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Book Reviews
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August 2017
by Alex London
Proxy
WHAT A START!!! What an ending…
Before we talk about the book Proxy, I wanted to take a moment to talk about world building in stories.
World building can be one of the most difficult parts in a story as a writer must balance the amount of information with the speed of when it is given and how it is delivered. Too much information in a short time frame can make it seem like an expositional dump, while too little information in a long time frame can leave a reader confused and make a story stagnant. On top of that, if a character out of the blue explains a bunch of rules with no pretense or need to state the rules, the feeling will be very unnatural, causing the reader to be jolted from the story. There are many ways authors combat this. Some choose to have a character enter the world as fresh as the reader, so when rules are explained it makes more sense. Books which utilize this method include stories such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Mortal Instruments. Some books will have an informational dump, but do it as quickly as possible and even then won’t reveal every detail. These are books like The Hunger Games and even my last book review Hero Type. They will pause in the story to explain elements that make no sense to the reader before continuing.
The reason I had to mention this is because world building is what, in my opinion, is the thing that Proxy gets done PERFECTLY.
This book takes almost the first sixteen chapters to help you understand the world, but unlike the above two methods, it does not rely on a new character to the world or small pauses in the plot forexplanation. If a book could be the novelization of “show, don’t tell,” this book would be that example. The novel uses context clues, small hints and memories of the past, and the perspective of the two main leads to explain exactly how the world works. Take the word “Patron.” At first, this word has no relevance and meaning to the reader. However, using the small passages of what the main character’s patron has done, the relation to the main character, and other names for said patron, it conveys exactly what the term means and without any exposition that feels heavy-handed or breaks the flow of the narrative. I want to recommend this book just for these first chapters, to show a beautiful form of world building.
However, the twentieth chapter is why I do not recommend this book. In one single chapter, it takes everything that book had going for it and ruins it all.
Let me explain the plot for you. In a dystopian future, those who are unfortunate enough to rack up debt (either willingly or being forced totakedebt) often will have their debt bought. Those who buy the debt are patrons and those who have their debt bought are known as proxies. The reason for buying a proxy's debt is so whenever a patron breaks a rule of the society, or even of the house, the proxy is the one who receives the punishment instead. However, all is not lost for the proxies. Their debt is calculated to a set number of years, and when they serve as the proxy for a patron that long, their debt is cleared and they walk away free.
The main story follows a patron by the name of Knox and a proxy known as Syd. Knox has a habit of getting into trouble often, making life hell for Syd. Syd, meanwhile, tries to avoid as much debt as he can so in two more years after the book starts, he can be free. On top of that, he is what is known as “Chapter 11” otherwise knownashomosexual. Had he been a patron, that would not matter. As a proxy, however, it makes his life horrible. It’s seen as a disgrace and disgusting. However, he keeps it hidden and life goes on for the patron and proxy.
Then, Knox accidentally kills another patron. And as punishment, Syd is branded with her name and is forced to live in prison for sixteen years, where someone like him would surely perish. Syd, rather than taking this sitting down does the only thing he can.
He tries to escape. And in doing so, he unknowingly stumbles into his patron. Now the two of them are on the run, trying to escape and survive against this corrupt and dystopian world.
This is the plot that goeswiththeworld building, and it is amazing. It is action packed, wonderfully written, and is full of great characters. However, as mentioned, chapter 20 decides to ruin this. The author, Alex London, throws in a couple of twists in this chapter that would have been amazing on their own, but then makes one of the characters a “Chosen One.”
That’s right. This original, amazing, beautifully written novel goes from something new and cool to another stupid chosen one story.
Thankfully, the rest of the book is average from there. The world building continues in its wonderful fashion, and the social dynamics of being homosexual are written very, very well. The characters are also written nicely, and the ending is rather poetic, in a way. However, this is also mixed with dumb plot tropes, a chosenonestory line, and issues that start to get annoying after the first few chapters, let alone surviving a whole book.
Go ahead and pick this book up if you want to. Hell, I recommend it just for the beginning third. However, as soon as you pass that point, where you go is up to you. As for me, this is one book I will not be going into debtforany time soon.
by SexBasedPun
July 2017
Hero Type
by Barry Lyga
Jedi, old Soldiers, and a Sex Doll: Three ingredients for a powerful novel.
