Cut and Thrust

The Book of Swords by Hank Reinhardt
Riverdale, NY, Baen, c2009.
235 p. ; 24 cm.

This book, written by a sword aficionado, is a great introduction to the history of swords and their use by humans. Since the writer is passionate about the subject and is not an academic, there is a fresh and personal tone to the writing. Reinhardt, had spent most of his adult life collecting, testing, talking about, and reading about swords and he brings this to his writing on the subject.

The reader will learn about early metallurgy and the development of iron and steel weaponry. Reinhardt is interested in explaining the basic structure and function of swords - and dispelling myths about swords.

This book should appeal to any reader with a passing interest in the subject of swords, but especially to any students interested in Roman, Viking, or Medieval times - or fantasy fiction where swords play a major role. The book also benefits from generous illustrations that are clear and supportive of the text.

Plowing Through Betrayal

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
New York: Razor Bill, c2009.
235 p. ; 21 cm.

This book was recommended by the Wilson Senior High Core Collection 2010 supplement, and I can't say I would have recommended it. It's shallow, overwrought, and filled with cardboard characters.

The central figure is a soulless high school senior named Natalie, whose only ambition in life is to see her and her boyfriend crowned Palmetto Queen and King: a goal she achieves, only to see it unravel over her guilty attempt to cover up a prank gone awry. She comes from the poor side of town and wants nothing to do with that old life with its stereotyped "trashy" inhabitants - opting instead for the snideness and snobbery of her elite friends (and the equally unpleasant adults). In the world of this book almost everyone seems to be crass, superficial, and hedonistic.

I guess being too judgmental of this book is to miss the point entirely; it's pure escapist fantasy and really meant only to entertain (though the author has attempted to have the story echo Macbeth). For myself, I just have to care a little bit more about the characters to lose myself in the entertainment of a book - or the plot has to be so compelling that I'm willing to forgo better character development. This book just didn't have enough of either for me, but I'll see how it circulates with students before completely writing it off.

Except for an Ending, the World is Yours

The World is Mine by Lyah B. LeFlore, ill. by DL Warfield
New York : Simon Pulse, 2009.
1st Simon Pulse pbk. ed.
269 p. : col. ill. ; 18 cm.

There is a lot that is good to say about this book. It has interesting characters from different race, class and gender backgrounds; involves teens dealing with conflicts with parents, with friends and in their romantic relationships; shows the difficulties of balancing work, school and parental expectations; and offers a drama based on young people pursuing their dreams in the business/creative world of hip hop. This book is the first of several planned for "The Come Up" series.

The dialogue and situations are crisp & contemporary and the setting in Washington, DC offers a nice blend of urban and suburban settings. The structure of the book makes it an uncomplicated read, with each chapter heading titled with the name of the character who is narrating it. A bit of the plot and pacing is somewhat overblown (e.g. the main characters quickly move from livening up a high school dance party to the big time world of hip hop music production and party promotion) but setbacks, relationship drama, and a few plot complications keep the reader engaged.

My biggest complaint with this book is the ending. After a major climax (involving new plot complications) the book ends by leaving the reader hanging - and not on just a few minor points. It is clearly a hook for selling the sequel to the book, which may be good business, but - as far as I'm concerned - is not the most respectful way to treat one's readers.

One Wild Trip Down the Mississippi

Total Oblivion, More or Less by Alan Deniro
New York : Spectra/Ballantine Books, c2009.
306 p. ; 21 cm.

Reading this book was an interesting experience for me. I liked it a lot at the beginning - started to dislike it a lot about a third of the way through, but then found myself liking it - and unable to put it down until I finished it. Not bad for a book!

The book opens in St. Paul Minnesota as the US has fallen apart to roving bands of horsemen called the Scythians. Sixteen year old Macy and her family flee, go to a refugee camp, and end up escaping on a boat just before the camp is overrun by marauders.

Along the way they encounter more and more bizarre events, suffer from the plague - which creates the strangest buboes in the world - and split up and reunite. The book has a wacky atmosphere of gloom about it, but is tempered by adventure and genuine family love and loyalty. In many ways, I found this a much better book than this year's Printz winner, Ship Breaker.

I'd recommend this to readers who like Neil Gaiman but want something a little darker. I also think any reader who enjoys an unusual setting - such as the Chaos Walking books - might find this a good read, too.

The Big Split

After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni Split by Lesley Hazleton
New York : Anchor Books, 2009.
239 p. : geneal. table, map ; 21 cm.

This is a great book for understanding the schism between Sunni and Shia Islam. What makes it a compelling read - in addition to it being very well written - is the fact that the story reads like a Greek tragedy or play by Shakespeare. Taking place in the mid to late 7th century, there is romance, betrayal, mystery, murder, heroes and villains - all playing out with consequences that are still with us today.

I really like how Hazelton writes with obvious passion, and clearly has her own idea of whose actions are most noble, but leaves a lot of conclusions to the reader. Did Muhammad really want Ali as his immediate successor? Was Ali's son foolhardy or Christlike in heading into the obvious tragedy of his death? Was Aisha a vainglorious, spoiled favorite, a brilliant political strategist, or some combination of the two? Is the Shia or Sunni interpretation of the succession true? She manages to leave all these open-ended without seeming evasive or vague.

With its index, this is a fine resource for student research on the origins of Islam and for any student of ancient history it is a great read.

Ship Breaker Hits Lucky Strike

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
326 p. ; 22 cm.

Like Going Bovine, this book won the Printz Award. Unlike Going Bovine, which I just didn't care for, I think this book is more likely to circulate among teen readers. My friend and I were discussing this book, and she was less positive about it than I was. We both thought that Bacigalupi was masterful at setting and atmosphere, but she felt the plot was a stretch - even for the willing suspension of disbelief required of dystopian sci-fi.

Like her, I question whether this is the best book of the year for young adults [my vote would have gone to The Curse of the Wendigo], but I thought the plotting was tight, suspenseful and would engage many readers.

Both of us agreed that the adolescent main character,Nailer, and his original crew were both interesting and strong - and that the opening scenes of the novel are really compelling. I think both of us found that the relationship between Nailer and the rich swank - Lucky Girl - he saves to be too cliche. We both thought that his moral code of crew loyalty would not have made such a quick acceptance of this girl.

I thought his father's power and evil to be overdone, and think that a more powerful ending would have had Nailer ultimately betrayed by Lucky Girl - or at least betrayed by the swanks who take her back in....alas, that might have made the novel too depressing...

Classic Yuck!

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
New York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, c2010.
424 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.

Yancey's follow-up to The Monstrumologist is great; I think an even better book than the first. As in The Monstrumologist there is plenty of gruesome gore and supernatural violence - bodies turn up flayed, eviscerated, and missing eyes and faces. There are basements full of green sewage and dead bodies. What raises this book above all the ick is it's finely crafted plot and superbly drawn main characters - Dr. Warthrop the late 19th century monstrumologist and his orphaned assistant are fully developed and interesting characters.

The framing of this novel, like the first one, is a clever device attributing the story to the journals of a very old, deceased William Henry - giving the novel an air of authenticity. It also benefits from many references to people and events of the period, so that it reads a bit like historical fiction - but without the dullness that genre sometimes exhibits.

Our book group at the high school just finished Stephen King's Pet Sematary - and the contrast couldn't be greater. Where King's writing is sloppy and uneven, this book was tight and elegant. I'm definitely a fan.