Scott Lynch - Red Seas Under Red Skies

Title: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Author: Scott Lynch
Pub. year: 2007
Pages: 640
Editor: Gollancz

Summary: Escaping from the attentions of the Bondsmagi Locke Lamora, the estwhile Thorn of Camorr and Jean Tannen have fled their home city. Taking ship they arrive in the city state of Tal Varrar where they are soon planning their most spectacular heist yet; they will take the luxurious gaming house, The Sinspire, for all of its countless riches. No-one has ever taken even a single coin from the Sinspire that wasn't won on the tables or in the other games of chance on offer there. But, as ever, the path of true crime rarely runs smooth and Locke and Jean soon find themselves co-opted into an attempt to bring the pirate fleet of the notorious Zamira Drakasha to justice. Fine work for thieves who don't know one end of galley from another. And all the while the Bondsmagi are plotting their very necessary revenge against the one man who believes e has humiliated them and lived; Locke Lamora.

You should know already (if you read this for example) that I am very fond of this series started quite some time ago—but no so long for myself. Last summer, I had the utter delight to meet the wonderful story maker that Scott Lynch is through his first book, beginning the adventure of the wonderful Locke Lamora and his witty mates—all of them highly talented thieves and scammers of all sorts. And I totally fell in love with them. I waited almost a year to read the second one, knowing that we should see the next coming this autumn.
And I can't believe I managed to wait that long.

I don't want to say too much about the story but it's sufficient to mention that once again, Lynch managed to have many stories inside the story without losing the main thread, and the various twists make the whole thing even more exciting than it already is. It's almost as if there wouldn't be any time to breath with this intense action, but Lynch hasn't lost his passion for long and excruciatingly detailed descriptions that quite often cut the suspense with some sunset/seagull story. But I guess it's also what makes the the whole thing so easy to visualize, so... bear with the descriptions, it's worth it.

It's becoming harder and harder not to skip the story to read the dialogues first: yes, that's how good they are. I just love (and laugh) so much when Locke and Jean talk that it's a torture to wait for their next piece of chat. After the quite heavy emotions we got from the end of the first book, here again we manage to feel as sad and we felt happy minutes before, and as excited as we felt wary. The rush of emotions, though sometimes easily anticipated, is really enticing.
And now I'm thinking, how am I gonna do to wait for the next book?! Well, after reading the extract graciously provided on the author's website, and dancing around in joy at the prospect of seeing Sabetha at last, I guess I'll just bite my nails and wait, wait, wait...

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Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Pub. year: 2011
Pages: 352
Editor: Quirk Books

Summary: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Rumors, rumors... one said that Tim Burton was thinking of making a movie out of this book, and that was enough to make me want to read it. Another said that it was awesome, and it was enough to get me started... what a surprise I had! Not only was this book very far from what I expected, it was probably even better, and I would never have guessed that a bunch of old black and white pictures would make such a tremendous effect on me, nor that it would make this book so exceptionnal I had to tell you about it.

Maybe it isn't something special (to be honest that's my first time so I wouldn't know if that is common or not), but using real vintage pictures to build a story (and leave them inside, of course) is such a wonderful idea that I regret not having it myself in the first place. And the pictures are just the icing on the cake : Jacob story, albeit quite long and slow at the beginning (I personnally enjoyed this slow enfolding of the mystery but I know that some would find it a bit too much), is a wonderful mix between adventure, horror and mystery, with undead kids, superpowers, invisible villains and a dark gloomy village on a dark gloomy island where it all happens.

I have never been very fond of horror novels because firstly, I'm a coward (let's face it), and secondly because characters are usually quite shallow there, I can never really relate to them. Here it's not the case, fortunately—maybe because it's also a children book and it makes it a bit more magical than usual. Anyway, I am very glad I found the time to read it, and I would be very glad if you find it too, because this author deserves the fame he's getting, and he deserves even more to make him write the second book as fast as he can. We're waiting impatiently!

Love old houses? Yeah, I know, awesome, right?

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Lauren Beukes - Zoo City

Title: Zoo City
Author: Lauren Beukes
Pub. year: 2011
Pages: 384
Editor: Angry Robot
Summary: Zinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit and a talent for finding lost things. But when a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job – missing persons.
Being hired by reclusive music producer Odi Huron to find a teenybop pop star should be her ticket out of Zoo City, the festering slum where the criminal underclass and their animal companions live in the shadow of hell’s undertow.
Instead, it catapults Zinzi deeper into the maw of a city twisted by crime and magic, where she’ll be forced to confront the dark secrets of former lives – including her own.

