science fiction – Page 7

Caramel reviews The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

Today Caramel reviews The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau, the second book in the author’s City of Ember series, published in 2004. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Readers may recall that Marshmallow has already reviewed the first book, City of Ember.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, can you tell us a bit about what this book is about?

Caramel: The people of Ember come up to the surface and settle down in a town named Sparks.

S: Wait. Tell us a bit more about Ember. It is the city from the first book, City of Ember, right?

C: Yes. But at the end of that book, most of the people from that city ran away because their generator was failing and the city would soon be uninhabitable.

S: That is a big word, Caramel!

C: Yes, but it is the right word. It would be too dark without the generator, and it would be unlivable for people. And for bunnies of course. Because we like light too.

S: Sure we do. So okay, I remember that the first book had two main heroes, named Lina and Doon. Are they also in this book?

C: Yes, in fact they are again the heroes.

S: Okay, so what is the conflict of this book then? They are out and found a place to live.

C: Yes but the new place Sparks is not big enough or rich enough for all the people living there plus the new people from Ember.

S: I see. So there is some conflict between the two groups?

C: Yep.

S: Hmm, so in some sense it is a bit about immigration and refugees finding a new home but not feeling terribly welcome.

C: Kind of. But also Sparks people do not even have electricity. They do not know about it.

S: Hmm, that is interesting. I remember that in Ember, they had electricity even though they did not understand fully how it worked. So you are saying that they do not even have that much here in Sparks?

C: Yes.

S: So do the Ember folks try to teach them about electricity?

C: Well, only in the end. Doon finally figures it out.

S: Hmm, is that getting too close to spoiler territory?

C: Perhaps.

S: Okay so let us stop here with the plot then.

Caramel is reading The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. — Caramel is reading *The People of Sparks* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: Tell me about Doon and Lina next. Are they any different in this book?

C: They are about the same. This book starts quite soon after the other book ends. So they are more or less the same people. They are curious and sometimes make mistakes, but they are trying to help their people.

S: I see. That sounds good. Are there any new characters that appear in this book that you liked?

C: Well, there is a whole new town of people, but I liked only Maddy. She is nice.

S: Who is she?

C: She is the traveling partner of Casper.

S: Who is Casper?

C: He is a person looking around in old ruins and finds things and brings them back to Sparks to trade them for other stuff.

S: So they are not quite from Sparks.

C: No. There seem to be a lot of small settlements all around, and some are abandoned.

S: I see. So this is some sort of a post-apocalyptic world.

C: Yes. It seems like this is a world after a World War Three.

S: Hmm, this reminds me of a quote by Albert Einstein: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

C: Yes, that is essentially what is happening in this world. I mean, they are not going to start another big war, but they lost almost all of the modern technology of today and the knowledge behind it.

S: That is interesting. And sobering at the same time. Alright, let us get back to the book. Did you enjoy reading it? Do you think you will read the next book in the series?

C: Yes. And yes.

S: I wonder if Marshmallow will read the third book before you so she can review it.

C: We can wait and see.

S: Alright. Let us do that. So before we wrap up this review, can you describe the book in three words?

C: Happy ending page-turner.

S: Hmm, that is a good description. I might need to read it before Marshmallow gets her paws on it.

C: You probably will.

S: Alright. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau and is keen to read the next book in the series to learn about what happens next to the people of Ember and Sparks. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The People of Sparks* by Jeanne DuPrau and is keen to read the next book in the series to learn about what happens next to the people of Ember and Sparks.

Marshmallow reviews The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

As her first review for the new season, Marshmallow chose to talk about the first book of Jeanne DuPrau’s Books of Ember series: The City of Ember (2008). Sprinkles also read the book and enjoyed it so much that she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: Welcome back Marshmallow!

Marshmallow: It is good to be back!

S: So let us dive right in. Please tell us a bit about this book.

M: This book is about a girl named Lina and a boy named Doon who live in a city named Ember, which is lit by artificial means. There are no suns, stars, or moons. The city has city lights which go off at night, and so it becomes completely dark.

S: At the end of the book, we learn why this is so, of course.

M: Right, but we are not giving away any spoilers today!

S: Sure. So tell me about the girl and the boy.

