Love is the Higher Law

I put Love is the Higher Law on hold at the library because I love David Levithan. I didn’t know what it was about, just knew that I’ve enjoyed all of this guy’s books, so of course I want to see what he’s giving us next. The book arrived at my library on September 10, and I saw from the cover that it was a novel about September 11, 2001. Three teenagers in New York City, their experiences on that day and in the following months and years. Where they were and what they did. How everything changed that day, and kept changing in the days following. Connections that may not have happened otherwise. It’s a story of the power of love—love between friends, love we have for places, moments of grace, and hope for our best selves.

Yes, I was totally absorbed in the book, and the voices of Jasper, Peter, and Claire. Told in alternating chapters from each of their points of view, it was easy for me to keep track of who was narrating, I think Levithan did a good job at giving each of them a distinct voice. Jasper slept through the morning of 9/11, enjoying his freedom before returning to college while his parents are in Korea visiting his grandmother. He awakes to a frantic phone call from his mother and then wanders the streets of Brooklyn, picking up pieces of paper that he realizes are files from the Trade Center that have blown over the river in the explosions. Peter is waiting for Tower Records to open to buy the new Bob Dylan CD. In an instant, the music that he defines his life by is gone—he can’t imagine wanting to hear a song that would later make him remember this day. Claire is at school, indulging in worry about her mother, when something she’d never even thought to worry about comes to pass. She immediately thinks of her 2nd grader brother, and goes to his classroom to help keep the kids calm and to help try to make order in the chaos as the entire school is moved to a safer location. Claire knows Peter from school. Peter and Jasper had met at a recent party, and made a date to go out this evening. Their lives intersect in the days and weeks following 9/11, and they ultimately help each other start to deal with something that, at the core, each one of them experiences uniquely and alone.
I wasn’t in NYC during 9/11. David Levithan was. From what I’ve heard, he has captured the moods of the city during this time wonderfully. (I would love hear what someone who was there thinks of this book). Claire can’t sleep, gathers with other New Yorkers at memorials and tries to process what is fundamentally not understandable. She throws herself into volunteering. After being rejected as a blood donor because he’s gay, Jasper withdraws. He tries to keep his date with Peter a few days later, but neither of them quite know how to act, and their time together ends awkwardly and uncertainly. Peter returns to music, and finds new meanings in songs and lyrics, in the unique energy that people gathering for a live music performance can have. They connect and reconnect with one another. Claire in particular tries to keep believing that something good will have to last from the way people were with one another—kinder, more patient, more understanding—in the days following 9/11. She says to Japser "I think that if you were somehow able to measure the weight of human kindness, it would have weighed more on 9/11 than it ever had. On 9/11, all the hatred and murder could not compare with the weight of love, of bravery, of caring. I think we saw the way humanity works on that day, and while some of it was horrifying, so much of it was good." (p. 106). Jasper wants to believe her. He really wants to.

Levithan writes in a note at the end of the book that, while he wrote things down as they were happening on 9/11, he never thought he’d write a novel about it, but he realized he wanted to capture the immediacy of that time as well as he could. He wanted readers who were very young at this period in history, or who weren’t even born yet, to know what it was like. That there was terror and fear and panic, but also that there were people giving away shoes and bottled water. That 9/11 wasn’t just a day that tore people apart, it had the possibility of bringing people together and bringing out humanity's better selves.

Also posted at Dwelling in Possibility.

What's Scary?

So, what’s scary? With Halloween in shouting distance, it seems like a fair question to ask. Speaking for myself, I’ll say this. Something jumping out of the dark is good for a shock, and exploding eyeballs (for instance) are always good for a gross-out, but what’s actually scary is what you almost see, the things that disappear around a corner before you can focus on them, the things just beneath the surface of the world; the things that, if you did see them, would show you that the world we know is merely covering something vast and dark and horrible.

It's been nearly a year since I talked about the first Hatter M book here, and when I received the second I guess I’d forgotten just how much fun it was. The second one, Mad with Wonder (by Beddor, Cavalier and Makkonen), has actually ratcheted up the fun factor and has an even more wicked sense of humor. Royal Bodyguard Madigan is still on a quest through 19th Century Earth for the lost Princess Alyss, but this time he’s splitting his time between Europe and Civil War America, has acquired an enjoyably nefarious archenemy, and winds up with an assorted array of the truly mad in an insane asylum (though the true lunatics appear to be the doctors). Meanwhile, that hat of his has gotten even cooler – whirling its blades, deflecting bullets and managing to escape on its own from capture – and seems to be developing a rudimentary consciousness of its own. What’s this got to do with scary, exactly? Well, the heart of this baby is the weirdness of its profoundly strange art. The atmosphere, especially in the asylum, and the figural work are so beautifully stylized that they scratche the malleable surface of the surreal at times, making for a deep and at times deeply disturbing experience that feels like actually being shanghaied into a different world. There’s an uneasiness at the periphery of every panel, madness beneath the smiles of every figure, a sense of true darkness lingering at the edge of every action and motive.

