Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

As one can gather from the title, this book is almost a response or a re-imagining of George Orwell's book 1984, one of the most terrifying portraits of society's potential in print. Big Brother is the term in that book for government surveillance. Little brother, then, is an individual's response to his government's intrusion into his privacy and  his creation of a grassroots revolution for freedom.

The main character is a high school student named Marcus. He is an average kid in every respect, save his impressive technological knowledge, and his use of that knowledge to rebel against the systems put in place at his school. He also sometimes plays hooky with friends to play a game. However, things change forever when a bomb goes off in the city in what is assumed to be a terrorist attack. Marcus and his friends get abducted by a branch of the government called National Home Security (NHS) and is interrogated and abused by them and is finally set free, along with all of his other friends except one, who was injured before the abduction. Marcus then takes it upon himself to create an underground network free from the government's surveillance where he becomes a kind of cyber Che Guevara. He begins setting up little things to hinder the NHS, kind of like how he messed with his teachers, but on a much larger scale. As things get more and more intense Marcus finds himself facing an increasingly dangerous reality. He must figure a way to save his country from becoming a police state while still keeping his own freedom and anonymity in tact.

This was a really well thought out book. The author put together a very clever story line with a very active and intelligent protagonist. He puts together situations that seem hopeless and daunting, but then has his characters come up with something to react in a positive way. There is also a lot of  information in the book. Some it technological, some is historical, some literature based. You're likely to learn a little bit reading this book. I love books like this because they inspire learning to go beyond the story and demonstrates how great getting to know more about something can be. In short, this is a very important novel for young people. It is an introduction to the dystopian novel, but with more hope and less futility. It may also inspire the reader to question some of the events or laws going on in their area. It forces you to think, but it's fun and fresh at the same time. In addition, the fact that both Neil Gaiman and Scott Westerfeld are speaking in favour of it was all the propaganda I needed to pick up the book, and they were right.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery

Dragonflight is the first in a long series of books taking place in McCaffery's land of Pern, a land of dragons and dragon riders. What's interesting about this book is that it's actually a science fiction, not a fantasy. One would think what with the dragons and all that this would be a fantasy story, but alas, the dragons are just a facade for the underlying science fiction plot.

Pern is a land inhabited by humans. Unfortunately, a planet close to Pern gives off deadly spores every couple of years called 'Thread' and these spores fall down onto Pern and destroy everything they come into contact with. Some humans have learned to tame and form a psychic bond with dragons, these people are called dragon riders. It is the dragon riders and their dragons who battle the thread attacks and keep Pern safe from the threat. There have not been any signs of thread for hundreds of years however, and dragon riders have become an anachronism.

The story begins with two prominent dragon riders searching Holds, or different settlements, for young women. A queen egg has been laid and a new Weyrwoman, the female leader of the dragons, must be found to bong with the new queen dragon. They eventually find a young woman pretending to be an old drudge named Lessa, and after dealing the fascist invader controlling their land, the pair take Lessa to their Weyr, the place dragons and dragon riders live. She of course impresses the new dragon queen and so the story begins.

The author paints Lessa as a strong sort of heroine, but in my opinion she spent more time whining and being loudly indignant, which may be considered strength to some, than actually displaying any real strength of character. Her relationship with F'lar, her love interest, was more like that of a defiant child and her disciplinarian. I know this is aimed at teens and they're supposed to be all angsty and everything, but why does romance have to be about a woman defying a man's power over her? There were some other misogynistic messages in the book besides the romance roles which were also somewhat tedious to read through. Then again this was published in the late 60's and that might have been a more popular topic at the time and more widely accepted, or even revolutionary. Remember, this is a science fiction after all. F'lar also displays an exaggerated machismo that almost seems too pig headed to be taken seriously at times. His relationship with Lessa is borderline abusive, which can sometimes be mistaken for romance in romance books directed towards women for some reason. Maybe because of the adrenaline rush caused by the fear that that could happen to you. I really don't know. But there is a lot of yelling and shaking on his part whenever he deals with Lessa as he tried to subdue her. Just something to watch out for.

*Spoiler* If you have yet to read the book don't read this because it will lessen the experience for you. I do have an issue with the time travel aspect of the plot. I like the idea and it was an ingenious plot twist... but the way the author went about incorporating it into the plot doesn't really make sense. Lessa goes back in time to ensure that certain events take place and that just doesn't sit right with me. The idea of traveling back in time goes as follows; a person travels to a point in time that has already occurred. Pretty simple on the surface. The problem in mcCaffery's case is that the past in her story is based on the fact that Lessa discovered that she was supposed to go back in time and change things. So there is no original history that Lessa goes back to change. She gives herself clues in the past that tell her she has to go back in time, which the people there follow because she tells them about the future. The idea of her going back in time might be able to work out... except that the reason she decides to go back isn't because of an organic idea she had based on her evaluating the present and deciding that to save the present she must go back, she comes to the decision to go back in time because of a clue she leaves herself. Even this would be alright if an original, untouched-by-time-travel history is presented, but there isn't one. Despite this flaw I did enjoy the idea, and if it was worked out a bit better it would have been really cool. It was good regardless, but I enjoyed it less because it was illogical. *Spoiler*

