Friday, April 1, 2011

Book Review #42 Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce

Tortall and Other Lands
A Collection of Tales
by Tamora Pierce



Genre: YA Fantasy / Short Stories
Ages: 13 and up, except for the story Huntress, which is 15 and up.

This book contains a variety of stories ranging from the fantasy world of Tortall to modern day America.
Student of Ostriches introduces you to Kylaia, a character briefly referenced in the Song of the Lioness quartet. This story was about strength, courage, and observation. I liked the Africa feel of it as well as the story.
Elder Brother was one of my favorites in this collection. After reading Wolfspeaker (Book 2 in the Immortals quartet), I really wanted to know what happened to the poor tree, and now I do. It was a rather sad story, but full of hope and promise.
The Hidden Girl is about Teky, a young woman in a world where women are kept hidden and uneducated. She wishes to change that.
Nawat made me laugh at first, then it made me cringe, then at last it made me smile. Nawat and Aly from the Trickster novels are, in my opinion, Tamora Pierce's greatest creations and I loved seeing them again. I still think they should get a third novel.
The Dragon's Tale starred Kitten from the Immortals quartet. Bored and lonely, she finds herself a friend. I liked this story. It was sweet and funny, though Afra's story was very sad. I hope that Uday gets a story of his own someday.
Lost was about a darking who helps a shy young mathematician gain confidence and freedom. Adria, the mathematician, was a truly delightful new character.
Time of Proving is a story of complete opposites, a skilled survivor and scholarly poet who knows nothing of the world. This wasn't one of my favorites, but it wasn't bad.
Plain Magic introduces you to a town of superstitious people who believe that the proper way to deter a dragon is to feed it a virgin. This one was fun.
Mimic is about a girl who loves animals, and rescues a rather strange one. This is a story of growing up.
Huntress takes place at a modern day school in America. I did not like this story at all. It was mean, nasty, and strange. I would recommend skipping it.
Testing tells you about a group of girls from troubled pasts who torment every new arrival at their teen-refuge house.
This book also contained an Excerpt from Mastiff, the upcoming Beka Cooper novel, about which I am very excited. I shall not tell you anything about it.

Mostly this book is a 2.10 in profanity, except for Huntress, which is a 8.10 for multiple uses of the f-word.

This gets a 2.10 for sexuality because of a few mild references.

There is hardly any violence in most of the stories, so I give them a 2.10. Huntress gets a 6.10 for brutality and multiple murders.

                                           Lieder Madchen

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