Shadow Puppets

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

The third volume following the former Battle School children.

Bean and Petra finally admit their love for each other, get married and implant an embryo. Bean doesn't want his genetic mutation to be inherited by his babies so they go through genetic testing. The doctor preforming the testing is none other than Volescu, the man that mutated Bean's genes. Of course all of the embryos except for the one implanted in Petra are kidnapped by Achilles.
Peter is finally figuring out that his parents aren't low on IQ points. They save him from assassination after he decides to steal Achilles from the Chinese. Peter and his family then go off planet to the old Battle School to bide time until it is safer for them to return to Earth.
Verlome begins an uprising by getting the small villages of people in India to start building a wall to keep out the Chinese, which have over taken their country.
Lots of warring. The Muslims begin to rise in power with a new Caliph, Alai.

I had fun with this book. I liked seeing the human side of Petra and Bean. I am glad that Peter is finally recognizing that his parents aren't idiots. The warring and scheming get to be more than my interests allow.

Rating 3.5 This book is as good as its predecessors, maybe even better during the parts about Bean and Petra, but I am tired of the world war.

Rating PG 13 War, War, war, war, murder

Zion's Trail Last Days Vol. 2

Zion's Trail by Kenneth Tarr

This is the second volume of The Last Days series.

Pioneer One, the wagon train from Utah, is on its way to Missouri. They are attacked by bandits, shot at, go through a blizzard, dust storm, raging heat, disease, death, and dissension. Satan even makes an appearance.

The Antichrist is rising in power along with his formerly polygamist prophet.

The saints are persecuted in every nation as the Antichrist tries to rid the world of religion.

There were actually many good points brought up about emergency situations, natural plants and herbs for medication, war, and natural disaster. I had a good time reading this book. I was also thoroughly depressed and freaked out.

This series seems like it needs at least one more book. From the information I have found, it doesn't look like there is one. The rise of the Antichrist, the Saints left in Utah, the Saints around the world, and the nut job prophet that communes with Satan..........all of their story lines drop off and we never know what happens. I would really like to read about the building of Zion once Pioneer one reaches Jackson County.

Rating 4
Rating PG 13 Lots of violence, Satan, rape, murder, gang violence, natural disaster, disease.

Fairest

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This book is by the same author as Ella Enchanted. It is a distant retelling of Snow White.
Aza and her family run an inn, the Featherbed. She was abandoned there as a newborn and the innkeepers raised her as their own. She doesn't look like the rest of her family. She is larger with dark hair. I think we are supposed to think of her as unattractive because she surely does.

Aza is asked by one of the guests of the Featherbed to accompany her to the wedding of the king. While there Aza meets the Prince Ijori and his dog. She also is asked by the new queen Ivi, to be her lady in waiting. Soon after the wedding, the king is injured and lies in a coma.

When Aza still lived with her parents, she taught herself to illuse. She can throw her voice and mimic any other sound. One day the Ivi overhears Aza illusing. This kingdom loves to sing. They use singing the same way that we would use prayer, or the way other kingdoms would have a ball. Ivi comes from another kingdom and is not gifted with a lovely voice, the way that most of the others around her are. Ivi asks Aza to illuse for her whenever she must sing in public.

Ivi is ruining the kingdom while the king is in his sickbed. Aza and Ijori are falling in love.

Aza tries to find a way to become beautiful. She finds a spell but it doesn't work. She looks in Ivi's mirror and sees what she would look like if she were beautiful.

Soon the secret is out. Ivi and Aza are found illusing. Ivi blames Aza. Just as the guards are to put Aza in jail, she drinks the potion that Ivi has. She becomes stunningly beautiful. She is imprisoned. She breaks free and finds one of Ivi's men ready to take her into the forest to save her. Aza realizes that the man is really sent to kill her. Aza is able to save his life when confronted by ogres. He takes her to some gnome caverns and leaves her. He returns to Ivi to tell her that Aza is dead.

Aza lives with the gnomes and finds out that she may have gnome blood in her. While in the caverns she learns to appreciate herself more. Ivi finds out Aza is alive and makes herself into a gnome. She tricks Aza into eating poisoned food. Aza is trapped between life and death and is transported and then trapped in Ivi's mirror. She also returns to her former unattractive self. Eventually she is able to break free and destroy the being in the mirror that has trapped her there.

The king recovers. He still loves Ivi despite what she has done to the kingdom and to Aza. He decides after three years he will turn the kingdom over to Ijori. The king and Ivi go into exile. Ijori and Aza marry and have children. Happy, happy, happy.

