It might have been a mistake to read a Cinderella re-telling while trying to write a re-telling of the same story. I ended up reading Cinder and thinking, "Why should I write a re-telling? This is the most imaginative and fun version of this story I've ever read!"
[I also discovered that while I enjoyed reading historical fiction as a child, I loathe writing it. I couldn't even open the document to work on it after the first five chapters. So there is that too]
The book opens with Cinder, the best mechanic in New Beijing, being visited by Prince Kai. He brings a robot for her to repair. Before they have time to fall in love at first sight, an outbreak of plague causes them both to scurry home, before they succumb to the frightening disease.
Cinder lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters, and a robot, her one constant companion. Unknown to many, including the prince, Cinder is a cyborg, which allows her to diagnose and fix machines as well as tell when people are lying.
When she's sent to the palace as a 'volunteer' for experimentation with a cure for the plague, a scientist takes particular interest in her. There is more to Cinder than even she knows, and when the Lunar Queen visits, Cinder is warned to stay away for fear of her life.
Of course, she can't, needing to get vital information to the prince, and what results is a tragic and breathtaking beginning of the Lunar Chronicles. Scarlet, the second book, is already out and I am anxious to continue reading about Cinder.
There were lots of things to love about this book: the cover is striking, Cinder is an intelligent girl who knows how to handle machinery, she isn't overly romantic, and she struggles with things that a lot of us go through at that age. I also loved the nods to the classic story. The new twists made the story fresh, and the setting was just incredible -- a future world where the moon has its own colony ruled by the Lunar Queen, Beijing has been rebuilt, and robots/cyborgs are looked down on as second-hand citizens. It's an interesting way to look at race/disabilities.
The one thing I didn't like was that I saw the biggest twist coming right from the start. I wish the clues hadn't been so obvious, or that they had showed up later, about 2/3 of the way through the book instead of in the first few chapters.
Other than that, it was amazing, and really, it's one of my new favorite books. Re-tellings are always such fun, and Cinder was more fun than most, being put in a science fiction setting rather than a fairytale.
I'm curious to see Cinder's journey throughout The Lunar Chronicles, and I'd love to hear your thoughts (mark your spoilers, though, as I haven't read Scarlet yet) on Cinder's story!
Showing posts with label Retelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retelling. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
First Line Friday No. 16
Welcome back to First Lines!
Shannon Hale blew me away with her debut novel, The Princess Academy, and though I haven't had as much time to read until this year, I've kept track of her and what she's been penning. I will say, the title of the book we're talking about today didn't draw me in and I think the reason why is that it doesn't sound like the story it is enclosing.
Book of a Thousand Days is a re-imagining (broadly) of an ancient Eastern tale -- Mongolia, a princess and a serving maid, an evil warlord (who just might not be entirely human) and the problem of status in a land where pretending to be someone you're not might end in death.
The cover and title made me think it was something along the lines of American history and, frankly, I don't read much of that any more (having consumed a shockingly high number of American historical novels growing up). So...I guess the lesson here is, "Don't judge a book by its cover and/or title"? (Although if I'd seen the other covers, I might have picked it up sooner!)
And now, without further ado, let us peek into the life of one Dashti, serving maid to a lady of high standing:
"My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years.
Lady Saren is sitting on the floor, staring at the wall, and hasn't moved even to scratch for an hour or more. Poor thing. It's a shame I don't have fresh yak dung or anything strong-smelling to scare the misery out of her.
The men are bricking up the door, and I hear them muttering and scraping cement. Only a small square of unbricked sky and light still gape at me. I smile back at its mean grin to show I'm not scared. Isn't it something, all this trouble they're going to for us? I feel like a jewel in a treasure box, though my lady is the --
My lady suddenly awoke from her stupor and sprang at the door, clawing at the bricks, trying to shove her way out. How she screamed! Like an angry piglet."
-- from Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Reasons to Read:
1. Um...shut in a tower for seven years? I must see how this turns out.
2. Who is Lady Saren? Why is she being shut up in a tower?
3. Fresh yak dung? To "scare away" misery? What other crazy beliefs does this serving-maid have??
4. I like this serving-maid -- she grins back at something scary. She's strong.
5. I can just picture the Lady screaming like a piglet. I'm...giggling, although I know they're in danger!
This book sucked me right in and I read the entire story in one sitting (I even took it to a friend's house to finish it...yeah, I'm that friend).
Does the unnamed narrator's story tug at your curiosity?
Have a great weekend, and I'll see you on Monday -- with a review!
Shannon Hale blew me away with her debut novel, The Princess Academy, and though I haven't had as much time to read until this year, I've kept track of her and what she's been penning. I will say, the title of the book we're talking about today didn't draw me in and I think the reason why is that it doesn't sound like the story it is enclosing.
