Leviathan: By Scott Westerfeld

LEVIATHAN

SUMMARY

All the European powers are arming up for World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand is an Austro-Hungarian prince on the run. Deryn Sharp is a commoner. Their paths cross in the most unexpected way.

REVIEW

Leviathan is one of the best steampunk novels I’ve read.

Westerfeld, who has penned numerous other bestselling young adult novels including The Uglies and The Midnighters series, is back again with yet another sensational series.

Leviathan follows the actions and timeline of World War I, but with a few changes. First the Allies use bestial technology, creating large warships and other war technology by splicing together different animal DNA. And the Axis have developed mass war machines, far superior to even the machines we have today.

With astounding descriptions and nonstop action, Leviathan will amaze even the most jaded of young adult reader. Westerfeld paints a picture of early 20^th century Europe and the struggles that accompany these countries. He is surprisingly accurate in his portrayal of the beginning of World War I, and really offers up an exciting history lesson that will engross teens worldwide. (For the facts he does embellish he clears up at the end up the book in an appendix.)

But what I found most astounding about this book were the war machines that Westerfeld dreamt up. They show vast imagination, and really offer an original spin on the story. Of course these war machines (both Bestial and Machine), also offer excellent action sequences that fans of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner and Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron will eat up.

All in all this was a fantastic book that really surprised me. It was surprisingly accurate, as well as filled with fascinating and imaginative elements to the story that truly make it enjoyable and original. Besides this Westerfeld’s characters are well developed and relatable, and his story engrossing. Making this captivating and sensational book a must read before school starts this fall.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Published: August 10, 2010

Price: $9.99

Total Eclipse: By Rachel Caine

TOTAL ECLIPSE

SUMMARY

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin, her husband, the djinn David, and the Earth herself have been poisoned by a substance that destroys the magic that keeps the world alive. The poison is destabilizing the entire balance of power, bestowing magic upon those who have never had it, and removing it form those who need it. It's just a matter of time before the delicate balance of nature explodes into chaos-and doom.

REVIEW

Over seven years ago Rachel Caine began her now famous Weather Warden series. It captivated millions with its exciting cliffhanger endings and non-stop action. Now nine books (and one spin off series) later, we’ve reached the end of the line for the infamous Joanne Baldwin. Total Eclipse marks the end in Caine’s sensational Weather Warden series, and like all her books, goes off in a big bang.

Total Eclipse is the culmination of the entire series, and as such would make no sense to someone who just happens to pick up the book. But to those loyal fans who’ve kept with the series over the years, the reward is amazing. Total Eclipse begins where Cape Storm left off, leaving the djinn dying and the wardens themselves not doing so hot either. Joanne Baldwin and her husband David have been poisoned, and the earth has begun to wake up, cause mass destruction. All in all not such a great place to be.

Total Eclipse answers all the questions readers have been dying to know, and does a great job of wrapping up the series. The road is not paved in gold, nor is it an easy ride, but fans will be happy with Caine’s ending to the series.

All in all what more can you ask from a series. Caine has done a fantastic job entertaining and enthralling readers for seven years with this superb series. The end is not hokey, and it is not depressing as all get out. Because of this, the nonstop action, and the likable characters, Caine has put to rest a sensational series.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Roc

Published: August 3, 2010

Price: $7.99

The Maze Runner: By James Dashner

THE MAZE RUNNER

SUMMARY

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

REVIEW

Before I read The Maze Runner I had heard a lot about it.

I had heard that it was great, incredible, basically that it was the best thing since sliced bread.

But when I started the book, I felt myself instantly get bored. I didn’t really relate to the characters (if anything I found them annoying), I was frustrated with how little I knew about what was going on, and felt all the hype was over rate.

Then I got about half way through the book.

I don’t know exactly what the turning point in the book was for me, but about half way through my opinion started to change. The characters started to grow on me (especially Newt, don’t know why, just really liked his character), the plot finally revealed enough secrets to allow the reader to start to get involved in the story, and there was enough action and momentum built up that the story was moving at a pretty good pace.

Then by the end of the book I was practically glued to the book, I simply couldn’t put it down. Everything was culminating at once, characters had developed enough that they didn’t sound like automatons, and I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

For me I feel this is the sign of a really great book. I don’t care how smart or pretentious something sounds (Ok that’s a lie, I usually don’t like pretentious books) but when I look for a book I look for something that will captivate me, something that will floor me and keep me reeling long after it’s done, and The Maze Runner, mostly did that. I say mostly because I still feel the beginning was slow. I understand that this is the first in a series (possibly a trilogy), but in most cases I might have thrown the book away long before The Maze Runner got interesting. All in all This is a fun read and with the sequel The Scorch Trials just around the corner, this is a must read for anyone looking for something fun and exciting.

