Beyond the Tower (The Journey Series (Fairytales Retold) Book 1)

Raised by a witch, imprisoned her whole life, does this fairytale maiden know what freedom is?
Rapunzel has never spoken to anyone except for the witch that keeps her imprisoned in a tower. She has never had a friend, never wandered free. But when she breaks the witch's most sacred rule, she is cast from her tower and thrown into a world of bewildering people. She meets a princess in disguise, stumbles upon a murder, and is chased by Bluebeard. As her feet keep her moving, will she ever honestly find the answers she's looking for?

Ms. Roe has taken the known fairy tale to a greater understanding. She expounds beyond the common to create a relatable adolescent girl. The language is beautiful and engaging. I was wrapped up in the story by her choice of words. Though the book is YA focused, I have no reservations recommending it to all readers.

Tale of The Fall of Gondolin

In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the most significant powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military force from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar.

Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvelously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in a heated debate mainly refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo’s desires and designs.

Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo’s designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting moments in the history of Middle-earth, the sea-god himself appears to him, rising out of the ocean in the midst of a storm. In Gondolin he becomes excellent; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon’s daughter and their son is Eärendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo.

At last, comes the terrible ending. Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs. After a minutely observed account of the fall of Gondolin, the tale ends with the escape of Túrin and Idril, with the child Eärendel, looking back from a cleft in the mountains as they flee southward, at the blazing wreckage of their city. They were journeying into a new story, the Tale of Eärendel, which Tolkien never wrote, but which is sketched out in this book from other sources.

Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, it was ‘the first real story of this imaginary world’ and, together with Beren and Lúthien and The Children of Húrin, he regarded it as one of the three ‘Great Tales’ of the Elder Days.

Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien's son, has done great detailed work in evaluating and ordering his father's notes regarding Middle-Earth and the mythology he had created central to it.  This was not easy work.  He has spent years of effort reading all of his father's numerous notes written over multiple years.  Christopher has ordered and deconflicted these many tales.  I cannot imagine the magnitude of this work.

To be thorough in his publishing of his father's thoughts, Christopher recorded in this book the different version of the tale, and he notes his selection of essential aspects of the story that he chose in his telling of the tale.  Christopher's writing of The Fall of Gondolin is engaging and beautiful in keeping with his father's writing style.

I am not taken by the details of Middle-earth mythology.  I skipped over large sections of this book that provided retellings of the story from his father's copious notes.  Christopher had already noted these in his telling.  The myth of Gondolin's fall as told by Christopher was enjoyable and complete.  I believe the son performed due diligence in providing all the notes.

The October Country

Welcome to a land Ray Bradbury calls "the Undiscovered Country" of his imagination--that vast territory of ideas, concepts, notions, and conceits where the stories you now hold were born. America's premier living author of short fiction, Bradbury has spent many lifetimes in this remarkable place--strolling through empty, shadow-washed fields at midnight; exploring long-forgotten rooms gathering dust behind doors bolted years ago to keep strangers locked out.. and secrets locked in. The nights are longer in this country. The cold hours of darkness move like autumn mists deeper and deeper toward winter. But the moonlight reveals great magic here--and a breathtaking vista. The October Country is many places: a picturesque Mexican village where death is a tourist attraction; a city beneath the city where drowned lovers are silently reunited; a carnival midway where a tiny man's most cherished fantasy can be fulfilled night after night. The October Country's inhabitants live, dream, work, die--and sometimes live again--discovering, often too late, the high price of citizenship. Here a glass jar can hold memories and nightmares; a woman's newborn child can plot murder, and a man's skeleton can war against him. Here there is no escaping the dark stranger who lives upstairs...or the reaper who wields the world. Each of these stories is a wonder, imagined by acclaimed tale-teller writing from a place shadows. But there is astonishing beauty in these shadows, born from a prose that enchants and enthralls. Ray Bradbury's The October Country is a land of metaphors that can chill like a long-after-midnight wind...as they lift the reader high above a sleeping Earth on the strange wings of Uncle Einar.

