Messenger by Lois Lowry

Synopsis:

Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village's closing and try to convince Seer's daughter to return with him before it's too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.

Review by Patrick:

This book is more closely related to Gathering Blue, I thought, than The Giver. Although, to be fair, it had clear links to both stories.

This one seems pretty dark from the beginning. The main character, Matty, seems to have some kind of power. And the town folk are trading things that shouldn't be traded. Well, things get worse, and democracy has it's disadvantages.

The story moves on, and the optimist in me wants everything to turn out okay, but the book just keeps giving out lashes. Note, this is not a child's bed time story. Read this as a mature adult, and think about what it is telling us about ourselves, and our society.

I don't know what to say about this one. It has mystery, tragedy, redemption, and hope. It plays on your emotions, and brings up topics that can be difficult to express. It's good, but geez. I'm giving this one 3.5 stars. Keep reading.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Synopsis:

In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.

As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, how people could evolve, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

Review by Patrick:

While The Giver was possibly the best book I've ever read, this book seems more in line with what I normally read. It's dystopian, where things are sometimes backwards, but sometimes way ahead of our own time. Oh, and then there is the magic, which I have no idea where it comes from or how it works. What makes the magic in this world work?

This book's setting seems to be a different community from the community in The Giver, but still in the same world. There's not much more connection than that. I think they might be more intertwined in the later books. Still, don't skip this one.

The political system in place in this one is very interesting, and the main character is kept around simply because she has a gift. It's odd, but definitely one to keep you reading. I was intrigued about how the gifts worked, and although we see them in use, we hardly ever get to see the "why" behind it. It just... is. And that's all the character's know, so it allows you to feel what they feel better, but still, I want to know.

I'm looking forward to finishing this series and finding out how they interconnect. This particular book is getting 4 stars from me.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Review by Patrick:

This book may be the best book I've actually ever read. Literally. And I don't say that lightly.

Lois Lowry is a master. This book has been on my "to read" list for many years, but, like a lot of things, I haven't gotten around to it. Well, I finally finished one book series, my schedule lightened up a little bit, and I decided to start this one. I'm so glad I did.

The book has about the same reading level and length of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but the depth of the book and the implications are much deeper. An easy read, this book took me three workdays to finish: I just couldn't put it down. The story gripped my mind, heart and soul, and I did not want to eat, sleep, go to work, or do anything until I found out what happened in the next chapter or on the next page.

For those of you who do not know me, I'm pretty stoic. I don't necessarily feel what others feel. My range of emotions tend to range on a normal scale of 4 to 6 (with a normal person going from 1 to 10, and Rachel from probably -5 to 20). So I should warn you: I cried when I finished this book. The first thing I did when I read the end was ask my son to come to me so I could hug him, and he asked me why I was crying. After reading the book, I appreciated what we humans have so much more. There are emotions, such as love, hate, envy, jealousy, hunger, pride, fear, joy, sorrow, desire, frustration... the list goes on forever. And we have personality. We work together, and create new things. We are innovative. We make mistakes. We have loss. We have salvation. We need each other. As I was hugging my son, I felt so overwhelmed and glad that he will grow up in a world where he can experience those things.

In this book, the setting is in "The Community," which is the futuristic utopia that a certain path and thinking leads to over a long time. There is no pain or suffering, no choices to be made. Everyone is a productive member to the Community, and will have no cares or worries. Lowry shows that to obtain this level of utopia, there are trade offs to be made. I won't spoil the book further, but that's the premise. (Actually, this might be the society that Vulcans boast of.)

The story is heart wrenching. As the story went further, I felt the dread of foreshadowing of events to come. I was drawn in by the story, and worried about what happens next. I knew as I was reading it that there would be a different ending than the rest of the book. I knew something had to change, but I didn't know what. As the story unfolded, I realized with a terrible sadness, that this book might end tragically. But I will let you decide for yourself. Tell me in the comments if you think the last two pages were literal or metaphorical, because I'm not sure.

