Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- JK Rowling

Today's review comes courtesy of a returning favorite of Anbaric Lights', the incomparable Book Monster. She's tackled a subject bittersweet in my heart, the final volume of the Harry Potter series. Bitter because it ends the adventures of everyone's favorite teenaged wizard, and sweet because, MAN! What a finish!

When I first finished the Deathly Hallows, I found myself depressed and sad that I would have no more exposure to Harry's world. For those of you feeling likewise, I recommend the movie versions (almost all great, see my review of The Half-Blood Prince here) or the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale.

Warning, plot spoilers are present in this review. Do not read on unless you have read the first six volumes of the series. Now, without further ado, take it away Bookmonster!

-SirReadsalot

Harry Potter Seven is not like all the other Harry Potter books because there are many more deaths and very little of the book takes place at Hogwarts because Harry, Ron, and Hermione must carry on with Dumbledore’s quest to destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes since he has died. Instead of Voldemort trying to take over, he already has gained power and Harry and his friends are trying to take it back. I do not like this book as much as the others in the Harry Potter series because Harry does not go to school and I really liked Hogwarts. I also found the many deaths made the book much more depressing than the others. This book will finally reveal if Snape’s intentions are good or bad. I think that wearing the horcrux, an object carrying part of someone’s soul, while searching for what would destroy it was a very unwise choice of Harry’s. It was clever of J.K. Rowling to create horcruxes because it made the book more than just Harry and his friends attempting to kill Voldemort. The deathly hallows, another great concept of J.K. Rowling’s, led Harry, Ron, and Hermione off track to find the objects that might let someone conquer death and gave them more to do than just hunt for horcruxes. If you like adventure, magic, and are willing to read long books, then this is a book for you. I am very intrigued that the movie is going to be in two parts and hope it will make them more detailed.

A note from Sir Readsalot: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is scheduled to be released in November 0f 2010, with part 2 to follow in July of 2011.

JK Rowling Official Site

Coraline Redux- Harry Selsnick

Just a small one today. I've made no secret of my fawning admiration for the work of Neil Gaiman, and I've even reviewed the film adaptation of his book Coraline on this blog. I thought that today, on a slow news day, I'd do a quick update urging anyone who hasn't to see this film, and for those of you to have, to see this film again. It came out on DVD and Blue Ray on July 21st, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to urge as many people as possible to see this movie.

The DVD comes with four sets of 3D glasses so you, the home viewer, can take in all of the visual magic that Selsnick crams into his narrative. The film has has its scarier moments (the "Other Mother" is admitedly horrifying and evil), but overall the visuals and the story come across as stunning and adventurous, and Coraline is a hero that we can all relate to. If you didn't before, I highly recommend you take the opportunity to check Coraline out, and if you've seen the film, then, take it from someone who already has, it is definitely a worthy addition to the home library. Seriously, gentle reader, Coraline stands alone, not just as a great film adaptation of a great book, but as a great film.

But Did You Read It First?- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Welcome back to "But Did You Read It First?"- Anbaric Lights' quasi-regular (I might have to come up with another prefix that means even less often than quasi as there has been only one previous entry in the series, a review of Coraline from last February) column dealing with film adaptations of children's literature.

Wow, the entire preceding paragraph was one (admittedly parenthetically-enhanced) sentence. The fact that I occasionally get paid to teach tiny people to write boggles the mind. But that is neither her nor there. I'm already two paragraphs into the review and I haven't even mentioned the film yet. I really need to work on my meandering and often disorienting introductions to these reviews...

Before we go any farther, there are some assumptions. I assume that you are familiar with the Harryverse (Harry Potter Universe). I will not go into detail about describing the characters, and mild spoilers from previous entries in the series may be revealed. If you are not familiar with the events leading up to The Half Blood Prince (the sixth book and movie of the series), then you may not want to read any further.

Still with me? Good, let's have at it!

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all return as Harry, Hermione, and Ron respectively. The rest of the cast is also back to in roles of varying sizes. The only new major addition to the series is Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn, the sixth Defense Against the Dark Arts professor the students have had in six years. David Yates (director of the previous installment, The Order of the Phoenix, and the forthcoming two movie adaptation of Book 7, The Deathly Hallows) returns as director.

The story should be relatively familiar with anyone still reading this post at this point. Harry has returned to Hogwarts for another year. Voldemort is back and Harry and Dumbledore are using the pensieve to investigate his childhood and career at Hogwarts. They realize that he has accomplished extraordinarily dark magic, through acts of murder he has divided and stored his soul in an object called a horcrux. Thus, even if the body is destroyed (as Vodermort's was the night he tried to kill Harry as a baby), the soul lives on and one is never really dead. The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows both focus on the attempts of Harry and his allies to locate and destroy these horcruxes. There are seven in all, and it is revealed that Tom Riddle's diary from The Chamber of Secrets was a horcrux. Dumbledore also destroyed one (a ring that once belonged to Voldemort's grandfather), but injured his hand severely in the attempt.

