A "Variant" on Good Reading

Variant

Wells, Robison

Fiction

     I would like to start off by saying that this is very easily one of the best books that I have ever read. I know that I say that about a lot of the books that I have read in the past, but I honestly think that this book is right up there with "Maze Runner". I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found it very hard to put it down because of the almost constant action in the book, and I feel like it was written in a way that makes you want to keep reading long into the night, which is a skill that not many writers have. As a rating for the book, I would give it a 5/5. I think that it deserves this rating, and the only thing that is even slightly questionable about the book is how graphic some parts of the book are. 

    
     Benson Fisher has received a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, where he is determined to get a restart on his life. He has been passed around from one foster family to another, so he is very excited at the idea of living away from that for a while, and just focusing on school and friends. Shortly after ariving at Maxfield, he realizes that he was extermely wrong. The whole school is split into 3 different gangs, and there are no teachers. The students have to run classes, cook food, and clean the school by themselves. No one knows why they are here, or how long they will be there. As the story continues, dramatic changes in the plot unfold as Benson tries to escape his new prison. In the end, they students are all surprised at what the school was actually used for, and ends in a way that implies a second book in the series.
    
     I believe that a good theme for this book would have to be trust. There are multiple examples of betrayal throughout the book. These are often very surprising, and leaves the reader in awe. Benson has a hard time trusting anyone in the school after discovering a secret about it, and it really makes you think about who can be trusted, and what a real friend would do in dangerous situations. The best way to provide an inside look at these friendships is through the style of narration that Wells uses. It is all based on Will, although it is not narrated by him.

     I believe that the intended audiance for this book includes high school aged readers and adults. My reason toward this is because of the graphic way the author describes some parts of the book, and has some mature language as well. Looking past that though I would defenitely recommend this book to anyone within that age group. It is well worth your time, and will leave you wanting more. James Dashner, the author of the "Maze Runner" series says, “Variant is a compelling story on so many levels. I loved it! The twist behind it all is my favorite since Ender’s Game.” There are definate twists in the plot and I think James Dashner says it very well. Another quote, from Booklist, "Take Veronica Roth’s Divergent (2011), strip out the angst, add a Michael Grant–level storytelling pace, and you have this very satisfying series starter.” I read Divergent as well, and I think that this comparrison is well said. I hope that you take my opinion on the book to heart, and read it, because it really is a good book and I know you'll love it too.

L.j.F

     

     

Catching up to "Maze Runner"

The Maze Runner

Dashner, James

Science Fiction

The only word I can think of to describe this book is amazing. I can honestly say, this is probably one of the best books I have ever read, and let me tell you, I've read a LOT of books. The imagination of James Dashner is entertaining, with the way he comes up with the creatures, the characters, and the general plot of the story. This is one of those books that will have you staying up until 4:00 in the morning to finish, and let me tell ya, the way it ends really leaves you wanting more. If I was to give this book a rating, it would be about an 8.5/10. To be honest, I would be hard pressed to find more than one thing that I didn't like about this book. The only thing that I can think of that bored me a little is the beginning of the book. It seems like it takes a long time for the author to give you all the information you need about the characters and the situation they are in. It is also somewhat frustrating how you don't get very many details about what is going on. The main character keeps asking the veterans questions about what is going on, and it takes about a third of the book to start getting answers. I still think that this is a very good book, and once you get past the slower beginning, you will have a very hard time putting this book down, even if you know you'll only get 2 hours of sleep for the next day!

The plot is a fairly simple one in the beginning, considering how little you find out to begin with. Our main character, a 15 year old teenage boy named Thomas, wakes up inside a cold metal elevator, which he can tell is slowly moving up. The first thing he notices about himself is that he has no memory whatsoever about where he is, who he is, or why he is there. All he can remember is his first name. Thomas. As the elevator shudders to a stop, the ceiling opens up to a crowd of about 40 other teenage boys. Thomas is told that he is now in a place called the "Glade" and basically, there is no way out. All they know is that there is a seemingly un-solvable maze that surrounds the Glade. Everyday a group of boys called Runners go out into the maze exploring and mapping as much as they can. To make the maze even harder, the walls move every night, making it even harder to solve. Even after three years of continuous searching, nothing but long stretches of ivy covered walls have been found. As you can imagine, this frustrates the Gladers to no end, but they know they can not give up. Oblivious to his situation, Thomas soon gets caught up in the most intense situation of his life, or as far as he can remember that is. Every first week of the month the Gladers have one more boy added to their ranks. Thomas was nothing new, just another greenie that no one respected. To their surprise, the day after Thomas arrives, a GIRL arrives. Unconscious and barely breathing, the girl has a simple piece of paper clutched in her hand. "Everything is about to change" The paper couldn't be more correct. As the boys, and Teresa, battle for survival, they learn that there is much more going on than what they initially thought. As you read this book, you will discover things at the same time as the characters in the story, which really keeps you involved. Around every turn of the maze of life these boys live in, things seem to get worse and worse, variables thrown at them by the Creators, to see if they can roll with the punches. I think one theme that is shown throughout the story is endurance, even after you think that there is nothing else you can do. This is something that becomes very obvious as you read further into the book. Not only are the Gladers challenged physically, having to endure long days of running and work, they also have to deal with the monotonous life that they are trapped in. All they know is that if they give up, they will all die, so they must push on, even if that means losing some men along the way.

