The Princess and The Queen, or, The Blacks and The Greens by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Princess and The Queen, or, The Blacks and The Greens is a story published in anthology “Dangerous Women”. This story tells the history of the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons fought for the Iron Throne of Westeros between two rival branches of House Targaryen. Brutal and bloodthirsty, this story detailed what war was like when there were plenty of dragons in Westeros. This was a very enjoyable read. Recommended for anyone who’s interested in the expanded history beyond A Song of Ice and Fire series. View all my reviews
Tag: fiction
Review: The Hedge Knight
The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Hedge Knight takes place about a hundred years prior to the events in A Song of Ice and Fire. This short story recounts the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall who sets forth to the tourney at Ashford Meadow in search of fame and glory and the honor of upholding his oath as a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This novella is short, interesting and a much faster read. It added further depth to the already expansive world of Westeros. Highly recommended novella for every fan of A Song of Ice and Fire series.
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Review: The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, The Book Thief is a story about Liesel Meminger narrated by Death. Liesel is fostered by the Hans and Rosa Hubermann in Molching, near Munich during World War II. Liesel becomes best friends with her neighbor Rudy, a boy who idolizes the black Olympic champion sprinter Jesse Owens.
“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate.”
The Book Thief is a wonderful story full of emotions. It is simply a beautiful and painful story of a young girl as she deals with an important and tragic point in history. Death’s haunting and sympathetic narration was brilliant. It was simply an outstanding book from start to finish.
THE BOOK THIEF—LAST LINE
I have hated the words and
I have loved them,
and I hope I have made them right.
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Review: The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a novel set in ancient Greece and tells the story of the love between Achilles and Patroclus. The title could refer to a song sung by Achilles or it could also refer to a song sung about Achilles.
The title of the book may be The Song of Achilles but the story is narrated by Patroclus, an awkward young prince who has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia after accidentally murdering his friend over a game of dice. Achilles, ‘best of all the Greeks’, is everything Patroclus is not — strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess and yet Achilles takes Patroclus under his wing and soon they develop steadfast friendship. From there on, their bond develops into something deeper, much to the outrage of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel and deathly pale sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.” – Patroclus
When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Achilles joins their cause to fulfill his destiny to become the greatest warrior of all time. Patroclus, through fear and love for his companion, follows Achilles to fight in the war, neither of them knowing what tests the future years will hold for them.
I’ve always been fascinated by Greek mythology. So, I decided to read this modern retelling of Homer’s the Illiad. Miller has taken one of the most legendary and familiar of stories from the Illiad and successfully managed to create a modern masterpiece out of it. In the Illiad, Patroclus is a relatively minor character. But in this book Patroclus is chosen as the narrator which would have been quite tricky after his death but Miller pulls it off brilliantly. Patroclus’s narration gives a convincing account of his childhood, the events leading up to the Trojan War and the War itself.
This depiction of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a overwhelming love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
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Review: Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Death was not the opposite of life. It was already here, within my being, it had always been here, and no struggle would permit me to forget that.”
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a fictional novel set in 1960s Tokyo. Norwegian Wood, which gets its title from The Beatles song of the same name, is a novel that centered in death and the feeling of loss related to it. The song is often mentioned in the novel, and is the favourite song of the character Naoko.
The book begins with the narrator, Toru Watanabe, on a plane and looking back to when he was 19 in the late 1960s as a college student living in Tokyo.He recalled Naoko, a childhood friend with whom he shared a traumatic experience, the tragic suicide of Kizuki, Naoko’s boyfriend and his best friend. Naoko grows increasingly troubled and goes to an isolated mental facility. Meanwhile, Toru strikes up a friendship with Midori, a fiercely independent and lively classmate who is exactly the polar opposite of Naoko.
“Why?” she screamed. “Are you crazy? You know the English subjunctive, you understand trigonometry, you can read Marx, and you don’t know the answer to something as simple as that? Why do you even have to ask? Why do you have to make a girl SAY something like this? I like you more than I like him, that’s all. I wish I had fallen in love with somebody a little more handsome, of course. But I didn’t. I fell in love with you!” – Midori
Norwegian Wood is the first book of Haruki Murakami that I read. Norwegian Wood is a story of love, commitment and coming of age and is simply one of few books that you wouldn’t stop reading once you started it. It was a emotional read with endearing characters. I really enjoyed the characters and identified with their struggles. The story is dark but not overwhelming. In this book, Murakami really shows you the intricacy of depression, suicide, and the struggle of characters to get past the tragedies in their lives and find happiness.
The Beatles’ song Norwegian wood is a favourite of Naoko’s and Reiko plays it frequently on her guitar. The lyrics could describe Toru’s relationship with Naoko as well as Midori:
“I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.”
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Review: Catch-22
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller tells a story of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier who wishes to be grounded from combat flight because he thinks everyone is trying to kill him(obviously!). The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, and their attempts to keep their sanity in order to fulfill their service requirements, so that they can return home.
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.
“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.”
“Catch-22” is based on the explanation by the character Doc Daneeka as to why any pilot requesting a psych evaluation hoping to be found not sane enough to fly, and thereby escape dangerous missions, would thereby demonstrate his sanity.
I can’t believe I hesitated so long to read this book. This book got me all the emotions. One minute i’m giggling aloud, and next I’m stumped by the horrifying depiction of the insanity of war. One of the things i loved about this book was it’s structure. The narrative’s events are in non-chronological order and many events in the book are repeatedly described from different point of view so the reader must ultimately piece together a timeline of events.
Erebos 