27 February 2012

Meta-human: A Review of Invasion, Mercedes Lackey & Company

Meta-humans:  think on that for awhile; what in heaven's name are you talking about Dune Girl! We are talking superheroes people, superheroes with flaws. Now take those so called super people, chuck them into present day U. S. of A. and have their assess handed to them by a technically enhanced robot/armoured Nazi army.  

Okay, maybe Invasion by Mercedes Lackey isn't the most appropriate book to start my blog review with, especially since my intent is trying to convince the non-sci-fi reader out there to pick up one of these books.  But come on, if you are going to go for it you might as well jump right into an easy read that makes you feel like a comic strip has exploded in your brains.  How can you resist?  I can actually hear eye balls rolling. I see I have my work cut out for me.

Invasion is a collaborative piece of work with many other authors (who most likely are big deals in the genre but new to me)working with Mercedes(famous fantasy writer) to create this world. The seed idea stems from a video game of all things. Great, I just lost the rest of my readership.  Don't click away!  I promise to be entertaining.  So, yes the seed idea is from the land of gaming.


Once I got over the fact that the writing wasn't going to be this book's saving grace, I realized that the goldmine is character development. The book is big on characters while managing not to muddle up the plot. You are left wanting more, wishing you could pry into the lives of these people faster, answering questions quicker than the author wants us to.  We all know why of course:  cash cow called "series".  I ordered the next instalment (in hard cover no less!) even before I got through half of the book.  


As for plot, here is what you are in for.  Think present day America, with it's jobless rate and Big Gulps.  Then add to that 30% of the world population who were born or suddenly acquired super human traits. For example, one dude is called Tomb, Tomb Stone for short. Guess you cannot in a million years guess what his powers are. He is dead, a dead guy, think of the possibilities.


Okay, still not convinced? Time to chuck in the big guns, angels, and mages, that's right, magic. We follow the life of Vickie:  a cloistered, panic attack, burn victim who once worked for the FBI as techno-witch. If anything, you have got to admire the creativity. I just spent last night gorging on a full out magic battle involving voodoo priests and the demons they summon. Some people watch the Oscars, I read about a walking, talking kill machine named John who has a Seraphim intrigued yet terrified of him because his future (futures) are closed to her. Yes, I did type Seraphim   
  
But Dune Girl, where does the techno-enhanced robotic armoured Nazi army come in? Don't know, still reading about the after effects of the epic Blitzkrieg that opens the novel. But I can tell you something, it's going to be good.

24 February 2012

In the beginning there was Dune

It was 1987. I was in Mrs. Hawe's grade 10 English class and was passed a new book to read by next week. On the cover was a grainy picture of a desert scene and the bold title "Dune". I chucked the book into my purse, headed out for my next class and didn't think about it till I got home that night.

This is when my life changed forever.
Yes, I am Dune Girl. I will fight you in a cage match to defend the honour of Frank's vision whipping out a crysknife at the end to finish you off. Okay, maybe that is little bloody but I am quite mad about the books. If you haven't read Dune then we can't be friends. Okay, we can be friends but I will barely respect you. Harsh?....

If you are hoping for my insight into the series, this isn't the post for you. It isn't that I don't have opinions. This just isn't the time for those rantings. This is a confession.

Let me start things off by stating that I do in fact read the new books, I have even bought some of them. And yes, let me go on the record to say that some of them ( I am talking about you Dune: Butlerian Jihad) were abominable. But let me also state for the record that some of them have been pretty darn good. My copies of Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune are as worn as the original group of six. And I am quite excited to receive my copy of Sisterhood of Dune in the mail.

I don't read these books because I want to. I read them because I have to. The world I was assigned to read for homework in my early teens has a hold on me. It won't let me go and frankly I won't let it. There I feel better.

I am Dune Girl and I have been addicted for over 20 years. Thank the Maker.