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corrielleWe're back from con. We got in at around midnight last night. After I unpack and get all of the stuff I bought/acquired put away, I'll start work on my con report. For a short preview... It was fun. David Tenant rocks. Lines were LONG. There were lots of free books to be had. The True Blood cast was amazing. Bruce Campbell is a hilarious human being.
And now... books I've read recently.
11. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
I have been reading this book for a very long time. I have a tendency to put off finishing series I enjoy. I've had the last novel in Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Trilogy sitting on my shelf for the past year, and I've been reading Inkdeath since January. I suppose I don't want them to end, and I think that by letting them sit on my shelves collecting dust, I can postpone the inevitable. (Also, I was terrified that she was going to kill Dustfinger for good this time, and I wanted to make sure I had time and space to deal with the emotional fallout from that. So, of course, I finished it the day before we left for Comic-Con.)
First of all, let me say this: It was good. I have enjoyed this series immensely, and the ending did not disappoint me, even though I read the last book so sporadically. Cornelia Funke is remarkably good at portraying complicated characters and messy relationships, and this book is full of them. Meggie, Mo, and Resa are not a sappily happy family. Violante was as interesting and ambiguous as I had hoped she would be, and Dustfinger continues to be his wonderful, enigmatic self, though he is much changed by his time with the White Women. (I think I almost cried when he saved Brianna from the Nightmare...)
There was so much going on here I don't know where to start... so... a bullet list is in order.
- The scene where Mo goes to retrieve Dustfinger from Death was wonderful and terribly creepy at the same time. Of all of the "conversations with Death" that exist in this genre, this one unnerved me the most.
- The author continues to play with the possibilities of story and writing. The fact that a character from another of Fenoglio's stories shows up in the world of Inkheart fascinates me, and it was interesting to watch the old man learn how to gently guide his world without doing it too much damage.
- What Mo did to the Adderhead with the rotting book was... chilling. And speaking of the book, having the spoiled child be the one to find the book and bring it to our heroes was not something I expected, but it worked for me. Because under all of the posturing, Jacopo is just a lonely little kid who wants attention.
- Resa grew on me immensely at the story went on. The arc about her turning into the bird and not being able to control the change because she did it so many times was... really beautiful. It created a distance, a sort of longing that I don't often come across in books meant for children.
- The split between Mo and the Bluejay was fascinating. As long as he can keep himself in Mo's identity, the things Orpheus (may terrible things happen to him for all eternity) writes about the Bluejay don't touch him. I know there have been superheroes with dual personalities before, but this was a new take on the issue for me.
- The end was satisfying, but didn't tie everything up with neat, straight bows. It's a hard balance to strike, and I think she did well. The Adderhead is dead, and Violante is Queen in Ombra, but there is still trouble on the other side of the forest and the sense that this world goes on even after the last page has been turned.
12. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade
This is the first of my post Comic-Con freebie reads. I picked an advance reader's copy up on Thursday and had it mostly read by Sunday afternoon. It was a great companion in those long lines.
This is a novel for people who like Victorian England, secret societies, mad scientists, or any combination of the three. It's filled with literary references, and it is quite dark in some places.
The story centers around Modo, a child born with a hunchback and an extremely deformed face who also happens to have the ability to shapeshift for a limited amount of time into other people. He is discovered as a toddler by an enigmatic fellow named Mr. Socrates, who seems to have a great many young people with extraordinary abilities working for him. The author does a good job of making his audience care about Modo and his insecurities about his ugliness while at the same time moving the story along at a fast clip. A group of terribly unbalanced individuals calling themselves the Clockwork Guild are out to destroy the British government, and they have a fellow by the name of Mr. Hyde making them potions that allow the Guild to control those who drink it...
In the middle of all of this, Modo has to work with another of Mr. Socrates' operatives, a girl named Octavia, to try and figure out what the guild is up to and why large numbers of street children and orphans are going missing. He also tries desperately to keep Octavia from seeing his real face, fearing her reaction if she did. Throughout the course of the book, Modo starts to think for himself more and more. He's been incredibly sheltered all his life, and having to face the harsh realities of life in Victorian London in the flesh rather than simply reading about them is a great shock for him. He makes good choices though, I think. Choices that are based in compassion and knowing what it's like to be an outcast. By the end of the book, he's questioning the choices his mentor makes and acting on what he thinks is right. I see a lot of potential there, for conflict and for character development.
Modo's name is obviously a reference to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but I find it interesting that Mr. Socrates (who named him) dropped the "quasi" part. "Modo" just means "formed," or "shaped." On the one hand, I like the way that this emphasizes that he isn't half-formed, and on the other, I like the way it references his shapeshifting abilities and the fact that Mr. Socrates has "formed" him into a very effective agent and weapon against his enemies. Significant names for the win.
There's a lot of other stuff going on... like the mechanical giant that's stomping through London by the end (and it makes more sense than the one at the end of the Doctor Who Christmas special...), there are hints of a larger battle between the Clockwork Guild and Mr. Socrates's organization, and the end of the book definitely has that "tune in next time" kind of feel. Too bad this book isn't even officially out yet. Who knows how long it will be until the next one. What was that I was saying about unfinished series? That I wasn't reading any more of them? *sigh* I broke that rule a long time ago, so why not break it some more?
