Category: fantasy

Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

When Jason, Piper and Leo crash land at Camp Half-Blood, they have no idea what to expect. Apparently this is the only safe place for children of the Greek Gods – despite the monsters roaming the woods and demigods practising archery with flaming arrows and explosives. But rumours of a terrible curse – and a missing hero – are flying around camp. It seems Jason, Piper and Leo are the chosen ones to embark on a terrifying new quest, which they must complete by the winter solstice. In just four days time. Can the trio succeed on this deadly mission – and what must they sacrifice in order to survive?

Thrilling. Informative. Clever and outstandingly witty. Literally impossible to put down. A great read and a fantastic start to the new series. Riordan continues to inspire and amaze me with his stunning set of stories. I simply cannot wait till fall 2011 for book 2! R.G. (S3) *****

The violet keystone by Garth Nix (Book 6 in The Seventh Tower series)

Tal and Milla are only one step away from death, while the evil that has controlled their world for so long is about to triumph. If the Veil is lifted, nothing can save the Dark World. Their one glimmer of hope is to confront the monster Sharrakor and regain the violet keystone.
A very good book, particularly the bit about the worm. K.A. (S3) ****

The Ely Plot by Joan Lennon

You’d think growing up in a medieval abbey, surrounded by nothing but monks and hundreds of miles of swamp, would be pretty boring. Pip thinks so too, until the day he meets Perfect, a small stone gargoyle with a life of her own. Before long, the two find themselves in the midst of an assassination attempt against the new king, escaping into the cold dark night, being chased across the fens by a man bent on killing them …Boring? Not so much.

An amazing heartwarming story and a true fantasy story. J.B. (S1) *****

Icefire by Chris D’Lacey

“The sequel to The Fire Within, Icefire continues the story of student, David Rain, and his life in the Pennykettle household. Life isn’t exactly normal lodging at the Pennykettles – not when you’re surrounded by hundreds of clay pottery dragons. Fate seems to be dictating an unusual course for David when his university tutor sets him a writing project on the existence – or not – of dragons. The tantalizing prize – a fully-funded research trip to the Arctic – seems just within his grasp. David starts to research the subject and soon discovers a connection between dragons and the Arctic just as it begins to snow. Is it only a coincidence? Or could deeper forces be at work?”
An extraordinarily good book.  Better than the first. ****

C.C. S1

The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French

“All is not well in the crumbling castle high above the mountain village of Fracture. The sorceress Lady Lamorna has her heart set on a new robe. It is a very expensive new robe. To get the cash she will stop at nothing, including kidnapping, blackmail and more than a little black magic. But she reckons without the heroic Gracie Gillypot, not to mention a gallant if rather scruffy prince, two chatty bats, the wickedest stepsister ever, a troll with a grudge – and some very Ancient crones.”

A great book with three very funny stories. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about witches. *****
Anon, S1 (2009)

Maximum Ride: School’s out, forever by James Patterson

“It’s 24 hours since Max Ride and her fellow bird-kids escaped the New York Institute, and they’re still on the run. But the six companions — 98% human, 2% bird — came away with some vital information. If they can decode the garbled words and numbers, perhaps they’ll find out where their parents are. There’s a lot of trouble ahead for Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel — not to mention Total, the talking dog. Their enemies, the fearsome Erasers, have acquired a new skill — they too can now fly. After an air-battle, the badly hurt Fang ends up in hospital. There the FBI track down the flock, who have even ended up going to school! But that doesn’t quite fit in with searching for parents, or with what the insistent Voice in Max’s head keeps reminding her – that her mission is ‘to save the world’.”

Quick, snappy narration & short chapters. A little simplistic in places but an enjoyable read. ***
Anon, (Staff, 2008)

Maximum Ride: The final warning by James Patterson

“Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel are six extraordinary kids created by the crazed Uber Director in a twisted laboratory experiment that left them with the ability to fly. They are back for another wild adventure as they try to save the world …and themselves. The Uber-Director sees the group of friends as his opportunity to become a billionaire: he seizes his chance to cash in that lucrative price tag by planning a worldwide auction with the children being offered to the highest bidder. But first his mutant army must track them down and capture them – which won’t be easy. Meanwhile, in hiding from their predators, all six of them wake one evening to find they are being given an important mission – to save the world from global warming. Led by heroine Max, their task takes them in a fast-paced, high-speed chase across the world to the South Pole but, as ever, danger is never far away …”

Quite a disappointing end to the series. Although it has a valuable message about global warming it isn’t what we’ve been led to expect. **
VB, (Staff, 2008)