“The Darkest Minds” by Alexandra Bracken :: The Darkest Minds

Base image courtesy of “From a to z” on Pinterest.

“I had the strangest feeling, like I had lost something without ever really having it in the first place – that I wasn’t what I once was, and wasn’t at all what I was meant to be. The sensation made me feel hollow down to my bones.” – Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken was, unsurprisingly, dark – and in a multitude of ways.

The book begins with the reader completely in the dark. There is little explanation of recent events, enough so that, even 50 pages into the book, I was still uncertain of its purpose, as well as several critical plot points. (For example: “Why are all of the adults so evil?” “What kind of government, or people, would put up with corruption like this?” And, “Who are the ‘good guys’?”)

Outside of this unfortunate vagueness, I actually enjoyed the book quite a bit. The plot, narrated in the voice of Ruby, the main character, is very personal, and, therefore, personally terrifying. The abuse of the unnaturally gifted is realistically portrayed in the lives of the children of a dystopian Earth, where a new virus has caused the majority of its children to die – or morph into something new, something more powerful than any human ever before.

These “Psi” children, in their evolution, have become outcasts from society, and reality as is known to the rest of the world. Sent away to camps where they are tyrannized, abused, and strictly prohibited from regular interaction with their peers, they slowly begin to either corrupt, or revolt.

But never escape. Escape is impossible from a prison world, one that labels you “broken,” “inconvenient,” and “dangerous.” Children band together to fight for normality, and eventually, control. But can such a conclusion ever be obtained?

For dystopian fiction, Bracken’s Darkest Minds is okay. But I would not go so far as to call it anything more than that. The language is very rough; not, I think, deserving the book’s prerequisite rating of readers 12 and older. And there is a notable lack of any redemption. By the end, I was left in a melancholy slump, hoping without success for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

The tunnel stayed dark.

For the older reader, The Darkest Minds is an interesting dystopian read, not in the ranks of Collins’ Hunger Games, per say, but certainly worth checking out of your local library for a quick holiday read.

“The Fellowship of the Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien :: The Lord of the Rings

Photo Credit: Michael Stuckey

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring // Author: J.R.R. Tolkien // Publisher: Mariner Books

“The day came like fire and smoke. Low in the East, there were black bars of cloud like the fumes of a great burning. The rising sun lit them from beneath with flames of murky red…” -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Whispers are heard in the lands of Middle-Earth, traveling on the tongues of the drunken and sober alike. Murmurs of black, hooded not-men that hunt for the prey of their dark Master, with an eye of fire and a grip of shadow. Hushed voices begin to rise, and then shout…

Hobbits are, one could even say by definition, very timid little fellows. Quiet, short, and fat they are, prone towards silence in the midst of argument, and towards gluttony when sufficient food is available. (And with hobbits, sufficient food is rarely unavailable.) There lives are of ease, good food, and friendly conversation. These are not creatures of adventure.

Yet Frodo Baggins, heir of his rich (and queer) cousin Bilbo, has begun to ache for it- a story to live, and not just to hear. Perhaps not even an ache, but a tremor, or a yearning for travel abroad, maybe like that which his cousin took so long ago. Nevertheless, the feeling is there, whatever it be called. And not wholly unwelcome.

At the rise of a dark being in the south, a call is made for retaliation, and a hero is wanted. One of courage, humility, and endurance, who would thwart the enemy with quiet strength before brute force. Small, maybe; the holed-up type. Possibly… a hobbit?

Frodo, bearer of the Ring of Doom,  watches and listens as the whispers turn to roars. Hobbling, riding, and fleeing the Necromancer, Sauron – adventure, long wanted, is now granted him. But can he survive it?

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Ah, wonders. I’ve done it. I’ve read through the first of the (official) Lord of the Rings books. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d gone about it slowly. A page here, a page there, and a paragraph in between. But NO. I went at it full force. There is a wonderful and tremulous ache in my metaphorical belly.

Tolkien’s gift is in his use of words. (Which is an important part of any story. :-)) He uses run-ons, though sometimes too thickly, with finesse- something I aspire to do with my own writing. He created art, and with fiction, (especially fantasy,) doing that is much more a process of complete invention than one of simply re-wording things that have already been said. It is crafting an entire existence, which is what Tolkien did with such exquisite skill as to draw in the freakishly large fandom that he has.