This was a fun book to read. Levine made up a lot of songs since these were singing people. Sometimes I felt like the story didn't flow very well, but overall I liked that Aza was able to come to see how valuable she was despite how she looked. She is able to have a full life and because she becomes the queen she is then thought of as stately instead of ugly. I found this to ring true as I thought about people I know that think themselves unattractive. I rarely think about what people look like. I pay more attention to the way they act and the way they treat others. If they are good people I always tend to think of them as attractive.

Rating 3.5 I really liked this and may read it again.........I just couldn't go any higher. I don't sing so the songs really threw me off and sometimes I felt like Aza's voice was confusing.
Rating G

The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm by Kenneth Tarr

This is an end of days book. Just the kind of book I should never read........mostly because I will never have built my food storage to its maximum requirement.

Steven is raising his children alone in Utah County. He lost his wife to a polygamist group in Southern Utah. His brother John is obsessed with dooms day preaching........and is therefore prepared. There are earthquakes, dam breaks, floods, tornadoes, plagues, wars, nuclear bombs, asteroids, tsunamis, break down of government, martial law, the mark of the beast, weapons removed from all Americans, the rise of the Antichrist, the desperate need for food storage and bomb shelters, and the need to know how to build a handcart. Yes this book has it all.
After natural disaster, plague, riot and death, Steven and his brothers are called to take the first company of Saints back to Missouri. Steven also finds a new wife from his new ward. She helps infiltrate the polygamist group that kidnaps one of his children.

I was pretty entertained........and scared witless. All I can say is I hope the end of the world is nothing like this, or I hope it is ages away because I don't want to be there. Steven and his family, although stricken with many trials don't seem to have the anxiety factor that I would feel. They get along fairly well.
In some ways the book seemed over the top with doom, but I guess if the world is going to end there is probably more than one way to do it. Sure it isn't the best lit out there but all in all I was truly entertained and plan to read the second volume to see what happens when the Saints move east.
Rating 4
Rating PG The book is clean of filth like sex and bad language but the natural disaster alone is terrifying.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

In this edition of A Clockwork Orange, the last chapter is added, which was original to the British book, but taken out of the America version.

The language in this book is a mix of Russian, English and invented slang.

Alex is a teen (Nadsat ......or Russian numbers 11-19) hoodlum with a gang of other boys. Society is over run by the likes of these boys. They spend time in bars, getting high, street fighting and committing heinous crimes against society. Alex likes to shoot up and then listen to classical music. He hallucinates and gets all worked up.

Alex is the leader of his small gang. He at times feels threatened by the other members and beats them up.

The boys beat up an old man coming from the library. They go out into the country and break into a house. They knock around the husband and tear up the book he is writing (A Clockwork Orange) and rape his wife. The final act that puts Alex in prison; the boys go to an older, wealthy part of town where they plan a break in. They want to steal goods from the home. They are unable to gain access through the front door so Alex climbs into an upper story window. By now the old person living there has called the police. Alex comes downstairs and eventually knocks the elderly in the head with a statue. She later dies, solidifying Alex's time in prison. As the police arrive, Alex's buddies chain him up and leave him because he beat them up earlier.

Alex spends two years in prison. (He is committed to a fourteen year term.) He plays the music on a stereo in the prison chapel. He is housed with many other men in one cell. Finally he beats up one man for laying on the same bed. The man dies and the government decides they must do something about the over crowding. They use Alex as a guinea pig in their new treatment.

Alex is taken to some new buildings on the prison grounds. They tell him he will be cured of doing evil and returned to society within two weeks. He gets very excited. He is shown to a nice room that he doesn't have to share. He is given good food and what the doctors tell him are vitamin shots because he is malnourished. Then he is taken to watch movies. He is strapped to a chair and his eyelids are held open. Alex is made to watch graphic violence with classical music. The 'vitamin' shots make him ill. He is conditioned by the government to become ill at the mere thought of violence. When he is able to become ill without the medication and only violence, he is returned to society.

