Memphis Reads Archive

The island of Fennbirn bears witness to the birth of a set of triplets every generation. Each sister, all of them queens, has a magical gift that marks her as a worthy candidate for the title of Queen Crowned. In Rolanth, the elemental temple, Mirabella appears to be the most promising candidate with her ability to summon lightning, fire and windstorms...but she cannot escape the persistent dreams of a long-forgotten childhood, nor can she ignore her own reluctance to kill her sisters. In the naturalist city of Wolf Spring, Arsinoe is shadowed by her feelings of inadequacy regarding her late-blooming powers--to the point that she is willing to resort to some less-favorable means to further her chance at victory. And lastly, there is the poisoner city of Indrid Down. Within it resides the powerful Arron family, responsible for grooming Katharine, who is the youngest of the triplets...and also the most physically and emotionally unstable due to her poisoner's gift.

With the festival of Beltane rapidly approaching, all three sisters have nothing to lose and everything to gain from becoming the Queen Crowned. Will Mirabella find a way to overcome both her hesitance the visions plaguing her mind? Can Arsinoe, the underdog, unlock her true potential and become the dark horse of this battle? Fragile Katharine’s support from the Arrons can only go so far--but will it be enough to secure her victory?

As the tagline says, “When kingdom come, there will be one.”

Melissa W., Staff

Science Fiction

Marilyn reviews THE WHITE DRAGON (Dragonriders of Pern #3) by Anne McCaffrey (Ballantine Books, 1978)

Jaxon is a boy on the brink of manhood in a world that is under a great threat. The planet of Pern has been invaded by a creature from space called Thread. In order to fight Thread, dragons are used in this imaginary world created by author Anne McCaffrey. Although the reader meets Jaxon in earlier volumes of the series, The White Dragon chronicles his becoming a leader. Anne McCaffrey also creates a loyal companion for Jaxon in Ruth, the white dragon. As Jaxon grows into manhood his relationship with Ruth deepens into a stronger bond of loyalty for each other.

The White Dragon is the third book in a series of science fiction novels that take place in Pern. I enjoyed the book because it had mystery, romance, and dragons. A reader who has not read the previous two books can easily follow Pern’s politics and benefit from McCaffrey’s use of brief explanations and background information.

Marilyn Umfress, Central Library

The Raven King wraps up the story that began when Blue Sargent saw a boy named Gansey in the death march almost a year before. What's happened since has been a unique and amazing ride of quests for kings, magical forests, dreams, curses, but mostly, some of the most amazing characters I've ever encountered, and simply, brilliant writing!

As with all the other books in the series, it is best to take your time and absorb every word because each one was carefully chosen and there is new meaning to be found with each re-read. And, let's face it, she writes some of the best quotable passages and one-liners around! There is really no way to describe the scope of the story or the strange and magical things that occur within it. It is best just to say that Maggie is a master at what she does.

Linda Wong, Bartlett Library

“Open the pod doors, HAL.”

Arthur C. Clarke is one of the masters of scientific science fiction, and 2001 is a masterpiece of early science fiction. Clarke collaborated with the filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick, and the product was obviously a film and a book, both released in 1968. The movie is landmark because computer graphics were introduced on screen. Without 2001 there would never have been a Star Wars.  The book is landmark because it explores A.I. (artificial intelligence) in the “character” HAL, the computer on board the space craft. As a joke, HAL is one letter off of IBM.

I don't read a lot of Sci-Fi (or any, for that matter), but I enjoyed the book, which I wanted to read before seeing the movie adaptation in theaters right now.  The book is basically a Robinson Crusoe story set on Mars, and it was a very gripping story even if you felt certain that the main character, Mark Watney, was likely going to be saved, as you were still fascinated by his efforts to survive until the rescue could take place.

Weir keeps the book funny and light through Watney's sarcasm and wit as he describes in "mission log" format how he came to be left (for dead) on Mars by his crew mates, and the measures he takes to adapt the resources at his disposal to his new mission of survival and rescue.  The book appeals to contemporary readers through Mark's comments on 1970s television, disco music and 20th century mystery novels, which were left behind on some of the computers by his now departed fellow astronauts.  This device allows for some humorous observations that most readers today would understand and laugh at, and also makes the book appear to be set in a time not too far from our own.

Much of the book is comprised of highly detailed descriptions of the steps Watney takes to modify his surroundings to stay alive for an extended period, including a fascinating description of how he creates usable soil to grow potatoes to increase his food supply.  Again, Watney's humor makes what might otherwise be tedious into a very readable account, and you come to accept the science that he describes as real and plausible.

If I had one criticism, it's that the book follows a somewhat predictable pattern of having say 3 to 4 of Watney's plans go well followed by a stumbling block that might prove to be his undoing, but he engineers another solution to overcome the setback.  However, that's not so much a complaint as an observation.

Overall, I thought The Martian was a great read, and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie for comparison.  And hey, maybe I'll be bold enough to try another Sci-Fi novel or two!