My only critique is that, for those not wildly attentive to every detail and word of elvish spoken in Middle-Earth, it is easy to get lost amongst all of the -adriels, -orns, and –ons. That is to say, in simpler terms- If you are not a geek, it might be hard to track everything. But somehow, I won the geek lottery, and so loved the story. Thick, artful, fantastic. Go check it out.

INTERVIEW :: Wayne Thomas Batson

I interviewed Wayne Thomas Batson! (Author of The Door Within Trilogy, as well as The Berinfell Prophecies.) Here are his replies!

1. What was the first story you EVER wrote? And did it involve dragons, wyverns,
or any fantastical creatures of any kind? The first story I can remember was a Halloween short story for a contest back in the 6th grade. It didn’t have any dragons in it or wyverns, but there were freaky monsters and ghosts. I remember a scene where the main character triggered a trapdoor in one of the haunted house’s bedrooms and went sliding down a chute into a basement full of ghouls. Wish I could find the story. It would be a good laugh. Indeed, it sound fascinating. 🙂

2. As a Christian author, how does God being in your life influence your
writing? God has changed my whole worldview. And God is the creative Genius who fuels my stories. Honestly, I can just be riding down the road and POOF, a fully formed story idea zaps into my mind. Often, I scribble ideas on the back of my church bulletin because something in the sermon or in a praise song triggers a story idea. But then, as I work through the novel, I give a lot of thought to making the characters real, that they are challenged and struggle with things that Christians struggle with–and actually things that all humanity struggles with. I want my readers to be prompted to ask the BIG QUESTIONS of life. And I know that Jesus is the ONLY answer to those questions. Absolutely. The ever-present Sunday school answer (“Jesus!”) is usually the best.

3. It says on the back of your book that you teach Reading and English to
middle-schoolers. A. That is pretty much the bomb. B. Has having students
affected the way you write? Brilliant question. Seriously, my students have inspired my writing to the point where, if I hadn’t been a teacher, I don’t know that I ever would have been an author. I field test all my novels on my students to see if they like it. We have deep literary discussions that ROCK reading class like never before. To quote another author, “Kids are much more intelligent and perceptive than most adults give them credit for being.” And because of that, my students are a HUGE help.
I can’t help but agree: We young do tend to be quite wise…

4. Do you have any particular writing habbit? i.e. Drinking coffee, listening to
classical music, bursting into spontaneous bouts of Yoga? Diet soda for me. Protein Bars. I listen to progressive metal music, the more symphonic and cinematic, the better. It serves two purposes: 1) it’s loud enough that it blots out distractions and 2) it’s epic, which of course, inspires epic stories.
Yep. Whenever I think “Wayne Thomas Batson” my mind always gone straight to “metal music.”

5. What five adjectives best describe you? Mercurial, creative, introspective, fun-loving, and searching.

6. Has anybody ever told you that your Shelfari profile picture makes you look a
bit like an evil mustachioed Count?

Uhm…yeah, I’ve had people say similar things. I admit, it’s kind of a sinister look for me. I was just messing around with my Mac’s photobooth program, and I kinda liked the look. lol
I think I need to get me a Mac.

7. What is your favorite author/book/book series and why? Lord of the Rings. I could write a novel as to why it’s my favorite. In short, it’s an epic adventure that takes you into wondrous land full of interesting people. But there’s also something about the culture in the book that I LONG for, a simpleness of life, getting together with friends for a merry time, all things green and growing…ah, I often wonder if Heaven will be like that. I think the odds are pretty good. 🙂

8. What person has most inspired you in your writing? That’s really hard to say. I had a poetry teacher at a local college. She really helped me to understand the importance of language–even at the word level. Make your words count. Never settle for weak words–that kind of thing.

9. What is your best advice to the young writer/bloggers of this generation? Write. Seriously. If you want to write for a career, then read tons and write tons. Learn from other writers. What do they do to craft a cool story? Pay attention in school. All that grammar stuff…turns out, it really does matter.