In the end, this book receives nothing but five stars from me. It does not fall short of "Phenomenal! Must read!" If you want to be more aware of the gifts you have in your life, read this book. If you desire to be a better informed citizen of the world, read this book. If you have children, ever want to have children, or know of a child somewhere in the world that you like and desire to have a better future for them, read this book. If you think we should all be nice to each other and never argue again, read this book. If your parents or grandparents are still alive, or you enjoy spending time with your family, read this book. If you want your world to be a better place, read this book. I will argue that this book should be on the required reading list for every high school or equivalent education system in the world. Please read this book.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Synopsis:

A junior solicitor [real estate broker] travels to Transylvania to meet with an important client, the mysterious Count Dracula. Ignoring the dire warnings of local townsfolk, he allows himself to be seduced by the count’s courtly manners and erudite charm. Too late, the solicitor realizes that he is a prisoner of Castle Dracula, his guards a trio of voluptuous young women with sharp white teeth and a taste for blood.

Soon thereafter, the solicitor’s fiancée, Mina, visits a friend on the English coast. The town is full of speculation over a Russian ship run aground nearby, its crew missing, the dead body of its captain, crucifix in hand, lashed to the wheel. A giant dog was seen leaping from the deck before disappearing into the countryside. The ship’s cargo: fifty boxes of Transylvanian dirt. As the beautiful Mina will soon learn, Count Dracula has arrived.

Review by Patrick:

 It sucked. I mean I still have blood in my veins, but it sucked the reality from all around me as I was reading this book. I was not expecting a classic like this to be so intense.

As long as you could get by some of the format of this book, it really was interesting. The book was written mostly in a diary format, with some news article clippings, letters, and telegraphs... I guess that was interesting too. I was really amazed with the efficiency of the London telegram service in 1891. You were forced to read this book with the setting in mind, as timing and travel were essential to the book. Horses, carriages, steam and sail boats... all must be kept in mind when considering the time it takes to get anywhere.

We all know about vampires, right. They can't go out in the sun; they must drink blood to survive; they sleep like bats; etc. But it was really intriguing reading about the first vampire. This is where it all started. And it was really interesting. For example, the vampire was able to control the nearby weather, get in really tight places, must be welcomed into a building before entering, control nearby animals, and many more wonderful things. I was also amazed at some of the similarities to more contemporary vampire fiction.

The story (which, let's face it, is what it is all about) was amazing though. It pulled me close and I felt the fear, terror, hope, panic, bravery, and passion of the characters. The story was slow at first, and by slow I mean the main character going willingly to Count Dracula's castle and immediately becoming a prisoner and dinner. The story just kept on and on. It was suspenseful, tragic, epic, horrifying, thrilling, and ... well I'll let you find out the rest.
 

Overall, surprisingly good. I know I am a little out of the norm when it comes to a desire to reading classic books, but I think this would be a good read for many readers in the present day. I'm going to rate it a 4.
 

Up Next:

To Dance with the White Dog.

Moby Dick or the Whale by Herman Melville

Synopsis:

This story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab has one purpose on this voyage: to seek out Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white sperm whale. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg, which now drives Ahab to take revenge.

Review by Patrick:

I finished this book today, thank goodness. I'm glad I checked this one out from the library and checked it out as an audio book, because I could see this book being another Silmarillion (in other words, takes-seven-years-to-finish book). 

The whole book was long and drawn out, but interesting. I enjoyed learning about how the ship works, and the vernacular that was used in sailing. I would love to go sailing myself some day, so I could really appreciate the detail that went in to explaining everything.

But the details were too much. I didn't expect to read the encyclopedia entries for whale, sperm oil, sailing, and the like. This book just really went overboard with the anatomy of the whale (which, I'm guessing, is not that accurate anyways). The book could have been three or four times shorter and still had all of the narrative content.

I can only say I was disappointed in the ending. The story had been building since we were introduced to Captin Ahab, and then the story ends. There was no satisfactory resolution.

**Spoiler** We don't know what happened to the whale and the whole crew sunk to their death. From Starbuck to Pip to Tashtego to Queequeg to Flask to the carpenter to the cook; they all drowned. All save one, and

call him Ishmael.