There’s something to be said for when a book can make you think. When you have to sit back for a moment after the last page has turned and just say, “Wow… That was… provocative. That was powerful. That was different.” Many classic books can do this to people. Books like Lord of the Flies, Atlas Shrugged, and even The Hunger Games are books that pull this off well, making the reader think about what they read in a deeper sense.
Who knew that another book to pull this off had a character named Jedi, old soldiers, and a sex doll dressed like a police officer?
Hero Type, written by Barry Lyga (an author I highly recommend even outside of this book) is an interesting book for many reasons, aside from the aforementioned odd cast of characters. For one, the book itself switches focus halfway through yet blends seamlessly. The protagonist, Kevin Ross (also known as Kross), starts off the story famous due to saving a girl from a serial killer before the first words are even read. For almost the first third of the book, he has to deal with this fame, having people constantly treat him like the most important person in the town, when a few days prior he was just a nobody. But then, the book quickly shifts tone based on one single action. A few chapters into the book, he purchases a car using the reward money from taking down said serial killer. The dealer of the car automatically places two bumper stickers on the car, showing support for soldiers. Just two little metallic ribbons. However, when Kross returns home, his father flips out over the ribbons and demands he get rid of them. Kross does, throwing them away, but that incident is unfortunately caught by a cameraman, and now Kross is thought to hate the troops and hate supporting them.
This is when the real meat of the book comes into play. Kross, rather than just saying his dad made him do it, decides to stand up for and represent the point that throwing a couple of ribbons on one’s car is not supporting the troops, not really anyway. This spirals into a defense of free speech, and what that freedom truly means in this world. All the while, Kross is constantly haunted by something he did, something that he finds disturbing and disgusting, and fears that everyone will find out. Along the way, if you read the book, you will meet Jedi, Flip, Tit, Voting, references to other books, statues of dead people, VCR tapes, The Council of Fools, divorce, asshole reporters, tans, Fam, Pizza Face, creepy things made less creepy, lots and lots and lots of symbolism, and copious amounts of both saluting and flipping off America.
In the end, Hero Type is a book I started because of the author and loved because of the story. It’s a story that both captures the stress and work that comes with standing by your beliefs. But at the same time, it’s a book that also shows no hero is perfect, with Kross and his father and other characters through the book showing the flaws in their humanity. If you want something to read that will make you laugh, cry, and think deeply about what you stand for and how you show it, I simply will say “Hail Fool” and recommend this book to the ends of the earth.
by SexBasedPun
May 2017
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:
The Counterfeit Detective
by Stuart Douglas
Sherlock Holmes is back on the case in Stuart Douglas's The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Counterfeit Detective.
Douglas's narrative as the famous detective's right-hand man, Dr. Watson, rings with all of the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself. He weaves a remarkable and detailed tale of turn of the 20th century London and New York, 1899 to be precise, that had my imagination on overdrive for most of the novel. Eighteen chapters and 256 pages of twists and turns, as it seemed the author was showing Holmes, not as the bigger than life detective, but a mere human with extraordinary powers of observation and deduction.
With the right blend of intrigue that seemed torn right from the headlines of the time to the typical whodunit, you might have expected from Doyle himself, Douglas transports us to the streets of New York where there's trouble afoot.
It all begins with Holmes doing errands for his brother, Mycroft, which isn't fully disclosed until the end when he receives a letter from an anonymous wellwisher. He has claimed Sherlock had solved an undisclosed mystery for the letter writer's uncle. The letter is from New York City, and Sherlock, in need of a break, hops the RMS Oceania for the colonies.
While aboard the liner, a crewman is murdered (of course), and his bunkmate accused. Through his powers of deduction and observation, a revelation is discovered that unravels the mystery: abuse of authority. The bunkmate had also been victimized.
Things don't get any better once the duo makes port in America, and Douglas describes the painstakingly, immense differences between the two cities--poverty amongst the affluent, shoulder to shoulder.
After Watson buys a paper with a headline that is relevant (I will not say which), they immediately try to find this other 'Sherlock Holmes' at his offices. Once there, they meet the landlady, and Sherlock uses as his alias Lestrade. Along the way, a murder from before 'Sherlock' supposedly appeared is tied in with what is really going on among the tight-lipped clients of the "blackguard", to use the description from the book. If you don't figure it out before it's revealed... You missed a clue.
