The Lost Symbol

"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown follows the story of Professor Robert Lagndon, a genius of a man whose intellect makes him a valuable asset to creepy, axe-murdering psychopath cultists that want him to help them make their bloody, bloody dreams come true. This time around, Langdon is joined by Mal'akh, resident creepy, axe-murdering psychopath cultist of Washington D.C. these days.

I really like this book. I'm not that far in, but the characters are all very interesting and the story already has me hooked. There is a lot of smart-talk. The author has to explain many of the more advanced ideas that Langdon and the other characters encounter because, although Robert Langdon knows all about noetic science, I do not. However, I'm finding that the explanations don't interrupt the flow of the story or anything. It's very well written.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen is the classic tale of Elizabeth Bennet's life in Mertyon and zombies. An unknown disease is plaguing England, causing the dead to sprout from the ground and attempt to feat upon the supple, juicy brains of the living. Readers will be enticed when scenes of high-class balls and parties are forced into a zombie invasion and quickly escalate into a battle-royal for the frontal lobe.

Much to my discontent, I have decide to, at least, temporarily put this book down and find another to take its place. Despite its random influxes of green, smelly assailants, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" retains to classical writing style of Jane Austen. That is to say, much of the book i made up of long winded descriptions of people and places, dialog consisting only of a couple of women talking about available men in the area.The vocabulary can also be a little over my head at points. I may come back to it some day, but right now, it's not really my kind of book.

The Thief Lord: End

This week, I finished The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. I've never found a more satisfying ending in literature. Scipio, now an adult product of the Merry-Go-Round of the Merciful Sisters is enthusiastically pursuing his new line of work as Victor's partner. Hornet, Prosper and Bo are living safely with Ida Spavento and Riccio and Mosca have taken off to an abandoned warehouse to continue their lives in peace. It really is a good ending. All of the protagonists get the happy ending they deserve and even Barbarossa turns out in a relatively good position. I wouldn't have minded if he'd been eaten by the dogs, though.

The Thief Lord is definitely going on my shelf. It's a great book and I look forward to reading it again in the future. The characters just seem so real and alive. I really cared about Prosper and Bo on their mission to evade Esther throughout the entire story. No element became dry or overused.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke is a masterpiece.

The Thief Lord: Part Two

This week, I completed the nineteenth chapter of The Thief Lord. It ended with the Thief Lord's crew tying up Victor Getz and locking him in the bathroom. After losing them in the crowd the first time he found them, Victor had done some research and found their hide-out and so, whilst exploring it, they ambushed and captured him.

Conflict is bubbling among the children. They are debating whether or not to steal the wing for the Conte from the Casa Spavento. It is dangerous and will only be successful if the Conte is telling the truth about the floor plan and location of the wing. They all know that it sounds bad but the pay is so good that they can hardly refuse. It's a matter of trust between the children and an adult who they've only met once. It'd a difficult decision for them to make. They've all learned to generally distrust adults, but the reward is so tantalizing. I would hate to be in their position.

The Thief Lord

"The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke, tells the tale of two run away boys, Prosper and Bo who take up residence in the city of Venice. They make friends with the prodigal Thief Lord and his friends, living out of an abandoned theater.

This week, I read the first six chapters of "The Thief Lord," and I've found it to be a compelling start to the book. Funke has done an excellent job of introducing many key characters among Prosper and Bo's friends and enemies. I've quickly come to love the responsible Prosper, the innocent Bo, the maternal Hornet and the rest of the Thief Lord's gang. I've also found myself sharing the children's' disdain towards Barbarossa, the disgusting pawnshop merchant who buys their stolen loot cheaply and sells it for ten times the amount.

The most interesting personality in the story so far, however, is that of Victor Getz, the private detective hired by Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle to find them. He is obviously being put in the role of an obstacle for the boys to defeat or avoid, but he seems to be a genuinely nice person who wants to do the right thing. It will be interesting to see how Victor's relationship with the Thief Lord's crew develops.

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian," by Rick Riordan, is the fifth and final installment in the "Percy Jackson and the Olypians" series. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Hero of the Prophecy, has been training and adventuring for five years, all leading up to the events of this book. The titan, Kronos, has been resurrected and now leads his armies to conquer Olympus, high atop the Empire State Building. Percy and his friends from Camp Half-Blood are the only hope for Earth and are willing to risk it all to fight the titans and defend Olympus. The previous four books have all culminated to this final battle between good and evil. However, the Lord of Time is no easy opponent do defeat.

The Last Olypian is a compelling read. At every pause, I found it more difficult to tear myself away from it. The book shows a realistic and satirical inner monologue from inside Percy's head as the story progresses.

Being based around magic and Greek mythology, not every kind of person is able to enjoy the story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, it's a very funny book with plenty of wierd moments that are guarunteed to make you chuckle. I would definitely recommend it to readers of all shapes and sizes.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw

The sixth book in John Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series, The Siege of Macindaw is a captivating continuation of its predecessors. It tells the story of young Will Treaty, a once teenage apprentice to to the Ranger, Halt, now adult and full-fledged Ranger by his own merit and charged with watching over a fief of the kingdom, Araluen. This book picks up shortly after the end of the fifth book, "Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorcerer of the North." Will had journied North to the fief of Norgate to investigate the happenings of Castle Macindaw, only to be betrayed by the castle miltia and forced into the wicked forest of the sorcerer, Malkallam. However, it turns out that the evil sorcerer is really a simple healer, whose real name is Malcom. Will must retake Castle Macindaw to rescue his friend and stop the invading forces to the North.

The Siege of Macindaw is an awesome book, keeping a reader interested from beginning to end. There is never a dull moment in the story and all the characters are very well developed. I could barely ever put it down when I was reading. While reading, one really learns to love each character with a third person narrative that shares the perspective of several key characters.

While this book, and the series as a whole, is definitely aimed towards the medieval/fantasy loving audience, I believe that any lover of a story with daring heroism and rapier wit is bound to love it.