10. What is your favorite Bible verse and why? I really don’t have “A” favorite verse. I have tons. But one of the ones I find myself reciting is Romans 8:38-39: ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It reminds me that God’s hold on us cannot be broken by satan, by the troubles of this world, not even by ourselves when we are our own worst enemy–God will not ever let us go. Amen.
Amen.

Mr. Batson, thank you for doing this interview with me. And to all of you who enjoyed the interview, check out Wayne’s blog at http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com

“The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster

Have you ever read a book that just completely blew you away? As in the “over the river, through the woods, and past gramma’s house” kind of away? Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth did that for me. It really was a story that pulled me (along with my soon-to-be-three-year-old brother, Ezra,) in, and I simply couldn’t take my mind off of it. After reading, I constantly felt like I was wearing some sort of “Juster Glasses.” His was of looking at the world, and words, was so unique- I sincerely hope it rubs off on me. 🙂

***

Once there was a very plain child named Milo. He went about each day with a sigh and a shrug, doing what he was told, getting his schoolwork done on time, but not truly thinking and pondering, not really caring what went on around him. Wake up, eat, school, eat, bed. Repeat. But one day, something changed.

Returning home from school, feeling glum and bored with it all, as usual, Milo found something that was absolutely not as usual. A bright blue envelope containing a large, paper tollbooth. With a declaration of nonchalance (“I do hope this is an interesting game, otherwise the afternoon will be so terribly dull.”) Milo dusted off his small electric car and drove through.

To his vast astonishment, Milo suddenly finds himself in a place he has never seen before, a place very unlike home. But this new-found world, lacking it’s fair peacekeepers, Ladies Rhyme and Reason of the Kingdom Wisdom, has fallen into disrepair, and Milo is tasked with rescuing them. On his was, he finds edible speeches, befriends a ticking watchdog named Tock, and learns to see, love, and understand the things around him like he never could before.

***

I smiled the whole time I wrote this review. Is that cheesy? I really don’t care. 😀 The Phantom Tollbooth is as memorable as it is inspiring- equally entertaining. (And all of these in great proportion.) Bravo, Mr. Juster.

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5 of 5 stars

For all ages

“The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp” by Richard Yancey :: Alfred Kropp

This is a story of sacrifice. Mr. Yancey has succeeded in writing a contemporary and highly enjoyable book that A. Doesn’t stink. B. Has Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguars, and a horse. (But man is it an awesome horse.) and C. Has a plot based on the King Arthur.

Can you spell “COOOOOLNESS!!!” (I can. C-O-O-O…)

***

Alfred Kropp is a large (not fat, just big,) 15 year old boy with a lack of purpose in life. His father is gone, his mother died of cancer, and the closest thing he has to family is his middle-aged, money-craving Uncle Farrell- what is there to try for? He doesn’t like football, which his therapist has decided he needs to play. (And he isn’t very good at it either.) He likes reading, listening to rap music, and Amy Pouchard that sits across from him in class. Uncle Farrell says that none of these things will get him anywhere in life. And what Uncle Farrell says goes.

That’s why when he introduces a shady deal concerning a centuries-old sword and one million dollars cash, Alfred goes along. Uncle Farrell is all that’s keeping him out of the foster care system. But the sword turns out to be worth than a million dollars- even, to some, more than a million lives. And that may, when all is said and done, be it’s true price.

Alfred Kropp, boy blunder, fights alongside modern-day knights, members of the agency OIPEP, and plenty of other gun-slinging, sword-swinging figures to boot. But every effort made, even the sacrifice of his life, may not be enough to defeat the unbeatable sword: Excalibur.

***

Whoa. Whoa. Overload of Whoa.

“It was like standing underneath a waterfall and trying to drink it.” -Jonathan Roger’s The Charlatan’s Boy

That was good. It ain’t always this easy to find a book that good. I loved the first person writing, the character’s voice was very original, and the way he said things made me smile. There was only one swear word in the book that I noticed, and it was extremely brief. The dialogue was (I know you know it) brilliant, and the narrative was superb. There was also a focus on angels and heaven that may or may not have been authentic on the author’s part. (The fact that it was hard to tell is what makes me unsure.) Excited for the next!

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5 of 5 stars

12+