Throughout the film, Harry is using a potions textbook that belongs to "The Half-Blood Prince," and as a result of the wisdom therein, he is rising to the top of his potions class. He even learns a septum severus spell that has unintended and deadly consequences in one scene in the film.

Ron and Hermione become involved in a love triangle with Lavender Brown, and it's refreshing to see that despite the gloom and doom of Voldemort's return, that the characters are still teenagers dealing with the same things that teenagers everywhere, magical or otherwise, deal with. Harry gets a romance of his own when his relationship with Ginny blossoms into something more than just friendship.

Draco Malfoy has been tasked by Voldemort with a deadly serious task. He is shown throughout the movie becoming increasingly drawn and desperate as he tries to maneuver his plan into place. Tom Felton, who hasn't had much to do with Draco in the previous films other than to sneer and serve as an obvious foil to Harry, does a solid job depicting Draco as a boy who may have bit off just a bit more than he can chew.

Throughout the tension and danger that Harry and his friends must deal with (Deatheater attacks! Fenrir Greyback! Curses, Hexes, and poisons!) is nicely balanced with humor (love potions, a eulogy for Aragog, Slughorn's habit of "collecting" promising students), and Yates and company set the stage for the final confrontation with Voldermort in The Deathly Hallows.

SERIOUS SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
DO NOT READ ON UNLESS YOU HAVE EITHER
SEEN THE FILM OR READ THE BOOK

My one main complaint is the film's climax. The battle at Hogwarts depicted in the book is violent, chaotic, and terrifying. Snape's apparent betrayal and murder of Dumbledore hits like a punch in the gut. This scene in the movie occurs as almost an afterthought, and as much as I love Alan Rickman's portrayal of Snape, he seemed to be far to obvious in his role in Dumbledore's death. I know Yates had to cut some of the book down in order to make it movie length (it still runs a good 2.5 hours!), but I do feel that these last scenes were where I felt the missing material most. I hope The Deathly Hallows begins with Dumbledore's Funeral, because that scene is beautiful and heartbreaking, and deserves to be shown.

All in all, it was yet another solid and dependable HP adaptation, and I am very excited to see the conclusion. Part I will be released in 2010, and Part II in 2011.

What did you think of the movie gentle reader(s)?

The 39 Clues Book 2: One False Note- Gordon Korman

I found the first 39 Clues book, The Maze of Bones, to be a pleasant surprise by the end of its opening chapters, and decided to pursue the series further with book 2, One False Note. This book, written by Gordon Korman, picks up immediately after Rick Riordan's Maze of Bones left off. (Apparently each volume of this series will be penned by a different author.)

Dan and Amy Cahill, grandchildren of the recently deceased Grace Cahill, are embroiled in a worldwide scavenger hunt for the "39 Clues." They are competing against other members of the enormous extended Cahill clan, a family that has included some of the most powerful people throughout history. The ultimate prize is not stated, but it is intimated that it includes wealth and power beyond imagining, the power to shape and change the entire world. Suffice to say, all of the competitors are incredibly motivated, cunning, and ruthless. Intrigue, alliances, and double crosses abound.

Mild Maze of Bones plot spoilers are contained in the subsequent paragraph.

Book 1 highlights their relationship with Benjamin Franklin and has Dan and Amy traveling from Boston, to Franklin's old stomping grounds in Philadelphia, to Paris, where Franklin was treated like an 18th century rock star by the adoring French. By the end of Book 1, Dan and Amy have found the first clue and are headed off to Vienna, Austria to investigate the life of yet another one of their famous, distant cousins, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

One False Note opens with Dan, Amy, their au pair (never call her a babysitter within the range of Dan's hearing) Nellie Gomez, and their finicky cat Saladin are on the train from Paris to Vienna. They are trying to stay ahead of their many competitors: The psychotic, quasimilitary family the Holts, former KGB spy Irina Spasky, Natalie and Ian Kabra, rich, brilliant and deadly, Jonah Wizard, teenage hiphop star, actor, and all around megacelebrity, and Allistair Oh, who is down on his luck after making a fortune inventing the microwave burrito.

The Cahills, arrive in Vienna (after a harrowing runin with the Holts on the train) only to find Jonah Wizard, under the auspices of an European press junket for his new TV show, Who Wants to Be a Gangsta?, a step ahead of them. After a thrilling heist in Vienna, they are soon on their way to Salzburg, Mozart's childhood home. Soon after that they are on their way to Venice, one of the stops on Mozart's 1770 European tour.