Okay, before I scare myself too much, let’s move on. One that seems to have come in beneath the radar is Marquis (by Davis). The tale of a masked and cloaked avenger during the hideous era of the Inquisition, we follow the Marquis through the fear-oozing streets of Paris as he hunts the demons who’ve taken the over the bodies of normal people. The Marquis is armed with the instruments of a greater power: a pair of massive pistols, a holy sword and a mask that allows him to see the demons beneath the surface. Things get even more intense, however, as the Marquis begins to see that the world he lives in is not the world he thought it was and the power he holds faith in may be something very, very different than he believed. And if a screaming world of chaos just beneath the world you know isn’t scary enough, have some monsters to go along with it. Though the sub-title is Inferno, this book owes its visions of Hell less to the works of Dante than to Bosch’s surreal nightmares and Francis Bacon’s visions of distorted flesh. These demons are the foulest thing this side of John Carpenter’s The Thing, all twisted human forms and huge, toothy orifices.

Scary enough?

Admit it. You want a pet tarantula!

Jean Craighead George has written a lot of good books, including the Newbery Medal winner, Julie of the Wolves. Another of her books, My Side of the Mountain, is a Newbery Honor book.

I especially like her nonfiction. In (What a great title!) The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets she tells about raising crows (one of which learned to speak), ducks, geese, skunks, snakes, a raccoon, and, yes, a tarantula, among others.

Her daughter's favorite pet was a screech owl named Yammer. Yammer loved the shower. "He would fly into the bathroom... sit on the top of the shower-curtain rod... then drop into the puddles at our feet. Eyes half-closed, he would joyfully flip the water up and into his wings and dunk his breast until he was soaked... Having bathed, Yammer couldn't climb out of the tub. We would... pick him up and put him on a towel by the hot-air vent to dry.

"This was a perfectly satisfactory arrangement until we failed to tell a visitor about Yammer's passion... unaware of his presence, she showered, stepped out of the tub, and left him there...

"Craig (her son) promptly put up a sign, 'Please remove the owl after showering.' It hung over the shower faucets for as long as Yammer lived with us."

Jean Craighead George shares her love of, and knowledge of the ways of, all sorts of animals in this book. She hatched and raised seven bobwhites. "...they let me into their secret of survival. Bobwhites form coveys. At night these coveys sit in circles with their tails in and their heads out so that they may see or hear the enemy in all directions."

Her daughter complained about Crowbar. "I'm not going to play with that crow anymore," she said. "He takes all my toys."

"Why don't you slide down the slide?" I suggested. "Crows can't slide down slides. Their feet have pads that hold them fast to perches."... Crowbar watched, then "stepped on the steeply slanted board -- and was stuck... We had outwitted a crow, which we both knew was a very hard thing to do.

"...Crowbar flew to the sandbox. He picked up a coffee-can lid, carried it to the top of the slide, stepped on it, and -- zoom -- we had a sliding crow."

So I enthusiastically recommend this book. Ms. George knows animals. If you like this one, you might also try her How to Talk to Your Dog, and How to Talk to Your Cat. They're aimed at a young audience, but the dog information, especially, was new to me (I know cats.).

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

Confusion. That was my first reaction after reading David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp. Normally, an experience like that would be endlessly frustrating. I mean, who wants to finish reading a book only to be left dazed and confused by the process? This time, however, I found the perplexity exhilarating, like a well-designed puzzle that must be savored and relished before it is solved.

Intrigued yet? You should be.

Like many comic book fans, I first encountered David Mazzucchelli through his work on Marvel's Daredevil, first with writer Denny O'Neil and then with Frank Miller. To be honest, the work with O'Neil was interesting, but ultimately forgettable - pretty standard comic book fare for the time. It was Mazzucchelli's collaboration with Miller on Daredevil: Born Again that really made me aware of what untapped talent he had. Many were initially upset that Miller himself was not pencilling his triumphant return to the character that made him famous. After reading the first issue with Mazzucchelli, all fears and doubts were put away. Mazzucchelli's work on Daredevil was quickly followed by another collaboration with Miller - the oft-mentioned (and inspiration for the film Batman Begins) Batman: Year One.

