The Angel's Cut - Elizabeth Knox

I was rather dubious about reading this offering seeing as it is the sequel of a book I consider one of the best I've ever read, and sequels can be notoriously disappointing.

I had actually planned to re-read The Vintner's Luck first but decided against it as I wanted to not have the reading of this tale to be altered in any way by my opinion of another book - which is an awesome book by the way and 'read it' is my highly professional opinion.

So we pick up about 100 years after we first meet the angel Xas in The Vintner's Luck and he is still quite shaken over the death of his lover and determined to live in the air to try to fill the hole in his heart and also the absence of his other love, his wings, which naughty Lucifer [spoiler alert] cut off in the first book.

With the advent of flying machines in the early 1900's Xas finds himself more able to indulge in his desire to live high above the earth and we follow his adventures from a German zeppellin scout during World War 1 to an acrobatic dare-devil in 1920's France to the budding Hollywood scene in Los Angeles in the 1930's and beyond.  But the actual adventures aren't as important as the character interactions.

Xas befriends a pioneering black woman pilot, also a heavily scarred film editor, and begins an affair with a young and upcoming movie director.  The peripheral characters play a huge role as well onto the lives of our main protaganists, most important would be a couple of brothers in the film industry, Lucifer the almighty angel, and none other than God, who never utters a word but his presence is strongly felt nonetheless.

Yes, this book tells a tale of certain characters but their story is really just background noise to what Xas is finding out about himself and the humans he cares for and the human emotions he fights hard to feel.  The dialogue between Xas and Lucifer dotter the book sporadically but I felt their weight was the true binding that held this story together.

It isn't as deep a story as The Vintner's Luck and indeed, you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy and understand this second offering, but although I enjoyed the book I couldn't help but thinking that something was missing from the story, something perhaps that a third book may contain but that is just pure supposition on my part.

Even though I enjoyed the book, I'm really not sure wether to recommend it or not.  If you are open to homosexuality and discussions about the creation and heaven and earth in a biblical sense then you would find this book okay but I am sure there are a group of people out there that would be offended by the ideas here.  I know a few who were quite upset by The Vintner's Luck which I found such a good read so I am not one to presume to understand to whom this book would appeal.

I think that the slightly unusual and controversial will appeal to a few and you know who you are so give it a go.  Also, if you're already a fan of Elizabeth Knox then it may be worth a look (I go hot and cold on her - Vintner's Luck is one of my favourite books and Billie's Kiss is one of the worst books I've ever read so I go all schizophrenic on this one at times).

A good thing to point out is that this book is a stand-alone novel in that you don't have to have read The Vintner's Luck to understand or enjoy the story.  And kiwi writers are always good to support so there is definitely that.  I'd love to be a kiwi writer someday and local support would mean the world to me.  At the end of the day, read it if you've got the time, but not because it will change your life.  Who knows, maybe the third one is the charm... although I suspect the first book was the life changing story and is just too hard to beat about now.

New Moon - The Film

Okay, so I said I'd take Little Miss 13 (the twilight addicted daughter) to this movie and off we went.

It's interesting as I find myself in two minds here.  First of all, the base material, ie. the book 'New Moon', is the worst  and most boring book of the series.  Possibly because it drags through the middle there with tales of Bella the Dull and her 'aching hurting I'm missing my boyfriend' heart.  Thankfully they condense this in the film and I still maintain that the author needs a strong talking to for subjecting us to so many pages of Bella's emotional failings.

We then have the Jacob character getting more air time as he develops in the series, and also into a wolfman.  This bit I was really looking forward to as I thought the scope for wolfy transformations would be at the top of a CGI's wishlist.  Not so apparently.  The wolves are alright, but not nearly as big and menacing as the book made them out to be, and there just isn't enough of them in the movie.

Now, I realise that this could be quite true to the book but the problem is that apart from the great Italian Vampire Mafia scenes at the end of the film, the action is few and far between and hence why I go hot and cold on the film.  It really didn't live up to its true potential but as far as teen movies go, it is definitely watchable and especially handy if you're planning on seeing the next two movies as the filler in of gaps.

Of note is the very talented Dakota Fanning (see picture above) who plays one of the mafia's evil henchmen, the notoriously powerful Jane.  She is feared for her ability to inflict pain on someone with her thoughts and she brings this character to life superbly.

Other than that?  S'all right.  Like I say, see it to fill in the gaps (and avoid reading the book version), so you're up with the play when movie 3 comes out - if you want to be up with the play that is.

