The Odyssey

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (2018), 582 pgs. 

Odysseus has caught the attention of the gods--for better or for worse. Zeus rages against Odysseus's mission to get back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, crushing his ship and stranding him for years on Calypso's island. Athena takes note of his intelligence, and convinces Zeus to let him free. Poseidon wrecks his ship again, the sun god kills his men, and Hermes delivers the souls of his enemies to Hades. As Odysseus makes his way back to his family, he faces many trials. At home, his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus--now an adult after so long apart--face their own battle against a group of raucous and increasingly belligerent men who have taken over the family's estate with the demand that Penelope marry one of them. This epic journey can end no other way but in violence. 

I am so grateful to have been able to read this translation of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson--the first translation published by a woman! Dr. Wilson starts with a comprehensive introduction to this massive work, including explanatory information about what is to come and background as to why she made certain translatory decisions. This section is chock-full of details and can take a while to get through, but it is well worth it, and once you begin reading, the actual Odyssey is a breeze. Dr. Wilson has translated the ancient text into a relatively easily accessible work for anyone with an interest in Greek mythology to dive right into. If you have not read The Odyssey yet--or even if you have--Dr. Wilson's version is a great way to get into it. 

The Wise Man's Fear

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, 993 pages

In this second book of the Kingkiller Chronicles, innkeeper/scholar/mage/bard Kvothe continues telling the life story he began in The Name of the Wind. Kvothe's tale takes him from the halls of arcane study at the University to the palace of the Maer (a wealthy man who, had certain historical conflicts gone slightly differently, would be the King) to chasing bandits in the wilds of the forest to the Fae to Ademre (the exotic home of unbeatable mercenaries) and back again.

The story twists and turns, dips and dives, but propels forward at an incredibly quick and readable pace — this book did NOT feel like 993 pages. I very much enjoyed it, and now count myself among the Rothfuss fans that are waiting impatiently for the next volume.

The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, 1258 pages

For six years, the Alethi people have been at war with the Parshendi warriors that live across the Shattered Plains — after all, it was the Parshendi who hired the assassin that killed the Alethi king the same day that peace was declared six years ago, right? Right? Today, we find the king's brother Dalinar attempting to lead and live by the Codes that his brother held dear, despite the scoffs of his peers and his nephew, the new king — yet Dalinar is also experiencing mysterious visions (hallucinations?) that he's unsure how to interpret. Elsewhere, the king's daughter Jasnah is off on a deep research trip when she decides to take on the persistent Shallan as her apprentice and ward, though Shallan has her own ulterior motives for seeking the apprenticeship. Finally, we have Kaladin, a slave-branded former warrior who carries the guilt of many deaths — as well as the disappointment of his father, who wished him to become a surgeon — heavy on his shoulders.

Bouncing between these three storylines, Sanderson weaves a compelling story of a world on the brink of an untold disaster. It's a long book that takes a bit to get into (the completely alien flora and fauna certainly make it a bit harder to dive right in), but once you do, it's a fantastic story full of multi-dimensional characters battling their demons and struggling to make sense of the world around them. Despite the time commitment of a book of this size, I already have plans for reading the next tome in this series. It's well worth it.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Literary, 1330 pages.

So, I meant to finish this epic, sweeping, really long book when (almost) everyone else did, back in August for our last summer-reading program meeting, but that didn't work out. I was only on page 990 or so at that time. Then I meant to finish it last year, maybe in December, so I could count the page total in 2012, but that didn't work out either. I finished it this morning and now I understand what everyone was talking about at the last meeting with the marriage, and the moving out, and characters not seeing each other anymore, and what Thernadier was trying to do, etc.. I found it a very satisfying end. Marius is redeemed, Jean Valjean gets his belated due, Thernardier is sent off to work his malign nature on America. I'm a little concerned that what Jean says about Fantine, and about seeing Cossette for the first time ten years ago might raise some of the same problems in her marriage that Thernadier was trying to raise, but hey, it's over. Yay.

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Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures

Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers, 688 pages

Wow, am I glad to be done with this book! This tells the story of Rumo, a doglike Wolperting that manages to become the biggest hero in all of Zamonia. Filled with imaginative characters (and by that I mean nothing even remotely human), Rumo takes about 350 pages before there's a clear path forward for the story. Before that, it just meanders about, giving ridiculously detailed backstories of everyone and everything that's mentioned by any character. It gets a bit tedious. But if you make it as far as the 350-page mark, the remaining story's worth it.

The Conference of the Birds/Peter Sis

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis; poetry, philosophy; 160 pages

This book is Sis's adaptation of the medieval Persian poem, The Conference of the Birds. Much of the text is left out or simplified, so the main focus here is Sis's wonderful art. Printed on thick, textured paper, and delicately colored, the illustrations look like something out of a dream, which fits quite nicely with the theme of the poem. A beautiful book, well worth checking out.

Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House/ Neil Gaiman

Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman graphic literature, adventure, occult, fantasy 240 pages

I liked this volume of Neil Gaiman's dark fantasy epic "The Sandman." I didn't love it, but I certainly did like it. For those of you who read my review of Gaiman's first volume (a review that will live in infamy as one of the most scathing reviews of any person, place, or thing that I have ever written) I am wondering the same question as you: Was this volume really good, or did it just seem good in comparison to the absolute pile of livestock excrement that made up the first volume??? I honestly think that I will never know the answer to this question, so I will attempt to explain myself without relying too much on comparison to the first volume, although that is almost impossible (especially when you consider how much I like ranting about stuff I hate). Here are a few reasons I really liked the second volume:

REASON 1: IT HAS A STORY

This may seem like a given, but those who have read Gaiman's first novel will remember that it was mostly just aimless meandering with a little bit of plot thrown in there. Volume 2 features a major plot arc that the reader can not only follow, but be interested in. This story splits focus between the Sandman and another interesting protagonist, Rose Walker, a human who also, for some unknown reason, acts as a vortex in Morpheus' land of dreams. Morpheus' story focuses on locating some of the rogue dreams that have abandoned his dreamland (which may seem eerily similar to his quest in the first volume, but believe me, it's better) while Rose's focuses on her quest to locate her long-lost younger brother. These quests intertwine in a way that makes sense without feeling forced.

REASON 2: THE CHARACTERS ARE ACTUALLY INTERESTING

Gaiman has a great imagination. Nobody can argue that. That is why I was so bothered by the fact that he chose to populate his world with both boring characters such as the less-than-diabolical Dr. Dee and interesting characters borrowed from other DC franchises (John Constantine anyone??). The characters in Gaiman's second volume were both original and deep. I especially enjoyed reading about the hauntingly horrible character known as the Corinthian and Morpheus' undying friend Robert "Hob" Gadling. Gaiman makes new characters that are interesting and fleshes out old characters to make them more interesting. Both work extremely well and Gaiman should be commended for that.

REASON 3: EVERYTHING ELSE

As a literature nerd, I was on the verge of peeing myself when Gaiman populated one of the volume's chapters with cameos by some of literature's most renowned figures. Will Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Kit Marlowe all make appearances in the world of Sandman. Such appearances are done in a way that doesn't seem cheap or hokey, which is what makes their inclusion worthwhile. This point may not be worth its own reason heading, but I was especially pleased by it. Also, the second volume features a "Cereal" convention which is actually a clever misspelling that masks the true nature of the convention. Gaiman presents a major convention of serial killers that is both interesting and humorous. The inclusion of such a bizarre plot device manages to work well with the story while also creating perfect breaks in the action by giving the reader insight into many of the humorous panel discussions and industry-talk between avid professional murderers.

So yes, I liked this volume of Sandman a lot. I even have to admit that it almost makes reading the first volume worthwhile just to understand the action going on in this one...almost.

Annie Fuller credibility rating (pre-volume 2): -1
Annie Fuller credibility rating (post-volume 2): 0
Annie Fuller credibility rating (post-volume 3): tune in next time, folks...

The Passage/Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin; post-apocalyptic 766 pages

Before I say anything else, let's just get this out of the way...Justin Cronin's The Passage has vampires in it. Now before you ignore the rest of this post because you are as sick of vampires as I am, let me say a few things on the subject: None of the vampires in Cronin's post-apocalyptic epic sparkle in the sunlight or fall in love or conscientiously object to the drinking of human blood. Cronin's vampires are brutal, feral, and 100% deadly. Although Cronin's undead antagonists are constantly referred to as vampires (as well as jumps, smokes, dracs, virals and many other nicknames) they seem a lot more like zombies (a genre that still has quite a bit of life left in it, no pun intended). I don't think Cronin's intention was to hop on the Twilight bandwagon, because he doesn't even mention vampires in the blurb on the jacket (a fact I am happy about, because I probably would've thought of the book as another lame Twilight ripoff if he had).

Cronin's The Passage is the a brilliant epic spanning a hundred years that paints a very vivid picture of humankind in its struggle against the overwhelming odds of a vampire infestation. The first 200 pages deal with the cause of the infestation (a virus that is released from a government facility) and the origins of one of the story's protagonists, Amy, a young orphan girl with a mysterious past.

Suddenly, the story completely changes pace and the timeline shifts almost 100 years into the future after the vampires have eliminated or turned most of humankind. The story after this point reads the same as many post-apocalyptice dystopian novels that have come out before it. The narrative changes to a story about a misfit band of survivors on a journey to save humanity from the dangers of the vampires and the virus that spawned them. Although this type of story may seem overused, I believe that it is Cronin's storytelling that truly sets this epic tale apart. Plenty of end-of-chapter cliffhangers and flashbacks that act as exposition for a variety of Cronin's very detailed characters (which fans of the TV show Lost will definitely enjoy) contribute to making this the best story I've read in a long time, if not ever.

For those of you who haven't read it yet, pick up a copy. The book is excellent, and although it is extremely long, the gripping prose will keep you reading and screaming for more when you read the last page. Luckily, there will be more, because Cronin has said that The Passage is only the first in a trilogy, the second, The Twelve is scheduled to be released in 2012.