"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

 

SYNOPSIS

This is a brilliant work of metafiction, telling the stories of a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War and based on first-hand experience. Meditating upon topics such as innocence, love, comradeship, bravery, and the power of stories and the truths they tell, O’Brien, through a fictional version of himself, talks of life, the people he saw, and the things they carried with them.

OPENING THOUGHTS

First of all, I would like to make some announcements. First, I would like to apologize to my readers for not releasing a post last week, but prior commitments to the old- I mean adult arrangements prevented me from doing so. I will be forced into a biweekly (once every two weeks,) schedule from now on, so I apologize to my readers for forcing them to wait twice as long. I feel very sorry, especially since it gives me great joy to see that people actually read these things. To segue off of the announcement, I thank you for reading and here is this week’s review.

My thoughts on this book was honestly how moving it was. The book constantly moves around through interconnected stories displaying a theme on what exactly is the nature of truth in a story, and whether there are problems with fictional accounts or maneuvered truth if it displays how things felt. 

This book blends reality and fiction, both within the story-world itself and in its worlds relation to reality. It weaves together narratives of camaraderie and life with dark humor and death. It mixes love with fear. Remembrance and loss.

Ultimately, it is a tale spoken through metaphors and morals, stories that paint a portrait of the young boys sent across the Pacific Ocean and into a war zone. It may not be a political story, or really about the war and the enemy, but rather one of personal reflection and compassion.

LOVING CRITICISM

Often times, people might be confused by the broken up nature of the novel, with each story jumping back and forth through time, and the narrative is a very contradictory on the nature of truth, with O’Brien consistently admitting scenes prior brought up as entirely fabricated and ultimately people may find this very confusing, especially those who desire actual answers.

The lack of character development may also put some off, and is part of the reason this review lacks a section for it.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

Yes, it is a funny, yet deeply moving work that uses its metafictional elements that explores the deeper meaning in life, and what truth is, not as fact, but as true expression of emotion.

REVIEW: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum

 

SYNOPSIS

This is the story of Dorothy, a young farm girl from Kansas, as she is swept up in a cyclone and dropped into the strange land of Oz, a fantasy and untamed realm of magic. Here she quests for a way home by searching for a user of magic strong enough to send her back home.

She makes friends along the way, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion, each one suffering a predicament they believe only magic can fix, and she and her friends are forced to fight through the wilds of Oz and some evil inhabitants who lurk there.

MY INITIAL TAKE

Now, we have a children’s book whose fan base was so rabid, (as we all know most children and adults are) that the author was enslaved to pump out sequels until his death. Frankly, I don’t think that the book was that good, but then again, I didn’t read it until after I aged out of the intended audience range. Unlike usual, I will talk about events that do spoil plot points, but it’s story almost everyone knows, even if they haven’t read the book

This book, to me, is a simple and whimsical tale about a fantastic adventure with almost child-like attributes in descriptions and threats. It's a fun book, but mostly for a boring afternoon, or if you read it to children.

And sometimes, that's what you want. Nothing big or fancy, just a simple tale meant to entertain (I don't buy that silver nonsense. It's just looking into things too deeply.)

WHAT I LOVED MOST

Frankly, the most lovable thing about it is that it’s a cute story, with fun and silly characters. The story doesn’t require much thought, yet the situations are quite imaginative and fun to read. There’s not much to say about the book, as much of it is widely known, but there are a few differences, with one making the ending make far more sense.

LOVING CRITICISM

The most criticism that I can muster would be that the book is principally a children’s book, and people at a higher reading comprehension level may find it boring and unengaging. Like the last section, I don’t have much to say.

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER

Honestly, my favorite character would be a tie between Dorothy’s three companions: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion.

The Scarecrow is an animate scarecrow who was made a few days before meeting Dorothy while she traveled through Munchkin land that seeks to be given a brain. He starts the story as clumsy and naïve, he begins to show a sense of cleverness. He creates intelligent and thoughtful solutions to Dorothy and the others’ problems, but because he equates having a brain with intelligence, he ironically believes himself incredibly dull.

The Tin Woodsman is a woodsman who was cursed by a witch to slowly lose his body parts until he had replaced all of it with Tin because he loved a girl. He believes himself incapable of love, and so abandoned his pursuit of the girl. Yet, he felt guilty and as such seeks to regain a heart. He thinks of himself as cold-hearted, but he is one of the most compassionate and sympathizing people in the whole book.

The Lion is a lion who lives in the forest, but was so intimidated by everything, used his reputation as a lion to frighten everyone away. He is the last to join Dorothy, and like the others, has a wish he wants granted. He desires courage, even though he shows it as he throws his life on the line for the others whenever they have need of his strength.

The reason I like these characters is the irony of their tales. Each one desires a quality that they fail to realize that they possess. The Wizard even points this out to them, and when they force him to give them it anyway, his solutions are obvious placebos. They really learn to show it as they continue on their journey, but they have become so focused on it being contingent on a physical quality, they fail to realize it until they receive placebos from the Wizard.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

Yes, though I do caution some. This book is different, and actually longer than the classic film, but it is meant for a young audience, and as such, may not be appealing to some.

REVIEW: "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton

 

SYNOPSIS

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.

Until something goes wrong. . . .

WHAT I LOVED MOST

Now we move onto Jurassic Park, a novel many only know because of the movie adaptation. Which makes explaining the premise of this book quite easy. A team of experts assembled by a wealthy genetic engineering corporation are brought to a zoo/theme park where dinosaurs are reconstructed by skilled technicians when accidents put the feasibility of the park opening at risk. Several accidents, caused by glitches and people alike, throw the park out of control, and now the team must fight for their survival.

