The Walking Dead #2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

Read: 14 February, 2012

In Miles Behind Us, we follow Rick and the other survivors as they hunt for food and meet some other people. There's the standard story of the survivors who keep the zombies captive rather than kill them (which has never, in the history of zombie stories, ended well), and a few other adventures.

This volume has a different artist from the first, although it's not necessarily obvious to someone like me who isn't really familiar enough with the graphic novel medium to know what to look for. I did start to notice a difference in feel about halfway through, though. I commented in my review of Days Gone Bye on the way that the use of detail helped to highlight elements of the story. That's still the case in Miles Behind Us, but the details are used to express emotions rather than to create the ambience of fear. In particular, the new artists use shadows very deftly to convey brooding, sadness, anger, menace, etc.

The plot is interesting, but I feel like the dialogue itself could have used more polishing. There were a few instances of fairly awkward phrasing that a good editor could have fixed. And as I complained in my review of Days Gone Bye, the fast pace makes it difficult for me to feel for the characters. The artwork helps somewhat, but I still feel like the story is kept at a very superficial level.

I found the use of bold in the dialogue to be fairly distracting. Maybe this is just a graphic novel convention that I'm unaccustomed to, but it made it difficult to read because I was putting emphasis on the bold words, even though this disrupted the natural cadence of what was being said. I was unable to find any pattern or sense to the selection of bolded words. If anyone here is more familiar with the conventions of this genre, I'd appreciate an explanation!

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I enjoy the zombie/apocalyptic setting, and the graphic format makes this series a very quick read. so far, it's nothing special, but it's certainly good enough.

The Hunger Games #1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Read: 11 February, 2012

Every year in Panem, two children are chosen by lottery from each of the twelve districts to compete in the Hunger Games. Twenty-four kids enter the arena to fight to the death, and only one can survive.

The general story is a fairly common one, and I don't do well with stories heavy on action, so Hunger Games could have gone quite badly. But the action was just present enough to keep the story interesting without ever making me feel "actioned out." As for the plot, the interesting characters keep it fresh.

There is a love triangle, which seems to be a required theme in these sorts of books, but it never felt forced. Katniss naturally starts to develop feelings for Peeta when she finds herself in a life-or-death, high stress situation. Rather than coming off as a silly girl unable to decide what she wants, Katniss is instead confused by the stress of being so near death. I found this to be much more psychologically plausible and it avoided the demeaning perception of girls/women as too silly to know their own minds.

Even beyond the love story, the gender portrayals were refreshing. There are no helpless princesses in need of rescuing in The Hunger Games. Peeta is vulnerable, but even he shows enough strength to prevent the story from simply being a flat reversal of gender stereotypes. Katniss is strong, but realistically so, with failings and weak moments that don't feel token or trivial. She is a genuinely strong person, and a complete character to boot.

It was a bit of a shock to read The Hunger Games right after reading Clash of Kings. For one thing, the simplicity of the plot made for a difficult switch in my reading. But once my brain caught up, I found that I truly enjoyed the book. The setting was a dangerous one, and the novel could have easily devolved into a bludgeoning "message," but while the criticism of our present world are very much there, I never felt like it was overly forced.

Buy The Hunger Games from Amazon now!

A Song of Ice and Fire #2: A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

Read: 6 February, 2012

Picking up where Game of Thrones left off, Clash of Kings jumps right into the action. The series reads like a unified whole, separated only to appear less daunting to potential readers (and to prevent back injury, I suppose), so it was hard not to take up book 3 immediately after finishing. I think that says a lot about the quality of this series - 2,000 pages and I'm still hungering for more!

All the plotlines from Game of Thrones are still present, and this next instalment adds more. So by the final page of Clash of Kings there are enough plots and subplots to fill several series. Certainly, the Daenerys, John Snow, and Iron Thrones lines could all easily have been separated. But it speaks to Martin's expertise that he's able to balance all three (including their respective subplots) and interweave them enough that they enhance each other rather than detract. The subplots are sufficiently connected to the main plots to make the world feel even more alive and to heighten suspense without becoming overwhelming.

