Mysterious Max

Down the Mysterly River by author Bill Willingham and Illustrator Mark Buckingham

* ARC I read provided by Tor|Forge Books

* Book will be released on September 13, 2011

A heck of a read, this gets a definite 4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes for feeling like a modern day fairy tale and making you think twice about how characters in stories are treated.  This book reads like a mix of Alice in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows but with a lot more killing and life lessons learned the hard way.

Max the Wolf is a Boy Scout who has the nickname wolf.  This leads to a misunderstanding of sorts.  Max is well known for solving mysteries and generally being able to figure things out for himself.  Max wakes up remembering nothing about how he got where he is now.  Not knowing where he is really throws him and then he meets a talking badger.  At first, like any sensible person would, he thinks he’s dreaming.  

At first I thought it was going to be more of a happy-go-lucky kind of book.  Then the boy and the badger get attacked by dogs and a man with a wicked looking blue sword.  This unexpected attack adds more tension and mystery to the story.  Especially since the people of this world seem to know about Max and yet he knows nothing about them.

This of course leads to more questions, and Max isn’t the kind of boy that sits idly by.  He tries to understand the world and survive no matter what.  He takes meeting talking animals pretty much in stride after that.  He slowly meets more animals who like him, aren’t exactly sure how they got into the world they’re now in.  His next two companions he meets are McTavish the monster who is a monstrous looking cat who isn’t afraid of taking on anyone and Walden the bear who used to be a sheriff.  They are all on the run from the blue cutters aka the bad guys with the blue swords.

It’s nice getting to see the point of view of the bad guys and the good guys.  The bad guys are deluded and are a hundred percent sure that what they’re doing is right.  What they are doing is horribly creepy.  They cut people/animals with their swords and change everything about them all in order to suit whatever they think would make the creature or person better.  

The group slowly learns more about the world and meets some really strange people along the way.  There’s lots of excitement and plenty of mysteries to solve.  I like that the mysteries of this world are not easily solved.  

No answers are easily achieved and the final mystery when solved by Max leads to even more questions about the future.  

The ending of the book is exciting and makes you think that these characters have the potential to keep going on to new adventures.  If you're looking for a book that will keep you thinking long after you finish reading, then this book is the book for you.


My Favorite Quotes/Lines“Maybe Kerris will make me a cook, or let me work in the kennels, or even make a librarian out of me.  There would be some dignity in that at least.”

“It’s only those who prefer to wrap up in a warm bear pelt without the bear attached that I find fault with.”

“You think better after you poop?” McTavish said.  “Me too!  Maybe I could be a detective.”

“If he’s a hero, then I’m the long-lost son of an improbable union between a flounder and a mountain goat.”

“What did I say that was so bad?”  McTavish asked.  “I’m just trying to contribute to the discussion.  You all said something, so I thought it was my turn to speak.  This busi-ness of having friends is still new to me, but isn’t that what friends do in a friendly conversation?  We each take turns saying stuff, right?  So I said stuff.”

Sentence Sneak Peek - Down the Mysterly River

Down the Mysterly River by author Bill Willingham and Illustrator Mark Buckingham

The first sentence from each chapter of Down the Mysterly River, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* All first sentences are from an ARC I read provided by Tor|Forge Books

* Book will be released on September 13, 2011

* Spoilers are highlighted like this :)

"Max the Wolf was a wolf in exactly the same way that foothills are made up of real feet and a tiger shark is part tiger, which is to say, not at all."

"McTavish the Monster was on the run again."

"Before Max and Banderbrock had been asleep for very long, they were wakened by the sounds of barking and howling dogs not too far off in the distance."

"I never expected you to fight my battles for me," McTavish said, in the dying light of the campfire."

"Just before dawn, Lord Ander buried Cara-doc in a meadow higher up the same hill on which he'd lost the fight with Max the Wolf and his allies."

"This is not a good time to find ourselves trapped with our backs to a cliff," McTavish said."