Before we move deeper, I must comment that the book and the movie are not very similar. They both feature the basic premise, and most of the characters have the same names, but the plot doesn’t always match up and many characterizations are extremely different. Just because you watched the movie, doesn’t mean you will know the plot of the book, and concurrently, you may be a fan of one and not the other.

On a personal note, I found this book to be a thrilling novel. It had an interesting premise that was expanded into an interesting plot. You have a large cast, some of which will be likable and some not, that the narrative moves around. The shifting narrators allow us to follow both the personal feelings of the cast and the action, while also creating an atmosphere of suspense as the reader becomes increasingly aware of events and dangers that the current narrator may fall victim to without realizing it. It was a fun novel, not really taking that much effort to finish. I really enjoyed the plot, though that may be my bias speaking, due to my interest in dinosaurs.

LOVING CRITICISM

The book may seem dull due to the in-depth descriptions afforded to the scientific processes, a fact that the novel even admits though the young narrator Tim to be boring, and the characters feel stale and overused, particularly if you are familiar with Crichton’s work. You certainly see it in Dr. Ellie Sattler, who frankly reads like most of the women created by Crichton.

The archaisms may be a little amusing, such as the top-of-the-line computers used to automate the islands are actually inferior to most modern smartphones, and there are several inaccuracies with the dinosaurs.

The final criticism is that the theme of  the dangers of abusing technology can get boring, as it’s basically the same theme that every other Crichton book. As I once heard someone describing the differences between book and film (though I can’t recall who,) for every speech about it that Malcom gives in the movie, he gives nearly five in the book, and I feel this can get preachy after awhile.

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER

My favorite character would have to be Dr. Alan Grant. I feel he is the most likeable and is actually very different from the movie. Instead of being a young professional man who dislikes children, he is a middle aged, friendly, casual and bearded widower and has a healthy love of children, particularly those fascinated by dinosaurs.

He has a similar role in the movie, where he is a paleontologist who briefly met years ago and is funded by John Hammond, and is invited to the island. During the chaos he is forced to watch after Tim and Lex, and later becomes one of the leaders of the group attempting to survive the dinosaurs.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK?

While I feel this book to be a bit slow in the beginning, it quickly makes up for it once at the titular park, and I feel it to be a fun, if long, and exciting thriller that I would recommend to many.

ANALYSIS: The Hero's Journey in "Throne of Glass" Series by Sarah J. Maas

 

SYNOPSIS

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

INTRODUCTION

What better way to start off the new year than with a good hero's journey?

I picked "Throne of Glass" up in my favorite bookstore when I was sixteen and have been a faithful fan of Sarah J. Maas ever since. I think this book is better than some reviewers give it credit for, and it gives a great example of the hero's journey--I would even say it gives many.  

This analysis of Celaena's hero's journey will include spoilers for the series! To be marked with (!) before a spoiler. 

The Call to Adventure in "Throne of Glass"

In the series' first installment, Celaena Sardothian arrives at the Glass Palace to compete to become the King of Adarlan's official champion, sponsored by his son, Prince Dorian. Celaena is asked to compete for her freedom, something she has never truly had. If she fails, she will be returned to the slave mines of Endovier, a place she was willing to die to escape. 

The "call to adventure" is an important part of any story, and it requires several important ingredients. First and foremost, to be a proper call to adventure, it must matter to your hero. By placing Celaena's freedom on the line, Maas has created sufficient motivation for the girl to act. However, more than just the plot of the book has been kicked off here. A decade ago, Celaena's loving parents died, and she was forced to flee from her wartorn home country, finding herself on the doorstep of Arobynn Hamel, a self-styled assassin king who takes Celaena in and trains her to become an assassin. In the prequels, we see that though Celaena is full of swagger and attitude, she is ultimately subservient to Arobynn until she finds a greater friend and genuine love in Sam Cortland, the son of a courtesan. However, Sam's death at the hands of Arobynn breaks her, and any moment she had gained to change her world is sapped. 

For the first time, Celaena has hope for freedom. All she has to do is win the competition and serve her time as the royal champion and all she ever wanted, a peaceful life in the country, is hers. But a CTA has to do more than just matter to a protagonist. It has to disrupt their life so much that they must act. Maas does this by putting Celaena in prison so that she has no real choice, but also by bringing the bright and driven Princess Nehemia into her life. Celaena and Nehemia are fast friends and find that they both find the king tyrannical. Without Nehemia to guide her forward, Celaena may never have had the motivation to actually begin her journey, as Nehemia's vision is unable to be completed without her. 

Celaena's call to adventure comes in the form of the two things that matter most to her: freedom, and love and friendship. 

Crossing the Threshold in "Crown of Midnight"

"Crown of Midnight" is most people's least favorite book in this series. It's slow and stagnating. Not much of note happens with Celaena, and much of it is people trying to get Celaena to react in some way. Perhaps Maas didn't need to drag this story on quite as long as she did, but there was a reason for this book.  

Before I get into Celaena's arc in this journey, I want to bring up another major journey in this series. Dorian is one of many viewpoint characters, and while this is undeniably Celeana's story, he seemed more important than many other characters, to the point of being a deuteragonist. He is one of our first viewpoint characters, along with Chaol and Celaena, his actions kick off the plot, and he serves as a foil for Celaena. The two share many similarities. !They are both bookworms, both very confident and flirtatious, both royalty, and both heirs to their kingdoms. They even met once before Celaena's world came to a crashing end, back when she was a princess. 

Foils aren't just the same character, though, and Dorian differs from Celaena in a few distinct ways. !Whereas she was the princess of a destroyed kingdom, he was the son of the conqueror who destroyed it. Her father guided her through the isolation her volatile magic caused for her, while Dorian was terrified of his father finding out. 

You can buy "Throne of Glass" on Amazon or your favorite bookstore.