First time I travel that south with a book, and I must say I am happily surprised by the pleasure I had to make that trip. Zoo City is a future decrepit neighborhood of Johannesburg, where the criminals live with their animals. Zinzi is one of them: with Sloth on her back and the power to find lost things, she tries her best to get out of this mess she got herself into. But it's not by mixing with the wrong crowd that it's gonna happen...

This book is pretty difficult to talk about—on the one hand it's great and surprising, and on the other hand it's so complex and rich that I wouldn't know where to start without spoiling you. Maybe it's just a newbie feeling, but that's the first time I see a South-African story getting that much visibility (which it totally deserves) and I'm wondering, why is it so that we always read American/English stories (and well, French, because you know, French girl and all that) while there sure are wonders to discover elsewhere?

I fell totally in love with the atmosphere of the story, somewhat dark and corrupted but at the time pretty pleasant, especially when Zinzi goes exploring around the odd neighborhoods. The characters all have strong personalities, even the bad guys which still intrigue me (I wish there was more to know about them). And as if the story was not extraordinary enough, the SF side coming up with the animals, the abilities and the Undertow make it downright fascinating.

I wish I could tell you more but I think you should discover it by yourself; enjoy the fresh and exotic style of Lauren Beukes (be prepared for some African slang!) and the captivating adventure of Zinzi December and Sloth!

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Brandon Sanderson - The Alloy of Law

Title: The Alloy of Law
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Pub. year: 2011
Pages: 336
Editor: Tor Books

Summary: Three hundred years have passed since the events of the Mistborn trilogy and Scadrial has changed.
Electric lights now illuminate its streets, buildings soar into the skies, and the planet is a hive of commerce. Waxillium Ladrian has spent twenty years in the dangerous frontier wilderness known as the Roughs. When a family tragedy calls him back to Elendel, he imagines that he is leaving danger for the safety of urban civility.
Little does he know what grave dangers await him.....

Me, being a fury-fan of Sanderson's work, that's no news for you I think. So well, me jumping at this not-so-next-but-still book of the Mistborn series is no news either, right? Tor has published the first 6 chapters online this autumn and I was feverishly waiting for each new part to come up. I tell you, those chapters, that's a good third of the book, but read them anyway. They're worth it.

This new book is a bit leaving behind the usual Mistborn atmosphere to take a much more Western novel side. The hero, Wax, is an "old" sherif of the Rough coming to town to save his family heritage. He cannot resist the temptation to investigate a series of heavy robberies happening around the city, and helped by his faithful Wayne, will stick himself where he shouldn't have, obviously.

I loved finding here the usual humour Sanderson uses in his books, since on the magical side it was not as good as it was. Sure, allomancy is still here, it's even combined with feruchemy (don't try to remember the names of the combinations at the end, I got a headache from that), but somehow it's not really the point. Here, the story is really focused on the robberies, the mystery solving, etc. But the humour! It has a name, and it's Wayne: dear, awesome grumpy Wayne, obsessed with hats, always a stupid joke on the tip of his tongue, master of "exchanging" what he needs against what lays in his pockets. And man, the guy can make speed bubbles and fight like you've never seen it. How much better could this get?!

Alright, let's be fair, I maybe didn't enjoy this book as much as the others. Some characters lack a bit of deepness (I didn't even like Marasi, sorry), the story is pretty classical and very westernish, far from the mysterious intricate Fantasy Sanderson usually serves us. But for a pretty classical story, it was really good. And I'm telling you, passing on that, it's like passing on a cookie fresh from the oven, just because there's not as many nuts as in the previous one.

But there's plenty nuts in there, dirty fellows!


And for the first time ever, you can listen to an extract of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio.
Like it? Come back this week for a chance to win it!

"Aw, biscuits," Wayne said. "Did you have to hit him in the head?
That was my lucky hat he was wearin'."

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Kenneth Grahame - The Wind in the Willows

Title: The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Pub. year: 1908
Pages: 256
Editor: Egmont
Summary: The Wild Wood seems a terrifying place to Mole, until he finds it's full of friends - kind, sleepy Badger; brave and lively Ratty; and the irresponsible Mr Toad, famous for his wealth and his car smashes.
But there are also the sinister weasels and stoats, and they capture Toad Hall when Mr Toad is in jail. How will he escape? And can the friends fight together to save Toad Hall?

I wanted to read that book for a while, so when I get the opportunity to buy it, I did. Still, I waited a year to read it.
I'm glad I did, but I can't say I enjoyed it. It's not the first time I'm desappointed by children books' authors from the beginning of the 20th century. I think I'll stop here with that kind of literature, because everytime I get angry at the author. The thing is, I always find them patronizing in their way to telling tales to children. So most of the time it pisses me off and I just want to get rid of this story and read something more entertaining.

