The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

The Godborn (Forgotten Realms: The Sundering, Book Two) Paul S Kemp, 2013 New Release! I received an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley for review. Premise: Dungeons and Dragons is coming out with a new edition next year. This series of books (each focused on a different set of characters) take place during the in-world adjustments necessary so that the abilities of the characters in the novels will match the adjustments to the rules of the game. Insert eyeroll here. Okay, remember how I said that the first one of these books wasn’t a good jumping on point? This one is worse. Now, my reaction is probably partially due to the fact that rather than starting with a bit of poorly-remembered background on the characters, I had nothing going into this one. However, these books were not only offered to Netgalley reviewers, they were specially   promoted to them , so it’s Wizards of the Coast’s own PR department’s fault if new readers are reviewing these. This book...

Archer's Goon Diana Wynne Jones, 1984 Premise: Howard's family's life is normal. His dad's a writer, his mom teaches music, he and his sister are in school. One day he comes home to find a Goon in the kitchen, and Howard has to figure out what his dad's arrangement with the town council has to do with all the odd goings-on... This is actually the first book by Diana Wynne Jones I have read, and it was an absolute delight! This has a tone and style reminiscent of my very favorite children's books. The characters are balanced nicely between larger-than-life and sweetly grounded. As more and more of the powers behind the town are revealed, things get complicated and dangerous, but I can't see it being too scary for any but the youngest readers. The style is simply fantastic. Howard's young perspective lends itself to both sly asides on his parents' behavior and matter-of-fact observations on ridiculous events. I think just enough of the supe...

Rendezvous With Rama Arthur C. Clarke, 1973 Hugo Winner - 1974 Premise: First it looked like a spark. Then a comet with an odd trajectory. Once observers realized what the object was, it was almost too late to divert the ship Endeavour to take a closer look. The crew of the Endeavour are in for a truly unique experience. This was delightful. It's one of the ‘hardest’ SF tales to come up in the ranks of the Hugos so far, but Clarke does a brilliant job surrounding the scientific theorizing with human characters and human concerns. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that the object designated Rama is a spaceship: source, destination and purpose unknown. The crew have to figure out how to explore the alien structure thoroughly and quickly, because they are unable to alter its course and they must break away by a certain deadline. The captain also has to balance the reality before his eyes against the sometimes-contradictory orders coming from Earth. W...

60 hikes within 60 miles: Seattle Andrew Weber and Bryce Stevens, 2006 This is a very different sort of review for me, but I've probably read this one book more over the past few months than any other. The premise is just what it says on the front: 60 hikes within a hour or two drive from the city. I wanted a book for suggestions for day hikes to do on the weekend, and this fit the bill beautifully. The front of the book has an easily referenced map of all the hikes and a series of great lists to narrow down your search. For example, if you're looking for a short hike with a waterfall, or maybe a less well-known hike with good bird-watching, or a long hike to an overlook, you can quickly cross-reference the lists to get some options. The actual hike descriptions are clear and thorough. They include information about facilities, parking, height gain, distance, the primary features and difficulty are restated here, and there is both a map and a description of the nota...

The Companions (Forgotten Realms: The Sundering, Book One) R.A. Salvatore, 2013 New Release! I received an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley for review. Premise: Dungeons and Dragons is coming out with a new edition next year. This series of books (each focused on a different set of characters) takes place during the in-world adjustments necessary so that the abilities of the characters in the novels will match the adjustments to the rules of the game. Yes, really. Have you ever read a book starring Drizzt Do'Urden? If the answer is no, then stop right here. Do not pass go. Do not read this book. This is a terrible, horrible jumping on point. It made next to no sense to me for large chunks of the story, and I’ve read and enjoyed books with these characters, in this world. There are some small spoilers in this review, because superfans have already pre-ordered their copy, and people with no knowledge have already clicked to something else. So a few more details f...

Morning Glories, Volume 1: For a Better Future Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, Robin Esquejo, 2011 Premise: Collects issues 1-6. Six teenagers have been accepted into one of the most exclusive prep academies in the country. Morning Glory Academy isn’t an ordinary school, though, and if the new kids want to figure out what’s going on, they’ll have to work fast. First they have to figure out who to trust, if they want to stay alive. I definitely see why Morning Glories made a splash when it first appeared. The first issue throws you into the action, telling you just enough to be creeped out and/or horrified, then introduces the main characters. We get a quick, effective intro to each teenager, then things go south fast when they arrive at Morning Glory Academy. My only problem with this volume is how few answers we get by the end. I like the characters; I like the way they balance between playing into stereotypes and a modern teenage self-conscious self-awareness. The art is wonderf...

Locke & Key: Volume 5: Clockworks Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, 2012 (issues originally 2011) Premise: Sequel to Keys to the Kingdom . All the players take their places as we hurtle towards the final struggle with Dodge. First though, Kinsey and Tyler will discover one more key, and this one will show them the dark history of Keyhouse, the secrets of their father's past and finally, what the Omega Key does and why Dodge wants it so badly... For an arc that is largely exposition, this was extremely gripping. We finally get many the answers that have been teased the whole time: how all the minor characters fit together and the history and origin of the keys of Keyhouse. Now that I have that history, I want to go back and read the whole thing again from the start, because I'm sure I'll catch new wrinkles and more pieces of the mystery will make sense. I loved how well everything fits together, all these seemingly disconnected bits of magic and history and various...