Saturday, September 23, 2006
[Book Review] HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman
Fiction/ Genre: Fantasy
Barbara Wallace reviews HIS DARK MATERIALS, a trilogy by Philip Pullman.
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (Knopf, 1995):
In this first book of the trilogy, meet Lyra Belacqua and her daemon companion Pantalaimon. The world that they inhabit is much like our own...with some fascinating differences. In Lyra's world, for example, every child is born paired for life with an animal companion called a daemon. When a child reaches puberty, her daemon loses its ability to shape-shift and takes a permanent animal form. As an old sailor said once to Lyra, "There's plenty of folk as'd like to have a lion as a daemon and they end up with a poodle."
In the opening scene of the book, Lyra and Pan hide in a cupboard at a "men only" conference to eavesdrop on mysterious news brought by Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel. He describes an expanding tear in the northern skies through which a mysterious substance called Dust is pouring. He also brings news of a partially visible city suspended in the northern lights which he believes is evidence of an alternate universe. Rumors abound concerning child stealers called Gobblers and strange experiments in the North to surgically sever children from the companion daemons.
When Lyra's best friend disappears, she joins a group of gyptians (wandering boat dwellers) bound for the North to rescue their disappeared children. Read this page-turner to find out how Lyra comes into possession of the golden compass, a rare magical device that allows her to read the future and help solve the mysteries of the North.
THE SUBTLE KNIFE (Knopf, 1997):
In Book II of the trilogy, Lyra and Pan meet 12-year-old Will Parry, a boy from our own world, as they all wander through yet another universe called Cittagazze. This world is populated only by children because all adults have been destroyed by the soul-eating Spectors. When children from this world reach puberty, they begin to attract the mysterious Dust and thus the attention of the devouring Spectors. As Lyra and Will move in and out of worlds searching for answers about the nature of Dust and other mysteries, they gain possession of the subtle knife, an instrument that can cut through anything, even into parallel universes.
THE AMBER SPYGLASS (Knopf, 2000):
In the final episode of His Dark Materials, Lyra, Will and the forces of the Republic of Heaven confront the forces of the Kingdom of Heaven (the "Authority") in brutal battle to control all the universes. As the final battle rages, Lyra and Will must walk through the land of the dead and personally witness the impact of the cuts of the subtle knife. The invention of the amber spyglass finally makes Dust visible to humans and answers many questions, including some that concern Lyra and Will's parents.
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Barbara Wallace reviews HIS DARK MATERIALS, a trilogy by Philip Pullman.
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (Knopf, 1995):In this first book of the trilogy, meet Lyra Belacqua and her daemon companion Pantalaimon. The world that they inhabit is much like our own...with some fascinating differences. In Lyra's world, for example, every child is born paired for life with an animal companion called a daemon. When a child reaches puberty, her daemon loses its ability to shape-shift and takes a permanent animal form. As an old sailor said once to Lyra, "There's plenty of folk as'd like to have a lion as a daemon and they end up with a poodle."
In the opening scene of the book, Lyra and Pan hide in a cupboard at a "men only" conference to eavesdrop on mysterious news brought by Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel. He describes an expanding tear in the northern skies through which a mysterious substance called Dust is pouring. He also brings news of a partially visible city suspended in the northern lights which he believes is evidence of an alternate universe. Rumors abound concerning child stealers called Gobblers and strange experiments in the North to surgically sever children from the companion daemons.
When Lyra's best friend disappears, she joins a group of gyptians (wandering boat dwellers) bound for the North to rescue their disappeared children. Read this page-turner to find out how Lyra comes into possession of the golden compass, a rare magical device that allows her to read the future and help solve the mysteries of the North.
THE SUBTLE KNIFE (Knopf, 1997):In Book II of the trilogy, Lyra and Pan meet 12-year-old Will Parry, a boy from our own world, as they all wander through yet another universe called Cittagazze. This world is populated only by children because all adults have been destroyed by the soul-eating Spectors. When children from this world reach puberty, they begin to attract the mysterious Dust and thus the attention of the devouring Spectors. As Lyra and Will move in and out of worlds searching for answers about the nature of Dust and other mysteries, they gain possession of the subtle knife, an instrument that can cut through anything, even into parallel universes.
THE AMBER SPYGLASS (Knopf, 2000):In the final episode of His Dark Materials, Lyra, Will and the forces of the Republic of Heaven confront the forces of the Kingdom of Heaven (the "Authority") in brutal battle to control all the universes. As the final battle rages, Lyra and Will must walk through the land of the dead and personally witness the impact of the cuts of the subtle knife. The invention of the amber spyglass finally makes Dust visible to humans and answers many questions, including some that concern Lyra and Will's parents.