None of this work, as great and spectacular as it is, can possibly prepare you for the monumental evolution of Mazzucchelli's work that is represented by Asterios Polyp. Gone are the pulp heroes, the realistic character depictions and the melodramatic storytelling techniques. These are replaced by philosophical musings wrapped in the tale of one man's undoing and redemption, conveyed by a loose-lined, cartoonish art style. If it sounds heavy and depressing, it is surprisingly not. In fact, it is both ebullient and contemplative, a delicate balance that is deftly handled throughout the work.

The title character of Asterios Polyp is a college professor and architect of some renown, though he is a "paper architect" - his designs are theoretical and thus are never actually built. The story begins at what we think is the end of a rather pathetic and paltry existence (and through a series of flashbacks we learn just how much goodness Polyp has thrown away or wasted in his life), but turns out to be the beginning of self-revelation for this intensely inward-looking man. Along the way, the graphic novel covers territory as diverse as: love, duality, rivalry, design, aesthetics, religion, auto mechanics and (perhaps most importantly) the illusion of male power.

If it sounds as though I completely understand this work, well, remember that confusion I mentioned at the start of this review? Yeah. I'm in the dark still about much of what Mazzucchelli is trying to say. But I'm ok with that. Even if I grapple with one-tenth of the subject matter of Asterios Polyp I think I'm doing pretty well. If this graphic novel teaches nothing else, it's that the the experience of life is more important than the knowledge gained, catalogued and hoarded. Confusion is just another part of the ride.
Cross-posted at PastePotPete.

Young Spenser chases the bear

I'm such a big fan of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series that my youngest son's middle name is Spenser. But I'm less certain about Chasing the Bear, Parker's first "Young Spenser" novel. On one hand it gives longtime readers their first glimpse of something new: the character as a child, in this case age fourteen. But as a YA novel, it's that familiarity with the character that presents the biggest problem.

The book begins with the adult Spenser (a Boston private eye as adept at quoting literature and cooking gourmet dinners as he is at busting heads) telling his long-time girlfriend Susan about his childhood, and these interludes frequently interrupt the main story. Since Susan is a psychiatrist, this lets her discuss motives and explanations for the younger Spenser's behavior, as well as pointing out how those adolescent patterns manifest in his adulthood. And this is the first of the book's issues for YA readers. While longtime fans understand the dynamic between Spenser and Susan, the intended audience might feel talked-down-to by these sections. And yet in the larger sense of the Spenser series, these sections are indespinsible. So this creates a conflict between the two intended audiences that the book never satisfactorily resolves.

The second, larger issue is the character of Spenser himself. Before this, the most we'd ever learned about his childhood was in the 1991 novel Pastime: he was raised in Wyoming by his father and his mother's bachelor brothers, his mother having died in childbirth. Chasing the Bear shows that masculine dynamic at work, filtered through a kind of benign male righteousness that Spenser himself would one day embody. His father and uncles treat him as an equal, take their cooperative parenting very seriously, and spend a great deal of time teaching him both how to fight, and how to know when to fight.

The problem for YA readers is that the teenage Spenser is essentially no different than the adult one. He has doubts, but he seldom errs, and he's never overcome by fear. The adult Spenser has years of experience to explain this; the teen Spenser has only his instincts. To present him as perfectly formed, even at age fourteen, makes it awfully hard for other doubt-filled adolescents to sympathize with him.

Still, Parker can surely tell a rip-snorting story, and the book moves like a shot; I finished it in an afternoon. In the main plot, one of young Spenser's friends, a girl named Jeannie, is kidnapped by her abusive father, and Spenser has to improvise a rescue and escape. To Parker's credit, Spenser's tactics are entirely reasonable and not beyond the capabilities of a teen. This adventure gives Spenser a reputation in his small town, which becomes an issue as racial tension between Latinos and whites come to a boil.

The book has the Spenser formula: plenty of action, a few funny lines and a string of moral dilemmas. As an adult fan, I welcomed this as insight into one of my favorite literary characters; but I had a hard time imagining myself at fourteen, reading this book and identifying with the self-assured, mistake-proof teen Spenser.

I'll tell my son about his namesake, of course. And when he's older, I'll recommend some of the best in the series (Ceremony, Pale Kings and Princes, Cold Service). In between those times, will I recommend Chasing the Bear? I don't know yet. It's a good book, but maybe not for its intended audience, and that presents a dilemma worthy of Spenser at his best.

The Magicians -- Lev Grossman

Quentin Coldwater isn't a very happy person. He's brilliant and well-off, his parents are nice enough, though vague and mostly absent. His two best friends, James and Julia, are happily dating, though Quentin wishes he was the one dating Julia.

The world is grey and cold and boring and predictable. Secretly, he dreams of magic. He daydreams about Fillory, wishes it was real.