The separation of the different émigrés (Five Points) is brought to light and how during the era in question, the police were not trusted or welcomed is spotlighted as a body is discovered there.
There's plenty of wits as well, as one of my favorite lines had Sherlock Holmes himself making a jab at the author's countrymen. The irony was not lost on me. Look for the phrase when he talks about the different English dialects and you'll see for yourself.
I literally couldn't put the book down, taking seven hours, nearly, to read it straight through. I literally haven't had lunch or dinner yet as I write this! If you like Sherlock Holmes, and I know I'm not alone, then I recommend The Counterfeit Detective. Just don't forget to take a break for a repast.
by naughtygirl
April 2017
Fire
by Kristin Cashore
Hair as Red as Fire
by Madame Warlock
For this book review, we're going to wander back to a topic we’ve explored on a prior occasion. In our first ever issue of Scandalous, our book review went over elements of high fantasy, low fantasy, and a few things in between before discussing the fantastic Lord of the Rings series written by J.R.R. Tolkien. This issue, we have a very different fantasy world to present to you, one that requires just as much imagination to create. It may not be nearly as popular, but we think the world it weaves is just as breathtaking as Middle Earth.
The story we're going to introduce and review is Fire by Kristin Cashore. Although Cashore creates an entire world within her pieces, we are unfortunately only going to be able to introduce you to part of it today. Fire, unlike the title would lead you to believe, has absolutely nothing to do with actual flames. The title refers to the main character, whose hair is as red as fire itself.
While Fire is a book I love to death and would enjoy explaining in precise detail, the best way to draw you in would be to discuss three specific aspects of Kristin Cashore’s world. These three elements are intricately woven into the pages and serve to draw the reader even more into the story. Throughout the book, Cashore does a marvelous job of creating a rich history, a complex government and political structure, and she establishes developed side characters who add to both the history and political environment of her world.
Before we can begin detailing the multifaceted history and labyrinthine politics of Fire, there is one key concept that is essential to understand about Cashore's world. Within the main setting of Fire, henceforth known as the Dells, “monsters” play a huge part in shaping the story. A monster is a creature that is a more colorful and beautiful version of a normal animal. A monster cat, for example, could be blue, green, yellow, bright red, or any combination of colors that would not be normal for an average cat. In addition to monster animals, there are also monster humans. These monster humans can quickly become dangerous due to their ability to control the minds of people around them, particularly the weak-willed and other monsters. Monster humans are also carnivorous and prefer the taste of monster blood over the blood of normal animals.
With this essential aspect of Cashore's book detailed, we can go into a deeper explanation of her ability to weave an expansive history into the world she has created. Much of the history Cashore reveals is directly connected to characters that appear throughout the story, particularly through the titular character, Fire. Fire is a human monster whose father, Cansrel, had very close connections to the king of the Dells. Cansrel, also a human monster, was the primary source of many conflicts now running rampant in a country on the verge of war. The extent of the damage he did to the Dells is slowly uncovered as Fire meets people who are connected to the disarray—people who are descendants of the king whom Cansrel manipulated. As more information unfolds, shocking revelations grip not only the characters of the story but the reader as well! These surprising details establish connections between characters who the reader would have never guessed are related. It adds a whole new element of anticipation to the story to the point where the reader isn't just excited about what happens next, but they're also excited to find out more details about what already happened!
Another element of Cashore's world that makes Fire so engrossing is the governmental and political structure. There are deep intertwined connections between so many people that the government can be considered flawed, at best. It is this lack of perfection that makes it all seem that much more real. Everyone within the political structure has secrets and each character knows how to leverage another's secrets for their own gain. As the story progresses, those secrets only get darker. All the essential elements of fantasy are there, too. King Nash is the leader and his brother, Prince Brigan, is the commander of the military and surprisingly regal despite his lack of desire to rule. King Nash and Prince Brigan also have illegitimate twin siblings who run the Dells' network of spies. On top of that, there are neighboring countries, civil visits from enemy leaders, rivals poking their noses into every possible situation they can, and familiar faces appear from Fire's companion book, Graceling.
