The Battle of the Labyrinth

I've read about 3/4 of The Battle of the Labyrinth. So far, its just as entertaining and informative as the last three. This particular book is a great deal about choices. Obviously, the reader can see that from the title. The Labyrinth is a complex maze work that exists to decieve those brave or foolish enough to enter it. However, I also believe that this Labryinth represents the human mind. In the Labyrinth, one must choose which path to take, as they must do with their own lives. One false move, or one bad decision in life, can ruin a person. However, at the end of the Labyrinth lies the heroes' goals and if the right path is taken, they will prevail, just as the right descions in life will lead a person to success. The Labyrinth is a physical reminder that choices can have various consequences and that they are, in general, not easy to make. The book also deals with morality. This comes into play when Deadalus, the inventor of the Labyrinth, is forced to choose sides between the gods and the titans. The desicion to do what is right often escapes Deadalus, as is revealed with a flashback into his long, unatutal life. When Janus, the god of choices and pathways, influences Deadalus, he wrongfullly chooses to cause the death of his newphew out of bitterness and jealuously. Of all the wrong Deadalus commited in his 2000 years, the heroes still believe he will do what is right and help them navigate the Labyrinth. Ultimately, he refuses, claiming that they already know the way. This shows that many times, decisons must be made by an individual alone, and without any influence from friends or others. The main question in my mind now is this: Even if Deadalus had helped the heroes, would that make up for his previous actions and construction of the dangerous Labyrinth, which had caused so many deaths that never would have been if it had not had been created?

Finished "The Titan's Curse"

The Titan's Curse is the third installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. As I previously stated in another post, the ancient Greek culture is brought to the present in a creative and informative way. Modern twists are put into an otherwise serious and noble culture. (EX: The chariot of Apollo being a sports car, and Posiedon being clad in fisherman's gear.)The scenarios which Rick Riordan uses in his stories reflect, in some cases, the journeys of Odysseus, they give a new view towards one whom most would count a selfless character (Hercules), and recreates the ancient peril with a new band of unlikely heroes, a group a adolescents who are the offspring of the various gods an goddesses of Mount Olympus.
In this third installment, tension is again created between the three elder gods, (Zues, Posiedon, Hades) when a new pieces in the game, as the author puts it, are brought back into play. These 'pieces' would be a girl who many believed gone from this world, and the other two would be newly discovered demigods (the name for the children of the gods and humans) that the monsters serving the Titans have been sent to kidnap. No one knows for sure the parentage of these two young children, but it is later revealed that they are of great importance.
While the decision to fight against the reformation of the Titan Lord Kronos is being determined by the gods and goddesses, the daughter of Athena is taken by the enemy and forced to bear the "Titan's Curse". (If you have any doubt as to what that may be, I encourage you to read these books or brush up on ancient Greek culture!) Also, this book clearly expresses why some people choose to endure great pain or martyr themselves for a cause. Numerous characters in this book force themselves to endure pain for the sake of a friend and another goes knowingly to her death so that she may save the one person she is bound to by love and allegiance.

New Series Update

I recently saw the Lightning Theif in the movies and decided to read the books. They are pretty good so far, but the story was changed somewhat for the film. I have already read the first two books and they have gone by quite quickly. If anyone is looking for a quick read, or if you are interested in Greek Mythology, this would be a good series to read. It gives an interesting modern twist to an ancient culture. aside form informative, this series is also quite amusing.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

I am about 140 pages into The Return of the King and if possible, I'm enjoying it even more than the movie. I have read nothing of Frodo and Sam, as they have a different story than the rest of the fellowship, who are now divided: one gone forever, two within the walls of Gondor, two marching hopelessly towards Mordor, and four facing the armies of the Enemy in the bloodstained fields of Gondor. The King Ringwraith is slain by Eowen, neice of the now deceased Theoden King of Rohan, yet the armies of the Enemy are far from defeated, and hope dims until the arrival of King Ellesar, Aragorn son of Arathorn, and his companions, Gimli and Legolas in the black-sailed ships of the Enemy rekindles it. Together Aragorn and Eomer, now King of Rohan through Theoden King's death, cross paths in battle, and the fight to free Gondor from the clutches of the Emeny continues. Meanwhile in the heart of the city, Lord Denethor, Steward of Gondor, prepares to burn himself with his son Faramir, who lives yet, in a funeral fit for "heathen kings of old." The one chance Captain Faramir has of escaping the flames is Pippin, who searches the city endlessly for Gandalf, the only one he believes can end the madness of Denethor.
UPDATE! I finished the story portion of The Return of the King and am now working on the Appendix, which illustrates the history of Middle Earth before and after the War of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I actually tried to read these books a while ago, they seemed boring then, but I decided to give them another try. I've gotten about one hundred pages in, but I honestly don't think I would have understood the begining if I hadn't already seen the movies. So far, Gandalf has informed Frodo of the evil that resides in the ring and what evil is responsible for it's creation. He has also told the tale of Smeagol/Gollum, and what hold the ring had over him from the begining, and what its still doing to him. This information, along with Gandalf's doubt that Smeagol/Gollum can ever recover from the power of the ring, has frightened Frodo, but also has made him determined to leave the Shire in order to protect its inhabitants, although it is not clear at this point whether or not he will actuallly be the one to Destroy the One Ring. (of course, I already know he will because I saw the movie) The elves are very curious, From what I read of them, they are carefree and enjoy a goodtime, unlike the elves portrayed in the movies, who are serious at every moment and noble looking. Now, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are attempting to locate Gandalf, who failed to show at Frodo's fidtieth birthday party has he said he would. This information has unerved the elves, who obviously hold Gandalf in high status among themselves. Also, it seemes impossible to tell whether or not they are making fun of Frodo for speaking their own language when they give comments such as, "a jewl among hobbits." I also find the tone in which J.R.R. Tolkein has wriiten is a little annoying. He's always saying there is or is it. I know that its the proper way to write, but it still anoys me when I read. I really liked these movies, so hopefully the books won't be much different. I don't like it at all when books are changed on screen.

