May 28, 2014

Double the fun! Also, VICTORY IS MINE!

Doctor Who: Nightshade by Mark Gatiss was an incredibly dark adventure with a most beloved character (in a version I'm entirely unfamiliar with) and his companion (again I have no history with Ace). Centered around a small village, The Doctor and Ace are up against a foe that is ruthless in its carnage and hunger. An entity that reveals itself in the form of loved ones long since dead and buried, it seems nigh on impossible that there is a way to stop its growing into a creature that can devour the planet in its entirety. However, lifelong lovers of the Time Lord with a made up name know that he's nothing if not persistent. I warn you that this book is firmly in the horror genre rather than specifically sci-fi so keep that in mind if you're looking to read it.

I felt that I needed a bit of a break from the macabre so I moved on to Roald Dahl's delightful story entitled Danny, the Champion of the World. As I said in my review of D is for Dahl there are no official biographies of the illustrious author himself but a few of his children's stories are odes to his past and this is one of them. The story centers on Danny and his father, William, who it must be said is one of the greatest fathers known to man. It is a thank you note to all of the fathers who take the time to really get to know their kids and who share parts of themselves in return. A lighthearted tale of a boy who came into his own and at the same time learned to love his father even more (which was quite the feat since he loved him quite a lot). As you'd expect with Dahl it's full to bursting with whimsy and imagination and I dare you to read it and not feel buoyed up with joy.

Finally after I've waited for over 2 years for it to be available in the public library I am proud to say that I'm reviewing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. A book both lauded with acclaim for its wit and tenacity as well as decried for it's controversial topic, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian naturally rose to the top of my TRL (To Read List). Unfortunately, (fortunately for everyone else) everyone else seemed to have the same idea and it's been checked out and unavailable every single time I've checked for it...until today! I nabbed the one copy available! Okay so let me give you a little peek into the subject matter. Alexie's book chronicles the story of a boy named Arnold who was born with fluid on the brain which left him with a host of issues ranging from an oversized cranium to a stutter. Added to these difficulties, he makes the choice to transfer off of the reservation and into an all-white school where he hopes he can get a top notch education. It is a story of struggle, persistence, and acceptance of one's culture and self. I cannot wait to review this one for you!!

2 comments:

  1. I haven't read any Doctor Who stores, but I just starting watching the tv show on Netflix...It surprises me that you say the book falls into the horror genre, since the show, though spooky at times, really is mostly sci-fi. That being said, I don't mind horror books, so I will probably have to check it out! :)

    Michelle @ In Media Res

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    1. I was rather surprised also although in retrospect I shouldn't have been because the author Mark Gatiss is a HUGE fan of horror. He wrote the episodes 'Night Terrors' and 'The Crimson Horror' for Doctor Who and if you check those out they're markedly darker than most of the other episodes. The man has a fiendish imagination (and I love it!). If you do read it please let me know what you thought of it!

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