Tuck by Stephen R. Lawhead

Tuck (King Raven Trilogy #3) by Stephen R. Lawhead — 9781401685393 – ****

Genre: Fantasy
Time to Read: 11 Days

Short Summary:
In this conclusion to Stephen Lawhead’s King Raven Trilogy,  Bran ap Brychan (aka Rhi Bran y Hud) and his comrades travel to meet with his kinsmen in hopes that they might help him and his Grellon reclaim his kingdom while Lady Merian–going against Bran’s wishes–does the same and Abbot Hugo seeks to purge the forest of the King Raven once and for all. Tuck–named for the fat friar who is one of Bran’s closest advisors–is full of adventure and peril as the King Raven and his men struggle for their lives and their homes, tricking their enemies in true Robin Hood style along the way.

I must confess that this third novel in the King Raven Trilogy was a slower starter for me than the others. It once again shifted point of view and–after my initial uncertainty upon starting Scarlet–I found that I missed Will Scarlet’s narrative voice (It was not, however, in the Friar’s point of view, instead returning to the third person that Hood was written in). I also have to note that it began to feel a little long toward the end, which may be in part because I haven’t committed to a series in some time, and I was ready for a change of pace.

That being said, however, Tuck was an extraordinary conclusion to Lawhead’s re-imagined Robin Hood series. Too many series that I’ve read have had unsatisfactory endings or ones that were too neat, like a glued jigsaw puzzle. Tuck did not let me down, and it left me wanting to visit more of Stephen R. Lawhead’s books in the future.

(Please forgive the delay in my posting of this review. My new eReader makes it too easy to move on to the next book, and I quickly get lost in it and forget to blog! I promise to get better. There will be two more coming very soon!)

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Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming

Live and Let Die (James Bond Series #2) by Ian Fleming — 9780142003237 — ****

Genre: Spy Novel
Time to Read: 10 days (Over the holiday season)

Short Description:
007 is back in action! In Ian Fleming’s second book in the James Bond Series, the FBI has asked for Bond’s help in uncovering a smuggling operation. Mr. Big, a big-time bad-guy in Harlem with a shipping business and property in Jamaica and ties to voodooism, is suspected of smuggling Sir Henry Morgan’s long-lost loot of gold into the states in an illegal operation. The FBI is hoping to use Bond’s expertise, and his familiarity with Jamaica, to uncover the plot and put an end to Mr. Big’s big-time quest to become known as the first major black crime lord in the United States. Mr. Big’s own people fear him, believing he is the zombie of Baron Samedi, voodoo spirit of death, which allows him to keep them under his thumb. His network of African-Americans in Harlem and all over the USA helps him keep an eye on everything that is going on in his world, including the arrival of James Bond, and his possession of the beautiful and magical Solitaire helps him know when he is being duped. When Solitaire reaches out to Bond for help, he gains his source of information and his motivation to put a stop to Mr. Big once and for all.

Live and Let Die is one of my absolute favorite James Bond movies, and although the book isn’t quite the same, it certainly doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I wish the movie followed it more closely. Mr. Big and Kananga’s opium smuggling is a worthy challenge for Roger Moore as 007 in the movie, but I’m not so sure that it tops, or even compares to, Mr. Big’s pirate gold smuggling. Also, Jane Seymour’s depiction of Solitaire is legendary, but the character in the book is far more likable. She’s smarter, gutsier and more seductive than the movie’s innocent depiction of a very different woman by the same name.

The second book in the James Bond series is certainly more full of excitement than the first. Bond finds himself up against a network of people who all operate under Mr. Big’s direction out of fear of his voodoo ties. He swims with hungry sharks, gets in a shootout in a wear house full of tanks of poisonous tropical fish, and is nearly bested by the big man and his men. There are enough differences between the book and the movie that even a fan of the film will be caught wondering how it will all end, and it’s exciting enough to keep the pages turning without the slower start that its predecessor Casino Royale displays.

