Review: Railsea by China Miéville

Title: Railsea [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: China Miéville [Website]
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi, Retelling (ish)
Published: May 15th, 2012 by Random House Publishing Group
Format: Kindle edition; 448 pages
Source: ARC from publisher via NetGalley

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can’t shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea—even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-colored mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it’s a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a kind of treasure map indicating a mythical place untouched by iron rails—leads to considerably more than he’d bargained for. Soon he’s hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters, and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham’s life that’s about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

Here is a novel for readers of all ages, a gripping and brilliantly imagined take on Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick that confirms China Miéville’s status as “the most original and talented voice to appear in several years” (Science Fiction Chronicle).

I’m not going to lie and say that Railsea is a book I will be recommending to all readers, but I will, with certainty, be recommending it to anyone and everyone I think would enjoy it.  Railsea isn’t what anyone expects to see under the ‘YA’ label.  Many have argued that it isn’t really YA at all, but when a book is pitched as ‘a novel for readers of all ages’, I don’t think it’s really trying to be.  Given its content, I think that ‘a novel for readers of all ages’ is the perfect description for Railsea.  It will appeal to Miéville’s adult fanbase, as well as make him more accessible to younger readers.  The teens who will fall in love with Railsea will be those who probably read a lot of adult sci-fi or fantasy already; they will be smart, appreciate a wry sense of humor, and have a wonderful sense of adventure.  Readers must be patient getting into this one, as it will take you a while to feel entirely at ease with the language and story, and to understand the world that Miéville has built, but I assure you that it will be worth the effort.

As China Miéville  has said himself: “Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they're not absurd.”  I couldn’t possibly describe Railsea in a more accurate sentence.  Railsea is ridiculous, but the respect and authority that Miéville gives to his characters in the story therein left me completely enraptured, enamored, and on the edge of my seat wanting more.  To me, Railsea was hilarious.  I was constantly laughing out loud in the way that you laugh at someone who you are never quite sure recognizes how truly clever they are.  I was initially worried that I would be bogged down in the language, but instead I found myself languishing in it, making Railsea one of the more literary works I have read for some time.

However, the best part of Railsea is the story that is found within all of this.  Railsea is a sort of Moby Dick retelling, but readers shouldn’t go in thinking this will be all about a captain balancing on the edge of sanity pulling all the stops to bring down the big one.  That’s only part of the tale.  In fact, our focus isn’t the captain at all, it is Sham ap Soorap, who dreams of a life more exciting than that of a doctor’s assistant aboard a moler, and gets it.  It’s the story of a sort of treasure map, a high seas adventure, and an escapade to the very ends of the earth. 

Now, those readers who love a focus on excellent world building and plot—Railsea is for you, but for those of you who are all about character development, you may not approve.  It’s not that the characters are shallow, but Railsea is not a book where we get strong images of the characters’ emotions.  And personally, I didn’t feel like anything was missing despite this.  The world of Railsea, with scavengers, pirates, and hunters riding the railsea on trains rather than ships made me think of a futuristic old west, kind of like a more localized take on Joss Whedon’s Firefly.  Add to that giant vermin such as fanged meerkats or predatory chipmunk packs living under the land of the rails, and you have some pretty terrifying imagery going for you.  In addition, Railsea contains a number of illustrations of the creatures described, drawn by the author himself.  I loved seeing them in detail, though I’ll admit I craved to see some of the drawings that Sham himself had done, or others depicting the railsea.

I’m always impressed when an author writes a book so utterly un-sexist, that traditional gender divisions aren’t even a thought.  As was the case with Railsea.  Gender roles are never even alluded to, it is just a part of the world that women do the exact same jobs as men, and nothing whatsoever is thought about this.  Our captain, Naphi, is a woman whose life philosophy has become killing Mocker-Jack, the Mole of Many Meanings.  And she’s not the only strong woman about, there’s scrappers, molers, and Caldera Shroake making Railsea a book that spreads the crazy, savvy, and skill all over. 