Reader’s Advisory Science Fiction/Fantasy Genre Spotlight

ERAGON by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003)

(Inheritance series, Book 1)

Eragon, a fifteen-year-old poor farm boy living with his uncle and older cousin, stumbles upon a large, beautiful stone in the Spine. When the stone hatches a beautiful baby dragon, Eragon’s life is turned upside down and is forced to flee his hometown with Brom, the town storyteller, who also happens to have an extensive knowledge of dragons and the ancient language of magic. Brom makes it known to Eragon that their world hasn’t seen a dragon rider in a long time until now. Eragon and his beautiful dragon, Saphira, will embark a legendary but dangerous journey into war against the oppressive King Galbatorix. Eragon alone will have to make a choice whether to turn his back on the kingdom and live his own life, or join allied forces against Galbatorix.

Linda reviews STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson (Delacorte Press, 2013)

It’s been ten years since Calamity, a meteor event that caused normal people to develop superhuman abilities. It’s been ten years since David watched Steelheart kill his father with his own gun.  Now 18 years old, David is ready to seek his revenge on Steelheart and wants to join a group of rebels called the Reckoners.  

David has amassed a wealth of knowledge about the Epics over the years and filled several notebooks with what he’s learned.  He knows their names, their abilities, and how they can be defeated.  He’s ranked them according to their invincibility, calling those with no known weakness High Epics. Steelheart is thought to be a High Epic, but David has seen him bleed before and is determined to see him bleed again.  

The characters are fun - smart and quirky – and the witty dialogue moves the plot easily and quickly.  The world building is great.  I would call it a dystopian/comic book mash-up, with lots of action and a nail-biting ending that will leave you wanting the next one to see what happens to these great characters.

Nakia reviews THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson (Greenwillow Books, 2011)

I enjoyed reading The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.  At the beginning of the book the heroine, Princess Elisa, is not your average heroine, and this is why I like her. Princess Elisa is endearing, intriguing, thoughtful and compassionate. But, she is also overweight and lacks confidence and self-esteem. She is a good balance of lovable and flawed. Although this main character is flawed, she is chosen for a great task.  

Princess Elisa is picked over her pretty sister to become the Chosen One.  In this role she must marry a handsome king and she is selected to be the one in her family who possesses special powers and gifts.  She doesn’t know why or how she will make a difference in this role, but a move to a foreign land forces her to be bold and courageous. Through a journey of intense adventures and self-discovery, Princess Elisa transforms right before our very eyes. 

The other characters in the book also have a good balance of strengths and weaknesses.  If you love Fantasy, you will absolutely love the world building and the mystery of the Godstone. 

I loved the ending!  I loved the fact that the ending wasn't all about the King and her affection for him, rather this ending was all about Princess Elisa – her strength and confidence!

Ashley reviews MATCHED by Ally Condie (Dutton Books, 2010)

Dystopian science fiction is huge in young adult literature right now, and Matched sits squarely in the middle of the genre. The first in a planned trilogy sets the scene: main character, high schooler Cassia, goes to her Matching ceremony, where she will be paired with a life mate chosen by the benevolent if distant leaders of her world - the Society. Matches are chosen based on genetics and a lifetime of statistics gathered through Big Brother-like cameras and instruments. Cassia is thrilled to be matched with her best friend, blonde and amiable Xander. However, when Cassia uploads his profile on to her Port at home, a picture of another boy pops up momentarily – Ky Markham, a quiet but intriguing member of her group of friends. Cassia’s curiosity about him grows, as does her attraction. Thus begins the dismantling of the Society’s carefully constructed world of studying, sorting, matching, and watching at the hands of teenagers (another trope of young adult dystopian lit).

Good dystopian novels always have elements that are identifiable in our own world but are tools of control in the book world. The electronic communication elements of Matched were very easy to recognize – tablets for writing, ports (or computers) for communication. The key to Condie’s imagination lies in what the characters do when they believe they aren’t being watched. Inhabitants of Cassia’s world do not know how to write, and can only do it illegally. Cassia grows as a character through secretly learning the alphabet in cursive, which Ky teaches her by writing on the ground with a stick in the few moments they are allowed time alone together in the woods. Some characters are lucky enough to contain Artifacts of a time before the Society – an unusable watch, a powder compact, a compass. The author’s use of artifacts, old poems and a style of writing that is fading out of use indicates that she believes the real soul of humanity is in the things that are becoming replaced by technology and homogeny.

Readers will figure out the ah-ha moments long before Cassia does, which leads to some frustration. The book is paced slowly, unlike its action jammed counterpart The Hunger Games, and lacks all of the delicious sensuality of its even closer sibling Delirium. Regardless, I was pulled into the plot, especially as it relates to two hidden poems that Cassia deliberates and eventually uses to learn to write. I liked that the author used Tennyson and Dylan Thomas to wake Cassia up to the coldness of the world around her. The author said in an interview that she wanted this book to be more about the decisions Cassia comes to through slow contemplation rather than a series of intense action scenes. This is certainly evident in the book and I often wondered if anything would ever actually happen. I wonder how the series will evolve, however, as the end of this book directly points to some possibly heavy action in the upcoming sequel Crossed.

Ashley Roach, Central Library