Book Review: Sky Song by Sharon Sant

I was recently caught staring into the bathroom mirror trying to see if my eyes change colour…they don’t. Two green eyes continued to stare unsympathetically back at me so I’ve concluded I’m nothing like Jacob Lightfoot, though it’s fair to say, not many people are. 

Jacob Lightfoot is the slightly strange protagonist of Sharon Sant’s debut novel Sky Song. This is the first in a trilogy that sees young Jacob discover his true identity and the huge amount of responsibility that comes with being different. 

The story starts in a recognisable manner; it opens with a scenario that evokes thousands of questions, and then relaxes into a setting of the scene that leads to a dramatic but comfortable read. This is not necessarily a criticism, this method is a tried and tested formula for young adult novels that works well, and is not to say that the plot is predictable. From poor Jacob’s rude awakening one morning by a creepy individual in his bedroom telling him that he, Jacob, does not exist, the plot hurtles around corners and loops the loops at alarming speed. It is brilliantly surprising with every chapter and Sant manages to include many themes without the plot feeling cluttered. Jacob, in essence, is a normal teenage boy; he finds it difficult to fit in, he loves his best friends, bickers with his parents and has girl problems. He also, however, has eyes that change colour, a photographic memory and a feeling that something inside him is waking up. 

One of my favourite things about this story is Sant’s characterisation. Unlike many young adult novels where the main characters seem much wiser and articulate that normal teenagers, Sant’s characters feel very real. I can easily hear their interactions and especially like how the intimacy and affection between Jacob and his friends and with his parents is always apparent without having to be spelled out. Sant obviously has skill at portraying her characters so it is somewhat disappointing that this talent doesn’t stretch to all areas of the book. I never really felt like I knew Dae at all. I would have loved more interaction between him and Jacob so that when (SPOILER ALERT) Dae dies I feel some of that harrowing sadness that envelopes Jacob when he finds out. But I didn’t pity Dae at all and it’s such a pivotal moment for Jacob that I knew I must be missing something. I think the problem I had is that a lot has to be explained to the reader; who Makash is for example, and why he is angry. The revelations about Dae have to be awkwardly communicated, which is why I think they lose their significance, and I don’t feel the reader ever quite understands who the watcher is or why this is such an important position. This may sound ridiculous but I didn’t really realise that Astrae was another physical planet until the very end, I thought it was a sort of state of mind, which obviously makes it quite different! 

It would have been great if Sant could have developed these issues further so that readers can figure out more by themselves. I, personally, would have appreciated more description and detail about Jacob’s time on/in Astrae and truly what is expected of him so I could fully understand the weight of his decision. We heard so much about Jacob hearing and feeling his home inside his head but I felt that we didn’t get to hear or feel it ourselves. 

Sky Song is the first in a trilogy so I am hopeful that many of my questions will be answered in the second and third books, which I would still very much like to read.  Sant is a talented writer and there are obviously so many excellent and creative ideas inside her head, I would just more of them on paper.

@SharonSant 

http://sharonsant.com/

Speed Dating for the Literary Minded

I’m afraid my absence from the digital page has no exciting or dramatic cause. I have not been forcibly kept away from my laptop by tornadoes, floods or any other natural disaster that put saving the world at higher priority than blogging. The misfortune that inflicted this separation upon me was the horror of deadlines, a horror – I hope you will agree – that would send even the most brave and dedicated of bloggers into a mad, referencing-induced frenzy. 

However, I also went speed dating, which happily brings us back to the silliness that is the inside of my brain.  I didn’t go speed dating with the hope of meeting ‘my one and only’ (I don’t believe Ben Barnes or Benedict Cumberbatch would ever go speed dating in Balham), but I did go with the hope of an interesting evening chatting to interesting people…which sort of happened. It was certainly interesting and I certainly did not meet my one and only. I did, however, end up talking to some rather strange people about rather strange things. Mainly because towards the end of the evening the wine had been flowing and, getting bored of asking, “where are you from?” and “what do you do?” I resorted to “what animal would you be and why?” and “Dragons! Tell me about them!” 

