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Sunday, December 17, 2023

Christmas Stories by L Frank Baum


Title:
 The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus AND
A Kidnapped Santa Claus
Author: L Frank Baum (American, 1856-1919)
Originally published: 1902; 1904


Page count: 100; 12
Dates read: 11/27/23-11/16/23; 11/17/23-11/17/23
2023 book goal progress: 23 out of 23


Christmas!
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.



Description on back of book:
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus tells the captivating story of Claus, a child found and raised in the magical Forest of Burzee by a wood-nymph. Among the immortals, Claus grows into an innocent youth, until the day when he discovers the misery that rules the human world and hovers, like a shadow, above the heads of the children. Now, in an attempt to ease human suffering, he, with the help of his immortal friends, will work to bring joy to the children and teach them, for the sake of humanity, the importance of sharing and caring for each other.

A Kidnapped Santa Claus tells the story of Santa being kidnapped from the Laughing Valley by the five Daemons of the Caves (Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, Malice, and Repentance) on Christmas Eve. Can Christmas be saved?

First sentence:
"Have you heard of the great Forest of Burzee?" -Life

"Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured." -Kidnapped

Favorite quotes:
"Childhood is the time of man's greatest content. 'Tis during these years of innocent pleasure that the little ones are most often free from care. All seem equally fair and sweet while they are babes. Their joy is in being alive, and they do not stop to think. In after years, the doom of mankind overtakes them, and they find they must struggle and worry, work and fret, to gain the wealth that is so dear to the hearts of men." 
-Life

"A generous deed lives longer than a great battle or a king's decree or a scholar's essay because it spreads and leaves its mark on all nature and endures through many generations." 
-Life

"It is called the Laughing Valley because everything there is happy and gay. The brook chuckles to itself as it leaps rollicking between its green banks; the wind whistles merrily in the trees; the sunbeams dance lightly over the soft grass; and the violets and wild flowers look smilingly up from their green nests."
-Kidnapped

CAWPILE Rating (combined for both): Overall - 8/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 9
Atmosphere   - 9
Writing Style - 9
Plot                - 7
Intrigue          - 7
Logic             - 7
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was written like a fairy tale and it's a mythology all about Santa Claus, broken into 3 parts: youth, manhood, and old age. You meet many characters including Jack Frost and a few select deer, 10 to be exact, who became reindeer to work for Santa, and the food they ate to give them special powers. Of which, flight is not one of their powers - they're just especially swift and agile (and beautiful). Their names are Glossie, Flossie, Racer, Pacer, Reckless, Speckless, Fearless, Peerless, Ready, and Steady.

The story also explains where Santa grew up, and who named and raised him. It tells where he lives now, who he works with, how and why he started making toys, why he travels in one night, why he goes down chimneys, how he delivers gifts to those without a chimney, how Christmas trees started, how he became immortal, and much more! I highly recommend this quick read into the lore of Santa Claus!

A Kidnapped Santa Claus was a short story about Santa Claus keeping his good spirits despite being tempted and tested by various personified vices. It was a fun story.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let L Frank Baum have the last words:

"I have looked upon man, finding him doomed to live for a brief space upon earth, to toil for the things he needs, to fade into old age, and then to pass away as the leaves of autumn. Yet every man has his mission, which is to leave the world better, in some way, than he found it." 
-Claus in Life, Childhood

"Afterward, when a child was naughty or disobedient, its mother would say: 'You must pray to the good Santa Claus for forgiveness. He does not like naughty children, and, unless you repent, he will bring you no more pretty toys.' But Santa Claus himself would not have approved of this speech. He knew that the best of children were sometimes naughty, and that the naughty ones were often good." 
-Life, Manhood

"But when many years had rolled away, Santa Claus grew old. The long beard of golden brown that once covered his cheeks and chin gradually became gray, and finally turned to pure white. His hair was white, too, and there were wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, which showed plainly when he laughed. He had never been a very tall man, and now he became fat and waddled very much like a duck when he walked. But in spite of these things, he remained as lively as ever, and was just as jolly and gay, and his eyes sparkled as brightly as they did that first day when he came to the Laughing Valley."
-Life, Old Age

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Project Hail Mary By Andy Weir



Title:
 Project Hail Mary
Author: Andy Weir (American, 1972- )
Originally published: 2021


Page count: 473
Dates read: 11/12/23-11/21/23
2023 book goal progress: 22 out of 23


Work Bookclub 
Read other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. He’s just awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

With his crewmates dead, and his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. With the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?

