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Features & Reviews

Beat to Quarters by C. S. Forester: A

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From the back cover:
In Beat to Quarters, it’s June 1808 and a still young Hornblower is captain of the 36-gun frigate Lydia. He sets his course for Spain and Nicaragua in his ongoing quest to cut Napoleon’s lines wherever he crosses them.

Review:
There are two ways one might choose to read the Hornblower series. The first is to read them in order of publication, in which case one starts with Beat to Quarters, and the second is to read them in chronological order, in which case one starts with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. After some consideration, I opted to take the former path, with the notion that the first novel written would contain the most by way of introductory material.

It is, therefore, without reading any of the adventures Hornblower has in his earlier days, that I first encounter him as a thirty-seven year old captain, self-doubting and self-conscious, complex and fascinating. He hides behind a gruff exterior, so aware of how he is seen in the eyes of his crew that he stifles himself on many an occasion. He’s… well, he’s almost Darcy!

Even though I know nothing about naval matters, I had no problems following the action in the book. Forester doesn’t merely focus on battles, though they’re not neglected, but also on more pressing yet unglamorous affairs of sailing life, like obtaining sufficient provisions and making necessary repairs. Moreover, he manages to make all these things interesting. I also loved how all of the crew’s successes are due to experience, training, and a great deal of hard work, not some random deus ex machina.

Lastly, the character of Lady Barbara, while not fully fleshed out in and of herself, is used as a catalyst to challenge some of Hornblower’s preconceived notions about women (he likes “clinging incompetence”), and all the bits concerning their interaction are great. I hope we see her again in future books.

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie: A

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From the back cover:
Jane Finn is Missing. Where is she? The mere mention of her name produced a very strange reaction all over London. So strange, in fact, that Tommy and Tuppence decided to find this mysterious missing lady. And once those two determined sleuths made up their minds, nothing could stop them—not international espionage, kidnapping—or even murder.

Review:
I haven’t read much Christie yet, and wasn’t prepared for something so… sprightly. The tone of the novel is rather breezy, and it’s quite funny in places, as well. Tommy and Tuppence are both great characters, and I would absolutely adore to see a BBC production of this novel.

Christie delivers plot twists and red herrings aplenty, as well as a very satisfying ending. I found the book to be instantly engaging, and especially liked the unique motivations that started the pair on their sleuthing path. If one had the time, this would be an easy book to read in a single sitting.

Lastly, a note on slang. There’s a good bit of it, including some I’d never heard of. My favorite was when one man casually described another as “pretty cute.” It seems to mean something like clever or capable instead, but it does give one slashy ideas!

The Skull Beneath the Skin by P. D. James: A-

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From the back cover:
An intriguing assignment, Cordelia Gray thought, and not a particularly arduous one. The poison pen messages to Clarissa Lyle were to be stopped—or at least deflected—until after the performance of The Duchess of Malfi at Ambrose Gorringe’s private theatre on Courcy Island. It soon becomes apparent however that Clarissa Lyle’s enemy is on the island with her, and Cordelia finds herself trapped in an atmosphere of fear and violence—a violence that is to culminate in a brutal murder…

Review:
I really liked the vast majority of The Skull Beneath the Skin. The atmosphere is similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, in that a limited number of suspects are staying together on an isolated island, complete with a married pair of somewhat eccentric servants. There were enough creepy or mysterious details to keep the plot moving interestingly, and the characters were well fleshed out, precisely as one would expect from P. D. James. Plus, mysteries with just a few possible killers with whom the protagonist must continue to associate after the act are fun.

Some time after said brutal murder occurs, the narrative focus shifts away from Cordelia to that of the detectives from the town on shore who’ve come to investigate. It’s interesting to learn some details from their interviews, and also to see the way in which they view Cordelia, but I found it a little odd that the protagonist should be absent for such a significant period of time. Eventually, she does regain the spotlight.

I found the whole sequence of events in the conclusion to be somewhat disappointing. A side trip for more nuggets of information bogs down the story, and then some elements of what follows are predictable, though I admit to being surprised by others. It’s not a poor ending, exactly, but for something that started so strongly it’s a bit anticlimactic.

Please Save My Earth 17 by Saki Hiwatari: A-

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From the back cover:
Mokuren yearns for friendship, but she keeps overhearing the members of the KK research team bad-mouthing her. Handsome Gyokuran treats her with kindness, yet Mokuren is instead drawn to bad-tempered Shion, since he’s the only one who can see her as a fellow mortal. When the team learns that their star system has been destroyed, Gyokuran turns to Mokuren for a miracle, not understanding that she is just as emotionally devastated and powerless as everyone else.