This had the tragic ending of a Shakespearean play, without the comic relief.**Spoiler (highlight to see)**

I know this book is a classic and "one of the great American Romanticized tales," but I don't give a darn. I'm rating this book a 1. I'm sorry for anyone who is forced to read it. Maybe with some discussion I would learn more about the book and the metaphors throughout, but I hated this book and wish it to go with it's captain. I have no desire to ever read it again, and I'm not sure I appreciated spending the time to read it in the first place.

Up next:

Dracula.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

 

Synopsis:

Catch-22 is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever even if he has to die in the attempt.)

His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly.

The others range from Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder, a dedicated entrepreneur (he bombs his own airfield when the Germans make him a reasonable offer: cost plus 6%), to the dead man in Yossarian's tent; from Major Major Major, whose tragedy is that he resembles Henry Fonda, to Nately's whore's kid sister; from Lieutenant Scheisskopf (he loves a parade) to Major -- de Coverley, whose face is so forbidding no one has ever dared ask him his first name; from Clevinger, who is lost in the clouds, to the soldier in white, who lies encased in bandages from head to toe and may not even be there at all; from Dori Duz, who does, to the wounded gunner Snowden, who lies dying in the tail of Yossarian's plane and at last reveals his terrifying secret.

Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality. It is, we believe, one of the strongest creations of the mid-century.

As revealing today as when it was first published, this brilliant novel by the author of Picture This expresses the concerns of an entire generation in its black comedy. World War II flier John Yossarian decides that his only mission each time he goes up is to return—alive!

Review by Patrick:

 This was another one of my unfinished books that I decided to finish for this blog. I'm glad I did finish though. Not so glad that I read it.

Let me start out positive. This book was the best portrayal of dry humor and paradoxes I have ever encountered.

That's it. I hated this book. It was so boring. The story wasn't really a story, and the resolution was almost non-existent, which I guess I should have expected when you are facing a Catch 22. The book hardly followed the same character. Everyone dies (not quite like Game of Thrones, but enough to be disturbing).

I would like to quote an actual passage to give you a sample of the humor, wit, and dryness of the writing. Yossarian is speaking to a doctor, Doc Daneeka. Yossarian's whole mission in life is to not get killed, and the best way to do that is to not fly anymore missions:

"You're wasting your time," Doc Daneeka was forced to tell him.
"Can't you ground someone who's crazy?"
"Oh, sure. I have to. There's a rule saying I have to ground anyone who's crazy."
"Then why don't you ground me? I'm crazy. Ask Clevinger."
"Clevinger? Where is Clevinger? You find Clevinger and I'll ask him."
"Then ask any of the others. They'll tell you how crazy I am."
"They're crazy."
"Then why don't you ground them?"
"Why don't they ask me to ground them?"
"Because they're crazy, that's why."
"Of course they're crazy," Doc Daneeka replied. "I just told you they're crazy, didn't I? And you can't let crazy people decide whether you're crazy or not, can you?"
Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. "Is Orr crazy?"
"He sure is," Doc Daneeka said.
"Can you ground him?"
"I sure can. But first he has to ask me to. That's part of the rule."
"Then why doesn't he ask you to?"
"Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said. "He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure, I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to."
"That's all he has to do to be grounded?"
"That's all. Let him ask me."
"And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked.
"No. Then I can't ground him."
"You mean there's a catch?"
"Sure there's a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy."
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of the clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.

Maybe that was the point of this book. Maybe it was to show the complications of this war and the people who were participating in it. I will say that I was impressed with near the end of the book (Chapter 39: The Eternal City) it became quite philosophical and existential. It was as if the rest of the book that came before it was only building to show the nature of the human, or at least this human. It was quite thought provoking.

I can't rate this book high, all the same. I'm glad I read it, only for the sake that it is a "classic," and I have a strong desire to read all the classics. I could have read something so much more entertaining though. I'm going to give it a rating of 1.5. The saving grace of this book is the paradoxes that were contained in it, which is also probably why I gave it such a bad rating in the first place.

Next:

Beautiful Redemption, and I reserved Divergent.