Blast From the Past: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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I always remember the book by the the title they used for the animated film that was based on the book, The Secret of NIMH.  Though I like the film it’s a hard sell for modern children, being fairly slow and low key.  The film also added an element of magic that the book didn’t have.

Mrs. Frisby is a young field mouse whose husband has recently died.  It’s getting close to the time when the farmer who owns the field she lives on will plough it, meaning she and her family need to move, and soon.  But one of her children is deathly ill, and the chill in the air will likely kill him if he’s moved.  It turns out, however, that her husband kept a secret from her.  He was once a prisoner of a place called NIMH along with some rats.  Those rats - and the knowledge they gained due to experiments that were performed on them - may know a way to save her son.

Mrs. Frisby is a woman (well, mouse) willing to risk her life for her children, and though she asks the rats for help, she has to do most of the dangerous stuff involved in making their plan work (both in the film and the book).  The most harrowing scenes involve an owl and a cat.  

The rats are amazing, as is the home they’ve build for themselves under the ground.  For years after I read this as a child I wanted to name one of my kids Jeremy Nicodemus after two of the rats. 

It’s a book that holds up well for adults (though I last read it years ago after I finished university).  I’m not generally a fan of talking animal books, but when done right…  

There was a sequel, though I don’t remember much about it, having only read it once as a kid.

I just finished one of O'Brien's books that I didn't hear about as a kid (and probably wouldn't have liked then) Z for Zachariah.  I only heard of it because of the film that recently came out.  It's a YA novel about a young woman living alone in a valley after an apocalyptic event.  When someone arrives in the valley everything changes.  I'll be posting my review of it on Tuesday.  It's also a great read, short but compelling.

Blast From the Past: Transformation by Carol Berg

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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Carol Berg is an author I've mentioned a few times as being highly underread and underappreciated. When I was growing up I developed this certainty that authors only wrote one series I'd like, and once I found that series it wasn't worth reading anything else by that author.  Carol Berg blew that idea away.  While some fantasy authors create one fully realized world that they play in long after they've runt out of original plot ideas to fill the world with, Carol Berg has created new, intricate worlds for each series she's written.  I haven't had the chance to read her Collegia Magica novels or the the Sanctuary Duet, but I've loved every other book she's written.  That's really unusual for me.

The first book I read by her is the stand alone novel, Song of the Beast.  It showed me how

thoroughly she's willing to torture her protagonists, and how she's not going to give you an ending with all loose ends tied up, because life doesn't do that.  She is however, going to give you a wild ride, fantastic characters, and an ending that fits the story and leaves you satisfied.

The second book I read is the one that's remained my favourite, Transformation, the first book she wrote and the first in the Rai-kirah trilogy.  Generally her books can be read as stand alones, in that she typically doesn't leave cliffhangers (though I know the Lighthouse Duet duology breaks this pattern), and Transformation is the same.  

The protagonist, Seyonne, has been a slave for 18 years and at the beginning of the book is purchased by the arrogant, selfish, hedonistic heir to the Derzhi Empire.  When the prince's life is threatened by magics Seyonne was trained to fight in his youth, before he was enslaved, he must decide if the young man's life is worth saving.

The unlikely friendship that develops between Seyonne and Prince Aleksander is fantastic, as is the surprising humour that permeates the otherwise sad, and often horrific, story.  If you like seeing characters go through the wringer to the point that you question how they're able to go on, this is the book for you.  Berg is able to play on your emotions, showing you the worst that can happen and then breaking the tension by making you laugh out loud.  In this book at least.  The other books I've read by her don't have as much humour, which is probably why I love Transformation so much.  

Berg is an author whose world is so immersive, and whose characters Bridge of D'Arnath series each work day was a countdown until I could read again, and my days off were me, perched on a chair, racing through the books as fast as I could turn the pages.

are so compelling, you'll be reaching for the next book as soon as you finish.  Indeed, when I read the four books of her

I cannot recommend her work strongly enough.  If you love fantasy, do yourself a favour and pick up her books.  

Blast From the Past: Mort by Terry Pratchett

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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Given the recent news of his passing, it seems appropriate to dedicate a column to Sir Terry Pratchett’s books.  

I was first introduced to the Discworld in high school when a friend gave me a copy of Interesting Times for my birthday.  While parts of the book were confusing (as it’s a direct sequel to the story told in The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, which I hadn’t read) I really enjoyed the story and characters.  I loved that the book had a dry sense of humour that matched my own.  But more than anything, I loved that the book had pithy sayings and bits of wisdom hidden in the pages.  At the time I collected sayings in a book and Interesting Times gave me several, as did many other Pratchett titles.  Sayings like: “Adventure! People talked about the idea as if it was something worthwhile, rather than a mess of bad food, no sleep and strange people inexplicably trying to stick pointed objects into bits of you.”

