The Gods of Amyrantha by Jennifer Fallon

And the plot thickens... like mash potato gravy and just as yummy. Did I also mention that Jennifer Fallon herself has seen the review of The Immortal Prince? All us people at All Books Great and Small feel very honored to have had it featured in her blog. Check out her website! It's awesome!

We last left the story at the point Cayal saves Arkady from certain death. The second book starts off with a prologue giving the us readers a taste of the Immortals' cruelty and a stark look at the nature of their ability to heal unconditionally adding urgency to the fact that the Immortals must be killed. What was ironic was that in this same prologue, one can see the cruelty that humans possess.

Arkady and her husband Stellan are exiled to the capital of Torlenia ironically, for helping the crown prince get out of trouble. In the meantime, Jaxyn Aranville, Stellan's lover, is making plans to move in on the throne which are not going as smoothly as he would like it because Diala, another immortal posing as Stellan's niece, is one up on him because of her marriage to the crown prince. As they both make their move to dispose of any other heir to the throne, Stellan and Arkady suddenly find themselves under arrest for high treason. The millenia old question then remains... will mere mortals be able to find a way to rid themselves of the machinations of the Immortals?

Another sleepless night worth spending. The Gods of Amyrantha keeps you on the edge of your seat, breathless in anticipation of what will happen next. This is a series that is worth following closely. The Immortal Prince was captivating and this second instalment has yet to disappoint! A beautifully woven tapestry of words!

Naked by David Sedaris

Finished this one last month. I finally have a little time to write about it. I'll be blunt. It was twisted, cynical and utterly mind boggling. That being said, I think it was a pretty good read! Naked is a collection of short stories detailing parts of Sedaris's life. Though some of the incidents he talks about are fairly mundane, his take on them creates this bizarre twist. He takes you through his world of constant hitch-hiking (he refuses to drive in Chicago), kids and X-rated reading material, making friends with the physically challenged, the harmless white lies that all parents (especially dads) tell their kids, and... wait for it... nudist colonies. Reliving his life was quite the experience. Though his brand of humor doesn't quite suit my taste (as I only found one of his stories particularly humorous), those who enjoy cynicism and sarcasm at its twisted best would do well to pick up this book. Our latest addition to the team, (Bagus) would be a great example.

Feature: The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

This week All Books Great and Small will be featuring a very special book review written by Bagus Wibadsu Sosroseno. It's also our first review of a trilogy! Enjoy...

When it comes to the high-fantasy genre, there are only a few books that dare to break the boundary set by the late J.R.R. Tolkien; that is to say, most fantasy books somewhat adhere to some unwritten rules when it comes to the storyline and the characters; and can be quite clichéd.

And The Farseer Trilogy is one fine example of a story that broke that boundary. Set in a fantasy region of the Six Duchies, enter Fitz Chivalry, a bastard son of Prince Chivalry, who was supposed to inherit the throne to keep the Duchies united. Raised as both an embarrassment of the royal bloodline and a threat to the throne, Fitz is thrown right in the middle of an uncomfortable political situation. On top of that, The Six Duchies, throughout the whole story arc, is being raided by the mysterious Outislanders, whose sole purpose seems to be the destruction of all the Duchies.

The most intriguing part in the book is reading about Fitz, the main character, trying to grow up amidst all the drama and politics surrounding him since his childhood. And, like normal people, Fitz underwent plenty of painful moments, and we are not spared by the author when it comes to tear-inducing dramatics. At times the story can be really painful and depressing, and you can’t help but feel sorry for Fitz, and you’ll find yourself silently saying, “You can do it Fitz!” In the end, Fitz emerges as a hero that is scarred both mentally and physically, and his ultimate triumph is sacrifice.

The supporting characters in the story are a marvel to look at, too. Each and every character in the story has a big role to play. What seems like a minor character in the first book, Assassin’s Apprentice, may turn out to be a really major character in the second, or the third.

This trilogy (Assasin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin’s Quest) is a great read. It is way up there in terms of character development (which is really rare in the realm of high-fantasy), and the author leaves nothing, nothing, undone. The ending, though I won’t spoil it, is also different, if not a bit on the tragic side. Go and buy it, if you haven’t already.

The Immortal Prince by Jennifer Fallon

Okay, okay can't tell a lie...