RATING

8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: August 24, 2010

Price: $9.99

The Dragon Book: Edited By Jack Dann

THE DRAGON BOOK

SUMMARY

Whether portrayed as fire-breathing reptilian beasts at war with humanity or as noble creatures capable of speech and mystically bonded to the warriors who ride them, dragons have been found in nearly every culture's mythology. In modern times, they can be found far from their medieval settings in locales as mundane as suburbia or as barren as post-apocalyptic landscapes-and in The Dragon Book, today's greatest fantasists reignite the fire with legendary tales that will consume readers' imaginations.

With original stories by New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Stroud, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Diana Gabaldon, Tamora Pierce, Harry Turtledove, Sean Williams, and Tad Williams as well as tales by Naomi Novik, Peter Beagle, Jane Yolen, Adam Stemple, Cecelia Holland, Kage Baker, Samuel Sykes, Diana Wynne Jones, Mary Rosenblum, Tanith Lee, Andy Duncan, and Bruce Coville.

REVIEW

What I love about anthologies like The Dragon Book is that they really introduce you to new authors that you might not have noticed before.

The Dragon Book does this wonderfully well, as it has a number of excellent authors in it, such as Tamora Pierce, Jonathan Stroud, and Diana Wynne Jones, that I love but it also introduced me to a number of new authors that I hadn’t read as well, such as; Peter Beagle, Garth Nix, and Tad Williams.

Peter Beagle’s story, “Oakland Dragon Blues” is incredibly imaginative. It follows a dragon that comes out from an unfinished story and attempts to find its author to in act revenge. Besides its creativity Beagle really offers up dragons in a different light, as the dragon just wants to get home or die and isn’t vicious or bloodthirsty, just someone looking for a way back home. Beagle does a great job with the humor of the piece as well. The story is short, to the point, and no previous info is needed to understand it, making it a hilarious and great short story.

I’ve never read anything by Garth Nix, but I’ve heard his name come up in countless conversations about young adult fantasy books. He’s the author of The Old Kingdom series, The Seventh Tower series, and the Keys To The Kingdom series. And while you might assume he would turn to the traditional sense of dragons, his series dealing so much in traditional kingdom settings, his newest short story “Stop!” is anything but. In “Stop!” the dragon is an alien like creature that tries to turn a man into a creature like himself but dies before completing the task, leaving the man half human half dragon. A dragon is nothing what we would expect, and instead this man is near indestructible, but just looking for a way to die. The dragon leaks radiation and this is one of the reasons why anyone who touches him dies instantly. The story is short and tense the whole way through, and reminded me a little bit of Simon Green’s Just Another Judgment Day. A very unique take on dragons and interesting story.

Tad Williams is another author I’ve heard a lot about but never read. He’s incredibly famous for a number of books but he’s currently writing his Shadowmarch series. His short story “A Stark and Wormy Knight” is an interesting reversal of the traditional dragon tale. The story tells the tale of a traditional knight coming to save a princess but from the dragon’s point of view. The story is interesting and humorous and really a surprisingly good read, certainly a keeper in The Dragon Book.

All in all The Dragon Book, like it’s predecessor The Wizard Book, is a great read. It offers up a number of short stories ranging in length from short 12 page or less stories, to novella size stories. I was excited and happy with the level of writing in the stories and really feel the authors included in this anthology are top of the line. The Dragon Book is a great place to learn about other great authors and really is a fun book to read between books, making it a must buy for those times you don’t have time to start a book but feel like something quick and good.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Ace

Published: November 3, 2009

Price: $16.00

Monster War: By Dean Lorey

MONSTER WAR

SUMMARY

Charlie is in big trouble

Dangeroos, Mimics, Netherstalkers, and worse are everywhere, and the danger to our world has never been greater. The Named have succeeded in summoning the Queen of Nightmares, a villain so terrible that only one person can stop her—Charlie Benjamin, armed with the Sword of Sacrifice. But Charlie can't get the fabled sword without the help of his friends Theodore, Violet, and Brooke—and the sacrifice it demands from them is even more horrifying than a roomful of Ravenous Sticky-Spitters. . . .

REVIEW

Monsters are real, and nightmares are their way into our world.

Monster War is the third installment in the Nightmare Academy series and completes the story of the Fifth. When readers left the series in Monster Madness, Charlie Benjamin was exiled, the headmaster was critically wounded, and the Fifth, the creator of the Named monsters, was loose in the world.

Now as the final installment to the Nightmare Academy begins, monsters are running loose in the world, causing chaos, killing, and creating even more nightmares letting in more monsters to wreck havoc.

Nightmare Academy is an interesting series that has a unique concept. Part Monster’s Inc. and part Yu Yu Hakishu (for those not familiar it’s an anime series where the protagonist kills monsters/demons sending them back to the demon world) that is perfect for elementary and middle school children.

While some of the characters seem childish in their dialog (such as Theodore), the majority of the characters are solid enough. That, plus loads of action and excitement makes this a great book for kids.

What surprised me most about Monster War was that it doesn’t end the series, it is just the end of the first installment. It does resolve many of the problems created in the first two books in the series, but in the extra chapter offered in the end, Charlie discovers a whole new aspects of the Nether that opens up a new development in the series. I was expecting Lorey to neatly wrap up this series and so when he left this cliffhanger of an ending it truly shocked me.

