FICTION: The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

The book was originally written in Dutch, & the original title is De brief voor de koning. I read the translation by Laura Watkinson.

Image from Goodreads

At a glance: children's fiction, adventure, not-English


From Goodreads:

The rule-book says that a young man who is to be knighted by King Dagonaut must pass the eve of the grand ceremony in silent vigil. However, Young Tiuri, son of the famous Tiuri the Valiant, breaks the rules - he opens the door to a stranger, who begs him to deliver a secret letter to the Black Knight with the White Shield. The letter is destined for the ruler of the neighbouring realm, King Unauwen, and concerns a matter of paramount importance. 

Tiuri accepts this dangerous mission, but when he arrives at the appointed place deep in the forest, he finds the Knight dying, murdered by the vicious Red Riders. As he races to deliver the letter to King Unauwen in the Knight's stead, Tiuri is pursued by the Red Riders, who threaten his life - but he is determined to fulfil his promise: the Black Knight must not have died in vain.

I took the liberty of splitting up the paragraph & adding a full stop.



Luna comments

I'm looking for foreign-language stories at the moment, and apparently this is one of the most well-known Dutch children's books. That sounds like a good starting point.

I quite enjoyed this story! It may be because it's been so long since I last read something like this - a pure questing type story with nothing on the side. This story is purely about Tiuri getting from point A to point B without getting killed.

Now, I'm not saying that it's easy to write this story, but the overall simplicity of the plot made it a light & enjoyable read. At 400+ pages, it's incredibly long for its genre and age category (but that's by the standards I've known, which may well be different for the time period and nationality of this story), but I didn't mind at all. Wow, I miss being a child, in this aspect at least.

I really liked the setting of this story. It's set in medieval-like times, with lords and ladies and castles and knights. I enjoyed the descriptions of the places that Tiuri came to - the towns and cities, the forest, the mountains.

This being purely an adventure story, the characters don't have a great deal of opportunity to show various facets of themselves. But I liked them nevertheless. I liked Tiuri's determination, Piak's optimism and quickness, I liked the various people who decided to help them even though they didn't exactly know why Tiuri & Piak were in trouble. I liked how other characters, except those from the 'bad guys' side', helped Tiuri in some way, instead of being opportunistic. So despite the greater threat looming over them, it was a pleasant world and that made me very happy. =]

I'm also going to add that the author illustrates the pictures in this book as well =] So you get an illustration for each part - eight in total. Just a nice touch.

Closing

It's a nice adventure story suitable for children =] and over-sized, over-aged 'children' like me =] and maybe you too - who knows?

ANIME: 進撃の巨人 (Attack on Titan)

Also known as Shingeki no Kyojin (which is the romanisation of the Japanese)

Image from IMDb

At a glance: action, anime TV series (24 episodes, each ~20 minutes), Japanese, non-English, recommend 18+ (gore, & language [if the subs are to be believed])


Summary

A long time ago, a strange breed of giant humanoid lifeforms called the Titans came into existence. They stand from 3 feet up very high up ^^", often don't show signs of intelligence, and do not seem to have to eat or perform any other biological functions. There is also only one way to kill them, which is by slicing off a piece of flesh at the back of their neck. Their sole purpose seems to be to devour humans.

Due to their size and obsession and resistance towards being killed, they're incredibly dangerous, and the last of humanity now live within the safety of walled cities while the Titans roam the rest of the world.

But then, one day, a previously unknown type of Titan breaks down the outermost wall of the city, causing many casualties and forcing the rest of the citizens inside second wall. Eren loses his mother to a Titan, and from then on focuses single-mindedly on joining the Survey Corps and killing all the Titans he can lay his hands on.


Luna comments

The overview, and warnings of blood and gore, really didn't make me very interested in the series. And I'm generally not very interested in these sorts of premises. But then after hearing everyone in the anime circles talk about it, and then getting it recommended to me by my most reliable sources, and also having nothing else to watch, I gave it a shot.

And now I'm a fan too.

There still isn't much to talk about for the plot. They do make little discoveries, but they're so few and far in between that that's not really what makes the story interesting. For me, this story really hinges upon its characters. Oh, and the action scenes. They use what's called '3D Maneuver Gear' which consists of a pair of grappling hooks mounted on a complicated contraption that the user wears around their waist. This is their primary method of movement in a fight within the city walls. Despite my lacklustre description, surely it sounds awesome =D

Back to the characters. Here's a picture of the graduates from Eren's trainee squad.

Image from Shingeki No Kyojin Wiki
Eren is the 6th from the left.
Mikasa (his adoptive sister) is on his right and the top of the class.
Armin (his friend from childhood) is the 4th from the left.

I really like the the characters, even though I don't necessarily really like some of the characters themselves (most notably: Eren). They're a diverse and well fleshed-out bunch. Even though some of them don't have much screentime, they have the presence of a full-blown character rather than an 'extra'. They give the feeling that they have their own thoughts, emotions and lives somewhere off-screen.

As a group, the series does well in showing the characters' transformations. They start as trainees who may not even be in it because they want to fight titans (some are in it for the glory; particularly, if they graduate in the top 10, they are allowed to join the Military Police and move inside the innermost wall, to live among and move in the circles of the highest levels of society). They know that that's what they'll be doing if they graduate, but even then it's clear that the reality and horror of the situation doesn't hit home. They train hard, and the instructors warn them that not everyone survives even the training stages. These trainees make it anyway.