Fillory is a Narnia-ish (very, very Narnia-ish) fantasy world described in a series of children's books originally published in the 1930s. Most people Quentin's age left them behind years and years ago, but he didn't. He still returns to them -- when he's bored (which is often), when he's upset (ditto), when he wants to escape (again, ditto).

Then, after a death at his Princeton interview leads to an encounter with a strange paramedic leads to an invitation to apply to Brakebills, a school in upstate New York that specializes in, you guessed, magic:

This was everything he'd always wanted, the break he'd given up on years ago. It was right in front of him. He was finally on the other side, down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass. He was going to sign the papers and he was going to be a motherfucking magician. Or what the hell else was he going to do with his life?

There was much chatter about The Magicians when it came out this summer. It was touted as "fantasy for grown-ups", Harry Potter in the real world, Harry Potter in college. It was described as original and epic and ground-breaking.

That's a whole lot of hype to live up to.

Is the hype accurate? Well, as always, it depends on who you talk to. The people doing the hyping, obviously, would say yes. The people giving it one-star reviews at Amazon, obviously, would say no.

My opinion lands somewhere in the middle. It was, for sure, a book that kept me reading -- I happily read all 400 pages in an afternoon. As in any other fantasy novel set in a secret corner of our world, I enjoyed discovering it with Quentin:

Quentin was pretty sure that if he stood very still for a few seconds everything would snap back to normal. He wondered if he was undergoing some dire neurological event.

I enjoyed most of the nods to previous works -- I didn't, as some readers have, see it as derivative -- because Quentin is such a fan, much of the book read like a tribute to fantasy-that-came-before. And I loved the fact that the students took ideas for their offensive spells from D&D.

My major personal difficulty with the book boiled down to this: Quentin Coldwater is not very likable. He's selfish and apathetic, never happy with what he has, even when what he has is exactly what he originally thought he wanted. He's the personification of the-grass-is-always-greener. I never doubted him as a character -- he seemed very real to me -- but I didn't like him. But I'm not sure if I was supposedto like him. If this was a book about Magic in the Real World, it stands to reason that the hero wouldn't just not be heroic -- he wouldn't be a hero. And, ultimately, I didn't see him as one. He was just a protagonist. Which, really, made sense.

Oddly, I seem to have talked myself into liking it more than I did originally. Actually, maybe appreciating it is a better description.

I think that many readers who pick this one up expecting a Grown-Up Version of Harry Potter will be disappointed. The similarities pretty much begin and end with: Unhappy kid gets accepted into School of Magic. The Magiciansisn't about the plotting (which, especially towards the end, was pretty weak) or about the world-building. It's a coming-of-age story (though I don't know if I really believe that Quentin has actually come of age by the end) about a self-absorbed, not-very-impressive, extremely angsty young man.

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Book source: An ARC given to me by a library patron.

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Cross-posted at Bookshelves of Doom.

Discordia: The Eleventh Dimension by Dena K. Salmon

Discordia: The Eleventh Dimension by Dena K. Salmon
"For Lance (level 19 zombie sorcerer), and his friend, MrsKeller (level 23 hobgoblin brigand), life's a battle, and then you die. And then you rez. And then you battle again. At least that's how it is in Discordia, the addictive online game that makes real life seem dreary in comparison. At his new school, Lance feels weird and out of place, but in beautiful and complex Discordia, his zombie sorcerer is doing great: leveling fast, learning new skills, and making friends. He's even met a level 60 toon, TheGreatOne, who has recruited him and MrsKeller into his guild: Awoken Myths. Lance wishes he could spend all his time in the game - until TheGreatOne transports Lance and MrsKeller to the real Discordia, the perilous world in the eleventh dimension which inspired the game. Before they're allowed to leave, they must complete a high-level quest that may determine Discordia's survival - and Lance's, too. If they don't get out soon, Lance could permanently mutate into the character he plays in the game: a zombie. The friends accept TheGreatOne's quest and meet Rayva, a runaway who may have been lured into Discordia against her will. The three make their way through a country on the brink of war, fighting monsters, traitors and spies - yet their greatest danger may be Lance himself."- summary from Amazon

While I am not an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) player, I still really enjoyed this novel. It can be a bit difficult to get into since it starts off with Lance playing the game and if it's not something you're used to, the plot can drag a bit, which it did for me. But once Lance has been pulled in, it becomes like a regular fantasy novel dealing with adventures and quests. The concept is really intriguing, especially in this age of WoW and other MMORPGs, and I loved how Salmon built the game world and the world that Lance gets pulled into (there are differences between the two).

