Once Upon a Time VII: Wrap Up

I read only four books for the Once Upon a Time Challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings, although my goal was to read five books. The event included reading or viewing from four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology. I stuck mostly with fantasy although I guess Princess Bride is also of the fairy tale type of story.

This was the first time I had participated, and my goal was to dabble in fantasy after a long break. I enjoyed all the books I read and some of them were spectacular. You can check out the Review Site where participants posted links to any book or screen posts related to this event.

The books I read for this event were... 

• The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman
• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
• Daemons are Forever by Simon R. Green

Although I don't enjoy fantasy in general as much as other genres, I did discover more about what I like and dislike in fantasy fiction, and have a lot of of fantasy books I plan to read in the next year or two.

My favorite read for the challenge was Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. That one is a blend of fantasy and mystery and it has all the elements of a police procedural. I was pulled in by the cover art, but I would not have been open to paranormal elements in a mystery in the past.

The one book that I most regret not reading is The Black Company by Glen Cook. I think I would like that book. If I don't read it before then, I will definitely include it in the next Once Upon a Time Challenge reading.

Thanks to Carl V. Anderson at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting this challenge.

Daemons Are Forever: Simon R. Green

The first line in this book is:

The name's Bond. Shaman Bond. The very secret agent.

This should give the reader a hint: This book spoofs the James Bond series, and it is going to be humorous.

Shaman Bond is the assumed name of Edwin Drood when he is living in London, in what we know as the real world. Edwin comes from a very large clan, the Droods, who live in a compound outside of London.

As Edwin, or Eddie, describes it:

The world isn’t what you think it is. Hell, even London isn’t what you think it is. There are monsters around every corner, creatures in every shadow, and more dark conspiracies and secret wars going on than you can shake a really big stick at. You never get to know about this because the Drood family has field agents everywhere, to keep the lid on things and make sure everyone plays nice. When they don’t, we kill them. We don’t believe in second chances; we believe in stamping out fires before they can spread.

My family has been keeping the world safe for almost two thousand years. We’re very good at it.

Daemons Are Forever (2008) is the second book in a series of seven books (the Secret Histories series). This is the type of series where a lot happens in the first book, and if I describe much of what happens in the second one, it can spoil the story for you.

On the other hand, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone. There is plenty of rehashing of the history of Edwin Drood and his family, and what has happened in the last book. I was grateful for all of that because it had been years since I read the first one and I needed a refresher course. Others who have read the books closer together have complained about this very element.

I found this to be a very entertaining book, and I do admire Simon R. Green's storytelling. But I will be honest and say that fantasy is just not my thing.

I did some research into the elements of fantasy fiction to try to understand why I don't generally care for fantasy. I have a wonderful book called Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests (Sixth Edition), which is a 500 page overview of various genres and their elements, and suggestions for reading from these genres. It is aimed at librarians, of course, but I love browsing through it.

Genreflecting (and other sources I read) defines fantasy works as being set in an internally consistent created world and including magic or paranormal elements. In some cases, the created world may be hidden from the real world setting (as much as possible); in other cases, it is the only world.

Both Daemons Are Forever and Rivers of London (which I reviewed recently) are cases where the real world exists pretty much like our world, and the world with fantastic elements and creatures is separate, or at least hidden.

I preferred Rivers of London because the protagonist is of the real world and just getting introduced to the idea that there is a world with magic, ghosts and vampires that needs to be controlled. In Daemons Are Forever, Eddie Drood's world is teeming with supernatural creatures, and he coexists and makes deals with them to save the world. But that is just me; I think a lot of people who enjoy fantasy would really like this book and the series.

My son introduced me to this series. He thought I might like it because of the James Bond element. I will be continuing the series through the third book, because I have it in house. My son is that far into the series. From what I have read, the series was intended to be a trilogy, but was popular enough to justify adding more books to the series. If we find more in the series, we will continuing reading it further.