Meanwhile, in the present world, Jinpachi and Issei learn how to see Alice’s dreams, but she’s reluctant to visit the painful events of her past…

Review:
Volume seventeen is almost entirely Mokuren memories, but contains more of the present day than the previous volume. The repetition (four times) of Mokuren overhearing a conversation about her got a little annoying, but I really liked how much more is learned about Enju, Shusuran, and Gyokuran here. Not only more about their personalities, but also their interactions with other members of the team. Shusuran’s development particularly stood out. I wouldn’t say that I like her personality, but I like her as a character, and especially seeing her and Enju together.

I caught something here that I didn’t previously—that the team seems to think Shion wants their passwords to use the base to act as God over KK. Perhaps we were supposed to think that was possibly Rin’s true ambition all along, and I am coming to the realization late.

The volume ends before Alice can dream about the rest of what happened when Shion was in confinement or any of the events afterwards. The concluding chapter takes place in the present day and really worked to build suspense for what will happen when she has seen everything. As if I weren’t impatient enough to see some progress in the present day story!

The Other Side of Silence by Margaret Mahy: B+

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From the back cover:
In her brilliant but argumentative family, Hero is different, because she chooses not to speak. Instead, she prefers to escape real life at home for her true life—climbing in the thick trees far above the stately old Credence mansion and letting her imagination fly. But the real and the true intertwine when Hero starts to do odd jobs for Miss Credence, an eccentric woman who weaves strange fairy tales around Hero as she works, and who is hiding a shocking secret high up in the tower of her house…

Review:
I’ve only read one other book by Mahy, Changeover, but I liked it, so when I saw this one languishing near the Marsden in the library, I picked it up, not knowing anything about it. I find it interesting that it’s the second YA book about someone who doesn’t speak much that I’ve read recently, and both in the first person.

The Other Side of Silence is pretty short at 170 pages, but Mahy does an excellent job capturing the current state of Hero’s family, and most of its members are well-developed, particularly her mother and two oldest siblings. Hero’s younger sister, a hip-wiggling sex-mentioning pre-teen, reminds me of a character from Alere Flammas. The treatment of Miss Credence is also well-done. At first she comes off as merely somewhat batty, but as time progresses, she starts to become downright creepy.

The best element, however, is Hero’s growth as she deals with the balance between real life and true/fantasy life, making discoveries about others, some not so pleasant, some merely unexpected, and incorporating them into her perception of the world around her.

The way the plot line wraps itself up is satisfactory, but I did not like the epilogue (of sorts) very much. Some actions were taken without sufficient motivation, and it was irksome. Still enjoyable overall, however.

Fushigi Yûgi 3 by Yuu Watase: B+

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From the back cover:
Miaka Yuuki is an ordinary junior high school student who is suddenly transported into the world of a book, The Universe of the Four Gods. Surrounded by enemies with mystic power, she can only rely on her Celestial Warriors and a mysterious monk, a disciple of the oracle, to help her fulfill her quest! Miaka’s best friend, Yui, also enters the book, but suffers a fate much crueler than Miaka’s.

Review:
Miaka is only a little stupid in this volume, running away like an idiot just once, and for at least a reason, if not the best one ever. Chichiri is introduced, and immediately brings value to the team and also helps impart some lessons of responsibility and strength to Miaka.

One thing I particularly noticed is that the little dramatic moments, scenes of angst and stuff, really don’t last very long. There are a few pages where Miaka tries to squash her feelings for Tamahome so she can focus on her task, and then… gone. It makes the overall mood a bit flighty, I suppose, but it’s better than wallowing overlong.

Things are starting to get very interesting, now that we are on the “collecting constellations” arc rather than the “I wanna go home, now back, now home again” phase of the story. I hope Tasuki shows up soon. Then all my favorites will be accounted for.

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: C+

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From the back cover:
Always be polite to dragons! That’s what Daystar’s mother taught him… and it’s a very wise lesson—one that might just help him after his mom hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Especially because his house sits on the edge of the Enchanted Forest and his mother is Queen Cimorene.

But the tricky part is figuring out what he’s supposed to do with the magic sword. Where is he supposed to go? And why does everyone he meets seem to know who he is?