I realize I haven’t talked overly much about the plot, but the reality is, you don’t want me to.  You want to dive into the unknown of the Railsea with as few preconceived notions of the plot as possible.  This is one of those books I loved, but about which I still have a hard time adequately formulating my thoughts into words. While I have tried to express that this is not for everyone, I have to stress that those that click with Railsea will really click.  This will certainly be one of my top reads of 2012.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: Oh goodness yes!  I’ve been wanting to read some China Miéville for some time, and since I particularly enjoyed the zany wit of Railsea, I think my next read will be his other book for younger readers, Un Lun Dun.

Recommended for: Fans of Firefly, Neal Stephenson, Tremors, Treasure Island and Moby Dick.

Real life repercussions of reading this book: Okay, I loved bats before, but now I want a pet day bat so badly it’s ridiculous.  Daybe for best animal companion of the year?

Also:

This one’s for Naphi.

Get a second opinion:
The Readventurer
The Book Smugglers (in Kirkus)
io9 YA Novels

Graphic Novel Review: Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1 by Conor Mcreery and Anthony Del Col

Title: Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1 [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col
Art: Andy Belanger (pencils), Ian Herring (inker), Kagan McLeod (covers)
Standing: First in a two-volume series.
Genre: Graphic Novel
Published: November 9th, 2010 by IDW Publishing
Format: Paperback; 148 pages.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Hamlet is exiled to England after his father’s untimely death.  On the journey, his ship is attacked, and he washes up on shore at the feet and mercy of Richard III.  Richard claims that Hamlet has been sent to fulfill prophecy as the Shadow King.  He is the only one who can find the wizard, William Shakespeare and kill him.  Others, however, have different ideas about this prophecy.  They believe the Shadow King is to find Shakespeare, but return him to them and deliver them from the evil Richard.  Richard desires to obtain Shakespeare’s quill, which holds vast amounts of power; the people wish to overthrow his tyrannical rule.

So.  I can pretty easily say that this is the worst graphic novel I have ever read.  My boyfriend informs me that I’ve been spoiled.  I only started reading graphic novels about 3 years ago, and in that time I’ve had nothing but the greats to consume--Sandman, Watchmen, Fables, Transmetropolitan, etc.  I only recently started branching out and selecting my own graphic reads beyond what’s been recommended to me.  My first selection was American Vampire, which was very decent if not the love of my life; the second was A Flight of Angels.  I loved it, it was visually the most beautiful graphic novel I’ve read to date, and the story was there to back it up.  To me, Kill Shakespeare failed on both accounts.

What did I expect from Kill Shakespeare?  Well, every little blurb kept screaming at me “THIS IS LIKE FABLES BUT WITH SHAKESPEARE INSTEAD OF FAIRY TALES”.  And I suppose it would be.  If Fables had half-hearted art, no character development, and rushed plot lines.  So needless to say, I had expectations that were a fair bit higher than what was delivered to me.  

Maybe I just don’t know my Shakespeare well enough to appreciate this (though I feel like I know it fairly well), but I found the plot jerked instead of flowed, and didn’t really make a whole lot of sense when it came right down to the details...Hamlet, supposedly the prophesied savior of both sides of a fledgling battle, is more-or-less led around by the nose by the villains, ignoring mounting evidence against them and refusing to throw in with those rebelling against their evil overlord without first being slapped over the head with a frying pan full of ‘you’re batting for the wrong team’ omelets.  I guess this would have been fine if I cared about the story, but I didn’t.  The wizard, William Shakespeare, was mentioned only as slightly more than a legend, and unfortunately there was no real build to back up the evil deeds of Richard III and the unrest of the people rising to rebel.  

If Kill Shakespeare could have been stretched out as a longer series, maybe it would have been stronger.  As is, I feel like they were really pushing to get every major character into six issues of story.  But without some history given, or time to build up to the conflict, it’s hard to illicit any interest.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  I have zero interest in reading volume 2.