First sentence:
"What's two plus two?"

Favorite quotes:
"I scour the screens for more info. Mostly they seem to be the kinds of things you'd expect on a spaceship. Life support, navigation, that sort of thing. One screen is labeled 'Beetles.' The next screen over says... Wait, beetles? Okay, I don't know if it has anything to do with anything, but I need to find out if there are a bunch of beetles on this ship. That's the sort of thing a guy needs to know."

"It's a simple idea, but also stupid. The thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas. We'll see which way this one falls."

"I cross my arms and slump into my pilot's seat. There's no gravity to properly slump with, so I have to make a conscious effort to push myself into the seat. I'm pouting, darn it, and I intend to do it right."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.7/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
I enjoyed this book. I can't say much here because I don't want to give anything away. I laughed, I cried, I got angry... I became invested in the book and the characters. It does get pretty sciency and some stuff went over my head, but it's still good overall. If you're into science fiction, I recommend this story. I actually would suggest this book over The Martian, by the same author, due to Hail Mary being less monotonous.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Andy Weir have the last words. The below quote is early on in the book when he is still getting memory flashbacks and trying to remember who he is. I found it a nice taste of dark humor.

"I'm watching NASA on TV and my first thought is... I'm elated! I can't wait to tell the kids!

I have kids? I'm in a single man's apartment eating a single man's meal. I don't see anything feminine at all. There's nothing to suggest a woman in my life. Am I divorced? Gay? Either way, there's no sign that children live here. No toys, no pictures of kids on the wall or mantel, nothing. And the place is way too clean. Kids make a mess of everything. 

How do I know that? I like kids. Huh. Just a feeling. But I like them. They're cool. They're fun to hang out with. So I'm a single man in my thirties, who lives alone in a small apartment, I don't have any kids, but I like kids a lot. I don't like where this is going...

A teacher! I'm a schoolteacher! I remember it now! Oh, thank God. I'm a teacher."

Later on in the book:

"If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to smack a kid's parents for not teaching them even the most basic things... well... I'd have enough nickels to put in a sock and smack those parents with it."

Friday, November 10, 2023

Kingkiller Shorts by Patrick Rothfuss



Titles:
 
-How Old Holly Came to Be
-The Lightning Tree
-The Slow Regard of Silent Things


Author: 
Patrick Rothfuss (American, 1973- )
Originally published: 2013; 2014; 2014

Page count:
7; 59; 147
Dates read: 10/23/23; 10/24/23-11/4/23; 11/10/23-11/28/23
2023 book goal progress: 20, 21 out of 23


Author Challenge: Patrick Rothfuss
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.




How Old Holly Came to Be
This is a poetic short story about a Lady and an old holly tree and how it came to protect her. It's short, sweet, and poetic. You can read it at the link above. 

Description on back of book:
The Lightning Tree takes us to the iconic Waystone Inn to follow a typical day in the life of one of the Kingkiller Chronicle's most popular characters, the mysterious Bast, ostensibly an errand boy, who is much more than he seems to be - a day in which Bast learns many lessons, and teaches a few as well.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. Auri lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows.

First sentence:
"Bast almost made it out the backdoor of the Waystone Inn." (Lightning)

"When Auri woke, she knew she had seven days." (Slow Regard)

Favorite quotes:
"Bast stood upright and grinned. His face was sweet and sly and wild. He looked like a naughty child who had managed to steal the moon and eat it. His smile was like the last sliver of remaining moon, sharp and white and dangerous." (Lightning)

" 'Do you know about bees?'
'A fair bit,' Bast said softly. 'They aren't hard to handle. They just need patience and gentleness. They're the same as everything else, really. They just want to know they're safe.' " (Lightning)

"And today he looked even bigger still 'cause he was furious. He was spittin' nails. I swear. He looked like someone had tied two angry bulls together and made them wear a shirt!" (Lightning)

"There is a difference between the truth and what we wish were true." (Slow Regard)

"Some days simply lay on you like stones. Some were fickle as cats, sliding away when you needed comfort, then coming back later when you didn't want them, jostling at you, stealing your breath." (Slow Regard)

Lightning CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 8/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 9
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 7
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Slow Regard CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 3.6/10 - ⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 6
Atmosphere   - 6
Writing Style - 3
Plot                - 1
Intrigue          - 2
Logic             - 3
Enjoyment     - 4

Review:
The Lightning Tree: This was a fun story that let the reader learn more about Bast and his antics. It also lets you know much more about the town. If this story represents a typical day in the life of Bast, he definitely interferes a lot with what goes on around town. The story leaves some parts up to interpretation, which I like.

