Post Lock-In

Race for the Dying, by Steven F. Havill. Like the Bernard Cornwell books, I liked the historical detail, but the rest of the elements weren't very enthralling. The plot seemed at times unsure of what it wanted to be when it grows up; it meandered between historical fiction and mystery. The denouement was surprising and sudden; while it tried to place the book in the mystery genre section, the story as a whole focuses more on historical life and would have been better had it had a clearer focus. I'm not entirely sold on the title. I think a better one could have been chosen. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Demigod Files, by Rick Riordan. *sigh* This is obviously a ploy to make a little cash from the craze before the fans move on. The short stories included in this wee little volume are not related to any of the main plots of the books; they are not deleted scenes, as it were; they were created just to be filler in this... I can't find anything nice to say. When you're done writing, just be done. Don't go on and write little sidelines and go-alongs and "guides" and works by the characters. You will get my library's money, because my patrons can be consuming cows, but you will lose my respect. I'm very unimpressed with the quality of the writing in the character "interviews:" the author failed to really capture either the characters or a realistic tone of voice/speaking style. Add a couple of "um"s and some ellipses, maybe some italics, and you'd believe it was a young teen talking, right? Right? Will it circulate at your library? Yes-- but only to fans who are crazy about the books. And since the author has at least finished writing those, the craze may be dying. It's a hardcover book with Disney's name on the title page, and I doubt the quality of the binding. My copy has only circ'ed 7 times (once to me), and the corners have already worn through the cover and just show white cardboard-y stuff. Bleh.