“The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare”, G. K. Chesterton

For those of you who don’t know, I like old books… this is less of a review and more of a go-read-this-book-now-or-else directive. Actually critiquing the work of such masters is beyond my ken. :-) Since this book is out of copyright, you can get it as a free eBook here, or if you prefer, a free audiobook here. If you don’t like eBooks (like me), you can print it off, get it from the library, or even actually buy a copy.

Background Info:

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare was written by G. K. Chesterton and first published in 1908.

Plot Intro:

Gabriel Syme, a poet, arrives in Saffron Park (a town, not a park), and gets into an argument with the resident poet, Lucian Gregory, about the meaning of poetry. Gregory becomes irritated with Syme after Syme says that Gregory is not a serious anarchist. Gregory then takes Syme to the secret headquarters of the “serious anarchists” to prove him wrong.

My Notes:

Unfortunately, my little intro gives you no idea of the premise of the story; but to give you an idea of the premise of the story, I would have to ruin the first three chapters of the book, and that wouldn’t be fun for anyone, least of all me. Just go read the book. There’s mystery, some very funny moments (despite the title), and allegory to spare.

I Didn’t Like:

Well, this is one of my favorite books, but there are a few little gotchas. The main one is that there is some language (the usual; “bloody”, “damn”, “hell”, and a few variants; nothing worse than that) [was I supposed to put stars in those? It’s not like I’m using them, but I’m not sure what the convention is.]

Unless you are not allowed to read books with swear words in them, go and read this book now. If you’ve already read it, you are of course encouraged to post your take on it in the comments.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart has recently been made into a movie, and it sounds like an interesting plot: a man who can read characters out of books and into our world discovers his talent when he accidentally reads two bad men and one "good" man into our world. And thus the battle between good and evil begins.

I didn't like it.

The plot idea is good, but I don't like the author's style that much. Her simile's don't make sense, and all of her characters are annoying. Including the hero, his daughter and other "good guys." The story is WAY too long, by the middle of the book I was ready for the good characters to die, ANYTHING to end the endless story! And when it finally did end, it was a sudden, unsatisfactory ending, which obviously is supposed to have the sequels the author has written. I don't know if I'm going to bother with the next two books. The good news is that the movie has a chance of being better than the book it's based on (which hardly ever happens with GOOD books).

Also, the book is written in a style that seems to be for children (8-12 in my opinion) but at the same time is way over their heads (and also kind of scary in places). I don't recommend it for anyone.

However, just in case you want to read it and form your own opinion:
There are a few cuss words but otherwise it's clean.
There is no mention of God, but the "bad guys" spread stories about the devil to help with their cover.
There is a abandoned church used by the bad guys as a meeting place. They painted the walls blood-red and put a throne (of sorts) for the main villain in place of the altar.
There is a mention of witchcraft, although no signs that there are any real witches or magic (other than the magic of reading characters out of books, anyway).

But in spite of all that, I plan to see the movie if I ever get a nice, inexpensive opportunity. The movie will likely be shorter, and since I expect it to be something as cheesy as Eragon or the Spiderwick Chronicles, I probably won't be disappointed.

~Lizzie

"The Legend of the Seeker"

Note:  There have been seventeen episodes released.  I, however, have only seen the first ten and this review is based on them.

This is a new TV series, (premiered last November), that is a bit like a “Princess Bride meet Lord of the Rings.”  Magic plays a significant role in it, so stay away if you can’t stand the unrealistic!

My impression:   It is very well acted, and the plot is appealing.  Richard Cypher is a young, (very handsome of course!), farmer boy who’s happy world gets shattered when he simultaneously learns that he is the one spoken of in an ancient prophecy, (to be the wielder of the Sword of Truth, to seek out and fight evil wherever it is found, and to ultimately kill the tyrant of the Midlands, Darken Rahl); and that Darken Rahl is sending an army to kill him.  Richard is joined by an old wizard named Zeddicus and a lovely young Confessor named Kahlan, (kay-lin), who are to aide him in his quest against all forces of evil.  As a Confessor, Kahlan’s touch can make anyone confess the truth and do whatever she bids. 

Richard and Kahlan are thoroughly likable and their characters are very well developed!  You feel like you really know them.  Zedd is generally very amusing, but some of his doings are going to show up in my “don’t like” list below.  Warning:  THIS THING IS ADDICTING!!  You get so attached to the people, and each episode is so exciting, that you get… quite frankly… addicted.  There is also humor sprinkled throughout, along with touches of romance.  I assume it’s a PG rating; there is blood but not in excessiveness.  I don’t recall any foul language.  It was filmed in New Zealand, so the scenery is awesome!

