The Last Unicorn

Level: Adult

Genre: Fantasy > High Fantasy

Obtained: Purchased at Borders

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Book:

In the Lilac Wood lives a unicorn but not just any unicorn. She is the last of her kind, and this news urges her to seek the others out. Along her journey, she encounters many hardships and terrors such as Mommy Fortuna and the Red Bull. However, she also makes many allies such as Molly Grue and Schmendrick, a bumbling magician. The three of them eventually find themselves at the castle of King Haggard, where they hope to find the other unicorns.

Rating: 8/10

After seeing the animated film countless times, I had decided it was finally time to read the novel and fill in those missing or changed details. I didn't miss much. In fact, story wise, the movie is very much on par to the book, which might have been why I didn't like it as much as I thought I would have. I heavily enjoyed getting to learn more about Schmendrick however. In the film, I really could have cared less about him, but upon finding out about his past, he became more real to me. I still cannot say I ended up caring for him perse, but he made out to be more interesting.

The writing style also wasn't entirely to my liking, but I do believe it worked well for the story by embracing its spirit. Of course, it was told in a way similar to that of a fairy tale (though less repetitive). It had many features that are held in your typical fairy tale as well: an evil king, a wandering wizard, a young hero, and even a cursed kingdom with a prophecy.

I ended up liking The Last Unicorn well enough, but it is never going to be a favourite of mine. There was nothing particularly wrong with the book. It's simply personal tastes on this one more than anything, but I'd recommend it to anyone who has a liking for fantasy. Beagle managed to create a classic and original piece while still keeping some well known factors, and that isn't always an easy thing to do.

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The Scarlet Pimpernel

 

Level: Adult

Genre:General Fiction > Classic

Obtained: Purchased on AceBooks

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Book:

It is 1792 and the French Revolution is at its height. Hundreds of French aristocrats face the guillotine. However, many are saved by an elusive man known as the scarlet pimpernel. Using wit and disguise, the scarlet pimpernel and his band smuggle French aristos to English shores. Because of this elusive man, Chauvelin, a French republican, travels over to England to gather information. There he runs into Marguerite, a woman who was known for being a French actress and now is the top of England's fashion society. Chauvelin ends up threatening Marguerite with a fearsome either-or. She must gather information for him on the scarlet pimpernel or he will send her brother to the guillotine.

Rating: 8/10

Upon hearing Douglas Sills sing int the 1997 Broadway musical, I was instantly in love and knew that I would have to read the book one day. Although I still adore the book, the musical still holds my heart. For one thing, we get to follow our hero more. Now, I completely understand why Orczy didn't follow him so much. It was meant to keep the mystery of the scarlet pimpernel a prolonged secret. Now, I knew who it was going to be from page one, but I have to agree with other reviewers that it was demmed obvious who it was early on.

Another complaint I noticed a lot of reviewers made was that the book was very repetitive. Again, I would have to agree. Although it didn't bother me personally, I could see many people having trouble getting through it. Now, I can hear a good portion of you arguing that this was written in the 19th century so it is bound to be more wordy. Yes and I expected this and even a decent amount of repetition. However, I felt that half of this book could have been cut away.

The only other issue I had with this book was the characters. The first example I would like to look at is Chauvelin. Now, I first came to know the character through the musical and the 1985 film. In both of these, he seems to show feelings for Marguerite. This did not occur in the book. Perhaps it is shown in one of the many sequels written by Baroness Orczy, but it is not shown in the initial novel. Now, this particular trait did not really bug me. I am fine with or without this love interest. What did bug me about Chauvelin's character was the the fact that he was little more than the villain in the story. He was much more endearing in the musical version where he is more well rounded and you can feel where he is coming from. Again, perhaps we see more of his character in the sequels, but in The Scarlet Pimpernel, he is hardly more than a bloodthirsty fiend.

The other character I found myself disliking in the novel was actually Marguerite. I liked her well enough in the other medias I mentioned, and I also liked her early on in the book. However, for being the "cleverest woman in all of Europe," she seems quite thick. Also, by the halfway point of the book, I was utterly sick of her for it seemed that she did little more than whine. 