The Slow Regard...: I imagine Auri as Autistic or at least someone with extreme OCD. She is always washing her face, hands, and feet. She always also personifies inanimate objects with emotions and opinions - to the point of anthropomorphizing, since for her all the objects really have emotions and opinions, though they don't talk or move on their own. She always senses if everything is in the proper place and spends most of her day moving bottles and other objects to a different shelf or other location because they would feel better somewhere else. If she doesn't move things to their proper place, she quickly becomes dysregulated.

There's a 3.5-page panic attack written from her perspective, which I think was spectacularly written, but I'm not going to write out a quote that long here. It's the last section of the Ash and Ember chapter if you're interested. This story was an interesting peek into Auri's head, but it doesn't have a plot or any point to it at all. Overall, probably not worth the read.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Patrick Rothfuss have the last words:

"Bast got to his feet and stretched, his body bending like a bow. Then he sprinted down the hill... except, in the fading light it didn't quite look like a sprint. If he were a boy of ten, it would have looked like he was skipping. But he was no boy. If he was a goat, it would have looked like he were prancing. But he was no goat. 

A man headed down the hill that quickly, it would have looked like he was running. But there was something odd about Bast's motion in the fading light. Something hard to describe. He almost looked like he were... what? Frolicking? Dancing? Small matter. Suffice to say that he quickly made his way to the edge of the clearing."


Monday, October 23, 2023

Winds of Fury by Mercedes Lackey



Title:
 Winds of Fury (Mage Winds Trilogy #3)
Author: Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
Originally published: 1993


Page count: 411
Dates read: 9/26/23-10/21/23
2023 book goal progress: 19 out of 23


Author Challenge: Mercedes Lackey
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:
Valdemar is once again in peril, threatened by Ancar of Hardorn, who has long sought to seize control of the kingdom by any means at his command. Yet this time Ancar may well achieve his goal, for by harnessing the power of a Dark Adept, he has set into motion a magical strike against Valdemar the like of which hasn’t been attempted in more than five hundred years.

With Valdemar’s ancient spell-generated protections finally breaking down, Queen Selenay, Herald-Princess Elspeth, and their people could soon be left defenseless against an enemy armed with spells no one in Valdemar has the knowledge to withstand. As the long-dormant magic of Valdemar begins to awaken, Elspeth finds that she too has a mysterious ally—a powerful spirit from the long-forgotten past.

First sentence:
"Ancar, King of Hardorn, slumped in the cushioned embrace of his throne and stared out into the empty Great Hall."

Favorite quotes:
"Remember, together you are far stronger than you are individually. 
I think that is something no enemy will be prepared for."

"The mage who knows how to use simple spells cleverly 
is just as effective as the Adept with no imagination."

"There is no such thing as perfection, or a 'perfect' love. 
I doubt there's even perfection in the Havens. 
Wouldn't perfection be a bore?"

"Tell a big enough lie, and everyone will believe it 
simply because it is too audacious not to be the truth."

"A brave man is simply someone who doesn't let his cowardice and fear stop him. 
Hellfires, boy, we're all cowards at some time or another."

"You're a Healing Adept, boy, but you don't need magic to Heal. 
Just words. And kindness, and care."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.3/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 7
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     -  7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
This is a good story and a good conclusion to the trilogy. New, seemingly, significant characters were introduced in the beginning, but then they weren't in the rest of the story, which was a disappointment. They finally defeated all 3 BBEGs, 2 of which have been around since the first published trilogy. It was an entertaining and (mostly) satisfying end, but the victory almost seemed too easy for how powerful all 3 of these evil mages were written to be. The book wrapped things up nicely but also left a new cliffhanger for the next trilogy.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words:

"A good, solid love is something infinitely rare and difficult to maintain because you don't know everything your partner is feeling. Love takes work. Love means being able to apologize and mean it when you blunder. Love is worth fighting for! One of the very things that made Van and I have a lovematch as well as a lifebonding was that we were so different. It is like a marriage - you marry who you think your beloved is, and then discover who they really are over the years. It's that discovery that makes a marriage work."

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs



Title:
 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs (American, 1979- )
Originally published: 2011


Page count: 341 (with many pages just being pictures)
Dates read: 9/14/23-10/8/23
2023 book goal progress: 18 out of 23


Oct. and Nov. Mindful Readers' Family Bookclub 
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:
As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

First sentence:
"I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary
when extraordinary things began to happen."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 6.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 7
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 7
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
I was intrigued by the story concept, but it was told in a 'younger' voice than I would've liked. Maybe if it was written to be geared more toward adults, I would've gotten more invested in the novel's characters (and monsters).