Game of Thrones had very little magic. That was great for me because I have a lot of trouble getting into stories that are heavy in magic. But although there's quite a bit more in Clash of Kings, I was already so engrossed in the story and the world by the time it was introduced in earnest that I didn't find it jarring.

What's impressed me most about the series so far is how alive the world feels. There are thousands of background characters, and each is given enough detail to seem real, to feel like they could have their own stories to tell. The setting, too, is filled with history. I don't think I've ever read a book - even contemporary fiction - where the world seemed so populated.

I'm still fairly early on in the series, but it has really impressed me and is shaping up to be my favourite fantasy story, if not one of my favourite stories in general. The audio book makes the length far more manageable, which is great if you're reading time is limited, so there's really no excuse not to give it a try!

Fruits of the Earth by Frederick Philip Grove

Read: 2004

Fruits of the Earth is the chronicle of Abe Spalding, a farmer possessed by "land hunger." He leaves his stony and untillable farm in Ontario to start a new farm in the prairies, leaving his wife behind until he has established himself in their new home. The story is as much of his land as it is of Abe, following the two through the years as they shape each other.

Grove masterfully captures his subject, even in his writing style. The novel is slow and plodding, as it watches the passage of years. If you need a faster pace and action, this is absolutely not the novel for you. Instead, Fruits of the Earth draws the reader in to the life of a Prairie farmer, with its struggles, tragedies, successes, and endless cycles. It's a beautiful novel, and by the end I knew more about wheat growing than I ever thought I would.

It's a Canadian classic that helps the reader experience - it only vicariously - a part of the country's history. This isn't the story of great wars or grand political gestures, but rather of the "little people" who shaped the country with their hands. As an immigrant to Canada, I feel that Fruits of the Earth helped me understand the country a little betters.

Ender Saga #1: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Read: 2001

Ender is a third child, his birth required from his parents in the hopes of breeding a commander who struck a balance between the joyful savagery of his brother and the bleeding heart of his sister. Ender's Game follows Ender as he is trained to fight the "buggers," an alien race once defeated but expected to return.

Ender's Game is a fantastic story, and certainly ought to be required reading for all fans of science fiction. Though I read it years ago, this book has stayed with me all this time. There's something very compelling about Ender's struggle between his compassion and the violence he is being trained for.

I highly recommend Ender's Game for fans of science fiction, particularly those in the young teen crowd.

Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway

Read: 2006

Kiss of the Fur Queen is the story of two Cree brothers who were taken from their families to be raised in one of Canada's infamous residential schools. The story follows them as adults as they come to terms with what happened to them.

It's a magical story that interweaves the compelling story of the brothers and the more mystical elements of Cree tradition. Highway's style is lyrical, but with a gritty realism that prevents it from ever seeming too purple.

I read Kiss of the Fur Queen as part of my university course on First Nations literature (as the "modern fiction" entry) and it was by far my favourite book of the course, perhaps of the entire year; and the beauty of the novel has stayed with me over the years. I can't recommend it enough!

Dune #4: God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

Read: 30 August, 2010

Over three thousand years have passed since Paul Atreides died and his son, Leto, became emperor. Since then, Arrakis has been fully transformed, the sand worms have gone extinct, and the universe is held together solely by Emperor Leto's stockpiles of spice. Leto himself has also been transformed, into the great sand worm Shai Hulud.

God Emperor is written in a very different style than the other books in the series. While all have spent a good deal of time on political/religious theory, this one is nearly devoted to it, at the expense of plot and characters. Duncan Idaho makes a reappearance and his reaction to having been resurrected time and time again over the course of three millennia is interesting, but it isn't enough to fill 400 pages.

Leto's rantings about the patterns of human civilization are sometimes interesting, but often laughably silly. One reader commented that this is the lowest point in the series. With the prospect of two more books ahead of me, I hope that this was an accurate assessment!