Updating Schedule

As of today, Bookie Monster will have an updating schedule. Saturday or Sunday: Expect either a full book review, interview or article. Weekdays: Ad Hoc when interesting information arises.

Mark your Calendars

Make sure you don't miss the webchat with Terry Brooks over on his official forum--it will be taking place on July the 31st at 6pm EST (3pm PST, 11pm GMT). If you want to take part, you need to sign up to the forum and have your questions ready. More information is available here.

Audio Clip of Acacia

Feast your ears on this, the first available audioclip of David Anthony Durham's "Acacia: The War with the Mein". Audiobooks need just the right voice actor to bring a story to life and each book needs a different style of reading. So choosing who will be reading a 25hr+ book is a huge decision to make. I'm quite impressed by Dick Hill's voice-- it has a hint of Patrick Stewart to it, and a tiny echo of Anthony Hopkins.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by JK Rowling

At last, the long-awaited final installment in the Harry Potter series is amongst us. And let me just say, it's about time! It's been a decade since Philosopher's Stone was released, can you believe that? So, with great anticipation and relief that I finally held the last entry to the saga, I dove in. There's something magical about the first few pages of a new Harry Potter book, like returning to a regular vacation spot or the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Deathly Hallows is a little different, because none of the trio anticipate returning to Hogwarts. I'm going to break it to you straight, this isn't the strongest book in the series--but it isn't the worst. Harry faces several dilemmas, does he continue searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes, or does he set off in search of the Deathly Hallows, powerful artifacts said to grant the wielder mastery over death itself? Does he believe the surfacing accounts of Dumbledore's past? Should he allow his closest friends to remain with him, despite the danger this places them in? One of the main things I wasn't impressed with was how long it took to get the story off the ground, and actually gripping. Until roughly page 400, it feels a bit like reading an account of someone's "awesome camping trip" but it takes off like a speeding bullet from thereon in. The two main issues covered in Deathly Hallows (and indeed the rest of the series), Love and Choice, are handled exceptionally well for a children/young adult series. Every vital character, Voldemort, Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, Lucius.... has a choice to make, a decision in how their lives turn out. People are not the sum of their parts, they are the sum of their decisions and actions. One could spend a long time drawing comparisons between Voldemort's ideals and real-world fascism, but I'll leave that for another time. The second issue is the underestimation of the power that Love has on all of us. Even the most wretched and grumpy of people is affected by this emotion, and to shrug its effects aside is foolishness. The Greatest revelation of this book is regarding Severus Snape, and what makes him tick (no matter whose side he's on). He's by far my favourite character, and possibly the best written in the entire saga. Score: Recommended Rationale: The fact that it's the final chapter, the conclusion and the tieing up of loose ends--this makes up for a rather sluggish start.

Andrzej Sapkowski

I've got my eye on this Polish writer (the dignity of that source is somewhat lessened by adverts for a "fart button" at the bottom. I suppose they don't control what adverts rotate onto the site though) It's taken about 15 years for the English-speaking world to realise he exists, and I doubt we're going to regret it. I'll be buying "The Witcher" as soon as a copy is available to me in English. Click here to see the website for "The Witcher" videogame--in production as we speak!

Do you like Harry Potter?

If you're looking to read "The deathly Hallows" spoiler free, do not read on. You have been warned. They're minor spoilers, but what the hey. Remember, the Journey is more important than the Destination. Harry and Ginny send their kid to Hogwarts. His name is "Albus Severus". Ron's mentioned on the last page, but no sign of Hermione. Don't worry, she's alright though. Please note, I have not read "the Deathly Hallows" and for legal reasons I'm going to cite my source as "coming to me in a dream".

Your Call

I've hit a bit of a snag. I'm not sure which book to read and review next--the release dates are relatively close together (or close enough not to really matter). Which would you prefer to get reviews of first: Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks The Blade itself by Joe Abercrombie It's a tough call to make.

Not quite Mr T

As some of you may realise, my favourite "new" author is David Anthony Durham. For any of you who feel guilty about reading "fantasy" novels, Acacia is the first step you need to take to get over literary snobbery. The Dragon Page has a new podcast, involving Anne McCaffrey and David Anthony Durham. I encourage you to listen to the whole thing, but should you just want to hear what David Anthony Durham has to say for himself, skip to 43:50. Click Here to Listen. My thoughts. -I always read "Mein" as in "Chicken Chow-Mein". -I really expected David to have a more Barry White/Mr T voice. -Authors and readers have different ideas of what "spoilers" are.

Jonathan Ross interview with JK Rowling

Last night saw Jonathan Ross interviewing the usually camera-shy Mz Rowling-- it's entertaining, but contains some adult humour. Part one Part two I cannot say I'm too excited by the upcoming "Order of the Phoenix" film, but I am psyched for the last book.

Congratulations to Veiled Shadow for her lightning fast typing skills--the copy of "The Handmaid's Tale" should be on its way to you as we speak. Keep your eyes out for more giveaways--next time I will probably be drawing the name out of a hat in order that everyone has a better chance!

4th of July giveaway

Happy Independence day to you all! As I'm in a fantastic mood- how do you fancy winning yourself a copy of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale? The first one to contact me with their details gets a copy!

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

"The Handmaid's tale" is a dystopic novel set in Gilead. In the aftermath of a coup, the United States has gone under drastic changes. Women are now classed as second-class citizens or worse. Each caste of woman wears different colour clothing, and has different duties. Wives enjoy the most "freedoms" and authority, and dress in blue. Handmaids are the childbearers, and dress in red. Marthas do all the cooking and other similar tasks, and dress in green. This may make me sound like a monster, but a quite a few of the decisions made by the Gilean government make sense and appear reasonable to me. Of course, I wouldn't condone an establishment of this sort--but that's the worrying thing. The changes took place little by little, without the populace being aware. This is when you realise The Handmaid's Tale isn't just speculative fiction, it's scarily plausible. The first-person perspective is an obvious choice, but at times becomes frustratingly hard to follow. This mainly occurs during recollections and memories (probably due to Offred--the protagonist--'s distress at the time). Nevertheless I found myself marking the page during those passages and returning to them later. This book left me sad. Aside from the obvious human rights breaches and what happens to misbehaving women, I felt distraught at the hypocrisy of the so-called "Christian" regime. Love doesn't feature anywhere in the equation, not in childbirth, sex or marriage. With moral considerations also out of the window, the people of Gilead are reduced to nothing more than animals--as evidenced by the sole purpose of a huge group of women to procreate successfully or be disposed of. Score: Recommended Rationale: It's a very powerful book. Distressing without resorting to cheap tricks like gore etc...