All in all Monster War is fun and exciting. It is filled with action, and while some of the characters seem silly and some of the plot lines are predictable it is a good book, a fun series, and a great read for middle school readers looking for a quick engaging book.

RATING

7 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: July 27, 2010

Price: $6.99

All That Lives Must Die: By Eric Nylund

ALL THAT LIVES MUST DIE

SUMMARY

Eliot and Fiona Post are twins caught up in an epic custody battle between their mother's and father's families. Their mother is the immortal goddess Atropos, the eldest Fate, and their father is Lucifer, Lord of the infernals, a diabolical fallen angel. The families have put them through rigorous, life-threatening challenges, and together they've risen to combat them in amazing ways. But now they are facing the greatest trial of all—high school.

Paxington Unviersity is no normal high school—it's a place where gods and goddesses, warriors and socerers learn to harness their power, where a debate in class can end in a duel, and your classmates aren't simply friends or enemies, but allies in battle or threats to your life. To flunk is to die--only the toughest graduate. As Fiona and Eliot struggle to keep up their grades by surviving the rigorous training, both families are watching.

High school is bad enough, but imagine being caught in the midst of an immortal/infernal war...

REVIEW

All That Lives Must Die is more than some book just about two teens who get super powers. It is instead a masterful work detailing dozens of stories and myths into one seamlessly well written novel.

Nylund’s Mortal Coils series begins with the protagonists, Elliot and Fiona, knowing nothing about their lineage. As the story progresses they each learn about their parts, but plenty of mysteries are yet to be revealed. Because they are the children of an angel and a fallen angel they possess the ability to work with or kill either of side of their family (the angles), who have been help in a stalemate of sorts since they made a truce prohibiting direct contact between the two groups.

Now in the second installment of Mortal Coils, All That Lives Must Die, Elliot and Fiona are back and each of them have only begun to discover the magnitude of their powers. To help with this, each of them are sent to their hardest task yet, high school. Paxington University is a school where gods and goddesses, and warriors and sorcerers learn to harness their power, and for Elliot and Fiona it’s only the beginning of their journey.

I really enjoyed both Mortal Coils and All That Lives Must Die. I usually tend to like books that incorporate mythical figures, such as The Lightning Thief, and The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. But I have to say the Mortal Coils series has to be one of my favorites of these kinds of series.

More than anything though Mortal Coils is an incredibly well written book. It’s fight scenes are detailed and sensational. Its characters are engaging and relatable. And the plot is intricate and filled with twists without being overly confusing and detrimental to the book.

Nylund really has done a fantastic job and I hope that Tor picks up the rest of this five part series, because it really is one of the best books I’ve read in a while and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

RATING

10 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Tor Books

Published: July 20, 2010

Price: $15.99

I Am Number Four: Pittacus Lore

I AM NUMBER FOUR

SUMMARY

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

REVIEW

I Am Number Four was one of the most highly publicized young adult books out there this year. Word has been spread about it months before its release and before its release it even had a movie deal in the works. It was supposed to be original, action packed, and be filled with engaging characters.

Unfortunately, things so rarely end up how we envision them.

I Am Number Four is an surprisingly unoriginal mix between Superman and James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series. The story follows Four (or John Smith as he’s known in the town he’s currently staying in), who is a Garde, an alien being with super powers.

Because of an enchantment placed on the Gardes while their planet was being destroyed these superhero teens can only die in order of their number. Unfortunately for Four, as the book opens the Mogadorians, the alien race who wiped out Four’s species, are hunting Four’s fellow Gardes and just killed number Three, making Four next.

Yet while you would assume that would make him easy prey, he is anything but. Four is faster, stronger, and smarter than any human, as well as able to use super powers such as telekinesis and the power to control light.

Because he is so powerful I found Four a little boring as a character. My personal feeling is you want to root for someone or something that needs to strive to overcome some obstacle. For example Batman was human and had to overcome his parents death before becoming Batman. Four’s race died but there is almost no real connection the reader can feel with Four.

Besides that, the characters are just poorly written. The authors of I Am Number Four clearly watched every stereotypical highschool movie before crafting the characters as they are highly stereotypical and unoriginal. You have the bully/jock, the smart popular girl who just happens to fall for the new guy, and the geeky antisocial best friend who just happens to be good in a pinch.

Characters aside, the book does deliver on the action. There seems to be any number of reasons for Four to use his powers, and because of this readers will get to see some pretty fun action, which should be enticing to guys just looking to read about something blowing up.

All in all while I was disappointed with I Am Number Four, I blame that primarily on the hype that built up the book. If this book had come out without the buildup that was attached to it and my expectations were therefore lowered I would probably have liked this book more. I probably would still think the characters were poorly written but would not have judged them as harshly. Because of this I have to say this is a good book for guys looking for some action, but probably not something readers should wait in line and pine for.

RATING

5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Harper

Published: August 3, 2010

Price: $17.99