Fiction – Page 27 – Ryan's Book Blog

The Mark of Athena

July 4, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Mark of Athena is the 3rd book in the Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan. Published in 2012, it details the coming together of demigods from Camp Halfblood and the Roman Legion. The gods are torn between their Greek and Roman forms and the Earth Goddess Gaea is rising.

My Thoughts

I really like the character of Leo as he is interacting with everyone. The scene with Arachne was super creepy all and all. Nope, I’m not a fan of spiders. The characters are getting older and there is some smooching going on. That is a slight difference then the other books so far. Of course, they were all a bit young for it so it only seems natural. The book was fun to listen to and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Recommendation

A worthy read

The Son of Neptune

July 3, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Son of Neptune is the 2nd book in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. It was published in 2011 and follows The Lost Hero. This story follows Percy as he is dropped off in the Roman camp. He’s memory is gone with the exception of his love interest Annabeth. Yet, there is another threat he will have to face.

My Thoughts

Mr. Riordan does a good job to make his characters likeable. Percy has a lot of power and is a natural leader. Somehow, he bumbles his way to be the best in camp. He later becomes the hero of the demigods. However, somehow Mr. Riordan takes you through the journey without every thinking, “Hey, this Percy guy is too powerful and arrogant.” That’s fairly impressive.

Recommendation

It’s a great series. Worth the read.

The Slippery Slope

July 1, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Book 10 in The Series of Unfortunate Events is The Slippery Slope. The orphans are trying to get their littlest sister back from the clutches of the evil Count Olaf. This time, they are in the snowy mountains and have help from someone they thought was dead.

My Thoughts

I had to jump a few books as this is the only one available after The Ersatz Elevator. There has been a lot that seemed to happen in the meantime. We learned more about BFV and Count Olaf has successfully kidnapped Sunny. It feels like we are building toward some closure though I’m sure it is a while off.

Recommendation

Still enjoyable

The Ersatz Elevator

June 21, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Ersatz Elevator is the 6th book in Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. In this book, the orphans or given to an overly agreeable guardian whose very “in” wife as a big secret.

My Thoughts

The sixth book has roughly the same elements as the others. The orphans are mistreated by adults who are clueless and Count Olaf isn’t too far away. However, it is still fun to read. The style of the books are light-hearted and clever. It also doesn’t hurt that Tim Curry is reading them.

Recommendation

I enjoyed it.

Abhorsen

June 20, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Abhorsen is the 3rd and final book in the Old Kingdom Series by Garth Nix. It is the conclusion of the story put forth in Lirael and is need to put closure to that book. Lirael discovers she will be the next Abhorsen, the guardian who puts the dead back where they belong.

My Thoughts

This continued on the series and left plenty of room to make more additions to the world of the old kingdom. I enjoyed the surprises of the dog and Moggot and thought it wrapped up nicely.

Recommendation

A must read if you read the book before it.

Lirael

June 19, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Lirael is the 2nd book in the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Lirael is the name of the main character who was raised by the Clayr. A group of seers who are all descended from the first Clayr. Their power is deluded now but Lirael has never been able to “see”. Her destiny lies down a different path.

My Thoughts

Lirael was a good example of a book that was able to move on to other characters rather than stay with the same developed in the first book. Those characters were still there but were not central to the story or how it moved forward. I liked the dog in particular.

Recommendation

It was a good read. One could pick up this book and move forward with it without reading the first. However, why would you do that?

Sabriel

June 17, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Sabriel is book one of Garth Nix’s “the Old Kingdom” series. Published in 1995, it finds a young woman, trained as a necromancer since she was just a child, has lost her father. Her father was the Abhorsen, the protector of the living from the dead. Now he is trapped in death and his daughter must find him if she is to find her way forward.

My Thoughts

I stumbled across this series because Tim Curry did the narration. I wasn’t disapointed. This was an interesting spin on the usual magic novel. The main character goes through the usual hero’s journey and somehow makes it out the other side. However, it is the dead tracking her. This made for an unusual and interesting enemy. The book was fun but I found the romantic touch to be a little forced.

Recommendation

A little different but a good read.

The Ruins of Gorlan

June 16, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book of the Ranger’s Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It follows the story of Will who is a 15 year old orphan who is has to choose his profession. He wants to become a warrior but ends up apprenticed to one of the enigmatic rangers.

My Thoughts

This book was given to me by a friend of mine and it’s taken me forever to just sit down and read it. I can thank this book for a sleepless Father’s Day morning. It was a good book with a good story behind it. I enjoyed it.

Recommendation

A good read.

Good Omens

June 15, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The book Good Omens apparently became a mini-series which aired a couple of months ago. The book details the end of the world and is seen through the eyes of an angel and a devil. These two have been around since the beginning. The literal beginning…

My Thoughts

Even though it has “Now a Prime Original Series” I had no idea it was on. Apparently, it aired a couple months back which makes more sense of why it was a popular book. I miss out on so much not watching TV…

The book was funny. It read a lot like the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in some of the dry humored ridiculous events. I very much enjoyed it.

Recommendations

It’s a good read. I would recommend it.

The Lost Hero

June 14, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Lost Hero is the continuation of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. This time there was an exchange of leadership between Camp Half-blood and the heretofore unknown Roman camp for demigods. Jason, Piper, and Leo take the lead as they fight against mother nature herself.

My Thoughts

Another enjoyable easy read from Rick Riordan. The book read a lot like spin off it is by giving us just enough of the old story to keep the fans interested and giving new characters to keep the new story ark going.

Recommendation

Great for the young fantasy reader