Recommended for:  There’s a chance that bigger Shakespeare fans who haven’t been ‘spoiled’ by fantastic graphic novels like I have will enjoy this more than I did, but I wouldn’t really recommend this one for anyone.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I have a thing against grown ass women wearing pig tails, and this book didn’t help.  You hear me Juliet and 42 year old chick from NCIS?!  If you’re old enough to have a kid with pig tails, you’re too old to wear them.  Braids are okay.

Get a second opinion:
Have you reviewed Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1? Please let me know so that I can include your link here. Would love to present some more positive reactions.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fairy Tales

Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.

So this week’s ‘official’ topic is tips for new book bloggers, but get this friends, I am a new book blogger!  I feel like giving advice when I’ve been blogging for 3.5 months would be a tad pompous of me, so instead I’m going to do something else I think is totally wonderful and fun.  The Book Rat and Basically Amazing Books are hosting a Fairy Tale Fortnight for these last several weeks of April!  I love fairy tales, as I know many of you do as well, so you ought to go over and check out the festivities!  There are lots of wonderful posts, chances to participate, and giveaways for all.  Yesterday I posted my review of Shadows on the Moon, a fabulous retelling of Cinderella set in a fantasy world much like feudal Japan.  Today I’m going to share with you some fairy tales and retellings that I adore most, or want to read desperately.

Fables by Bill Willingham

Okay people, if you call yourself a fan of fairy tales, and you haven’t read the marvelous Fables by Bill Willingham, you really need to drop everything and do so.  Stat.  It tells the story of fables in exile after they’ve escaped their homelands to live in our own world, a refuge from the evil adversary that has destroyed their worlds.  I adore this series so much, and think that any fairy tale fan should read it, even if they’re not usually into graphic novels.



Cinder by Marissa Meyer: My review here.  I adored this futuristic Cinderella as a cyborg story, and cannot wait for the rest of the series which promises to draw on other favorites, like Little Red Riding Hood.
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen: My review here.  I realize Robin Hood is more of a folk legend than a fairy tale, but I’m going to have to argue that that’s a very fine line, and since this is my list I’ll include what I want!
Stardust by Neil Gaiman: If you held a gun to my head and made me choose a favorite author, I’d probably say Neil Gaiman.  I love everything this man does, but Stardust was its own unique fairy tale esque story that shouldn’t be missed.

Like Stardust, these next three are more modern fairy tales.  None of them were written down by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, but that doesn’t mean they don’t share that magic!  Love them all:
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle


Anything by Shannon Hale: I’ve just started reading Shannon Hale this year, and so far as I’m concerned with her MG work, she can do no wrong.  She writes wonderful fairy tale esque books that  any fairy tale lover will adore.

Anything by Robin McKinley:  I need to read these retellings in a bad way.  McKinley doesn’t only wright retellings or fairy tales, but I have heard absolutely amazing things about those she does, and plan to read some asap.

Anything by Juliet Marillier: Another author that weaves together her own fairy tales with retellings of those well-known.  I picked up Daughter of the Forest recently, and plan on reading pretty much everything else she’s written as well.

Review: Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriot

  Title: Shadows on the Moon [Amazon|GoodReads]
  Author: Zoë Marriot [Website|Twitter]
  Standing: Stand alone novel.
  Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, PoC
  Published: April 24th, 2012 by Candlewick Press (first published July 7th, 2011).
  Format: Kindle edition; 465 pages.
  Source: ARC copy received from publisher via NetGalley.
  Challenge: YA/MG Fantasy Challenge

Love comes like storm clouds
Fleeing from the wind,
and casts Shadows on the moon.

