Book Review: Dinotopia Thunder Falls

Dinotopia: Thunder Falls by Scott Ciencin

Join Joseph the human and Fleetfeet the Stegoceras as they embark on an adventure of friendship on the mysterious island Dinotopia. Both orphans, Joseph and Fleetfeet have been raised by their mentor Steelgaze, an older dinosaur. While both children are close friends, they compete with each other every chance they get. One day, their mentor sends them on a quest. The success of this quest can affect the safety of countless Dinotopians. While both have individual skills and talents, the human and dinosaur must learn that not everything is a competition or risk failure of their mission.

Background information: Dinotopia is a series of books that take place on a mysterious island called Dinotopia (shock!). This is an island where the dinosaurs went below earth during the "ice age" and thus survived and eventually came back above ground. These dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures were intellectual, capable of intelligent thought and speech, as well as the wearing of clothes and adoption of human-like behaviors. Over time, the rough sea around the island caused many ships to crash. The survivors of these shipwrecks are brought to Dinotopia by dolphins (thus earning the newcomers the title "dolphinbacks"). On this island, humans and dinosaurs live together in peace, enjoying diverse cultures and adventures. It's fairy tale material of the prehistoric kind. 

I would suggest this series to children, about third grade reading level, who enjoy dinosaurs. However, many of the main characters in these stories are teenagers, so children may not be able to relate to them as well. A common theme in these books is friendship and overcoming differences and difficulties. It is a chapter book of over 100 pages. Each chapter is about 4-5 pages long, so it has plenty of stopping places. 

Book Review: The Rogue Crew

The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques

This is the last book in the epic Redwall series. The author Brian Jacques passed away this year, which of course means that he will not be writing any more books. This book is definitely different from past books in this series. It is darker in respect to the villain, a villainous Wearat named Razzid. Razzid is a sea vermin who mercilessly attacks the coasts. He is finally defeated and nearly killed by the sea otters. He is taken back to his island where he slowly heals and builds a colossal ship with wheels, the Greenshroud. He then takes his ship on wheels to attack by sea and by land. He and his crew kill everybeast in his path, whether burning an unarmed old sea otter or crushing unaware hares under the wheels of his monstrous green ship.

In this book, Redwall Abbey is not a main scene. Razzid Wearat does not reach the Abbey until the very end of the book. The Abbey is briefly mentioned here and there, but the action is centered more around the shores of Mossflower with the Long Patrol hares and the sea otters, led by Skor Axehound. This book is also darker because a visitor to Redwall dies by accident. In the other Redwall books, I cannot recall someone dying by accident, especially not in Redwall and especially not near the beginning of the book. The villain is not killed by a warrior either, but by a brave Redwall maid who never held a sword before in her life. There are a few other books where the main villain is not killed by a warrior or is even killed by one of his own, but it does not happen often in this series.

As to be expected of the author, the book is filled with the usual excitement, bravery, battles, food, death, and  finally victory and peace. There are not many riddles, as is characteristic of most of the books. Overall, it is another great Redwall book, the last of these great books.

Book Review: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum

This book takes place after the classic Wizard of Oz tale and is one of the numerous stories about Dorothy and the Land of Oz. An earthquake drops Dorothy Gale and her cousin Zeb, along with an old horse named Jim and a white cat named Eureka, into an underground world where the people are made of vegetables and all the architecture is made of glass. There they meet up with the Wizard of Oz who helps them escape the hostile vegetable people (he's the man on the cover with the piglets). However, they do not escape danger yet as they are attacked by invisible bears and strange creatures wearing wooden wings. They are finally rescued by the Princess Ozma of Oz and continue their adventures in the safety of Oz.

This book is written in a story-telling fashion as though the author were telling the story to children. The adventures the children encounter are ridiculous and entertaining as well as the solutions they find, just what one would expect in a children's tale.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

The second book in the Harry Potter series starts with Harry back at the Dursley's (his "Muggle" guardians) for the summer. An enslaved house elf named Dobby comes to warn Harry not to return, and even gets Harry in trouble to try to keep him away from harm. However, Harry does return (after practically stealing his best friend's dad's magical car), and Dobby's warnings prove true as disaster begins to strike. Worse, Harry is being blamed for the attacks on the "Mudbloods." But the plot only thickens as Harry and Ron discover the truth behind the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Who is the attacker? And why does Harry exhibit characteristics of a Slytherin? These are some of the questions answered in this book, but many more must wait for the next.

While the book does not emphasize good moral decisions (seems to be a trademark of the series, more pragmatic than moral), the mysterious plot kept me reading to see who was the real culprit and to see what other details that will help expound on information from the past book and will probably relate to something in the next book to thicken the plot. I would definitely have to say that the plot is the series' finer point. I also loved the ending when Dobby is freed from his slavery by Harry's stinky old sock.

Background info: Apparently, when the master gives his house elf slave a piece of clothing, any piece of clothing, the slave is free.
Book quote:

"Come, Dobby. I said, come."

But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.

"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"

"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby - Dobby is free." 