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Labels: Fantasy, Reviews by Barbara Wallace
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
[Book Review] GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY by Mary Monroe
Fiction/ Genre: African-AmericanBarbara Wallace reviews GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY by Mary Monroe (Dafina Books, 2000):
Chubby and unattractive Annette Goode and her mother, Muh' Dear, just barely manage to survive when they are abandoned by Annette’s father. Of course, things weren’t that much better even before he ran off with a white woman. They live a subsistence existence in rural Florida under Jim Crow and depend on cast-off clothes and food smuggled out of the houses of the white families that Annette’s mother cleans for. A shady character, Scary Mary, befriends Muh' Dear and encourages her to move "up North" where things are bound to be easier. They follow Mary to the small city of Richland, Ohio. Muh' Dear manages a little better in Richland, where she takes up with one of her customers, Judge Lawson, who provides them with a house. Family income is supplemented further by the arrival of old Brother Boatwright who pays a little rent for the extra bedroom and takes on the responsibility of "watching" Annette while her mother works.
God Don't Like Ugly is filled with fascinating and well-drawn characters held together by a web of love and secrets. The action really starts when the character Rhoda Nelson is introduced. Rhoda is a beautiful, worldly black "princess" who lives in the neighborhood and transforms Annette's life by befriending her. Rhoda has all the courage and confidence that Annette lacks, but some of the life lessons that Annette learns from her friend she may have wished to skip.
Monroe returns to these characters in a sequel called God Still Don't Like Ugly
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Meet the Author! On Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m., Mary Monroe will be at the Benjamin K. Hooks Central Library (3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111, 2nd Floor-Humanities Reading Area). Call (901) 415-2700 for more information.
Labels: African-American Fiction, Reviews by Barbara Wallace
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
[Book Review] THE DIARY OF MATTIE SPENSER by Sandra Dallas
Fiction/Genre: Westerns; Historical FictionBarbara Wallace reviews THE DIARY OF MATTIE SPENSER by Sandra Dallas (St. Martin's Press, 1997):
Mattie is surprised when Luke Spenser returns to Iowa from his Colorado homestead and proposes to her. Everyone thought that the handsome and accomplished Luke was sweet on Persia and would end up marrying her. But this was not to be--Mattie wore her navy silk suit and the young couple married in a hurry and left for the west. On her departure, Mattie decided to keep a secret diary about her new life. The diary would be her "little friend" in the lonely days ahead without women friends or family. We follow the young couple as they get to know each other, build a sod house, meet their neighbors and form lifelong friendships with some of them, fight Indians, celebrate holidays, and suffer the births and deaths of children. This is a charming, gentle read with the relationship between Mattie and her husband at its heart. But is Mattie the only love in Luke's life?
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Labels: Historical Fiction, Reviews by Barbara Wallace
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
THE LIGHTHOUSE by P.D. James
This selection was recently a Popular Library ("7-day") book. The reviewer wanted to make sure you did not miss this noteworthy title. You can now check it out for 21 days!Barbara Wallace reviews THE LIGHTHOUSE by P.D. James (Knopf, 2005).
I loved reading this beautifully-written British murder mystery set on a private-island refuge off the coast of Cornwall. Reading this book was like taking a lovely little vacation to a fabulous remote spot except for the . . . um . . . murder. With a small contingent of two other detectives, Commander Adam Dagliesh investigates the death of Nathan Oliver, one of England’s most renowned authors. Oliver is a real creep and everyone, including perhaps his own daughter, is glad to have him gone. Nearly all the inhabitants of Combe Island, staff and guests, are found to have plenty of good reasons to want the victim dead. And then of course there is the delight of unraveling all the fascinating connections between the characters. There are lots of other British murder mysteries like this one, but finding a new one is always a treat.
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Labels: Mystery, Reviews by Barbara Wallace
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
THE FALLEN by T. Jefferson Parker
Barbara Wallace reviews THE FALLEN by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow, 2006).San Diego, “America’s finest city,” is the setting for The Fallen. Protagonist Robbie Brownlaw is a young homicide detective who has risen rapidly in the SDPD. He is an odd duck for a couple of reasons. First off, previous to the action in this novel, Brownlaw suffered a head injury in pursuit of a felon when he was tossed from a six-story window. (Humble Brownlaw fears that his amazing survival from the fall has had a lot to do with his rapid rise in the department.) Further, as a result of his fall, he has synesthesia, a neurological condition where one’s senses get mixed up. In his case, he “sees” the voices of others when they speak. Liars leak bright red squares. Blue triangles come out of the mouths of happy speakers. Although his wife Gina knows about his strange ability, he keeps it under his hat at work. Despite the fact that it helps considerably in solving murders, it is a little strange.
Parker is such a clever writer that you go along with almost anything that he contrives. And, aside from these initial outlandish premises, the book proceeds pretty much according to the rules of the police procedural. Brownlaw’s challenge is to find the murderer of Garrett Asplungh, a stand-up guy formerly of the SDPD. After studying the murder scene, Brownlaw and his partner McKenzie Cortez pursue the cast of characters in the sex videotapes discovered by the victim in his work as a city ethics investigator. As the two detectives follow the tragic threads of their victim’s life, the reader starts to root for Brownlaw and Cortez as they struggle to unmask city corruption and find a killer.
Barbara Wallace, Randolph Branch Library
Links:
Book Excerpt
TJeffersonParker.com
T. Jefferson Parker: The Dark Side of the California Dream, Publishers Weekly, Feb 6, 2006: "I defy you to read one of my books and not have some kind of emotional reaction to it, to feel that this matters."
Labels: Mystery, Reviews by Barbara Wallace
