Novels Now

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

Pages: 640 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: (2007,2008 Japan) Sept. 28, 2010 English Trans.
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Is a person’s life … set in stone?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: The publisher’s summary had me very interested plus I liked the idea of reading a small mangas series all in one go.

Dare I say it? I think this is the best manga I have read to date. What a compelling, epic saga that covers many years through flashbacks and skipping forward into the future. When a person dies a white gate opens in which their soul goes through to the other side (which the story does not explore) but on rare occasions a black gate will open and these gates are not satisfied with just one soul, they will try to suck the souls out of the nearby living and often cause mass destruction such as fires to gather as many souls as possible. Just as rare is a certain breed of people who can see these gates the Mitedamashi; they are also the only ones who can close black gates. This is the story of Hijiri, a boy, with a Mitedamashi guardian who grows to learn of his own special powers, his true background and his important role in the future. And I can’t tell you anything else because it’s just too exciting to find it out yourself as you read.

From the copyright dates, and some on-line searching, it looks like the individual volumes of this series were never published in English before, making this all-in-one edition the first English publication of a most awesome trilogy. Most manga series go on for several up to infinity volumes, so it is a real pleasure to sit down and read a series from start to finish, knowing when it ends, that really is the end. This story becomes very deep and without going into any detail it ends up questioning life and death. Do people who fear death so much have a right to put an end to death? If we could stop death, would that be ethical? Would it be good for us as human beings? Would we really want to live forever? When you think about forever do you really take into account how long forever actually is??

A truly brilliant story that had me glued to my seat, kept me turning the pages and had me finishing the book over the course of a day. The characters are all well-developed with pasts and certain things that motivate them to act and behave the way they do. Any character is worthy of being favoured by a reader and I think each will have their fans. Of course I liked Hijiri, the main character. So many people messed around with his life and yet he never stops caring and trusting. He starts off as a troublesome, mouthy little kid and grows to become a worthy leader. I also liked Michizane, a boy whose childhood was emotionally abusive and he is still not treated well, though it is through no fault of his own that he is not liked. He has an attitude to cover himself from being hurt and unfortunately often becomes the victim. But Hijiri befriends him right away (against his will) and eventually Michizine allows himself to care and trust. There are no long drawn out battle scenes, no s*x, no gory violence. What you do get for the Teen rating is the mild swear words (d@mn and h3ll) and after non-graphic kill scenes a spatter of blood or blood on hands, etc.

I can’t help but sound like I’m gushing, as I really did love this book and highly recommend it to fantasy manga fans or those who enjoy stories dealing with souls and death.

Blimpo

Pages: 446
Ages: 10+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Random House
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Virgil’s stomach rumbled like a gastric earthquake, registering somewhere between a 6.7 and 9.4 on the digestive Richter scale.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I read this series for the pure fun of it and for Basye the third time is the charm. Blimpo is the best book yet of this series. As anyone reading the series knows, when we were told at the end of book two that the next volume would be called Blimpo, my eyes lit up knowing we would be returning to the character Virgil from book one. Virgil, who became Milton’s best friend in the first book, is the central figure in this volume earning him the position of hero.

Milton and Marlo are right where we left them at the end of Rapacia. Marlo is her usual opinionated, aggressive self and getting herself in trouble while at the same time finding out things she shouldn’t know; putting herself in a dangerous position when Milton finally comes to rescue her as promised in book 2. Milton is simply trying to keep away from Principal Bubb and hide. His first choice of friends include Jack Kerouac and a blind Viking who can see, both of whom are absolutely hilarious. But when Milton comes upon Blimpo, he puts on a fat suit and goes undercover to rescue Virgil. Little does he know of the nefarious plot going down between the vice principals to become make Blimpo much more powerful in the whole realm of Heck. The fun teachers in Blimpo are King Tantalus, complete with portable pool of water and peach tree, and the chubby Elvis.

The humour level was right where expected, funny and silly, worthy of a smile. This volume does bring back the toilet humour of book one but it isn’t overly done and fits well when used. The storyline is becoming more involved. While each book has its own individual open and shut plot, this book introduces some elements that will be ongoing and adds a deeper, overall story arc to the series. While not exactly ending with a cliff hanger, as foreshadowing is used to let us know where things are headed, the book does end with certain characters in situations that leave the reader anxious for the next volume. The only negative remark I have about Blimpo is the size. At well over 400 pages it is the largest of the series, with the others being 300-odd pages each. I am not a fan of authors who seemingly think that every book in a series needs to get larger and larger until the reader is stuck with unwieldy door stoppers by the end of the series. If Blimpo is larger because of the topic matter, then I see that as an extension of the author’s humour and can appreciate it, but I certainly hope to see the next volume back down to around the size of Book 2 (362 pgs).