Book Review: Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The newest Phantom of the Opera movie doesn’t really do the book justice. Let’s start with Erik, the Opera Ghost. As I recall, I don’t think he was ever once named the Phantom. It is in the title, but throughout the book he was always just the Opera Ghost. He also had nothing gentlemanly about the way he treated Christine. He terrified her and messed with her mind. He behaved every inch the madman he was. The movie portrays him in a much lighter, kinder way than he is portrayed in the book.

Some things to note as to the differences between the movie and book:

1. The chandelier incident: It did not happen at the end and burn down the opera house. Actually, it happened during Carlotta’s croaking incident. This is also the first performance where the managers sold the Ghost’s opera box since they did not believe that he was real. The chandelier only killed the lady who was in Erik’s box.
2. The Persian: This a deleted character, however he was actually a very important to the story. The Persian is the man who saved Erik’s life, not Madame Giry. He helps Raoul rescue Christine at the end and narrates the whole ordeal.
3. Erik’s torture chamber: As I said before, Erik was in no way a gentleman towards anyone, even Christine. At the end, he even tortures Christine. His torture chamber is very effective, and he uses it against Raoul and the Persian, who barely escape death many times in his psychological torture.
4. Erik’s disfigurement: His whole face was disfigured, described as dead skin, like a corpse. It was not merely half his face. He is also described as having glowing yellow eyes. And he was a madman, not just someone who was angry with his circumstances.
5. There was no awesome cemetery swordfight between the Ghost and Raoul. However, at the cemetery, the Ghost did topple a large pile of bones on Raoul that knocked him unconscious.

One thing the movie does get right is Erik’s transformation after Christine allows him to kiss him. However, he only kisses her forehead. He ceases his madman behavior, allows Christine and Raoul to leave, and tells the Persian that he is going to stop his insanity. Erik then leaves the opera house and is never heard from again. Christine and Raoul are never heard from again either, since they had to elope (you know, Raoul being from an upper class family and Christine being the daughter of a poor man).

A few of my favorite quotes from the madman:

“Oh, my poor Christine, look at your wrists: tell me, have I hurt them? …That alone deserves death…Talking of death, I MUST SING HIS REQUIEM!”

“But I am very tired of it!...I’m sick and tired of having a forest and a torture-chamber in my house and of living like a mountebank, in a house with a false bottom!”

“But what does this mean?...The wall is really getting quite hot!...The wall is burning!” 

“I’ll tell you, Christine, dear: it is because of the forest next door.” 

“Well, what has that to do with it? The forest?” 

“WHY, DIDN’T YOU SEE THAT IT WAS AN AFRICAN FOREST?”

Book Review: Peter Pan

Surprisingly enough, the Disney classic cartoon version of this book is actually very close to what happens in the book. Of course, there are differences. For example, the father is more of a jerk in the book than in the movie. This is the classic tale of the boy who refused to grow up and shunned everything grown up. Peter Pan wishes to take Wendy back to Neverland to be their mother. Together with her brothers John and Michael, Wendy travels to Neverland. There, they meet the Lost Boys, have adventures of childish proportions, befriend the Indians, and defeat Captain Hook. However, Wendy realizes in horror that John and Michael are forgetting their real mother and are beginning to believe that Wendy really is their mother. They return, against Peter's will, along with the Lost Boys. Peter Pan promises Wendy that he will return every year to take her back to Neverland, but as boys often do, he forgets. When he returns, Wendy is grown up and has a daughter, Jane. Since grown ups cannot go to Neverland, Peter takes Jane instead. And after Jane grows up, he brings her daughter Margaret. And the cycle continues from generation to generation.

If you enjoy Peter Pan, then you might also like its darker sequel - Peter Pan in Scarlet.

Book Review: Myst: The Book of Atrus

Written by Rand and Robyn Miller, Myst: The Book of Atrus is a novel which tells the tell of Atrus, the main protagonist in the amazingly intricate puzzle computer game Myst (and most of the sequels as well). This book tells the tale of Atrus, from his birth to the meeting of his future wife Catherine (whose name is actually Katran, but oh well). Atrus's mother died right after his birth, and his father will have nothing to do with him. This leaves him in the hands of his kind grandmother who raises him in a barren cleft. Atrus grows up to be inventive, creative, and curious. His grandmother tells him wonderful stories about the people of D'ni, a powerful race of people who were destroyed by one of their own. His life is wonderful. Suddenly, his father returns and demands that Atrus come with him. His father, Gehn, seeks to teach his son the dying art of writing whole worlds into existence. Atrus is excited to learn that he is not only one of the last D'ni but that he also has ability to create worlds from words. However, the more he learns from his father about the art, the more he realizes a frightening truth which will lead him to take drastic measures against his own father.

I have to admit, but I am rather biased about this book. It's a novelization of one of my favorite childhood computer games. Seriously, the Myst computer series are really great puzzle games with beautiful scenery and ambiance, which is reflected in the descriptive writing in this book. Detail is key. Of course, this is not Christian science fiction, and the father, Gehn, often refers to himself as a god, with which Atrus strongly disagrees. The book makes good arguments against humans playing god, although it does not have any other theistic elements to it.