One thing this evening did offer me, apart from a hangover and phone calls I have to avoid answering, is the fascinating jewel of procrastination that is 'which literary characters would I like to speed date with?' 

My first thought, naturally, was Dumbledore! But just four minutes with Dumbledore? No, I would need a lot longer than that with him, think of the questions I could ask! Like, why is he suddenly naked in Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise? Then I thought of some more, Jon Snow, Prince Caspian, Achilles… and realised I was only thinking of actors I fancy and that’s not the point. 

Perhaps other Game of Thrones characters? Maybe Ned Stark? But I think we all know what he'd say. 

Or the formidable line “we’ll talk when I’m back.” Words, we’ve noticed, that ultimately result in the death of whichever character has the misfortune to utter them.  

So I’m looking for people who would be interesting to meet, but only for about four minutes and then you want them to leave…tricky. 

1. My first choice is Pi Patel from Life of Pie. I don’t need him to tell me his story; I’ve read and seen it. But, I would enjoy starting off the evening with a large glass of red wine while he looks at me with his rather amused expression and explains religion to me in a way that I genuinely appreciate. I think after four minutes I might become internally confused about my spiritual leanings, so four minutes would be just the right amount of time for me to engage with Pi peacefully. Then, when the timer goes I would feel happy enough to say goodbye and watch him walk serenely to the next person with a feeling of ‘yes, I’ve learned something here’. (But no Richard Parker. I love tigers but being mauled to death on the first date would not be a good start.)

2. My second date would be with Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle. There’s no particular reason I would like to meet her other than I think we would get on well and that four minutes would be enough time to form a life-long friendship. Then she could invite me back to the castle; I’ve always wanted to live in a castle.

3. Mr & Mrs Beaver from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. This might sound silly but when else are you going to get to talk to animals that can actually talk back? Not an opportunity to be passed up, I think. 

4. I think my fourth choice might actually be my favourite. Skulduggery Pleasant, from his own series by Derek Landy. Not only would I get to have a date with a real, smartly dressed and ever-so-polite skeleton detective, but I also find him incredibly funny. Only four minutes with Mr Pleasant would be a shame but I imagine that sit there any longer and he would have to dash off to do some world-saving of one kind or another and I’d prefer it if he didn’t bring any vampires or monsters into this already quite strange concoction of characters. 

5. Finally, to end my rather short but fun-filled evening on a high, I’ve decided on Mr Knightly from Jane Austen’s Emma. I would have chosen P & P’s Mr Darcy, only I don’t think he’d approve of me and it would probably just be really awkward. Mr Knightly, however, is much more cheerful and gentlemanly. He’s also extremely handsome, at least in my head, and I haven’t done any swooning yet. I am supposed to be dating these characters after all so perhaps if I leave Mr Knightly for my last date, my evening could end in a much more satisfactory date-like manner. 

Despite the lack of love at my first speed-dating event, I’m trying it again in a different location, with hopefully different men, at the end of the month. You never know, perhaps with a repeat attempt I might stumble across one of the Bens, or at least a talking beaver. 

Ancient Greatness

“Sing, goddess, of the anger of Achilleus, son of Peleus, the accursed anger which brought uncounted anguish on the Achaians and hurled down to Hades many mighty souls of heroes, making their bodies prey to dogs and the birds’ feasting: and this was the working of Zeus’ will. Sing from the time of the first quarrel which divided Atreus’ son, the lord of men, and godlike Achilleus.”

What an opening. This is the first paragraph of book 1 of Homer’s The Iliad, and has got to

be one of the best opening paragraphs of any book ever. The air quivers as Homer invokes the Muse to help him in his storytelling and already we feel the presence of divine spirits. We meet Achilleus, godlike Achilleus, my favourite hero who was responsible for the Greeks’ ruin and their salvation. We are told of the horror of war, of birds and dogs feasting on the unburied bodies of the brutally killed and the gods watching unmoved from Olympus above. Finally, we hear of Atreus’ son, Agamemnon, the ultimate bully that you love to hate. 