On Suzume’s fourteenth birthday, the men come for her and her family.  Accusing her father of treason, he and her cousin who is as a sister to her, are struck down.  Suzume escapes, revealing a power she did not know she had—the power to shadow weave.  She cultivates her talent, learning to bend the world around her, create mantles of light and shadow that hide her from sight.  She is able to manipulate her features so that others see only what she wants them to see.  For it is only this mask, showing her as meek, that saves her life.  Taken in by a family friend, Suzume’s mother remarries a man her daughter suspects of being cruel and desirous, the type who always wants that which he cannot have.  Suzume treads lightly, finding solace and friendship in those who can see beyond her mask, namely, the strange foreigner Otieno.  When presented with the only possible opportunity to exact revenge on those who destroyed her family, Suzume knows she must take it, regardless of what it means she will lose.

Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriot is a beautifully constructed fantasy retelling of Cinderella, which takes place in a realm called the Moonlit Land. The Moonlit Land is heavily influenced by feudal Japan, with many cultural aspect and terms from this time and country (along with some from China as well) creating the scaffolding of Suzume’s tale. I was fascinated by Zoë Marriot’s choices for her Cinderella story, and seeing her put her iterations of the evil stepmother and horrid stepsisters, the handsome prince, and various incarnations of the fairy god mother, was one of the most engrossing parts of the story. I will say though, that I would have loved Shadows on the Moon just as much if it hadn’t been such a clear nod at the classic tale. It was unique, lyrically written, and culturally rich. The world Zoë Marriot built with shadow weaving was foreign, and yet familiar, and I found it beautiful.

Suzume is a wonderfully heartbreaking lead. One of those characters you learn to love and respect, despite the fact that they themselves are certain they are unworthy of such regard. The book is split into three parts, each a reiteration of Suzume as a person, each an important part of her story in which she breaks free from a former life. The only consistency she has from one identity to another is Otieno, and only Otieno sees through the masks she wears, even the ones she shows herself.

I knew going in that Shadows on the Moon would deal with some subjects you don’t see in your usual Cinderella story. I knew it dealt with self-mutilation (warning to those readers who have a difficult time with the subject of cutting), and that it focused on revenge. I was hoping for something a little Kill Bill meets fairy tale, but that wasn’t what Shadows on the Moon ended up being. Shadows on the Moon was a much more subtle, character driven book than I had expected, and I ended up liking it as much as I had anticipated, but for different reasons. The all PoC cast was wonderful to see, especially when Zoë Marriot weaves in the Japanese terms and customs effortlessly; the language is delicate, and extremely fitting to the point that it almost feels translated. If I hadn’t known the author to be a little blonde woman before reading, I might have supposed she was Asian herself.

The restricting culture of feudal Japan is prevalent in Shadows on the Moon. Honor is of the utmost importance, and one knows their place, and does not show extreme emotion openly. This cultural impact is one of the reasons Suzume’s relationship with Otieno is so wonderful, but potentially heartbreaking. Suzume feels restricted by her lot in life, knowing she could be happy doing a variety of things, unconstrained by her gender role in her culture. She admires Otieno’s country and people for their open and easy ways, and lack of reserve. She longs for the ability to show her feelings openly, particularly those of the happiness that she feels with Otieno and the mourning that she feels for her family. Suzume’s plight is so troubling because she feels that for honor’s sake that she must exact revenge. To do so, she is willing to deprive herself of any modicum of happiness to the point that fury and sorrow and the desire for justice consume her beyond anything in her present situation.

Because Shadows on the Moon has such a unique spin on Cinderella, and because it is split into three distinctly important portions, I hesitate to talk any more about the story, plot, or characters involved lest I spoil anything. Suffice it to say that this story was rich and cold and desperate with longing in the most recommended and beautiful way possible.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Oh goodness yes!  I’ve wanted to read Daughter of the Flames and Frostfire ever since I saw their beautiful covers (yeah, I’m easily won over by pretties), and will hopefully be doing so soon (well, the former at least, not sure when I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy of the latter).