Book to movie review:
TBD

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Ransom Riggs have the last words:

"I really did believe him - for a few years, at least - though mostly because I wanted to, like other kids my age wanted to believe in Santa Claus. We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing them becomes too high."

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Winds of Change by Mercedes Lackey



Title:
 Winds of Change (Mage Winds Trilogy #2)
Author: Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
Originally published: 1992


Page count: 460
Dates read: 9/10/23-9/25/23
2023 book goal progress: 17 out of 23


Author Challenge: Mercedes Lackey
Read my other book reviews for my 2023 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:
With Valdemar in dire peril, Elspeth, Herald and heir to the throne, has come to the Vale of the Teyledras Clan to seek mage training. Instead of finding a haven, the Vale's Heartstone, a source of mage power, is attacked by a mysterious, dark Adept Mage. Elspeth, still only a half-trained mage, and the Hawkbrother-Adept Darkwind must work together to tame the broken Heartstone.

First sentence:
"Elspeth rubbed her feather-adorned temples, hoping that her fears and tensions would mercifully go, and leave her mind in peace  for just once today."

Favorite quotes:
"There was a Tayledras saying: 'No arrow shot at a target  is ever wasted, no matter how many break.' It meant that no practice or lesson, however trivial it might seem, was a loss."

"She gathered her dignity about her like a robe, and walked off into the darkness, leaving him alone."

"Wintermoon stared at all of them with the impatient air of a man ready to strangle someone if he didn't get an explanation soon."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.4/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 7
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 8
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
This was a great book! Elspeth continued to have a bad attitude and she also wasn't treating her Companion well. This was annoying, but Darkwind called her on her shit and her attitude improved. The book improved exponentially after that. I'm looking forward to the third book in this trilogy!

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words:

"All things could change. If he was the same person he was only a few years ago, he'd have already been sharpening knives and plotting revenge, but revenge seemed foolish somehow. How strange, that after a life like his, revenge seemed hollow compared to simple justice."

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams



Title:
 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams (English, 1952-2001)
Originally published: 1979


Page count: 161
Dates read: 8/12/23-8/19/23
2023 book goal progress: 15 out of 23


An extra book for 2023!
Read my other book reviews from 2023 HERE.




Description on back of book:
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien. After that, things get much, much worse.

With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.

This classic plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most importantly, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. Now, if you could only figure out the question. . . .

First sentence:
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun."

Favorite quotes:
"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t."

" 'You know, it’s at times like this, when I’m trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.”
'Why, what did she tell you?'
'I don’t know, I didn’t listen.' "

"He was staring at the instruments with the air of one who is trying to convert Fahrenheit to centigrade in his head while his house is burning down."

"Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws."

"All you really need to know for the moment is that the universe is a lot more complicated than you might think, even if you start from a position of thinking it’s pretty damn complicated in the first place."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 6.3/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 5
Intrigue          - 6
Logic             - 4
Enjoyment     - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
This is a wacky, but hilarious book. You never know what's going to happen next.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Douglas Adams have the last words:

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to- hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit, etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey



Title:
 The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey (American, 1962- )
Originally published: 2013


Page count: 457
Dates read: 8/21/23-9/2/23
2023 book goal progress: 16 out of 23


July/August Mindful Readers' Family Bookclub 
Read my other book reviews from 2023 HERE.




Description on back of book:
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets a mysterious stranger who may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother.

First sentence:
"Aliens are stupid."

Favorite quotes:
"That sounds crazy. Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind? You can only call someone crazy if there's someone else who's normal. Like good and evil. If everything was good, then nothing would be good. Whoa. That sounds, well... crazy. Crazy: the new normal."

"We were the lucky ones. We'd survived the EMP attack, the obliteration of the coasts, and the plague that wasted everyone we knew and loved. We'd beaten the odds. We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't."

"I've decided to trust him, but like somebody once said, you can't force yourself to trust. So you put all your doubts in a little box and bury it deep and then try to forget where you buried it. My problem is that buried box is like a scab I can't stop picking at."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 8/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 9
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 9
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 9
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:
This was a great book that kept you guessing until the end. It was a blast to come up with different theories and possibilities as I was reading this. I highly suggest it!

