:: darcysbooks ::

:: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 ::

the twelve wild swans
starhawk, hillary valentine

The sequel to Starhawk's 1979 classic, The Spiral Dance. I didn't get as much out of it as I did from the first one, but I may have been suffering from inflated expectations. I also don't connect as well with the version of their framing story (the Twelve Wild Swans of the title) as I do with, say, that of the Brothers Grimm. But I would still recommend this as a solid addition to anyone's esoteric library.
:: darcy 12:17 AM [+] ::
...

dude, where's my country?
michael moore

A typical, ranting diatribe from activist Michael Moore, this topical book has a short shelf live but it's a heck of a lot of fun while it lasts. Moore takes on the Bush Administration, questioning the war in Iraq, the War on Terror, and the possible loss of civil liberties that may result. As usual, clear source references and pointers to jumping-off points for political action are included. Oprah for president!
:: darcy 11:53 AM [+] ::
...

ruled britannia
harry turtledove

In the sixteenth century, England and Spain were at war. Elizabeth's fleet won the day...but...what would have happened if they didn't? This book, written by an author prolific in the alternative-history genre, explores what a Spanish-ruled England might have been like through the eyes of his protagonist, William Shakespeare.

While Ruled Britannia is interesting in an academic sort of way, and sets up some interesting plot situations, the characters are flat, undeveloped, and often uninteresting. Unfortunately, this flaw robbed me of much of my enjoyment of the book.

daughter of god
lewis purdue

I have to admit it--I only read this book because I had seen the news reports of Lewis Perdue accusing Dan Brown, author of the runaway made-for-Hollywood bestseller The Da Vinci Code, of plagarism. 2 pages in, when the atheist was arguing with her devout Christian husband about the existance of God, I thought, great. I've been sucked into reading so-called "inspirational fiction." Thankfully, while this book is definitely written from the Christian point of view, it's open-minded enough to admit to historical inconsistencies in Church doctrine, flaws within the Church as an institution, and the possibility that other ways of viewing the divine can also be valid. That being said, I'm still not a fan of the genre and can't say that I would recommend this book to others. Oh, and that plagarism case? Hope Perdue isn't holding his breath...

the eight
katherine neville

An earlier book by the author of The Magic Circle, The Eight follows the adventures of Catherine Velis, a young accounting executive who gets caught up in a dangerous intrigue concerning a cursed chess set that belonged to the Emperor Charlemagne.

This book is lengthy but suitably fast-paced, shifting between centuries and continents with ease. It's an enjoyable adventure thriller that will keep you turning the pages . The one niggling complaint I had would be with the storyline set in the 1790s--do our characters really need to meet and interact with every important European historical figure? From Catherine the Great to Napoleon to Robespierre to Wordsworth to Bach and back again, it's like a tour through a history textbook!
:: darcy 5:02 PM [+] ::
...