There is simply everything in this story, all human emotions and behavior are laid bare and ripped apart…and it is fantastic. 

I love this stuff, always have. Ever since I was little and had a picture book with the epic myths of Ancient Greece and Rome laid out in primary colours, I have loved them. The warriors and heroes, the crazy, vicious women and the magical metamorphoses; it’s all here, it’s all a bit mental and it’s all brilliant. I then went to university to study Classical Civilisation and my enthusiasm for the ancient, Achilleus in particular, grew and grew. 

I finally did my dissertation on ‘Achilleus in the 21^st Century’ which allowed me to follow him from his creation in our mythical past, through the ages of plays, oratory and vases finally to Troy, the 2004 film with Eric Banner as heavenly Hector and Brad Pitt as godlike Achilleus.

The reason my affection for swift-footed Achilleus has rekindled recently is because of one fabulous book. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller tells the hero’s story through the eyes of his lover Patroclus. Troy had young Pat being Achilleus’ cousin, but most ancient sources, including Plato’s Symposium, acknowledge their relationship was much more romantic. Miller certainly takes this view and the focus of the book is much more on their relationship and how it affected the glory that Achilleus so ardently sought, rather than concentrating on the glory itself. She includes several myths surrounding Achilleus, and some about Patroclus, that I had never heard before which made it just as interesting a read as it was compelling. For those with the critical eye, I believe you will find this book a great combination of classical knowledge with wonderful story telling, and no blockbuster alterations.

What makes Miller’s book particularly special for me, however, is her incredible ability to capture the personalities of the famous Ancient Greeks. Never before have I felt that I am seeing so much of Achilleus’ character. Not just his unparalleled skill on the battlefield, not just his determination and desperate need for unforgettable fame, but also how he felt about those close to him. His relationship with his father and goddess-mother help explain his motivations and decisions but his relationship with Patroclus and the love he has for him allows you to know what made Achilleus smile, what he cared about and how he showed affection. Whilst I knew what was going to happen at the end, Miller’s writing kept me enthralled until the very last line and has awoken a passion for the heroes of the ancient world that I had forgotten. I only wish this book had been written when I was writing my dissertation. 

I definitely recommend you read this book, but I also recommend you have a go at The Iliad. I warn you, it is not easy going and you can easily miss out some parts such as the Catalogue of Ships. But, the story is still amazing and I think you will appreciate The Song of Achilles more if you have read his story in Homer’s words. 

If you manage that, there is also The Odyssey by Homer and The Aeneid by Virgil. Both involve a lot of piercing men through the nipple with spears and long-drawn-out heroic dressing scenes, but, if you like your fantasy stories full of monsters, gods, witches and heroes then you have to read the originals. Besides, it wasn’t fantasy back then, it was real. 

In the 21^st century, I’d like to recommend some other books of sort of the same ilk. 

Pompeii by Robert Harris tells of the tragic eruption of Vesuvius through the eyes of those that were there. Another great insight into the personalities behind the history.

Lindsey Davis’ series of books set in ancient Rome has Falco, a sort of Roman detective, solving the mysteries that troubled the great city.

Finally, one of my favourites, Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips. The ancient gods are back…and living in north London. Things haven’t gone well for them over the centuries but they’re about to get a whole lot worse. Very funny, utterly charming and great for Classics nerds. 

I leave you with one of the best Homer quotes, which I have always wanted to say in a boring meeting but never quite had the nerve.

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep”

Why The Long Face?

And now IKEA. I’m so upset about the meatballs, apart from pretending you live there and enjoying the immense risk and danger of going off the path, those meatballs were the best things about IKEA. Now we find out that the secret to their deliciousness may have been in the beef…the secret being that is wasn’t all beef, some of it was horse.

This news story has rather rocked our country in the recent weeks. Naturally, there is outrage that this has so easily happened and we, the consumer, have been eating something without being made aware of it. As many articles have pointed out, this is more an issue of fraud than of food safety. It also begs the questions of why beef is being substituted for horse; according to Q & A Horsemeat Scandal, it’s because horsemeat is cheaper than beef so the substitution is an easy way of making the meat go further.

