Book Review: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Title: Song of Solomon
Author: Toni Morrison
Published: New York: Everyman's Library, 2003 (1977)
Page Count: 416
Total Page Count: 21,713
Text Number: 62
Read For: my own enjoyment, borrowed from the library
Short review: Unfortunately, my computer ate my first draft, so this is going to be short and sweet. Unlike most of Morrison's novels, Song of Solomon takes place in the north and has a male protagonist, Macon "Milkman" Dead III. In a story of life, death, and family legacy, Milkman must reevaluate his own life as a comparatively privileged, discriminated against black man living in the north. He explores his relationships with his female relatives, father, friends, and death, and journey's south to discover the stories of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Told in Morrison's magical-realistic style, the characters are realistic, the visuals stunning, the subject huge, and the story haunting and engrossing. I enjoy her female protagonists more as well as her usual southern setting, but there's no doubt that this is a good read.

( Long review. )

Book Review: Redwall by Brian Jacques

Title: Redwall
Author: Brian Jacques
Published: New York: Avon Books, 1990 (1986)
Page Count: 351
Total Page Count: 22,064
Text Number: 63
Read For: my own enjoyment
Short review: The first book of the Redwall series. For the first time since it was built, Redwall Abbey is under attack: the warlord Cluny the Scourge, a massive, evil rat who uses his tail as a whip, wants to capture Redwall, enslave the inhabitants, and claim Mossflower for his own. The peaceful mice of Redwall must fight back or die. One young apprentice monk, Matthias, rises up from among the Redwallers to become a warrior and an adventurer, going on a quest to find and recover the long-lost sort of Martian the Warrior, founder of the Abbey, so that he can challenge Cluny to battle and save Redwall. As the first Redwall book, it actually the most out of place in the series: Jacques is still experimenting with setting, human influence, and the nature of Redwall itself. As a result, it does read as a first novel and feels a bit unfinished. Nonetheless, his book is already full of the riddles, memorable and amusing characters with fun accents and turns of phrase, intelligent and exciting battle sequences, and ongoing quests and adventures. Redwall is one of the books in the series that I remember best between rereads: it is a classic, an exiting read, and an appropriate beginning to the rest of the series.

( Long review. )

Posted here on Amazon.com.

Book Review: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels
Author: Libba Bray
Published: New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2005
Page Count: 560
Total Page Count: 22,624
Text Number: 64
Read For: my own enjoyment
Short review: The sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels continues the story of Gemma and her friends. Also set in Victorian England, this time over a school holiday, it is another gothic story of magic, otherworlds, and a battle of good against evil. Although Gemma did what she could in the last book to prevent the magic of the Realms from falling in to the wrong hands, that magic still needs to be safely sealed away. Gemma and her friends search the Realms for the Temple, a magical strong hold where Gemma will be able to seal the magic. Meanwhile, Circe is still on the lose, in search of Gemma and of power, and the girls are distracted by the social and family issues as they spend Christmas break in London. Rebel Angels improves over the original novel, offering a more coherent and satisfying plotline, additional character backstories, and a more mature writing style on Bray's part. However, the plot twists that make up the end of the novel are forced and unrealistically unpredictable, and both the protagonist and story remain a little bit immature, abrasive, and insulting. I don't really recommend either book in the series, but if you do read A Great and Terrible Beauty then I highly recommend you also read Rebel Angels. It moves quickly and shows a lot of improvement over the first book, creating a more enjoyable and complete story.

( Long review. )

Review posted here at Amazon.com.