Louisville

It has been a little over two months since I moved to Louisville, KY, to begin the PhD program in Humanities at the University of Louisville.  It has been an adjustment, though not as extreme as might have been expected.  Several things have actually remained constant.  There is still weather, albeit slightly more moist and humid than Utah (one recent weekend it rained about six inches, which equals half of Utah's yearly rainfall).  This also means that things are greener than at homes.  Roads still get me from one place to another, though I have had to learn a new city layout.  Most major retailers, book stores and fast food chains exist here, meaning my shopping habits have not altered greatly.  Despite the lack of familiar landmarks, there is nothing really out of the ordinary. 

Except the squirrels.  They are everywhere.

Starting a PhD program may have seemed like a challenging transition as it has been a few years since I received my master's. But as I spent the intervening years working at the BYU Bookstore as well as writing and presenting papers, it has really been moving from one academic environment to another.  I have realized that, while I am fine researching and writing, I am not a fast writer, which may become an issue towards the end of the semester.  Not looking forward to all the papers I will have to write.

All in all, I feel that transition to a new location and life have gone smoothly.  But I am only in the first semester of the program; a program which is going to be undergoing several changes in the coming years.  Who knows what will happen in the future.  Whatever happens, it will definitely be challenging, hopefully exciting, and at the very least, I will have learned something.

How to Train Your Dragon 9 and 10

Book 9: How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword

4 ½ out of 5 Covers

Book 10: How to Seize a Dragon’s Jewel

4 ½ out of 5 Covers

At this point, I really could be reviewing each book individually, as they have gotten longer and more complex.  But for the sake of tradition, I am going to continue with the two book format.  As things are definitely building towards a finale, it will be hard to talk about things without a few spoilers.  So there are going to be revelation ahead.

In Book 8, Hiccup freed a dragon that had been friends with his ancestor, Hiccup II.  But this dragon had also been tormented for the last hundred years and has begun a dragon rebellion, bent on freeing all the dragons that have been enslaved and wiping out all the Vikings, but particularly Hiccup. 

To combat this, all the Vikings tribes are meeting at the School of Swordfighting, here boys become men.  But this time, they will also decide on a leader to guide them through the perilous events.  Things are not all that it seems at the school, though, as it has been taken over by Alvin and his witch mother, who have a plot to make Alvin the king.  But the king has to be able to find all of Grimbeard the Ghastly’s lost treasures, something that Hiccup has a knack for.  And there is one treasure located beneath the school.

Book 10 begins with Hiccup at his lowest point: alone and hunted while his friends and tribe are enslaved.  Then his mother attacks him.  This is the first appearance of Vahallarama, who has been out on quests for most of Hiccup’s life.  Barely surviving, Hiccup then has to sneak into the Slavelands to find another of Grimbeard’s lost treasures if he is to have any hope of creating peace between the dragons and Vikings.  Things do go from bad to worse, though there is a surprise revelation the origin of Hiccup’s friend, Fishlegs.  And events take a dramatic turn when Hiccup confronts Alvin the Treacherous.

In both these books, the first two thirds are filled with the usual dose of action and preposterous physics.  But the last thirds are dramatic with heartwrenching choices because the character’s decisions now have consequences.  The first half of the How to Train Your Dragon series was typical of middle reader fare, with silly action and everything being restored to normal by the end of the book.  But in the second half, character’s actions have long lasting effects on the future.  And this has really elevated the series towards exceptional and makes this reader very excited for the conclusion, however many more volumes that may take.

The Rope Trick

3 out of 5 stars

Lidi is a brilliant magician, but she has yet to master one trick: the rope trick.  And there is only one person in the world who can teach her it: the elusive, legendary Ferramondo.  As she travels across a medieval Italian countryside, she meets many new friends to help and hinder her on her way: Daniella, an orphan girl who can tell the future; Julian, a handsome outlaw; a troupe of dancing pigs.  But when the evil baron who made Julian an outlaw kidnaps Daniella, their journey takes on new priorities.

As with many of Alexander’s works, there is an episodic nature to the story, aided by the fact that as a travelling magician Lidi can be in a different town every night.  But there is also a real strength of each adventure building on the previous, growing to a climax and creating an enjoyable whole. 

The characters are lively.  Each episode has new and different challenges so the story is always fresh. As this was Alexander’s last book before his passing, one would think he was still at the top of his game.

And then there was the ending.  Everything was progressing nicely through the climax and then the dénouement came out of left field.  I do not know what happened.  I mean that literally.  I don’t know what was going on in that last chapter.  I have some theories, but it was completely unexpected and not explained clearly.  As such, it soured the reading experience.

Curse of a Winter Moon

By Mary Casanova

2 ½ out of 5 covers

For a book that portends to be about werewolves, there is very little supernatural activity in the story.  Instead, the reader receives a history lesson about the culture of fear and superstition in France in the year 1553. 

Marius, the son of a blacksmith, had promised his departed mother that he would always take care of his younger brother, Jean-Pierre.  This is complicated by the fact that Jean-Pierre’s birthday, Christmas Eve, is also viewed as a time when loup-garou (werewolves) go on the hunt.  But that is not the only danger, as the Church is hunting heretics.  Despite having an uncle who is a priest, Marius’s family has a secret that puts them in grave danger.

