547 Dragonsinger (Harper Hall, #2) Anne McCaffrey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410942014s/28547.jpg 2971170]. However, it is rather noticeable that he is a lot like Menolly in how he deals with his abusers, hiding the brutality shown him. This kind of thing occurred to Menolly and the story feels very similar to hers. It is a coming of age story of Piemur, as he determines what he wants to do with his life now that his voice has been lost. The way it delves into this concept, with an adventurous story, is well done. Between Piemur's new responsibilities as Robinton's apprentice and his abusive peers in drum school, you can really see him develop as a character and are given many opportunities to do so. [a:Anne McCaffrey 26 Anne McCaffrey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1323715139p2/26.jpg], as usual, does a fantastic job with conflict, always adding in new, small conflicts that drive the story even though they may be unimportant the reader feels they are of the utmost importance.Like [b:Dragonsong 28541 Dragonsong (Harper Hall, #1) Anne McCaffrey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407659596s/28541.jpg 1171182] and Dragonsinger, Dragondrums is a coming-of-age kind of story focused on a single character finding what she or he wants out of life on Pern. The stories focus on character motivations, feelings, and relationships, driven by pulling plot and fun intrigue in Pern. This is a good story, if the concept doesn't feel a little worn from the two aforementioned titles.

Simple. The Ruins of Gorlan is magically simple and straightforward. That's what makes the book such a fun and refreshing adventure.

With fantasy worlds containing all sorts of bizarre creatures and magic systems, the first book of the Ranger's Apprentice series is a breath of fresh air. There are a couple types of bizarre creatures and there is a hint of magic, but the culture of Araluen: the class system, crafts, and way of life are the primary focus of the narrative. By following a young individual, Will, the reader is put into a prime position to understand these items as Will is thrust into an apprenticeship. The culture of the rangers is also touched upon and interesting. By not expanding on random or complicated world elements, characters and relationships are able to receive plenty of attention.

My only qualm in the book was Will's ingenious idea at the end. It was a rather obvious concept that I'd thought of way before the fight, and I think Halt would have contemplated it too, since he's pretty intelligent. The writing style and themes in The Ruins of Gorlan is aimed at a fairly young audience. So, the unsurprising weapon appears appropriate, considering the audience and Will's youth.

This series doesn't do anything crazy with plot or magic or anything, really. You could say it's run of the mill, but it flows smoothly and is quite enjoyable. The balance between characters, world-building, and story is masterfully maintained while the reader experiences the adventure. Though it may not seem a praise-worthy book, it is because of its accessibility and simplistic balance that allows fleshing out lots of small things instead of the religions of dwarves and elves and so on. With an introduction like The Ruins of Gorlan, I'm excited for the entire series.

[a:Kurt Vonnegut 2778055 Kurt Vonnegut https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433582280p2/2778055.jpg]'s [b:Slaughterhouse-Five 4981 Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440319389s/4981.jpg 1683562] is a disjointed tale of death and war and life. The read is difficult, swaying from the ridiculous to the dead serious. It's a trying book to discern and rightly so with such dense subject matter.The protagonist is a passive, eccentric individual by the name of Billy Pilgrim. He's got a lot of funny ideas about time travel and an ironic outlook on death. “So it goes” follows every mention of death in the book. The reader follows Billy through his life as a prisoner of war, an optometrist, and an old man, to name a few. He takes in his surroundings with a healthy dose of irony and passivity, often rolling with whatever happens to him. This is due to his having no will to live. He does develop, though, and seems to have find meaning in life by the end, or should I say beginning? His character is very well fleshed out. Though he is a bit dull, I still liked following him on his adventure.There are plenty of laughs to be had at the ridiculous circumstances found in the book, but you won't feel like laughing. The book is about war and this isn't something that you can really forget. This theme haunts Billy Pilgrim as the dark tone of the book disturbs the reader. That being said, there are places to smirk and many more to feel the weight of what is being read. Vonnegut interjects plenty of horrific ironies about so and so dying in some way or another who did this or that. Readings from various books show up as well, including themes from one of Pilgrim's favorite authors, Trout. These often add to the satirical nature of the setting and provide great metaphors.Who's guilty in war? How do you cope with all the death? There are answers to these questions in Slaughterhouse-Five, as it journeys through the bombing of Dresden and ekes out Pilgrim's thoughts on the matter later. Pilgrim's entire life seems as though an answer to the second question, overcoming the pain of death with a simple phrase, “so it goes.” The way the book not only poses questions, even if they are primarily circumstantial, but attempts to answer them is what makes the book a standout. Through an open interpretation of time, Billy comes to a conclusion that satisfies him. Garnering Billy's beliefs and perspectives is a whole lot of fun, surprisingly.Vonnegut's satire on war is dark and brooding. The way it follows the protagonist is fun and allows the reader to interpret situations' contexts with hindsight, foresight, and at the present moment. These factors make for interesting thoughts and foreknowledge in the book. Learning how Billy has survived the war and its horrors is wrapped up in an interesting tale full of eccentric voice, a driving, reflective presentation, and wily humor. Slaughterhouse-Five deserves to be read if for nothing other than the combination of these elements and the intriguing answers it poses.