I think that the style of Dashner's writing is unique, in the sense that he loves to pack as much detail as possible into the story, without becoming overly descriptive and boring. As he writes, you can visualise what is going on, and in my case, everything was painted vividly in my mind as I read. I think that the best way to get this detail is to use a narration style that follows only one character. That way you are seeing the world through one person's eyes and you don't have to deal with multiple perspectives. The story is not in first person however. While it may only follow Thomas, it is not written as if it's Thomas's journal where he says stuff like, "My legs hurt after all the running", but more like, "After hours of jogging, Thomas's legs burned." I think that this really helps the reader grasp what is trying to be said. This is one of the reasons why I liked the book a lot, and I would recommend it to any reader who likes action, thrills, and some graphic battles. I would suggest however, that the reader should be over 12 at least, because there is a slang that is used in the Glade that is hard to get used to at first, and I think that for kids under 12, it may be hard to understand that they are using words that are made up, and not something that is really a word. I think that this review from midnightbloomreads.com sums up some of my thoughts. "The beginning starts off slow as we learn more about the mysteries and dangers outside of the Glade... but the intrigue steadily builds up as the Gladers tried
to solve all the riddles." There are definitely many dangers outside the Glade, and I think it's good that Dashner takes time to lead up to that, but he does take a bit more time than needed. Another great review says, "The Maze Runner is a very visual book – the images of the Maze, the Glade, the Homestead are all well-drawn." -booksandmovies.com. I'm glad to see that other people got the same effect from this book as I did. I hope that other people will read this book, because it is worth reading for sure.

The end.

L.j.F

(For some reason, Blogger will not let me separate the paragraphs. Sorry if that is annoying).

WWI has never felt so real. . .

'Til The Boys Come Home

Borrowman, Jerry

Historical Fiction

This book really hit home to me. I feel like when you read about a war, especially one of the worst wars in the worlds history, World War I, it really makes you think about how lucky you are to not be in that situation in life. These boys who were in the war went through some unspeakable things, and this book gives you a look at what life would be like in the trenches, in the air, and behind enemy lines. Jerry Borrowman has the amazing ability to take fictional characters and make them feel so real that you could drive right up to their house and meet them in person. It is because of this, and many other things that I rate this book a 9.5/10. I realize that most books would have to receive hundreds of awards and great reviews from notable people to obtain a rating like this, but I believe that if this book were to receive the attention that it deserves and was read with an open mind, it could be considered one of the best historical fiction books of all time. The only reason that I did not give this book a 10/10 is because of how much it focuses on religious matters. It also has a lot of graphic scenes of battle that may be disturbing to some people, but I liked the details of the story, even the bloody parts.

One of the reasons you get to know these characters so well is because the Borrowman spends a good portion of the book giving you background information about each leading character.

The story starts out in a little town in Idaho. Danny O'Brian, the popular, fast, handsome guy in town, meets the new kid, Trevor in a community race, and surprisingly, is beat! After the race, Trevor Richards introduces himself to Danny and they quickly become friends. As Danny and Trevor grow up, they hear rumors of a war in Europe, not expecting to ever be drug into the equation. After Danny's older brother get's killed his first day in action, his dad tries to put the blame on Danny by saying that if it wasn't for him, his brother would have never left. Out of frustration, Danny storms out of the house and signs himself up for the army. Trevor gets drafted, just as many others their age did, and they end up in the war. Trevor gets sent off to the Air Force due to his skill with machines, and Danny is put into a sniper squad. Both young men quickly excel in their areas and are put onto the front lines. Danny spends night and day in the muddy, smelly trenches of France, fighting for his life every day. Throughout the story, you feel as if you are on the front lines with Danny, or in the air with Trevor, fighting other German aircraft. The story goes through a lot of twists and turns that keep you flipping pages late into the night.