I have a problem with stories that are didactic in nature.  It’s not that they are trying to fool me into learning; rather, it’s that their primary purpose is education and telling a story is secondary.  There are fine examples of authors who are able to do both with aplomb, and the author here makes a valiant effort.  But in trying to show what everything like at the time, you end up with the main character at the center of an unlikely web of connections just so that all aspects of society can be covered.  Marius ends up mixed up with peasants, the Church, royalty, superstition, etc.  With this comes a sense that the descriptions show how things were done back then.  But instead of the story being a doorway to the past, they often become history lessons. 

Because the book is driven to be informative, the author ends up with a protagonist who is much more reactionary than active.  A great protagonist should be in charge of their own destiny, able to make decisions but then have to deal with the consequences. Here, Marius has consequences heaped on him through other peoples’ actions and he is unable to do anything to break free.  If this was Kafka-esque, it might work; but this is a book for children.  A didactic purpose and a passive protagonist is not a winning formula.   

How to Train Your Dragon Books 7 and 8

Book 7: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm

3 ½ out of 5 Covers

                                                 

Book 8: How to Break a Dragon’s Heart

5 out of 5 Covers

The adventures of Hiccup the Viking continue as he competes in the Intertribal Friendly Swimming Race.  Now Vikings don’t race to see how fast they can swim, oh no.  Coming from an arctic region, they compete to see how long you can stay in the water.  Which is why Hiccup has 3 months, 5 days and 6 hours to make it back.  It doesn’t help that Hiccup is captured by his nemesis Norbert the Nutjob, hunted by Polar-Serpents, nearly discovers America and has to free Norbert’s slaves. 

While the logic behind the Viking swimming race makes sense within the world that the author has built, it also strains credulity.  While this series has always required a strong illusion of disbelief, the initial presentation of the idea of swimming for months is a stretch of physics that weakens the underlying premise of the volume.  Sadly, it is not the only plot element that felt forced, though revealing more would give away some crucial developments.  Having read further volumes, I know that the developments are crucial to future books, but here there is a sense that the author needed it to happen and didn’t quite know how to fit it into the narrative. 

How to Break a Dragon’s Heart is the best book in the series so far.  Everything else has been laying the groundwork for this story, which begins with Hiccup’s discovery of the Lost Throne of the Wilderwest, last occupied by his ancestor Grimbeard the Ghastly.  From there the story leads to the island of Berserkers, where Hiccup’s friend Fishlegs believes he will find his parents.  Hiccup must survive the Berserkers, free his friends and free an ancient dragon that was friends with his namesake, Hiccup II.  Unfortunately, this dragon now hates Vikings and wants to start a war.

The centerpiece of this volume, the part that helps it rise about excellent to exceptional, is the prophecy.  Many heroes’ stories have prophecies and it helps raise them from fun stories to legends, being now wrapped up in the history and mythology of the land.  In Hiccup’s case, the prophecy includes a terrible decision, for will have to choose between saving the Vikings or saving the dragons in the upcoming war.  I cannot stress what a great affect these revelations had as it changes the whole dynamic of the series and puts everything that came before in a much greater context.  Fantastic stuff.

Dragon Slayers Academy

#1 The New Kid at School

#2 Revenge of the Dragon Lady

#3 Class Trip to the Cave of Doom

#4 A Wedding for Wiglaf?

#5 Knight for a Day

#6 Sir Lancelot, Where Are You?

#7 Wheel of Misfortune

#8 Countdown to the Year 1000

#9 97 Ways to Train a Dragon

#10 Help! It’s Parents Day at DSA

#11 Danger! Wizard at Work

 #12 The Ghost of Sir Herbert Dungeonstone

#13 Beware! It’s Friday the 13^th

#14 Pig Latin—Not Just for Pigs!

#15 Double Dragon Trouble

#16 World’s Oldest Living Dragon

#17 Hail! Hail! Camp Dragononka!

#18 Never Trust a Troll!

#19 Little Giant—Big Trouble

#20 School’s Out…Forever!

By Kate McMullan

4 out of 5 Covers

Dragoon Slayers’ Academy is a very entertaining early chapter series.  Each book is really about the length of a short story, but that doesn’t mean it skimps any.  The series follows Wiglaf, the runt of a family of 11 brothers, as he attends the titular school with the goal of slaying dragons and stealing their hordes of treasure.  Most of that money would go to the headmaster Mordred, who would do anything for even a penny.  There he befriends Mordred’s nephew, Angus, and the star pupil, Eric (who is really Princess Erica). 

Each book is about 90-100 pages (except for #17, which is a double sized special).  Because of this, the stories are kept simple, but not simplistic.  The author uses an economy of language to portray concepts; for example, she is able to introduce the main characters and their characterization within the first four pages.  But the lack of volume of prose doesn’t mean that there is a shortage of style, plot, suspense or humor; especially humor.  The comedy aspect undoubtedly appeals to the target demographic, but it is also something a lot more books could use.

Despite the title, only a small portion of the books deal with dragon slaying; dragons don’t even appear in all of them.  There are encounters with witches, ghosts, trolls, and giants; quests to rescue knights or save kingdoms; and the usual school and family drama.  The variety of plots keeps the series from becoming formulaic.  The characters are lively, though sometimes the problems are resolved too easily. 

Despite being written for younger readers, I was still entertained by the series and see it as something that could easily be translated into a Saturday morning cartoon.