Adventure, Children, Fantasy, Humour

Byng, Georgia: Molly Moon

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Molly Moon is a delightful character. I started reading her adventures to my son, and he fell in love with the series. Molly Moon is for children, but as an adult reading to my child I had fun.

We read them in Norwegian, but Byng is an English writing author. Molly Moon is a young orphan who discovers her incredible ability with hypnosis. With this gift, she improves the living conditions at her orphanage, controls her bullies and makes her life a little better. As she moves along in the series, Molly discovers that she has an enemy who is out to best her. She gets to travel in time, both backwards and forwards. During these travels she has the assistance of her two faithful (for the most part) friends: the dog Petula and the boy Rocky.

Our translation was a good one. The various translators have done a good job in making the Molly Moon adventures exiting and funny. We laughed a lot and I was forced to finish the scary parts before I could put the book down. My son did not have to work hard to convince me.

Mystery, Science Fiction

Meaney, John: Context (2007)

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Cover art by Jim Burns

Wow. This book is gold. “Context” is book no. 2 of the “Nulapeiron Sequence”. As such it is the continuation of the story about Tom Corcorigan. This story keeps getting better and better. Meaney blends philosophy with action and obsession beautifully. In Context he manages to keep the text flowing in a manner above and beyond most authors. What a gift.

Tom is healed from devastating injury. His security chief, Elva comes along. Unfortunately, she is killed on that trip. This becomes a defining moment for Tom. He realises his love/passion/obsession with Elva. When it turns out that somehow Elva has survived, but that her mind has been transferred to the body of her twin sister. Tom goes off hunting Elva. In the process he becomes one of the most important tools in the fight against the Blight.

Of course, there are many stages of learning for Tom. One does not blithely meet with something as powerful as the Blight. One of the many tools aiding Tom is the mu-space crystal that he got hold off in “Paradox“. From it we learn more about Ro and her role in the whole mystery.

Hard-core science fiction has seldom been more fun. Please, please read this trilogy if you have the chance.

Children, Fantasy, History

Tolkien, J.R.R.: Letters From Father Christmas (1999)

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Letters From Father Christmas is a gem from J.R.R. Tolkien. I have Letters as an audiobook. Derek Jacobi reads Father Christmas’ voice, John Moffatt reads Polar Bear’s voice and Christian Rodska reads Ilbereth’s voice.

“In these letters, Father Christmas kept the Tolkien children updated with stories about the hijinks at the North Pole – the slapsticky North Polar Bear and all the things he broke, firework explosions, the discovery of ancient caves full of old cave drawings, and battles with the goblins. (When Father Christmas couldn’t write, his Elvish secretary filled in).

Tolkien’s old-school style of writing is a bit formal and very correct, but he tosses in comments of exasperation, amusement, and in the last letter, a sort of sad resignation that children will grow up. Maybe it is because they were given to real children, not intended for publication, that the letters are only a little cutesy, and never cloying.”

A delightful read and completely unlike anything else that I have read by Tolkien. His love for his children and grand-children shows throughout the writing.

Adventure, Fantasy

Hansen, Thore: Skogland (2003)

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As far as I can see, Thore Hansen has not been translated, so this review will be Norwegian.

Bildet tatt av Nilenna

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p>Thore Hansen, ja. Skogland bøkene er noen av de kjæreste jeg har. Stilen hans er var, flytende, engasjerende og spennende. Karakterene hans er søkende og åpne for eventyr. Han beskriver mennesker som drømmer om forandring og en søken etter det forsvunne.

Hjemmeside for Hansen har jeg ikke klart å finne. Wikipedia og SNL er vel det nærmeste jeg har kommet. På Skoleforum kan dere finne en veldig bra analyse av “Gutten i dragereiret” som er den første boka i Skoglandserien. De andre bøkene i serien er: “Reisen til den glemte byen”, “Dragebyen”, “Demonene ved flodens munning”, “Der skogstiene møtes”, “Frost og varme”, “Den vidunderlige leken”, “Alvens lengsel” og “Skogene kommer”.

I bokens etterord forteller Thore at historiene fra Skogland begynte med tegningen vi ser på coveret til samlingsboka (isbn 8205311765). Fortellingene foregår for det meste i de store skogene (et fantasisted der alveverdenen eksisterer). “Skogland … En verden nesten uten begynnelse eller slutt. De gamle kan fortelle at Skogland begynner der havet slutter i syd og strekker seg nordover dit frosten og isen har sin bolig … der vinteren har sin sommerdvale” (s. 8 Skogland). Møtet mellom vår verden og Skogland bringer oss inn i en verden der våre fordommer og holdninger bringes fram i lyset uten at vi føler pekefingeren.