The final aspect of Cashore's story that contributes to its very real feel are the side characters who seem small and yet are still very interconnected with all of the secrets of the world. Those connections make them seem like main characters as one sits down to recall the events of the story, although in actuality they are very rarely involved. Even as small as they are, these characters manage to make a deep impact on the conclusion of the story. No single character could have been left out and it's absolutely beautiful to see things tie together so cleanly.
With a world this enriching, how can the story not be something worth paying attention to? We're not going to spoil the rest here, so instead, we leave you with this:
Let the allure of the world draw you in,
Let Guilty Pleasures pull you towards sin,
And you know what I mean even though you grin,
With a story like this, everyone wins.
If Fire sounds enticing, you'll remember that there is a companion novel entitled Graceling. While Cashore wrote Graceling first, Fire comes first in the series chronologically. You can make the choice as to which book you'll flood your mind with first.
February 2017
by Charlaine Harris
Dead Until Dark
I've recently become interested in a series of books known as The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris; her genre of writing is a bit difficult to pin down. It could be considered fantasy, mystery, gothic, romance, or all of the above. However, considering that love is in the air this month, we will consider it romance. There is certainly PLENTY of that in these books.
First off, a warning--I began reading this series as part of a reading challenge I was involved in, and ended up reading the first seven within a period of two weeks (there are 13 books in this series, so I definitely do plan to continue on.) The author writes in an easy, engrossing manner. The books were made into a TV series called True Blood, which was on television for a brief period of time. I believe it is available for free online, along with the books. (True Blood is a synthetic blood drink which is consumed by vampires in bars. So yes, this is a series involving vampires - lots of them.)
Our narrator, Sookie Stackhouse, is not a vampire. She is a 25-year-old barmaid in a small town in Louisiana who also happens to be telepathic. This has caused her to never have been involved with any man romantically because the thoughts that she picks up drive her crazy.
And then she meets Bill, a vampire and veteran of the Civil War; she finds that she cannot read his mind at all. In this series, vampire blood is highly prized, as it gives humans extra strength and power. Draining is illegal, which means that taking excessive amounts of blood will cause the vampire to die. Sookie saves Bill from such a fate, and the two become close. They finally have sex, and Sookie finds that it is completely mind blowing (sex with vampires is always believed to be much better than regular human sex, anyway. We must keep this in mind!)
Throughout the book, women are being murdered, and it appears that a vampire is responsible. I'm not going to say any more about that. You will have to read the book yourself. Besides, didn't I mention it was going to be strictly romance only?
Is there a future for Sookie and Bill? Can they possibly stay together? Read the book, because this is all I have to say on the matter.
by Samantha Bradley7
January 2017
by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Summer Queen
Castles and Aliens (But not Really....)
by Samantha Bradley7
as well as delightfully graphic violence are generally involved. (Ah yes, more Guilty Pleasures, of course!) Having had my DNA
Now that suspense thriller, fantasy and supernatural have all been recently covered here in Scandalous, I was left to choose another genre to cover for the new year. Fortunately, it was an easy decision for me, as I greatly enjoy historical novels going back to The Viking Age all the way up through Victorian England.analyzed by three different companies recently, I also know that I have deep Scandinavian roots (so deep no one in the family even knew of them!), which is probably indicative of Viking ancestry, along with quite a bit of French, German and British as well. Therefore, I am interested in the history of all these countries, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. The stories themselves are just downright fascinating!sexofHow many of you out there enjoy reading historicals? It's been one of my top genres since I was in my teens. I remember first getting into them with the ever popular tale of Henry VIII and his six wives. And, as anyone who has ever read one of these books can assure you, lots
The novel I am sharing with you is "Summer Queen," the first book of a trilogy by Elizabeth Chadwick. The other two are "The Autumn Queen," and "The Winter Queen," which I plan to read next. (Totally hooked!) Some of the historicals are worded in very difficult and somewhat archaic verbiage, butMs. Chadwick writes in a style which is quite contemporary, enjoyable, and easy to understand. This series accounts the story of Eleanor (who she refers to as Alienor) of Aquitaine. Alienor lived in the early part of the 12th century, a time when marriages were arranged practically from the time of conception for those of royal birth. It was Alienor's fate to become betrothed to Louis of France, a cold and religious young man who had hoped to become a part of the church until those hopes were dashed by the untimely death of his older brother, the original heir to the throne.
