American Vampire, Volume One

American Vampire Vol. 1
Scott Snyder and Stephen King, authors
Rafael Albuquereque, illustrator
Hardcover: 200 pages
Publisher: Vertigo (October 5, 2010)
Mature Audience
5/5 stars

I wish there was some way to convince those who raise their eyebrows and wrinkle their nose in distaste over graphic novels to just give them a try. I was one of those, and am so thankful I was a big enough fan of Neil Gaiman's novels to give his Sandman series a try. I've read some really good ones--few, if any, better than Britten and Brülightly--and some pretty poor quality ones as well.  I'm happy to say that American Vampire is creme de la graphic novel creme.

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There are two stories, told simultaneously in American Vampire.  The first, Snyder's part of the novel, is the story of Pearl trying to make her way in Hollywood during the 1920's.  Pearl falls victim to a vampire attack and a strange man vampire, Skinner Sweet, helps her out.  Sort of.  Pearl seeks revenge, thanks to Sweet's gift, and the reader watches her go from lovely, gentle flapper one moment to disgustingly grotesque and violent the next--and cheers for her the whole way. 

The story that begins with the second chapter is written by Stephen King, and is Skinner Sweet's back story, taking place some forty years early in the Wild West.  Through it, the reader finds out how and why Sweet became a vampire, and what is motivating him--and what makes an American Vampire different from the European vampires. As is to be expected, a hard new country like the United States creates a hard new kind of vampire.  In addition, he writes an excellent introduction, validating the graphic novel as a medium.  A very good read for those not convinced that it is a legitimate literary medium.

The stories are told alternating, first a chapter about Pearl, then a chapter about Sweet, so that they finish up together in the last two chapters.  It may sound awkward, but the back-and-forth flow was actually excellent, with a certain amount of parallels between the two stories.  Both Snyder and King write a good story, with solid characters, riveting plot lines and some terrifying instances.

Albuquereque brings it all to life with his drawings, full of bold lines and brilliant colors and lots of scary bits and gore.  His vampires are frightening and horrible and they do unspeakable (but not undrawable) things to their victims.  As the reader takes in the background, and sees the horror of the scenes, at times it's enough to turn the stomach.  On the other hand, his ladies are very lovely, he drew some strong heroes and used some very effective, unusual angles and compositions.  As for Skinner Sweet. . . well, darn it, despite King's introduction all about how American Vampire reclaims the evil vampire from the sexy mold it's been placed in of late, Albuquereque draws Sweet as rather desirable. Even seeing Sweet at his worst, I could turn the page and see him turn on the charm and forget just how evil he really was--and then be whammed again by his horrible actions.  I think that was the artist's intent: another way to show just how dangerous these American vampires are.

The collaboration between these three was wonderful and produced a story both haunting and satisfying.  American Vampire does reclaim the vampire from it's present fictional state, and successfully gives it new blood with this new American breed. I look forward to following Sweet's further adventures in American history, with pleasant trepidation because I expect the story will be creepy and icky but sensational, just like this volume.  (I already have Volume Two on pre-order!)

~~Read for the Graphics Novel Challenge.~~

Juniper Berry

Juniper Berry
M. P. Kozlowsky
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Walden Pond Press (April 26, 2011)
Amazon Vine ARC reviewed.
4/5 stars

Subtitled "a tale of terror and temptation", Juniper Berry is a modern day fairy tale.  Our heroine is the brave preteen, Juniper Berry.  Juniper is the daughter of film actors, who have become very famous over the course of the past few years.  The more famous they have become, the more odd they have acted and the more they have distanced themselves from her.  She is sad and lonely and would willingly give up everything to have her old life back.

One day she spots a boy about her age, trespassing in her woods.  Over the course of conversation with her new friend, she discovers that his parents, too, are famous and distant.  Even worse: Giles has seen them doing something very odd in Juniper's woods.

Piecing together the unthinkable, Juniper and Giles set out to save their parents from whatever influence is causing this behavior.  What they discover changes them both, and Juniper faces tough choices, terrible temptation, but comes through a true fairy tale heroine.

