Bites

Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Jane Bites the Pile Review: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

This review is the demented brain child of Laura at A Jane of All Reads and yours truly, Donna at Bites.

Originally published 1965.

On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that -- the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. (goodreads.com)

So Laura and I have some books in common in our TBR closets so we decided to wear this particular outfit on the same day like a couple of besties from 1964.

So after we snorted our malts and tried to take out eyes with our bumper bullets, we got down to the business of reading, cat eye glasses and all. Like the good little demon child clones we are, we felt pretty much the same about OVER SEA, UNDER STONE, a quaint little ditty, fit for the middle graders, about a sibling team racing against the adults to find clues to save the world from the ever-encroaching Dark. Although for us old farts it can get a bit boring.

Now, it's never made all that clear just what the Dark is, what it can do, what the fate of the world is, what either side is striving for. It's all kept in the dark . . . where in the dark I don't want to know. But it's there. Squishing. We know there's a connection to King Arthur, we know there's a grail hidden somewhere and we know we have baddies dressed in black a la Spy vs. Spy chasing after them trying to get the elusive "it." Really, I think it's the chase that matters.

If it were a little more interesting. There's a lot of silly idealized 60s English children blathering on about Gumerry and whatever shall we do's and generally speaking as if they were 35 and sitting for a spot of tea, or living in a bubble filled with pink sparkles and daisies. One must remember that we're reading 1965 words so there's a lot of "shoulds" going on as opposed to "for reals." The language could have been checked at the door of The Queen's Head Pub with Hugh Laurie doling out proper British bitter. But once you get past that, and the absurd image of a 10 year old speaking like his grandfather, it's a flight of fancy book that offers much in the way of child shenanigans and adult bumbling, as with any other children's book of this age bracket. So it fits there at least.

Of course I couldn't help but running some wind sprints parallel to the NARNIA series by CS Lewis. It was inevitable. Laura, being the NARNIA virgin, hasn't had the thrill of being exposed to the likes of ~~Jesus~~ Aslan and his painted whore-hating ways but I enlightened her. Don't get me wrong; I loved the Narnia series but I think I was baptized by the end of it. While NARNIA left me burping up angel wing feathers, OVER SEA, UNDER STONE had a significant "Evil East" aftertaste for me. The Dark is always mentioned as coming from the east. Always. Now I don't know what the overall political climate was in England in the early 60s but this seemed reminiscent of rather medieval times. I kept expecting a wayward morning star or joust to pop up. Of course, Evil East carries with it many connotations and could be a number of things but, you know, instead of puffing up Christianity like Lewis, it seemed to elevate the evils emanating from the east more than anything, be it religions, cultures, whatever. Maybe it's just my brain going there and I'm pulling something out that isn't really there. Or maybe it's because I made the NARNIA connection so it's making its own dots to string together. I'm just saying, there's a lot of Eastern Evil going on here.

But it's ultimately very similar to NARNIA with children as the protags striving to save the day, a generally slower, introductory start to the series and the world, a whimsical feel. It's a good "classic" story. Maybe the floofy language adds to that. Maybe it's the children overcoming dark, evil odds. Whatever it is, they're similar in my eyes. And I think Laura needs to get herself baptized by Deacon Lewis.

Laura ultimately enjoyed OVER SEA, UNDER STONE more than I did. I'm chalking it up to the fact that I've already read THE DARK IS RISING and I totally heart that one so it's difficult to live up to those standards. Laura felt the ending "quite nice" and "cute" that "all those scholarly old gentleman chasing around children to steal a map." I'm hoping she'll be blown away Maxell-style by book two. Forget whimsy. That's nice in small doses. Those kids weren't in enough danger to me. They need to fight harder and stop relying on their ever so brilliant verbiage to get them out of scuffles. Have fist will punch.

Ban Factor: Low - What with ragging on the Evil East and good little children not talking in slang, this one would be on many a banner's shelves.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Author Bites - Mari Mancusi Hearts Zombies + A Giveaway!