I will leave you with this description of the Secret Histories series, from a review at Tor.com by Michael M. Jones. The review is of the 6th book in the series, and the reviewer is a big fan of all of Simon R. Green's books:

The Secret Histories has always been Green’s attempt to blend his usual urban fantasy material—the Nightside books, Ghost Finders, Drinking Midnight Wine, and so on—with a James Bond attitude. Rather unsubtly, Eddie Drood’s secret identity is “Shaman Bond,” and the book titles are also a dead giveaway. However, Live and Let Drood doesn’t just evoke James Bond, it also conjures up the spirit of The Avengers (British version) with the Department of the Uncanny. (Characters named Patrick and Diana show up, obviously named for Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, AKA Steed and Peel and even I noticed that…)

I’ve long held that Green’s books make for excellent popcorn reading. They’re widescreen adventures, blockbusters with unlimited budgets and absolutely no restraint or sense of decorum. The body counts are high, the stakes higher, the sense of wonder undeniable. They defy genre, incorporating elements of science fiction, fantasy, espionage, mystery, and more. Green’s characters always have the best lines, the best toys, and the best poses.

This was my fourth book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings. I had committed to reading five books for the challenge, but did not make that goal. I did discover more about what I like and dislike in fantasy fiction, and have a lot of of fantasy books I plan to read in the next year or two.

Rivers of London: Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch is the third fantasy book that I read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings. I enjoyed this book very much. It was only the second book I read this month, but I suspect it will be my favorite for the month.

It is cross-genre fiction, blending fantasy and crime fiction. Most often I have seen it categorized as Urban Fantasy. The main character is a policeman and is actively investigating crimes so it also fits the definition of a police procedural.

Late last year, my husband, son, and I were discussing what constitutes an urban fantasy novel. "Urban" says set in a city. "Fantasy" says unreal, abnormal, supernatural. But the urban setting cannot be new to fantasy. So why do we now have a new sub-genre?

When I looked it up on the internet, it seems I am not the only one confused about this topic. Some said urban fantasies should have thriller elements.  Some said an element of romance is required. One definition that made sense to me indicated that situations in urban fantasy novels take place in the real world we are used to, but fantastical or supernatural elements come into play, and possibly need to be controlled.

And, actually the term "urban fantasy" has been used since the 1980's to describe types of fiction. I guess it has just become more popular now. And yet, not easily defined.

I was first attracted to this series by the book covers... the UK covers, specifically. The first review I read had a great and very succinct description, so I am going to use it. This description is from Simon's Book Blog:

...a police procedural with a difference: Peter Grant is a trainee PC in the Metropolitan Police who discovers that he can see ghosts, and is immediately seconded to a tiny division of the force (tiny, as in - Peter brings the staff total up to two) which deals with crimes which have a supernatural element.

I was intrigued by the police procedural element and had to give the book a try. Peter Grant is a probationary constable in the Metropolitan Police Service in London. He wants to be assigned to the CID, but it looks like he is headed for the dreaded Case Progression Unit, where he will be stuck doing paperwork. But right before this happens, he meets a ghost who witnessed a murder. And that leads to working with Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, in a specialist unit that deals with ghosts, spirits, vampires, you name it, when they are disrupting the peace in London.

This book was published with the title, Midnight Riot, in the US. The author has published two more books in the series, and a fourth, Broken Homes, is due to be published in the UK in July of this year and in the US in February 2014.

The Princess Bride: William Goldman

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, is the second book I have read for the Once Upon a Time challenge. I think I must be the only person in the world who has not either watched the movie, The Princess Bride, or read the book. The book was published in 1973; the movie came out in 1987.

For the most part, The Princess Bride was a very enjoyable read. This is a story within a story, and it is very clever. The two stories are very different in tone. The story of the princess bride is a fairy tale with characters who are either very good or very bad, and frequent escapes from very difficult circumstances.On the title page of the edition I read, it is described as a "Tale of True Love and High Adventure." The framing story tells the reader how and why the author decided to abridge the very long and sometimes boring version of the The Princess Bride, as originally written by S. Morgenstern.

There were times when I found it difficult to believe that this was intended as a book for children. I don't know what Goldman's intentions were, but I know that many children do read it.  This story has a lot of violence, but that bothered me less than the elements of torture. Torture is something that bothers me in a novel, even a fantasy. Maybe as a child, I would have taken it less seriously. (Note that I am not in favor of limiting children's reading. My reading as a child was not monitored -- to my knowledge -- and I did not censor my son's reading.)

At Common Sense Media, in the section "What parents need to know", they describe the book in this way:

...this sharp-edged fairy tale is geared to tweens and older. The cliffhangers are more intense and some scenes are scarier than in the film version. You'll find truly evil villains, murder, swordfights, knives, blood, poisoning, kidnapping, torture, giant carnivorous rats and eels, and similar scary stuff.