M: They are eleven, and the book starts right about the time they are finishing school and being assigned their jobs for life.

S: So they go to school only till they are eleven or so and then they are assigned a job for life. Do you like that idea?

M: Well, not particularly. Plus you don’t even get to choose your job. You can switch around in a year or so, but it is still kind of limiting. But these people do not know anything different. So maybe they do not feel it is a bad thing.

S: Makes sense to me.

M: Unfortunately schooling is so short and everyone gets trained on the job. They also do not know a lot. I mean, the city has a system that generates electricity that works the lights and so on, but they do not know or understand fire, electricity, or the inner workings of the generator. So when the generator begins to malfunction, they are at a loss.

S: Reminds me of the Star Trek Next Generation episode When the Bough Breaks.

M: It does have similarities actually! There too you have a society that does not understand how their planetary computer system is sustaining them, and then the system starts to fail. Though in The City of Ember, there are no computers.

S: Sure. So Lina and Doon try to figure out how to solve their city’s big problem, right?

M: Well, Lina kind of stumbles into it, but Doon has been thinking of trying to save his city for a while now. But yes, they are trying to figure out things.

S: I think that is a good overview of the plot Marshmallow.

Marshmallow is reading The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. — Marshmallow is reading *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: So now tell me a bit about the characters. Did you find them compelling?

M: Yes. I thought the most compelling character is Lina, and she tries to make sure her baby sister is safe. Lina’s life and that of her sister is more precarious than some of the other folks in town, and she is very caring of the little baby. They have been orphans for a while, but now their grandmother who is taking care of them is also starting to have health problems.

S: Doon also does not seem to have a mother, right?

M: True, both of the main characters are coming from families where at least one parent is missing. But they are both self-reliant and also want to help all the others.

S: Still they make some mistakes…

M: Yes, but unlike in all the Harry Potter books where Harry and Ron and Hermione make all kinds of mistakes, these two feel remorse that they did not consult with or confide in the caring adults in their lives. So in some sense, Lina and Doon are a lot more responsible.

S: I can see that. So overall, did you enjoy reading this book?

M: Yep.

S: I liked it too. I read it in one sitting.

M: And I want to read the next book in the series. Though it will likely be quite different.

S: For reasons we cannot quite divulge, of course.

M: Of course.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. How would you rate the book Marshmallow?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Sounds fair to me. What do you want to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia by Gary Russell

The book bunnies are all Whovians, that is, they are all fans of the British science fiction TV show Doctor Who. Having watched and enjoyed many episodes of the show from both its original run 1963-1989 and the reboot series 2005-present, they also have several books about the series on their bookshelves. Today Marshmallow talks about one of these books, Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia, written by Gary Russell in 2011. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell me a bit about why you wanted to talk about this book today.

Marshmallow: We went to a Doctor Who convention recently, and I thought it would be fun to revisit this book.

S: Yes, makes sense to me. So tell me a bit about Doctor Who for readers who may not know who he is.

M: Well, that’s a tall order. But let me try. Doctor Who is an alien, from a planet named Gallifrey, and he travels through time and space. Realistically, I think he finds himself on Earth way too often, but through his travels, he makes friends and defends humanity and anything good in this universe against all sorts of evil villains.

S: I think that is a good summary. And I like how you said he finds himself on Earth too often. In fact he finds himself in the UK, almost all the time, right?

M: Of course. It is after all a BBC show!

S: Of course.

M: And he has a companion or two almost in every episode. He is usually the only Time Lord — that is what people from his planet are called — but he often travels with a human or two, finding them in one of his many trips on Earth and bringing them along with him through many adventures.

S: I’m guessing Time Lords call themselves Time Lords. Kind of pretentious, don’t you think?

M: Yes, but they kind of are lords of time. They have the technology to travel through time and space, and they kind of have the ability to even get out of time sometimes. Which is of course weird, and even incomprehensible, for bunnies like us, who are bound by time.

S: I see. Okay, maybe they can call themselves Time Lords then. So tell me about the book. What is it about?

M: Well, it is written like an encyclopedia, and hence the title. So there are many entries, all ordered alphabetically, about all sorts of things about the show and its main characters.

S: I see on the book cover the faces of three of the Doctors.