Book to movie review:
I went into watching the movie disappointed because I knew so much of the book was going to have to be glossed over. I think if you haven't read the book, it was a good movie. As someone who has read the book, you didn't get to know (and love) the multitude of characters in the book. Some elements of the book were just skipped entirely. It was the characters that really made the book and they didn't get the opportunity to shine through in the movie.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Rick Yancey have the last words:

"He looked at me and smiled reassuringly and said, "Everything's going to be okay," because that's what I wanted him to say and it's what he wanted to say and that's what you do when the curtain is falling - you give the line that the audience wants to hear."

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Mini-Reviews of Fables

Fables (comics):
Mini-Reviews

Note: If you're just looking for the suggested reading order WITHOUT my mini-reviews, a running character list, and some pictures of the comics themselves, please see my other post - Fables: A Suggested Reading Order.

Description: Fables is a comic book series published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various people from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as “Fables” – who have been forced out of their Homelands. The Fables have traveled to our mundane world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown.

Publisher:  Vertigo
Publication Date:  2002-2015+
Genre:  Contemporary/Dark Fantasy
Creators:  Bill Willingham, Lan Medina
Printing Formats:
-Individual issues
-Trade paperbacks with textured matte paper (collects several issues)
-Deluxe hardcovers with smooth glossy paper (collects several issues)
-Compendiums, which collect all of Fables together into 4 books

All are comics with the below exceptions:
-1001 Nights of Snowfall (graphic novel)
-Werewolves of the Heartland (graphic novel)
-A Wolf in the Fold (prose story)
-Pinocchio's Army (prose story)
-Peter and Max (prose novel)

Character List (alphabetically - some may be missing if I missed the reference):
A-C - A-Number-One/King of Hobos, Agent Mulder, Ali Baba and Aladdin, Alice and Hare, Annie Oakley, Autumn Queen/Syksy, Baba Yaga and House, Captain Hook, Cerberus, Cinderella, Barbara Allen, Sasalisk and Minitaur, Beauty and the Beast, Big Bad Wolf/Bigby, Bigfoot/Sasquash, Billy Goat, Bo Peep, Black Caroline, Black Forest Witch/Frau Totenkinder, Black Sheep, Black Knight, Blind Mice, Blue Fairy, Bluebeard, Bogeyman, Boy Blue, Boy Who Cried Wolf, Brer Animals (Bear, Rabbit, Wolf, etc), Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty, Britomart/Faerie Queen, Chernomer Knight, Cheshire Cat, Chicken (Run, Laundress, Little, etc), Clark Kent/Superman, Colonel Bearskin, Count Aucassin de Beaucaire, Count Dracula, Cow that Jumped Over the Moon, Croesus, Cyclopses and Mermaids

D-J - Daedalus, Dish and Spoon, Don Quixote, Dr. Frankenstein and Monster, Dr. Swineheart, Dorothy and Toto, Dwarves and Gnomes, Dragons and Giants, Dread Pirate Roberts and Princess Buttercup, Ephram, Evil Queen, Evil Stepmother, Fairies and Sprites, Firebird, Flying Carpets, Flying Monkeys, Forsworn Knight/Lancelot, Four Horseman, Friar Tuck and Little John, Frdo, Frog Prince/Ambrose, Frog and Toad, Genies and Ifrits, Geppetto, Gilligan and Skipper, Gingerbreadman, Goblins and Trolls, Golden Goose, Goldilocks and Bears, Gorgons, Guinevere, Hawkeye/Natty Bumbo and Slue Foot Sue, Haint/Devil, Hercule Poirot, Headless Horseman, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, Humpty Dumpty, Grim Reaper/Death, Gulliver, Gunga Din, Hansel and Gretel, Herman von Starkenfaust, Hickory Dickory Mouse, Ichabod Crane, Isengrim, Iskander, Ivan Tsarevich, Jack (all of them) and Jill, Jean Luc Picard, John Henry, Jungle Book Animals (Baghera, Baloo, Kaa, King Louie, Shere Khan)

