A Book In Review: Epic

"Yes, yes I am. But our world is very different from this; you wouldn't understand. Nobody, not one person, even strikes another, let alone kills them. I am the only person in my world to commit murder."

On New Earth, violence is outlawed. If you commit any act of violence, with or without purpose, you are exiled from the cities and towns. All violence and law is solved in the video game "Epic" which was originally created by the citizens of the old world for fun. Erik lives in Osterjford, a farm town just outside of Hope. His family breaks their solar panel and must fight against the Central Allocations in Epic to pass a recommendation for another. But they lose. Erik and his friends, Injeborg, Bjorn, B.E. and Sigrid, decide that they are sick of the way the law works and decide to do something about it that could cost them their lives. In and out of the game.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was written for a teen audience, but the plot was great for the imagination. One of my favorite things that only a few books have, is when they don't fully describe the character, leaving you room to create your own characters the way you want them to look and act.

When I first picked Epic up, I thought, "This is going to be another one of those weird dragon books my sister reads" (sorry if you like dragon books... I still love you!). I started reading it and in the very beginning you're wondering "what in the world is going on?" It's a fun adventure with twists and turns that are pretty unexpected! I would recommend it for ages 11+.

picture c/o http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180144326l/1003985.jpg

A Book In Review: The Shooting Party

The Shooting Party

by Anton Chekhov

 

“The ‘most worthy person, in the highest degree’ was a girl of about nineteen, with beautiful fair hair, kind blue eyes and long curls. She was dressed in a bright red frock, halfway between a child’s and a young girl’s. Her little legs, as straight as needles in their red stockings, reposed in tiny, almost childish shoes. The whole time I admired her, those round shoulders kept shrinking coquettishly, as if they were cold and as if my gaze were biting them.”

One evening, an editor of the local newspaper receives a visit from his local magistrate. After apologizing for the unannounced visit, the magistrate persists that the editor publish his story, "The Shooting Party," in the paper. With a lot on his plate, the editor tells the man that in three months he will have reviewed the story and give his opinion as to whether or not the manuscript will be published. The editor procrastinates, forgets and finally, in the months, decides to read the manuscript.

"The Shooting Party" is not your average murder mystery. You may think that by the end, you know who the killer is. You have read the facts and reviewed them over and over in your head. But be prepared for a VERY surprising twist. (I didn't figure it out until literally RIGHT before they tell you who it is, and not to be vain, but I think I'm pretty smart!)

The body of the book is the magistrate's manuscript. It is "raw". There are editor's notes, crossed out lines, deleted paragraphs and so on. It was a very fun read. The humor was absolutely wonderful. The Count is quite a character and you will grow to love him. All in all, this was a FABulous book, and I recommend it to anyone 13 and older.