Pages: 188 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 13, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Shoshi Kapustin clapped her hands over her ears to shut out the pitying voices.

Reason for Reading: The combination of the time period (1898) and a dragon intrigued me. I read this aloud to my 9yo.

The Kapustins have immigrated to the USA because Papa has been gone for five years and has not answered any of their letters. Escaping the Cossacks and worried they arrive on Ellis Island, find the family restaurant and are told Papa left one day and didn’t come back. The aunt and uncle running the place have turned it into a shambles. On their first night there, aunt and uncle steal their money leaving a note that they have taken it as payment for the restaurant, Mama can have it, they are going south. Mama must figure out a way to make a living off the restaurant but her matzo balls won’t cook properly; they are more like stones. The children are trying to find Papa. The gangster Nick the Stick is making them pay protection money and they are never quite sure if their new friend Mr. Thornswaddle, circus barker extraordinaire, can be trusted. Oh, yes, and by the way they also accidentally brought a baby dragon over with them who doesn’t make the situation any easier.

A fun, story with lots of silly situations going on that are unrealistic. The Russian Jew immigrants bring with them a folk tale sense of the tall tale and much that happens in the story is over the top, creating some laugh out loud moments and just plain silliness. But also, the author manages to set the characters in the real world of a turn of the century Jewish neighbourhood in New York and the reader sees the immigrant experience as well as life for a child in this era of New York. The names of the characters are a lot of fun too, such as Aloysius P. Thornswaddle and Dingle Hinglehoffer and the book works well as a read aloud allowing the teller to put on both Jewish and Irish accents during some of the most fun bits.

The one thing that disappointed me was the dragon; he had no charisma. While not being a main character, he was a constant throughout the plot and he did not have a personality of his own. He was very lightly sketched out but there was nothing to endear him to the reading audience. I think if he’d been given a personality his place would have felt more as one of the main characters and it would have given the story that extra bit of oomph that feels to be lacking.

Pages: 233 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 27, 2010, UK (Jun 28, 2010 CAN)
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

To tell the truth, I don’t think Lizzie would ever have told us her elephant story at all, if Karl had not been called Karl.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: I like the author and would simply read anything he wrote.

This story set during WWII is from a perspective which I don’t read much of, that of the everyday German family. I have read books from the German perspective but usually they are hiding Jews and that would be the focus of the story. An Elephant in the Garden does not really explore the War itself very much, outside of what this middle class pacifist family would know from the propaganda they were fed. Before the war actually starts they have had a heated argument with their closest relatives who have said they never want to see them again as they believe Hitler will be good for the country and our family, living in Dresden think he is a madman. War starts and Papi is called to active duty, sent to fight in France and later in Russia. Mutti has gotten herself a job working at the local zoo which is a walkable distance from their home. With this background, we enter the main theme of the book as the Allies are winning, drawing nearer to the cities, and then Dresden is bombed to a pile of ash. Mutti, Karl and Elizabeth leave the city as many refugees do as they have the Americans coming from one side and the Russians from the other and no one wants to suffer at the hands of the Russians. So they all head towards the Americans, but Mutti feels she must bring Marlene with her, a very sad, grieving baby elephant whose mother died several months ago. Mutti has known her since she was born. Marlene has been living in their garden overnights and has become a part of the family. It is a hard journey for any refugee as they trudge for weeks through the snow, rationing a dwindling supply of food, with the Russians ever present at their back but with an elephant along this brings added elements both bad and good.

This is a delightful story but wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be. It was a very quiet story, with interesting things happening but without any buildup to a big climax; it simply told a fascinating story with a calm approach. From the point of the German family it was a bit strange as the war as a whole was not a topic, only how it affected them: loosing Papi to the army and then the penultimate loss of house and home from the bombings. Hitler is mentioned twice by German characters who vehemently despised everything he stood for. Otherwise this could have been any war and I think there are two ways of understanding this story.