Juniper Berry  is told from an omniscient narrator and occasionally uses words that I feel are probably not in the vocabulary of a 9-12 year old.  This happens early in the book, though, and the narration evens out as the story builds.  It has a good pace, and the story unfolds smoothly.  The characters of Juniper and Giles are particularly appealing, making their weaknesses seem all the more vulnerable and believable.   Juniper's parents are truly horrible, and the reader is able to feel Juniper's mix of hurt and confusion, making the redemption of said parents even sweeter.

Like most fairy tales, Juniper Berry has a moral, and it is spelled out very plainly at the end by the wood chopper (yes, there IS a wood chopper, told you this is a fairy tale!), Dmitri:

"There will always be temptation, wherever we go in life, with whatever we do.  There will always be an easier way out.  But there's nothing to gain from that.  We have to overcome such urges; we have to be stronger.  I fought hard and won."

While the moral of this story is a good one, it came across a bit preachy to me.  I felt like this moral of resisting temptation and winning as a result was obvious from Juniper's actions and didn't need to be spelled out.  However, I am not one of the targeted age-group; I am an adult reader.

This was Kozlowsky's first novel, and overall he did well.  There are a few things (namely vocabulary and blatant moralizing) that I think could be improved, and I expect will be improved with his next publication.  I hope he is published again soon, and would look forward to reading another of his fairy tales.

~~Read for the "fairy tale" category of the Once Upon a Time Challenge~~
I felt that Juniper Berry was a solid choice for the fairy tale category, as it contained many of the traditional elements of a fairy tale.  There is an unusually brave and selfless heroine, elements of the supernatural, an animal that can communicate with people and an unspeakably evil villain.  The ending is a happy one, with a universal moral.

It does differ from many of standard fairy tales, as it is set in modern day, and there is no magic for our heroine to use, not everyone involved does live happily ever after, and there is no under privileged person gaining what s/he deserves as a result. 

In addition, Juniper Berry feels like a fairy tale.  It's not obvious at first, but once the action starts happening, one realizes that this is a layered fairy tale, that there will be a moral, that it's not just a fantasy.  I think it's the temptation element that does it.  It seems to me that many fairy tale heroes have to resist a temptation that seems really great on the outside, but will ruin them if they take it.

Yes, on the whole, Juniper Berry follows the fairy tale template more so than not, and quite successfully so, to my mind.

Once Upon a Time Challenge V: Finished

I'm excited to participate in this challenge again.  I did so a few years ago, when I was book blogging on another blog, and found it a lot of fun.  Carl gives many choices of participation level, from no specific reading requirement to watching movie versions.  It makes it a challenge that everyone who loves fantasy, fables, and myths can participate in and have fun.

I'm choosing "Quest the Second" as my participation level:

Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category.

I might read or watch the requirement for "Quest the Third", if I feel so inclined come June:

Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the enjoyment of this farcical love story.

 Even if you have no desire to participate in a challenge, you really should go by Stainless Steel Droppings and see the fantastic artwork being used for this challenge, and check out his reviews.  I've gotten many a good book suggestion from this blog!

Challenge Progress: Completed

• Fairy Tale: Juniper Berry by M. P. Kozlowsky; read 22 March 2011.  (review)
• Fantasy: Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward; read 31 March 2011
• Folk Lore: American Vampire: Volume One, Scott Snyder and Stephen King, authors; Rafael Albuquereque, illustrator; read 25 March 2011. (review)
• Mythology: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood; read 25 June 2011. (review)

Weekly Geeks: Ten Things About Books and Me

This week's Weekly Geeks:

The idea is simple. Tell us ten things about you with regard to books and reading. Let your imagination run wild!

1. I taught myself to read at age 3.  Mom wasn't sure at first if I was reading or just had the book memorized but was relived to have a moment to read by herself instead of having to read to me.