What I don’t like:  First, the morality in the fantasy world portrayed is rather loose.  Your nose isn’t rubbed in it, but there are occasional references to “so-and-so’s lover.”  Also, Zedd was apparently quite a ladies’ man in his younger days and in one of the episodes, a woman shows up claiming that he has a son which leads to some awkward conversations.  Secondly, in the first scene in which Zedd appears, (poor Zedd, sorry to pick on you buddy but it can’t be helped), he lacks clothing.  It’s dark, and at first all you see is a silhouette and you can’t really tell, and when he turns around he’s shielded with a, umm, chicken, but it’s still rather shocking if you aren’t expecting it!  At least that scene is very brief.

Overall:  The good outweighs the bad!!  All the episodes made so far are available for free watching at legendoftheseeker.com.  They do have commercials, but only like 30 seconds worth every now and then.  That is where my siblings and I watch them.  There aren’t grand earth shattering lessons to be learned from “The Legend of the Seeker,” but its theme is good against evil and good always wins! 

"Day of the Triffids", John Wyndham

Background info:

Day of the Triffids was written in 1951 by John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, under the pseudonym John Wyndham (taken from his ample supply of middle names). This was the first book that he wrote under this pen name. Just so everyone knows, John Wyndham is my absolute favorite science fiction (SF) author, and I have enjoyed all of his books (and short stories) that I have read so far.

Plot Intro:

The book is set in England, at an unknown date (probably in the future). It begins in London, where the main character William Masen is hospitalized, with his eyes bandaged over. During this time, a strange green meteor shower occurs, which leaves everyone who saw it blind. This causes a mass panic and disorder.

Masen soon meets up with another sighted person, named Josella Playton. The two decide that they have a better chance of surviving if they stick together.

They soon join up with a larger group of sighted people who plan on re-building society.

At the beginning of the story, a species of plant called the Triffid is introduced. Due to its usefulness, it is planted and farmed all around the world. Triffids are carnivorous, mobile plants with whiplash poison tongues. When the populace in general is struck blind, the triffids escape and begin to feed off the blind people.

My Notes:

I love Wyndham's books. Of course, one has to bear in mind that he has a naturalistic point of view, so I would take any ideas with an extra pinch of salt. (Yes, of course you can get ideas from SF...) He writes well, the story has a plot, the characters have character, and so on. The plot is developed well, and you are always wondering if the main characters will actually survive (because, while in a series we can say "Dr. Jackson is mentioned in the blurb for the next episode, he's still going to be around at the end of this one", this is not so with a book. While many authors prefer not to kill their main characters, some don't mind killing them off), creating suspense... which we all love.

Of course, I could do an actual literary analysis, but that would be spoiler city, and it would be an essay. So I shall say this: the book is awesome, well worth the read, assuming that you don't hate post-apocalyptic SF and light romance.

I Didn't Like:

• Wyndham's books are restricted in my household (i.e., you need to be at a certain level of maturity before you're allowed to read them.). These books are written for adults, but are probably milder than some of the things you'll find in the YA section in your library. If you are eight, don't go read this book, and if you do, don't mention me to your parents... please?

• The word 'hell' is used several times (as a swear word).

• Yes, there is some romance in the book, but not a great deal, for those of you who avoid such things.

• Christianity is represented as old-fashioned, inapplicable, and a unreasonable in the circumstances.

• Several minor characters commit suicide.

• The portrayal of the triffids is somewhat disturbing. This is mainly in hindsight, since I read this right after The Lord of the Flies, which is very disturbing to say the least... but that's another review, of course.

All these warnings aside, an excellent book. Just keep it away from your 13-year-old little brother.

"Kiss" by Ted Dekker

I admit, the title made me arch my eyebrows and give it a questioning look. "'Kiss'?? Really, Dekker? This better not be a sappy romance." It isn't. Although there is a bit of mild kissing (but nothing more).

I read this book, in spite of the title, because I've read some of Ted Dekker's books before, and I really like his style. This book was no exception, and possibly my favorite of his so far. The plot was fantastic, the mystery quite mysterious and the characters engaging and real. His writing style makes the story come alive for me, more than any other author I've ever read. I can SEE the places, his characters; everything is so real, it could have been a movie.

I can't say more, because any information would spoil the story. All I can say is, don't let the title fool you, this is an amazing book. Do yourself a favor and read it!

~Lizzie

The Introductory Post

I decided to start this blog because I did so many reviews on my personal blog that I figured they merited their own blog. And I also thought that some of my friends (or even people that I may not know!) would like to contribute as well. Since this is The Homeschooled Review (title subject to random and witty changes), to be an author you must be currently homeschooled, a homeschool graduate, or homeschooled at some point in your life. Please send me (or post in the comments) an example of your writing. Please use correct punctuation, spelling and grammar. no txt tlk plz!!

Welcome to The Homeschooled Review!

~Lizzie