The story is told in third person and it really feels that way- there's a distance between the reader and the characters and so I didn't feel like there was much depth in the characters; it's definitely more of a plot-driven novel than character-driven, which can be very good for reluctant readers, but not necessarily for avid readers (unless of course it's your preference).

I thought the ending was pretty rushed and everything came to an abrupt end in the last 15-20 pages. The story ends on a big cliffhanger, which definitely leaves me wanting more. Overall, I'd say it's an above average novel but nothing to write home about. If you're into fantasy and/or MMOs, this is the book for you. For people new to MMOs though, there is an introduction and user manual plus glossary in the front and back of the book, respectively.

Swept away by steampunk fun

This review was written by occasional contributor Lee Wind!

In a steam punk world parallel to our own, where cruise ships travel the sky… Mr. Mat Cruise, a cabin boy of little means but great spirit, faces down villains, mystery, first love, and pirates on the high air.

The story had so many twists and turns it’s impossible to tell you much more without giving away too many of the surprises.

But I can tell you that besides the pirates, Mat has to deal with a rich female teenage passenger with an insufferable chaperone, the derailment of Mat’s own career by a scion of the majestic liner’s owner, and working through the death of his father a few years earlier.

I listened to the Full Cast audio recording of the book, and it was wonderful. A bit like listening to a radio play, it wasn’t as ‘external’ as watching a movie, nor as ‘internal’ as reading the words off a page or screen. It definitely felt like a different experience than reading the book would have been – but I really enjoyed listening to it.

“AIRBORN” was adventure that swept me up and made me cheer, and boo, and ache, and ultimately delight. I loved this book.

Review & Discussion, The Boys Are Back in Town

Once upon a time, I received a box in the mail whose contents were a special surprise. That box contained what would become one of my favorite modern thrillers: The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden. I was riveted from the start, and stayed in one spot until the last page. That should tell you plenty, for rarely am I still.  Years later, I befriended Courtney Summers, an author in her own right, and introduced her to the works of Golden. After she read a couple of his books, we couldn't stop talking about them, which lead to this roundtable discussion of Boys. But first, here are our individual reviews of the book:

From Little Willow's review:
What adult hasn't wondered what life would be like if things had been different in high school, and what teen hasn't wondered what they'd do when they grew up? Take those questions, those ideas, and darken them, then insert the twists of tragedy and forgotten (or altered) memories, and you've got The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden. When Will attends his ten-year reunion, he expects to catch up with old friends, not discover that one is dead. The victim is someone with whom he recently communicated, yet everyone else claims died in high school. In the blink of an eye, Will remembers the event, yet retains his 'regular' memories as well. As the story continues, more memories are revealed. These aren't suppressed memories, but rather new-old memories. Altered memories. Someone or something is changing the minds of Will and his old friends. Finding the source - and the strength to stop it - will lead him on an imaginative journey readers will always remember.

From Courtney's review:

I don't know how much I can say about the plot without giving everything away. So just read the description on GoodReads and then come back.

Okay. Isn't that a cool plot description? I KNOW. The Boys Are Back in Town is my second Christopher Golden book, the first being his YA zombie book, Soulless. In both books, Golden takes something I'm not crazy about (talking zombies in Soulless and magic in Boys) and then incorporates it into a story in such an awesome and entertaining and compelling way, he forces me to give him a pass. This is a big deal, especially if you know how much I hate talking zombies (Ihatethemsomuch). My ire for magic is less fiery in my heart, BUT STILL. It is enough so that my loving this book unreservedly is a feat. And I loved this book! I really enjoyed it.

It's just GOOD. I wish I had read it in October. The book is set IN October and he just nails the crunchy-dead leaves, creepy/cozy feeling so well that I wanted it to be October while I was reading. Such perfect atmosphere. I love that kind of atmosphere and seek it out in horror movies all the time, so if you are into that kinda vibe you should check out this book.

Psst . . . Before we get to the roundtable, we wanted to tell you that Christopher Golden's newest book is out today! Look for The Waking: Dreams of the Dead in YA Fiction - and look in the Rs, not the Gs! This thrilling series is being published under a pseudonym: Thomas Randall. But we didn't tell you that...

Now, on to the roundtable book discussion:


It's an adult novel but I think it has crossover appeal because it's set in two different times--an adult present and a teenage past. Golden really nails how the petty problems of high school can quickly become exacerbated to the point that people make SCARY choices that they can't take back. You just see the snowball effect happening and you totally understand it and you're like agggh nooo this is awful turn back turn back now agggh and everything gets steadily worse for the characters but it is impossible to stop reading because you have to see how it continues to unfold and is (hopefully) resolved. And the nostalgia laced throughout the novel is also something that's dead on... we all feel that wistfulness for youth as we get older. It's articulated very, very well in these pages.

