Eragon
Posted: April 2, 2006 Filed under: Book of Sand Leave a comment
by Christopher Paolini
Another “free” book from that book club. I was possibly less interested in reading this than I had been in Inkheart, but, encouraged by the surprising success of Inkheart, I decided to start reading Eragon.
Yeah, disappointing. I’d heard all this critical acclaim about how Paolini was homeschooled and wrote this book at age Ridiculous, etc., etc.; but to me it was one of the most generic archetypal hero journeys ever written. I understand that it’s similar to other great hero journeys because they have so much in common, but I felt like Paolini borrowed elements from every well-known story and pasted them together in a horribly obvious way. One word: predictable. And that was the biggest problem, because I almost never try to think about what’s coming next – yet Eragon had no surprises, no twists, and no action intense enough that I kept turning the pages eagerly. Instead, I had plenty of time to let my subconscious work out the hints and foreshadowing, so that nothing caught me off guard.
I have a hard time believing that everyone else loves this book, and that it’s been made into a movie, and that there are two more critically-acclaimed novels to follow. But apparently Paolini is a very good writer and I just happened to miss that bit of the book.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Posted: March 2, 2006 Filed under: Book of Sand Leave a comment
by Tom Stoppard
Welcome to the theater of the absurd! I highly enjoyed this play, which tells the experience of two minor characters in Hamlet. I think what made it even better was that it was short enough, and easy enough to read, that I could go through the first time without worrying about what parts would tie in to the assigned essay topic (the book was part of my independent study Humanities class).
I don’t really have anything negative to say about R&G. The mood of the play was great, and it’s definitely something I’ll read again. Rating: read Hamlet, then read this. They juxtapose wonderfully.
Inkheart
Posted: February 15, 2006 Filed under: Book of Sand Leave a comment
by Cornelia Funke
I made the mistake of joining a book club. You know, where you get so many free books as long as you buy a set amount in a set time period? Yeah, that was a bad idea. Anyway, this book was highly recommended based on the other options I selected, and it came for free. I have to say, though, that it didn’t really look appealing. It sat on the shelf for a number of months. Then, before bed the other night, I picked it up to fend off the boredom of trying to sleep.
I read for four hours straight. And I think Inkheart is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The characters were well-developed, there were twists in the plot, it was a thorough and intricate story. Most impressive, perhaps, is that the book is translated from German. I’m amazed by the translator! The writing was magnificent!
Later I learned that there’s a sequel of sorts, Inkspell, and I hope it’s every bit as good as Inkheart. Recommended to anyone who likes children’s fantasy.
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 