Fiction

Nexø, Martin Andersen: Pelle, the Conqueror (1906-10)

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“Pelle, the Conqueror” begins on the first of May 1877. Lasse Karlsson from Tommelia in Sweden arrives with his son Pelle at Bornholm in Denmark. They are fleeing poverty and starvation and try to find a decent living. Instead they are treated as indentured servants. As Pelle learns Danish, life becomes easier, but he and his father continue to be treated as outsiders. They refuse to give up their dream of a better life in Denmark.

In one sense you could call “Pelle” auto-biographical. Nexø (1869-1954) knew poverty from the inside. When he was 8, his family moved to Bornholm in hopes of having a safer life. Through this inside experience we get to follow Pelle and his father and friends through tragedy, comedy and success. There is an optimism inherent in these four books (mine is an omnibus) that has us identifying with Pelle’s fight to conquer his life.

Nexø writes beautifully. He brings the reader into the text and gives of himself to us. The journey through Pelle’s life is an amazing journey from a life of terrible circumstances into a life of possibilities. With warmth and generosity my heart was warmed by the excellence of Nexø’s text.

Barnes & Nobles seems to have the best price on this omnibus, consisting of 4 books: Boyhood; Apprenticeship; The Great Struggle; Daybreak.

Project Gutenburg offers Pelle the Conqueror.
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Pelle Erobreren is a Danish/Swedish movie from 1987 based on the book
1988:
  • Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
  • Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film
Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Wells, Jaye: Sabina Kane

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Jaye Wells is the author of the Sabina Kane series. Her writing has progressed with each book. In the final installment of the series Well achieves that nirvanic place of writing that I’m certain all authors seek. Her writing flows and she makes me happy to have read her book. The Kane series is entertainment. I’m going out on a limb here, but I believe the books are meant for adults. Some of the content is a bit racy, but the violence avoids goriness. Wells keeps the tension going and the reader hanging on as best they can. This series works is set as an urban fantasy. Most of the books are focused on the characters and not places, so there aren’t a lot of scenic descriptions.

photoSphynx cat – RuthArt

RED-HEADED STEPCHILD (2009)

Sabina Kane is half vampire and half mage – a forbidden product of a forbidden romance. Her grandmother Lavina, is one of the tree leaders of the vampire race. She despises her granddaughter for the impurity that she has brought into the race. Sabina is aware/not-aware of this and does her best to please her grandmother – an impossible task.

Assassin is the only thing that the vampires have deemed Sabina worthy of being, so Sabina makes certain she is the best. When a mischief-demon steps into her living room and stabs her with apple-wood (deadly to vampires), Giguhl comes into Sabina’s life. Slowly, but surely, Sabina’s life changes and magic is introduced – along with the traditional hunky wizard guy who she is bound to fall in love with. One of her magic spells goes haywire and Giguhl gets a form like the above Sphynx cat to use amongst people. You can imagine he was pleased with that.

THE MAGE IN BLACK (2010)

Adam Lazarus by Annie Walls

Learning that she had a twin sister in New York blew Sabina away. She was mostly dreading her meeting with her due to her lack of self-confidence. But Maise accepted her. Now Sabina is in New York and has decided to side with the mages, try to learn magic and work for peace. This enrages her grandmother, who orders her killed. Unfortunately, the process of being accepted by the mages is a difficult one. First she must be cleansed and her abilities decided. In addition Sabina must get used to drinking only processed blood. No more fresh from the vein.

Giguhl and Adam Lazarus continue to be Sabina’s side-kicks – to a varying degree. Giguhl has the humorous part in this play while Adam plays the romantic lead. Sabina struggles with all of the demands placed on her. Whatever a Chosen is, she knows she isn’t it – not matter what the wizards say. Meeting an old flame isn’t doesn’t exactly make life easier on her. But Maise is turning out to be someone Sabina likes and that lightens the burden a little.

GREEN-EYED DEMON (2011)

Maisie has been kidnapped and Sabina sets out to rescue her. First they have to figure out where she is. When all clues lead them to New Orleans, Sabina, Adam and Giguhl travel together to try to find a way to rescue Maisie. As dear grandmother was the one to kidnap Maisie, Sabina worries about the state her sister will be in when they find her.

