Tag: fiction

Going Postal

Going Postal is a mini-series (two episodes) based off of Terry Pratchett’s book by the same name. The movie follows Moist Von Lipwig, an unscrupulous con man, who is given a second chance at life. All he has to do is revive the post office. Simple as it may sound, the post office is threatened by the notorious owner of the Clacks – Reacher Gilt – who will stop at nothing to see his competition annihilated.

Prior to watching Going Postal, I had never heard of Terry Pratchett. While the movie itself is strange, the story line is unique and intriguing. I was incredibly impressed with the caliber of acting and the quality of the dialogue/plot. Most movies these days rely more heavily on action scenes and less so on developing a solid story line. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoyed Going Postal so much; it had a plot.

If you can get past the initial oddity of the movie (especially the first 10-ish minutes), you will find a well-acted, well crafted, and entertaining story.

This is definitely getting added to my “Favorites” list.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Adventure awaits in this land of magic and mythical gods!

Five years ago, Tristan Cadence disappeared during his Judgement – a potentially fatal quest to earn a magical attunement. Now, it is Corin Cadence’s turn to enter the Serpent Spire for his Judgement, and Corin has only one thing on his mind – find his brother.

By completing the Judgement, Corin hopes to earn a powerful attunement that will enable him to find his brother. As with all heroes, things never go as planned. While Corin does survive the Judgement, the attunement he receives is not one he was hoping for; furthermore, his actions in the Spire may have put him on the wrong side of the gods. And the last thing any teenager wants, is to be an enemy of the gods.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic, book one of the Arcane Ascension series, by Andrew Rowe quickly draws readers in with it’s easy to read (or listen to) writing style and well developed characters. Once you start, you won’t want to stop.

Arcane Ascension is one series I will be adding to my “favorites” list for teens and adults.

In terms of content, I give book one, Sufficiently Advanced Magic, a PG rating and book two, On the Shoulders of Titans, a PG-13 rating. The series contains some brief references to LGBTQ issues/topics. For the most part these references are quick and almost feel like they were thrown in there for the sake of being politically correct. However, because the second book has a few more references and contains some innuendoes, I would be hesitant to recommended it to younger children. (I will note that books one and two did not contain any sex. I have not read book three yet, but I hope it continues to remain relatively clean.)

Elizabeth’s Legacy

I’ve been pretty quiet lately, mainly due to the lack of reading or watching of anything worth writing about. I’ve spent most of my time binge watching NCIS and PSYCH.

However, I am pleased to report that I have FINALLY discovered something worth writing about – Elizabeth’s Legacy, the first book in the Royal Institute of Magic series by the late Victor Kloss.

Two years after his parents’ sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he’ll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic.

Amazon.com description

For those of us who loved the Harry Potter series, you will definitely see some parallels – orphaned British boy, unpleasant relative, hidden magical world. But if you give it a chance, you will soon discover a unique, clever world that, aside from those few parallels, is not anything like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The magic of Taecia is not dark. In fact, it is almost a science, which is a clever spin on the magic we are familiar with. The humans of Taecia live a life fully integrated with the non-magical folks, using cell phones, computers, etc. Fun fact, they even attend school in the non-magical world!

There is little to no profanity which is often unheard of in books these days, and I love the camaraderie between the main characters. Their loyalty and sense of humor – especially Charlie’s (Ben’s best friend) is truly appreciated.

This is one of those rare, clean books that parents can enjoy with their kids. So, check it out!

Definitely getting added to my “favorites” list.

The Son of the Morning: Book One of The Nightfall Wars

SonoftheMorning

They’re back! The nightwalkers. After 50 years of peace, they are back to wreak havoc on the kingdom of Entarna. 

As a boy, Alesh watched these creatures slaughter his parents, receiving a nasty scar in the process. Rescued by the high priest of Amedan after his parents’ death, Alesh is raised as a palace servant, and while he feels intense loyalty to Chosen Olliman, his rescuer, he doubts the existence of the gods. 

When Chosen Olliman is brutally murdered, Alesh finds his life turned upside down once more as he sets off on a quest to save Ilrika, the city under the protection of the late Chosen Olliman.

My favorite aspect of The Son of the Morning: Book One of the Nightfall Wars by Jacob Peppers was Alesh’s struggle with faith. Circumstances in Alesh’s life led him to question the existence and value of the gods, and I am curious as to how that will play out in future books. 

While I enjoyed the plot and characters, I did not appreciate the frequent use of profanity, particularly the F-word. The story is not laden with swear words, but the F-word is used regularly enough to make sensitive readers uncomfortable. In fact, had I not wanted to see how Alesh’s faith journey played out, I would not have continued reading it. 

Due to the frequent use of the F-word, this book is not getting added to my “favorites” list, nor is it one I will be recommending. 

Timebound

TimeboundJust finished reading Timebound by Rysa Walker.

It was an entertaining story about a teenage girl named Kate who learns she has a special ability to time travel, an ability her grandmother is hoping she will use to stop the Cyrists, a religious cult created by another time traveler who seeks to rewrite history for his own benefit.

While I enjoyed the book, time travel stories aren’t really my thing. However, I will be adding Timebound to my list of “enjoyed” books for teens/young adults as the story itself is well written and entertaining and worth recommending to those who enjoy time travel novels.

In the meantime, I think I will check out one of Ms. Walker’s other series, the Thistlewood Star Mysteries. But, for those who enjoy time travel, check out Timebound by Rysa Walker. It is the first book in The Chronos Files.

P.S. The reason this is going on my teen/young adult list is because there is a mild description of Kate making out with her boyfriend as well as some very vague adult references. I think I’d give this book a PG rating as the descriptions aren’t graphic. However, it’s not something I would want my 10 year old kid reading, if of course, I had a 10 year old kid.