Tynga's Reviews: Atria

Showing posts with label Atria. Show all posts

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Map of the Sky by Felix J. Palma

The Map of the Sky is the sequel to The Map of Time, so take warning before reading further if you haven't started this series yet! (And you can read my review of The Map of Time HERE.)

I am JUST AS EXCITED about The Map of the Sky as I was about The Map of Time! In the first book, the plot revolved around time travel, and how it related to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. In this second book in the trilogy, the same characters are back, with a few additions, and the story is based on H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. Yes: there are MARTIANS in this book! Martians + steampunk + author-as-character... everything I love!

Although the format of The Map of the Sky is very similar to the the format of The Map of Time, I was never bored, and I was never able to predict plot twists. This book is also split into three very distinct parts, that all weave together at the end for a big reveal. In the first part, we very briefly rejoin H.G. Wells as he goes with a friend to see a Martian that is being kept in secret storage at a London museum. Coincidentally, the author has just published The War of the Worlds; will he find out that he wrote a piece of nonfiction rather than fiction? The reader is then taken on a flashback adventure to the Antarctic in 1830 with the brave Captain Reynolds and Edgar Allen Poe. (Yes: two authors-as-characters in this one!)

In another vignette within the book we're introduced to Emma and Montgomery, two young people at the top of the London social chain. At first I very much disliked Emma; she's pretentious and a bit stuck up. However, we see a lot of character growth in her through the book. As we come to the pinnacle of the story-the Martian invasion-we see her really come into her own and shine with a previously unknown strength.

And finally, Felix J. Palma does an amazing and masterful job interweaving all the early plot points to come together for a un-put-downable ending. Really! I completely ignored everything else in the world to sit for two hours straight to read through the ending. Once the action gets going, you won't want to miss a moment in Victorian London! Action, adventure, a little romance, all set against a backdrop of survival during an intergalactic invasion.

A final note: I somehow missed this when I read The Map of Time, but these books were actually originally published in Spanish and translated by Nick Caistor. I give him many, many props for his translation skills! I mean, he's obviously working from a great book, but then to continue the fluidity of the prose and the gorgeous descriptives... just wow.

I give this series two enthusiastic thumbs up, and will definitely be continuing on to the third book in the series!

Readalikes: If you are daunted by the (very) high page count in these books, but like the idea of sci-fi/fantasy with authors-as-characters, I recommend the YA series "The Madman's Daughter" by Megan Shepherd. The first in the trilogy is The Madman's Daughter.

by Tynga at Thursday, March 19, 2015

Atria, Felix J Palma, Historical, Library, Map of Time, Martians, Review, Science Fiction, steampunk Leave your mark

Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Ohmygoodness did I ever LOVE this book! I know it's early in the year, but this may be a Top Ten Read of 2015. My aunt recommended this to me; I'm so lucky to have people in my life to introduce me to such great books! It's got an author as a character (H.G. Wells no less!), time travel, Victorian England.... love it!

The Map of Time is told in three parts--or episodes--that all come together beautifully in the end. It felt like Felix J. Palma was conducting a gorgeous, moving symphony of a story. He was able to skillfully gather up and weave together all the disparate moving parts and characters at the end to give the reader a conclusive, satisfying, and exciting ending. That, my friends, is talent.

I want to go ahead an reassure you that The Map of Time never felt confusing to me. The cast of characters was definitely manageable, especially considering the length of the book and it's subject matter. The majority of the first part of the book is told from the point of a young man named Andrew; the majority of the second part is told from the point of view of a young lady named Claire; and the majority of the third part of the book is told from the point of view of the author H.G. Wells. There is also an omniscient, unnamed narrator who helps fill in gaps and provide the reader with extra insight. I loved that there were a few points where the omniscient narrator introduced a character by name, only to immediately tell the reader that it's not necessary to remember them; they only play a bit part in the larger story. Whenever a plot point or a character were influential to the story, the author found a way for the narrator to subtly "underline" them.

The Map of Time may be a lengthy tome (656 pages!) with a sometimes-confusing subject matter (time travel), but I flew through it and felt like it ended too soon. I'm so glad that it's the start of a trilogy! I began recommending it to other book-loving friends before I'd even finished it myself. In the first part, Andrew is a devastated young man. He's contemplating ending his life after the tragic death of his beloved. His cousin swoops in and takes him to H.G. Wells, who has just published The Time Machine and who, they believe, may have an actual time machine that Andrew can use to go back in time and save his love's life. In the second part, Claire is a young lady who is disillusioned with Victorian England. She signs up for an expedition to the future to escape the pressure to get married. She believes that life will be better for a woman in the year 2000. In the final part of the book, H.G. Wells himself is confronted by a time travel dilemma; and his choice could have rather large ripple effects on history. It's not all smoke and mirrors; every time a character time travels or is confronted by a time traveler, Mr. Palma gives explanations as to how it was possible. He even preemptively answered questions that I hadn't even considered! There are no plot holes that I could find! I also found it all very accessible. I'm a library worker, not a scientist, and I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the action and explanations.

I haven't read much steampunk in the past, but The Map of Time has peaked my interest. I've already requested the sequel, The Map of the Sky, from my library!

by Tynga at Thursday, February 12, 2015

Atria, Felix J Palma, Historical, Map of Time, Purchased, Review, Science Fiction, steampunk, time travel 1 Person left their mark

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

For a zombie novel, this was actually strangely refreshing! Since the Walking Dead has premiered, I've had my face buried in zombie novels. Warm Bodies was my first zombie novel that had an ending that satisfied me. I understand that it's the end of the world and there are zombies running about and we're probably not going to get a happily ever after - but that's really not what I'm looking for either. I just want an ending! So many zombie novels I've read have taken what feels like a short cut by just sort of ... ending abruptly. And then calling it just a quirk of the genre.

Warm Bodies finally turns that around. You get an ending. Not a happily ever after, but it's an ending. Definitely a book I'd love to read the sequel for!

Warm Bodies is told from the viewpoint of a zombie - making this a fascinating read as "R" struggles to remember just who he is and what made him this way and if there could be anything left in the world that might matter more to him than ripping through human flesh. This is not a book for the squeamish - it's pretty detailed and descriptive. Definitely gave me some very vivid mental images!

I generally approached zombie 'romance' with a slightly hesitant fear. There are the obvious problems of being dead, and all the strange smells and maladies that must come along with that. It's difficult to really get invested in a story revolving around them. And yet, Warm Bodies somehow still made this romance sweet, without making me feel squeamish.

The premise that maybe there are more to zombies than we can see on the outside was especially interesting to read. Sure, they're all moaning and funky smells on the outside, but does that unequivocally prove that there's nothing else going on inside? What if they are simply trapped by their own disease?

Overall, I tore through this book. I haven't read a book this fast in months - because I just had to know what would happen next. As we all know, there's also a movie adaptation that came out this year, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie! I didn't really see how such a unique style narrative would translate well onto film, but I thought it did a great job and was true to the novel as much as it could be.

Read an excerpt