The final showdown was very BIG and DRAMATIC, which I'm not sure I was expecting or at first wanted, but enjoyed nonetheless (maybe "enjoyed" is the wrong word because it was horrific but... yeah, okay, I enjoyed it). And the epilogue made me sad and the final page made me go gah (not a bad gah). Hm. I am trying so hard not to give anything away... I read ahead to see who was responsible for the terrible and fantastical going-ons (bad Courtney) but even that didn't prepare me for some of the twists and turns getting there. It was just a great ride.

Reading Christopher Golden kind of reminds me of reading some of my favourite mystery/sci-fi/thriller/suspense teen novels when I was younger, books I still love to this day. More specifically, his books remind me of the FEELING I got when I read them. Both times I've picked up a Christopher Golden novel, I just felt totally assured I was going to be entertained and the writing was going to be solid and I was going to be told an excellent story and it would be worth my time. Both times it was. He's a fantastic storyteller is all. This is definitely not going to be the last book I read by him. And given his catalogue, I am going to have fun choosing which one is next!
And now, without further delay, our roundtable discussion of The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden:

LW: This is my favorite book which employs time travel. It is also one of my favorite books written by Golden, which is saying a lot, considering 1) how much I love his books and 2) how many books he's written. (Over 100!)

CS: I was introduced to Christopher Golden by you, Little Willow -- you recommended Soulless to me because of my penchant for zombies and I LOVED Soulless so much, I asked for further Christopher Golden recs!  You came back to me with a list (if I am remembering correctly) and The Boys Are Back in Town immediately caught my eye.  I loved the idea of a book centered around a high school reunion, creepy time-shifts, the whole deal.  It just was really compelling.  So I chose that to read!  And then took my sweet time reading it.  Which I regret now.  Because when I finally did... AWESOMENESS.

LW: Simply put: Told you!  In all seriousness, though, I am so happy to share his books with you, and so happy that you genuinely loved Soulless and The Boys are Back in Town.

CS:  I am properly shamed.  They were both fantastic.  I think he's a genuine storyteller.  You know you're in for a treat. 

LW: I think highly of Golden's storytelling abilities.

CS: Can I just say -- I thought Will was a fabulous protagonist.  He was genuine and it was interesting how you had to trust him even though you definitely couldn't trust his memories.  You felt very 'there' with him.

LW: I think Will is swell. He was a reliable narrator whose memories were unreliable. He wasn't at all an unreliable narrator in the 'classic' sense. He could not help when things changed, not at first, and he had to figure things out, just like the reader did.  I agreed that you felt right there with him, and that you felt for him. I think people who liked The Time Traveler's Wife and the television series The Dead Zone will definitely like this book. In The Dead Zone TV show, Anthony Michael Hall's version of Johnny Smith had episodes in which his visions played tricks on his mind, and I couldn't help but think that he and Will could relate to one another.

CS:  I never saw The Dead Zone TV series, sadly!  But I can see how people who dug it would totally dig Boys. 

LW: Oh, you should watch it. I think you'd enjoy it. I certainly did.

CS: Back to Will's unreliable memories -- one of my FAVOURITE scenes in the book was when he was talking to Ashleigh and she just... changes!  Just like that. 

LW: I love that moment!

CS: I am so petrified of giving anything away, but it's such an awesomely chilling moment.  Someone has messed with the past in that exact moment and Will watches it happen on her face. 

LW: Such a great scene. It shows that things really can change in the blink of an eye. 

CS: It really gives it a sense of urgency.  Nothing changes all at once, but in increments that become steadily more devastating to Will and the people around him (even though they don't know it).  I just loved that part.  I could pick up the book right now and reread it.  So good.

LW: This discussion is making me want to re-read it right now!  Who was your favorite character, other than Will? Mine was Ashleigh. I liked her the instant that she was introduced, and how Golden described Will and Ashleigh's lifelong friendship in Chapter One:

When Will was a kid, Ashleigh had literally been the girl next door.

She was his oldest friend, and he had never thought of her any other way.

Will’s parents had never had any other children, but in Ashleigh, he had a sister.

CS:  I really liked Ashleigh as well.  She was so genuine and likeable.  I also loved the guys.  Brian, Nick -- especially the dynamic they had when they hung around each other.  I liked the section of the book through Dori's eyes when she was cursed because I felt bad for her even though she's... not very nice.  What did you think of Kyle?  I would get frustrated by his standoffishness but then I really liked those brief moments where he was willing to listen and was amazed at what was going on around him.

LW: I thought it was a really neat idea to not only meet the people who lived in Will's old house now, but to involve someone in the story from there on out - and to have it be a teenage boy was perfect! It was a way to involve someone new and to compare this generation to Will's generation, not to mention finding that note and the book - such crucial pieces to the puzzle.