Pratchett’s novels always make me think, and I like thinking.  They’ve made me look at the world in different ways.  

I have to admit, I haven’t read them all (though I’d like to), and I haven’t liked them all (you can’t like everything).  But so many of his books have stuck with me because he wrote so insightfully.

If you’re new to the Discworld there are a few main groups of people the books focus on: members of the Unseen University, predominately Rincewind, a failed wizzard; the witches, a traditional coven with some untraditional beliefs; the guards of Ankh-Morpork, the main city the books take place in; and the personification of death.  While some of these can be picked up and read irrespective of the other books in the world, some storylines continue and are better off read in order (I made the mistake of reading several of the witches books in reverse order and boy, was that ever confusing). 

When I worked at the bookstore I’d recommend that people start with Mort.  The books that focus around Death are, on the whole, my favourites. And Mort is short, punchy, hilarious, and gives a good idea of what you’re getting when you pick up these books.  It's about a boy named Mort who's uncoordinated and rather bad at farming.  With no idea what to do with the boy, his father brings him to a fair and tries to apprentice him to someone.  Death offers him a job, which has interesting consequences for everyone.

My other favourites include: Hogfather, Truth, Thief of Time, Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Lords & Ladies, Small Gods, Carpe Jugulum, and The Last Hero.  I also love his pseudo kids book, Where’s My Cow, that Sam Vimes reads to his son in the books (and was made into a real picture book). 

If you haven’t read any books by Terry Pratchett, he’s one of those authors you shouldn’t miss.  If a story about Death doesn’t interest you, Guards! Guards! and Going Postal are other great introductory books and Monstrous Regiment is independent of the other storylines.  If you want something a little more… apocalyptic, then Good Omens, the novel he wrote with Neil Gaiman, is quite fun too.

And if you're not a reader, then the TV adaptations of Hogfather (a kind of Christmas story) and Going Postal are wonderful.

Blast From the Past: The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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Kate Sutton is sent to live in a remote castle by Queen Mary, because her younger sister - who’s so beautiful she couldn’t have thought of these things herself - accused Mary of treating the Princess Elizabeth badly.  Kate, graceless, though intelligent, isn’t happy to be sent away from the princess she serves, especially due to her sister’s rudeness, but away she goes.  The Perilous Gard isn’t what she pictured, and when her guardian leaves, the mysteries of the castle, and the fairy folk who have sacred sites nearby, claim her attention.

This is a book that I luckily read during my ‘finish every book I start’ phase as a teen.  I say that because I found the opening of the book, Kate’s journey to the castle, extremely boring.  I didn’t really get interested the first time I read the book until Kate met the fairy folk, by which point I was quickly hooked by the action.

What really made me fall in love with the book though, was the romance that grows naturally between Kate and another character.  I’ve never been a fan of category romance novels because I find the contrivances that keep the characters apart irritating.  But I love good dialogue between men and women (or any hopeful romantic couple), especially when it’s humerous.  And this book had a LOT of great humour between the two.  By the time Kate realized she was in love, it seemed so natural that that was the case, given the circumstances of the novel, that I really wanted them to end up together.  The ending was so tense, with some unexpected twists, that I’ve read the book several times since.  

I should also mention that I’ve never felt bored reading the beginning of the book since that first time.  I imagine part of this is due to my anticipation of what’s coming and part’s due to my appreciation of how cleverly the author works minor clues into the text, many of which I missed the first time I read it.

I loved her interpretation of the fairy folk and their traditions and how Kate matures as a person.  She’s a feisty woman who stands up for herself, even though that often lands her in trouble.  

The book historical fantasy.  It takes place in the time just before Queen Elizabeth takes the throne, but has some potential fantasy elements added to it, depending on how you interpret things.  If you like Mary Robinette Kowal's books, you'll probably enjoy The Perilous Gard.  This is an older novel so it may be harder to find.

Blast From the Past: The Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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After reading the Shannara books at 13, I found I had a real passion for fantasy books and started combing through my brothers’ collections to see what else was out there.  I read R. A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy and enjoyed it a lot.  Then I saw that there was a prequel trilogy about Drizzt Do’Urden’s life.

I LOVED the Dark Elf trilogy, especially Homeland.  Drizzt’s childhood and his skill with swords fascinated me.  I loved reading about Menzoberranzan and the conflict between his parents, a powerful follower of the Spider Queen and her contentious weapon’s master.

Exile and its descriptions of the Underdark and what happened to those who gave him a chance was also fascinating.  Watching him try to retain his humanity in the face of the horrors that live there, as well as the family hunting him, was gripping.