But then they encounter their first titan and watch as their friends and colleagues get killed. The show doesn't skimp on the visuals either, so these moments have quite an impact. Over the course of the series, they lose more and more members, and have to come to a decision about whether they really want to be risking their lives for the role they've trained for. The levity and playfulness of some of the trainees disappear over the course of the story. It's sad, but very fitting.

Anyway. Eren is very angry, rash, impulsive, and it doesn't take much to make him blow. He can act a bit uncaring and callous even towards his best friends, even though he does care very much for them. He's just a very angry person. Even before his mother was killed by a Titan, he showed a tendency to get angry, but this was exacerbated by that traumatic event. His emotions easily take over his rational thinking. So I don't find him very likable, but he's actions and personality are well-justified.

All the other major and recurring characters are pretty awesome, though =D

Movie version

They're making a movie version of this, which apparently cuts out some very important characters & adds in other new ones.

I think it's very funny that no one (including me) is complaining that cast is completely Japanese, even though Mikasa is the only known Asian. =P But I'm not complaining or anything. I just find it funny in light of the comlaints against the Avatar: the Last Airbender cast (yours truly, of course, being a complainant too).


Closing

Hmm. Give it a try someday. Nice action & cool characters =] 

NON-FICTION: What a Wonderful World: One Man's Attempt to Explain the Big Stuff by Marcus Chown

Image from Amazon.com

At a glance: humour, non-fiction, science (& assorted other subjects)

From Goodreads:

Why do we breathe? What is money? How does the brain work? Why did life invent sex? Does time really exist? How does capitalism work - or not, as the case may be? Where do mountains come from? How do computers work? How did humans get to dominate the Earth? Why is there something rather than nothing?

In What a Wonderful World, Marcus Chown, bestselling author of Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You and the Solar System app, uses his vast scientific knowledge and deep understanding of extremely complex processes to answer simple questions about the workings of our everyday lives. Lucid, witty and hugely entertaining, it explains the basics of our essential existence, stopping along the way to show us why the Atlantic is widening by a thumbs' length each year, how money permits trade to time travel, why the crucial advantage humans had over Neanderthals was sewing, and why we are all living in a giant hologram.*

* took the liberty of adding two commas.


Luna comments

I've read three of Chown's books, & they all have clear & simple explanations. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

But previously, he'd been explaining quantum physics. (Well, that was the subject matter of Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You and We Need to Talk About Kelvin, which were the two other books of his that I'd read.) In this book, he delves into various other subjects, including: history, economics, biology. & quantum physics - that's there too.

So this book is really good if you want to just get a general understanding of a range of topics. Even if you're the type who thinks that science isn't the thing for you, I'd still recommend it because this book is really about explaining [a part] of everything that makes the world what it is today. Of course, nothing to our current knowledge can really do that, but this is a pretty good attempt. How can it not be fascinating, to see all the tools and paints used to create this big picture?

Closing

I don't really have much to say. It's really good. Read it =]

MANGA: ライアーゲーム by 甲斐谷忍 (Liar Game by Kaitani Shinobu)

Liar Game first volume cover - Image from Wikipedia

 
At a glance: manga (19 volumes), not-English, Japanese, psychological

Summary

Kanzaki Nao is an innocent, naive and trusting girl who's honest to a fault. But one day, she receives in her mail an invitation to participate in the Liar Game, and becomes an unwitting player. After losing all her money, she requests the help of ex-con man Akiyama Shin'ichi...

Luna comments

All names are in Japanese order (surname, first name) & all characters are referred to by surname. So is the mangaka - so 'Kaitani' is the surname.

This manga has been running ran for ten years & I've been chasing new chapters for about five. So when it finished earlier this year, it was both a very happy & very sad moment.

So. Where do I even start.

This is another manga that seems to be rather polarising - out of the people I've asked, they've either liked it or disliked it, but I've yet to hear someone say they're neutral about it.

The dodgiest thing about this is probably the way all the players got into the Liar Game. They were 'invited', as in they received a card in their mail that informed them of what was happening. If Kanzaki's experiences are anything to go by, then there is no way they can get out of it after the invitation. (Some ways arise later in the game, but they had to play the first round.) I found it unrealistic that such a massive operation could remain hidden from authorities - or that there would be no way the players could get out of it - but I suspended that disbelief & read on, & I'm so glad I did.

So if you can get past that initial stumbling block, the rest of the story is completely worth your while.

The Liar Game consists of multiple rounds, or 'games'. Each one of them have different rules. The only thing they have in common is that big money is involved & that players are free to manipulate & lie, or even tell the truth, to their opponents, in order to take the opponents' money. The rest of the plot is just watching how the games unfold - the different rules of the game, the different ways the characters play them, & all the lies & manipulation & tactics that they use on each other.

There is so much in there, & yet I can say so little because nothing beats seeing it first-hand, without that experience ruined by enthusiasts like me who inadvertently spoil the details.

The gameplay is always exciting, without exception, even when a chapter might go through little more than, say, a character pondering a certain move. Kaitani is also an evil genius - most chapters end on a cliffhanger.

But, even though some of the people are so malicious, & the situation so removed from reality, I found that nevertheless there are plenty of parallels between the gameplay & the world we live in. Exactly what they are, I'll leave to you to find out.

This reflection really made the games more interesting - on top of the excellent plot, there are clear messages that Kaitani is trying to get through to his readers. This story really encourages its readers to think. About everything.

One warning: you may not love the ending. I didn't particularly like it. But I can see the sense in it and I can accept what the mangaka has chosen. So it didn't really ruin the series for me.


Closing

Read it now! NOW! Read to the end of the first round, & you can decide whether you're in the 'like' or 'dislike' camp. Highly highly highly recommend.