"Walden the Bear was a black bear, even though, except for his nose, and possibly his eyes, he wasn't black."

"By midday the eight riders in Lord Robert's group had finished the treacherous over-land race east, from Cutters Keep to the high mountain road."

"Diana reached the bottom of the escarp-ment without mishap, though the rain made the rounded stone surface of the narrow ledge slick and deadly."

"First," Max said, when it was time to be-gin, "is this land the afterlife, as Bander-brock believes."

"From the bluff overlooking the secret grove, Diana looked through a small spyglass down on the company of fugitives talking—she sup-posed, since she couldn't hear them from so far away—to a particularly large aspen tree in the center of the grove."

"According to Prince Aspen, it wasn't more than an easy two-day hike through gently rolling woodlands from the location of his hidden grove to the road that led down into the Mysterly River valley."

"By the time the company had wakened to continue on their way, winding down the rudimentary forest trail to the roadway be-low them, Diana had already moved well ahead of them on the path."

"As much as a young boy is able to, Max prepared to meet his death as the hunting dogs hurled themselves down at them."

"The next day, early in the chilly morning, Max helped Paddy hook Incitatus up to the wagon, and they rolled off at a slow walking pace down the tail end of the mountain road, which meandered into the great Mys-terly River valley."

"Less than an hour after they were driven from the mountain road by the unwelcome appearance of the Eggman, forced away from their quarry and back into the trees of the Heroes Wood, the Cutters found Di-ana's bloodied and broken body among the large boul-ders at the bottom of the hill."

"When the female Cutter moved to intercept the boy and the animals making for the boat, the man in green prepared to help them against the woman."

"The day after McTavish left his friends on the riverbank, he found a large and sprawl-ing farm along the road south."

"To the unlikely question "How many Cutters are foolhardy enough to follow their prey into dangerous rapids?"

"Max hung in dark space, suspended be-tween a thousand intercanceling gravities."

"Max and Walden walked south for two days, remaining inside the narrow forest of giant redwoods that separated the river from the road that followed it."

"For a few minutes Max watched the Cutters ride away."

"Max looked at the pile of thin hardback books, spread out on a gian oaken table that had been polished to a mirror finish."

"Swift didn't call out, or pull a cord, or ring a bell, or do anything else to summon anyone that Max could discern, but a moment later Major appeared in the doorway of the wiz-ard's study."

"Max stood out on the south lawn, next to the large flat stone that seemed to grow up from the grass like a single tooth of some buried ogre."

Epilogue - "Walden the Bear never did learn how to be a detective or how to be the hero that arrives just in time."

Top 5 Sundays - Covers I'd Like to Have on My Walls!

This feature was thought up by the awesome Larissa's Bookish Life
Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)

4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.5 - If you don't have a blog to post, just leave your list in the coments =)

Top 5 Sundays - Covers I'd Like to Have on My Walls!  

I would love to have these book covers as posters on my wall.  So in no particular order here are my top 5:

 This cover is so intense and I knew I had to read this book when I saw it.  It has a great creepy yet beautifully well done feeling to it.

Another great creepy cover that would be a super poster.

Love the whimsical image of this cover, it would look great in any room of the house.  :)

 A truly awesome cover that would be great on anyone's wall, and it says so much about what you can expect to read.

I love this cover, it just tells you so much about the book without even reading a word and would make a great poster.

Giveaway - Win a PDF version of Tales from Frewyn

Tales from Frewyn Giveaway
Ends September 16th at Midnight (Central Time)

Win a PDF version of Tales from Frewyn

The author of Tales from Frewyn, Michelle Franklin has agreed to provide the winner of this giveaway with a PDF version of the book.

Rules to enter:

1.) Just leave a comment with your name and email address.  If you don't want to leave your email address leave your Twitter, or Facebook details.  Just make sure I'm able to contact you if you win.