At this point it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Mari Mancusi is all about zombies (among other things). She hearts them like whoa. As if the epicness of TOMORROW LAND wasn't enough to convince you, Mari's stopped by to list some of her favorite zombie things. And they're pretty awesome zombie things, I might add. Just to note, any italics are mine because I totally have some commentary on this one.

My Favorite Things – Zombie edition!
By Mari Mancusi

In my post-apocalyptic YA novel, Tomorrow Land, I write about a zombie-infested, near-future Earth where humans are no longer in charge. Most of the world has been wiped out by a killer plague and those who didn’t die of the sickness now walk the Earth, looking to feed.

Nineteen year old Peyton and her ex-boyfriend Chase must find a way to not only survive themselves, but keep a ragtag group of children safe. Their goal? To make a post-apocalyptic pilgrimage to the last remaining human outpost on Earth—Walt Disney World. All while trying to stay clear of the jaws of those pesky walking dead.

But while real life zombies would be, admittedly, a bit of a drag—luckily we are fortunate to live in a world where fake zombie stuff abounds. So today I thought I’d introduce you to some of my favorite zombie awesomeness.

Zombie Shoes

When I first posted these on my blog a few years back, a lot of people thought that they were some sort of April Fool’s joke. But I can assure you, they’re very real and very cool! Imagine the fashion statement you’d make, walking down the streets of New York City in these bad boys! Just be sure to kick them off in case of a real life zombie apocalypse; let’s just say those shoes ain’t made for runnin’... (Seriously, I own three pairs of Iron Fist shoes and they're effing epic! And far more comfortable than they look.)

Zombie Jell-O
My husband hates most sweets, but he’s a sucker for Jell-O. And what better way to serve the jiggly stuff then in the form of a human brain? I mean, just think of the possibilities. Whip it out come Thanksgiving Day and you’d totally score second and third helpings of Aunt Edna’s award winning mashed potatoes—as everyone else would running to the bathroom to puke. EPIC WIN!

Zombie Board Games
This one is called Zombies!!! (Yes, with the exclamation points) and there are a bunch of expansion packs as well. You play by trying to get through the town and to the helicopter, without being eaten by a roving zombie. The board is built as you go and other players send the zombies after you to prevent you from stealing their helicopter seat. It can get very cut throat! The only issue I have with this game is it takes a LONG time to actually win. So keep some snacks nearby or your fellow players may start eyeing your own brain for dessert.

Zombie Ironic T-Shirts
For your inner hipster. There are a ton of them out there, all wrought with wit and humor. Some of my favorites include: “Fast Zombies Suck” (and on the reverse: “Slow Zombies Rule”) for those who prefer old school zombies to the newer incarnations. And then there’s “Zombies Make Better Boyfriends” which I truly believe, at times. (After all, you can be assured they want you for your brain!) And then there’s the ever useful “In Case of a Zombie Apocalypse, Follow Me!” t-shirt for those of you born leaders out there, ready to lead the charge. No matter what your message, you’ll probably find a zombie related shirt, bumper sticker, button, etc. to help you proclaim it to the world.

Zombie Videogames
And lastly, to hold us over for the true zombie apocalypse, we have videogames galore featuring our favorite undead. Whether you prefer target practice at the local arcade via the ridiculously plotted, yet highly addictive House of the Dead or wandering through creepy homes, trying to solve the conspiracy of Resident Evil. It may look like all fun and games, but it’s actually great practice. When the real zombies come, you’ll want to be prepared. (Yup. I totally want the full scale House of the Dead game for my house. Is that bad?)

As always, thank you for stopping by, Mari! TOMORROW LAND is now available for purchase! Go buy it immediately. And for you NetGalley users, TOMORROW LAND is now available for request. :)

Okay, so an even bigger thanks to Mari that I get to have this awesome giveaway. What can you win? Well, a surprise zombie thing of Mari's choosing (see epic post above) along with a copy of BLOOD COVEN VAMPIRES, VOLUME 1 that includes BOYS THAT BITE and STAKE THAT! Awesome, right? You know the drill. Fill out the form below for your chance to win.