It’s going to take a particularly hotheaded fire-witch, a very verbose lizard, and a badly behaved baby dragon to help him figure it all out. And those good manners certainly won’t hurt!

Review:
Back to audio for this concluding volume. Although I recently praised Random House Listening Library for their production of Feed, I’ve overall been disappointed with their work in this series. The biggest irritant, aside from Telemain’s voice, is that emphasis is often placed on the wrong words. This happens all the time, and none of the dialogue sounds truly natural as a result. Here’s an example: Morwen comments on Daystar’s sword, “Parti…cularly since you still haven’t learned to use it properly.” It sounds like she’s calling him a slacker, when he’d only been given the thing the day before.

Regarding the actual content of the book, I wasn’t particularly annoyed by anything, aside from the continued incompetence of the villains. Neither was I particularly interested by anything. Talking to Dragons is boring. Daystar spends the entire book trying to discover what most, if not all, of the readers already know, and when he finally succeeds in getting some answers, the plots of the previous books are explained again. I wonder how likely it is that someone will just pick up book four of a series and start from there. Not very, I’d think.

Maybe for new readers, it would be some big reveal moment, but for everyone who started from the beginning, it’s a total yawn banquet. We know exactly what’s happened and exactly what Daystar is supposed to do, and what he’ll learn when he does it. Earlier books in the series had their share of obvious plot elements, but at least they led to new developments in the story rather than retreads of what’s gone before.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P. D. James: A-

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From the back cover:
Handsome Mark Callender did not die the way a well-brought-up young gentleman should. He was found hanging by his neck, a lipstick stain on his mouth and a picture of a nude girl nearby. The official verdict was suicide, but his aristocratic father suspected murder, and hired fledgling detective Cordelia Gray to investigate. As this determined young lady followed a twisting trail of guilty secrets and shameful sins, she soon reached the conclusion that the nicest people do the nastiest things—in a case that proved at every shocking turn to be An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.

Review:
One of the most enjoyable things about P. D. James’ books is that she’s amazing at character snapshots, evocative yet economical, and able to reveal personality even when only discussing their physical attributes. The technique is used more with minor characters—a temporary typist, a curious neighbor—while the history of the detective herself is meted out more gradually.

Cordelia herself is a great character: sensible, resourceful, and focused while still retaining some youthful vulnerability. She cares very much about fulfilling her obligations to her client while also doing right by the victim, for whom she feels strong empathy. Various people remark throughout the book that her occupation is an unsuitable job for a woman, though there is never a moment where Cordelia herself considers this to be so. The last sentence of the blurb above, therefore, is misleading.

There were moments in the story where I thought the investigation was proceeding a little too neatly, that those questioned were persuaded to divulge their information a little too easily. The moments of suspense did not always foster the proper level of concern for the character’s fate, but that may be due in some part to Cordelia’s level-headedness. The actual facts of the case, however, were suitably clever and original, and I enjoyed the book very much over all. It’s a pity that James has only written one other novel featuring Cordelia.

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: B-

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From the back cover:
Princess Cimorene is now Queen Cimorene… and she’s faced with her first queenly crisis—the Enchanted Forest is threatened with complete destruction!

Those wizards are back—and they’ve become very smart. (Sort of.) They’ve figured out a way to take over the forest once and for all… and what they have planned isn’t pretty.

With a little help from Kazul the dragon, Morwen the witch, Telemain the magician, two cats, and a blue, flying donkey-rabbit named—what else?—Killer, Cimorene might just be able to stop them.

And some people think that being a queen is easy.

Review:
The library didn’t have an unabridged audio version of this one, so I’m reading my own paperback copy. Telemain is far less irksome in this format, I have to report. However, there were many other things that annoyed me. Let’s make a list!

1. Killer. I don’t know what redeeming value this insanely annoying, stupid creature is supposed to add.

2. The endless running gag about how Cimorene finds Telemain impossible to understand when he gets going about magic. Most of the time what he’s saying is completely comprehensible, and she’s an intelligent adult. She should be able to understand it!

3. Kazul’s characterization. When did she get so bloodthirsty and prone to breathing fire? Wasn’t she the most level-headed of the dragons back in book one?

4. Incompetent villains.

5. Plot holes. Cimorene and friends do something to try to locate the missing sword, and then later don’t remember the villains could do the same thing.