I will be because I was tricked into reading the first book, and like my younger sister I then just had to finish the series because I don't ever leave books unfinished (even if I don't like them - must be a family thing..), and of course I have two daughters who insist on dragging me to the films because they seem to enjoy discussing this kind of thing with me.  The three of us are reading more of the same books and then watching the film adaptions and it's actually kinda cool.

To conclude, I have no idea if you should watch this film or not.  Definitely yes if you intend to see the whole series through (and seeing as the first 2 films have been quite faithful to the books this bodes well for the future as the last two book are miles superior).  If you're just curious then you may well end up slightly disappointed as I don't believe it lives up to the hype but you are fully warned.

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

I finished this book a few days ago but it has taken me this long to form my thoughts into a review worthy of such a brilliant book.  I'm not really sure I'll do it justice so I may just begin by pasting a brief synopsis from the author's own webpage:

"Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard."

I mean, how cool does that sound??  And the best bit is that it really is every bit as good as you want it to be.

Right, so the first few pages leaves you a bit confused as to what is going on.  There is a tavern and an inn-keeper, his assistant and his regulars, and there are stories told around evening drinks of things that go bump in the night and heroes and villains.  A regular saturday night at the pub in smallville you could say.

Then we shift to a travelling storyteller and his run in with some highway thugs and then some unkown and truly demonic creature.  Our two main characters meet in these strained circumstances and we learn that the storyteller is almost as famous as the inn-keeper once was and it is his story that the storyteller has come to find.

Okay, now that that is established we hear from Kvothe's own voice the tale of his life, interrupted every now and then by what is still going on in the real world of smallville, and his tale is pure genius, utterly riveting and such a refreshingly new take on the whole wizards and magic theme which has been so popular recently.

It has been said that this book should stand alongside The Lord of the Rings as an equal and I thoroughly agree.  It is miles better than the Harry Potter series and on a par, if not better, than The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Johnathon Stroud.  The one bad thing I can say about this book is that Mr Rothfuss hasn't finished writing the next book yet and I just know it will be a hard wait for me as this book only covers Kvothe's life story up until the age of 16.

Kvothe is a fantastic character, hero and anti-hero all rolled into one at times, and a pure joy to read about.  This book is one of those novels that you really don't want to put down, especially the second half which just gets completely fascinating as he enters the University and begins to study magic and beyond.


What more is there to say?  I think this guy is an amazing writer who is in the middle of a series of books which will be a future cult classic.  When I think magic and wizards I always think of the fantasy genre which is something I haven't really read much of before, but if the rest of the top books in that genre are anything like this one then I may be the newest convert.

I won't give the plot away because I really do think it is worth reading for yourself.  And besides, we've only heard so little of his life and there is plenty more of the tale still to tell so I really couldn't tell you the true plot anyway.  This book covers roughly about three days real-time of these guys sitting around and telling, listening, or writing down this story and that in itself is quite a unique way to present any tale.

I just can't recommend this book enough.  Grab a copy and enjoy!

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Here's one of those novels that you constantly hear about but never really get round to reading for yourself except I finally did thanks to a cheap $3 copy found at the local hospice shop recently.  I know it is required reading in many schools but my schools weren't part of the required ones it would seem

After all the hype I was surprised to find that's it's written more like a children's novel.  Very simple, easy to follow dialogue and quite short.  It is a novella really which explains the length but I expected a more sophisticated style from this Nobel prize-winning author.

Not to say that this lessens the impact of the book, not at all.  The themes come through very strongly even with such a simple delivery: Independence, Loneliness, Companionship, Powerlessness and Fate.  Some fairly hefty topics for any book to tackle and Steinbeck does a great job of exploring them here.

It is essentially the tale of two travelling workers in the Great Depression era who find themselves moving from ranch to ranch for work to escape the trouble that inevitably finds them. George is the smaller of the pair but quick-witted and kind-hearted.  Lennie is a giant in comparison but mentally like a child and relies on George for many things.  Lennie gets frightened easily by situations he doesn't understand and holds on tight to the closest thing when scared which causes all sorts of problems, the last one being a rape allegation that they are running from as Lennie couldn't let go of a girl's dress once she started yelling at him.  He has a liking for soft things and a special fondness for animals, especially rabbits, but he doesn't seem to be able to control his own strength.

It seems to me that looking after Lennie is a major part of what keeps George going day-to-day.  He enjoys the role of protector and genuinely likes Lennie, despite his slow wits.  Together they have a dream of saving up enough money to buy a wee property of their own and live off the fat of the land, growing or raising everything they need.  It turns out that this dream is more often thought of among the ranch hands then they realised, as they discover when a couple of others ask if they could join them in their dream.  Ranch hands are such lonely nomadic people and to settle down with a good group and have something to call your own would be like winning the lottery back then.