M: Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that one of the features of being a Time Lord involves regenerating as a new face and body when your original body is worn out or poisoned or otherwise damaged extensively. So of course this makes it awfully convenient for the BBC to change the actor who is playing the Doctor more or less regularly. And yes, the cover of the book has the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, the tenth Doctor, David Tennant, and the eleventh, Matt Smith. These are the first three doctors from the reboot era.

S: I see. So the book was published in 2011 —

M: And the Doctor was still Matt Smith back then.

S: But he is no longer?

M: Yep. At some point Matt Smith regenerated, and became Peter Capaldi, who was the twelfth Doctor. Then Capaldi regenerated to become Jodie Whitaker, who is the thirteenth. Apparently she will regenerate, and they will bring back David Tennant for a couple more episodes before he regenerates into Ncuti Gatwa, who will be the fifteenth Doctor.

S: Do you think it could be a bit hard to keep track of all these doctors?

M: Not really. They all have their own personalities. Even though it is supposed to be the same person, and the show is really about the life story of one particular individual, each actor has their own interpretation, and each Doctor is totally different.

S: That is amazing, and it is one of the things that keep the show fresh, no?

M: Yes. I think so too.

Marshmallow is reading Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia by Gary Russell. — Marshmallow is reading *Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia* by Gary Russell.

S: Okay, back to The Encyclopedia. So this was published before the twelfth doctor, so it would not have anything about his adventures or companions or those of the thirteenth Doctor. Does it have information about the companions and adventures of the earlier doctors, or is it only about the three new doctors, nine to eleven?

M: I think it is mostly nine to eleven. But they have had a lot of adventures and so there is a lot to say. At the end of the book they list the episodes that the book covers, and they go from Episode 1 of the ninth Doctor to the end of the second year of the eleventh Doctor. And they also have some stuff about The Infinite Quest, which apparently was an animated series with the tenth Doctor and Martha, one of his companions. Somehow we must have missed that one.

S: I see. So there are a lot of details for about six years of the new show.

M: Yes, so you could learn so much! And the book has a lot of colorful pictures. It is really neat to read and look at. Though I must say, there are some scary pictures. And if you just see a picture like that when you turn a page, it could freak you out… It did to me.

S: What do you mean?

M: You know some of the episodes of Doctor Who are pretty scary, and so the pictures about those episodes remind me of the episodes and how scary they were. And even if I had not seen the full episodes, the pictures would still be very scary.

S: Hmm. So maybe this is not a great book for young bunnies.

M: No. But if a bunny likes Doctor Who and is not too scared of the scary episodes, I’m sure they would love this book. There are so many details on each of the episodes. It will be fun to re-watch the show after looking over this book. I think I will notice so much more.

S: So then you like the book, right?

M: Yes. If you are a Whovian, and especially if you like the new series, you have to read this book.

S: I see. Then how would you rate it?

M: I’d rate it 95%, only because of the scary pictures. But otherwise it is a pretty awesome book and would be appreciated by anyone who likes the show.

S: Thank you Marshmallow. I think that is fair. So what would you like to tell our readers as we wrap this up?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing book reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia by Gary Russell 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia* by Gary Russell 95%.

Caramel reviews Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Caramel has a big appetite for all books, and he loves to share what he has read with the readers of this blog. This week, he got his paws on Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, a 2021 young adult novel Sprinkles had intended for Marshmallow. And then for the next couple days he could not be separated from it, until he was finally done reading. Today, he discusses this book with Sprinkles, who is taking notes and asking questions. There may be more spoilers in this review than usual.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I had thought this would be a book for Marshmallow, but you took it and read it first. What appealed to you so much from the beginning?

Caramel: The robots on the back cover.

S: I had not even seen that as a mecha before you showed it to me! But yes, now I can see that it looks like a mechanical dragon.

C: It is a mechanical bird.

S: Really? Tell me more.

C: That thing on the cover is the Vermillion Bird. It is a Chrysalis, a mecha that the humans in Huaxia use to fight the giant aliens who are native to the planet.

S: Ooh, so the main character is a human living on a planet that is not the Earth, and there are native creatures on this planet, and the humans are fighting them.

C: Well, we don’t learn that the Hundun are native to the planet until the end actually. So that is a big spoiler there!