completely around providing a male heir to the French throne. Alienor gave birth to two girls but miscarried every male child he impregnated her with, causing him to declare that their marriage was unclean and unfit in the eyes of God and the Church. Their relationship grew worse and worse, to the point where the only thing Alienor desired was to break free of Louis and find her own happiness. He eventually began to feel the same way, and their marriage was finally ended after 15 years of misery. (In those days one had to get permission from Rome to divorce, and many attempts were not successful. There had to be centeredwereAnd so, at the tender age of 13, Alienor married Louis, future King of France, entering into a loveless marriage in which she was forced to endure his halfhearted attempts at sex, which good reason, and the Church had to agree.)
Shortly after she gained her freedom, Alienor became betrothed again, this time to Henry, son of the Empress Mathilda and future heir to the throne of England. Although Alienor was nine years his senior it mattered not, as she was still one of the most stunningly beautiful women of her time. She was now able to enjoy the delights of sex, and soon became pregnant with Henry's son (a fact which made Louis furious!) A year later she gave birth to a second son, and then King Stephen suddenly passed away, leaving Henry the new King of England. The book ends with Alienor, Henry and their retinues sailing across the English Channel to their new home. (The next two books in the trilogy will detail Alienor's rule as Queen of England. I cannot wait to delve into them!)
Throughout the book I got a true sense of who Alienor was - fair minded, strong and forceful, with an ironclad will and the determination to get what she wanted. I think she is an amazing example of a woman prevailing and staying strong even when the odds were against her, and I would recommend this book as an excellent starter for anyone who wants to give historical novels a try (along with all current lovers of the genre, of course!) I think you will enjoy getting to know Alienor very much, and I hope that you come to identify with her and like her as much as I do. And trust me when I tell you that you will find some juicy bits in the historicals, as well. Frankly, I think you'll enjoy them! (Remember reading about all the heads on London Bridge? And who can forget drawing and quartering? That one still haunts my mind!)
Happy reading, and stay tuned to discover another amazing read next month right here in the pages of Scandalous!
December 2016
SUPERNATURAL
Shiver
by Maggie Steifvater
With suspense thriller and fantasy off the list, one of my major muses as far as reading is concerned has been swept up from under my feet. I tend to play heavy favoritism towards fantasy books and I was a bit sad when I realized that my favorite book would just turn into something similar to another review we’ve already published here in Scandalous. However, I was also quick to realize that there’s something else I can cover. It’s a book that I’ve recommended to a lot of my roleplaying partners recently and it comes from a genre that I personally think walks a very fine line with, and occasionally blurs into, fantasy realms.
If you haven’t guessed it yet, this month, the book I will be reviewing falls within a supernatural genre.
Before I get into too many details on the book I wish to share with you, it feels relevant to explain what supernatural means to me. To me, supernatural is actually a genre that is encompassed by fantasy as a whole. Every supernatural book I’ve read processes as fantasy to me, but on Guilty Pleasures the genres are listed as distinct and so I feel this is a very relevant area to cover. After all, fantasy and supernatural make up two of the most popular genres that people seem to enjoy roleplaying within.
Let's move on to the book in question. For this issue, I have decided to write up a review of the book Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. It’s a book that features one of my favorite types of supernatural creatures: werewolves.
Now, when someone first looks at this book, I know there are a few things that come to mind. Firstly, it is a young adult novel and I know we are all adults on Guilty Pleasures. There’s even some types of young adult writing that tend to get a bad reputation because they don’t manage to go far enough or because the romance feels cheesy and unreal. Secondly, it is a supernatural romance novel which means that it can get a lot of opinions based on other books of its type. I’m not sure what the general consensus on Twilight ever ended up being, but I know there was a significant population that didn’t enjoy it. However, I implore you to realize that Shiver is a different book and deserves to be judged on its own merits, merits which I rank quite highly.