A local witch and voodoo practitioner and her transgendered assistant find it in their hearts to help in the search. Old acquaintances of Adam end up helping the gang. Will this be enough to do the job?

With Green-Eyed Demon we begin to see the depth of Wells’ writing. She does a good job at portraying her figures. Giguhl is my favorite one. Sabina shows the difficulty of going good when she’s been soooo bad.

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL (2012)

Cover shoot by Shirley Green

Maisie is back, but she is in trouble. The kidnapping and having to draw blood to survive has taken its toll. Sabina tries to support her, but feels out of her depth. Figuring out who to trust is turning out to be more difficult than she had thought possible, and Sabina is now becoming more and more pessimistic about the possibility of peace between the three races.

Then a string of sadistic murders begin happening, and suspicion falls on Sabina. At the same time her relationship with her lover, sister and demon are getting stronger. Sabina’s investigation into the killings turn up frightening questions and Sabina has to make some difficult choices.

BLUE-BLOODED VAMP (2012)

Now we get to the final book in the series, “Blue-Blooded Vamp”. Sabina is after Cain to revenge the killings of people Sabina has loved. Unfortunately, Cain is hunting Sabina, too.

Abel, the mage who bound Cain is the one who can help Sabina. Sabina sets out for Rome with her friends to find Abel and get some answers. When she gets there, Sabina discovers that the role she and her sister are supposed to play is a game of the gods and she is one of the key pieces.

Good ending. Happily ever after kind of. Wells has given the urban fantasy genre a new and interesting way of portraying the paranormal creatures out there.

General

My childhood literature

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After writing about what got my two sons reading, I started thinking about the books that I read as a child. I have no idea what my parents read to me. But I do remember some of what I read myself. Getting a book for x-mas or b-days was a gift highlight. Usually we got practical gifts, but every once in a while someone found it in their hearts to give a book-hungry child just that. Even way back then I was addicted.

My parents had books from their own childhood that I got to read. These were everything from Jules Verne and Rudyard Kipling to the Bobsey Twins. My heroes were Pippi Langstrømpe (Longstocking) and Nancy Drew. If I wanted to read something comforting and cozy, I would choose animal stories or Norway’s own Anne Cath. Vestly. Her books are wonderful for children, describing life as it is without sugar-coating anything.

If I wanted to be frightened, I would read folk tales. The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen were favorites. I would sneak read HCA because my parents had a lovely leather-bound edition of his tales, and we were not allowed to touch it without permission. Folk tales are gory, explicit and seldom “happily ever after”. Horror for children and adults would probably be an appropriate category to place them in.

Sometimes I tried to read the books my parents liked, but they weren’t all that interesting for a child. Madame Bovary and I Saw Him Die just didn’t appeal to me the same way Jungle Boy did.

There were many important lessons reading taught me. One was that it was OK to read a book twice. Nature was fascinating. Reading the end before I had finished the whole book was also just fine (no lightning strikes). If life got to be too much, a book would lighten the load. Subject matter, complexity or level did not matter. Help was to be found for a lonely little girl. No wonder I love books so much.

Adventure, Children, Fantasy, Mystery

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter

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While I’m dealing with guilty parties, I might as well tell you about author no. 2 that helped my other son love reading.

Harry Potter by Tsulala

I have to say that I was prejudiced against the Harry Potter books. They were so hyped up, I felt that I would only be disappointed if I read one of them (silly thing these emotions). Then I borrowed “Philosopher’s Stone” from a neighbor. Ha, ha was I ever surprised. I actually liked this little awkward boy trying to fit in and find friends along with mastering his strange ability.

My oldest son has no reading disorder, but by the time he was 10 his teacher was a bit worried. He read poorly, she felt. For some reason I wasn’t worried. I knew what to look for, and he displayed none of the symptoms of dyslexia, so I just figured he was a late reader.

We started reading “Philosopher’s Stone”. He loved it. Then we went on to “Chamber of Secrets” and “Prisoner of Azkaban”. When we got to “Goblet of Fire”, he felt I was too slow and irregular in my reading to him. He picked up the book himself, finished it and the first three in less than three months. After that he devoured books. I have plenty of them and buy and borrow new ones all the time.

All it took was his impatience and an excellent author to open up his reading door. So, thank you to Joanne Rowling as well.

