Peter and the Shadow Thieves
Posted: August 28, 2008 Filed under: Book of Sand Leave a commentby Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The second book in a humorous re-imagining of Peter Pan, I found Peter and the Shadow Thieves quite a bit more interesting than its predecessor (Peter and the Starcatchers). Hard to go wrong when the book begins like this:
“A mango,” thought Peter. “The perfect weapon.”
Although the entire idea of starstuff is still utterly ridiculous to me (and really makes me think of the movie Stardust), I was able to ignore that premise for most of the book – even though it’s a key plot element. Nice to be able to not focus on it, though. I did like Peter’s “translation” of what Tinker Bell said; being a somewhat vicious and jealous fairy, she didn’t usually say anything nice. Peter always managed to make it sound acceptable, even if he had to say something opposite of her true sentiments.
It was also fun to see George Darling make an appearance. I expect the authors will write another book, where everyone else has grown up (Molly and George will be married, and have three children – Wendy, John, and Michael) but Peter is, of course, the same age. If not, at least we found out how the Darlings got together.
Not the best book ever, but definitely fun, quick, and better than suffering through Robert Jordan. Try it!
Scariest Thing Ever?? Quite Possibly.
Posted: August 27, 2008 Filed under: Importance of Being Earnest Leave a commentAs many of you know, I am fond of looking at the news every day. Sometimes, I am shocked by what I see, other times I am uplifted. Today, I was horrified.
First, I think you need to know something. I hate cats. Hate. Them. People go on about how intelligent cats are and how independent they are, but does that really matter? I say they are cold and plotting. You know what else is highly intelligent, cold and plotting? Serial killers. A respected source (read: wikipedia) says many serial killers have above average intelligence, but you don’t see people going on about how serial killers make great pets. Yes, i just compared cats to serial killers.
So what could be more terrifying than a regular cat? How about a cat with wings? Terrified? But don’t worry, they don’t exist… OR DO THEY?
How would you like THAT flying at you?OK, so that isn’t really what happened. I’m not sure how trustworthy this news source is but it looks like the story is legit. During a recent hot spell in the Sichuan province in China, a couple of cats began to have growths develop on their backs. They started as little bumps, and then grew into wings. You can read the article here (it even has pictures).
The cats can’t fly… yet. But we already know they are agile, AND intelligent. How long do we really have until they figure out how to fly? Our greatest fears are about to come true. If global warming is really happening, and if all it takes for cats to sprout wings is a good hot spell, then I see a whole world of hurt coming our way. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Three Bags Full
Posted: August 24, 2008 Filed under: Book of Sand Leave a commentby Leonie Swann
I was completely sold when I heard this description: “A flock of sheep investigates the murder of their shepherd.” How can you go wrong? The book even has a list of the sheep at the beginning, with descriptions such as “Willow – the second most silent sheep in the flock; no one minds that.”
So far as murder mysteries go, I loved this one until the last quarter of the book. Maybe I’m just too picky about endings; maybe there just aren’t any great endings anymore. Either way, I was fairly disappointed with the solution. It was awfully anticlimactic. But for how incredibly funny and intriguing the rest of the story was, I’d rate Three Bags Full as four stars. The sheep were delightful – the author did a great job of developing personalities for them, distinct from each other and particularly from human personalities.
The first book in a while I have wanted to recommend! Please read it! And let me know what you think of the end.
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 