For a brief overview, Shiver is the first novel within a trilogy that follows two main characters. Grace is a seemingly normal girl who gets a glorious view of the forest behind her home and during winter, she’s always watching the wolves as they move about. One in particular always catches her eye with his own shimmering yellow gaze. Sam is a boy who only seems to be around during the three summer months, the months when the wolves are nowhere to be found. He works at a local bookstore and Grace encounters him quite often while finding an odd familiarity in his eyes.
The story progresses from there as the two characters meet and as they come to realize the uniqueness of their situation, a situation which I will not disclose completely because I do actually think a lot of people would enjoy reading this book.
There are three themes that Maggie Steifvater weaves through the story quite well. Naturally, when you pick up a young adult supernatural book, one of the first things that comes to mind is a theme of romance. Within this particular genre, it is not an uncommon theme. The second theme that comes to my mind is the theme of a race against time. Certain aspects of their circumstances mean that the time they may or may not have together is being threatened by time itself. It’s a fun theme to throw in as romance builds. The third theme that comes to mind as I recall my favorite aspects of the book is a theme of winter and all that winter brings. It can be a beautiful time and it’s definitely a pretty thing to overlay upon the story being woven through the pages. Romance in a race against time that brings winter along with it; together, it makes a wonderful combination.
Romance, it seems, is one of the primary expectations of a young adult supernatural novel and it is something that I think many readers expect when they first pick up this book as well. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, because one of the things the author does is keep the question of whether or not a romance is actually going to happen floating around in the minds of their readers. Grace meets Sam and it is like she has known him for ages; which in a way, she truly has. However, the way that Sam tries to keep it on the edge of happening and the way that he works towards keeping her away - both for her own physical and mental safety - is so near perfect that even though the reader is constantly cheering for them as a couple, it is never quite clear whether or not it is actually going to happen. It’s tantalizing to say the least!
One of the things that probably seems to be the most out of place is the race against time. What would time have to do with werewolves? Yes, looking into old lore from prior works, there is the concept of the full moon having an impact on how a werewolf changes, but this is a different situation. It is more than that. Sam is facing not only the dilemma of only being around for the summer months, but his time as a human is slowly getting shorter as the years pass by. There is this looming threat of being stuck as a wolf forever and that isn’t even all of it. With all this going on, it kinda makes sense that Sam wouldn’t want to try to get himself too entangled with Grace; things never go quite as planned, though.
The third theme that I find quite enjoyable in this particular work of fiction is the theme of winter. It’s probably an obvious theme considering that the title is Shiver and Winter as a season can lead to that quite often. However, it adds an inexplicable beauty to the story as well. The simple imagery of a wolf in winter is quite astounding and I’m sure I’m not the only one who experiences the magic of that image. Not only that, but winter brings with it so many things. Winter carries the threat of time looming with it because winter marks when a werewolf shifts (in this world, anyway) and winter also carries with it the threat to end a romance that everyone is cheering for. It ties everything together quite nicely.
After all that, there’s probably still a few questions about the book. One of the things you’ll notice is that I didn’t go into detail on very many other characters within the story which would lead you to think it is just about Grace and Sam. That’s where you’d be wrong. Grace is in high school which means that her family most definitely comes into play as do her friends. There’s even more to it, though. Sam comes with a whole pack and some of those members just might have stories of their own for you to enjoy as you read through the pages. In a book that begins a thrilling trilogy, there’s no doubt Maggie Steifvater has plans in mind and that they’ll be expanded upon in the next two books as well.
Hopefully, that entices you. Hopefully, this was enough to lure you in. Like many avid readers, I often fall prey to a good story even if it might fall into one or two cliches. What story doesn’t suffer one or two stigmas? Don’t let those get in your way as you hunt for a good book while winter’s chill approaches. Cling to the pages as you shiver through the snowy days.
And then eagerly await our sharing of another good book next month!
by Madame Warlock
November 2016
What kind of world lies beyond the secret door today?
I wonder...
SUSPENSE THRILLER
A Little Blood Won't Do You Harm
by Lady Lena
In the previous review, we talked about the world of fantasy and the many books that can fill your craving for the world anew. It is rather fascinating that you can travel a whole new world by simply flipping through the pages of a book. Don’t get me wrong, watching a movie is good; however, there is just something about a book that gives you a tingling sensation in the ears.