K-R - Kaidan, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, King Arthur, King Cole, King David and King Solomon, King Midas, King Pellinore, Lady Luck, Lions (Aslan, and Mouse, Mufassa/Simba, Oz, etc), Live Objects (Beauty and the Beast), Lone Ranger and Tonto, Magic Mirror, Maleficent, Mary and Little Lamb, Mary Mary, Max (Where the Wild Things are), Men in Black, Miss Muffet/Mrs. Web, Mogli, Mother Goose, Mother Rigby and Scarecrow, Mrs. Sprat, Munchkins, Nome King, North Wind, Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Old Mother Hubbard, Old Women Who Lives in a Shoe and Children, Paul Bunyon and Babe, Pecos Bill, Peter Cottontail, Peter Pan and Wendy Darling, Peter Piper, Pied Piper, Pineapple Man, Pinocchio, Prince Charming, Priscilla, Puss in Boots/Fiddler, Queen of Hearts, Ranger Rick, Rapunzel, Ravens and Crows, Red Cross Knight, Red Riding Hood/Red Hood, Reynard the Fox, Rex Libris, Robin Hood and Maid Marian, Rose Red

S-Z - Safiya, Sambo, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Satan/Adversary, Sauron, Scarecrow (Oz), Scheherazade, Sherlock, Sidi Nouman, Sinbad and Hakim, Snow White/Lumi, Snow Queen/House of Sark, Sorcerors and Warlocks, Spring Queen/Kevat, Star Wars (Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Storm Troopers), Sulyman, Summer Queen/Kesa, Swan Princess, Pigs (Three, Babe, etc), Tam Lin, Tarzan, Three Knights (White, Radiant, Dark), Three Men in a Tub (Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick maker), Three Sisters, Thrushbeard, Thumbelina and Tom Thumb, Tin Man, Tooth Fairy, Tortoise and Hare, Trusty John, Twelve Halk Brothers, Waldemar, Walking Cards (Wonderland), Walris and Carpenter, Werewolves and Vampires, Weyland Smith, Wicked John, Wolfrum, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Zombies and Skeletons

LEGEND (for the colored and bolded text below):
Fables
Jack of Fables spinoff
Fairest spinoff
Limited Series
One-Shots
Comments/Mini-reviews

Mini-Reviews in the
Suggested Reading Order:
I read most of the series about 10 years ago for the first time.
Now I've read them: 6/29/23-8/21/23 - 13 and 14 out of 23
I plan to pick it up again next summer.
Fables #1-5: Legends in Exile (2003)
Mini-review: This was a great introduction to the series, centered around a mystery. The main characters include Bigby Wolf, Snow White, and Jack.
Snow White and Bigby are featured in both images below.
Fables #6-10: Animal Farm (2003)
Mini-review: This one, as you can probably guess, is loosely based on Animal Farm by George Orwell. The main characters include Snow White, Rose Red, and Goldilocks. One of the revolutionary complaints was that their leader was a human, even though The Farm was for non-humans. In the end, they still replaced the previous leader with another humanoid, which I didn't like.
"The Farm" and a conversation between Snow White and Reynard the Fox.

A Wolf in the Fold (2003, prose story)
Mini-review: This is a prequel story of how Bigby and Snow White met. I enjoyed the story. Though it was prose, it included some black/white images.

Fables #11-13: Bag O' Bones, A Two-Part Caper (2004)
Mini-review: The first story was about Jack besting Death and the negative consequences that ensued. The other two stories are about how Bigby, Briar Rose, Bluebeard, and others handle a Mundy (a normal person, not of the Fable community) who knows that they are immortal. I think Bluebeard is too big for his breeches and something bad is going to happen because of him.
Jack and his mom; Prince Charming and the Frog Prince

Fables #14-18: Storybook Love, Barleycorn Brides (2004)
Mini-review: These are all cute stories centered around Bigby, Snow White, Bluebeard, Goldilocks, and Prince Charming.
Snow White and Bigby Wolf; Flying Monkey

Fables: The Last Castle (2004)
Mini-review: This is a sad story about the last boat out of the Homelands into the safety of the Mundane world, focusing on Boy Blue and Red Riding Hood.
Red Riding Hood; Robin Hood and Britomart

Fables #22: Cinderella Libertine (2005)
Mini-review: This is a spy story centered around Cinderella and Ichabod Crane. It can be read before or after March of the Wooden Soldiers.

Fables #19-21; #23-27: March of the Wooden Soldiers (2004)
Mini-review: This is a sad story where Fabletown is attacked and the reader learns a little more about the Adversary/Emperor. The main characters include Bigby, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Boy Blue, Black Forest Witch, and others.
Jack and Wooden Soldiers; Wooden Soldiers and a Mundy Family

Fables #28-33: War Stories, The Long Year/The Mean Season (2005)
Mini-review: The first 2 stories are a war story about Bigby's past. The rest of the stories are about Snow White and her babies. It's always fun to discover new Fable characters.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (2006, graphic novel)
Mini-review: This is a wonderful short story collection that gives us the background stories of some of the Fables including Snow White and Prince Charming, Reynard the Fox, the Frog Prince, Bigby, the Black Forest Witch, King Cole, and others. The Frog Prince is one of my favorite characters!
Bigby as a Baby; The full 3-page story of a Cursed Hare


Fables #34-35: Jack Be Nimble (2006)
Mini-review: Jack runs away with Jill to Hollywood and makes it big - but he's no longer welcome in Fabletown. This is a setup for Jack's own spin-off series.

