Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The night circus is the venue for two magicians to compete by proxy each choosing a child as a game piece. They grow up learning different methods of magic and then they compete with each other, not knowing the horrible truth of the game until it is nearly too late.

The story is told from multiple points of view over different periods of time we see how the night circus came to be. This book has everything: love, revenge, magic, fantasy (it doesn't have pirates.  If you want pirates as well, read The Princess Bride by William Goldman).

This book was amazing! Once I got into it, I just couldn't put it down! The plot was very fast-paced and switched points of view (P.O.V) pretty much every chapter. However, the switches between P.O.V were so smooth that it didn't bother me at all. It took me a little while to figure out the changes between time, but at the beginning of every chapter (in tiny tiny print) there are the dates.  I referenced them frequently at first to see what was going on, but as I got to the end, I didn't need to reference them anymore because the pace and events picked up as I got closer to the end of the book. It is a circular story as well because the end of the book is the beginning of the book.

It is well worth the read!  People who would enjoy this are people who enjoy historical fantasy set in the real world or steampunk.

Why Steampunk Is So Much Fun

This weekend is Comiccon.  I went yesterday on Saturday, and now I think it is time to discuss one of my favorite topics, Steampunk.  I’ve only recently gotten into this aspect of science fiction.  Some of you might already be familiar with Steampunk.  One of the reasons steampunk is so great is that it allows for all kinds of creativity and there are all kinds of sub-genres.  Some of you might be familiar with Western Steampunk, Firefly & Wild, Wild, West are examples of that.  I went to the steampunk cosplay session and one of the tips they gave was that it is all about expressing yourself, so be creative and have fun.

One of my favorite quotes is actually from a Castle episode called “Punked” which is all about a murder that takes place in the steampunk community in New York City.  This is one of the best definitions I’ve ever heard:  “It's a subculture that embraces the simplicity and romance of the past at the same time, couples it with the hope and promise and sheer super-coolness of futuristic design”.

When it comes to Steampunk, there are so many books, so I’m going to discuss a couple of my favorite non-fiction books and steampunk author.  Also, I borrowed all of the below books from my local library, so if you are interested, be sure to check them out.

One of my favorite steampunk non-fiction books is Steampunk Your Wardrobe by Calista Taylor.  This is one of the best books to look at if you are looking to modify clothing so it is more steampunk.  I am really looking forward to trying a number of crafts from this book.  Basically, find what you want to do, go to the thrift store and adapt.

The other non-fiction book I really like is titled Steampunk Emporium by Jema Hewitt.  In fact, I made a choker based on one from this book.  That is the great thing about steampunk.  I didn’t like the choker in the book, it just wasn’t me, so I made my choker more to my taste.

As for fiction, there is one name that stands out in my mind as a steampunk author, Gail Carriger.  I absolutely love her books!  She has a wonderful sense of humor and the characters in her book are wonderfully written.  She also writes strong female leads.  It is a perfect blend of science fiction (steampunk) and fantasy (vampires/werewolves) elements.  In chronological order, you should read the Finishing School series, the Soulless series and the Custard Protocol (her newest) series.  In publication order for the series, it is Soulless, Finishing School and then Custard Protocol.  I suggest reading it in chronological order as I read it in publication order and now find myself somewhat confused by the Custard Protocol because it is recalling events that occurred at the end of the Soulless series.

Finishing School

          

Soulless

          

The Custard Protocol