First Class Reward of the Year

My 1st period rocks. They already earned a cake. They voted on German Chocolate for the flavor. The fact that the class is mostly boys is shown by the fact that the winning theme was a battlefield. I topped the cake with buttercream icing, letting the top layer of the cake mix with the icing to create more of a dirt look. For the combatants, I used plastic army men.


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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I really enjoyed the first three books of the Uglies series by Mr. Westerfeld, so I was very excited to read another of his works. Though I really enjoyed the other books, I was a bit unsure about this one. Steampunk has a very different pace than other forms of science fiction and I wasn't sure if his writing style would translate well into the new genre. I have to admit, I picked this book up partly because he wrote it and partly because the book is so beautifully designed. I've converted to mostly reading e-books (I love the convenience and the savings.), but if publishers would create more bound books of this quality, I'd buy both versions instead of just one. The dust jacket, the map on the end covers, and the illustrations are brilliantly executed.

The story starts off with the assassination of Arch-Duke Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, who is survived by his 15 year old son Alek.This diverges from the history that we all know. Austria and it's allies are the Central Powers, Clankers, people that rely on mechanical technology. In fact, Alek is awoke in the middle of the night by his father's loyal retainers. He thinks they are going on a night training exercise since his mother is out of town and does not approve, when in reality his parents are already dead. Alek is on the run from his own countrymen as well as his country's enemies.

Deryn Sharp is a young girl pretending to be a boy, Dylan, in order to enter the British Air Service. Britain is a part of the Entente Powers, aka the Darwinists. The Darwinists genetically engineer creatures to serve as messengers, weapons, and transportation.

The Clankers and Darwinists are strongly at odds politically, and scientifically. The Clankers consider the genetically mutation animals to be abominations against nature and God. While the Darwinists consider the Clanker's machines clumsy and wasteful.

Both Deryn and Alek are dealing with the loss of a parent, or both parents. They are adjusting to their new place in the world, and learning new skills. The action is fast paced from the very beginning, I don't think I ran into a single slow spot in the whole story. Westerfeld's descriptions of the creatures and machines are vivid. There is good character development, especially considering that it is the first volume of a trilogy. My only frustration was the sudden ending. I was not expecting the story to end so abruptly, the cliffhanger ending was deliberate. I really wanted the tale to continue, luckily the second volume is due out next month.

If you enjoy steampunk, or if you enjoyed the Uglies series, I'm sure you would enjoy this book.

Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft

I still can't believe that it took me this long to read Lovecraft. I've seen many movies, and read many books, that utilize the Lovecraftian method of revealing the monster or evil. For the uninitiated, he would hint at the grotesqueness, or show small pieces, and let the reader's imagination do the rest.

Lovecraft's writing style took a little time to get use to. His cadence is that of the early 1900s, which is when it was written. This book is also set up as a memoir of the narrator, Robert Olmstead. He is writing this memoir, long after the initial experience so it has the natural randomness of someone remembering. Once I got use to those two things, the story grabbed me.

Mr. Olmstead is a young college man on summer break, he is taking the opportunity to explore his genealogy and his interest in architecture and history. He reaches the town of Newburyport, and hears intriguing tales about the formerly prosperous town of Innsmouth. He is warned against going, but his curiosity gets the better of him.

The bus to Innsmouth and its driver, give him pause, but he persists in going to Innsmouth. The driver shows the tell-tale deformities that citizens of this seaport town are known for. The closer they get to Innsmouth the more dilapidated the buildings become, the less signs of life there are, and the stronger the smell of old fish. Once in the town, his sense of unease grows. He interviews a boy working in the grocery store, who cautions him to avoid being nosy, and get out of town quickly. Again his curiosity overwhelms his reason and instincts to leave. Mr. Olmstead goes exploring, and searching for the town drunk to question about the local history. His plans to leave before dark are thwarted by the bus breaking down (though I get the feeling that it wasn't really broken).

Lovecraft gradually increases the oddness of the situation and people, building suspense and curiosity for the narrator and the reader alike. The story is just over 100 pages long, but it contains an intensity that surprised me for such a short work. He even provides a twist ending, it was at least surprising to me. I look forward to reading more Lovecraft.

But first, some YA steampunk.

Kitten Stocking, Part 2

Been a week, I thought I'd post my progress. Haven't gotten as far as I'd have liked. Stupid work . ;P Hoping that this three day weekend allows me to get farther and get some reading done too. I have to catch up with K. M.! I swore I would.


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Autumn by David Moody

This is not like any other zombie novel that I have read. Most have been written by Americans, whom have a completely different rhythm to their story telling than the British. This story is also different from other zombie tales because of  the time and manner in which the zombies become an issue.

The story begins with the majority of the population on earth dying suddenly, within the space of twenty four hours. The scattered survivors are brought together by one man blaring music from a community center near a major thoroughfare. Most of the survivors want to stay at the center, while a few decide it would be better to head into the country. The survivors that wish to leave do not feel safe surrounded by all the dead bodies because of the chance of disease and the inability to procure supplies easily. After a few days at the community center, some of the corpses begin to get up and move about aimlessly. This is when the three survivors that are planning on leaving are galvanized into action. Our main characters that head for the country are Emma (a medical student), Michael, and Carl. They then search for a home base, they find a farmhouse far from the city and begin to lay in supplies. A few days after that the walking dead begin to seem more aware and show signs of aggression. The survivors then begin to build a defensive wall.

The survivors have very different personalities, and are dealing with these continuing crises in their own unique ways. The character development was slim, but the book is an introduction to a trilogy, I expect much of the character development will come in the later volumes. The characters are taxed by many major changes in their situation, rather than one life altering event.

I look forward to reading further in the series, but first I'm going to explore H.P. Lovecraft. Good reading, all.