Having checked out the book Dear Fahrenheit 451, I had fond memories of reading the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  On the same library display shelf was this book of short stories by Ray Bradbury.  The short stories cover several decades of his writing.  The topics remain similar, but Bradbury's writing still obviously changed over that time.  To the better in my opinion.

Since it has been almost 100 years since he wrote some of these stories, they seem practically humorous to me where they were intended to be suspenseful.  My how times have changed.  Some of the stories were insightful and thought-provoking.  I will allow the reader to determine which ones.

Comparing these short stories to his masterpiece Fahrenheit 451 or to The Martian Chronicles would be unfair.  This is a modest collection of short stories but do not expect the Bradbury of F451.  Expect the Bradbury as a writer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone.

Dear Fahrenheit 451

If you love to read, and presumably you do since you’ve picked up this book (!), you know that some books affect you so profoundly they forever change the way you think about the world. Some books, on the other hand, disappoint you so much you want to throw them against the wall. Either way, it’s clear that a book can be your new soul mate or the bad relationship you need to end.

In Dear Fahrenheit 451, librarian Annie Spence has crafted love letters and breakup notes to the iconic and eclectic books she has encountered over the years. From breaking up with The Giving Tree (a dysfunctional relationship book if ever there was one), to her love letter to The Time Traveler’s Wife (a novel less about time travel and more about the life of a marriage, with all of its ups and downs), Spence will make you think of old favorites in a new way. Filled with suggested reading lists, Spence’s take on classic and contemporary books is very much like the best of literature—sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes surprisingly poignant, and filled with universal truths.

A celebration of reading, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is for anyone who loves nothing more than curling up with a good book…and another, and another, and another!

I was at my local library for the first time since they had moved into a new building.  By the time I visited though, the building was no longer new.  I think the library had been in the building for about a year. (Don't judge me.)  My wife and daughter were going to be at an appointment for nearly an hour, and I had no desire to stay in a waiting room.  Library for an hour wins by a mile.

The library's front display had this book.  I rank Fahrenheit 451 as one of the greatest works of fiction of all time.  It should be required reading at all schools.  Fahrenheit 451 had such an impact on me that it continues to influence my thoughts on entertainment and censorship today over 35 years later.  When I read this book's title, I picked it up to check out with no concept about its subject.

Ms. Spence had me read her first book in short order.  I laughed at many of her letters and her relationships with books.  I understood entirely and enjoyed her personal reflections on these relationships.  Her relationship with JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit troubled me.  I wanted to argue with her and explain how she was wrong.  How could a man who gets TWO letters for his middle name not write great fiction?

I do have to admit to having developed somewhat of a crush on Ms. Spence in reading this book.  She likes books.  She's funny. She's cute.  Then I realized I didn't have a crush on Ms. Spence; I was projecting my feelings for my wife onto someone like her.  Sorry, Ms. Spence.  I have a beautiful wife.  I'm a dog person.  I like The Hobbit.  I don't think it would have worked out anyway. :)

The Psychology of Time Travel

In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project—and future of time travel—in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team—erasing her contributions from history.

Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious message from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her killing be stopped?

Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travel introduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.

The title of this book intrigued me.  The author, Kate Mascarenhas, is a first-time novelist.  I actually entered the book with meager expectations.  Most authors error in attempting to do time travel fiction; even those with numerous works behind them.  This work appeared to take a completely different approach to the oft-attempted plot device of time travel; Ms. Mascarenhas did and didn't disappoint.