Should I give away the end of the story?  It's only 112 pages so I think you should give it a read for yourself but I will say that I was initially a bit miffed that it ends so abruptly.  But since then I have been pondering over what I think happens to the characters next and I'd imagine that is the way that Steinbeck wanted his audience to remember the book.

I did a bit of research and discovered that Steinbeck was a ranch hand at one point and he did come across a mentally handicapped rancher on whom Lennie is based on.  The real life Lennie had a very different ending to the fictional counterpart but it seemed to make me understand the way the book was written a bit more.

It is a novel that will make you think for quite a while afterwards and for that fact alone I recommend it.  I would also give a nudge to your kids as well as it also has a fair dollop of compassion thrown into a couple of the characters and it's always a good thing to teach our kids.

New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Okay, so I wrote here about how I kind of got trapped into reading the first book of the Twilight Saga.  And, as annoying as I thought the first book was I also must give the author credit because I did get hooked and then I just had to read the other ones.  Probably a really good skill to have if you're into writing and selling..

Right, so New Moon sees us catching up with the young odd couple of Bella the whiny irritating human and Edward the sensible and handsome vampire.  Edward has somewhat of an epiphany when he realises that he is constantly exposing Bella to dangerous vampire habits and makes the big decision to walk away and leave her forever.  Does she kill herself in misery?  No, damn it.  At least if she'd put herself in a coma we would have been saved this particular offering of the story which is so full of this huge hole in Bella's chest which stops her breathing that I was surprised my nauseated stomach handled it so well.  This character is way too melodramatic fo a normal human and I still just want to slap her!

At least Edward suddenly seems normal and rational to me and I'm liking him more and more for leaving her.  But he doesn't come back and so we are left with her Quileute mate Jacob helping her over the 'hole' and emptiness while laying down the foundations for his fortuitous attempt at stealing her heart.  Oh dear.

The writing style is a lot more grown-up than the first book thankfully but the first half of the book is just a million different ways to describe the ache in Bella's chest and it is way too many times.  Finally we get some action as Jacob turns into a werewolf creature and joins a new pack of brothers, and Alice returns with visions of sugar plums in her head, or maybe of Edward trying to kill himself by dancing with death and some mafia style vampires... Yep, the ending is actually pretty good in this one and all through the last part of the book I was thinking to myself, this would make one hell of a movie and I think it probably did - am planning on seeing it next week and will let you all know.

Moving on to Eclipse and we see the odd love-struck couple going through the motions of Bella finishing high school and choosing colleges which is the cover story for when the time comes to change her into a vampire.  Again the first half of the book is taken up with these silly little worries, we also have Bella's father being really surly with Edward (whom he no longer trusts after the last book), and then there is Jacob playing as many guilt trips on poor Bella as he can squeeze into any given week - to try to make her understand how much he loves her and how she should really be with him and not Edward.

And so it happens.  Because of Jacob being a douche-bag I am finally warming up to the silliness that is Bella's character.  Wonders will never cease.

Once more, most of the action is in the second part of this book but what I really enjoyed more was the back stories of some of the other characters, in particular Rosalie and Jaspar.  Exploring why these characters behave they way they do adds another dimension to this previously light tale and I appreciate any nods to a more adult approach to writing.

But to the ending, we have the female vixen vamp from book one who is seeking revenge for her partner's rather violent death at the hands of the Cullen family.  She has amassed an army and they move on the sleepy town of Forks.  The vampy mafia make another small appearance which I also enjoyed as they are fantasticly evil and well written characters and that is enough for now.  Another strong ending here.

 Finally we arrive at Breaking Dawn which is a behemoth of a book compared to the rest but no less addicitive.  Bella and Edward are a solid unit that Jacob thankfully has no chance at ruining and they get married and go on honeymoon like any normal young couple in love do.  The twist is what happens after and again the author has an uncanny knack of dragging out the trivial stuff and then squeezing all the action into the last few pages.

How much do I say of this plotline I wonder?  The twist, what happens because of the twist and then the frustrating wait for the real action to happen and tie up the end of the book will really give too much away I feel.  Let me just say that the wonderful Vampire Mafia make a stunning return (yay) and are even more evil and self-absorbed than ever; Jacobs character gives Bella a break but becomes annoying in a different way; and Bella finally comes into her own and throws off that whiny outer shell to emerge quite a cool character in the end.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the series, not the characters so much but the actual vampire base story is quite a good one.  Stephenie Meyer loves sweating the small stuff and cramming the good stuff in at the end which was frustrating but I still left the books with a good feeling and am very much looking forward to the rest of the movies.  This is the kind of series that translates better on the big screen and I do recommend the films at least, even if the books hold no allure for you.