I know I'm not the only one who feels guilty about clearing my blog feeder without actually reading all the new posts it announces. Actually, I don't know how to clear mine with 1 click, so I just spent an hour going through them. I admit I skimmed most, but my feeder is now clear. Yay! One thing I noticed in my perusing is that there are TONS of giveaways going on right now. I'm going to list the ones I've seen. If I missed yours, leave me a comment. There are so many chances to win, you better get on your horse and enter:

- Of course, you should enter my drawings for Blindness by Jose Saramago and FarWorld by J. Scott Savage. All the info is here.

- You can also enter to win Blindness over at Bookroomreview's blog. Check it out here.

- Booking Mama is holding a drawing for Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond. Enter here.

- Since it's BAFAB week, Chris is offering a book from a selection of 12, including The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimain! Check it out here.

- April is giving away a signed ARC of The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau.

- Dewey is offering a free book (winner's choice), plus several more drawings of politically-themed books. Dewey also wants to spread the word about the upcoming 24-Hour Read-A-Thon. Get all the details here.

- 5MinutesforBooks is also giving away the politically-themed books here.

- 200 Books is holding a drawing for The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon DeFoe. Get all the info here.

- Nymeth has A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle up for grabs.

Phew!

Watch out, world - there's a new superhero in town. He's got an exoskeleton to protect him from bad guys, a missile cycle for zooming around the Earth, a floating command center as big as a city, and enough toys to turn James Bond permanently green with envy. He is Strand - a man, but so much more.


We meet this new superhero in J.B.B. Winner's book, The Strand Prophecy, the first in a new sci fi series. Since two of the authors (J.B.B. stands for Jeff, Brittany and Brianna - a father and his 13-year-old twin daughters) are teenagers, the book has been marketed as young adult. I don't get that, really, since there's only one teenaged character, and she spends little time "on stage." AnyWAY, here's the rest of the story ...

Like most superheroes-to-be, Strand begins life as an ordinary man. Steve Cutter. An anthropologist/technologist, Steve becomes so engrossed in his work that he cuts himself off from family and friends. He's so obsessed with his own technology that he tries some of his technology on himself. Soon, he begins changing. He is a man, but more (trust me - if you read this book, you will come to detest this phrase). Steve's new powers complicate things, especially when he gets custody of his 16-year-old niece after the deaths of her parents. To keep Anna safe, he must hide his secret identity from her.

When Steve receives news of strange creatures sighted in Brazil, he knows he needs to investigate. He's been convinced for some time that Earth is entering an "accelerated evolutionary cycle" - the blood-thirsty, barely human species he finds in South America is proof that normal humans are in very real danger. Strand knows he needs to warn people, but the U.S. government buries the story, vehemently denying that anything dangerous is happening. Strand knows the future of humanity is in his hands. Ignoring the president's orders to stand down, he sends a warning to the world - stay out of direct sunlight/moonlight, watch for animals acting strangely, and wait for messages from Strand.

Meanwhile, back at the lab ... Veternarian Dr. E studies the adaptations in humans and animals, trying to figure out what is happening. All she knows is that things are changing - she, herself, is changing. All around her, things are evolving. Some of the evolution is good, some not so good. She knows she's an integral part of creating a new brand of superhero to combat the new, violent species that are being created every day. She also knows she must help Steve (she doesn't know about Strand) protect the innocent, including the unwary Anna, who seems to be walking right into the realm of crazed T-Rex crocodiles. Can she and Strand save Anna? More importantly, can they save the world?

As you can see, The Strand Prophecy follows a very traditional sci fi plot - man finds out he has powers, man must hide his identity to protect those he loves, man/superhero must save the world. It's not very original (although I don't know that I've ever met a superhero who rides missiles). Plot, however, is not this book's biggest flaw - that would be the flat characters, bland writing, and stiff, unnatural dialogue. Point of view is all over the place, dipping into the minds of every character, including a Howler monkey. A plethora of dry scientific facts also made my eyes glaze over. The other thing that really bugged me was the hero's infallibility - with his machines, he could do anything. Even superheroes need some weaknesses to make them sympathetic and interesting.

On the bright side, the story moves pretty quickly. It's a fast read, and YA readers will probably enjoy the ride. For me, I wanted more dynamic writing, characters with personality (if the cast didn't use each other's name in every sentence, I would not have been able to tell their voices apart), and some realistic dialogue. Without these things, I couldn't lose myself in this novel. I wanted to like it, but honestly, I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't committed to reviewing it. Sorry J.B.B. Winner, The Strand Prophecy is just average ... nothing more.

