Sunday, October 4, 2009

Currently Reading . . .



This book is bound to split us right down the middle, between those who can't bear to see a classic tampered with, and those who appreciate the genius/humour/effort(?). . . . Or maybe some will just not like it?

Whichever camp you think you'll be in, don't forget to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies this month!

Necropolis


The October Page Turners book for discussion was Necropolis (Book four of The Power of Five), by Anthony Horowitz. It's unashamedly YA (or younger) and targeted at boys. This is a relief, because if it were an adult novel with women as an intended audience, it failed dismally! (Most of us present were women, although I believe our male representative was of a similar overall opinion.)

For my part, I found the book a trifle dull. The characters were not that engaging, and the action not that exciting. Moreover, the YA writing style, which over-explained everything, as well as the omniscient point of view irritated me excessively.

I don't believe anyone in the group was particularly enthralled by it, and about the most interesting discussion topic was the difference between this, which clearly doesn't translate well for the adult reader, and other YA novels (such as Harry Potter, for example -- but there are many others), which do.

In addition, the morals of some of the lead characters were questioned (and the negative message this could leave with young, impressionable readers). Others also found the characters either dull, stupid or unlikeable. Hmmm, not too many positive vibes!