Wicked

Loved it. This is the "life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West" - the classic evil witch from Oz. This book turned Oz into a completely different world, and added great depth to all the predictable, flat characters of the film. I loved it because it was a fun, entertaining read, but also touched on a lot of themes that interest me. Such as the definition of evil, differing religious perspectives, political viewpoints, and inspections into all sides of a soul's behavior and emotions. Granted, the author may be using talking Animals, and Munchkins, and Wizards to make a point or raise a question, but they are well said nonetheless (and more entertaining in my opinion). Most of all, I came to appreciate the little green Witch for being just like the rest of us - vulnerable, smart, compassionate, cruel, and loving. Dare I say, human.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago. It took me a while to do so - I think mostly because life got in the way of reading (which while criminal, is sometimes inevitable). Regardless, I enjoyed this immensely. It is about two nineteenth century English magicians who are trying to "bring back English magic". It is written in such a way that it feels like straight fiction, not fantasy - even though magic is involved. In fact, magic is more like a character in the book, not so much a fantastical element. The characters are rich and come to life, you cannot help but love Strange and Norrell. There were several parts that made me laugh out loud - she writes in ways that appealed to my sense of humor. It was especially funny to me when Ms. Clarke (a British author) would mock the French in brilliant ways (though I have no quarrel with the French personally, of course). Many thanks (yet again) to my brother Darren for recommending it to me).

Old Favorites (ones held close)

As this blog is starting relatively late in my life, I thought I would begin with a list of a few of my favorites up until now - though I read most of them long ago. Methinks you'll sense a theme pretty quick....

The Wheel of Time series - by Robert Jordan
I'm not sure why I love this series so. I have managed to read 9 of it's books about 3 times, though I decided to stop and never do it again until he finished the damned thing. It's a fantastic series full of characters you identify and fall in love with, all in a world that comes to life in your mind. It is quite original, and it is my opinion that since the great J.R.R. Tolkien, it is hard to find a truly original fantasy series. However as mentioned earlier, I recommend NOT reading these until he is done with the series. I started over a decade ago, and he has yet to finish. On top of it all, he decided to go back and write a prequel! Oh how I hate him (and yet love him).


The Shannara Series - by Terry Brooks
This was one of the very first large series I ever read in my youth, and it was the spark that lit a great passion for fantasy epics. Terry Brooks is a fantastic author with amazing talent for the written word, a fantastic imagination, and a gripping storytelling ability. I remember even crying when one of the integral characters died in one of the books...I was that attached. He has received criticism for being too like Tolkien (with Elves, Dwarves, etc.) But I find it to be still quite different, imaginative, and more than entertaining. I have yet to read all of the later Shannara series books he has written, but it is only a matter of time.


Ender's Game (and series) - by Orson Scott Card
Ohhhh Enders game. There are almost no words to describe how much I love this book and all subsequent books in the saga. You can't help but fall in love with Ender and Bean - the children that are not children, and all that goes after. A fantastic book with a twist, and an insight into humanity through a very unique view. I must thank my brother for introducing it to me early on - it is truly a favorite.



The Lord of the Rings - by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Alpha and Omega of fantasy. For some reason I didn't read these until about 5 years ago. For a true fan of fantasy this is almost unforgivable (though I did read The Hobbit). However I deemed it quite necessary to read them before seeing the films, as it would have been a travesty to let Peter Jackson tell me the story instead of Tolkien himself. I was not disappointed - they are breathtaking. He created a world unlike any other, complete with full created languages. I once heard that he and his friend C.S. Lewis wrote their books because they finally wanted something worth reading. Well....it worked. I recommend these books even to the non-fantasy minded (just skip the songs) - there is much worth to be found there, at all levels.



Fairy Tales
What can I say - I'm a sucker for the classic fairy tales. I especially love ones adapted by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by her brother Mercer Mayer (famous artist of children's books). East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my all time favorites.