Alex goes home and finds his parent's have rented out his room to someone else. He wanders the streets, goes to a bar, gets high. When he comes down from the high he is suicidal. He can't even think of ending his own life without becoming sick from the violent images in his head. He decides to go to the library and find out a way to kill himself without violence. At the library he runs into the old man that he and his friends beat up on the streets years ago. The old man attacks him along with the other old men in the library. The police come. Alex sees that one of his old gang and one of his enemies have become policemen. They take him out to the county and beat the tar out of him and leave him there. Alex wanders until he just happens upon the house where he and his friends beat the husband and raped the wife. He stumbles to the door and is taken in by the man. The man recognizes Alex from the newspaper article about the government's experiment. He gives Alex food and a place to sleep. He does not realize Alex is the person that broke into his home over two years ago. Alex and his friends would wear masks when committing some of their crimes. The man also named Alexander tells Alex that he will call some of his friends and they will use him as an example that the government has gone too far in taking the will of a person away. The friends come and take Alex to an apartment where they lock him in. By now, because of some of the things Alex has said, Alexander has identified him as one of the people that raped his wife which lead to her death. Alex falls asleep on the bed and wakes to some of his favorite music playing in the next apartment. Unfortunately for Alex he is now conditioned to become violently ill at the sound of this music because it was used during the graphic scenes he was forced to watch. He cannot escape the sound and gets sicker and sicker. Finally he throws himself from the window. The fall is not enough to kill him. He ends up in the hospital.

The government sees that they have gone too far with their experiment and 'cure' Alex, or return him to his former state. His parents come and tell him he may come home. He goes back to his old life and forms a new gang.

The final chapter, formerly left out of the American version; Alex is out with his new gang and begins to feel depressed. They want to go out and cause harm and chaos but Alex doesn't feel like it. The other boys go about their business and Alex goes out for some tea and milk. He sees Pete a member of his old band of friends. Pete only nineteen but newly married to a lovely girl. Alex and Pete talk for a minute. Pete and his wife leave to go to a party. Alex begins to realize that he is not depressed, at the ripe old age of eighteen he is just maturing out of his violent stage. Now he thinks he should begin looking for a wife so they can have a baby.

I loved this book. At first the language threw me off, but you figure it out quickly. (There is a Nadsat Glossary if your book doesn't contain one.) The violence is terrible but strikes a chord. I liked the controversy that it put forth about how far to go to 'cure' society of its many ills. I truly thought about this because of the socialism that is ever creeping nearer under the guise of 'government help'. Honestly, even though I know it is wrong to take someones will away........I was really glad that they did it to Alex. He was a beast.

The book became a little far fetched for me towards the end. The fact that Alex just happens to show up at the same location he committed a crime years ago and the victim and he form some kind of relationship....felt a little contrived. Also the fact that he was repaid with violence by just about everyone he crossed was a bit over the top. And finally his turn towards good by growing out of violence? In some sense most people mature and grow out of some of their youthful mistakes but I'm not sure about growing out of violence to the degree.

Rating 5 I totally recommend this book, BUT...........

Rating R violence, rape, language, drug use, murder.

World Without End

World Without End by Ken Follett

The epic follow up of Pillars of the Earth. World Without End is also set in Kingsbridge........just two centuries later. The Cathedral has been built and the town has prospered since the first book. Now all new characters take us through the religious and medical themed book. In this male and Catholic dominated society, women are treated like cattle........or witches. The church crushes anything in its way in the name of God. I can see why people hate organized religion.