One, from the everyday German civilian’s point of view who suffered as much as any Allied civilian who had his town bombed to smithereens. This reminds us that wars are started by governments not the civilians. Second, the story focuses on the refugee status of the family, the long journey to safety, and upon safety being labeled “displaced persons” and put into a fenced-in camp. This compares to the modern day war refugees we see on TV today who have been driven from their homes and shows that refugeeism is a fall-out from war itself and has happened in every war to both sides, throughout history.

A good read. Marlene the elephant adds humour and quirkiness to the story, she also brings people together who would not otherwise have spoken to each other. But yet, with all that goes on, it is still a quiet book that goes at a steady pace and lingers.

Pages: 377
Ages: 12+
First Published: Aug. 16, 2010 CAN (Sept. 1 USA)
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

This is how we got Zan.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.

Reason for Reading: Oppel is my favourite YA author and I read every new book he publishes.

This book is something completely different from Oppel’s usual fare and I must admit I was a little leery going in, hoping this wasn’t going to end up being a platform for animal rights. I need not have worried; Oppel is an accomplished writer and a reader can be confident that he is going to produce a well-crafted novel that will keep one glued to one’s seat.

I read this book in one sitting, I was that taken with it. It’s a far cry from my usual reading fare as well and I found it fascinating. Ben’s father is a scientist and his mother also, though she is still writing her PhD dissertation. The father has a Project where he is to bring a baby chimp into the household and along with a staff of his students raise the chimp as a human, all the while seeing if they can teach the chimp, Zan, to learn American Sign Language and fully communicate with them. At first Ben’s not so crazy about Zan, after all they had to move from Toronto to B.C. for his father to work at this new University, but it doesn’t take long until Ben and Zan are bosom buddies and more than that, brothers in a real sense.

But the Project isn’t proceeding fast enough, they are denied the big grant they expected, the University wants more results and soon Ben is fighting for Zan’s place in their family and he must risk it all to save Zan from a future worse than death.

An incredibly intriguing story. The characters themselves add such tension to the story, the family dynamics shape the conflicts. The dad is stoically scientific, even towards his own son, emotions are not one of his good points, though we pick up clues as to what shaped this man. The mother, though also scientific, is naturally maternal, has a great relationship with her son, and her maternalism flows over to baby Zan. Ben, is thirteen when the story starts and has a whole other side story going on about school, friends and girls (especially). This is also a coming-of-age story for him and there is one particularly interesting thing about his and Zan’s development. Zan obviously becomes humanized, mimics the humans and considers himself human but we also see in some ways that Zan’s natural chimp behaviour is brushing off on Ben, who has been reading a lot about chimps since Zan’s arrival. While Ben plays Alpha-male at school to win friends, popularity and girls, it isn’t until an instant when he becomes furiously angry with his father that we see Ben turn chimp.

This story is full of humorous escapades created by Zan and others’ reactions to him. But this is also a serious story that deals with the ethical treatment of animals. Right from the beginning of the book there are a couple of hints that the story is not taking place in the here and now and eventually we learn that Zan’s story is taking place some 30 years in the past. This opens up a world of science that did not have the same ethics as we do today when it comes to using animals in experiments. Oppel does not go all “activist” on us but instead introduces the reader to various practices going on at the time and the scientific reasoning behind the ethics of such experimentation. Then he shows the various types and forms of protest to this treatment and with that goes further to say it was not all in the name of science (make-up testing for example).

A well-written, gripping, thought-provoking story, possibly Oppel’s greatest book to date. This story may well have some of it’s targeted readers looking into animal related careers where they will have a voice in ensuring the ongoing ethical treatment of animals. Myself, after reading this, I feel like sitting down and watching the movie “Gorillas in the Mist” again.

Pages: 268
Ages: 12+
First Published: July 1, 2010
Publisher: Graphix
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re having a little engine trouble.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I’m always intrigued by stories that take place in the “afterlife”.

Frank Gallows is a ghost wrangler. He hunts down ghosts who’ve escaped the afterlife and sends them back but after 30 years on the job he’s losing his touch, bored and plain grumpy with life. Sent to track down a night mare, the skeletal horse is on the run. As she goes through a wall, Frank shackles her and hit’s the send button. Problem: on the other side of the wall the skeletal mare had en-caged a human boy, Garth, and he ends up in the afterlife with her. As headquarters sets up a team to rescue him, Frank and his ex-girlfriend, a ghost, go after him themselves. They find Ghostopolis, the city centre of the afterlife, greatly changed and dominated by Vaugner, an evil, powerful human-type being. Garth, Frank and Claire must find a way back to the mortal world and since Vaugner is trying to stop them at every turn they must first stop him.