Book of a Thousand Days is a re-imagining (broadly) of an ancient Eastern tale -- Mongolia, a princess and a serving maid, an evil warlord (who just might not be entirely human) and the problem of status in a land where pretending to be someone you're not might end in death.
The cover and title made me think it was something along the lines of American history and, frankly, I don't read much of that any more (having consumed a shockingly high number of American historical novels growing up). So...I guess the lesson here is, "Don't judge a book by its cover and/or title"? (Although if I'd seen the other covers, I might have picked it up sooner!)
And now, without further ado, let us peek into the life of one Dashti, serving maid to a lady of high standing:
"My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years.
Lady Saren is sitting on the floor, staring at the wall, and hasn't moved even to scratch for an hour or more. Poor thing. It's a shame I don't have fresh yak dung or anything strong-smelling to scare the misery out of her.
The men are bricking up the door, and I hear them muttering and scraping cement. Only a small square of unbricked sky and light still gape at me. I smile back at its mean grin to show I'm not scared. Isn't it something, all this trouble they're going to for us? I feel like a jewel in a treasure box, though my lady is the --
My lady suddenly awoke from her stupor and sprang at the door, clawing at the bricks, trying to shove her way out. How she screamed! Like an angry piglet."
-- from Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Reasons to Read:
1. Um...shut in a tower for seven years? I must see how this turns out.
2. Who is Lady Saren? Why is she being shut up in a tower?
3. Fresh yak dung? To "scare away" misery? What other crazy beliefs does this serving-maid have??
4. I like this serving-maid -- she grins back at something scary. She's strong.
5. I can just picture the Lady screaming like a piglet. I'm...giggling, although I know they're in danger!
This book sucked me right in and I read the entire story in one sitting (I even took it to a friend's house to finish it...yeah, I'm that friend).
Does the unnamed narrator's story tug at your curiosity?
Have a great weekend, and I'll see you on Monday -- with a review!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
If you've read any of my other entries here, you know that I am a sucker for fairytale re-tellings*.
I decided to give Jessica Day George another try (see my lament concerning her story "Princess of the Midnight Ball" below), and picked up "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow", a re-telling of that beautiful old story, East of the Sun and West of the Moon
I have read several versions of this story, including East by Edith Pattou, so I was interested in seeing where Jessica Day George would take the story.
What I did like:
Ms. George did a wonderful job of showing the main character's background in a way that wasn't forced. You got to see her home life, and when she made certain decisions, you could back them up with what you knew about her. It is REALLY hard to do this well, and it was great to see it in a fairy tale, which is usually devoid of complex characterizations (which is partially why I love re-tellings so much).
I also liked the 'new' world-building in this story -- more about the creatures IN the castle, the trolls, the winds and even the descriptions of things...I felt like the story was an extension off of our own world, not a completely different universe. I like that feeling because it helps when relating to the character/situation.
What I didn't like:
Not much to say here, actually! It was better than "Princess of the Midnight Ball" in several ways (see the things I did like) and while I do wish the hero/heroine relationship aspect was stronger, it was a great re-telling. More depth than the original story, more characterization and background, all while retaining the magic of the original.
Looking forward to reading another of her books, "Tuesdays at the Castle," which I will probably be reviewing in the next few weeks.
What are you reading these days? Do you like fairytale re-tellings? If so, what's your favorite?
*Although I am merciless if I don't like the re-written version...!
I decided to give Jessica Day George another try (see my lament concerning her story "Princess of the Midnight Ball" below), and picked up "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow", a re-telling of that beautiful old story, East of the Sun and West of the Moon
I have read several versions of this story, including East by Edith Pattou, so I was interested in seeing where Jessica Day George would take the story.
What I did like:
Ms. George did a wonderful job of showing the main character's background in a way that wasn't forced. You got to see her home life, and when she made certain decisions, you could back them up with what you knew about her. It is REALLY hard to do this well, and it was great to see it in a fairy tale, which is usually devoid of complex characterizations (which is partially why I love re-tellings so much).
I also liked the 'new' world-building in this story -- more about the creatures IN the castle, the trolls, the winds and even the descriptions of things...I felt like the story was an extension off of our own world, not a completely different universe. I like that feeling because it helps when relating to the character/situation.
What I didn't like:
Not much to say here, actually! It was better than "Princess of the Midnight Ball" in several ways (see the things I did like) and while I do wish the hero/heroine relationship aspect was stronger, it was a great re-telling. More depth than the original story, more characterization and background, all while retaining the magic of the original.
Looking forward to reading another of her books, "Tuesdays at the Castle," which I will probably be reviewing in the next few weeks.
What are you reading these days? Do you like fairytale re-tellings? If so, what's your favorite?
*Although I am merciless if I don't like the re-written version...!
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