Harry Clarke by David Cale
Oh, man. This play. This is a one-man play, and it is definitely not for everyone. I’m still trying to decide if I liked it or not. I think I did, but then I also think that might make me a bad person. Oh well! Harry Clarke doesn’t exist. Not really. He’s a character that Philip creates for himself at the tender young age of eight. Philip, a born-and-raised Indiana boy, only feels like himself when he speaks with an English accent. So he […]
Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes
Once again, Drew Hayes has come up with something completely different from his previous work. This has more of a detective story, well, detective vignettes that come together. So kind of like his Fred, The Vampire Accountant set up. But we’re in the realms of fairy tales this time. And it feels a lot darker than his other stuff. The writing brings to mind the old noir detective stories, you know, the ones where you see the silhouette of the guy smoking a cigarette and […]
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Trying to summarize this is hard, because there are a lot of different storylines and viewpoints. We have Miryem, the daughter of a not-very-good moneylender. Oh, he’s a good man, too good to be a moneylender in fact, in that he’s not the best at collecting his money back. Miryem eventually decides to take up the slack and collect the debts herself. Responsibility takes a toll on people, especially when you have to take that burden from someone else. She idly makes a comment that […]
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede
I highly recommend this series to adults and children alike. It feels clean, somehow. There is good and wickedness, but everything eventually works out. I would not hesitate to give the main series to my nieces and nephews. There is a focus on manners and politeness and practicality. Everyone can learn lessons from this, and even if they are lessons you’ve learned before, it’s good to be reminded! Dealing with Dragons I read this right before I read Ogre Enchanted, which probably was not good […]
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
England has a bit of a problem. Their magic is fading, and no one seems to know why. Zacharias, the new Sorcerer Royal, is determined to find out why, and hopefully fix the problem. Poor Zacharias. He is young, and grieving for the death of his mentor, and suffering from a mysterious (to us, at least) malady. Oh, and he’s black. So really, there’s not much going for him. Prunella Gentleman is a young lady in a school for gentlewitches. She’s not a student, though, […]
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Right away I could tell this was written by Neil Gaiman. I mean, I think that happens with most Gaiman books, but this one jumped out at me. I think after listening to Neil read his own books I tend to have his voice in my head when I read his work. We have a lovely tale about a father who goes out to pick up some milk and the fantastic journey he takes to get home. I could see this being a story that […]