Even though fantasy is unrealistic - which everyone will agree - it still makes sense on so many levels that it makes us question whether or not it could be real. This month, let us delve into another genre, though, one of interesting plot twists and spine-tingling sensations. Let's travel down the winding road of a suspense thriller.
Believe me, when I say reading a suspense thriller book gives me the shivers, I swear, I do not sleep well at night. Nonetheless, I love the feeling it gives me. I won’t pretend I’m an expert, but the thing about suspense thrillers is it keeps you hooked in so many ways.
Mary Higgins Clark--a woman deemed to be a suspense queen in so many ways--has focused her abilities to write We'll Meet Again, a novel focusing on a wife, a husband, a mistress, a case going nationwide, and a missing memory. As we look through the book, keep in mind hat Mary Higgins Clark is a genius when it comes to three things: hook factor, intensity level and considerations.
Some people would say a good suspense thriller will make you think of the unexpected, and regardless of how many times you read it, it will still have an unnerving yet tempting effect. Within the first few chapters of the book, Clark describes her protagonist, Molly Lasch, as the murderer and a good wife who is attentive, loyal and caring. She proceeds to describe Molly Lasch's momentum and Dr. Gary Lasch’s marriage through storytelling from Molly along with investigative reporter Fran Simmons' probing of the case.
The thrill began when Molly Lasch traveled to see her late husband’s mistress, a nurse in the hospital, Annamarie Scalli. She wanted to know information about her husband and what happened hours before the crime. Annamarie, who had already given birth to Gary Lasch’s child, wanted nothing to do with Molly or the investigation.
However, Annamarie’s death was timed after Molly had talked to her in the diner where they met. Immediately, police pointed fingers at Molly, though in contrast, the camera had proven her partly innocent. Time is running out; Molly and her friend, Fran Simmons, need to find the real culprit with their lists of suspects dwindling down. Even when you are only this far in, the novel manages to establish the thrill to such a degree that you cannot stop reading; you want to know where it all boils down, from here until you get to the very last pages of the novel.
As the story goes on, Clark fails to connect parts of the dots and fails to put a gray line between memory and story. There were a lot of characters within the paradigm of Molly Lasch, hence a lot of scapegoats for the real culprit to use. There are her husband’s colleagues, Dr. Peter Black and Cal Whitehall, who both gained a lot when Gary Lasch died.
Clark then introduces two minor characters that became key components to the main character’s innocence. Wally Barry, is the schizophrenic son of the housekeeper and he seems to have been present during the time of the crime. Lou Knox also seems to be an out of the blue character who is placed there as a ploy to create more confusion.
Here, I examine the lack of coordination with how each character is connected. In some ways, characters have certain threads that align them to a common point with one another, that connects them like a bond. These characters, all reasonable suspected culprits of the crime, lack the history for you to know for sure who did it at times. Clark’s way of storytelling creates a perspective to make her readers double take and that gives her higher points.
Then as the thrill of the novel comes to a close, an unexpected character is introduced. Jenna Whitehall. Although it was surprising and made us question where we missed it, one of the things I had to do was step away as a reader and look at it as a detective. For me, it was the best way to end the book. Yet somehow, Clark lacked the final string to attach. Where and at what point did it occur? Where was the hint?
The first thing you would witness, as the reader, are red flags to indicate which people would be scapegoats for the perfect setup. This is in a normal perspective. Clark emphasizes that the fine line between friend and foe should be challenged to find out which is which. Through realistic and gripping human experiences, Clark hits the mark by getting readers hooked on this selection, albeit a lack of certain connectivity. Clark didn’t seem to fail her readers.
October 2016
FANTASY
Some of you may recognize the quote, but before I get to the author and the book series it belongs too, I thought it would be good to start somewhere in the beginning. Let us start with book reports. The usual way to do it is to pick a book you like and write a short introduction where you summarize everything you feel as relevant. However, I will do things different because this is the first issue and I think it would be less adequate to just pick a novel and blabber about it for 300 words or less. I will talk genre first. Perhaps this section will continue to the standard book report frame in the issues to come, but for the time being, I think this would be more entertaining and informative.