Fables #36-41: Homelands (2006)
Mini-review: This story is based on Boy Blue's escapades in the Homelands, where it is discovered who The Adversary is. The main characters are Boy Blue, Snow Queen, Gepetto, and others.
Boy Blue fighting a Dragon; Boy Blue as a Bird

Fables #42-45: Arabian Nights and Days (2006)
Mini-review: This is a storyline about Arabian Fables coming to set up an alliance with Fabletown. The main characters include Sinbad, King Cole, Prince Charming, and others. This is a clever and humorous tale.
King Cole, Prince Charming, and Sinbad; Rose Red, Bagheera, and Boy Blue

Fables #46-47: Ballad of Rodney and June (2006)

Mini-review: This story is about Rodney and June, wooden soldiers who fall in love and request to be made into a 'real' man and woman.


Fables #48-51: Wolves (2), Happily Ever After, Big and Small (2006)
Mini-review: Wolves is about Mogli finding Bigby. In Happily Ever After, Bigby goes on a multiple-part secret mission. Big and Small is about a secret mission Cinderella goes on. These are great, heartwarming stories.
Bigby and Cinderella in the Cloud Kingdom

Fables #52-55: Sons of Empire (4) and Mini One-Shots (4) (2007)

Mini-review: This story is about a meeting in The Homelands about how they can destroy Fabletown. The main characters include Snow Queen, Gepetto, Pinocchio, Hansel, and others. I was a little confused about the use of some of the characters in this story. The mini-stories focus on Rapunzel (pictured below), a porky pine (how it's spelled in the comic), Kevin Thorne, and the Three Blind Mice - respectively.

Gepetto and Pinocchio (and Rapunzel); A full 3-page story about Rapunzel


Fables #56-58: Jiminy Christmas, Father and Son (2)

Mini-review: The first story is about Santa and Ambrose (both Fly and the cub). The other two stories are about Bigby, Snow, and the cubs visiting North Wind. They are all cute, though bittersweet, tales.

Snow, Bigby, and cubs decorating a Christmas Tree; Santa and Ambrose (cub)


Fables #59 and #64: Burning Questions, The Birthday Secret (2008)
Mini-review: Burning Questions is a handful of short stories answering some questions that the readers had about various Fable characters (one is pictured below). The Birthday story tells how Snow and Bigby told the cubs their litter consists of 7 instead of 6 cubs.
Besides Fly, who else has asked questions of the magic mirror?

Fables #60-63; #65-69: The Good Prince (2008)
Mini-review: I didn't like how the story first started, but it turned into an incredible story! The timeline is starting to get a little wonky, but that's expected with so many issues. It's my favorite tale, by far, out of all of Fables I've already read. This is a great story about Ambrose/Fly, Lancelot, and many others.
Ambrose killing a Dragon (which represents the Empire); Amrose fighting a Troll

Jack of Fables #1-5: The (Nearly) Great Escape (2007)
Mini-review: We are introduced to many new characters in the first Jack spinoff story where he is imprisoned with a multitude of other Fables. The main characters include Jack (obviously), Goldilocks, Mr. Revise, and others.
Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.
Jack leaving Fabletown; Wizard of Oz Characters escaping prison
Jack; Jack, Mother Goose, and Wicked John

Jack of Fables #6-11: Jack Frost (2), Jack of Hearts (4) (2007)
Mini-review: Jack Frost is the story about Jack's relationship with the Snow Queen. Jack of Hearts is about how Jack gets married in Vegas, how the Pathetic Fallacy (who goes by Gary and turns inanimate objects into living beings) becomes his sidekick, and how he becomes entangled with Lady Luck. Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.
Jack's Antics with the Soup Stone; Jack discovers the Snow Queen's castle
Gary and Lawn Flamingos; Jack and Gary at a diner

Jack of Fables #12-16: The Bad Prince (4), Jack O'Lantern (2008)
Mini-review: The Bad Prince tells the antics of Jack, Gary, Wicked John, and Kevin Thorne. Jack O'Lantern is about how Jack sells his soul to the Devil (edit: multiple devils) in order to live longer. Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.
Both pictures show banter between Jack and Gary