Sojourn was my least favourite of the books, probably because Drizzt heads for the surface, so the interesting underground society was left behind.  Still, seeing him try to make a place for himself and prove that he wasn’t evil, when the rules of the world stated that if you were ‘x’ race, you’re good and if you’re ‘y’ race you’re evil, was very interesting.

I did notice a few inconsistencies between the original books and the prequels, but I’m willing to bet Drizzt’s got a few fuzzy memories, considering his long lifespan.

The books were rereleased a few years ago with gorgeous new covers.  (In fact, I liked the new cover of Homeland so much I bought a copy of the image from Todd Lockwood's website.)   I’m not as keen on some of the reformatting of the text, but ah well, that’s why I’ve got my original copies.

If you like action and adventure and gut wrenchingly horrible family dynamics, then this is the series for you.  Indeed, I read a bunch of Forgotten Realms books (and you don’t have to be familiar with the series to jump into most of the books), and enjoyed a lot of them.

Blast From the Past: The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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In retrospect it’s a bit odd that I picked up the Death Gate Cycle.  I’d read, and had a wildly negative reaction to, their Darksword trilogy and while I really enjoyed the Legends trilogy I thought the Dragonlance Chronicles were simply ok.

But I found myself in a Coles store at my local mall as a teen and they were having a buy 3 get 1 free promotion.  And there on the shelf were 4 books of the Death Gate Cycle.  I was tired of waiting years for follow-up books, so this was perfect.  I’d get all the books, one free, and not have to worry about waiting to read the end of the story.  

It turned out to be a good thing that I bought those books together because I enjoyed the first book, Dragon Wing, but didn’t love it, and found the second one, Elven Star, kind of boring.  What I liked about Dragon Wing was the banter between Alfred and Haplo, the two protagonists.  Well, they don’t meet up in book 2, in fact, Haplo’s the only character to carry over from book 1, so it didn’t feel like a continuation of the story.  But I’d bought all 4 books and I was going to read all 4 books, so I picked up Fire Sea.  

Fire Sea not only brought the protagonists back together it did so in the most interesting setting, a lava filled world of stone where in order to fix the depleted population, those remaining started resurrecting their dead.  With horrible, unforeseen consequences.

From that book on I loved the series.  I whipped through Fire Sea and Serpent Mage only to discover… that there would be more books in the series.  I didn’t even know how many books, just that the story wasn't done, because while Dragon Wing and Elven Star had decent wrap ups, both book 3 & 4 ended on cliffhangers.

So, I ended up waiting 3 years for the series to finish.  At the end I loved the complexity of the series, how things brought into books 1 and 2 became important in books 6 and 7.  I loved the interplay between Alfred and Haplo, the idea that you have to make decisions for your own life and then stand by them and accept the consequences, good or bad, for those decisions.  I liked that the bad guys had actual grievances and that the so called good guys didn’t necessarily have the best interests of others in mind.  The protagonists had to make some very difficult choices.  The world-building was pretty awesome too.

It’s a series I’ve reread numerous times and I’m still impressed by how the authors pulled it all together.

Blast From the Past: The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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After The Sword of Shannara trilogy, the Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist, was the series that cemented my love of fantasy.  While it uses a lot of what have now become common tropes, this series is well written and fun, with a lot of great battles and characters.

The series starts with an orphan boy, Pug, who's discovered to have magical abilities and is apprenticed to the duke's wizard.  But while he struggles to learn magic, beings from another world have opened a rift to his, and plan to invade.

My synopsis barely scratches the surface of what you'll find, and though the story starts with a fairly narrow focus, it opens up to cover numerous cities over two worlds as well as following a small group of influential people in a variety of circumstances.  There are elves, forgotten creatures with godlike power lost in the rift, magic, a thieves guild, warfare, politics, and a touch of romance.  As the books progress, so does time and new characters come into the books as the older characters increase or lose their powers and influence.

You've got to read them in order to understand everything that's going on, but my favourite book is Silverthorn, mainly because it focuses on Jimmy the Hand, a thief turned squire, whose street smarts and backtalk make him one of my favourite fantasy characters of all time.  He's clever and handsome and was my first book crush. ;)

The books have had numerous covers over their publication history, though the ones above are the ones I read and own.  I know that Feist re-edited them a few years back but haven't read what he changed/added.  I couldn't bear to see books that meant so much to me change.

And while I read several of the books that came after these, I can't really recommend all of them.  Some I enjoyed (like the Krondor trilogy and the Empire trilogy that he wrote with Janny Wurts), but none reached the same level of careful planning as the original trilogy (the publisher split Magician into 2 books due to its size, hence why there are 4 covers above).  In a few cases, the sequels directly contradicted or rewrote the history told in these books or had deus ex machina endings that ticked me off.