So, where do I start? That is always a good question. In the beginning, there is probably a book engraved on a clay tablet using cuneiform script called “The Gilgamesh Epos”. Since religious texts are kind of a sensitive topic, I will not go into any scripture, but I doubt that there are still Gilgamesh devotees out there so I feel safe. The epos' written form is approximately 4000 years old, but it is by far not the oldest “fantasy story” there is. What I am trying to say is: Fantasy is something that defines our whole race.
Human beings tell stories and one of the most used genres is fantasy. Stories with supernatural or fictional elements have been important to us throughout history. Fantasy stories are also magical, making us use our imagination and provide food for thought. Of course, you can tell inspiring tales about real incidents and there are a lot out there but do they make you dream? Do they make you use your imagination? Not in the same way as fantastic stories do, but perhaps this is just me. Maybe some of you out there think about epic stories of brave knights, cunning wizards and fair maidens are just boring stuff. There is no accounting for taste but if this is your opinion and you have not tried fantasy, give it a shot. There is more to experience than just Swords and Sorcery, I promise.
Fantastic Literature, as a label, is nothing more than a summary of subcategories. I can assume some people say I'm splitting hairs and maybe you' re right but if you dive deeper you will quickly get to the point where fantastic literature is just too inaccurate to be used for a certain book or series. Fantastic Literature is often used as a synonym for High Fantasy and that's where you got your fantastic world with fantastic people using fantastic powers and skills to do fantastic stuff. A High Fantasy world is most often the setting for an epic story just like the all-time classic Lord of the Rings. The characters are clearly depicted as such: Hobbits, the people from the west, elves and Dwarves are good; Orcs, Ogres, Easterners and Nazgûl are bad. In between there might be characters more twisted or multilayered (like Gollum, Grima or Saruman) but in general you have your black and white world with little amount of grey on the sides and the classic fantasy key features.
Low Fantasy is not as well defined as High Fantasy but it is a much more open category. Practically everything that has fantastic elements that is not High Fantasy could be applied. There are a variety of categories and definitions but most of the novels you will find will br Dark Fantasy (Horror), High Fantasy (Epic Tales), Low Fantasy (Sword and Sorcery) or Urban Fantasy (Mixture of real life and Fantasy). Terry Pratchett's works are classic, funny and not very deep. Why is that? Because Low Fantasy often places much more emphasis on violence, sex and action, than High Fantasy.
For the conclusion of the article I have picked my all-time favorite books / series / authors.
The first one, obviously, is Lord of the Rings. If you are into fantasy there is no way to skip this book since it is the fundamental for all modern fantasy whether it is High or Low. The movies were popular but the books are much more substantial. The story is richer and the world is bigger than what the movies portrayed. Tolkien invented not only a world with a very detailed history, he also invented the languages of the Elves and Dwarves that are the basis for some of other literary works featuring those races. Imagine that; you invent some fictional language and thousands of authors try to implement them into their own worlds. Amazing!
The second recommendation is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Mr. King is most known for his horror novels but a constantly keen reader notices that most of his works are connected. The Dark Tower series is a High Fantasy series but it unifies practically every genre from Sci-Fi to Sword and Sorcery and more. The tale spins around Roland of Gilead, last gunslinger to walk the earth in his quest to find and rescue the Dark Tower, a linchpin of reality that holds the entire universe together. Dark forces, like the man in black mentioned earlier, try to destroy it. This might be my absolutely number one book series ever.
The third recommendation is Neil Gaiman. May it be Stardust, the Sandman graphic novels, American Gods, Neverwhere, Anansi Boys or his tons of short stories, Neil Gaiman is a God of Fantasy and I do hope fall in love with him like I did. Fourth one I have mentioned earlier, Terry Pratchett. He is the inventor of Discworld and iconic characters like the sorcerer Rincewind, DEATH (who always speaks in capital letters) and Lord Vetinari. Last but not least, I recommend you to actually read the Game of Thrones books (A Song of Ice and Fire). Similar to Lord of the Rings, they are much more detailed than the series and contain of a lot more characters.
Thanks for reading this article. I hope I have shed light into the confusing mix-up of genres our modern Fantasy Literature Stack consist of and that you now have a few leads to the world of fantastic literature. Perhaps I also have encouraged some of you to try one of the sub-genres or fantasy at all with my article, I would really like that.
See you next time and never forget,
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."
All credit for this article goes to MariaK.