CS:  The moment when Kyle gave Will the note gave me chills.  What did you think of Golden's take on magic?  I really liked how dark and grim and possible it was.  As I said in my review, I am not a big fan of magic (okay with a few exceptions like Harry Potter) in fiction, but it worked for me in this novel.  I loved when Will and Brian were trying to upstage each other in the ice cream shop.  It seemed exactly like what a couple of teenage boys who had come into this extraordinary power would do.

LW: Golden's use of magick in this and other novels, such as The Gathering Dark, is the stuff that dreams - and blockbuster films - are made of: imaginative, powerful, and "ooh"-worthy. I very much like the fact that his characters suffer consequences as a direct result of their actions, be they domestic or magical. There's a cost. There's some semblance of justice as well as the randomness and unfairness of life - the good guys don't always win, much less always live. The magick book Will and the others handle in this particular story gave me chills. I could see that and sense its heaviness, its darkness. And yes, ice cream can be evil.
 
CS:  I will never look at orange soda the same way again.  I read ahead to the end (I am awful) and even though I knew who was responsible for what had happened before I finished, the book still managed to surprise me in places.  Did you read ahead?  And if you didn't -- since I can't answer this question -- did the identity of the antagonist surprise you?  Was it what you expected and were you satisfied?  It satisfied me.  I could understand that particular character carrying that kind of hurt and letting it get majorly out of control, because they had been drawn so well.

LW: I did not read ahead. I read it cover to cover. I was surprised by the antagonist's identity in a good way: I wasn't wholly expecting it, but it made complete sense, and everything fell into place when that identity was revealed. Everything could be explained. At what point in the story did you read the ending? Just curious.  (I had a friend who read the book jacket summary first, then flipped to the last page and read that next - yes, she read the last page before reading the first page! - because she wanted to know if the book had a happy ending.)

CS:  I was about close to halfway through when I peeked ahead.  I couldn't take the suspense!  But it didn't really help me out in that department because each time that character appeared, it was like waiting for the other shoe to drop.  And then it did.  When I was reading Boys, I kept picturing it as a movie.  Golden's writing is super cinematic.  If you could cast any of the main characters in a movie version of the book, which actors would you pick?  I kept picturing Will as Matt Damon because there was a reference to them looking the same.  Ashleigh looked like an older Ashley Greene in my head and... I'll just admit it:  the Will-Matt Damon reference cemented Brian as Ben Affleck for me.  :)


LW: When I read books, I tend to picture them as the author described, and try not to picture them as famous people. However, if my arm was twisted and I had the chance to cast this and could freeze actors at the proper ages (late 20s for most of the main characters, since this is their 10 year reunion to portray these characters), I would cast Megan Follows for adult Ashleigh, see if Kathryn Morris and Poppy Montgomery were available for another female roles, and hire Paul Rudd or Anthony Michael Hall to portray adult Will. If I was not able to magically make these actors 28 years old, then I'd call in all of the talented actors currently in their mid-to-late twenties or early thirties that I feel are underrated and underappreciated, like Larisa Oleynik, Matt Czuchry, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and others, to see who they could play. There are so many great parts to cast: Will, Ashleigh, Kyle, Nick Acosta, PixieGirl, Danny... Hey, what about a young Ron Howard for Kyle?
 
CS: ! Young Ron Howard for Kyle would be perfect.  Do you think Boys would be the best introduction to Christopher Golden?  I've only read two of his books so far (but there will be more read, mark my words!) and if I had to choose between Boys and Soulless as a CG intro, I'd choose Boys.  I also think Boys has great crossover appeal.  Teens would like it too.  What are your top three Golden recommendations for people who have never read him before?

LW: He's written for so many different audiences, and in so many genres, that it's easier for me to make top picks based on main plot element and genre. I think Boys makes for a great introduction to his writing, as does Soulless (zombies! road trips! pop stars!) and The Gathering Dark (vampires! apocalypse! mages!) Those two novels are more action-based than Boys, but, like I said before, The Gathering Dark also deals with dark magick. Strangewood, which is a story within a story, is also in my top five standalone* Golden books. (By standalone, I mean a title not in a series.) I also think The Ferryman and Straight on 'til Morning are also great standalone reads, especially for those looking for stories that twist something with which they are familiar - the Greek myth of the ferryman Charon, and the story of Peter Pan and Never Never Land, respectively. For those who want something non-fantastical, I highly recommend the Body of Evidence murder mystery series. There are ten books in that line, so make sure that you read them in order, starting with the first book, Body Bags. I greatly enjoy the Prowlers quartet, which includes shapeshifters and ghosts. The good guys vs. bad guys action-packed scenes are simply awesome.