There were a few things I did like. Since it’s largely from Morwen’s perspective, her cats’ dialogue is translated. They all have distinct personalities, and Fiddlesticks is particularly cute. Also, the overall tone is darker and less concerned with playing up fairy tales than previous books in the series, and I quite liked the ending. It went a long way in redeeming my overall opinion of the book.

Ouran High School Host Club 3 by Bisco Hatori: A

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From the back cover:
It’s summer break, and the Host Club crew head to the beach, dragging our reluctant heroine with them. When Haruhi stands up to some local bullies and gets tossed into the ocean, Tamaki, the Host Club King, rescues her. But afterward, he’s so mad that he won’t speak to her until she apologizes. Trouble is, Haruhi can’t figure out what she should be sorry for!

Review:
Haruhi is such a great leading character. She’s not excitable, clumsy, weepy, flighty, or any other negative trait I’ve seen in a shoujo heroine that was supposed to make them cute. She’s level-headed, sensible, independent, and not at all annoying. If Haruhi were an actual person, I’d probably be a little in awe of her.

I am happy to say that not only was volume 3 better than 2, it was also better than the anime versions of some of these stories. Nekozawa is completely cut out of the anime’s version of the visit to the beach, and the Robelia/Lobelia Gakuen chapter has several differences. Since I thought this one of the weaker of the anime episodes, these differences went a long way in redeeming this story for me.

Coolest of cools, there’s a Halloween chapter that hasn’t been animated! Probably because it hasn’t got a lot of story, but it does feature Tamaki in a completely adorable vampire costume. He’s also in a few other nice outfits throughout the volume. Rarely do I have such a fangirly crush on a bishounen, but I must admit that I really do like looking at him.

Fushigi Yûgi 2 by Yuu Watase: B

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Book Description:
During a pilgrimage to the oracle Taitsukun, Miaka is trapped inside a cursed mirror while her evil reflection goes free! Can Tamahome, Hotohori, and Nuriko save the real Miaka? Can Yui, now back in the real world, help her missing friend come home? When Miaka does make her way back to Tokyo, things are not as expected.

Review:
There once was a twit named Miaka,
Personification of “baka.”
For some unknown reason,
The men find her pleasin’.
Maybe the other chicks in Konan could use some Binaca.

Poetic meter? Piffle. *Waves hand dismissively.*

I heart Nuriko in this volume. I normally like Hotohori, but he’s pretty dumb in this one, even if he doesn’t fall for the mirror Miaka trick. I think I’m just generally irritated with this phase of the story, because it seems so vague with the going home and then coming back and working to get home again and then coming back. Just get on with finding the other constellations, already!

One original element that I thought was cute are the little parodies of the angsty drama moments included in this volume. It gives the impression that Watase is fully aware of how silly and over the top this manga is and has a lot of fun spoofing it herself.

There is plenty of stuff to snicker or eyeroll over in this volume, yet regardless of whether it’s intentional, it’s still entertaining. For all its faults, I’m in for the long haul.

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner: A+

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From the front flap:
There is a new king in Attolia. Attolia’s barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court.

When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged into the center of the political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king’s caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for the man as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate.

Review:
Eugenides is being his usual brilliant, lazy, bored, self-mocking, others-mocking, and occasionally hotheaded self in this book. He’s such a great character; I could read a whole book just about him reacting to things. In fact, in the first hundred pages, there isn’t a lot of plot, just setting the scene of life at the Attolian court and how the also likable Costis has been snagged into the service of the king. “Poor Costis,” indeed.

And then the intrigue starts, and the character development, and the little revelations behind what the public perceives and… it’s just so well done! It’s hard to describe too much, as I am determined to avoid spoilers.

I’ve enjoyed every book in this series, but it’s been this one that’s really cemented me as a devotee and left me impatiently awaiting Gen’s future exploits. Each has been better than the last, but The King of Attolia is perfect. Do yourself a favor and read these books!

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: B+

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From the back cover:
The cast: an un-ordinary king, and an extraordinary princess, a couple of kooky giants, an overzealous magician, a loyal and helpful witch, and a host of evil and dangerous wizards.

The instruments: a broken-down magic carpet, a leaking magical sword, and a few buckets of soapy lemon water.

The problem: dragon-napping and magic-stealing.