I believe that a definite theme that is displayed throughout the book is friendship. You can tell that both of the boys have a true love for each other, in a brotherly way of course. It really made me think about my own life and friends, and how I treated the people around me. In order to make this type of story work, with different plot lines, you have to use a narrator that can hop from story to story, and in to the thoughts and feelings of the main character. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who loves action, fighting, and deep friendship. The way the author describes the feelings of the characters makes you want to cry with them and is very moving. Midwest Book Review says, "'Till The Boys Come Home is enthusiastically recommended reading and would prove a popular addition to any community library General Fiction collection." Midwest Book review also said, "The characters are superbly drawn, the attention to historical detail is impressive, and the storyline is totally engaging from beginning to end." I believe that this book is one of the best that I have ever read, and the equal following it is just as good.

L.j.F

Breaking News on "Warbreaker"

Warbreaker
Sanderson, Brandon
Fantasy

The saying "Never judge a book by it's cover", couldn't apply more to this book, and you would see why if you read it. I feel this is important to know, because the cover had the same effect on me as it probably does you. I thought, this book is about a ghost girl who eats ribbons, but after further insight from a friend of mine, I discovered that I was not even close. In fact, I liked it so much, I'd probably give it a 8.5/10. This is a high rating for me because I judge books very carefully. There are many things in a book that can kill my interest, one of which is long sections of story without anything exciting going on. There are a few chapters in a row in this book that are somewhat slow, but I promise, once you get past that barrier, you'll find an amazing twist of plot lines that come together smoothly at the end of the book. Along with this disclaimer, I'd also say that I didn't particularly like the lovey dovey stuff that happens throughout, even if this adds "color" to the book.

Sanderson is a master of creativity, and keeps you flipping the pages late into the night. I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning finishing this book because I couldn't put it down. A general plot summary goes as follows. In a world where color is lacking in the lives of people, and in the environment, a princess named Vivenna lives under the fate of a treaty made by her father years before she was born. After running away from the home land, a group of rebels has set up a mini empire in the hills of the land to stay secluded. In order to ensure their safety, the king has made a treaty with the God King, the god like ruler of the land they ran from, stating that as soon as his first born daughter turned 21, he would send her to the God King to marry him. But instead of Vivenna being sent to marry, little sister Siri gets sent in her place. After arriving in Hallendren, the main city of the country, she soon notices two things. One, there is color everywhere! And second, she realizes that the politics of this place is much more complicated than her simple rebel empire. It is ruled by gods, sent back to life after they die heroically in their first life, in order to rule the people and fulfill their destiny, whatever that may be. The thing that makes these God's more powerful than the regular citizens, is their ability to use their "Breath" to grant one great wish such as saving a child from a sickness, but in the process, this kills the god as well. Throughout the story, you follow Vivenna as she tries to save her sister Siri from her fate.

I think that a theme that is used throughout the book is hard to determine, because of how many possibilities there are. But, if you were to nail one down, it would be having to adapt to a new environment. After Siri is thrown into this mess of politics, she has to become more refined and poised. Vivenna on the other hand goes from being virtually perfect, to a homeless beggar for a time. I think that as these characters learn to adapt to their new homes and situations, they become better people and learn more about themselves. The only way to accurately follow this kind of plot line is to have a god like view into everyone's thoughts, intentions, and actions. This is how the narrating goes throughout the book and I think it is very effective.
I believe Sanderson intended this book to be for teens who can grasp complicated plot lines, but for adults as well. Because of the 4 different plot lines throughout the book, it becomes somewhat challenging to keep track of them all, but they all get tied together in the end very effectively, which is really satisfying. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about a world far away, which allows there to be limitless options of creativity. Just because the book follows two girl characters, does not make it a girly book. It involves a lot of action and intense chapters of treason and tyranny which really keeps you on the edge of your chair, or bed, depending on where you read. These characters appeal to many people. One review states, “Sanderson again demonstrates his capacity for handling large and complex themes while creating believable characters.”—Library Journal. Another quote complimenting the characters. “Sanderson is clearly a master of large-scale stories, splendidly depicting worlds as well as strong female characters. . . . May the author write long and prosper.”—Booklist. I agree completely with both of these opinions, and would highly recommend it to any reader.

L.j.F