The Song of the Quarkbeast

The Song of the Quarkbeast (The Last Dragonslayer #2), by Jasper Fforde

Publisher's Blurb:

A long time ago magic faded away, leaving behind only yo-yos, the extremely useful compass-pointing-to-North enchantment and the spell that keep bicycles from falling over. Things are about to change. Magical power is on the rise and King Snodd IV of Hereford has realised that he who controls magic controls almost anything. One person stands between Snodd and his plans for power and riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice. Meet Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam, the employment agency for sorcerers and soothsayers. With only one functioning wizard and her faithful assistant 'Tiger' Prawns, Jennifer must use every ounce of ingenuity to derail King Snodd's plans. It may involve a trip on a magic carpet at the speed of sound to the Troll Wall, the mysterious Transient Moose, and a powerless sorceress named Once Magnificent Boo. But one thing is certain: Jennifer Strange will not relinquish the noble powers of magic to big business and commerce without a fight.

My Reaction:
(This was another read-along with Donald, so there are no notes.)

It's been a while since I read The Last Dragonslayer, but my blurry impression is that I enjoyed that book more than this one.  The story seemed a bit slow getting started.  Once the action was going, it was fine... and there was wit and humor... but it wasn't on the same level as Pratchett or some of Fforde's own other novels.  The fact that it's written for a YA audience likely has something to do with that.

I certainly noticed the occasional strong language in this novel more than I would have if it weren't "YA lit".  I imagine it's more and more common, these days, for literature written with kids in mind to have cursing-- and there wasn't tons of it, or the very worst words-- but there was enough that I noticed it.  ...So make of that what you will.

Jennifer Strange still feels more like a calm, practical, self-sufficient, almost emotionally-distanced twenty- or thirty-something than a teenager.  Actually, based on what I remember of Fforde's other books (though that doesn't include the sequels in the Thursday Next series, as I haven't read those)... this seems to be par for the course with his work.  I don't remember making an emotional connection with any of the main characters.  Some of his secondary characters seem much more relatable and real than the protagonists.  I read Fforde for humor, not realistic characters or character development. 

All that said, it certainly wasn't a bad book, and Fforde's alternate universes are always interesting.  For light comic fantasy (with an "advanced YA" feel), this is a fine choice-- though I do recommend starting with the first book in the series. 

Footsteps in the Dark

Footsteps in the Dark, by Georgette Heyer

Publisher's Blurb:

What begins as an adventure soon becomes a nightmare...

Locals claim it is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door, but to siblings Peter, Celia, and Margaret, the Priory is nothing more than a rundown estate inherited from their late uncle-and the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday. But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all! With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims of a supernatural predator, or will they uncover a far more corporeal culprit?

My Reaction:
Looking for a very light, mildly spooky mystery with dashes of humor and a little romance on the side?   Also a fan of "Britain between the wars"?  Give this a try, but don't expect the greatest mystery (or romance, for that matter) of all time.

It felt like it took me forever to read this.  Partly that's because I've been busy with other things and haven't spent much time reading.  However, I may have been less inspired than usual to spend time reading because this book felt quite predictable, in some respects.  The humorous moments were by far the best part of the book; unfortunately, I could've done with more of them.

Though this wasn't quite so strong as I'd hoped, it was still fairly cozy, and I'll read more of Heyer's mysteries.  (Apparently this was her first mystery, so maybe she hadn't quite worked up to full speed, yet.)  I'll also certainly try some of her regency romances (which are her chief claim to fame).


Specifics (including SPOILERS):
--The extremely predictable bits?  There's the infinitely unsurprising identity of the monk, for one thing.  (It was unintentionally hilarious to see the characters all so shocked when it had been painfully obvious for most of the book.)  Also, as soon as the mysterious M.S. says that the police aren't going to get him, you pretty well know he's involved in law enforcement himself.  When the young lady remarks to him that she hates policemen, you merely nod your head knowingly.

--Someone says it seems ridiculous to have a fire in July, and another person replies that nothing is ridiculous with the English climate.  Wow.  A fire in July?  In the northern hemisphere?  I can't even imagine needing a fire in July, here... Well, maybe if you were caught and drenched in an afternoon thunderstorm.  That can make you chilly... But in that case, you'd need a towel and dry clothes more than the warmth of a fire.

--I know, it was a different time, but sometimes the women in this book are awfully weak.

--"Margaret - I can't tell you what I think of your pluck, and your sportsmanship."  Ha!  Oh, swoon!  The hero complimenting the heroine on her pluck and sportsmanship!  I go all wobbly at the knees!  ;o)

--"Don't marry him, Margaret.  We can't have a policeman in the family.  What about our wireless license?  He's bound to find out that it's expired."

--"Margaret went up to change into the frock she had worn on the previous evening.  With a praiseworthy attention to detail she made her hair look tousled, and wiped all the powder off her face.  As Charles remarked, in a newly engaged girl this deed almost amounted to heroism."  (HA!)