[b:Eldest 45978 Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387119654s/45978.jpg 2035753] is a marked improvement upon the initial story presented in [b:Eragon 113436 Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1) Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366212852s/113436.jpg 3178011], culminating in its own unique world. Where Eragon was a bit naive and predictable as a book, containing a forthright hero's journey, Eldest has a more interesting plot, albeit shines in its presentation, writing, and overall improvement on the part of [a:Christopher Paolini 8349 Christopher Paolini https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1412963950p2/8349.jpg].Where Eragon became stale, following the all too often seen tropes of fantasy, the world portrayed in Eldest dives into the inner-workings of the magic system and cultures of the races. Dwarves, elves, and urgals are all given pretty shallow glimpses in Eragon, but here you learn their cultures, religions, and histories. Dwarves, the oldest race known to Alagaesia, follow a mythology of gods and goddesses. On the other hand, elves turn out be atheists with a naturalist bent, which is quite intriguing. The magic system is expanded. The reader will learn the origin of the words of power and new abilities provided by the magic of gramarye.This developing world takes place through Eragon's venture to Ellesmera and his training to become a Rider. His training is both rigorous and long, stretching over much of the book. The presentation of the book splits its time, usually alternating three chapters of Eragon with three chapters of Roran's story. Roran's tale drives the reader through Eldest, bringing back many characters only mentioned at the beginning of book one. At about two different points in the telling, things switch to Nasuada's perspective. The fragmented presentation of the story offers a faster pace, skipping to another character whenever things get monotonous, but also offers a steady pacing as the events take place fairly concurrently and chronologically. Everything comes to head at the end of the novel for a great conclusion. The presentation works very well for the story.Characters are almost primarily recurring, the one's introduced in the first book, but a few new ones come into play. The characters seem less two dimensional than they did in Eragon, where Saphira's and Eragon's relationship lacked definition and many individuals needed more depth. Here, particularly because of the different viewpoints, the characters of Nasuada, Roran, and Eragon are able to be developed thoroughly by following their thought processes, which inevitably lead to bringing out their motivations and outlooks. Other characters, namely Arya, Orik, and the other character who's name starts with ‘O' are very well developed, in addition to the residents of Carvahall. Character development shows a superb development from book one, as Eragon battles through training with his debilitating scar which closely mirrors his heart pained from unrequited love. Roran's life is completely uprooted, and Nasuada must become the leader of the Varden.Unrequited love, leadership, survival, and maturing are the big themes in Eldest. The unrequited love makes for a painfully awkward experience when Arya and Eragon interact and is handled very well. This isn't some love-at-first-sight nonsense here, but a kid who won't give up despite being shot down multiple times. It makes you feel bad for both of the characters and stays true to exactly what that kind of situation can be like, as unenjoyable as it may become. Leadership is a theme for all three of the characters we follow. Roran becomes the leader out of respect and will power over the residents of Carvahall, learning that he has to make difficult decisions in order to save those he cares about. Nasuada's already been mentioned as she takes power in the Varden, and Eragon serves as a leader, but more by example and as a figurehead than a bona fide commander, for the most part. The way Eldest examines these different circumstances of coming into leadership is fantastic, because each instance of leadership is completely different. Survival by Roran's group is as nitty-gritty and morally gray as the Walking Dead. That's what their journey likened. It was really fun to watch Roran's group face seemingly insurmountable barriers and find ways to overcome them. The only feeling of fabrication came with the whirlpool, where it seemed to obvious a plot device, but the solutions to all their other hardships were rather well laid out in the first book. Eragon's development from adolescent to adult is still taking place and comes through during his training in Ellesmera, where he starts to act more and more as an adult. Eragon matures in many ways, namely in his relationship with Arya, but also in his way of thinking about himself and the world around him. The ways he matures are noticeable throughout.Paolini's style of writing improved as well, becoming more fluid and easier to read, where Eragon was a bit rough and trying for me to get involved in. The ending came together very well efficiently portraying a large battle. I'll leave the details out, but there are plenty of surprises, whether or not they are a bit predictable.Eldest is a great addition to the Inheritance Cycle, taking everything from Eragon to the next level. The characters are broadened, the themes in-focus, the writing improved, and the presentation and story more exciting. Eldest is a commendable improvement.