a way to remember

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:16:10 +0800

The conclusion to the Abhorsen trilogy does a wonderful job of ending the series. Not only does it wrap up the battle against the Destroyer, but it also opens up whole new story possibilities. We can all tell that there are a lot more Old Kingdom stories out there, and the addition of Nick to the cast is promising, as is the obvious connection between him and Lirael. Not to mention Mogget just ~~sort of almost~~ really did let slip that Chlorr is a former Abhorsen.

But that’s for another time. Abhorsen was much faster-paced than Lirael, and tied all the loose strings beautifully. Besides that, Lirael and Sam finally found their resolve and became the heroine and hero that their world needed them to be. The character growth in this last volume was great, and the plot was page-turning and exciting. The story just flew past without my realizing it, and before I knew it, I was almost at the end. Which was a shame because I just wanted the whole thing to NEVER END. I still have a ton of questions left unanswered, and can see a lot of potential in the existing characters to go off and save their world(s). Again. I’m particularly very interested in knowing how the two worlds collided into each other, especially since a character mentioned Ancelstierre hadn’t been there, exactly, in the past, and that the Old Kingdom had merely intruded upon that world. Here’s to more Old Kingdom stories in the future (even more than the upcoming one about Chlorr), and deeper insight into the world(s) of Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom.

Wonder what could have caused Chlorr to turn, however. Maybe the ninth gate spooked her into turning bad. I CANNOT WAIT for Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen to come out, in any case.

Garth Nix is, hands down, my favorite YA author still actively publishing.

Next up: Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora.

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:09:28 +0800

“Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.”

- Timothy Leary (via supersonicelectronic) (via whatson) (via wildephotog)

Lirael by Garth Nix

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:48:53 +0800

Lirael does a lot to expand and explore the mythology Garth Nix set up in the prequel (the brilliantly-written Sabriel), going more into detail about the mystery of the Charter, the Wallmakers, and the Abhorsen’s unique approach to magic. It is every bit as action-packed as the first novel — possibly even more so — and the world is still as rich and realistic as ever. Garth Nix’s secret in creating such a solid world isn’t by drenching us in meaningless detail, but by giving us just enough to accept that it’s just the way their world works.

Even so, I found this book to be a little bit slower than the first. While Sabriel sort of threw us into the middle of a mess and straight into action, Lirael started out less explosively, choosing to take us slowly through Lirael’s personality (and the reason for it) rather than letting us discover it by watching her work. A lot of the first half of the book is just introduction to what would be the plot, and while I understand it was necessary to show where the Disreputable Dog came from, I thought the story of how Lirael was installed in the Library of the Clayr was stretched out far more than it should have. I understood Lirael’s sense of loneliness and self-doubt in the first chapter, I didn’t really need a dozen more re-iterating that fact.

It’s really not that big a deal and doesn’t bog the story down very much, except it dampened my enjoyment of the story because I didn’t like Lirael. Lirael (and Sam) are not as strong in terms of character as Sabriel and Touchstone were, even though the former two may be much more powerful, better equipped, and better educated than the latter two. They tended toward whining, angst, and annoying bouts of self-pity, which I never saw in Sabriel and Touchstone — who simply had no time to feel sorry for themselves, no matter how scared they were. Sam and Lirael spend the majority of the novel dragging their feet around and complaining. I can see WHY they’re complaining, it just…goes on for too long, especially in light of the fact that Sam’s a prince and Lirael’s lived the sheltered life of a Clayr, both quite privileged and free of the normal troubles of normal people living normal lives.

Still, for all that they annoyed me at times, it’s a very good book, filled with action and adventure and a mysterious enemy that’s all very intriguing and well-written and well-planned. However, it could quite easily be the least of the trilogy. Very much worth a read, despite that, especially by the latter half, where things actually happen and the two main characters show that there’s a lot more they have to offer, other than drama.

(via soulgarden) That’s just lovely.

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:46:00 +0800

(via soulgarden)

That’s just lovely.

soulgarden: (via funeralface) That is so many levels of awesome.

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:20:42 +0800

soulgarden:

(via funeralface)

That is so many levels of awesome.

snip snip

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:26:39 +0800

Our future is not written in the stars and stone.

It is built upon the ashes of yesterday, and on the sands of time.

Playing with cliches day.

music (via PhilipWuWhooo) That has to be the cutest...

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:29:48 +0800

music (via PhilipWuWhooo)

That has to be the cutest illustration of the Raz that I have EVER seen.

all my books are lying useless nowall my maps will only show me...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:20:26 +0800

all my books are lying useless now
all my maps will only show me how to lose my way

this song makes me want to break down and cry. every. single. time.

i just don’t know how it can be both heartbreaking and healing at the same time.

"The truth’s not pretty, of course. No one likes to look it in the face."

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:19:15 +0800

““The truth’s not pretty, of course. No one likes to look it in the face.””

- Dustfinger (Inkheart), Cornelia Funke

Kermit Bale

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:45:00 +0800

Kermit Bale:

I don’t really read ONTD, but I followed this link from somewhere else and I spent 20 minutes trying to muffle my hysterical laughter and keep people from running in from all points of the lab to see what was going on.

Pop Goes the Loathing

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:32:53 +0800

Pop Goes the Loathing:

Thanks so much, interwebz, for coming up with whole new ways to waste my time.

Maaya Sakamoto - “Universe” - A Movie Short (via...

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:14:00 +0800

Maaya Sakamoto - “Universe” - A Movie Short (via Kuramei)

This is one of those things I’d been meaning to check out for years but kept forgetting to, until recently. It’s like Visualizer p0rn. If only all media player visualizers were so awesome.

"…How I couldn’t be what you’d need… But oh how I could make you..."

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:18:00 +0800

“

…How I couldn’t be what you’d need…
But oh how I could make you bleed…

I know the border lines we drew between us
Keep the weapons down,
Keep the wounded safe;
I know our antebellum innocence
Was never meant to see the light of our armistice.
But how much would I give to have it back again?
How much did we lose
To live this way?

”

- Antebellum, Vienna Teng

Just a snippet from one of my favorite songs from her newest record, Inland Territory.

Sleeping to Dream (via daimira)

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:47:00 +0800

Sleeping to Dream (via daimira)

"The good of a book lies in its being read […] Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs..."

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:25:42 +0800

“The good of a book lies in its being read […] Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs that produce no concepts, therefore it is dumb.”

- The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

as far as the eye can see (via daimira) [Bohol, Philippines]

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:57:00 +0800

as far as the eye can see (via daimira) [Bohol, Philippines]

#1

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:55:00 +0800

when the flowers die

does the dew weep as it falls

upon blades of grass?