As well as outrage coming from the fraud aspect of the scandal, there is also something about eating horse that feels essentially ‘wrong’ to many Britains. Eating horse in Britain became taboo gradually, we were certainly munching away on geegees at the end of the last ice age, so what changed? It’s likely to be around the same time horses became domesticated that peoples’ attitude towards them began to change and there is evidence of this happening as early as 4000 BC.



However, as with many of the big changes in Britain, the main influence seems to have come from the Church. At some point, possibly as far back as 732 AD, the Vatican announced that eating horse was a pagan activity and not acceptable behaviour among well-to-do Catholics. This decision was fairly widely rebuked by most European countries who continued nibbling their neighing Nellys well into the nineteenth century, but it does seem to have had quite an impact on English-speaking countries. Perhaps this religious influence, paired with the psychological impact of our relationship with horses, is what has made eating horse just not the done thing.



 Drawing on the psychological aspects, and desperately clawing my way back to a publishing and book related topic, I thought I’d look at horses in literature that encourage our sentimental attachment to the animal.



One of my favourites is Angharrad from the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. Angharrad is a gentle soul who is one of the only characters to understand Todd, Ness’ troubled protagonist.

Good old Boxer in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Poor, dimwitted Boxer is a stoical chap who believes in hard work and a good regime. He never doubts the words of those in command, unfortunately, it is this that leads to his downfall.





Fledge the winged wonder. Formally known as Strawberry, he worked in London pulling handsome cabs, but in true C.S Lewis style, he is magically transported to Narnia and given wings by Aslan.

Shadowfax, the chief of the Mearas. One of those names I can’t say in a normal voice (have to either sound like Aslan or Mufassa saying "Simba!"). He’s fearless, fast and fighsty; only Gandalf is permitted to ride him and that's only if Shadowfax allows. It is due to his epicness that we get the line “Run, Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste.”



A horse that has made me cry more than any other is the kind, gentle and brilliantly brave Joey, a war horse like no other. Told from Joey’s point of view, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo lets you to really get to know and feel for this incredible character.



Last but not least, probably the most famous horse in British literature, Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty. I definitely cried a lot at this book too. Kindness, sympathy and respect are big themes in this story and similarly to Joey in War Horse, Black Beauty tells his own story. Through his life we see the full range of treatment horses can expect at the hands of humans. If any horse can teach us what the relationship between man and beast can mean, it’s Black Beauty.

 

 

Book Review: Tethers by Jack Croxall

I love a good prologue, especially in young adult adventure novels. It sets my imagination whirring, questions sprouting and I know I have to read on to find the answers. This is exactly what happened with the prologue in Tethers. Why won’t Marriot’s gun work? Who is this mysterious, snarling Mr Dufor? What are Locus One and Locus Three? Who is ‘the girl’ and most importantly, will Mr Dufor murder her?

Predictably, after scooping my ponderings into my arms and curling up so I could pin them to my chest with my knees, I read on as fast I could. Then I realised I wasn’t taking enough in so stopped, drank some tea, grabbed a biscuit and started again.

Tethers is very easy to read, it is well written and paragraphs glide by smoothly. The two main characters are engaging from the start; you recognise Karl as an adventurous young man with a slight disregard for rules, and Esther is immediately likeable with her ‘scorched-black hair’ and skill for arguing. The tranquil start to their adventure is shaped by descriptions of the sleepy village of Shraye in Victorian Lincolnshire. Croxall definitely has a knack for recreating those rural scenes and grand skies that, coming from Lincolnshire myself, I recognise appreciatively. The story then accelerates in an almost alarming manner as Karl and Esther are suddenly thrown in the path of danger, but the pace slows almost as rapidly as it sped up while they decide their course of action. I liked this unexpected change of step as it gave the story a sense of realism and provided Croxall with the opportunity to develop his characters further. It also meant that when the next dramatic event revealed itself it still felt shocking and exciting, but the structure wasn’t choppy or awkward. I found this wave-like pattern of thrills and calm, which continued throughout the book, reassuring. It gave me time to get to know the characters, to revel in their stories and personalities but never get too comfortable, as I knew something exciting would be waiting on the next page.