Children, Mystery

Keene, Carolyn: Nancy Drew

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Nancy Drew: Out of This World by sunni-sideup

My son was about 8 when I started reading our old Nancy Drew books to him. Keene’s books were a great help in getting him to a point where he started reading himself. Being dyslexic, this was not an easy point for him to get to.

Our Nancy Drew books were from the 1950’s and on. Part of the appeal laid in the formal language (the way we used to talk here in Norway) and in the fact that a lot of our books had belonged to his grandparents. In addition, the plots are simple and the characters never change. Nancy is always around 16-18, Ned is her boyfriend and George and Bess her best friends. This never-changing world made it easier for him to stay tuned to what was going on.

I think he was about 11/12 when he finished his first Nancy Drew. Since then, he finished all of the ones that we had and went on to other literary adventures.

So, a big THANK YOU to all of the Carolyn Keene authors. You have made a huge contribution in helping a boy with dyslexia learn to love reading.

Adventure, Fantasy

Cooper, Elspeth: Songs of The Earth (The Wild Hunt I) (2012)

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Songs of The Earth is Elspeth Cooper’s debut novel and a pretty good one at that. There are some rough patches (text hiccups mainly), but all in all Songs of The Earth is solid. There is content that somewhat detailed sexually and there is some descriptive violence.

Songs of The Earth is book one of The Wild Hunt series. In it Cooper brings us into the world of Gair, a world where hearing music is considered of the devil. Historically, we know what happens to people who are considered devilish. They are burned. This is to be Gair’s fate, but against all odds he is saved and gets to live out his story.

Cooper’s novel is concentrated on Gair and his path into magic. It touches upon his main enemy, Elder Goran and one of the good guys, Masen, a gatekeeper.

These three are well-developed characters. I feel their fear, lust and worry. Fortunately Cooper manages to avoid black and white thinking. We see this in the personalities of her characters, except for Goran. He is pretty dark.

Translations:

Mystery

Wahlberg, Karin: Trøsteren (2012)

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Sorry folks, this one does not come in English and neither will this input.

Jeg fikk Trøsteren av min snille svigerinne. Inntil da hadde jeg aldri hørt om Karin Wahlberg. Nå har jeg det og er glad for opplevelsen.

Trøsteren er en del av serien om førstebetjent Claes Claesson og hans kone overlege Veronika Lundborg. De havner i alskens mulige og umulige situasjoner og må løse gåtene som oppstår. Dette er mitt første møte med denne verdenen, så jeg vet lite om hvordan de tidligere bøkene har vært (annet enn kritikker da).

Trøsteren var et vellykket møte. Karin Wahlberg skriver på den Christieanske måten. Her er det lite gørr og sex. Istedet får vi en intrige med noenlunde gjettbare gjerningsmennesker og med interessante karakterer. Det er tydelig at det er en forhistorie for ekteparet Claesson/Lundborg, men det at jeg ikke visste hva den var gjorde ingenting. Wahlberg skriver godt og boken er morsom å lese.

En kvinne går hjem nattestid og blir skutt. Hun blir operert av Veronika Lundborg på Lund sykehus intensivavdeling. Livet reddes, men da hun flyttes til vanlig avdeling dør hun. Har Veronika tabbet seg ut?

Førstebetjent Claesson kan ikke ta saken pga av forholdet med Veronika, men en annen interessant sak dukker opp. Det blir funnet et levende spedbarn i en pappeske bak politihuset. Nå får Claesson gleden av å skulle sjonglere avstanden til saken han bryr seg om og letingen etter moren til spedbarnet.

Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Norton, Andre: The Forerunner Factor (2012)

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Andre Norton’s “style is clean and simple. She doesn’t digress into an examination of minutiae, of either exterior or interior worlds. With graceful economy she hands the reader the very hearts of her characters, and cleanly etches her settings – like an artist who can suggest the whole shape of an object by the thickness of the line with which she draws. The result are lean, rich stories that move.” Linda Taddeo

The Forerunner Factor“The Forerunner Factor” is an omnibus containing “Forerunner” and “Forerunner: The Second Venture”. Andre Norton’s books talk about the Forerunners. They are those who went before and have left artefacts that noone understands. We desire what they were and had.