But the original saga is definitely worth reading.  And reading again.

Blast From the Past: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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Ella Enchanted is a retelling of Cinderella wherein a fairy curses Ella with the need to follow all orders she receives. She's advised early on to not let others learn of her affliction, because unscrupulous people could use it against her in devastating ways.  People like her father and new step-family.

I read this book because of the movie that came out in 2004 starring Anne Hathaway.  The book shares the same basic plot, but there are some major deviations, especially the ending and the amount of slapstick humour the movie relied upon.  

This is a kids book that's smart in all the right ways.  Ella is clever and funny, a good friend and kind person.  Watching her fall for the prince is a joy but the complications that arise from it are heart-wrenching.  It's also a book that will have you laughing out loud at some parts and crying softly at others.  But mostly laughing.  

It's s short book and a quick read, but one that will stay with you long after you close it.

Blast From the Past: The Seventh Princess by Nick Sullivan

This is the first fantasy book I remember reading (I’m not counting picture books).  The story starts out in the real world with Jennifer on a bus to school, worried about the homework assignment she hasn’t finished.  When the bus changes into a carriage she becomes Princess Miranda, the only living daughter of a sick king.  Meanwhile the kingdom is under the command of Duke Rinaldo, who immediately strikes Jennifer as evil and cruel.

The book made such an impression on me when I read it that years (and years) later, after I’d graduated from university, I went searching for it.  I found it at a used bookstore (it’s long out of print) and reread it.  I was delighted to find that the book held up remarkably well.

There are harpies in the book, which was so delightful to find, especially since I love(d) Greek mythology and they're so underused in fantasy despite being interesting and horrifying creatures.

It’s a fun adventure story and a great introduction to fantasy for young readers if you can find a copy.  

Blast From the Past: The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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I was going to start this column from the beginning, with a middle grade fantasy book, but I've decided to start with the book that got me hooked on fantasy instead.

Two of my older brothers were heavily into fantasy when I was 12 and, like any tag-along tom boy younger sister, I wanted to be like them.  So for Christmas they bought me a fantasy trilogy by Terry Brooks: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara.

I was into Christopher Pike and other horror/mystery authors at the time, so when I read the back of The Sword of Shannara and saw that it was about a boy who knows nothing about magic going on a quest where he defeats a big bad guy it didn't really interest me.  The premise just sounded so fake.  I read the first few pages, got bored, and put it back on my shelf.

My brothers read the books though, so when I finally picked up The Sword of Shannara again a few months later, needing an escape from the drudgery of life, the spine was well broken in.  This time I pushed past the first 50 or so pages, and before I knew it I was hooked.  I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.  Rather than being an unrealistic 'boy saves world after becoming good at everything' story it was actually a 'boy saves world despite knowing very little' story.  I found myself relating to Shea and his problems, the fact that the others needed to protect him and his resentment of that.  I loved that there were a number of characters who each had their own roles to play in the story, first as part of a fellowship and even more so when the fellowship failed.

I'd read The Hobbit before this, though not the Lord of the Rings so I didn't see the parallels between the stories at the time or, their derivative nature.  After I finished this trilogy I started into my brothers' collections with a vengeance and have never stopped loving fantasy.  

I knew I wanted to write novels before I read this, but this was the book that made me fall in love with fantasy as a genre.  I loved the sweeping descriptions.  I loved the use of words I'd never heard of (my dictionary got a good workout, and my vocabulary increased a lot reading these).  I also loved the idea that regular people could do extraordinary things if given the chance.  

Fantasy also started teaching me philosophy.  I began a notebook where I wrote down pithy phrases and words of wisdom like, "Don't believe everything you hear, you're young, not stupid." (Which is from Wishsong.)

When working at the bookstore I found it hard to recommend these, as a lot of people are turned off by the 'you have to get past 50 pages' requirement, and it's true that Brooks' opening would likely have been edited down were this published today.  But these are fun books once you get past the exposition and the action begins.  Also remember that a lot of the fantasy cliche's that are so common now were still being created back when these books came out.

I loved The Sword of Shannara, and used to reread the series every time a new book came out.  I've read it so many times that the last time I tried I discovered that it's so imprinted on my brain I just couldn't keep going.  The wonder and mystery were gone.  I'm hoping if I wait a few years to read it again it will feel new and wondrous once more.

A few years back I had the opportunity to meet Terry Brooks at Ad Astra, an SF con in Toronto.  I felt embarrassed handing him my tattered copy but I now have an autographed Sword of Shannara on my shelf. :D

And it seems that the Shannara series, long since optioned for a movie, will be coming to TV!