Umm...
Umm...
Umm...
*tries desperately not to gush*
*reminds herself firmly of all the flaws in these books*
*clears throat*

These. Books. Are. Awesome.

They sound incredibly silly: Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians, Alcatraz Vs. the Scrivener's Bones, Alcatraz Vs. the Knights of Crystallia, and Alcatraz Vs. the Shattered Lens. They look incredibly silly - the covers are, well, regrettable. They are incredibly silly. The basic plot of the first book: A young foster child named Alcatraz Smedry with a strange tendency to break things receives a bag of sand in the mail on his thirteenth birthday, purportedly from his parents, which promptly disappears. Then a strange old man shows up at Alcatraz's door and informs him that the sand has the power to destroy civilizations, that Alcatraz has the power to use magical glasses, and that his bothersome habit of breaking things is actually a magical Talent, just like the old man's Talent for...arriving late. And then they charge off to the local library in order to find said bag of sand, because it got stolen by the evil Librarians, who, naturally, are the leaders of a huge conspiracy that rules all the known world! The other books don't get much better in the silliness department.

Yet, these books are surprisingly brilliant, and, at moments, disarmingly serious...sometimes even moving.

They're definitely very weird. I think they just wouldn't sit well with a lot of people. For one, there's the silliness; and for another, there's the narrator. If you thought Lemony Snicket liked to get on tangents, Alcatraz the narrator practically writes a tangent with a story thrown in. And Alcatraz loves to mess with your head, and is proud of it. Unreliability, tricks with text, fake endings, utterly demolished fourth wall...these books have got it all. So if you like your stories pretty serious, and you don't care for talkative, mischievous narrators, you may want to stay away.

But if you like a book that will do anything to surprise you, if you like a book that is incredibly aware of itself, if you like a book that thinks seriousness makes silliness sillier and silliness makes seriousness seriouser, if you're willing to put up with a lot of crazy experiments and very bad puns in order to get to some true brilliance and true talent...please. READ IT. READ IT. READ IT.

There are some cookies waiting here for you if you do.

The Alcatraz books' author, Brandon Sanderson, is actually quite a well-known and well-respected fantasy author as far as I understand...yet these books are quite obscure. The really sad thing about them is that Sanderson planned for there to be five books, and indeed, the fourth book leaves off at a terrible cliffhanger. But the publisher only did four books, and now the fate of the fifth book is in a precarious position...

Anyways, if anybody else here has read them, I want to know!! (I know some of you are out there. Show yourselves. ) What did you think of them? Am I crazy for liking them so much? (I think I am. ) Favorite line? Favorite trick? Favorite character? Most sad thing about the fifth book's meager chance at existence?

And if you haven't read them, please. If there's any chance you might like them, you must at least try! And by the way, they do get better as they go along, in my opinion...they at least get a teeny weeny bit more serious.

Hm. You have convinced the skeptic to try yet another contemporary author. You make me think I'll like these... it sounds like a kind of book that I enjoy.

* will look up these books for future reading *

I have heard of Brandon Sanderson, but I have not heard of these books. I don't think anyway. Somewhere, something is ringing a bell in my head, but I definitely haven't read them, anyway. I think I'd like them. *Puts then on the never-ending list*

Ahahahaha! Gotcha!

But seriously...I would be delighted if you guys ever did read them, but I would definitely not blame you if they weren't your cup of tea. It took me a long time to figure out why I liked them, myself. When I was in the middle of the third book and my cousins asked me, "What's the deal with this Alcatraz series?" I could only get out incoherent half-sentences. Very rare for Miss Overanalysis here.

Please note that there is a bit of pretty mild language, and the very occasional potty humor (worse in the later books, unfortunately). To me it's worth it, but different people have different feelings on such things.

I love books that do the whole self-aware, breaking-all-the-rules thing when they're done well, so I do think I'd like Alcatraz. * grins *

Noted. I can take it if it's not too much.

I read the first book (vs Evil Librarians) a while ago and found it quite enjoyable. However, I have been unable to find the other books in the series. Now that I have read how much you enjoyed them, perhaps I shall start searching the local libraries again.

I hope you do - if you enjoyed the first book you'll probably find the next ones even better.

A friend recommended these to me a while ago.

I forgot about them.

However! Since I'm off to the library to pick up OMF anyway, ( ) I shall see whether or not they possess a copy.

OMF? Our Mutual Friend?

Aye.

Oooohhhhh....

Where to begin?!?!?!?!?

I LOVED reading that book!!!! A friend gave it to me for Christmas last year and I loved it (You're right, it is a lot like Lemony Snicket's narration - except much more evil). I've only read the first, but I would LOVE to read the rest. I don't have acess to a library, so I'm hoping I get the rest as presents again...

But it was hilarious. The 'talents' were so surprising, and hilarious - and that whole thing with the 'sacrifice on a pile of encyclopeadias' was perfect in the narration.

So glad to find someone else who has heard of and read the series!!

Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it


So true! And Lemony Snicket is downright subtle compared to Alcatraz. He is SO in your face all the time...except for one bit in the second book that was completely brilliant...but you'll just need to find it out yourself I wish I could lend you my copy!


Yes! I originally became interested in the series when a friend mentioned the talents in the course of a conversation about books. He said that he'd read a book once where people have magical powers to arrive late, or break things, or trip and fall. I was intrigued, so some time later I asked his sister what book it was...

And the altar of encyclopedias. You need to read the sequels.

This series really made me want to read more by Brandon Sanderson, since it showed me how much he thinks through what he does. He might use all the old tropes and cliches...but he's aware of what he's doing, and he's being careful. And also, it's always good to see an author who can write a Serious Fantasy Novel and then turn around and make fun of himself. I just finished the first book of his Mistborn trilogy, in fact, and it was very good. Just as I expected - it uses the old tropes and cliches, but very well, and he plays with them now and then, too.