(As occasionally happens, reviewers on Amazon and Barnes & Noble disagree with my assessment of this book. Check out their comments for a different perspective.)

Grade: C

Thirteen year-old Marcus Kanenas appears to be the least likely hero in the world. Orphaned and crippled, he has little to rely on, except the wheelchair that helps him get around. Marcus' disabilities make him the target of school bullies who see him only as a freak. What the cruel boys don't realize is that nothing is ever as it seems, including their classmate. Disfigured though he may be, Marcus has unique abilities - he's determined, brave and just a little bit magic. So, when a strange creature disguised as a government agent approaches, Marcus is able to disappear long enough to distract the phony ... at least for a little while. Then, he feels himself being yanked so hard his stomach turns inside out and his whole world changes. He wakes up somewhere far, far away from the Arizona desert he's known all his life.

This, he comes to realize, is Farworld. It's a magical land where trees talk, horses tell corny jokes, lizards fly and wizards shape shift into wolves. Spells and sorcerers abound. Although it's unlike Earth in lots of ways, there's something familiar about it - it's a place Marcus has dreamed of hundreds of times. Has he leapt inside his imagination or, as strange as it seems, has he actually been in Farworld before? When he interrogates his new friend, Kyja, he learns little that makes sense. Only three things are apparent: the pair are connected; their worlds parallel each other somehow; and they must save both Earth and Farworld from the evil that could destroy them both.

Thus begins Farworld: Water Keep, the first in a new YA fantasy series by J. Scott Savage. In this, the debut novel, Marcus discovers that he is the hero of Farworld's legends, the man who allegedly saves the land from the Dark Lord who seeks to rule it. He learns that Master Therapass, a kindly old wizard, swapped Marcus and Kyja at birth in an attempt to hide Marcus from his enemies. Now that the evil ones have found him, they won't stop until they have Marcus in their clutches. As Marcus and Kyja flee from a host of nightmarish creatures, they hatch a crazy plan: If they can reach each of the Elementals - beings representing fire, water, land and air - they can open a rift between their worlds, return Kyja to her proper home, and save both their worlds. The problem? Elementals can be a little ... uncooperative. Still, it's their only chance.

Their first objective: Convince the rulers of Water Keep to aid them in their quest. Easier said than done. Their journey takes them past a sinister Summoner, into a forest full of trees with uncertain motives, to an underground prison, into the talons of an enormous ice dragon and into an icy wonderland where humans are decidedly unwelcome. It's a harrowing journey that will try Marcus and Kyja to the very core of their beings. Along the way, they will make important discoveries about themselves, each other, and the true nature of magic. Oh yeah, and they will jump back and forth between worlds with dizzying frequency, take on some truly sinister beings, and fight for justice in two increasingly apathetic worlds.

Although Farworld: Water Keep packs plenty of action into its pages, I had a bit of trouble getting into it. I found the beginning a little disparate and confusing. By about Chapter 5, however, I was completely hooked. The characters don't exactly leap off the page, but they develop into an interesting and endearing cast. Archetypal characters border on cliche, but Savage also introduces some wholly original creatures. I was especially entranced with Water Keep - I loved the descriptions of the city as well as those of its residents and rulers. The writing could have been tighter and I would have liked better character development, but all in all, I enjoyed this fun romp through a fantastical world full of twists, turns and (mostly) delightful surprises. Savage is no J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis, but he's not bad. Not bad at all.

Grade: B+

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for Don't Know Much About ... Anything Else by Kenneth C. Davis. Random.org chose the winner - it is:

Patrick from Mammoth Advertising sent me an extra copy of Blindness by Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramago. The movie will be coming out on Wednesday, and it looks excellent. You can watch trailers and get more info on the movie's official website. Since I haven't had time to read the novel yet, I'll give you the blurb from the back of the book:

A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers - among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears - through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness is a powerful portrayal of man's worst appetites and weaknesses - and man's ultimately exhilarating spirit.

Kind of gives you goosebumps, huh?

The second book I'm giving away is J. Scott Savage's Farworld: Water Keep, the first in a new YA fantasy series. Many of you have reviewed this one, so it probably doesn't need much of an introduction. Basically, it's the story of two unlikely heroes who embark on a dangerous quest to unite the elements of water, fire, land and air - all in an effort to save two very different, but very connected, worlds. I really enjoyed the read. My review will be up today or tomorrow. I'll also be interviewing the author in the near future, so watch for that. Scott is giving away a signed ARC of his book, so if you haven't won a copy yet, you're going to want to enter.

*Both contests are open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Publishers won't ship overseas. Sorry :(

As always, there are more reviews and giveaways to come, so stay tuned!