One word of caution: This book was published in 1954, and political correctness wasn’t in fashion. As a result, Ian Fleming uses an outdated term to describe the African-American characters throughout the book. It is used descriptively, much like modern writers might refer to a woman as a blonde, and isn’t intended to be demeaning, but some may find it objectionable. Beyond that, the material is safe for an audience looking for a fun adventure with a little bit of “naughty” teasing on behalf of the sensual female love interest. I highly recommend it to fans of any of the Bond movies, and to lovers of action, adventure, and spy themed novels.

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Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Casino Royale (James Bond Series #1) by Ian Fleming — 9780142002025 — ****

Genre: Spy Novel
Time to Read: 4 Days

Short Description:
Meet James Bond, British secret agent with a double-O license to kill. In his debut novel, James is facing a man know as Le Chiffre. Monsieur Le Chiffre, the treasurer of a Soviet-backed trade union in France, is in a bit of trouble. After losing money that wasn’t his on poorly timed investments in brothels that were then shut down by new laws, he needs to repay SMERSH (An organization that is out to kill non-Russian spies) before they come to collect. His solution: Call a Baccarat game at the casino in Royale-les-Eaux, France and try to win back the money at the table. James has been tasked with going up against Le Chiffre and bankrupting him so he will fall further out of favor with SMERSH and be wiped out by his own organization. With help from René Mathis of France, the CIA’s Felix Leiter and MI6′s own beautiful agent Vesper Lynd, James  is ready to face Le Chiffre at the table, but can 007 beat him at his own game?

I have been a fan of the Bond films for years and, despite the fact that the books are almost always a million times better than the movies based on them, this is my first time reading a Bond novel. Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale doesn’t disappoint. The first installment of the James Bond series is full of adventure and intrigue. Bond’s first challenge in the series doesn’t sound all that exciting upon first inspection. He’s playing a card game and hoping to bankrupt a failed entrepreneur into oblivion. Then again, France and America both have people in on the job, and MI6 is willing to risk 20,000 pounds (a fair sum in the late 1940s, early 1950s), so Le Chiffre must be a pretty worthy opponent, even if they’re just playing at an all night card game. In fact, when Le Chiffre’s henchmen get involved, James’s female counterpart gets herself in trouble, and 007 finds himself in the hands of Le Chiffre, himself, things get downright exciting. Despite its length (not quite 200 pages), this little book is packed with enough action that I feel justified in calling it a novel, even though it is probably only considered a novella.

There are only a few small drawbacks to this book. First, Ian Flemming goes into careful detail when writing the reports M reads in the second chapter of the book, to the point where things can get a little confusing with all the code numbers and acronyms that he explains after the fact. Second: There is a fair amount of French interspersed in the dialogue in some scenes that isn’t necessarily translated 100% of the time (if you know basic French, this won’t be a problem, and if you don’t you’ll understand enough from the context that you won’t have to stop and find a translator, but I can imagine some might find it a little flustering). Finally: Le Chiffre causes horrible damage to a very nice car during a chase. I found that scene quite distressing.

I should also mention that, although Ian Fleming’s Bond movies give the impression that the books are full of naked women and raunchy sex scenes, this novel was published in 1953. I’m sure that it was quite racy for its day, but today it would be considered mild at worst. There are some references to sex, but nothing I would imagine that the parents of a middle teen would cringe at. Just simple statements and a little smooching. I would feel comfortable recommending this title to a 15-year-old boy without fear of parental anger after the fact.

I can’t let this review go by without making some comparisons to the 2006 movie by the same title. This is probably the first novel I’ve come across that has been made into a movie that has taken nothing from the story, actually adding things in to increase the length of the film. Unlike most books-turned-movies, I still like the movie after reading it. In fact, reading the book made me want to watch the film again just to confirm the fact that nothing was taken out (I still haven’t found the time to do so, but I’m confident enough to state this as a fact, anyway). A fan of the Bond films will find this one a great introduction to the book series, and I highly recommend that viewers take the leap and join me in becoming readers, as well.

Check out Ian Fleming’s website!

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Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull

One more series before I get into the summer reading books. Again, instead of a book-by-book review, I’m going to cover the entire series in this one review.