2.) You don't have to follow the blog to win, but feel free to follow if you like what you see and leave any comments on reviews or posts that you find interesting.  :)

3.) Giveaway will end on September 9th at 11:59 PM. (Central Time)
Giveaway has been extended unitl September 16th, will end at Midnight (Central time)

*I'll pick the name of the winner out of a hat/box or whatever jar is convenient. 
Winner will be posted September 10th.
Winner will be posted on September 16th

Tales from Frewyn

Tales from Frewyn: Short Stories from the Haanta Series Vol. 1

Author Michelle Franklin.  Art by Twisk

This book would definitely get 3 tiara wearing bats fighting over an extra tiara ( or if you are not used to my rating system that is 3 and a half stars).

This book is packed full of great little stories that are sure to make you giggle and let you see more into the world of Frewyn.  My only real complaint about this book is that between the first full story and the book of short stories you pick up quite a few characters.  And don’t get me wrong I love the new additions (especially Obhantaa and his cat, he is my favorite) but I have to ask where did they come from. We go from not knowing them to they are there and living in the castle. My request would be to fill in the blanks a little so they don’t just appear.

Now here's my take on some of the short stories: 

The Five-Second Rule
A rule we are all familiar with I'm sure. Even members of the stricter cultures will claim it if the prize is good enough.

Supper

A time to come together and share a meal as a family. No matter how odd the family. Hope there is enough for everyone.

Gloves

To start with I want these gloves. They just sound so cute.  Also a wonderful gift for those who wish to stay warm in there endeavors.

Dancing

Not even a giant can deny the pull of music.

Raisin Cake

Sometimes when I am shopping for Bibliognome I buy things to tide here over so the good treats last just like this. That and the sweetest sweets are best when shared

The Gable Hood

You go Obhantaa with confidence you can pull off any look. :)

Parade

A stroll through a castle on a giants should wearing the kings crown. Sounds like fun.

Making Cookies

be carefully the cookie likenesses may contain your soul, we should protect them.

Games

When strategy games have had there fill try chance games.

Sharing

Sharing's a dangerous thing.  Once you start no one wants you to stop.


Plus so many more stories that are fun to enjoy and make everyone smile.

Here are various drawings that appear in the story:

Rautu Romance

The Commander and the Den Asaan Rautu

Vol 1. Book 1 in the Haanta Series

To start off as always the tiara wearing bats. This book can happily claim to have 4 out of 5 of them as fans.

I love the way that the characters have life without every last little thing they do or part of their life having to be listed on the page. You are able to get a really good feel for how they are.

A good portion of the story, at least in the beginning, is that it's told a lot from the overview point of view. Normally I do hate books that glaze over stuff in this fashion but this author does a great job of picking spots and events to do more detailed almost snap shot scenes of.

I love the commanders transformations from Farmer's daughter to girl out for revenge to military leader and closest friend of the king. It is great to watch this journey and it explains a lot of who and how she is.

It is nice to see the commander and her giant and how they interact, seeing them go from allies to friends and then so much more.

The island scenes make me want to explore this beautiful place. Although with how curious I get I am pretty sure I would have been kicked off of the island my first day there ie ( woops which symbol was on that door).

My favorite character is Ghelbhi. The fact that her name translates to destruction/destroyer is so perfect. The scene with the ships was amazing to picture. And things at the exam just make me think, more please. She just keeps getting more and more interesting.

My main complaint with this book is that I want volume two and don't have it. It has a cliff hanger ending and so much potential storyline left untapped. Looking forward to more.

Borders Bargains

Here's mine and Tiny Reverse Vampire's most recent haul from the Borders sale:

My Bargains

Very happy with my purchases, just check out the savings :)  The 3 books at the top of the pile were under $3 each.  Love when books are this cheap because I can buy whole series sometimes for well under the price of a normal book.  Now to make room on the TBR shelf.

Tiny Reverse Vampire's Bargains

Tiny Reverse Vampire is a very eclectic reader.  She found lots of good stuff and also saved some money.  :)