In “Forerunner” we meet Simsa, the orphan. She lives in the Burrows, the slums in the spaceport-city on the planet Kuxortal. Her looks are exotic with iridescent blue-black skin and white hair. As many of Norton’s other protagonists, Simsa has a telepathic bond with her batlike zorsal but does not truly communicate with them. The adventure begins when she gets involved with a spaceman in search of his brother. Together they end up running for their lives. Eventually they come into contact with a Forerunner artefact and, what do you know, Simsa is revealed as one.

In “Forerunner: The Second Venture” Simsa escapes captivity, crash landing on another world where life does not seem viable. She comes into intelligent life, manages to communicate with it and discovers that the Forerunners have also been there. In this novel Simsa has two goals. First and foremost she seeks to remain herself. The second is to survive without recapture.

Adventure, Fantasy, LGBTQ+/GRSM, Young Adult

Kushner, Ellen: The Privilege of the Sword (2006)

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The Privilege of the Sword by Thomas Canty

“The Privilege of the Sword” is part of Ellen Kushner’s Riverside stories and is a fun read. Kushner makes this whole world believable. It’s a fantasy book without magic or supernatural creatures. Instead we get a novel set in a time where women were commodities to be bought and sold for money and land.

Katherine, our main character, is sold to her uncle to pay her family’s debts. Her uncle is the decadent Mad Duke Tremontaine, and his plans for his niece do not follow conventional rules. Independence and the ability to defend herself are qualities that he aims to knock into her through sword lessons. Maybe not what Katherine had in mind, but she buckles up and does her best to uphold the agreement that was made between her mother and her uncle.

So, why is this book so good. One reason is that the characters of Katherine and Mad Duke are three-dimensional. Another is the humor and action that fills the novel. The Privilege of the Sword flows somewhere between peaceful and tempestuous.

The Privilege of the Sword is available as audiobook in an unabridged version and narrated by Ellen Kushner,  Barbara Rosenblat, Felicia Day, Joe Hurley,  Katherine Kellgren, Nick Sullivan,  Neil Gaiman

Children, Fantasy

Gaiman, Neil: The Graveyard Book (2008)

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Graveyard Book McKean 2.jpg
Bod in the graveyard. Art By Dave McKean

Neil Gaiman is another of my favorite authors. Each story I have read has captivated me. The Graveyard Book flows and left me with a sense of having enjoyed something wonderful. His texts lend themselves to being read out loud, and they would be fun and interesting for both reader and readee. However, reading to yourself is just as enjoyable. This is a Children’s story, but it is definitely not for the very young. Perhaps at least 8 years old due to some of the violence.

Nobody, or Bod as he is called, is a loveable boy. He’s completely believable and the characters around him are fascinating. I love his “mom” and “dad”. What a place to grow up and what friends to have. Like any kid, Bod accepts the world around him just as it is. His unusual childhood prepares him for whatever comes his way. I wish I could be more like him. Accepting people for what they are rather than what I think they are would be an incredible gift.

The Graveyard Book is available in four versions:

  1. The children’s version, illustrated by Chris Riddell;
  2. The adult version, illustrated by Dave McKean and
  3. The slipcased edition, illustrated by Dave McKean.
  4. Read by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book won the Newbery Medal, Hugo Award for Best Novel, Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the Carnegie Medal for 2009. It was also nominated for the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel and World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for 2009.

Fantasy, Mystery

Damsgaard, Shirley: The Witch is Dead (2007)

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The Witch Is Dead (Ophelia and Abby Mysteries)“The Witch is Dead” is part of the Ophelia and Abby mysteries. This is the only one of them that I’ve read. Even though it is the 6th book in the series, I had no problem figuring out what was going on. It’s always nice when authors manage to write stand-alone books.

I found Damsgaard’s writing pretty good. She kept the action coming and her characters, especially Aunt Dot, likeable. The baddies were not a given from the start. As I’m one of those terrible people who reads the last few pages right after the first chapter, I knew who they were. I find reading books more enjoyable if I’ve read the ending quite early on.

As a mystery The Witch worked. At times it was a bit off in its rhythm. For the most part it followed a Christierian formula. Violence wise it was the same. It’s refreshing when writers avoid splattering guts and blood all over my pages.

“Psychic librarian Ophelia Jensen has an exciting life––solving supernatural mysteries with her Grandmother Abby and her adopted teenage daughter, Tink, who also happens to be a medium. But, all Ophelia really wants is to create some normalcy and routine. When Ophelia’s elderly Great–Aunt Dot comes to Summerset, Iowa, for a visit and is out from the watchful eye of her older sister, Dot is determined to find a little fun and excitement, too.

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