Being set in Victorian England gives this book a historical gleam, but its true colours lie more in adventure. As a science writer, Croxall does have a clear science fiction leaning, and the mysteries of the otherworldly stone, the Viniculum, that is found by Karl and Esther certainly have answers buried in science. However, this is not the selling point for me with Tethers. I found the most compelling aspects to be in the characters, their decisions and their motivations. It was this that created the drama for me, more so than the dangerous conspiracy right at the novel’s core. Perhaps, however, I have just tapped into the essence of why this book is called Tethers. Normal peoples’ actions, the consequences of those actions and what tethers everything together can be incredibly powerful. Alas, I’m being mysterious myself now as I don’t want to give too much away, you will have to read it to know what I mean.

 However, as much as I loved this aspect of the book, I also felt it was its only flaw. So important are the characters in this book that I wanted more from Croxall about who these people were and how they all became involved in this story. An almost impossible thing to do I grant you, by spending more time and words on character detail you run the risk of losing pace, excitement and of making the text too heavy. But I felt with Croxall’s writing everything I wanted was there in his head, it was there in his style and in ideas but was just missing from the paper. He knows the secrets in the lives of his characters and they are hinted at but never given away. Perhaps I am being too impatient and all I want will be revealed in the next two books in the trilogy, but it does make it impossible for Tethers to stand alone successfully for me. Certainly Croxall has confessed that Karl and Esther will return with new friends and old for more adventure so I will hope that I will find answers hidden in their pages.

I would definitely recommend Tethers to any fans of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, or Percy Jackson lovers. You are quickly sucked into the adventure, friendship and mystery encapsulated in this book and Croxall’s skill as a writer means he is certainly one to watch for the future. 

 @JackCroxall and blogs at www.jackcroxall.co.uk 

Tethers Kindle edition is available on Amazon

The Do's and Do Not's of Dating Like a Fictional Character

My beautiful tulips from...?

If you’re on of the lucky ones going on a date tonight, well, you’re probably not reading this. But, if you are one of those lucky ones and are going out a bit later tonight so have time to sample this literary delight, you are even luckier than first you thought. Why? Because I am going to give you some advice.

A simple list of do's and do not's from the literary world to make your evening less of a disaster, or not a disaster at all if you're very clever. You can give yourself points for each one you know if you like.

DO: jump off several buses, fight some people and partake in a car chase. As long as you order your martini shaken, not stirred, you can get away with anything.

DON’T: accept the honour of being the Hand of the King if it’s offered to you on your way to your date. Ned Stark accepted and unfortunately lost at the Game of Thrones.

DO: put a lot of thought into dressing yourself. If you’ve ever read the Odyssey you’ll know a lot can be gained through a heroic dressing scene.

DON’T: follow any rabbits with pocket watches down rabbit holes. Very unwise. If, however, the rabbit doesn’t have a pocket watch you might be OK, but don’t be late, late, for a very important date.

DO: make sure, if female, that your eyes are looking particularly ‘fine’ this evening. Any Mr Darcy’s hovering around will find you irresistible.

DON’T: marry them if you know they are a member of your rival family. It all ends in tears believe me.

DO: take their hand if they are sitting upon a magic carpet asking “do you trust me?” They might show you a whole new world.

DON’T: be put off if they turn out to be a werewolf. They may lead somewhat troubled lives but some are actually very nice, as long as they’ve taken their Wolfsbane potion, and they make very good Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers.

DO: slam on the breaks if you see a distressed woman running out in front of your car. It could be that she is the lover of your husband and he was previously driving this car, which actually belongs to your lover. Killing her will cause an awful rumpus, as if there isn't enough confusion anyway. (Ten points if you guessed this one).

DON’T: press the red button. (That’s not from any book I can think of but it’s still good advice).

Follow these simple steps and you should have a stress-free romantic evening, I’m sure of it.