Aside from the characters, the plot was actually really well done. It was fast paced, but the author took the time to set up a nice flow. It is definitely a page turner. If you are a fan of fantasy or of dragon lore you will probably enjoy the world McCaffery has created here. It is filled with McCaffery's own lore, which is quite interesting. And if you are a sci fi fan, well there's some time travel in there as well as a bit of outer-worldly threat. Despite it's faults I suggest you pick up this book and give it a go. Aside from the fact that it's a decent read, it's been around long enough to have influenced a lot of today's fantasy/ sci fi writers. Though a bit dry at times, it's a quick read worth the time invested.

Chloe (2009)

Chloe is a psychological thriller about a middle-aged woman who suspects her very flirtatious husband of cheating on her. After her husband missed the surprise birthday party she'd planned for him, the couple go out with some friends and she ends up meeting an escort in the bathroom. She then hires this escort, Chloe, to tempt her husband to see how he will react. Chloe then reports back to her with the various events that occur.

This movie had the potential to be very good, but didn't quite hit the mark. There are some great actors in the cast and they play their roles very well, the atmosphere was also pretty spot on. The problem is actually with the plot. The movie spends far too much time setting up the story and characters and building the overall plot, which is fine and is expected in movies of this genre... so long as all of that building sets up the audience for some sort of logical catharsis. But that's not the case with this movie. The climactic 'twist' came a little bit out of left field. When it was tied in to previous events in the plot, the resulting dilemma seemed too passionate and emotionally charged for the events that it supposedly stemmed from. So much time was spent building the story and the suspense, but at the same time.. not enough time and effort went into explaining Chloe's motivation and perspective, which made the whole film fall short of actually being good. It wasn't a bad film by any means, but it will disappoint you on an intellectual level.

The Druid's Tune by O.R. Melling

The Druid's Tune is by the author of the somewhat well-known series called The Chronicles of Faerie (which are a superb read, aged late elementary school/ early high school, but is really fun for all ages).

This story features a young brother and sister, Jimmy and Rosemary, who are sent to live with their aunt and uncle in Ireland for the summer. While neither are too pleased to be sent away from their friends on their break from school, they decide to try to make the best of what seems to surely be a boring couple of weeks on a farm in some small Irish backwater town. When they arrive they find a very kind and friendly aunt and uncle awaiting the pair at the farm, as well as a strange farm hand hired by their uncle. They sneak out one night, see this farm hand walking toward the small lake near their uncle's property, and decide to follow him. The man begins singing and the two children are knocked unconscious. As it happens, that man was a druid, and by his power they've been transported back in time or between universes to the infamous Queen Maeve's army as she and her men are undertaking The Cattle Raid of Cooley. Along with this figure, Jimmy and Rosemary also meet up with the hero Cúchulainn, the hound of Ulster. Through various bouts of time/ space travel these two bear witness to one of the most well-known epics in Irish folklore, and do their part to help out where they can.

This book was a great read, not only because the character's and plot had some substance, but because it is one of those books that will get kids interested in history and folklore. This story is taken right out of Celtic mythology, The Cattle Raid of Cooley or the Tain Bo Cuailnge is one of the national epic myths in the Irish tradition. If you are unfamiliar, it is on the same scale as The Odyssey or The Aeneid; Cúchulainn would be like an Achilles, the guy Brad Pitt played in Troy. Irish epics aren't as well known as Grecian/ Roman/ English epics, but are just as good, and books like this one will inspire young people, and old people, to look up some of those old stories and educate themselves about times past and people gone.

Aside from inspiring some self-educating, the book was actually a decent read. I was a little bit worried when I figured out that they were going to relive this tale because I didn't want the author to ride on the coattails of the epic and just have some modern-day kids there to put in some wise crack remarks to keep the audience semi interested. Thankfully Melling is a talented author and our protagonists can stand on their own two feet. We actually learn little more than the basics about the myth itself because the author is too busy developing characters and relationships to fill the reader in on a presumably missing literature lesson. Rosemary and Jimmy are both good characters. Gutsy and head-strong, but full of heart. The only issue I'd have is how little trouble the pair had in adjusting to life in the bronze age. The druid is also an interesting character as he seems to be trying to find himself, or enlightenment, for the entire story.

Melling has a talent for inspiring an interest in Celtic myth and legend, in all of her books, not just this one. I suggest you try to read as many as you can get a hold of.

http://www.ormelling.com/index.html

Dragon Force

I loved this game growing up. It's an amazing strategy game with just enough of a story line to not make it all about telling soldiers where to go. It's not very plot based at all which is great, you can really do whatever you want, but there is enough structure to give the player an objective.