And now... books I've read recently.
11. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
I have been reading this book for a very long time. I have a tendency to put off finishing series I enjoy. I've had the last novel in Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Trilogy sitting on my shelf for the past year, and I've been reading Inkdeath since January. I suppose I don't want them to end, and I think that by letting them sit on my shelves collecting dust, I can postpone the inevitable. (Also, I was terrified that she was going to kill Dustfinger for good this time, and I wanted to make sure I had time and space to deal with the emotional fallout from that. So, of course, I finished it the day before we left for Comic-Con.)
First of all, let me say this: It was good. I have enjoyed this series immensely, and the ending did not disappoint me, even though I read the last book so sporadically. Cornelia Funke is remarkably good at portraying complicated characters and messy relationships, and this book is full of them. Meggie, Mo, and Resa are not a sappily happy family. Violante was as interesting and ambiguous as I had hoped she would be, and Dustfinger continues to be his wonderful, enigmatic self, though he is much changed by his time with the White Women. (I think I almost cried when he saved Brianna from the Nightmare...)
There was so much going on here I don't know where to start... so... a bullet list is in order.
- The scene where Mo goes to retrieve Dustfinger from Death was wonderful and terribly creepy at the same time. Of all of the "conversations with Death" that exist in this genre, this one unnerved me the most.
- The author continues to play with the possibilities of story and writing. The fact that a character from another of Fenoglio's stories shows up in the world of Inkheart fascinates me, and it was interesting to watch the old man learn how to gently guide his world without doing it too much damage.
- What Mo did to the Adderhead with the rotting book was... chilling. And speaking of the book, having the spoiled child be the one to find the book and bring it to our heroes was not something I expected, but it worked for me. Because under all of the posturing, Jacopo is just a lonely little kid who wants attention.
- Resa grew on me immensely at the story went on. The arc about her turning into the bird and not being able to control the change because she did it so many times was... really beautiful. It created a distance, a sort of longing that I don't often come across in books meant for children.
- The split between Mo and the Bluejay was fascinating. As long as he can keep himself in Mo's identity, the things Orpheus (may terrible things happen to him for all eternity) writes about the Bluejay don't touch him. I know there have been superheroes with dual personalities before, but this was a new take on the issue for me.
- The end was satisfying, but didn't tie everything up with neat, straight bows. It's a hard balance to strike, and I think she did well. The Adderhead is dead, and Violante is Queen in Ombra, but there is still trouble on the other side of the forest and the sense that this world goes on even after the last page has been turned.
12. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade
This is the first of my post Comic-Con freebie reads. I picked an advance reader's copy up on Thursday and had it mostly read by Sunday afternoon. It was a great companion in those long lines.
This is a novel for people who like Victorian England, secret societies, mad scientists, or any combination of the three. It's filled with literary references, and it is quite dark in some places.
The story centers around Modo, a child born with a hunchback and an extremely deformed face who also happens to have the ability to shapeshift for a limited amount of time into other people. He is discovered as a toddler by an enigmatic fellow named Mr. Socrates, who seems to have a great many young people with extraordinary abilities working for him. The author does a good job of making his audience care about Modo and his insecurities about his ugliness while at the same time moving the story along at a fast clip. A group of terribly unbalanced individuals calling themselves the Clockwork Guild are out to destroy the British government, and they have a fellow by the name of Mr. Hyde making them potions that allow the Guild to control those who drink it...
In the middle of all of this, Modo has to work with another of Mr. Socrates' operatives, a girl named Octavia, to try and figure out what the guild is up to and why large numbers of street children and orphans are going missing. He also tries desperately to keep Octavia from seeing his real face, fearing her reaction if she did. Throughout the course of the book, Modo starts to think for himself more and more. He's been incredibly sheltered all his life, and having to face the harsh realities of life in Victorian London in the flesh rather than simply reading about them is a great shock for him. He makes good choices though, I think. Choices that are based in compassion and knowing what it's like to be an outcast. By the end of the book, he's questioning the choices his mentor makes and acting on what he thinks is right. I see a lot of potential there, for conflict and for character development.
Modo's name is obviously a reference to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but I find it interesting that Mr. Socrates (who named him) dropped the "quasi" part. "Modo" just means "formed," or "shaped." On the one hand, I like the way that this emphasizes that he isn't half-formed, and on the other, I like the way it references his shapeshifting abilities and the fact that Mr. Socrates has "formed" him into a very effective agent and weapon against his enemies. Significant names for the win.
There's a lot of other stuff going on... like the mechanical giant that's stomping through London by the end (and it makes more sense than the one at the end of the Doctor Who Christmas special...), there are hints of a larger battle between the Clockwork Guild and Mr. Socrates's organization, and the end of the book definitely has that "tune in next time" kind of feel. Too bad this book isn't even officially out yet. Who knows how long it will be until the next one. What was that I was saying about unfinished series? That I wasn't reading any more of them? *sigh* I broke that rule a long time ago, so why not break it some more?