Carnivorous sheep binges on history and backstory - skimps on entertainment

 

Celeste and the protagonist (unnamed) have graduated from university and are heading back to Stella’s Cove to visit his mother and then on to Prince Rupert to start their careers and life together. They are taking a small steamer to get to their destination and though the four day trip is uneventful it takes the author 15 pages to tell it.

 

Oh, oh.

 

The next chapter abruptly switches from the couple to the protagonist’s early university days and a involved story about his friend who subsequently dies on the battlefield of WWI Europe.

 

Where is this book going you ask? Me too.

 

After 47 pages I still had no sense of what Carnivorus Sheep by Michael Sorbonne Robinson, Sr. was about – no goal, no motivation, and no conflict. I was also confused about the time period, was it the present or a hundred years ago, and wasn’t sure who the protagonist was?

 

More than anything the introduction and the first two chapters are the author’s interpretation of Canadian history, specifically the boom and busts of small towns along the coast of British Columbia and Canada’s role in the First World War including the Conscription Crisis in Quebec. Almost none of this appears to advance the plot or develop the main characters, but since I don’t know what the plot is about or who the main characters will turn out to be I might be mistaken.

 

History can make an interesting backdrop for a novel, but history for history’s sake is boring unless, of course, you’re a historian.

 

Despite being grammatically perfect, Carnivorous Sheep is further challenged by overwriting and redundancies. The sentences are almost all long and complicated and attribute to a pace that is at best plodding.

 

Robinson is also prone to telling instead of showing. He has his characters tell you what happened rather than showing his characters carrying out the action. This passive writing style lacks the immediacy today’s reader’s demand. I want to be in the moment with the characters, I want to be part of the story experience.

 

I’m not sure what happens in this novel since I abandoned it after two chapters. I don’t think I missed much since it’s not likely Robinson changed his style or his penchant for mountains of historical backstory that impedes the plot.

 

I think as an author you must first and foremost entertain the reader. If you fail to do so you’ll lose any opportunity of enlightening or educating them. They’ll simply abandon your book without finishing it – as I did.

 

 

Book 12: Entertain the End
Narrator: April

My rating:

April and the EverWorld gang, minus Senna for obvious reasons, have one final quest now that the gateway has been closed forever: get King Baldwin of the dwarfs on their side and free Thor who will somehow make it so they can defeat Ka Anor and remove the threat of the god-eater from EverWorld.

 

Here’s the annoying thing: David’s convinced the quest is to get back to Athena on Olympus (which never happens, so I don’t know what’s up with that). The audience is convinced the quest is to defeat Ka Anor, as that’s what we’re being told. Neither of these things happen in this book. This book is all about rescuing Thor. I know there was a lot of unrest when Animorphs ended on a cliffhanger, and it seems Applegate can’t help repeat herself. It’s like the Battle of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings, if we followed all the preparation but then way before the battle started, before the elves even show up, the book would end.

 

The other part of the book is the gang fading from the real world as EverWorld pulls them in. But it’s their choice to go, and I’m unhappy with April’s final decision. The entire series, she’s been the only one who wanted to get back to the real world. She has a life, she has hope and a future, and she hates EverWorld, unlike the three boys. David wants to be a hero, Christopher’s got no chance in the real world, and Jalil doesn’t have to fight his OCD in EverWorld – plus, his intelligence is a massive bonus. The boys have reasons to stay. April doesn’t. She doesn’t even necessarily like who she is in EverWorld, unlike David who’s become a general, Christopher who’s slowly turning into a decent human being, and Jalil who’s worshipped for his knowledge.

 

So all along April’s wanted to stay in the real world. And when she starts fading from EverWorld, that’s the cue. Instead, for no reason whatsoever, she decides to stay in EverWorld. It’s not like she’s become a different person, like Christopher. Or that she enjoys it, like David and Jalil. She very clearly prefers the real world. But all of a sudden it’s bye-bye, April. Kaput.

 

It’s one of the better books because it has an actual goal the kids work towards, but as a series ender it’s a major disappointment – not only because April’s decision is majorly out of character, but because we never get the final showdown between the real worlders and Ka Anor, which was the very reason the gang was dragged into EverWorld to begin with. The whole thing feels like it kind of fizzled out instead of going out with a bang.

 

PS – all through my childhood I thought that red-haired girl on the cover was April, but I actually think it’s Etain, the red-haired half-elf princess.

I think Thia mannas overly delusional and living in a fantasy. He descriptions are repetitive. The beginning about his upbringing was interesting but beyond that it gets pretty redundant! He almost comes off as a hypocrite. And forget about finding about down low celebs. Names are withheld and descriptions are vague enough that it could be numerous people. I almost feel that some of the things he writes are not true. His numerous sexcapades are described in detail. Its a quick read but i found myself disgusted and ready to be done at times bc it tends to seem like the same thing.

This is a beautiful book and not just another cook book - whilst it contains fabulous recipes it is really more aimed at those people who enjoy entertaining at home and really want to impress their guests without breaking the bank or spending all evening in the kitchen! The recipes are impressive, but easy to make and look fantastic and Mahin Driskill obviously knows her stuff as she covers everything from table decorations to music regardless of whether you are planning a Persian Feast, a Mediterranean meal or even a Burns Night Supper.The attention to detail is wonderful and shows exactly how to create a great evening with 'wow-factor' without breaking the bank.However many cook books you already have you really should include this one on your shelf!