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Books August 30th, 2008 by HMTKSteve

Warriors Box Set: Volumes 1 to 6 (Warriors) (Paperback)

The Warriors is a series of books written by Erin Hunter that follows the lives of a group of wild cats known as the Clan Cats. There are four clans; River Clan, Thunder Clan, Wind Clan and Shadow Clan. The series focuses on the the life of the Thunder Clan cats and their interactions with the other clans around them.

The books are currently on their third series but this review will focus on the first series of books; The Warriors.

The story begins when a kittypet named Rusty decides to leave his life of comfort for the more adventurous life of a Clan Cat. At the tender age of six moons (months) he leaves the familiar life of comfort and joins Thunder Clan. Many in the clan resent his kittypet roots but he soon earns the trust and respect of many of the other cats in Thunder Clan. Not all of the other cats appreciate having a former kittypet in their clan and a small faction led by Tigerclaw does its best to cause trouble for Rusty (now known as Firepaw).

The Books

Into the Wild
Fire and Ice
forest of Secrets
Rising Storm
A Dangerous Path
The Darkest Hour

Thunder Clan

Thunder Clan is led by the she-cat Bluestar. It is her, while on a patrol with Greypaw and Tigerclaw, that welcomes Rusty (Firepaw) into the clan. She does this in part due to a prophecy that has been revealed to her: Fire alone can save our Clan.

After joining the clan Rusty is renamed Firepaw during his apprentice ceremony. He quickly proves his mettle in a short skirmish at the end of the ceremony. Bluestar herself decides to become Firepaw's mentor and Greypaw and Firepaw become instant friends.

Over the course of the books Firepaw becomes the warrior Fireheart and he uncovers a traitor in the Thunder Clan ranks. The traitor sub-plot spans all six books.

The Other Clans

There are four clans in the forest and a fifth clan known as Star Clan. Star Clan is where the spirits of the fallen go to dwell. Some cats do not join Star Clan when they die and are instead left to wander the spirit forest alone for all of eternity.

All of the clans live by the Warrior code; a set of laws devised to ensure a level of civilization exists among the cats of the forest. Living by the Warrior Code is very important to the cats of the Clans. the Warrior code is very similar in spirit to the code of chivalry.

Once every full moon all of the Clans gather at Fourtrees for a Gathering. It is during this one night of truce that disputes are resolved and news is shared. At all other times the clans do not mix.

There is a special type of cat known as the Medicine Cat. These cats are both healers and spiritual advisers to the clan leaders. They have the power to commune with the members of Star Clan and often pass on important information to their clan leaders. Medicine cats live on the outside of the Warrior Code in that they are allowed to mix with Medicine Cats from the other clans.

Each clan has a designated area of the forest that is theirs. Patrols leave scent markers to mark the boundaries of said territory and fights can (and will) erupt if another clan ignores those boundaries.

Clans and their Territories

Wind Clan - Wide open meadows. They are fast runners and hunt rabbits.
River Clan - Their territory is surrounded by a river. They are the only clan that eats fish from the river.
Shadow Clan - They live in a boggy area that is also covered in pine trees. They are known for being sneaky and sly.
Thunder Clan - They live in a hardwood forest. Thunder Clan is known for being very honorable.

Writing Style

Now, I realize that these books can be found in the Young adult section of the library (my daughter got me interested in reading these) but I have to say that the writing style is very engaging. In fact I have read every book in the series over the course of the last month. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the third series this coming Tuesday.

The name of Erin Hunter is a pen named used by the three writers behind the series of books; Cherith Baldry, Kate Gary and Victoria Holmes. The three writers decided to use the pen name instead of their own to insure that the books would all be grouped together on the shelf.

Each book in the series has a few sub-plots in addition to the overall story arc that spans all six books. Many issues relevant to young readers are addressed over all six books. The very first book talks about what it is like to enter a new school when Firepaw joins Thunder Clan. Other issues covered are what to do when you know a secret and dealing with forbidden love among others.

The books are very well written and the characters stay true to themselves over the course of the books. However, each new series of books focuses on the next generation of cats.