--The "unmasking" scene felt very Scooby-Doo, as did the "sardonic scorn" of the guilty party.  All that was missing was a reference to "meddling kids".

--I found it funny that Heyer had the Monk tell Margaret that he wouldn't have left her to starve.  Why?  So that the book is less horrifying?  Are we supposed to think to ourselves that he's not such a bad chap, after all?  ;o)  Well, sure, so he's already killed a couple men.  What of that?  He wouldn't have left a young lady to starve.  What a guy!

DNF: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin

Publisher's Blurb:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

My Reaction:
Ugh!  I've dragged this book out for so long that, at this point, I've forgotten exactly where I left off!  The additional fact that I knew the story of this first book before I even started (thanks to the TV series)-- and that the TV series seems to have followed this book (if not the subsequent books) so faithfully... I just can't muster up the enthusiasm to bother about the last bit.  (There probably weren't more than a few small sections left.)

Honestly, I'm simply tired of seeing the title in my "currently reading/listening" list, so I'm calling it a DNF, even though I'm so close to finishing that another hour probably would've done it.

Apart from all that, it is an interesting story.  I just think I'd rather watch it than read (or even listen to) it.  I've heard murmurs of discontent regarding the later books of the series, too, so that makes me even less excited about the prospect of reading them.  We'll see.  I believe that the TV series diverges from the books, on some points, but if I were going to read more of the books, I'd probably try to pick up with the story close to where the program has left off.  It's just dull reading the same material I've already seen, with such a long, involved story.


More Specific Observations:
--So many of the characters are so young!  I prefer the TV series in that respect; most of them look at least a few years older than they are in the book(s).

--The reader was pretty good in many respects, but sometimes the voices he gave characters felt wrong or just plain irritating.  For instance, I couldn't stand the voice the reader gave Tyrion.  He made him sound like a very old man with a rather odd accent... which really made no sense, considering that he's not an old man and neither of his siblings had the same accent.  The eunuch's deep, slobbery voice felt wrong, too.  (Shouldn't a eunuch's voice tend to be higher pitched than average? ...Guess it depends on how old he was/whether his voice had already changed... In any case, it was *totally gross*, and I dreaded hearing him.)

Actually... the eunuch's voice reminded me somewhat of... THIS gem from my childhood:



--How many points of view do we shift among?  It feels like at least seven... Ok, looked it up, and there are eight recurring points of view, plus one more for the prologue.  Sheesh.  No wonder parts of the book seemed to drag.  There's no way that all eight are going to be equally interesting to each reader. 

Leave It to Psmith

Leave It to Psmith, by P.G. Wodehouse


A "Somewhat Lacking" Blurb I Found Online:
A debonair young Englishman, Psmith ("the p is silent, as in phthisis, psychic, and ptarmigan") has quit the fish business, "even though there is money in fish," and decided to support himself by doing anything that he is hired to do by anyone. Wandering in and out of romantic, suspenseful, and invariably hilarious situations, Psmith is in the great Wodehouse tradition.


My Reaction:
This was one of the (if not the) funniest I've read of Wodehouse.  I can't recommended it highly enough!  Laugh-out-loud moments abound, and Psmith is such a charming main character that you can't help but love and root for him.  I was not quite so fond of... let's just call them "the Americans".  Their outdated slang was less of a joy to read, but (as Mr. Cootes would say) "Hey!"-- even they couldn't spoil such a darn good book!

I don't know what more I can write without spoiling any of the "surprises"... Many of the basic plot developments are obvious far in advance of their actually happening in the book-- but they are delivered with such absolute sparkle, and everything fits together just so...  It's impressive, to say the least.

This one ranks right up there with the very best of the Jeeves & Wooster series.  (I had been a little worried that none of Wodehouse's non-Jeeves books could ever measure up to that standard; this gives me new hope.)

(This was-- of course-- another read-aloud with Donald.  It's a definite tradition, at this point.  It probably wouldn't feel right reading Wodehouse on my own.  He's best when shared.)

Men at Arms

Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett

Publisher's Blurb:

Corporal Carrot has been promoted! He's now in charge of the new recruits guarding Ankh-Morpork, Discworld's greatest city, from Barbarian Tribes, Miscellaneous Marauders, unlicensed Thieves, and such. It's a big job, particularly for an adopted dwarf.

But an even bigger job awaits. An ancient document has just revealed that Ankh-Morpork, ruled for decades by Disorganized crime, has a secret sovereign! And his name is Carrot...

And so begins the most awesome epic encounter of all time, or at least all afternoon, in which the fate of a city—indeed of the universe itself!—depends on a young man's courage, an ancient sword's magic, and a three-legged poodle's bladder.

Reaction:
If you've read one of my Pratchett reviews, you've read them all.  Funny, as usual!  (Another read-along with Donald, which explains the complete lack of specific commentary.)

I appreciate Pratchett less for plot and character development than for humor and wit.  (Incidentally, the same goes for P.G. Wodehouse.)