Started Book Three of Volume 3!

Witchlight: The third installment of Vol. 3 of the Night World series starts off with a shapshifter named Keller and her two friends attempting to locate the third Wild Power, who has been identified as Illiana Dominick, a lost Harman witch. Illiana is also said to be The Witch Child, a powerful Harman prophecized to marry the son of The Fist House of the Shapeshifters, which will create an unyeilding bond and alliance between the witches and shapeshifters forever. Illiana, a popular and much loved girl and in a human high school, is reluctant to accept her ancestry and her responsibility to the world as The Witch Child and the third Wild Power. Under the careful watch of Keller, vampire Nissa, witch Whinnie, and another shapeshifter Galen, Illiana continues to deny what the three agents of Circle Daybreak repeatedly tell her. Not by a coincidence, Galen is there when Keller tries to convince Illiana of her heritage mall. Galen is there to meet Illiana and get to know her, for he is the only son of the Fist House of the Shapeshifters and is fated to marry Illiana Harman. However, things take an unexpected turn. Everyone knows the of prophecy that states Galen will marry Illiana, but she is not his soulmate. Keller is. Keller's realization that she and Galen are the ones fated to be joined puts the alliance she has worked so hard for at risk. If Illiana does not marry Galen, then Circle Daybreak will lose the shapeshifters to the vampires and no alliance will be formed. For this reason, she is determined to deny she has any feelings for Galen and tries to convince him that he must be with Illiana, who he does not love. Its clear that the only person he has eyes for is Keller. And if this play of emotions between heart and duty weren't enough, a dragon has been awaked from its 30,000 year slumber and is bent on destroying the third Wild Power and bringing about the apocalypse...

Night World Volume 3

"The Night World isn't a place, it's all around us. And now its split in two, Vampires against Witches, Humans, and Daybreakers. The werewolves and shifters could go either way. Which ever side they take could determine the fate of the human race."
This is the third volume of Night World. I'm trying to make it last, but am not succeeding, because the final book, Strange Fate, doesn't come out until April! (which I can't for the life of me understand because this one came out in 1997!) Anyway, Vol. 3 includes Huntress, where a vampire girl of a prominent Night World family finds out that she is in fact half human. Learning this, Jez Redfern leaves her life behind in order to make amends for her past wrong doings to humans, her mother's kind, and stalks the very creatures she had once hunted with. But when Circle Daybreak enlists Jez to reclaim leadership of her old gang in order to identify a Wild Power (a child born the year of the Blind Maiden's vision who will hold off the darkness with three others at the time of the apocalypse) she fears for the human child's life as well as her own, for if those who she had once called her friends find out about her parentage, they would not hesitate to kill her. Jez not only has to keep her family a secret, but also juggles the new feelings awakened in her when she realizes that her soulmate is Morgead, a fellow gang member notoriously famous for hating humans, and the one person Jez is sure would strike her down if he knew the truth. Finding the Wild Power proved to be difficult, and Jez went through two likely candidates before she realized an even greater truth about herself, and her responsibility to the human race.

In Black Dawn, a human girl named Maggie learns of a horrible tragedy, Her eighteen year old brother Miles had been killed in a mountain climbing expedition, or so his girlfriend claims. Maggie however, does not believe Sylvia's crying act and pursues the truth about her brother. Upon confronting Sylvia, Maggie learns that the older girl was in fact lying, but is hit with the realization that she will never know the truth when she is knocked out. When she wakes, Maggie is locked in a cart with three other girls. One around middle school age, the other, a slave who attempted to escape the Dark Kingdom, the place Maggie will soon find herself, a place that is ruled by Night Worlders, where technology is nonexistent, and where humans are slaves to the vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, and witches. The last girl is a mystery. Being blind, how could she be of any use to the Night Worlders? When Maggie and her new acquaintances attempt to escape, they are forced to split up, leaving Maggie with the nearly unconscious blind girl, Arcadia. (though we find out later her real name is Aradia.) Hiding from the slavetraders, Maggie meets a vampire boy named Delos, who saved her life and Aradia's from a shapeshifter, using the blue flames of a Wild Power. The two realize that they are soulmates, despite what the vampire prince wishes (yes he's the prince of the Dark Kingdom!) and it becomes evident that he must choose a side. Either he will give in to the infamous Hunter Redfern and contribute to the destruction of the human world, or join the Daybreakers and assume his responsibility to hold off the darkness...

As of now, two Wild Powers have been found, and the prophecy states that there must be four:
One from the land of Kings long forgotten (Delos)
One from the hearth which still holds the Spark (possibly a Harman witch?)
One from the Dayworld where two eyes are watching (Jez)
And one from the twilight to be one with the dark (?)

Didn't get to book three yet!