CS:  I think I'm definitely going to be trying The Ferryman next.  Now, I am a big cover freak (although this makes me far from an expert) so that brings me to my next question.  What do you think of the cover?  I think it really fits.  I love the blurring faces and the title placement.

LW: I agree that the cover fits it. Memories get blurry...

CS:  If you could pick one song to go with this book, which would you pick?  (No picking the obvious choice!)  My pick is Jill Tracy's Pulling Your Insides Out.  Especially certain pieces of the lyrics:  Baby know your nemesis / he's posing as your best friend / don't believe the newspapers / they're telling lies again.  And it's really moody and evocative and mysterious, just like the book!  Natch.

LW: I am not familiar with that song nor the singer. Thanks for the link! I immediately go to Duncan Sheik songs for this. He's one of my favorite singer/songwriters, and I feel that his vocals and lyrics in the song Time and Good Forture really fit the sense of loss, change, and regret Will experiences:

Singer, will the singing say it?
Singer, would such saying change it?
A whole long life spent tuning strings
And will it now mean anything
But empty chords that only bring
An endless, voiceless sorrowing

CS:  That's a great choice.  Speaking of choice, I love the role it plays in this novel.  Particularly where the magic is concerned--to use it for good or for bad.  If you had ever found a book as powerful as Will and Brian did, full of both fun and dark spells, do you think you'd choose to try them or do you think you'd walk away?  The way the book of spells was described terrified me and I think I'd be leery of the vicious spells.  I don't think I could use spells against someone.  But!  I would totally wanna try levitation.

LW: I would not try them because they could cause harm. Did you go to your high school reunion? I did not. Happily, I was otherwise engaged at the time - I was performing on stage, in a professional musical production.

CS:  Yay!  That's a good reason to miss out.  :)  I left high school to pursue my education independently.  I don't think I was there long enough to the most out of something like a high school reunion (I'm not even sure if my graduating class has had one yet!)  I think this book has forever made me afraid of high school reunions though.  The potential mishaps that could occur.  Especially if they involve time travel.  Time travel freaks me out.  Too many things can go wrong!

LW: I love the concept of time travel. I know that it could go horribly awry in practice, but I love the concept. I even have a booklist dedicated to it - which includes some movie titles as well, like Frequency, Somewhere in Time, and Donnie Darko. Have you seen any of those films? I read and enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, so I hope the film version stays true to the book. I liked the movie Somewhere in Time much, much more than the book upon which it was based, Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson.

CS:  I haven't seen any of those movies!  Appalling, I know.  I really want to see The Time Traveler's Wife, but I feel I must read the book first (which I also haven't done yet).

LW: Read it first. Read it first. Read it first.

CS:  I shall!  Okay, in six words or less, what do you think readers are in for when they pick up Boys?  Here's mine:  "Thrills, chills, and a good time."

LW: Nicely done. I'll name that tune in four notes: "Memories, magick, and murder."

Learn more about the book at the author's official website.

Read the first three chapters of the book online.

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

It had been Ellie and Corrie’s idea, going bush for a few days over the Christmas holidays. They gathered some friends and supplies, went camping, and returned to find their homes deserted, their families missing. A fax Ellie finds at Corrie’s house seems to confirm the group’s worst fear: Australia has been invaded by a foreign army. The country is at war.

The fax from Corrie's dad tells them to go bush again, and, living in the country, Ellie and some others in the group do have the skills they need to survive. After a few harrowing trips into town to do some reconnaissance and check on their homes, they head back out to the place they had been camping when everything went down. But soon they feel the need to do more than just survive. They want to fight the invaders.

John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began, the first novel in the Tomorrow series, is absolutely riveting. It’s told by Ellie, elected by the group to write down what has happened as a way of “telling ourselves that we mean something, that we matter. That the things we’ve done have made a difference. I don’t know how big a difference, but a difference. Writing it down means we might be remembered.” (p. 2)

Ellie tells us from the beginning that she is recounting events in chronological order and we know from the back cover that the country had been invaded during the original camping trip, so I did not feel impatient as I read this first part of the book, waiting for the action to begin. And there is a lot of action. Marsden writes in a style that is immediate and accessible, making Tomorrow, When the War Began a fast-paced read, exciting and full of tension. Chilling, too, in how realistic and plausible everything seems, how people are forced to change, and with a lingering sense of fear as the group can only hope that all their families are still alive, held with the rest of the town in the Showground. That their actions will make a difference. That they will all survive.

Cross-posted at The YA YA YAs. A film version of Tomorrow, When the War Began is currently in production.