Recommended for: Readers who enjoyed Chime, Cinder, or Memoirs of a Geisha.  Anyone who likes fairy tale retellings, good multicultural books, and historical fantasy.

Get a second opinion:
Anna Reads
The Book Smugglers
Bibliophilic Monologues

Waiting on Wednesday: Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes by various authors

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

  Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retelling of Mother Goose Rhymes
  Expected Publication October 16th, 2012 by Month9Books

Nursery rhymes sung sweetly can take us back to childhood. But deep inside many of those childhood favorites is… a hint of something dark. TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes imagines dark and sinister things amuck in Mother Goose-land. From familiar rhymes, to some of the more obscure, TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Mother Goose rhymes as a child, but has come to love the darkest of tales.

I wasn’t going to do a WoW post today, but when I drug my butt out of bed at noon to see my friend Alyssa of Books Take You Places had added this to her GoodReads pile, I instantly pounced on it.  I absolutely adore retellings, especially dark ones, and the idea of a group of authors getting together to retell Mother Goose Rhymes has me captivated.  The cover, revealed today by Kristi at The Story Siren, is at least half wonderful.  I’m not sure how I feel about the overly done up girl at the boottom, but I LOVE the hanging paper birds that she’s staring up at.  I love that they just aren’t cranes, but hummingbirds and swans too.

I’m not going to reiterate the large list of authors involved, but please check out Two and Twenty Dark Tales on GoodReads for the full list.  I hadn’t heard about Month 9 Books before, but I found the idea of a charity anthology interesting, so I looked them up at their website.  They were founded by Georgia McBride, the genius who also created #yalitchat on Twitter!  They don’t specifically say which charity proceeds will be donated to, which bugs me a little, but I’m sure they will make this information public specific to this title closer to its release.  Also, authors involved donate their royalties to charities of their choice.  Love this!  Two and Twenty Dark Tales will be out in October, and I’m sure I’ll be gobbling it up.

Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: A.C. Gaughen [Website|Twitter]
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Historical
Published: February 14th, 2012 by Walker Childrens
Format: Hardcover; 292 pages.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

We do what we do because there's something we can do about it. Things like 'how long' and 'what if' aren't part of that. It's about the hope, not the horror.

Scarlet, known to the people of Nottinghamshire as “Will”, but to her small band of outlaws as just Scarlet has spent the past two years as one of Robin Hood’s most trusted friends and partners in crime.  The band works tirelessly to make certain that the townspeople are fed, and have the money to pay the outrageously high taxes demanded by the sheriff.  They work the roads of Sherwood forest, trying hard to provide for the people that should have been under Robin’s care, but for some contrived treachery his father supposedly committed to crown and country.  When the sheriff hires a thief taker, Gisbourne, to capture and kill the Hood and his mates, Scarlet finds herself pushed into corners she’s been avoiding for years.  Suddenly, her trustworthiness and loyalty to the band is called into question as she strives to hide her past and stay a firm part of the band.  Each of these tasks becomes increasingly difficult as Gisbourne works to destroy them, and as Scarlet deals with the emotions of those around her.

So...let’s talk about this slight obsession I have with books that star girls masquerading as boys.  LOVE IT.  For some reason, this theme always grabs me.  I think one of the reasons for this is that it always guarantees you a strong woman balking against stereotypes--just the kind of girls I like to root for.  One of my favorite parts about Scarlet was the fact that her band knew she was a girl the whole time.  There wasn’t that whole ‘omg when is he going to realize she’s a woman and fall madly in love?’ pressure the whole book, because all of the characters that matter already know.  I mean, I love that moment (All Men of Genius, Leviathan), but it was refreshing to have a new play on this thing that I love so much.