If this series of books sounds appealing to you a box set of the first six books can be purchased from Amazon: Warriors Box Set: Volumes 1 to 6 (Warriors) (Paperback)

Books and Music December 3rd, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Marvin I Love You

A long time ago. Way back when I was in high school (or was it middle school) I read an interesting series of books known as the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy. It was a very good four book set.

I also watched the original BBC TV series and listened to the audio drama version. Yes, I was a geek back then and a sci-fi nerd. I admit it.

Around the same time I also listened to a great radio show that would come on Sunday nights. I'm talking about the Dr. Demento Show. The good Dr. would play all sorts of crazy songs and the above video is for one such song that came from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

The song is about Marvin the paranoid android. He was a rather depressed android and was constantly sharing his depression with those around him.

Heck, just play the clip!

Books and Ramblings June 22nd, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Will Harry Potter die?

Let me start off right away by telling you that I have no advance knowledge of the last Harry Potter Book; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What follows is only what I believe based on my reading of the previous books.

Harry Potter must die

I know some fans of the book may be shocked to read the above statement but I believe it to be true. Why do I think Harry Potter must die? The key reason is that Harry Potter and Voldemort are linked. Voldemort has been trying to kill Harry since the very first book. Likewise Harry has slowly begun to realize that as long as Voldemort exists his life is in jeopardy.

Several books ago we were introduced to the item known as a Horcrux. These devices, made by Voldemort, hold parts of his soul.

A Horcrux is defined by Rowling as a "receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality." With part of a wizard's soul thus stored, the wizard becomes immortal so long as the Horcrux remains intact, typically hidden away in a safe location. If the wizard's body is destroyed, part of the soul remains preserved within the Horcrux. The Horcrux is reminiscent of the phylactery used by the undead creature known as a Lich. However, the destruction of the Horcrux creator's body leaves the wizard in a state of half-life, "lesser than the meanest ghost." Lord Voldemort was left in this state when his attempted use of a Killing Curse on the infant Harry Potter backfired upon himself. The magic involved in the creation of a horcrux is considered one of the worst of the Dark Arts.

It has been suggested that the death of the infant Harry Potter was to be used to create a Horcrux and I believe that when that act failed Harry Potter became a Horcrux. Now this is also where things get interesting.

Dumbledore has stated that Harry's mother performed some sort of spell that protected Harry when Voldemort tried to kill him. Is it possible that Harry Potter is not a Horcrux for Voldemort but is instead one for his mother? The death of Voldemort would satisfy the "supreme act of evil" needed to create a Horcrux.

Some folks might scoff at the idea of Harry's mother doing such an evil thing but she may have done so.

Think about this as well: Voldemort used Harry's blood to restore his body. When Dumbledore heard this he had a gleam of triumph in his eye. I think it is quite possible that Dumbledore knew that Voldemort considers Harry to be a key item (Horcrux) in getting his body back in order. As to whether this will bode well for Voldemort is another question entirely. If Harry is a Horcrux for someone other than Voldemort but Voldemort thinks he is one of his own Horcruxes then things may get very interesting indeed!

So, must Harry Potter still die? Maybe not.

I do think that for Voldemort's plans to succeed Harry Potter must die. I also think that the mark on Harry's head must somehow be removed before the final book ends.

Books May 8th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Amazon Reaches One Million “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” pre-orders!

Amazon.com has announced that they have broken the one million pre-order mark for the newest Harry Potter Book; "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". With only two and one half months remaining before the book comes out the company has broken past the million mark for this seventh (and final) book in the Harry Potter series.

Amazon has also lowered the cover price from $18.99 to $17.99. This brings the discount to 49 percent. What this also means is that all the people who have pre-ordered the book thus far will be paying the new lower price.

For a historic perspective on this, the sixth book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", did not reach the one million worldwide mark at Amazon until 174 days after the book was first available for pre-order. It took only 95 days for the seventh book to reach that goal.

Amazon is also offering the "deluxe" version of the book for $39.00 and the audio CD for $47.97.