I have read reviews and analyses that examine the post-modern elements of this book. I don't know enough about post-modern literature to comment on that with any intelligence. I enjoyed Goldman's framing story and his cynical and barbed comments more than the basic adventure story; yet at times he was too negative, and the comments took me out of the main story towards the end. I am sure that was intentional.

My overall opinion is that this is an interesting and entertaining story that can be enjoyed at many levels. And, yes, I am now going to watch the movie, sometime soon.

The Courts of Chaos: Roger Zelazny

The Courts of Chaos is the first book I have read for the Once Upon a Time challenge.

This book is part of a fantasy series, The Chronicles of Amber, written by Roger Zelazny. It is the last book in a five book series about Corwin, a prince of Amber. In a way it was disappointing because it was a slight book, compared to the others in the series. But it was a very fitting ending to the series.

I read The Courts of Chaos because this series is a favorite of my son, and I had read the previous four books earlier at his suggestion. Too long ago, in fact.

A description of the world created for this fantasy series at Wikipedia:

The Amber stories take place in two "true" worlds: Amber, and the Courts of Chaos, as well as the shadows that lie between them. These shadows, including our Earth, are parallel worlds that exist in the tension between the two true worlds of Amber and the Courts. The Courts of Chaos is situated in Shadow at the very edge of the pit of Chaos itself, a seething cauldron from which all that is or ever will be comes from.

Note: I caution you not to read the Wikipedia page about the entire series if you have any interest in reading the books. Wikipedia pages often include spoilers.

The first five books of The Chronicles of Amber follow Corwin's adventures, and his ups and downs with his family. That is putting it mildly, of course. He has many brothers and sisters and they are often at odds, seeking the power to rule Amber.

The story starts with Nine Princes of Amber, which was my favorite book in the series. In that book, Corwin is on the shadow Earth. The fourth book, The Hand of Oberon, I also liked a lots. The books really do not stand alone, except perhaps the first one.

Why did I take so long to read this conclusion to the series? It is less than 130 pages long. Had I read the book closer to finishing the 4th book, I am sure I would have enjoyed it more. (Although I have read some criticism in reviews that it jumps awkwardly into the story.)

A large part of this book consists of following Corwin on a hellride through the shadows, to get to the Courts of Chaos, to save the world of Amber. He meets a lot of non-humanoid lifeforms. They either try to help him achieve his goal or try to hamper him. There are some interesting philosophical conversations between Corwin and the creatures. When he gets to his goal, which was in question, the events and the final selection of a ruler of Amber brought the series to a satisfying conclusion.

This series is followed by another five books series, which are the story of Merlin's adventures. Merlin is the son of Corwin. I would recommend reading either series closely together rather than separating them by years like I did. The series would be more enjoyable that way.

My commitment for this challenge is to read at least five books during the three months of the challenge (March 21 - June 21, 2013) in the following categories: fantasy, fairy tales, folklore, and mythology. My plan is to stick with books in the fantasy genre. In addition, I will view one of the many theatrical versions of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Reviews for this challenge are at this Review Site; stop by and check them out.

Once Upon a Time VII

The Once Upon a Time Challenge has begun. And I am very excited about joining in for the first time. This event fits in perfectly with my plans to read some fantasy novels that have been languishing on my shelves for quite a while. My son loaned them to me and I have promised I would read some of them this year.

This event is hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings. Carl has a wonderful blog. I thought that adjective might sound worshipful, but one definition is "inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration" so it definitely fits. Carl is a versatile reader and reviewer. He covers science fiction and mystery and fantasy and movies.

Check out the post for Once Upon a Time VII with rules and sign-ups and check out his other posts, too.

A brief description of the event from that post:

This is a reading and viewing event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through Friday, June 21st and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing whims.

My goal is to complete Quest the Third. For this quest, I will read at least five books in any of the above categories during the three months of the challenge. In addition, I will view one of the many theatrical versions of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (I am sure I will watch the 1935 movie with James Cagney and Dick Powell, but that is not a requirement.)

The basic list that I will be working from is:

• The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman
• The Black Company by Glen Cook
• Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams
• Daemons are Forever by Simon R. Green
• Land of Dreams by James P. Blaylock
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
• 9Tail Fox by Jon Courtenay Grimwood