I wasn’t sure going in how I was going to react to Scarlet.  I’d seen her described as ‘prickly’, ‘defensive’, and knew that a lot of people had a hard time bonding to her.  I am happy to say that while yes, these are completely accurate descriptions, I am in the camp of people who fell for and loved Scarlet immediately.  She’s quite moody, and withdraws into herself in an unhealthy way, but she’s also completely kick-butt with her knives, fiercely loyal, and completely dedicated to helping those in need.  Scarlet pushes her own emotions to the backburner so often, she herself doesn’t really even know how she feels about her bandmates John or Robin.  Or rather, she doesn’t let herself acknowledge her feelings.  Scarlet has so much hope for everyone else in her life, but so little for herself.  She’s so certain of her own eventual unhappy ending that she doesn’t dare risk the notion that she is worthy of anything more.  She’s entirely who she wants to be, and not at all who she’s supposed to be.  She’s faithful, dedicated, and willing to take the world’s troubles onto her back.  I found my heart wrenching for Scarlet for so much of this book, I adored her so.

And then there’s the men in her life--Robin Hood’s band of merry brothers.  In Scarlet, the band currently exists of only four ‘men’; Scarlet, Robin Hood, Little John, and Much.  A.C. Gaughen explained that she kept the band at this because Robin Hood was so young in her rendition.  Little John and Much were Robin’s “boys”, he’d grown up with them, and mysterious Scarlet was his dearest friend.  I liked Robin, he was haunted by his past in ways that let him understand Scarlet like no one else, and his need to protect the people of Nottinghamshire made him a true hero in my book.  He could be a bit of a prat, and was outright mean to Scarlet on occasion.  He’s so caught up in what he should feel and what those around him feel, that he fights against his own emotions in some rather annoying ways.  Also, I got really sick of hearing about his eyes.  Apparently, Robin Hood’s eyes are the most amazing things ever because I swear they’re mentioned in detail just about every time Scarlet looks at him.  

John provided a good counterpoint to Robin.  He obviously was crushing on Scarlet, and I love how completely oblivious she is to the whole thing.  I also wasn’t sure until the very end how John really felt about our heroine, if his feelings were genuine, or if he just thought them so.  He’s a good guy, but he certainly isn’t one to take a hint!  I actually liked John’s perseverance with Scarlet, even though we all knew he isn’t the man for her.  He’s confident in ways that Robin and Scarlet are not, but he also doesn’t really understand either of them with the depth that they are able to understand one another.  Honestly, I think my favorite of the men was Much, who we got to see the least of.  He was the most identifiable for the townspeople, and for me as well.  He was just a plain nice guy, who had everyone’s best interests at heart.  When Robin and John would get all mixed up in the head about Scarlet, Much was always there to step in and be a bastion of sanity and solace for her.

All in all, this wasn’t a completely character centered story, and that’s okay!  The action and adventure was worth the lack of character depth, and I’d also like to say that though not all of the characters complexities were highlighted, they were in no way shallow or lacking.  I loved that the plot was driven in an open and direct way.  From about 20 pages in we know the gist of what Scarlet is hiding from the band. But the devil is in the details, which get spread throughout the story like breadcrumbs, revealing more of her and her past to us slowly as time goes on.  I really appreciate this style; I sometimes get annoyed at the big ‘gasp’ moment of reveal that isn’t really a surprise at all.  That wasn’t how Scarlet was done!

Finally, I just have to say that I loved the way Scarlet ended (despite it lacking a certain scene...*ahem*!).  I love that it doesn’t just tie up everything all neatly; Scarlet has some loose ends, but in the best possible way.  This book is entirely about the power of hope, and the ending allows us to go on with the hope and knowledge that Scarlet, Robin, and the band will have many more adventures to come.  Fantastic!  I’m sure that Scarlet wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty perfect for me, and I highly recommend it to you.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: Yes!  I loved this retelling so much, I want to give A.C. Gaughen a big ol’ hug.  She created a new and unique spin on a well-known and oft retold tale, that is totally legit!  I love the history and reasoning she included in her author’s note, and the fact that this book contained a primer for those of us wanting to read more Robin Hood?  LOVE IT.  Totally on board with this author.

