February 19, 2008 at 1:54 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
17. The King of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner (Children’s Fantasy) 385 p.
It’s a rare series where each book is better than the last. This book introduces a new character, Costis, from whose point of view we see most of the story. Costis is a guard at the palace. Like almost everyone at court, he dislikes the new King of Attolia, assumes he’s unworthy of respect.
When he punches the King, he expects it to end his career. Instead, he finds himself in the King’s service. At first he’s resentful, but he begins to see that no one at court, and especially not the King of Attolia, are exactly what they seem.
This series already had a quest and a war, so why not court intrigue? Ms. Turner writes it beautifully. Eugenides is very much in character in this book, playing the part of a puppet so his opponents don’t realize he’s the puppet master, pulling their strings.
Despite the fact that most of the story is told from the perspective of an outsider, there’s still a lot of sharp characterization of Eugenides and Attolia. Some of the more minor characters, like Teleus and Relius, are further developed. Costis is a sweetheart, an honourable man trying to do the best he can with what he’s given, which sometimes isn’t much.
I don’t when I’ve enjoyed a children’s book as much as I enjoyed this one.
Pages read: 5,048
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, Cardathon Challenge, Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief Trilogy
February 19, 2008 at 2:22 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
16. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (Children’s Fantasy) 360 p.
The Thief is an excellent children’s fantasy novel; it’s sequel is very different, and far better. Longer and more sophisticated than the first book, The Queen of Attolia abandons the well-executed but still fairly standard quest plot of The Thief. Instead, we’re thrust straight into the middle of a robbery gone wrong.
Eugenides is captured in her palace by the Queen of Attolia. I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I was extraordinarily surprised by what happened, especially since this is, after all, a children’s book. Once he makes it back home, Eugenides becomes involved in the war that’s begun between Attolia, Sounis, and Eddis—a war which threatens to involved a powerful enemy, the Medes, who would like nothing better than to overrun all three countries.
This book had some lovely character development, particularly for the Queen of Attolia, but also for Eugenides. The plot was well-paced, with plenty of twists and turns. Once again, the treatment of some things seemed a bit simple, because I had to keep reminding myself that The Queen of Attolia is a children’s book.
Megan Whalen Turner was incredibly ambitious in choosing the subject matter she did for such a young audience, and I think The Queen of Attolia is wildly successful in that regard.
I’m also kind of in love with the way she treats her female characters; her two queens, while very different from each other, are both strong women without being Strong Women, if you know what I mean. I’m enjoying this trilogy far more than I expected (and my hopes were pretty high!)
Pages read: 4,963
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, Cardathon Challenge, Megan Whelan Turner, The Thief Trilogy
February 18, 2008 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
15. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (Children’s Fantasy) 280 p.
The thief of the title is Gen, a young man whose public boasts and subsequent theft of the king’s seal have led him to a cell in the king’s prison, shackled and without means of escape. After a few months in jail, he gets the chance to leave his cell, but only if he takes a journey with the magus, the king’s chief advisor, to steal something for the king.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book, and none of the praise has been undeserved. Gen is an engaging narrator, and taking the journey with him and his companions is a lot of fun. I had only two quibbles with this book. First, there is some exposition at the end that Gen gives straight to the reader, which I think would have been much less obtrusive if he’d been speaking to another character.
I also found the set-up of the world Gen lives in a bit unbelievable, in a way that would be problematic if the story was written for adults. Since it’s not, I’m more than happy to let it slide. Megan Whalen Turner has used bits and pieces of Ancient Greek history, geography, culture, and religion to create her countries of Sounis, Attolia, and Eddis, and on the whole I think it works well.
Pages read: 4,603
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, Cardathon Challenge, Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief Trilogy