Open to US residents 13 years of age and older only.
One entry per person per email address.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.
Entrants must follow Bites via one of the following mediums: RSS, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads.
Giveaway ends 3/20 at midnight, EST.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Published March 1, 2012.

Author website. Oh look! You can now buy the book!

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgramage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race? (goodreads.com)

An updated and re-released version of Mari's Dorchester title RAZOR GIRL, TOMORROW LAND is a YA post-apocalyptic adventure that DOESN'T include a love triangle, is a stand-alone book and does include mutated zombie-like creatures that stalk the protags on their way to Disney World. How is this NOT totally awesome?

Mari pitched it to me for review in pretty much the same fashion and I was pretty much like, um, yes? Nao? And it's every bit as good and awesome as her BLOOD COVEN series. I will admit, the voice threw me a bit. I'm so used to the Rayne/Sunny voices (well, mostly Rayne) and I've only read Mari's BLOOD COVEN books so seeing something so drastically different kind of poked me in the eye a little. But once my vision cleared and I was able to makes heads, tails and claws of the story I was reading, I fell into it and didn't want to come out.

TOMORROW LAND alternates between the POVs of Chase/Chris and Peyton and they're both so heart-wrenchingly real that it's really hard to pull your eyes away from the pages. You get to see the same story from two different perspectives and really it's like reading two different tales for how they both see things. It's a definite advantage to being in both of their heads. If I wasn't then some scenes wouldn't translate very well and it'd be way more super teen angsty than what it really was. So I'm really glad for the shift that each chapter took.

Also the way the story was told was pretty freaking cool. The plot moved parallel to itself, telling past events and current events simultaneously. You'd probably think that it might make the story a little jerky but both elements wove together so seamlessly that it just ended up being one giant story. The two stories don't actually catch up to each other but they both end where it's respective moment needs to end; one with Peyton going into the bunker and the end at the actual end of the story. But I can't say enough how well those two pieces fit together. The events that happened before and after really hurdle each other.

The ending was the best. Don't worry. I won't spoil. I will say that it's quite possibly the most optimistic post-apocalyptic story ending I've read yet. And I'm not just talking about for the characters but for the destroyed world surrounding them. I was seriously so happy at the end that I ended up crying (I tend to do that a lot, don't I?). While I like my bleak endings and characters fighting for every little thing, it's really so nice to read a story like this where you actually KNOW everything's going to be okay. It's so obvious it'll be alright that it's pretty much hitting you in the face. Loved it.

Peyton and Chase? I want more of them. They're just two amazingly thought out, dynamic characters that really stood off the page. They were alive for me. I felt Chase's struggle with drugs and Peyton's struggle with herself (although I think her struggle was a little stronger pre-planetary flush). I do feel the ending was a bit abrupt character-wise. I would have liked to have felt Peyton's reaction to it all a little more, especially considering how strong she was throughout the story but her reaction is still fitting. Over and done with. Moving on. Still, I'm greedy and I wanted just a little more. And Chase, when he was dueling with himself over his life, drugs, the kids, the quest, his love for Peyton, his battle was on the inside and it was almost painful to watch. Zombies? Not a problem. Feelings? He couldn't run from those.

And I can't forget the zombies. They're not your typical risen from the dead type of beasts and you don't find out until later in the story what makes them unique so I won't say anything about that here. I'll just say it adds a whole new depth to Mari's monsters that'll make you think twice about grabbing the nearest shovel and swinging.

Overall, totally epic. I loved every second of it. The world, the characters, their lives, I wanted more. TOMORROW LAND is a stand-out edition to the world of post-apocalyptic fiction and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it. I can't say enough good things about it.

Ban Factor: High - A cybernetic chick? A godless post-apocalyptic world? Allusions to sex? BANNED!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Added to the Pile + 104

Well, I've got a bit of a haul this week. I got approved for a bunch of outstanding NetGalley titles and I went on a bit of a book bender at Barnes and Noble. I was craving something different (mainly not YA) so I indulged. A smidge.