Incredibly subtle. But they're both inscredibly fun. They both warn people off their books too... I would borrow your copy in a heartbeat!!!!! Maybe I'll look for a pdf somewhere online... *groans*

I know! And it's hilarious how they're proud of them!! I must be very talented then...

That altar was VERY annoying. Just saying.

Don't you love it when authors can do that? When a book is, at first sight, childish and redundant; but then it turns out to be very well thought out and complicated - or at least working on many levels?

I should check out his other books...

But Alcatraz does do quite a bit of shameless self-promotion in the later books, and it's hilarious. Anyways, if you can buy ebooks from Amazon.co.uk, they have Kindle versions of the books there, which you can read on a computer or smartphone or e-reader or whatever...but for some unfathomable reason the Kindle versions aren't available in the US. It's the evil librarians' fault, for sure.


Hehe! My sister and I made lists of our possible talents. She has a very long list. In the end we decided that her talent must be spilling things, so now whenever she spills some milk (happens about once a day) we say in unison, "The talent strikes again!"


Yes! Yes!! YES! Exactly! And it makes it all the more brilliant that it seemed childish at first. The later Alcatraz books get even better in this regard. The fourth book in particular...Sorry that I keep mentioning the later books, but bother, they're so good...


You should! One of my favorite things about the first Mistborn book is how complicated it is; how everybody has different viewpoints and ideas, and there isn't any one character that has everything figured out. It felt so real in that regard. I just love it when authors take advantage of the format of a novel to portray different viewpoints; to me it's something that a novel is uniquely suited for, but so many authors use their books to just preach their chosen viewpoint and make all the others look stupid...anyways, this doesn't have much to do with Alcatraz.

*hits head on desk* So, not only do I live in a place where the library has to have been infiltrated as it has none of the books - I also live where I may not buy the Kindle's either!!!!

I should do that sometime... I'm the only one in my family who has read them though, and my friend didn't read it/like it.

Brilliant is an excellant description. And it's fine - I understand entirely. Usually, I'm the one talking about a series of books; and I'm always referencing later events and such.

I love complicated books. Are the Mistborn books like mysters? From a Christian's perspective (obviously), is there anything in them that might be offensive? I usually have to check my own books as I read faster than my father, and I don't want to get into trouble.

What do you mean, 'their own viewpoint'? Maybe I just always find books that are complicated or agree with my own...

*grins* Maybe it's a talent to lose track of the subject...

Alas, the world is full of injustice...


Not sure what you mean by "mysters"...I've only read the first book (which actually stands alone quite well), but as far as content goes, I was okay with it but I think others might be bothered. There's quite a bit of violence and some gore; there's a bit of cursing but no actual taking of the Lord's name in vain, and none of the worse curse words; and there are quite a few references to sex, but nothing explicit at all, and I felt that it was all in good taste and appropriate given the situation. Theme-wise, it was all very positive; lots of good stuff about loyalty and sacrifice and leadership and whatnot. So your mileage may vary depending on what you're comfortable with...


I can't think of any solid examples (always a bad sign ) but I think many authors of fiction tend to glorify their own worldview/ideas, and then ignore or misrepresent others. Of course there isn't anything wrong with making a statement in a novel; it just becomes a problem when you misrepresent your opponents in order to make your statement. Am I speaking more clearly now?


One of the talents on my list is using very long, meandering, run-on sentences..."Just one more clause...!"

What was your favorite rant? I love the bit about Popsicles and insanity - no matter what many books seem to say, you can't accomplish something simply through sheer determination. So many stories do seem to say that - "Follow your dreams!" "Nothing is impossible!" - that it was a breath of fresh air to have Alcatraz say it's not, yet without being pessimistic! And of course I loved the bit about authors writing just to torture people.

The world? Or just my life... And was that sentance sarcastic???!?!?!?

Sorry - I meant 'mysteries'. I type fast, and often skip over letters - and this window doesn't have spell check either...

Okay, thanks for the quick review! I'll think about it a little, but I might not read it... Unfortunately, because it sounds interesting! I'm trying to keep away from certain things for a while, and that book doesn't sound like it would help. But anyway! Maybe later!


Ah.. Yes, much more clearly; and I know what you mean. Although, I can't think of an example either...

"Just one more clause...!" That ranks right up there with, "To make a long story short..."

I've actually only read the book once and don't remember specific rants. Currently, it's at a friend's house so she can read it...I hope she likes it. Although, that bit about authors only writing to torture people... you're right, that was hilarious.

Ranks right up there with all people who want to take over the world should just go be authors - it's less messy. I mean, seriously! Have you ever actually stopped to think about it? As authors, we plan out the lives and deaths of characters, and create worlds - just a little meglomaniac... Someday, I'm going to starting cackling over my writing....

*grins*

I was talking about the whole world, and it wasn't sarcastic, not exactly...but I was applying a serious statement to a kind of silly example. I feel your pain, though. I don't have a library either, and no mail service!


The Mistborn books aren't mysteries; they're basically fantasy adventures. There are plenty of mysterious things thrown in, but the point is the adventure. I think all of what Brandon Sanderson has written is fantasy or sci-fi...


I understand. Feel free to pass it up - there are plenty of other great books out there!


YES! So true!! We make all kinds of awful things happen to our characters and manipulate our readers all in the name of Story. But on the other hand, I, as a reader, love it when an author successfully manipulates me. Sounds like a dangerous abusive relationship...

Ah! i apologize. It's so hard to tell when someone is being sarcastic or sardonic in text... Not that my mental voice helps at all.

No mail service?!?!?

Definitely a dangerous abusive relationship... Not that we'd ever give it up or anything!