2. When other kids were outside playing, I was holed up in my room reading.  When Mom forced me to go outside, I took a book with me and climbed a tree and read til I got stiff, hungry or fell out of the tree.

3. My first job (volunteer, then paying) was in our local library.  It was, and still is, my dream job.  It took me a bit longer than it should have to shelve the books, though, as I tended to flip through them as I was putting them up, just in case I might want to read it too.

4. In high school, when kids were experimenting with all kinds of illicit practices, I was carrying around a volume of the Complete Shakespeare for pleasure reading.

5. I'm still learning that when people see me reading and say, "hey, whatcha reading?" they don't really want to know if it requires a twenty minute dissertation on Victorian authors or various genres.   

6.  I never go anywhere without a book or my Kindle.  If I find myself stuck, I'll pull up an eBook on the eReader on my cell phone.

7.  Yes, I have a Kindle and am not ashamed.  I also buy regularly from the used bookstore, never pass any bookstore without a purchase, am an Amazon regular customer and weekly library patron.

8.  I generally have two, if not three, books going at the same time.  Always one fiction and one nonfiction and often another fiction on the Kindle.  At this time, I am reading one nonfiction ARC, one fiction from the library, one graphic novel, one fiction on the Kindle and two nonfiction on my Kindle for PC.  No, I never get them mixed up.

9.  My favorite genre is Victorian Sensationalism, followed by urban fantasy, which I've been reading since before it was called "urban fantasy".

10.  While I won't finish a book that doesn't hold my interest (life is way too short to waste on a mediocre book), I will reread a favorite book time and again (life is way too short not to read for pleasure).

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (March 18, 2003)
5/5 stars

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is narrated by high school senior, Eric Calhoune.  Back in grade school, he and Sarah Byrnes became best friends because they were both outcasts: she had suffered disfiguring burns on her face and hands, and he was the fattest kid in school.  They banded together and, thanks mainly to the caustic wit of Sarah Byrnes, were able to survive all the bullying.  (Yes, she is always called Sarah Byrnes, at her own demand; she became tired of all those who thought they were so witty making jokes about her appearance and her name and to cut it off before they had a chance, demanded everyone call her by both names at all times.)

The summer before they started high school, the swim coach discovered Eric and drafted him for the swim team.  Eric promised his best friend that nothing would come between them, not even if he lost weight swimming.  He was so terrified that Sarah Byrnes would think he was leaving her behind, that their partnership of uglies would be over, that his first year of swimming, he ate twice as much as ever so he could stay fat for her, even while swimming.  Finally Sarah Byrnes called him on it and as a result, by his senior year he's no longer fat.

Then comes the day that Sarah Byrnes doesn't get out of her desk when the bell rings.  Finally, men have to come and carry her to an ambulance and take her to the children's mental ward and that is really when Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes begins.  Eric feels like his life is in limbo without Sarah Byrnes, but as he begins to get to the bottom of her problem, he finds so much more than he bargained for.

Though it may not sound like it from this synopses, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a riveting, moving novel.  These characters are living and breathing people and their decisions and emotions become all absorbing during reading.  The plot takes various twists and turns, but nearly always in a realistic way, with believable consequences.  Though it is often funny, this is is no light read.  Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes brings up such issues as bullying, abuse, abortion, teen sex, religion, the ethics in a friendship, and teen suicide.  Were I a parent, I would want to read it first, to be sure if my young teen could handle the seriousness of parts of this book.

For an older "young adult", though, or for an adult, I recommend this book unhesitatingly.  It is the kind of thought provoking book that will consume you while reading, and for days afterward, and I walked away from it glad I had read it.  No, more than that, I walked away BETTER for having read it.

~~Read for "size" category of the What's in a Name Challenge.~~

Veils

Veils
Pat McGreal: author
Stephen John Phillips; Rebecca Guay; Jose Villarrubia: artists
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Vertigo (October 1, 1999)
4/5 stars

On the most basic level, Veils is a story of a Victorian British gentlewoman coming to the Orient with her husband.  Once there, she is invited to meet the ladies of the local Sultan's harem.  Through this experience, she learns new truths about herself, her husband, even her basic beliefs.

There is also a story-within-a-story in Veils.  While Vivian is visiting the harem, she is told the story of another European lady, and her adventure in a harem.  This tale is told in a style quite different from Vivian's story, and gives an added dimension to the novel as a whole.

On a deeper level, this is a story about veils, both literal and figurative, and the positive and negative impact of the various veils that are worn throughout life.  It is very thought provoking to look back at the story, after reading, and find the many instances of veils, and to think about veils in one's own life.

Veils is a novel told in both traditional graphic art style (drawn) and with photographs and computer graphics.  The traditional art is simply stunning, done in a dreamy style with soft colors, with frames shaped into designs that fit the harem style so beautifully.

Vivian's story is told in actual photographs, with CG backgrounds.  While original (and for 1998, most certainly so), this is the weak link of the novel.  The composition of the photos is fantastic, the models do a wonderful job of showing emotions, and the use of shading and effects is well done.  But the photos are so new and crisp, that they fail to convey the feeling of the Victorian age.  They feel fake and therefore appear what they are--photo ops of models in Victorian era clothing--rather than looking like scenes from a Victorian adventure.  Each frame is jarring, reminding the reader that this is not really happening, and absolute immersion in the story is impossible.

Except for that flaw, Veils is an interesting story with strong social and gender issues, and the reader is left with much food for thought.

Note: this novel does contain images of marital and consensual sex and discussion of same sex relationships.

~~Read for the Graphic Novel Challenge.~~

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert, author
Lydia Davis, translator
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (September 23, 2010)
Originally published, in French, in 1857
5/5 stars

I read Madame Bovary twenty years ago and was thoroughly unimpressed.  I passed it off as one of those "classics" that everyone reads, for some reason, but no one really enjoys.  Then, in October I heard a review of Davis' newly published translation, and how she endeavored to keep to Flaubert's deliberate and precise style.  I was fascinated.  I had never considered that the reason I didn't like the novel, was due to the translation.

I read Davis' translation with a copy of a previous translation at hand, making comparisons.  I was amazed at what a difference just a word could make, how it could change the whole feeling of the sentence.  Thanks to Davis, I was able to immerse myself in Flaubert's painstaking, detailed writing and come away in awe of his ability to turn a phrase.

The plot of Madame Bovary is familiar to many: Emma is a spoiled, vain young woman who spends too much time with her head in novels and, as a result, expects--no demands!--that life, romance especially, be like it is in her books.  After her marriage, she becomes depressed that there is no "grand passion", and this leads to restlessness and eventually to affairs.  Her husband, Charles, is blind to Emma's dissatisfaction, flaws and infidelity; he worships her very belongings.  Emma takes advantage of Charles' love-blindness in a variety of ways, including running up a debt so severe that it bankrupts him.

In the midst of all this drama, Flaubert has the reader stand back, just slightly emotionally detached.  One can't feel fully compassionate for Charles, because Flaubert shows him as a buffoon and sometimes as an idiot.  One can't sympathize with Emma, because Flaubert delights in holding her vices up to the light.  He also interjects bits of every day life from the townspeople, as another way to keep the reader from being overly focused on the crises of the Bovarys, and he paints all the working class with a brush laden with boorishness, and the upper class as heavy handed snobs.  It's hard not to feel superior to many of these characters, and I believe that was Flaubert's intention--to keep the reader from forming an attachment to any character and thereby keeping the book from being a "moral tale".  There is no moral here, it simply is.

It's rare to say that a book with a disagreeable plot is fantastic, but if the writer is good enough no matter what the subject (think Nabokov and his Lolita), the reader will be swept away by the sheer force of the words.  This is the case with Flaubert and Madame Bovary--thanks to Davis' excellent translation.

If you've ever tried to read it and failed, or wanted to read it and just haven't, now is the time.  Other translators did an injustice to Flaubert. Lydia Davis has redeemed this masterpiece for the English language.