Terrier and Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
Pierce is one of my favorite fantasy authors. I've read through her other Tortall based series (Protector of the Small, Song of the Lioness, The Immortals) and her Circle of Magic sets. I enjoy Pierce's writing as a combination of almost "period" fiction - readers are transported so thoroughly into the world of the novel, it feels as though you have slipped into an ancient pre-Crusades Holy Roman Empire. Of course, this is an H.R.E. where the knights are accompanied by a pantheon of gods who walk the earth disguised as talking creatures, wandering crones, and magic wielding humans. Terrier and its sequel, Bloodhound, pick up in the ancient history of her previous Tortall series.
These stories are written as the journals of Beka Cooper (ancestress of George Cooper from the previous Tortall universe). Beka is a fiesty and lively female character (in the tradition of most of the lead characters in Pierce's novels). Reading her journal, you are immersed in the language and culture of the landscape as she experiences it.
In Terrier, Beka has entered service in the "police force" of the Lower City. Considered "puppies," she and her friends learn to adjust to the normal bribe taking/fee collection, dealing with the criminal element and solving the disappearances among the children of the realm. Beka, with the help of a mysterious cat and her own special abilities, makes a splash in her first year of service.
In Bloodhound, Beka is into her first year as a full-fledged "Dog." She gets called on for some special work along with her partner, Goodwin, to flush out counterfeiters threatening to undermine the strength of the kingdom. Of course, we follow the clues as we read Beka's journal and go with her through the investigation and experience of a whirlwind romance as well.
I look forward to the third and final book in the series next year!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Reading Again
Okay. Back again from my 1/2 year hiatus.
Recently, I've been doing some reading. I just finished Lucy by Laurence Gonzales. Intriguing is the word for it right now. I'm still really trying to process it. In this fiction novel, Lucy is the child of a researcher working with Bonobos (a greater ape also known as a pygmy chimpanzee) in the Congo - and her mother is a bonobo. This novel works through a short period of Lucy's life as she is moved to live with other humans for the first time. Adopted by another scientific researcher, Lucy lives as a teenage girl in high school preparing for college until her biological history is made known. Gonzales writes the novel in a way that makes me feel as though I'm reading Jurassic Park (without as much of the technical jargon) and thinking it sounds so wrong, yet so very probably possible.
Gonzales pulls no punches against people and the blatant reactions of both left and right, Christian and non-Christian, military verses medical. He showcases characters who respond to Lucy with a sheer hatred and with heartfelt compassion. I haven't even begun to fully deal with my own feelings of how would I respond in that situation - would I go first to disgust? If I feel that it is ethically wrong to create a human hybrid, would I still respond in kindness, recognizing her as the creation, not the one who created? Never mind the consideration of has this already happened - we just don't know it. Life I said, definitely a book to make you think. I just need more time to think.
This isn't a thorough review - though I hope to start doing more consistent reviews....I read a lot. I do recommend this book if you enjoy Michael Crichton, like science fiction or want a thought-provoking read that may force you to consider the question - What is humanity?
Recently, I've been doing some reading. I just finished Lucy by Laurence Gonzales. Intriguing is the word for it right now. I'm still really trying to process it. In this fiction novel, Lucy is the child of a researcher working with Bonobos (a greater ape also known as a pygmy chimpanzee) in the Congo - and her mother is a bonobo. This novel works through a short period of Lucy's life as she is moved to live with other humans for the first time. Adopted by another scientific researcher, Lucy lives as a teenage girl in high school preparing for college until her biological history is made known. Gonzales writes the novel in a way that makes me feel as though I'm reading Jurassic Park (without as much of the technical jargon) and thinking it sounds so wrong, yet so very probably possible.
Gonzales pulls no punches against people and the blatant reactions of both left and right, Christian and non-Christian, military verses medical. He showcases characters who respond to Lucy with a sheer hatred and with heartfelt compassion. I haven't even begun to fully deal with my own feelings of how would I respond in that situation - would I go first to disgust? If I feel that it is ethically wrong to create a human hybrid, would I still respond in kindness, recognizing her as the creation, not the one who created? Never mind the consideration of has this already happened - we just don't know it. Life I said, definitely a book to make you think. I just need more time to think.
This isn't a thorough review - though I hope to start doing more consistent reviews....I read a lot. I do recommend this book if you enjoy Michael Crichton, like science fiction or want a thought-provoking read that may force you to consider the question - What is humanity?
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