I found the story a little hard to get into as it starts right away with the action and it takes a bit to figure out what is going on. Plus the artwork was a little startling, the artist’s depiction of people are on the ugly side of ugly. Once the plot became clearer, I started to enjoy the book and once the artist had the opportunity to add action scenes with non-human characters to the illustrations, I became more comfortable with the style and even enjoyed it by book’s end.

The story has several layers to it: a grown man with the behaviour of a child learns to grow up on the inside, a man who can’t express his love outwardly makes the ultimate sacrifice to earn the love he craved and power and the begetting of power for power’s sake can only lead to evil in the end, to name a few. Then there is the basic plot which is both exciting and fun. The book is quite dark though, death being the main theme here; my 10yo certainly couldn’t handle it. Along the way Garth and company meet killer insects, skeletal armies, zombies, mummies and some other very strange characters. There is humour added to lighten up the darkness mostly in the form of sarcasm and wit, though there is some outright grossness to make you laugh (or cringe) too such as the delicacy of tarantula on a stick and an ancient fortune telling wolf who is blind and tells the future through smells and happens to “toot”.

At well over 200 pages there is a lot of story and characterization to be found in this simple story of good vs. evil and redemption for those who seek it.

Pages: 81 pages
Ages: 7+
First Published: Sept. 14, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“Hello, Gollie,” said Bink.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.

Reason for Reading: I’m a fan of Kate DiCamillo.

An adorable book suitable for children who are reading on their own but still want pictures and may find a page full of text daunting. While not to be confused as an easy reader (for ex. “Perhaps a compromise is in order. “), this beginning 3 chapters book could easily be called a picture book as well. Each page is fabulously illustrated and contains small blocks of text which will appeal to children of a wide age range.

This book contains three episodes in the life of Bink & Gollie, roller skating “marvelous companions” who live in separate tree houses of the same tree. Bink & Gollie each have their own distinct, unique personality and that is what makes this book so much fun. The dynamics between the two, the repartee, the differences in personality and the obvious closeness as friends make these girls two very special characters in the literary world. Mr. Fucile’s illustrations capture the essence of Bink & Gollie and it is the combination of writing and illustrating that makes this duo so captivating. I was taken with them right away.

The first story introduces a pair of “outrageous” socks, the second an expedition to the Andes mountains and the third the purchase of a goldfish. While each is an individual story, the theme (and importance) of the socks is carried through the book unobtrusively in the illustrations. Now that the Mercy Watson series is finished I think that fans will be very happy to turn their attentions to Bink & Gollie, the first in what I’ve heard (no evidence yet) will prove to be a series.

Pages: 169
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 29 2010 CAN (Oct.1 2010 US)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Grace double-checked her gear: flashlight, matches, pocket-knife, caving rope, rock hammer, and gloves — all there.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the author.

Reason for Reading: I liked the whole caves/fossil hunting angle of the mystery.

Grace’s father died a mysterious death three months ago, her mother is taking it very hard, and last but not least her creepy neighbour appears to be watching Grace’s every motion. So Grace spends most of her time with 3 friends fossil hunting (an activity her father was passionate about) out by the caves near abandoned mines and sinkholes. Grace soon turns her friends into detectives when she receives an anonymous note saying her father’s death was not an accident and as they begin investigating what really happened to her father the truth of what is actually going on at the Sydney Mines is unraveled and they are met with life threatening danger from both the land itself and devious criminals out to stop them.

I didn’t particularly like the dynamics of the young teens. Grace was very much the boss and two others kept bickering constantly. Grace is the only character fully developed and came off, to me, as a girl who was disrespectful to her mother, constantly lied and disobeyed. The other three were her followers and simply snuck out of their houses whenever the case called for it. However, the four children do grow throughout the story and eventually work out their character issues by stories end.