The Books:

1. Fablehaven — ISBN 9781590385814 — *****
2. Rise of the Evening Star — ISBN 9781590387429 — *****
3. Grip of the Shadow Plague — ISBN 9781590388983 — *****
4. Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary — ISBN 9781606410424 — *****
5. Keys to the Demon Prison — ISBN 9781606412381 — *****

Genre: Young Fiction (Fantasy)
Time to read: About a week.

So, first, a quick summary (avoiding spoilers at all costs). The Fablehaven series tells the story of Kendra Sorenson–who is  about 14 years old in the first book–and her younger brother Seth who are on a forced vacation at the home of their estranged grandparents in Connecticut while their parents go on a cruise to fulfill the dying wish of their other grandparents who were killed in an accident. While there, they discover a magical world that is hidden in our own and known only to a very small number of people. The children’s grandparents are the caretakers of Fablehaven, a preserve that provides haven for magical beings such as fairies, satyrs, centaurs and even demons. As the series progresses, Kendra and Seth learn all about Fablehaven and the other magical preserves that are hidden all over the world and discover a little magic in themselves that allows them to help protect the world from dark magic that is trying to escape. It is a series full of magic, adventure, laughter and darkness.

This series is made up of what I like to call popcorn books: They’re light, fun, easy to read and hard to put down before they’re done. It is recommended for ages 8-12, but 8+ would be a more appropriate age range, because there is something in these books for readers of any age (though they may be a little scary for the younger crowd, so 8 sticks as the base age). The Fablehaven series just gets better with each book, and it starts off amazingly. The adventure builds to a wonderful ending, and I couldn’t help but laugh at Seth’s antics as he provides comic relief (and some lessons in caution) along the way. The characters are all wonderfully developed so that it’s easy to forget that they’re characters, and the magical creatures are masterfully rendered. A friend of mine said to me once that fairies (in a book) are hard to pull off. She was right, but Brandon Mull makes it look easy. What an amazing series! I very highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre and is looking for an awesome adventure (for the 8-12) or a quick fun read (for the 13+). Don’t let its placement in the children’s section turn you away (Harry Potter is a children’s series, after all). Read and enjoy!

Check out Brandon Mull’s website and the Fablehaven website!

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The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

I’m not going to do a book-by-book review of this series because it’s quite long and I was half-way through the final book when I decided to put this blog together. I don’t know if it’s on any summer reading lists (I doubt it is), but I can’t resist writing a quick blurb about it.

The Books:

1. The Gunslinger – ISBN 9780452285692 – ***
2. The Drawing of the Three – ISBN 9780452284708 – ****
3. The Waste Lands – ISBN 9780452284715 – *****
4. Wizard and Glass – ISBN 9780452284722 – *****
5. Wolves of the Calla – ISBN 9780743251624 – *****
6. Song of Susannah – ISBN 9780743254557 – *****
7. The Dark Tower – ISBN 9780743254564 – *****

This is my first experience in reading Stephen King books. I wasn’t 100% confident with my decision to read the series from the start. I’ve seen movies like It and The Tommyknockers, and enjoyed them thoroughly, but reading such books is different that watching movies. To me, the books are more real, because they’re in your head and your imagination paints its own pictures. I’ve been told that Stephen King’s books are a thousand times better than the movies based on them, and I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I started in on this series. Friends who have read the series all assured me that The Dark Tower Series isn’t as horror-filled as Stephen King’s other works and makes a good introduction to his writing style. I decided to trust them and give it a try.

I was thrilled that I decided to read it. The series was, over all quite amazing! I have to admit that the first book was extremely hard for me to get into. I even nearly put it down (Something I almost never do). I was about half-way through when I told myself I’d read one more chapter, and if I still wasn’t enthusiastic about it, I’d set it aside. That was when things started to get interesting.

From there, the series continued to get better. The second book was also slow to start, but once it got rolling, I couldn’t put it down. The third book started with a rush, and the series became a wild train ride that I couldn’t get off until the very end. Wow! Each book really is better than the last, and it’s left me wanting to pick up more Stephen King books just because his writing style is so natural that you forget the characters aren’t real and the world is just make-believe.

The Dark Tower Series is part western, part fantasy with a little bit of horror thrown in for good measure (a literary stew, Stephen King might say). I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to get caught up in an epic adventure.

Check out Stephen King’s website!

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