Jack of Fables #17-21: Americana (2008)
Mini-review: This is yet another get-rich-quick scheme by Jack, which also includes Gary, Humpty Dumpty, Paul Bunyan, and others in the land of American tales. It's humorous and there's a lot of... zombies. Note: I may move this story lower in the reading order.
Zombies, Jack, Babe, Raven, Gary, Hilary Page, Humpty Dumpty

Fables #70-72: Kingdom Come, Skullduggery (2) (2008)
Mini-review: The first story focuses on Boy Blue and Rose Red, but there's also a bit with Prince Charming. Beauty is annoying in this tale. The next two-parter is another secret mission completed by Cinderella.
Boy Blue and Stinky the Badger; Cinderella

Fables #73-75: War and Pieces (2008)
Mini-review: This story is about the final war in the Homelands and overcoming the adversary. There are three war fronts: one led by Prince Charming and Sinbad, another by Bigby, and the last one by Briar Rose. At home, Snow White is in charge and Boy Blue is the messenger between them all. This is the end of the major story arc we've followed from the beginning. I wonder if they will start a whole new arc with a new enemy - or if they will go off of the enemies in the Jack Comics.
Flying Carpet powered Blimp attacked by Dragons; Adversary Warriors

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel (2009, prose)
Mini-review: This is a tragic story of how a young man became the hate-filled Pied Piper. His name is actually Max and I think it could be a reference to Where the Wild Things are. Other characters include Peter Piper (who picked a peck of pickled peppers), Bo Peep, and the Black Forest Witch. There was no Peter Pan cross-over, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. Overall, it was a great story with an unexpected ending. Quotes:

"Most of the farmhands were fable animals earning their keep; talking horses, who talked seldom unless they really had something to say, and talking dogs, who chattered constantly, believing that just about anything that was possible to say should be said, just in case it turned out to be important."

"The trouble with witch trials is that once in a great while you actually capture a real one. And then the spectacle never turns out the way you anticipate. Often the one who ends up hanged, or drowned, or burned, isn't the one in the docket."

"A sly smile began to grow upon her lips. It was the sort of smile from which devils and hauntings and deadly secrets are born."

Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1-6 (2010)

Jack of Fables #22-27: Gary Goes to Denmark and Turning Pages (2009)


Jack of Fables #28-32: Books of War (2009)


Fables #76-82: The Dark Ages (2009)

The Great Fables Crossover (2010):
Fables #83; Jack of Fables #33; The Literals #1
Fables #84; Jack of Fables #34; The Literals #2
Fables #85; Jack of Fables #35; The Literals #3

Jack of Fables #36-40: New Adventures of Jack and Jack (2010)

Jack of Fables #41-45: Fulminate Blade (2011)

Fables: The Wolf Among Us #1-7 and #8-16 (both 2014) 
Note: A video game (2013) adapted into comic form by Vertigo Comics and later as a print comic. It serves as a prequel to Fables but should be read later in the order rather than at the beginning. (Another game is to be released in 2024.)

Fables #86-93: Witches (2010)

Fables #94-100: Rose Red (2011)

Pinocchio's Army (2011, prose story)

Cinderella: Fables are Forever #1-6 (2012)

Werewolves of the Heartland (2012, graphic novel)

Fables #101-107: Super Team (2011)

THE UNWRITTEN V9 #50-54 (2014) - non-canon crossover

Fairest #1-7: Wide Awake (2012)

Fairest #8-14: Hidden Kingdom (2013)

Fairest #15-20: The Return of the Maharaja (2014)

Fables #108-113: Inherit the Wind (2012)

Fables #114-123: Cubs in Toyland (2013)

Fables #124-129: Snow White (2013)

Fables #130: June Bug (2014)

Fables #131-140: Camelot (2014)

Fairest in all the Land (one-shot, 2013)

Jack of Fables #46-50: The End (2011)

Fairest #21-26: Of Men and Mice (2014)

Fables #141-149: Happily Ever After (2015)

Fairest #27-33: Clamour of Glamour (2015)

Fables #150: Farewell and Extras (2015)

Everafter #1-6: The Pandora Protocol (2017)

Everafter #7-12: The Unsentimental Education (2017)

Fables #151-162: The Black Forest (2023-?)

Batman Vs. Bigby! A Wolf In Gotham #1-6 (2021)