Character mores and manners aside, I became immersed in the mystery and Ms. Yhard surprised me at every turn by making the plot more and more intricate as it went along. The friends start off looking for any clues that can help tell what really happened to Grace’s father and end up finding a much bigger illegal operation, as well as being stalked and chased by someone. On top of that, they are searching on treacherous land where sinkholes can appear at any minute and cave-ins could happen at any time. The mystery is very well-written, fast paced and exciting. The fossil theme is also given great attention as everything relates back to either Grace’s father or the Fossil Museum he started. I found the topic very interesting and have a couple of destinations in mind now if I ever make it out to Nova Scotia for a trip. Kids’ looking for a straightforward mystery without all the spooky nonsense prevalent in so many children’s books will be happy to find here an intricate mystery, full of excitement, set in the real world.

Pages: 32 pages
Ages: 5+
First Published: Aug. 10, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Summer days were mowing days in Colchester, Ontario.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Tundra Books.

Reason for Reading: Taking my turn before handing it over for a bedtime read to my son, who is very much into inventors right now.

Lovely little first biography for picture book age children or older struggling readers who still like their books filled with illustrations. Of course, Elijah’s life is told briefly and rapidly but it manages to hit upon all the major events of his life leading up to the invention of his oil cup which revolutionized steam travel. Not only do we get the facts of this young man’s life, we also get insight into the era and the treatment of Blacks in the US and child labour in general. Canadian born Elijah, educated in Scotland, returned to his family now living back in the US, first meets up with a white man’s disdain and ignorance as he tries to get a job designing train engines and ends up being an ashcat, the person who feeds the coal into the engine. Along with him is a small white boy, his “grease monkey” who keeps all the parts well oiled climbing under and over the engine in a dangerous job. These injustices though are what keep Elijah up at nights trying to figure out a way to fix the steam engine that causes their job to be so dangerous and tiresome, and for train travel to be so slow.

The writing is age appropriate and interesting and doesn’t talk down to its audience giving a good clear picture of the process an engineer and inventor must go through. Slavin’s illustrations are wonderful old-style paintings that fit the text perfectly. The story goes on to end with a small page telling where the phrase “the real McCoy” came from and how Elijah had a life filled with engine inventions and even some inventions that had nothing to do with engines, such as a portable ironing board. Young children will enjoy Elijah’s story and older ones may be inspired to finding out more about him.

Pages: 337 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug. 10, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

A sobbing man huddles on a narrow ledge, clawing at his eyes to shield them for the horror far below.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I want to say The Body at the Tower is even better than book 1 but I think that’s because I’ve just finished reading it. The follow up to A Spy in the House is just as amazingly brilliant as its predecessor. A fast-paced, read-into-the-night Victorian mystery.

Mary Quinn has been sent on assignment this time to go undercover as a young boy. Chopping her hair off and binding her chest tightly her petite half Chinese frame allows her to pull this off without a hitch. She is sent to the construction site of St. Stephen’s Clock Tower which holds the bell, Big Ben. A construction worker has just been found dead at the bottom of the tower, having supposedly either fallen or jumped. Mary’s assignment is to infiltrate the construction crew and pick up any insider information on the man’s death and also to look into the state of affairs concerning the construction management itself.

Lee’s depiction of Victorian times is authentic and never loses its credibility. As I’ve said previously, Ms. Lee has managed to pick the perfect profession for her heroine to move about within the confines of this rigid society. As a spy, her disguises allow her to cross class lines and present as a bold, outspoken woman in private. This time around disguised as a boy, there are no boundaries to “Mark’s” world. As Mark, Mary has access to a construction site, pubs, the streets at night, and plenty of places a woman of any respectability, no matter how small, would never deem to go.

The mystery is an intricate plot with several different tracks being followed. People of bad character are easy to find but it doesn’t necessarily make them the villains in these particular circumstances. Lee keeps the reader guessing by adding more to the plot with each reveal. Mary also has the added burden of running into James again and their relationship takes many turns.

The recommended age of these books are 12+ but I would suggest a little older as even though they are perfectly clean they speak of adult topics. This one mentions rape, prostitution, men who like little boys and other unsavory topics. Also since the protagonist is 18 years old I find no reason that this would not be enjoyed by adult readers of cozy historical mysteries. The publishers may even want to consider marketing “adult version” covers of the series. I’m anxiously awaiting book 3 but I am a tad worried that this is supposed to be a trilogy. I really hope Ms. Lee reconsiders and continues on with the adventures of Mary Quinn.