In Venice they stumble upon the stronghold of the Janus Branch of the Cahills. Notable Janus Cahills throughout history in addition to Mozart have included Walt Disney, Beethoven, Mark Twain, Elvis, Charlie Chaplin, Dr. Seuss, and Snoop Dog. They are the branch of artists, musicians, authors, and other creative people. Jonah Wizard, actor and musician, is a Janus, and it is revealed that his mother is a very high ranking official within their organization. Book 1 introduced us to the Lucian stronghold in Paris. They were the great political and military leaders throughout history. Presumably, later volumes will introduce us to the two other Cahill branches: Tomas, and Eskartina. When you register at the website, you can take a short quiz and determine what branch you belong to. I'm an Eskartina.

After fleeing the Janus compound (suffice to say their infiltration of it does not go unnoticed or appreciated) with vital information from Mozart's sister's diary, Dan and Amy lead a merry boat chase through the canals of Venice before trying to find the next clue. Somehow, they escape the Janus', only to run afoul of Ian and Natalie Kabras. Will Dan and Amy be able to outsmart the two of them in order to find the second clue? I'm sure you have a pretty good idea about the answer, but you'll need to read on to find the answer.

Overall, I found the book to be sufficiently thrilling in its own right (the search for the second clue), but it did little to advance the overall mystery of the series. I guess if there is going to be a book for each clue, then the authors can afford to let the reader in on the bigger secrets veeeeeeery gradually, but it can be a bit frustrating. Who or what are the Madrigals? What's the deal with the Man in Black? Can Mr. McIntyre be trusted? All of these questions are raised in the book, but frustratingly little is revealed. I guess if you really want to know, you'll need to read book 3, The Sword Thief. Although I did not enjoy this book as much as The Maze of Bones, I guess I'm going to have to stick with the series. At least until they find the Eskartina stronghold. What do you think gentle reader(s)? Is the series worth pursuing? Can anyone be expected to commit to 39 books in a series? Let me know in your comments.

The Battle of the Labyrinth- Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth is the fourth book in Rick Riordan's five volume "Percy and the Olympians" series. For those of you unfamiliar with the underlying premise: here's a quick recap: everything from Greek mythology is real. Gods, monsters, demons, and heroes exist both beyond and along the realms of mortal comprehension (Riordan describes them as being obscured by a magical mist). Among these mythological beings there exist "half-bloods," children born of one mortal and one immortal parent. Hercules (son of Zeus and a mortal mother is one famous example) and they are trained for various heroic quests at the appropriately-named "Camp Half Blood."

The series follows the adventures of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon and a mortal mother as he struggles to learn his place in the worlds of the everyday and the mythological. Over time, Mount Olympus has followed the center of western civilization and currently resides on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. In fact, one of the most enjoyable things about the series is seeing how Riordan is able to update various mythological elements for the modern world, and how he is able to explain their presence.

As it turns out, Kronos (leader of the Titans, the original group of Greek gods and father to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus eventually lead an uprising against his father and the other Titans, and cast him forever into the pit of Tartarus.) is reforming and hoping to wage war on the Olympian gods. He is pure evil and driven by his urge for revenge. The mythological world is fast being divided among the two (Titan and Olympian) camps. Percy and his fellow campers (Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, Grover, a satyr, among others) must go an varying quests in order to foil Kronos's plans.

Book 4, The Battle of the Labyrinth, involves Kronos' plot to invade Camp Half Blood by circumventing the magical defenses by sneaking in through the mythical labyrinth of Crete. That's right, that maze, created by Deadelus, home of the Minotaur, still exists and has been evolving and growing in the centuries since its inception centuries ago. It is filled with monsters, dead ends, traps, riddles, and other obstacles designed to kill, bewilder, or entrap all who enter it. There are entrances and exits all over the world, including one within the borders of Camp Half Blood.

The forces of Kronos are lead by Luke Castellan, a half-blood son of Hermes, who has betrayed the Olympians (he hates his father) for the Titan's cause. Percy, Annabeth, Grover and his half-brother Tyson, (a kindly, clever cyclops) must enter the Labyrinth themselves in order to find the workshop of Daedalus. They must reach him before Luke and his forces do, or else the route through the labyrinth and the key to the invasion of Camp Half Blood will be revealed.

Along the way they must deal with Kampe, a monster from the first Titan-Olympian war, the forges of Hephaestus (located beneath Mt. Saint Helens), Janus (the two faced god of doorways, beginnings and endings), the fields of Geryon, the disappearance of Pan, hellhounds, and a burgeoning love triangle in between Percy, Annabeth, and a mortal girl named Rachel who is capable of seeing through the mists and is instrumental to the successful navigation of the labyrinth.