S: Oops! I did not know. But did you know that the Vermillion Bird is actually a traditional Chinese symbol? Wikipedia says “it represents the Fire element, the direction south, and the season summer”.

C: Really?

S: Does that match with anything in the book?

C: I’m not sure. But that is interesting! And the four symbols and the five elements Wikipedia talks about also show up in the book.

S: Okay, that is neat! So the author has incorporated a bunch of Chinese mythology into the story then! Pretty cool… Why don’t you tell me more about the story?

C: Well, the Chrysalises are powered by a woman and a man, and almost always things end up with the woman dying.

S: That’s kind of weird.

C: Actually there are only three women who have ever survived being in a Chrysalis and the main character Zetian is one of them.

S: And is she the narrator?

C: Yes. And the book is in first person, and I really like that. She is also always writing in the present tense, which makes things sound a lot more like they are happening as she writes. And that makes things more interesting.

S: I can see that!

Caramel is reading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. — Caramel is reading *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao.

S: So the inside cover jacket describes the book as follows:

In Huaxia, the highest honor for a young girl is to be selected as a concubine-pilot: supporters paired up with male pilots to power up Chrysalises, the giant transforming mechas that humanity relies on to battle the massive aliens that lurk behind the Great Wall. But the honor often ends in death, and when eighteen-year-old Zetian’s sister is killed by an ace pilot, she signs up to avenge her.

C: Yes, exactly what I told you!

S: I can see that. So then what happens?

C: She does take her revenge, and the pilot is killed, and that is why she is called an iron widow.

S: But the book does not end there.

C: No, it does not. In fact all this happens quite early on. To be precise it happens at the end of chapter 7, and there are 47 chapters and an epilogue.

S: So there is a lot more that happens after, right?

C: Oh, yes. And it is all pretty interesting.

S: You also said there was some mushiness and some bad words.

C: Yes, Marshmallow calls it mushy, and I just skip those things. And they use the F-word a couple times.

S: Okay, so about that mushiness: does Zetian have a romantic interest?

C: Yes.

S: But it is not essential to the rest of the story?

C: Well, a little, but I did not need to know all the details of them kissing and so on.

S: When it is a young adult book, sometimes those things seem to show up.

C: Well, it is still a pretty cool book. And apparently there will be a second book, but it’s not coming out till next summer! Can you believe that? How am I supposed to wait that long?

S: I don’t know Caramel. I guess you just have to read other books in the meantime.

C: And I want to talk to the author and complain! I really want to read that second book!

S: Well, it may not be all up to the author. Anyways, so there is a second book. Does that mean this book ends in a cliffhanger?

C: Yes. It’s a big bad cliffhanger. Like the Big Bad Wolf.

S: What do you mean? Doesn’t the main part of the story of this book get resolved?

C: Yes, there is some resolution, I’m not telling what, but there is so much more that is going to happen next, I’m sure. And I want to know about it.

S: I can see this was a fun book to read! It has mechas, aliens, space ships, and all kinds of fun stuff you like.

C: Exactly.

S: So why don’t you give me your three-word description for the book?

C: Mechas against patriarchy.

S: Well, “patriarchy” is a big word for you Caramel. Do you know what it means?

C: Yes. It means the men are on top and the women are not. And in this book, Zetian is living in a world which uses women up in these mechas. And she won’t have any more of it.

S: Those three words will work then. Though it is maybe more correct to say “Zetian against patriarchy”, no?

C: Yes, but I have to mention the mechas! And while I’m doing that, we have to link to the author’s page which has a lot of cool drawings of the mechas in the book!

S: Sure, Caramel. Those pictures are pretty amazing. And on a related page, the author writes that the book is a “sci-fi retelling of the rise of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history”.

C: That is really cool! I did not know that when I was reading. That makes total sense though! But I want to read the next book, too. Maybe it will be like when she is the emperor? It is called “Heavenly Tyrant” so that makes sense!

S: Yes, I agree Caramel. Definitely something to look forward to for next year. So what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap things up?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and can't wait to learn more about Zetian and what she will end up doing in the next book. — Caramel loved *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao and can’t wait to learn more about Zetian and what she will end up doing in the next book.