Now, I can hear you asking, "It seems there was a lot you disliked so why the high rating?" Well, I usually find there is plenty of good to go with the bad, and even though The Scarlet Pimpernel had its faults, I still found myself enjoying it immensely. Granted, I am a tad bias. Anyone who knows me knows I have a fondness for 18th century fops, but even without that fondness, I found the story compelling and original (especially for its time). I also found a great liking in the fact that the scarlet pimpernel used wit and disguises rather than force and violence. Now, I am not one of those people who are strictly anti-violence, but I have always found my heroes more intriguing when they try to use their mind first.

The other factor I was intrigued by was the mixture of both adventure and romance. I would not recommend this classic for a reader looking for mostly adventure however. Yes, the pimpernel's escapades are riveting and influenced heroes such as Zorro, but I'd say that 65-70%  of the book related more to the romantic portion of the story. I, myself, was intrigued by it, but it may not be to everyone's liking and thus thought it would be worthy to note. Granted, my favourite parts of the book involved the pimpernel and the adventures that surrounded him, especially near the end when Chauvelin is hot on his trail. I don't want to give away the ending for it was most excellent (even if I did manage to figure the twist out). Even with that factor in play, I was reveled in joy and suspense to see how he would save himself, Marguerite, and the others.

So all together, I found The Scarlet Pimpernel to be an excellent read. I may have disliked how some of the characters were portrayed; it could have been less repetitious, and it may be too slow of pace for some, but its story, wit, and adventure made it a wonderful classic that was well loved by this reader.

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Cirque du Freak: Sons of Destiny

 

Level: Teen

Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampires

Obtained: Purchased at Borders

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Book:

The final book finally pits Darren against Steve in an all out battle. It is during their final stand that Mr. Tiny reveals his initial plan surrounding the two boys, along with another startling secret. Now, the second half of the book (and the rest of the summary) contains major

After Darren kills Steve, he kills himself to avoid becoming the Lord of the Shadows. Due to his guilt, Darren's soul is placed in the Lake of Souls, which is later fished out so that he can be turned into a Little Person. Upon returning to a present day Earth, Darren is able to change the destiny of his past self. Afterwards, he gives his diary to Mr. Tall to be published and then dies once more with his soul reaching paradise.

Rating: 10/10

This was quite a thrilling and, at times, emotional piece. I found myself constantly turning the pages to find out what happened next. Shan put out another fantastic book with just as many twists as before. We are shown those twists and turns of time along with the many paths of destiny.

Evanna also takes a step away from her neutrality, and it is interesting to see how she goes about tricking her own father and helping Darren out. Steve is also brought into a new light, and you cannot help but feel sorry for him. Shan also manages to put a fabulous spin on why he and the main character share the same name.

Shan ended up telling a wonderful story in this series. It was a bit shaky at first, but it found its ground and ended up making a phenomenal read. I'd recommend this for teens and even adults who are looking for a light but entertaining read. A great book and a pretty good series. Shan can expect me to pick up more of his work in the future.

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Cirque du FreaK: Lord of the Shadows

 

Level: Teen

Genre: Fantasy/Horror > Vampires

Obtained: Purchased at Borders

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Warning! The summary for this book contains spoilers for those who have not read its prior counterparts. In other words, there are no spoilers for this particular book, just the ones before it. The review itself is, for the most part, spoiler free, however.

About the Book:

Darren returns to his home town, ready for the ultimate showdown with Steve Leonard, the Vampaneze Lord. Meanwhile, Darren is worrying about the prediction Evanna told him. In The Lake of Souls, Darren and Harkat find out that the world they traveled to was actually the Earth's future, created by the Lord of the Shadows. The catch is that the Lord of the Shadows will be one of two people: Steve Leonard or Darren Shan. In other words, if Steve is killed, Darren is the one destined to become the evil tyrant and send the world into chaos.

Rating: 9/10

This series just keeps getting better and better. I did not want to put it down. It was interesting to see how Darren dealt with coming face to face with his human life and how he dealt with it. Of course, there is also plenty of action between Steve and Darren, along with the lead ups to their encounters.

Darren also runs into Debbie and Alice once more, and they have succeeded in putting together a human army to battle the vampets. Although it is nice to see Debbie doing something useful, I personally still cannot stand her. She just seems to cling to Darren too much.

Overall though I think the most thrilling aspects Shan brought to this piece was all the shocking twists and torments. It was quite shocking to see what sort of murders and violence went on in this book. I can easily think of three major points that occured and left me thinking, "I can't believe that just happened!" Lord of the Shadows was a fabulous read, and I don't think you will be disappointed. 

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