The eventual battle itself is somewhat anticlimactic, once it finally occurs, but that is a minor quibble in this thrilling volume of one of my favorite ongoing series.

Book 5, The Last Olympian, is out now and concludes Percy's saga. I might have to break my paperbacks-only rule and pick up a copy to see how the story ends. Will Kronos finally triumph? If he is defeated (and let's face it, he probably will be), then what will be the cost? Who will survive the final confrontation between the Titans and the Olympians.

"Percy and the Olympians" official site.

Congratulations Anbaric Lights!

July 11th will mark the one year anniversary of Anbaric Light's inaugural post, a review of Book 1 of John Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series, The Ruins of Gorlan. In the months since, we've reviewed 26 different books, 17 by me, and 9 by special guest bloggers.

What began as a grad school project has taken on a life of its own thanks to a small, yet dedicated cadre of faithful readers, commentors, and bloggers. In the months to come I would love to expand the scope of Anbaric Lights, and hopefully attract submissions from a broader circle of readers and writers.

Here are some fun books on my to-be-read shelf that I hope to have reviews for in the coming weeks:

Hope to have a Sea of Monsters (Book 2) review up soon, but I love me some "Percy and the Olympians."

From the author of American Born Chinese.

Book 2, See my review of The Maze of Bones (Book 1) here.

Note to the intrepid reader: I like to wait for the paperbacks, so I'm usually one volume behind in popular series, or a year behind the release of popular titles. If I am reviewing a current hardcover, then it almost certainly came from the library, or was purchased with a gift card.

Thanks to everyone who has visited the site, commented, or submitted blogs over the last year! Keep reading and let's do what we can to continue to spread the word about awesome children's literature!

-Sir Readsalot

P.S.- Let's also try to broaden our scope to include nonfiction, other mediums (especially the graphic novel), and genres beyond adventure, mystery, and fantasy.

The Battle for Skandia- John Flanagan

I know, I know, I started this blog railing against the plague of series books ravaging children's literature in the wake of Harry Potter's success, but if you'll remember I described the "Ranger's Apprentice" series as "a pleasant exception to this dismaying trend." I am enjoying this series immensely, and after reading and thoroughly liking The Burning Bridge (Book 2), and The Icebound Land (Book 3), I turn my attention now to Book 4, The Battle for Skandia.

To recap: The Rangers are a light calvary/ scouting force crucial to the security of the Kingdom of Arulen. They are analogous to our Special Forces today, highly trained in both conventional and unconventional warfare, master tacticians, lightly armed, and incredibly mobile. The series follows the adventures of Will, and his apprenticeship under Master Ranger Halt.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ANY OF THE SERIES AND DO NOT WANT THE PLOTS OF THE FIRST THREE BOOKS REVEALED, THEN YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW.

In books 1 and 2, they work together to foil the plots of renegade warlord Morgarath. Book 3 details what happens to Will and his friend Evanlyn when they are kidnapped by the northern Skandians (clearly analogs for our Vikings, right down to the apocryphal horned helmets) and the efforts of Halt and Will's friend Horace (an apprentice knight) to rescue them.

The Battle For Skandia opens with the rescue of Will and Evanlyn by Halt and Horace. However, the former have already escaped from slavery (see the events of The Icebound Land), and the latter liberate them, not from the Skandians, but from the Temujai.

Skandia, it seems, is in the process of being invaded by a race of people from "the eastern steppes" known as the Temujai. They are lead by a "Shan" and are dedicated to one thing only: conquest. They are formidable warriors, excellent horsemen, and deadly archers. Halt has had a history with them in their younger days, and even he is afraid of their military might. Given his depiction as a fearless and peerless tactician, the reader really gets a sense of menace from Halt's attitudes toward the Temujai. They are clearly inspired by Mongol hordes from history.

In fact, this is one of my favorite things about the series, it indulges in my history nerd what if fantasies. As I've mentioned, the Skandians are clearly Vikings, the Temujai are Mongols, the Arulens (Halt, Will, Horace and Evanlyn) are European knights, although Flanagan clearly betrays his commonwealth biases with Arulen (an island kingdom) being England while Gallica (France) and Tuetlandt (Germany) being described as comically inept.

Arulen and surrounding environs. Look closely: See anything else that looks familiar?

In The Battle for Skandia we have an excellent Vikings vs. Mongols battle with a little bit of the English longbow thrown in for good measure. The Skandians and the escaped Arulens must put their differences aside in a classic "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario. Flannagan has created a relentless and implacable foe for Will and his comrades to face in this thrilling volume.

I'm looking forward to their continued adventures, and if you feel like you can't wait, all titles through Volume 8 have them have been published already in Flanagan's native Australia. You can try to search for them here.

Ranger's Apprentice Website