Recommended for:  Fans of books like Tamora Pierce’s Allana, Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan (Scarlet reminded me quite a bit of Deryn at times--I think it’s the way they talk!), and Lev A.C. Rosen’s All Men of Genius.  Again, we’re talking strong female protagonists who are willing to go against society to be themselves and follow their dreams.

Get a second opinion:
Angieville
Book Harbinger
Paranormal Indulgence

Review: Gil Marsh by A.C.E. Bauer

Title: Gil Marsh [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: A.C.E. Bauer [Website|Facebook]
Standing: Stand alone novel.
Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Contemporary
Published: February 28th, 2012 by Random House
Format: Kindle edition.
Source: ARC from publisher via NetGalley.

Good looking, athletic, and smart, Gill Marsh is the most popular kid at Uruk High School, even though he is only a junior. When Enko, a new kid from Montreal, shows up, Gil is wary. Yet Enko is easy going and matches Gil's athletic prowess without being a threat. Soon, the two become inseparable friends, practicing, studying, and double-dating.

Then suddenly, to everyone's shock, Enko succombs to an aggressive cancer.

When Enko's parents take his body and return to Canada, Gil is unable to even say good bye. He is inconsolable. Determined to find Enko's grave, Gil sneaks away and heads north.

Closely based on the ancient story of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian King from 3000 BC, A. C. E. Bauer has carefully woven the classic elements of myth to follow Gil's quest and explore the grief and growth of a young man.

As evidenced by the reality that the two 2012 titles to get top ratings from me have been Cinder and The Humming Room, I am clearly a fan of retellings.  There’s something so wonderful about seeing a new take on an old story, I love the newness and the familiarity wrapped up in one neat little package for me to enjoy.  Sadly, Gil Marsh did not fit the bill.  

Gil Marsh was pitched as a contemporary retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, possibly the oldest epic recorded tale in the world.  I read the Epic of Gilgamesh back in A.P. English in high school, and wasn’t especially taken with it.  I found it very interesting to compare ancient flood stories and think about the implications this may have had for the Noah tale in the Bible, but it really had nothing on the Odyssey.  Still, I found the prospect of a contemporary retelling intriguing, and since it was a very short read (under 200 pages), I figured there was no harm in giving it a shot.  Now, I don’t feel like this was necessarily a waste of my time, and I didn’t have high expectations to begin with, but nonetheless I felt Gil Marsh fell short.

I appreciate that this book was written to be simplistic as this can sometimes give a book a wider appeal and make it more accessible.  However, simple doesn’t have to equate to shallow, and in this case it did.  I would expect a story about a strong friendship, loss, and grief to carry emotional weight, whereas Gil Marsh seemed to only skim the surface of this potential.  I didn’t feel invested in Gil and Enko’s friendship, and so it was hard to support Gil’s reactions when Enko died.  He seemed petulant, completely illogical in his actions, and I don’t feel as if he grew whatsoever from his experiences.  

The story largely surrounded a ring that Enko had given Gil before he died, a family heirloom that came with a story of tragic love and loss.  The story was somewhat interesting, but I’m still struggling to understand how this played into the bigger picture of the plot.  Was there a moral?  Was the moral that things just are?  I’m not sure.  Additionally, I’m not sure I really understood Gil’s motives in his journey to Canada.  I get that he needed closure with Enko, and that it was terrible that he was unable to attend his funeral, yet Gil’s journey to Canada seems to be a confused jumble between wanting to find Enko’s grave, and wanting to find a supposedly immortal man and potentially bring Enko back.  Was he planning to run away forever, or did he just want the story of the ring?  I honestly don’t know, because it wasn’t really explained, and it didn’t really play out.

I think if we could have gotten into Gil’s head a bit more and understood the emotional drive behind this story, it would have been more successful.  Instead, it came across as a very juvenile tale written for an older audience. It was sadly flat where it could have been simple and beautiful, and unfortunately one of my least favorite reads this year.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Um...not so much.