There are 8 characters in total, each is a monarch and a master of one of the different types of soldiers you can use in the game. The objective is to pick one of the characters and conquer the whole world. You have a limited number of troops and you have to decide where you will send them, and what kind of soldiers you will send where. Each class has an opposing class that they have an advantage over, and one that has an advantage over them. When you choose a character to send into battle you have to take into consideration how their class will fare against your opponent.

When you first play the game you can only choose 6 of the 8 characters, but after you beat the game once you can unlock the other two characters to select them. Each monarch is different and so every time you play you'll have different strengths and weaknesses which will probably keep you entertained for a good while. Even after beating the game with all 8 characters, I sometimes went back to replay it, it's really that good. You can change your strategy every time you play too... it's a really versatile game.

As a player you do not actually fight with any of your characters. You just play the role of an overseeing general. You tell who to go where and give the commands in battle, but you never actually bloody your own hands. It's more of a thinking game then a first person combat game.

It's amazing and I recommend you try getting your hands on it, or playing it at least once if you can.

 

Beautiful (2000)

This is the story of a young woman, Mona, who wants to become a beauty pageant queen of a national competition. She has worked all her life to achieve this goal, and has struggled her way into the position of Miss Illinois. The problem is that Mona has a seven-year old daughter, and beauty pageant contestants are not allowed to have children. For the first seven years of her daughter's life, she has been raised by Mona's friend Ruby and thought that Ruby was her real mother. An unfortunate incident sends Ruby to prison however and Vanessa, the daughter, has to stay with Mona, and just when the national beauty pageant. Mona decides to ask Vanessa to come with her to the beauty pageant, partly because she didn't have anywhere to leave her and partly because Mona was feeling insecure and alone and wanted someone to be there to support her. **Spoilers** Throughout the competition she keeps looking toward Vanessa, who came to sit in her family box. If she wins the competition Vanessa will have to live with a foster family while she tours the country. She makes it to the final three in the competition, but just before her one on one interview with the host, she asked the Texan contestant if she would rather be a fake role model to thousands of girls or to be a real one to one girl. when it is her turn with the host he asks her what she likes about herself. She is stunned into silence for a second and responds that she doesn't like herself, but she will. She then announces that Vanessa is her daughter and walks off stage to get her. The viewers then have an emotional response to the statement she was making about beauty queens not being allowed to have children and ends up winning the pageant **Spoilers end**

To be quite honest I don't know why I like this movie. I am not a pageant person, I'm actually more likely to say something negative about how pageants are more like meat markets that patronize women as sexy bodies with vacant but pleasant minds that will showcase some cheap talent to show you they're worth your while. I'm not the person to brag to about how many pageants you've been in, lets leave it at that, but I still like this movie. Mona is really self conscious and unsure of herself, and at the same time is working so hard to succeed in something she feels will make her happy. I can relate to that struggle. Many times I try so hard to find something that makes me feel fulfilled, when instead I end up seeing that I should have just been thankful for what I had. To be thankful for my family and the people in my life.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon By: Grace Lin

This is the story of a poor young girl named Minli. She lived with her parents in a village near Fruitless Mountain, named so for the fact that it was barren due to the anger and pain of a dragon. Every day Minli and her parents worked hard in the rice fields to make just enough rice to feed themselves, and every night Minli would sit with her parents. Her mother would sigh in anger at their misfortune and her father told her folktales about dragons, evil magistrates, and the Old Man of the Moon (an immortal who read from the book of destiny).

One day a goldfish peddler passed through the town selling his wares, saying that a goldfish would increase the buyer's fortune. Hearing this, Minli  took one of the two copper coins to her name and bought a fish. Her mother is furious with her and tells her there that there is barely enough rice for the three of them and that they would never be able to feed another mouth. The night following this conversation, Minli decided that her mother is right and released the goldfish. As soon as she did so however, the goldfish thanked her! She was startled to find the goldfish talking to her, but was told that all goldfish talk, but only those who want to listen can hear. The goldfish then tells Minli how she can find her way to Never Ending Mountain, home of the Old Man of the Moon, so that she could try to change her fortune. This sets Minli off on a journey to try to change her family's fortune. She meets various characters, dragons, goldfish, places, people, all of which she heard of in folk tales and fairy tales.

When I first began reading this book I didn't understand why it had won the Newbery Award. The story seemed pretty typical, kid goes on an adventure, meets some people, learns a lesson, that old thing. But as I read on I found the story to be more than that. All of the folk tales, even the plot itself were taken right out of a Chinese folktale, and all were seamlessly interwoven. If a folk tale was told early on in the story, Minli would interact with the people in that folk tale later on in the plot. So often fantasy and make-believe and imagination is passed off as a foolish waste of time with no practical application in the real world. This story reminds us that folk tales do come from somewhere, that there are lessons we can learn from them that we can apply to our own lives, and most importantly, we can see how stories give Minli and her family hope and happiness.