Caris is the town wooler's daughter. She wants to become a doctor but settles for learning from the town apothecary, which turns out that she learns a whole lot more than she would have at university. She also revitalizes the town with her wool dying techniques. She is in love with Merthin the town builder. They spend most of their lives pining for each other.........and most of that is Caris' fault. She doesn't want to be the slave to a husband and family but she still wants Merthin. She even goes as far as having an abortion when she becomes pregnant with his child. Caris finally decides she wants to marry Merthin and on the eve of their wedding is tried for witchcraft by her cousin the Prior of Kingsbridge.......Godwyn. Caris is forced into the service of God and becomes a nun in order to save her skin. Through the cloth she is able to serve the town with her medical skill. The plague attacks the village and kills many but Caris learns much. Finally she is able to free herself from the priory and marry Merthin. They build a hospital that she can run properly without the heavy threat of the priory stopping her from using logic instead of myth.
Merthin witnesses a mystery as a child. The mystery is connected to the King and a knight turned monk. The mystery follows him throughout his life. Because Merthin's parents are in debt they strike a deal with the priory. They will be cared for by the priory and give their boys up.....Ralph to be trained as a knight and Merthin to train with a carpenter. Ralph becomes an evil, raping, murdering animal and Earl of Shiring. Merthin becomes a famous builder and travels to Florence to learn amazing techniques which he brings back to Kingsbridge. Merthin is able to see out his destiny and build the tallest tower in England as part of Kingsbridge Cathedral. He becomes the town leader.
The Priory goes through some changes. After many years of heavy handed, back stabbing, scheming done in the name of God the plague kills the evil Prior Godwyn. He is replaced by the soulless Philemon, Godwyn's former lackey. Finally after much tightrope walking, logic, and truth.........Caris and Merthin are able to get the village removed from the rule of the church and put under the rule of the King. This makes more money in taxes for the King and the town is able to flourish when the priory isn't taking all of their money. Finally the mystery witnessed by Merthin is discovered by the right people and with this power Merthin is able to gain a new and sympathetic prior for Kingsbridge. Philemon is sent packing!
Gwenda, the poor unfortunate soul. She becomes friends with Caris at a very young age. Gwenda's father is a landless laborer, which means most of the time he's a thief. At one point he sells Gwenda to a band of outlaws. She is to be their prostitute and her father gets a cow in exchange. The law allows this because Gwenda is not an adult, therefore she is the property of her father. Gwenda is able to break free from the band of outlaws with only one rape and one murder to count. She is desperately in love with Wulfric a sweet and devoted boy two years her junior. Wulfric is engaged to another girl, whom he adores. When she is assaulted by Ralph, Wulfric breaks Ralph's nose in her (Annet) defense. Ralph makes Wulfric pay for this the rest of his life. Wulfric is not given his father's land after the plague wipes out the whole family.......leaving only Wulfric. Annet then marries another. Wulfric is heart broken. Gwenda woos him ending up pregnant and a landless laborer. Wulfric and Gwenda marry and live a life of misery, unable to own their own land. Gwenda tries in vain to persuade Ralph to give Wulfric his land back. Ralph is the one to impregnate Gwenda but neither Ralph or Wulfric know. Years later their child Sam, having the same evil disposition as his biological father, catches Ralph attempting to rape Gwenda AGAIN and kills him. Freeing the family of the tyranny they have lived with for years. Wulfric gains his land back because Ralph had no one else to work it.
This review could end up as an epic itself! The book was so long and miserable at times. I couldn't stand the Prior or the evil committed in the name of God. Caris made me want to run screaming. She caused so much grief for Merthin but she was also a good and strong character.
Rating 4
Rating R murder, rape, violence, war, sex, disease and distress.

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card

The Bugger war is over and the children taken into space for battle school have returned to Earth (2170 AD). Bean is with his new family in Greece. Locke (Peter Wiggin and Ender's brother) has had Ender exiled from Earth so that when war on Earth begins Ender won't be fought over by the leaders there.
Now that the Bugger threat is over, it is time for Earth leaders to fight over world dominance. The children that fought with Ender, or Ender's jeesh are now considered to be the optimal battle minded people on the planet. In quick succession they are all kidnapped, except for Bean. Achilles is back and he wants Bean dead. Just before Achille has the Delphinki family blown to bits, Bean realizes what is about to happen. The family makes it out of the situation alive, but Bean must go into hiding. He and Sister Carlotta run off and try to stay under Achilles' radar. While in hiding they go to meet Locke. They convince Peter to come out under his real name so that eventually he can be trusted by other governments and eventually become Hegemon. With Locke's help, Achille is shown for the nutcase he is and all Battle School children are released except for Petra. Achille keeps her as he travels from Russia to India to begin a world wide revolution which he hopes to win. He plans attacks on Asian countries and secretly plans to join forces with China.
Bean goes to Thailand to try to head off some of Achilles' attacks. While there he learns from another Battle School graduate....Virlomi, where Petra is being held. Petra is with Achille. He takes her everywhere and leaves her no way to contact anyone. At one point she is able to beat Achille up but this probably just seals her fate.
Bean makes his own small force in Thailand just like the one he was over in Battle School. They train in as many ways as possible. Finally Bean is able to save Petra, but Achille is set free and is taken to China by the Chinese leaders.
Sister Carlotta is killed by Achilles. She leaves a letter for Bean revealing his genetic heritage and Anton's Key. She tells Bean he will be lucky to make it to the age of fifteen. Bean decides he will never marry and have children. Just as Bean makes this vow for his life, Petra tells him she has feelings for him and offers herself up.
Locke reveals the treachery of China. He is made Hegemon over the world.

Rating 4.5 I really think I like this series better than the original Ender series!
Rating PG 13 murder and mayhem