Recommended for:  I was hoping this would be a good option for male teens because of its unimposing length and the story focusing on friendship, but unfortunately I don’t think I will be recommending this one to anyone.

Real life repercussions of reading this book: Serious poutine cravings.  Anyone know where I can get some good poutine  in NYC?  I’m dying here.

Guest Author and Giveaway: Ellen Potter on Mythology in The Humming Room

Today I am lucky enough to be kicking off the blog tour for one of my favorite books of the year so far--The Humming Room by Ellen Potter!  Ellen has be lovely enough to drop by and answer one of my burning questions about the book, namely, I wanted to know more about her romantic mythological reimagining of the The Secret Garden character "Dickon" through Jack and the mythology of the Faigne.  

Let's give a warm welcome to Ellen!

Who doesn’t love the character of Dickon from The Secret Garden? The guy has a wicked cute accent, is patient with cranky girls, and can tell you what a robin says. Before I typed a single sentence of my middle-grade novel The Humming Room, a re-imagining of The Secret Garden, I knew that creating a new, yet equally dreamy Dickon wasn’t going to be easy.

I agonized over this new Dickon, mentally auditioning all sorts of characters. It was only when I decided on the setting of The Humming Room—the wild and beautiful St Lawrence River in The Thousand Islands region of New York—that my Dickon emerged.

Just as the original Dickon was a child of the moors, my Dickon—named Jack—was a child of the river. I wrote about him gliding between the islands in a small canoe, a great blue heron always flying above him, like a Familiar. The more I wrote, the more I began to wonder if he was a real boy at all. He seemed so elusive and mysterious. He reminded me of the Selkie, a mythological creature who can transform from a seal to a human. That didn’t quite fit Jack, so I started to research myths of sea creatures from around the world. Nearly all of them were nasty, flesh-eating creatures. They wouldn’t do either. That was when I decided to create my own mythological creature—The Faigne. I placed the source of the legend on the island of Guernsey, in the English Channel. Why Guernsey? I haven’t the foggiest idea. It might have been the spoils of a procrastination session. I tend to Google places that I’d like to visit some day. You know . . . when I have some free time. Which is never. Anyway, I came upon a web site that said that the people of Guernsey loved a good ghost story and that tales of fairies and other supernatural creatures abounded. That was all the encouragement I needed.

In my version, the legend of the Faigne needed to be romantic. It would have to echo something that would happen between Jack and my main character, Roo, so I created a legend about a human girl who was an outcast. She was the sort of girl no one noticed. But the Faigne does notice her. He sees through her ordinariness and her bad moods and he falls for her. Falls hard. Then the two of them dive into the water and are never seen again.

Now I’ll be honest here. I’ve always had a quibble with the original Dickon. He never fell for Mary, not really. And I wanted him to. And excuse me if this is presumptuous, but I think Mary wanted him to. So in creating a new Dickon, I was also indulging in a bookworm’s ultimate fantasy: re-imagining a beloved book so that everything turns out the way you want it to.

Now if only I could re-imagine my life with a little more free time in it.

And maybe a trip to Guernsey.

I love that Ellen wasn't afraid to create her own mythological creature in The Faigne, and trust me, it works!  You can check out more about The Humming Room at Ellen Potter's webpage, as well as by visiting these other stops on The Humming Room tour:

2/28 - Milk and Cookies Comfort Reading

2/29 - Mission to Read

3/1 - Red House Books

3/2 - Kid Lit Frenzy

3/5 - Great Imaginations

3/6 - WORD for Teens

3/7 - vvb32 Reads

3/8 - The Book Rat

McMillan Children's Publishing Group has been gracious enough to provide me with one copy of The Humming Room to give away to you lovely readers!  Contest is open to readers in the US/Canada.  I'm sad to say that as much as I dislike Rafflecopter, it is the easiest way to contact you when you win, so here we go: