Demon's Lexicon Review

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan is an engaging Young Adult Fantasy novel, but breaks away from the YA stereotype for a number of reasons.

This novel is darker that the usual YA fare, and captures the harsh realities of life on the run. Nick and Alan, brothers escaping from evil magicians, have to live in “grimly poor places” while trying to live within their means. Nick also has to make the daunting choice between saving his brother or saving Justin, a boy who has sought his help. There is no pretense of nobility here; Nick makes the choice an ordinary person would make: he chooses his brother.

Brennan also artfully weaves mythology in her book to create a world that is believable and realistic for the teen reader. Relying mostly on traditional satanic tales about demons, the author puts Nick and Alan in a world where demons possess humans, but magicians are humans who work to satisfy their own ends. They are power-hungry, and manipulate possessed humans to do their bidding.

The way Brennan conveys love and trust between the characters of Nick and Justin and between Justin and his sister, Mae, is admirable. In this novel there is are no stronger relationships than familial bonds. This is demonstrated by the time when Alan gave his talisman, which protected its wearer from demons, to Nick, who had been hurt by the magicians. Alan also has unconditional love for their mother, despite her being more of a liability than an aid when Alan and Nick have to face the magicians.

Compared to other books in its genre, The Demon’s Lexicon stands out because of its fresh approach to common motifs. Like the Twilight series, there is the brooding, adolescent male and his love interest, but we soon see that even Nick has his flaws. Unlike Bella, Mae threatens to become a thorn in Nick and Alan’s relationship, but she staunchly refuses to be used as collateral. She is characterised by her determination and fierce love for her brother, and this stands in stark contrast to the feeble and passive females in other YA fantasy novels.

Seeing that this is Brennan’s debut novel, there are inevitably some gaps in the narrative that could have been rectified by further research. The author, however, makes up for this by her lush description of the magical world, and her witty humor that would make even the most cynical teenager laugh. In all, it is a satisfying read that is refreshing in its perspective of characters common to the Young Adult genre.

Sarah Rees Brennan is well known for using social networking services such as Livejournal and Twitter to build a following, and has recently released a sequel to The Demon’s Lexicon, The Demon’s Covenant.

the last whale review

It's so HARD not to blog. Really.

So today I went to BooksActually to see Chris Pash, and it turns out I was the only customer who went *just* to see him/ hear him talk about his book. Sad times. Anyway, as I was paying for pooky's SECRET PRESENT, I spot a Who Killed Amanda Palmer atop a shelf.

ME: how much is that book?
BOOKEEPER: --insert weird look-- Um, it's $250. A signed copy. (it is all too obvious that I cannot pay for it.)

But. But. I want a WKAP so bad! *cries*

And when I start asking mr. Chris Pash for an autograph, he talks about his book. Because I am rendered speechless by this opportunity-- I had been creeping around quite suspiciously in close proximity-- he starts using handsigns/ gestures very liberally and mimes out "talking" and "thinking" and "reporters"! The way you would speak to someone who doesn't understand english.

And he remembers my name! Because he signed for only one other couple, who happened to be on the flight with him to singapore. *is starstruck* After that my heart was beating so fast and I was so excited but I had to restrain myself, because it is not socially appropriate to scream at a person. He went "Be sure to add me on facebook!"

He had to do a lot of ridiculous self-promotion though, i.e. say to every person at the counter: "Why don't you read this book? It's a really good book by Mr Chris Pash-- he's a great writer." As no one knew who the hell he was. I think it's also because I haven't seen The Last Whale in mainstream bookstores, so he has to try to promote himself as best as he can, to sell anything. Now I'm more forgiving towards Wena Poon for taking any chance she can get to get her book out there. It's hard to be an author these days.

But honestly? The Last Whale appears to many potential book-buyers as the typical tree-hugger diatribe. The one-sided "green" argument that is becoming cliched. I only bought the book because there were mentions of Bob Hunter and his hippie friends (book is set in the 70s), and their crazy attempts to stop the whale chasers. It's very rare that you see people so passionate about their cause, and so willing to sacrifice their effort and energy to decrease worldsuck. The book is very inspiring, in that effect.

I've also gotten to know more about how the "stop whaling" process goes, because there are many causes that people are contributing to right now, especially in schools as part of CIP, but usually nothing comes out of these awareness campaigns. I'm really impressed that they have achieved a consensus. The conservation process is a lot more than protesting and yelling about; real change comes when you get the attention of policymakers, and seek to communicate with the whalers themselves, to see where they're coming from.

Sometimes though, the tactics they used to get media attention strangely resemble those used in reality TV (balloon boy, anyone?). Such is the nature of real world? One part of me is surprised/ ashamed that they stooped so low, and the other part of me accepts the fact that there is no other way to make your voice heard with today's sensationalised media.

Chris Pash did an event at swf too, but reception there wasn't too good either. It was an amazing coincidence that I went to see him talk, because during that timeslot there wasn't an event at the Chamber, and I just happened to crash his event. Julian and Loki were there too, most likely. heh though they/ other swf people probably don't read this.

Shall I put up a picture of my signed book? YES.


Slowly but surely, I will learn the Code of Fangirling Conduct.

history boys movie review

just watched history boys, and its is *swoons* lovely.

The writing! Is just incredible, and really sharp and witty. There's the screenplay of it somewhere (it exists on amazon) so I'll go look for it.

The big themes are education and coming of age, but what really stood out for me was love. If one really wanted to do this systematically, there's lust between dakins/fiona, yearning in posner/dakins and tension~ in irwin/dakins. See? All the romantic relationships practically revolve around dakins, and rightfully so-- he is smouldering.

Irwin is this temp. teacher, by the way, who comes to tutor the boys on how to write clever essays for the oxbridge admissions exams.

The writing was so amazing that I had to stop and rewind some parts, especially towards the end with irwin/dakins, and irwin is so... shy and blushy and bowled over. (I almost typed "blowed over". Anyway.) And dakins is like: "you know you want me". But I can't believe irwin is such a wuss like that! He's practically melting when dakins promises him a date.

Though. At some points it's hard to see beyond the comedy and into the serious stuff. Or rather at some points these are hard to differentiate. Especially with dakin, you don't really know whether he's taking anything seriously. You don't even know where is alliances lie.

Obviously in these things the characters do not have a definite sense of morality, so I don't know why this new york times review said that

"This is a work in which the most likable and, by the play's standards, most moral figure is an obese English teacher who regularly swats his students in class and fiddles (to use the euphemism of choice) with the more attractive of them after school."

I mean morality in these things is not even a question. The history boys isn't meant to be moralistic; it's meant to show things the way they are/ were and explore the relationship between a teacher and his students. For those who haven't seen it, hector (the "obese English teacher") and his groping isn't taken seriously. There are certain doubts, like "how will I deal with it if he feels me up?" But mostly the boys think it's all a joke, a slight inclination the English Teacher happens to have; they respect him for his opinions and teachings all the same.

Granted, the NYT was reviewing the stage play, and I've only watched the movie.

But the love! (posner has for dakin) Is so endearing and sweet and... *swoons again*.

[SCRIPPS has just seen POSNER swooning over dakin]

SCRIPPS: Love can be very irritating.
POSNER: How do you know?
SCRIPPS: It's what I always think about God; he must get so pissed off, everybody adoring him all the time.
POSNER: Yes. Only you don't catch God poncing about in his underpants.

[Cut to this scene of POSNER singing]

And then there's this scene between posner and hector after that, and they talk about literature:

HECTOR: Lost boy though he is, on the far side of the world, he still has a name.
(On Hardy) A saddish life, though not unappreciated. "Uncoffined" is a typical Hardy usage. It's a compound adjective, formed by putting "un" in front of a noun. Or verb, of course. Unkissed, unrejoicing, unconfessed, unembraced. It's a turn of phrase that brings with it a sense of not sharing. Of being out of it, whether because of diffidence or shyness. But a holding back. Not being in the swim. Can you see that?

POSNER: Yes, sir. I felt that a bit.

HECTOR: The best moments in reading are when you come across something -- a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things-- that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else. A person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And... it's as if a hand has come out and taken yours.

The first part, the "un" bit, you can't help but feel sorry for posner and hector alike, who both have something/ someone they really want but who won't reciprocate their affections (in posner's case) or something they can't have. (being openly gay, in hector's case. He is married.)
And I don't have to mention that the reading quote has its own inherent value.

I would love to see the History Boys performed live, only there aren't any tours in my area. Will see. If you want to watch it, I watched it off youku. It's also nc16 for all those legal people who want to buy/ borrow it ^^

EDIT: I want to buy the soundtrack! The 80s songs they use as background are great, as is samuel barnett's Bewitched and Bye Bye Blackbird.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep review

13 October 2008
On [Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]:

In most SF novels, I've always noticed that the female is ALWAYS the object of lust, not the male. Even when the narrator is female, they don't objectify the male, but the female. Lust and the promise of it has always been a recurring theme in SF novels, even good ones, so I don't blame Philip K. Dick or Orson Scott Card for that. It's just that the male protagonist always sleeps with the hot female, and the hot female is always the forbidden fruit or the irresistible bait.

Why can't males be hot instead? In today's society, it is entirely not justifiable for only females to be objectified and used as an object of temptation. This only propagates the idea that females are only to be utilised as tools for pleasure, and they are not worthy of being anything else. It is only recently that females have been sufficiently empowered of proper characterisation -- Un Lun Dun by China Mieville and Philip Pullman have great examples of female protagonists.

This is coming from a humanist to boot.

convention calamity

Convention Calamity

Mention "Science Fiction Convention" in Singapore and be prepared to receive strange looks in return. The phrase itself conjures images of nerds converging at a gathering discussing, well, geek stuff. Worse still, people might imagine Trekkies masquerading in full costume, conversing in... what else but Klingon?

Contrary to popular belief, Science Fiction (SF) Conventions are not just for an exclusive group of people obsessed with reading science fiction and fantasy. Conventions or conferences are open to one and all, from those new to the fandom, and those who have been involved in conventions for three decades. Even the attendees don't fit the stereotype of the adolescent male. Fangirls have made up a large part of convention attendance in recent years, and even mothers chaperon their minors. A demographic of fans aged 16-60 attend literary conventions, especially if they are of an academic nature. Conventions are excellent places to meet people all over the world with common interests. This is especially so with conventions of a larger nature, such as the San Francisco ComicCon. Author Neil Gaiman has said that the first convention he attended in the early 1980s was one of the first places he felt that he belonged.

Conventions held in the United Kingdom include Orbital, a science fiction and fantasy convention, Fforde fiesta, a Jasper Fforde gathering. There are three major Harry Potter Conventions occurring this year in the United States alone: Wrockstock, a wizard rock festival, Portus, and Terminus, a Harry Potter academic conference. Locally, the fanbase isn't large enough for fantasy and science fiction conventions, but there are cosplay conventions where people dress up as their favorite anime/ manga characters.

A convention mostly comprises of panels and roundtable discussions, where guests are invited to share their views on debatable issues of the fandom. For example, in a science fiction convention, panellists might discuss the relevance of early works of science fiction to our present struggles with technology. At a Harry Potter convention, wizard rockers were requested to share their views on how wrock has changed the fandom. (fan community) Roundtable discussions are sometimes impromptu and fan-initiated, and are a must at every convention. They are also one of the few opportunities fans get to meet their fellow fans, and indulge in talking or conversing with someone with the same depth of interest in their fandom.

Most conventions have the green room, where fandom-related merchandise is sold. At a comic book convention, for example, special edition issues, character figurines, t-shirts, or even light sabers are just some of the items available. There is also nightly entertainment in the form of masquerades, dances, and even wizard rock concerts. Sometimes, there are fandom-specific events. Terminus, a harry potter convention, organised Quidditch games, while anime/manga conventions have art competitions. Conventions are also opportunities for fans to show off their creative ability in the form of fanart auctions, fanfiction readings, and live podcasts.

Not many fantasy and science fiction or Harry Potter events are held in Singapore, and this has caused distress for many fans in the region. Large scale gatherings often occur in the UK and US, to popular reception. This has allowed countless fans to meet, and has provided a supportive community of insightful discussion. Book conventions and wrock concerts promote literacy to reluctant young readers, conveying the joy and passion people have for reading. Books have the power to change lives, and conventions only serve to perpetuate this notion. It has been said that when Harry Potter was first released, kids were steered away from their video games and their television sets as they discovered bravery, love and friendship within the walls of Hogwarts.

Catcher in The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

(published in The Straits Times' Young Classified)

At first glance, The Catcher in the Rye seems like an aged classic forever resigned to high school reading lists, the kind of thing that students are required to read, but hate reading. I thought it was an American novel about baseball or farming, or both, but really it’s a surprisingly easy read, especially suited to young adults.

Holden Caulfield is an underachieving youth frustrated in his dull boarding school environment. He has just been expelled yet again, after failing all his subjects except English. Caught in a exasperating situation, he leaves his boarding school a few days before he is due to, and travels back to New York City, deciding to stay at a hotel for a few nights before returning to his parents. This novel is mostly about Caulfield grappling with his angst towards the people around him, and coming to terms with his inner thoughts and emotions.

At first, the reader might think that Caulfield is the usual reckless, rebellious teenager. But as the novel goes on, we find out about his reasons for disliking people because they are “phony”, and his reasons for not applying himself, or attempting to improve. Even though this novel was written in 1945, many teens today will be able to relate to Caulfield’s feelings of resentment. We learn that he has essentially given up on school because of the way he views life, and how he is disappointed by the adults around him. As children, we tend to think that adults are infallible. But as we grow up, like Caulfield, we begin to lose faith in the hypocritical decisions adults make, and hence lose faith in society itself. Everyone has at one point, experienced the disillusion Caulfield feels, and it is this coming of age story that makes this novel so accessible.

The casual, almost conversational language of Caulfield’s narration makes this novel a smooth read. It is as if you were reading a long letter from Caulfield, what with his frequent digressions and 1940s slang. The way that curses are generously distributed throughout the narration also suggests Caulfield’s general detachment and anger towards the world around him.

Along his journey, adult mentors attempt to convince him to mend his ways. To maintain his self-assured appearance, Caulfield initially pretends to ignore their advice, but really, inside, their words make him reflect upon his actions. We see evidence of this when he feels sorry for a pair of schoolteachers who are enthusiastic about teaching literature, and also at the end, when he realizes the importance of family and of education.

Catcher in the Rye is a suitable introduction to modern American literature, as its timeless themes will be able to resonate with readers of all ages.

prince caspian movie review

(written 21 May 2008)

Prince Caspian Review!

[spoilers begin]I LOVED IT! It was really much darker and grittier this time, complete with angst on the part of Peter (William Moseley) and Prince Caspian (This guy who was in history boys). It's more depressing than the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, obviously but there still runs a "Aslan saves the day" thread. The religious undertones in this one were quite evident, too, when Aslan only appears in front of Lucy but not the others, and when Aslan is represented as this disembodied voice. Also a carving of him is in the stone table chamber, and in the movie, he is represented as this huge foil to the white witch, which peter then is remorse in front of.

Gosh I sound like I haven't read the book yet, but the last time I read it it was when LWW came out, so I can't really remember. But the most significant images that left an impression on my first reading when I was quite young were the hag -werewolf- nikibrik fight, and that turned out to be really good. Though I really wanted to see bacchus and the naiads and dryads dancing in the streets at the end/ defeating the telmarines. I mean in the books there were 2 kinds of trees, right? The old ones, like ents, as featured in the movie and the dryads and nymph-like dancing women. The trees weren't that...alive in the movie than in the book. I think you know what I mean. Okay enough nitpicking.

Lucy's (Georgie Henley) performance was very believeable, in the Aslan scenes especially. I mean when you're a child it's easier for you to imagine and interact with something that isn't actually there, right? So her interactions with Aslan were more beliveable than say Moseley's or Anna Popplewell's (Susan). But they were all great as actors and they were very true to the spirit of the books. The chemistry between them is great, too, when they trust each other and the conversations now are geared more toward an adult audience, because there's some induction involved. I like the way they communicate; like they're not just spiteful to someone without a reason, and there are bits where they hint that peter and susan are getting too old for narnia and they need to be moving on.

Another thing I liked were the epic battle scenes, and grim mood throughout. and the way they illustrated the fauns, centures and minators. It was more lord of the rings, than, say, philosopher's stone, which is good. Something which I really really hate is the way the director tried to sneak in the susan/ CASPIAN pairing oh god that was the worst. I mean it's not evident in the book but if you read especially into it, it might be, but it made susan seem so... old. Oh but she is but the pairing is simply AWFUL because Ben Barnes (caspian) had to put on this really fake telmarine accent. And in the movie he is dark. has long hair. is repulsive. And in some ways he should be more of a monach than someone who fancies susan. [spoilers end]

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

(Published in The Straits Times' Young Classified)

At first glance, Rebecca seems like a boring classic. It reads like one too, resembling a 20^th century Jane Eyre. It also has slight, if unintended, references to Shaw’s Pygmalion. Although written in 1938, Rebecca retains its appeal, relating to a young 21^st century audience.

The narrator of this novel was at first a girl fresh out of school, working as a personal assistant to a conceited lady, Mrs Van Hoppers. Mrs Van Hoppers prefers to associate with anyone rich or famous, even someone briefly mentioned in the papers would do. During their vacation in Monte Carlo, the narrator is introduced to a semi-aristocrat, Maximillian de Winter, owner of Manderley, a large estate in the country.

Despite the fact that Maxim is 20 years older than she is, the narrator falls in love with him, marries, and gets whisked off to Manderley. Life seems blissful for the narrator, until she learns of Rebecca, Maxim’s deceased wife. Because she does not know anything of running a large mansion, she leaves everything to the housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. Even the servants feel that she does not fit in; an uninitiated schoolgirl living the high life.

The servants seemed very fond of Rebecca, and they are unwelcome towards the narrator taking the place of Mrs de Winter, mistress of the house. As Maxim has to attend to estate matters for most of the day, the narrator is usually left to her own devices and hardly gets to spend time with her husband. She is constantly reminded of Rebecca through the scent she leaves on handkerchiefs, Rebecca’s handwriting in the morning room, and how visitors kept remarking that Rebecca was a charming, vivacious, sportswoman.

Rebecca has dark, gothic undertones, which contrast with the picturesque English countryside. Daphne du Maurier’s descriptions of the coast and valley are used effectively to convey the range of emotions the narrator feels and allows the reader to share her feelings of loneliness and despair. The narrator is deeply contemplative and slips into her daydreams when left with no one to share her thoughts with. Any young adult reader would be able to relate to the insecurities the narrator undergoes as she wrestles with self-doubt and anxiety in a life she has always yearned for; but yet is so foreign and radically different from the life she is used to.

Daphne du Maurier also explores the role of women in this novel, illustrating two women with wildly unique personalities: Rebecca and the narrator. Today’s readers are given an insight into the social expectations of women married into status. One cannot help but notice that only Maxim deals with the management of the estate, while the narrator is left in the mansion to knit, sketch, and go for walks. Just like Rebecca, upper class women in the 1930s were expected to be graceful, polite, charismatic, and nothing more. Ironically, the event of most consequence is the Manderley Ball, something which Rebecca was famous for arranging. Lives of English socialites had not changed much since the period of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Not many options were available to the narrator when she left school, and this may be partly why she accepted Maxim’s marriage proposal on impulse. His proposal was also made more appealing due to the fact that marriage was one of the quickest ways for women to ascend the social ladder.

Rebecca is highly recommended for teens seeking a readable introduction to Romantic novels. Readers attuned to thrilling mysteries might delight in Rebecca’s omnipresence and Mrs Danver’s hauntingly ghostlike appearance. Lastly, the narrator fulfils every youth’s dream of being transported from a dull, monotonous life straight into one of extravagance and luxury.

Fanboy and Goth Girl review

TUESDAY, APRIL 01, 2008

Goth Girl: "Comic book wannabe."
Fanboy: "Ha! Wannabe? You want to talk about that? You're a freakin' Goth wannabe. You're a Neil Gaiman wannabe. You're a suicide wannabe."

very very funny. Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga is something I found amongst the new arrivals in the library today :D It's about this comic book geek who gets alienated in school, and then meets Kyra, who reads comic books too, but of the Sandman/ Gaiman variety! (Fanboy reads superhero stuff, x-men, that kind of thing -_-")

It's very unfortunately YA though, like Twilight [stephanie meyer] and Are we There Yet? [David Levithan] I mean mostly YA is lousy. Most of the new arrivals are YA; emo angsty things which revolve around the same themes, but Fanboy is an exception. Pretty soon I'm going to say everything is an exception, at the rate that I'm going, but I digress. I'm quite happy that amongst the new arrivals there's one addressing GLBT issues, like Luna and The Realm of Possibility. ^-^

Go read it! (if you can get ahold of it) I went there before lunch during free block to read it and then after school it was gone! It is that popular. If you get it, can you lend it to me? Please? Actually now all my borrowing spaces are taken up by a Jasper Fforde and andrea's books, but the Fforde is due on thursday-- after bio, luckily-- so I should be able to have spaces then.

neverwhere (bbc tv series) review

written 23 October 2007

Neverwhere review! (the bbc tv series)

Even though I've only watched a couple episodes from the first few episodes, I don't really like it. I think there's a dvd version of it somewhere, the cover of which neil gaiman was plugging, and I have a feeling he didn't really like the tv version. Even though I like neverwhere a lot, (hence the rereading) the tv version isn't very representative of the book. The user who posted it on youtube even said it was "short-lived".

Firstly, in the book Richard Mayhew is supposed to have a slight scottish accent, in the show it isn't just 'slight'; it's rather heavy, to the point where it sometimes becomes difficult to understand. Maybe it's just me, being not used to various british accents and all, but I think for the show to be accessible to a wider audience the actor playing Richard has to speak clearer.

I quite like the casting of Mr Croup, though, and his voice; he rolls his Rs! And is malevolent :D When I was reading the book I imagined croup and vandemar to sound like snape or morpheus (in the matrix, not sandman) and the guy play Mr. Croup sounds like that!

Though vandemar has the wrong clothes because he looks like someone from Law and Order, back in the 90s, with a white shirt and suspenders, of all things. Speaking of costumes, the Marquis has this cloak (okay) a white flappy shirt (okay) a glittery vest (passable) and khaki pants that look like ballet tights. First things first. Ballet tights are perfectly acceptable on dancers, and serve a functional purpose. But the Marquis doesn't dance, and so they do not have a functional purpose. [right. stupid argument.] I suppose the producers tried to go for the tudor tights-and-bloomers look, but it doesn't work out! I feel like the Marquis is going to do a grande jete any moment, and pirouette arrogantly around richard, who can neither dance nor act.

I think I'm quibbling. The tv series was first aired in 1996, and they had different fashion trends then (the person playing door wears biker boots) and probably different lighting trends then too. The lighting in the series looks over the top, with most of the croup/vandemar scenes in green, and angel islington scenes in red. Oh dear. maybe it's just the video quality. I wouldn't mind just listening to the audio part; it would do very well as an audiobook, thought that rather defeats the purpose of having a tv show.