Pages: 314 pages
Ages: 12+
First Published: May 3, 2010 Canada (Sept. 14, 2010 USA)
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The boy hadn’t always been yellow.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series. I’m a fan of the author’s and I read every new book he publishes.

Modo and Octavia’s assignment is to investigate certain co-ordinates where something referred to as big fish has been sinking fishing boats and any ships that enter that water near Iceland. Modo and Octavia are separated and ‘tavia does not play a large role in this story. Instead Modo finds himself kidnapped along with a French spy who has been working the same case for her government. Modo and Colette spend this adventure together which takes them underwater to a strange life aboard their world’s first submarine; they are taken to the ideological, socialist, utopia the captain is building and protecting. But they have been infiltrated and it isn’t long before the Clockwork Guild shows up in the form of Miss Hakkandottir.

I loved this book, even more than the first one I think! Taking to the underwater world is exciting and creates a unique setting compared to book one. One thing I really like that Slade has done here is rather than populate book two with all the characters he has already established, he’s chosen a few to be the heroes and villain, given the others smaller parts or mere mentions, while allowing a few new characters to make a fresh story. I find this way of writing a series keeps it vibrant and original. Modo’s relationship with Colette was intriguing and very different than his with Octavia. Colette, being French, is more forward with Modo and he experiences some new dynamics with a woman. I loved Colette, she is a fiery character who charges every page she is on. While Octavia is not as central a figure this time around she still has enough time in the story to satisfy fans and she also goes through some emotional experiences that the reader at least can tell have affected her feelings for Modo.

The plot itself is non-stop action with an ever present disturbing atmosphere. The new villain is a creepy presence and Miss Hakkandottir is her glorious cruel and ego-centric self. A great entry in The Hunchback Assignments brings another dark, atmospheric story that starts in an alternate London but travels to America, Iceland and down into the oceanic dark deeps.

Pages: 410
Ages: 14+
First Published: May 21, 2010 (UK, Can) Aug. 1, 2010 USA
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

The executioner swung his axe - thwack! - and another head went rolling into the dust.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: I’m a big fan of the author’s. I was also very excited about this being his first standalone book.

The world of Makhras is made up of many different towns, empires, territories, etc. and each of these is peopled by it’s own unique society with their own traditions, religions, ways of life and behaviour. Mainly they keep to themselves except for trading and capturing each other as slaves, at least those who keep slaves. Jebel Rum is the runt in his family and when his father, the very respected town executioner announces that he will be retiring after a 30 year career, he only mentions Jebel’s two older brother’s as hopefully succeeding him in the contest that will be thrown to find the new executioner one year from that day. Jebel is fraught with shame, he has been dishonoured in his warrior society. With nothing left to loose he seeks a quest to a dangerous god’s lair faraway where it is promised he can receive invincibility if he makes it there only by land and brings a slave to offer to the god as a sacrifice. Then he would return and win the contest or at least die with honour on the quest.

I’m going to start right off by saying this is very different than anything Shan has written before and unfortunately it didn’t quite win me over. There were times I was very into the story, which I think just had much more potential than where Shan went with it. Other times, the story came over as very heavy-handed. The second main character, the slave, is a religious, non-violent person who explains all the different cultures they meet as they journey on and while he dare not say anyone is less equal than another in his one God’s eyes he would stand by and let an aggressor tear him to pieces or take his friends and neighbours away as slaves rather than break any rule of his religion by defending himself. I had a hard time knowing, at times, if Shan was writing this character as an ideal or was using him as the extreme opposite example to Jebel and his people, which I’m sure, I think, was supposed to be the point. Heavy-handed with the morals as he was, he just wasn’t the likable character to me that he should have been. Jebel starts off as an nasty piece of work, who thinks slaves are not human and possibly less worthless than animals. When meeting the other cultures, he quickly decides they are contemptible, stupid or crazy because of what they deem important compared to his own clan.

It is these two strange characters who embark on the hellish journey of Jebel’s quest which is full of dark dangers, terrible creatures and death-inducing terrain. Certainly an interesting story that kept me reading. Plenty of action, violence and creepiness. The plot could be simply broken down to the basic fantasy quest but covered up by adding dark elements such as an executioner, cannibals, rocks that digest people and a colony of people who live with and depend upon vampire bats, to name a few. Not Shan’s best work but worth a read by fans, at the least.