This book is awesome! Character driven, an elegantly complex plot and a unique concept - learning about immortals. You couldn't ask for more! Jennifer Fallon is one of the greatest fantasy authors of this age. The Immortal Prince is the first book in The Tide Lords, her first four book series.

The story begins with an immortal, Cayal, looking for a way to die. He murders seven people for that sole purpose and is sentenced to death, to his utmost disappointment, by hanging.... The executioner who beheads people was on vacation. Arkady, the Duchess of Lebec and historian, is then sent in to prove that he is lying about being immortal. Things start to get messy and she helps him escape from prison. It is then she discovers Cayal is telling the truth and is forced to confront it. When she does, she discovers the complexities of being immortal and their ruthless ambitions to rule Amyrantha through a religion or an existing government - it's more effective and a lot less of a hassle.

This is a great book for all fans of adult fantasy. the characters are complex an intriguing and drive the plot to unexpected twists and turns. Expect to empathize, pity and hate these seemingly inhuman immortals. Oh... expect to stay up late reading this book...

And stay tuned for the review of her second book: Gods of Amyrantha

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

A highly thrilling and fun read. The story line makes the book really difficult to wrench from a person's hands. It ain't scary regardless of all the warnings you see on the back of the book but it is gruesome and bloody at the right parts. Enter Grubbs Grady, an average adolescent who changed his name TO Grubbs (?). He finds himself dealing with mundane issues like peer pressure and getting back at his bossy older sister. However he eventually gets a nagging feeling that all is not as it should be when his family starts doing things that are completely out of character. A suspicious invitation to a fluffy ballet performance (which he violently rejects as any self respecting guy does) that ensures that his absence from home causes him to hang it all and try to figure out what on earth is going on. When he gets home and opens the door, all hell breaks loose... literally.

This book is a good starter into the darker side of fantasy and hell. Good fun. It's the first book in the 10 volume Demonata series.

The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

In addition to being attracted by really cool book covers, I happened to be attracted by tattoo designs as well. Not that I'll ever get one in this lifetime. I think I'll leave the permanent skin marking thing to the brave souls out there clamoring for one.

That said, this book was particularly intriguing. You'd think that with a title like that the story line would go along the lines of the protagonist being born with this tattoo which gives away the fact that he is of noble birth or has some super fantastical power and how he has to deal with the responsibilities or consequences for having such a mark.

Wrong! You will be pleasantly surprised by the unusual plot of the story. I mean, it's still a good versus evil theme ultimately, but I guess conceptually and character-wise, this book wins my vote.

The story is set in London of the future. The villain: The Scourge. Three young heroes must set out to destroy The Scourge or the world risks being annihilated. Sounds cliched I know, but I wouldn't want to give a good story away.

Young adult readers would enjoy this book very much, especially if you're into supernatural powers and stories about demons.

Currently Reading: Feb '09

Hakanai Hane












Erica T

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

The boy Garion had spent his whole life in the confortable safety of Faldor's farm with his Aunt Pol who seems to be at the center of everything that goes on in her domain, the kitchen. He got into all sorts of mischief as a child but as he got older he began to wonder who his parents were, what the strange, pale circular mark on his palm means, and started feeling possessive about a childhood friend of his who started to blossom in interesting ways. However, a visit to a neighboring town with the incorrigible old rogue, Mister Wolf, changed Garion's life faster than he can say the names of the seven Gods. He suddenly found himself in the middle of a quest with Mister Wolf, Aunt Pol, Barak and Silk against an enemy that he knows nothing about. The frustrating thing is that nobody seems to want to tell him anything... What on earth is going on?

This is definitely one of my all time favorites! It was the first adult fantasy book I'd ever read and I remember finishing a book or two from this series in a day. If you want to start reading something in the fantasy genre, this would be a great book to start off with. Eddings' humorous writing makes the characters a fascinating and lovable lot. This is the first book of the Belgariad series. A MUST READ!!!

*A word of warning to those who have read tonnes of fantasy novels and have not read this one. You will find it extremely cliched. However just bear in mind that this book was written in the 1980's.

Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan

The Gods are fairly silent in the reality to most of us but in this book, the religious representatives of the people, The White, see their five Gods on a periodic basis. This is a world where Dreamweavers are being persecuted and feared by the Hanian people that they offer their healing services to. It has everything from a community of flying people and underwater dwellers created and favored by one of the gods, forbidden love, a mysterious cult from the south with sorcerous leaders clad in black that, according to hearsay, recruits followers by conducting religious orgies among other sacrilegious activities, and mysterious, powerful sorcerors on the run from the persecution of the White. It makes you wonder, whose side these people are on. And why do these five supposedly benevolent Gods instruct the White to destroy a people at one point or stay their hand at the next? And are they truly the only survivors of the great war between the Gods that happened once upon a time?

The great thing about this book is the way she wrote about the numerous and complex main characters that make this fantastic world go round. She introduced them all fairly early in the story. I normally go ballistic when authors keep you on tenterhooks about one character for the first third of the tale and then suddenly decide to switch to a completely new one during the second third. It throws me off but I have to admit, it makes the book all the more difficult to put down. I enjoyed how everything connected and lent itself to the mystery surrounding some of the more enigmatic characters. All in all a good read. This book is the first in Canavan's second trilogy, Age of the Five. For those who are just starting off in the fantasy genre, you might no want to try out this book just yet as it's a little heavy.

A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton

This book is the 8th installment in the Meredith Gentry series. As a fantasy novel, it falls heavily into the romance genre as the book is chock full of authorized promiscuity in the faerie world. Faeries are normally potrayed as whimsically beautiful, ephemereal, magical creatures or as extremely sexual beings who commonly take it in their heads to seduce (mainly) the heroine or hero of the story for their own evil(?) or enigmatic purposes. This tale of course plays on the latter except all the seduction takes place between faeries. Our heroine, Meredith Gentry, is the half-human, half Unseelie daughter of the deceased Prince of the Unseelie court. She has always been caught up in the drama and politics between the various faerie factions but as the years go by, each encounter seems more perilous than the next. Thankfully, her Darkness and Frost are always there by her side to support her. This time around, Meredith has to secure her throne by following her sadistic Aunt's (The current Queen of the Unseelie) terms and deal with a horrible and unexpected accusation made by the Seelie King through human laws against her bodyguards. What makes this turn of events terrifying is the fact that the King had tried to kill her before... For those who love both the romance and fantasy genre, this book is definitely for you. It provides a good blend of both genres as it has all the spice of sizzling sex yet it retains the wonder and mystery of magic. All in all a great read!

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know
what to do with himself - not just sometimes, but always.

It's really wonderful to be able to revisit old books, especially those that you have read as a child. However, this book in particular, seems to transcend any age group.

What's so amazing is that when you go back to this book as an older version of yourself you tend to appreciate the clever way it was written even more. Mr. Juster has cleverly taken concepts from Math and English and created a whole adventure out of them, sharing with the reader, his sharp wit and wonderful sense of humour.

So pick that book up and be immersed and visit the Island of Conclusions, escape the doldrums the Kingdom of Dictionopolis, meet Tock a watch dog in more ways than one, and encounter the ongoing, heated debate about the supremacy of numbers and words and join the Mathemagician for some (-) stew. Endure all the perils, excitement and more, of going on a crazy quest to restore order in an equally crazy world by looking for rhyme and reason.

A reccommended read for preteens to young teenagers and for all the adults who would like to stroll down memory lane and be entertained by this marvellous weave. I love how this book unexpectedly changes your point of view on our seemingly mundane world.

Check this Out!

For all you Twilight fans out there: Found this on The Cutest Blog on the Block. I think it is absolutely hilarious. This site has got some really cool backgrounds and more Twilight blinkies that can be added to your blogs. Go and check it out!

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

A great concept for a wonderful story. Mr. Colfer turns the conventional into the unconventional with his approach and concept of Heaven and Hell. If you've read Artemis Fowl at some point you will see what I mean.

'The Wish List' revolves around a young teenage girl named Meg Finn who, by some unfortunate twist of fate, gets herself blown up and splattered on the furnace while trying to save the life of an old man whose house she was planning to rob with her "friend", Belch Brennan. She then finds herself travelling to the Pearly Whites but finds herself neither here nor 'down' there. What's a girl to do to get into Heaven?

The characters are likeable and disagreeable. But that is the element that makes the story a fun and gripping read. I liked it because it reminds you of how valuable your life is and so, to live it to the fullest with no regrets to hinder your happiness without going all soppy on the reader. For young adult to adult readers.