Every character is a cliché, 100% good (kind or brave) or 100% bad (weak or mean). I'm so bored with that kind of character. They're so predictable and and annoying. I know that this way of writing was appropriate at the time it was written, but even when I try to forget what bother me, I can't enjoy the story.

Still, like I said, I'm glad I read it, because now I know what it's about and it's all good for my own culture. Not much more to say about this book so I'll stop here and try not to read that kind of stories anymore.

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Clive Barker - Abarat

Title: Abarat (Abarat, books 1 & 2)
Author: Clive Barker
Pub. year: 2002
Pages: 388
Editor: HarperCollins

Summary: Abarat: an archipelago of amazement and wonder. A land made up of twenty-five islands, each one representing one hour of the day, each one a unique place of adventure and danger (and one mysterious place out of time), all ruled over by the evil Christopher Carrion, Lord of Midnight, and his monstrous grandmother, Mater Motley. Candy Quackenbush, a 16-year old from Chickentown, Minnesota, crosses by accident from our world into Abarat, and discovers she has been there many, many times before. She has friends there and she has enemies. As Candy makes her journey between all the islands of the archipelago, she will discover a plot by Christopher Carrion to block out the Sun, Moon and stars to achieve a condition of Permanent Midnight. In order to prevent this disaster, Candy must find the courage to confront the Lord of Midnight; and in doing so come to know who she really is: a revelation which will transform her own understanding of her place in the epic events.

I already presented many of my favorite books to you, and I don't think this would feel right if I don't add Abarat to the list. I discovered this book by chance at the bookstore—the cover was beautiful, I knew the author from The Thief of Always (excellent book by the way) and the story seemed intriguing enough for me to go home with the first two books. Probably one of my best compulsive bought of the latest years.



The story works around some classical fantasy elements—a young and courageous girl with a greater destiny, magical creatures, an epic quest to save the world—but beyond all that there is something really fascinating about this story. I don't know if it is because the illustrations (by the author himself) are dazzling, or because the creatures living in the Abarat are so weird that you can't even begin to imagine where they come from, but it seems impossible to remain untouched by these books. Candy is the typical hero that you look upon to, flawed but oh so human, and all the people she meets on her journey are so surprising, terrific and terrible that it's impossible to forget them.

With the third book going out this month, the Abarat quartet will surely be one of the must have for a very long time, fit as well for children as for adults. Original, full of magic, mysteries, epic adventures and emotion, it has everything to seduce the reader, including delightful paintings (don't get the massmarket paperback or you will miss them!) and complex characters. Well, is there anything that could be missing? Oh yes, humour—forget it, it's also funny. If you a have some hours to spare, you definitely should spend them in the Abarat. The islands frozen in time are waiting for you!

Scarebaby, scarebaby,
Where do you run?
Out in the graveyard,
To have some fun?
Dancing with skeletons
Up from the ground?
Doing a jig
On the burial mound?

Scarebaby, scarebaby,
Horrid you are!
With the wings of a bat,
And a face with a scar,
The fangs of a vampire,
The tail of a snake;
You open your mouth
And the noise that you make
Is a song that the Devil sings,
Bitter and loud.
Tell me, my baby,
Was your mother proud?

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Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, book 1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pub. year: 2008
Pages: 374
Editor: Scholastic
Summary: "Once I'm on my feet, I realize escape might not be so simple. Panic begins to set in. I can't stay here. Flight is essentiel. But I can't let my fear show."
Winning means fame and fortune.
Losing means certain death.
The Hunger Games have begun...

I've heard of this book a long time before I finally agreed to read it. It reminded me of the movie "Battle Royale" which I didn't like, and it was too praised—something that often repels me too much to try it. Luckily, one of my friends didn't really leave me any choice and decided that I should read it: she lent it to me and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Knowing that we usually have the same taste, I was almost certain that despite the fact I wasn't willing to read it, I'd probably love that book. And indeed I enjoyed it very much! I read it pretty quickly... actually, I was so into it that from the moment the characters entered the arena, I read it in one go overnight.

The idea of a game where the principle is to kill or die kind of made me worry about the story, but it's so well written with not that much details that it quickly became an unputdownable book. The strategies, the relationships between the characters (not always the obvious ones) and the laws imposed in this world by the Capitol are, IMO, a good part of the reason why this book is so well received. Obviously, there's an heavy atmosphere and everything is far from being perfect, but as in 1984 by Orwell, you want to see what happens to the main characters (and you hope really hard that nothing like that will happen in real life)

So, since I really appreciated this story, I'm glad I read it! As you can see, sometimes it doesn't hurt to look beyond one's prejudices.

I've started the second book a few days ago, and I really liked it too ! I don't know if I'll come back with the other two, cause I don't like to spoil. But may the odds be ever in your favor!

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