When reading time travel fiction, I'm expecting the author to fall into the trap of paradoxes and plot holes.  Mascarenhas avoided creating any glaring ones that I caught and "black boxed" the ones that inevitably are created when doing science fiction.  I enjoyed her nonlinear time in writing and the beautiful symbolism to the plot.  I found myself in a time fog jumping from time to time attempting to follow the characters.  This is not bad writing IMHO, but the excellent and unexpected use of the craft of writing.  The effect that time travel could have on the psyche is an epistemological unknown.  Attempting to have a reader experience the result was creative and genius.

Well done Ms. Mascarenhas.  I look forward to your follow on novels.

The Wishsong of Shannara

An ancient evil is stirring, intent on the complete destruction of all life. The Druid Allanon sets out on a dangerous journey to save the world, reluctantly aided by Brin Ohmsford, daughter of Wil Ohmsford—for she alone holds the magic power of the wishsong. But a prophecy foretells doom, as evil nurses its plan to trap the unsuspecting Brin into a fate far more horrible than death.

Brooks's last book of his original Shannara trilogy.  It is evident from his writing of this book that he had honed his craft.  The character development is better in my opinion.  The story is broader, making the book more encompassing, but at the same time a little more confusing.  Brooks does run back to his Lord of the Rings roots with a few characters.  I still believe the best book of this trilogy is the Elfstones of Shannara.  The Wishsong is not necessary to understand the totality of the tale.  People desiring to read this trilogy, I would recommend reading the Elfstones and then the Wishsong without ever reading the Sword.

The Elfstones of Shannara

Ancient Evil threatens the Elves. For the Ellerys - the tree created by long-lost Elven magic - is dying, losing the Spell of Forbidding that bars the hordes of vengeful Demons from the Races of Man. Allanon, the legendary guardian of Earth, summons Wil Ohmsford to guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries a seed from the Ellerys to the mysterious Bloodfire, there to be quickened into a new Ellerys. Ravening behind them comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons. Against it, Wil has only the Elfstones of Shannara - and he has lost all power to control them. Helplessly, he watches the shadow of the Reaper appear on the trail before him... Here are valiant companions, formidable foes, wonders - and the ancient mystery of how the Elves survived. Once again, Terry Brooks brings us an epic novel of wonder and adventure in this eagerly awaited sequel to his bestselling The Sword of Shannara.

After talking with my brother, this was the first book in the Shannara sires that he read.  It stands alone well.  I do not believe that is dependent upon the beginning of the series, The Sword of Shannara.  This book was Terry Brooks's second entry into the world of myth writing.  It is apparent that he had learned from his first endeavor.

This tale is a great work.  The characters are well developed.  Each has their strengths and weaknesses that are a challenge to the quest.  Brooks makes passing reference to his prior work without relying upon it.  I enjoyed this book immensely.  To me, Brooks became a writer in this work rather than a law student that needed a distraction.  I am looking forward to reading The Wishsong of Shannara.

The Sword of Shannara

The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks. It is the first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Brooks was heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and began writing The Sword of Shannara in 1967. It took him seven years to complete, as he was writing the novel while attending law school. Ballantine Books used it to launch the company's new subsidiary Del Rey Books. Its success boosted the commercial expansion of the fantasy genre.

This is one of my brother's favorite books.  I remember him reading it.  Being several years younger than him, it was quite sometime before I could read it and when I could, I had other interests.  He is such a fan of Terry Brook's Shannara series that he included in his daughter's name Shea.  When I began to read The Sword of Shannara I was quite excited as my brother is quite the reader and has proved to have a great opinion of literature in my opinion.  I was disappointed this time.

I commented to my brother after beginning this book that Brooks must have been very influenced by Tolkien.  He agreed.  As I read further into the book I commented to him that I liked the story better when it was told by Tolkien.  The Sword of Shannara is not just influenced by Tolkien but is a poor retelling of the Lord of the Rings in my opinion.  Brooks changed the name of the characters but the characters remained the same to me.  Shea is Frodo.  Flick is Samwise.  I could continue.

I will continue on with the Shannara trilogy to see if Brooks develops these characters more and creates a story more varied.