And so the story begins, one fine day while King Mendanbar is taking a casual stroll through the Enchanted Forest…

Review:
It’s interesting that the plot can have some glaring “duh, obvious” elements (the identity of the villains, who Mendanbar will eventually marry, etc.) and yet function perfectly well. I think it’s because it doesn’t hinge on those elements for its success. They’re there, but you’re not expected to be surprised by any of them. Overall, I quite liked Searching for Dragons, but not as much as the first in the series. This is mainly due to the following:

1) It’s a bit repetitive. Here’s what Cimorene and Mendanbar do over and over: Journey a little bit, encounter a fairy tale denizen who behaves a little like his ilk typically do in fairy tales but with a twist, listen to his tale of woe, dispense advice that solves all his problems in an instant, move on, journey a little bit, etc. Maybe I was supposed to appreciate the twists more, but they were only mildly sort of cute, and I was much more interested in the main plot than these side diversions, even if they ultimately helped to further the main story along.

2) Telemain. I think Wrede’s take on magicians is interesting. They’re sort of magic nerds or mechanics, who get into exactly how the magic functions and can diagnose why things are going wrong. Interesting concept aside, Telemain himself is incredibly annoying. Probably, he is more tolerable in print, but in this audio version, he has the most nasally, grating voice that I have ever heard. It literally made me cringe every time he spoke.

Still a worthy series and pleasantly diverting, but I hope for a little change-up from “the villains from book one are behind it all again, surprise” business in the next one.

Fushigi Yûgi 1 by Yuu Watase: B+

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Book description:
Miaka Yuuki is an ordinary junior-high student who is suddenly whisked away into the world of a book, The Universe of the Four Gods. In a land reminiscent of ancient China, she becomes the priestess of the god Suzaku, and is charged with finding all seven of her Celestial-Warrior protectors, including dashing mercenary Tamahome and wannabe empress Nuriko. Only then can Miaka summon the power of the god Suzaku, find her true love, and get home safely.

Review:
Fushigi Yûgi was the first shoujo anime I ever saw, and the first with rampant bishounen and gender fun, etc. So, even though it has its flaws, I’m still fond of it. It’s been a while since I saw the series, so I decided to revisit it in manga form.

The art style surprised me. I’ve read a couple of Watase’s later things, and this earlier style is actually reminiscent of Rumiko Takahashi in spots. I prefer it to her later, more stylized approach. It’s more comical and the characters don’t look as similar.

Miaka is certainly just as stupid as I remembered, and has already done quite a few dumb things and fainted a few times for incredibly goofy reasons. Tamahome… doesn’t… love me?! *swoon* Three of her Celestial Warriors are introduced here, found essentially under her nose: Tamahome, Hotohori, and Nuriko. I’m definitely reading more for these side characters, the latter two more so than Tamahome. He doesn’t really do much for me. I do like the story, and the manga seems to be a little clearer on certain elements of the logistics involved.

Fushigi Yûgi is a shoujo classic, but is also recommended if one simply wants a bit of fun fantasy.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: A

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From the back cover:
Take one bored princess. Make her the seventh daughter in a very proper royal family. Have her run away.

Add one powerful, fascinating, dangerous dragon.

Princess Cimorene has never met anyone (or anything) like the dragon Kazul. But then, she’s never met a witch, a jinn, a death-dealing talking bird, or a stone prince either.

Princess Cimorene ran away to find some excitement.

She’s found plenty.

Review:
I’ve read a lot of YA Fantasy featuring unconventional or improper princess heroines, and at first Cimorene seemed like just another one of them, but ended up distinguishing herself from the others. Alianora is also amusing. The unabridged audio I listened to had different voices for the different characters, and hers was especially good. This also enabled them to do a neat trick – they could overlap lines of dialogue to portray times when people speak simultaneously or interrupt. It was nifty!

The plot of the book is clever, and more especially than that – well explained. I loved that characters were always explaining to others exactly what happened, and that the plot didn’t hinge on misunderstandings or people deciding to stay quiet for no discernible reason. That’s what you do when you have a big problem – give all the facts to everyone to mull over! The end result was that almost all behavior in the book was not only believable, it was logical. There weren’t any moments where I wanted to smack anyone.

I also really liked the portrayal of the dragons in the book, especially their interesting take on gender roles. There was some great voice acting work for the dragons, too, especially in the scene where Kazul has guests for dinner, so if you ever listen to it, remember that I said the voice of the “thin dragon” rocked. This reminds me that if I were pressed to voice a complaint, it’d be that the stone prince doesn’t get named. Hopefully he’ll appear in later books and it will be revealed.