Jacaby Book Review

Jacaby

By. William Ritter

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Fantasy  

Release Date: September 16, 2014

Series: None, so far

Series Volume: n/a

Profanity: None

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 10+

Author Website: https://twitter.com/Willothewords

Summary:

Jackaby sighed and drew to a stop as we reached the corner of another cobbled street. He turned and looked at me with pursed lips. “Let’s see,” he said at last. “I observed you were recently from the Ukraine. A young domovyk has nestled in the brim of your hat. More recently, you seem to have picked up a Klabautermann, a kind of German kobold attracted to minerals. Most fairy creatures can’t touch the stuff. That’s probably why your poor domovyk nestled in so deep.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

Review:

What caught my eye first about Jackaby was it’s beautiful cover and the blurb about it being Doctor Who meet’s Sherlock clinched it for me as a need to read book. Jackaby did not disappoint.

The story follows Abigail Rook as she tries to make her way in the world. She’s just arrived in New Fiddleham disappointed from what should have been her great adventure, but only turned out to be too much work for not enough reward. Still eager to find her place in the world and not have to rely on her parents she takes a job with the eccentric R. F. Jackaby an investigator who is more than he seems. What follows is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, and often insane investigation of the strange and chilling murder of a reporter. 

Jackaby surprised me with its delightful prose that pulled me right into the world William Ritter has created. Ritter does an excellent job weaving together his words as he paints a delightful Victorian setting and more than often I would actually stop reading just to re-read a passage of description to take in the scene he was describing.  Words that jump off the page at you and pull you right into the story is something I really enjoy reading but don’t often see. 

Each of the characters was a delight to meet and grow to know as I made my way through this book. Abigail’s strong personality and optimistic spin on things helps to root me in the ground whenever Jackaby starts to get a little crazy. And what’s not to like about the odd investigator? His quirks, like his affection for his silly hat, and his tendency not to notice the normal things are endearing qualities.
 And whenever I almost lost myself in his silliness he always does something to remind me how sharp he really is. The other characters that show up are all well rounded as well and I was pleasantly surprised to meet a vibrant cast of characters. Too often in mystery books the main characters are the only one’s given personality and spark but I felt like I really got to know each character in this book.

The mystery was interesting to work out. There were quite a few times I thought I had it figured out, but every time I’d completely missed it. At some parts of the book I felt like I was on the same page as Jackaby, while during other time’s I was right there with Abigail trying to figure it out while being surrounded by the supernatural. 

Speaking of the supernatural, William Ritter does a great job tying it in to this novel. It’s not just thrown in to be something that moves the story along. It is woven into every piece of the story. Ritter makes sure not to overuse any of the many clichés that have formed around the supernatural genre and finds interesting ways of integrating both new and old kinds of creatures. 

One of the things that did bother me in this book was that an early chapter is ‘omitted’ by request of Jackaby. This normally wouldn’t bother me, except that the story never stopped to tell you that you were reading were Abigail’s notes on the case. This was the first instance of that in the story, and then there are no other mentions of these being any kind of notes until the very end when the Supplemental Material (which I recommend you read by the way, it’s a very funny addition to the story) shows up. I would have liked to have been warned that we were reading her notes, and if this is included in future books be warned there as well. The way it is now it was confusing for me. But overall it doesn’t take away from the story. 

As for the blurb about it being Sherlock meets Doctor Who, I can agree with that. Except that the Doctor Who feel I got from it dealt more with Jackaby than with time travel or aliens. Jackaby had a very Doctor-y feel to him, which I really enjoyed. And if you are a fan of Sherlock in any way than you will most likely enjoy this book. 

All in all I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed my attention from the very start and didn’t let go until I’d finished the story. I give it a 5/5 rating and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery or fun story. 

Note: I received an early copy of this book from NetGally for my honest opinion which I have stated above.

~Dawn

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians Book Review

Alcatraz Verses the 
Evil Librarians

Brandon Sanderson 

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Fantasy 

Release Date: October 1, 2007

Series: Alcatraz

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: None

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 8+

Author Website: http://brandonsanderson.com/

Summary (found on Amazon):

The evil Librarians are coming!

A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.

Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.

Review:

My brother is in love with this author, but I haven't read him until now. On a recommendation from not one but two librarians (GASP I know) I decided to read this book. And I must say I was not displeased with how it turned out.

I started Alcatraz knowing only the title, but with a title like Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians who really needs a summary? And if the title doesn't hook you I guarantee the first chapter will. This book is really unlike anything I've read in a long time, and I'm hard pressed to find anything to compare it to.

Alcatraz has been in and out of foster homes all of his life and trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes. He has a remarkable ability to break things, and it has gotten him into a lot of trouble. On his thirteenth birthday he receives a bag of sand as his inheritance from his parents and meets his grandfather who proceeds to pull him into a world he never would have imagined. This world is one controlled by evil librarians and one where his talent of breaking things is considered a good thing, even if he is having trouble controlling it. His quest to recover his inheritance from the librarians who've stolen it is a wild one that takes readers deep into a library that is lit by lanterns shaped strangely like fruit, and populated not only by horned rimmed glasses wearing librarians but also by the occasional dinasour.

And I  haven't even mentioned the magical glasses that Alcatraz is lucky enough to be able to wield. There is so much to this story to give you an accurate description of everything I liked would be to spoil the whole book. This book is so crazy it's good. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians doesn't take itself too seriously and is sure for a good laugh. It's a quick but fun read and I found myself flying through the pages laughing constantly. I haven't enjoyed a book this funny in a long time. Even in all of the book's hilarity it still has a coherent and interesting story.

Alcatraz Smedry, the narrator of this book, tells story from first person as a sort of autobiography. In his telling he is constantly interrupting for different reasons, often times to tell the reader something that doesn't even relate to what is going on. This was one of my favorite aspects of the book. I found myself looking forward to each new chapter and each new 'introduction' to the chapter. Alcatraz's monologs often had me rolling in laughter and many times I nodded my head in agreement with something he said (such as his description about authors and their delight in leaving cliffhangers for their readers) And his little references to things like See chapter 15 kept me jumping around looking at all the cleaver devices in the book. Not only that but this book is filled to the brim with references any fantasy fan would appreciate. There is so much going on it would seem like it's hard to keep up with, but that's just the opposite of how I felt. Even with all of the interruptions and references going on around the story I found the story easy to keep up with.

My favorite character by far is Alcatraz. It's not difficult for me to enjoy his quippy sarcastic, and awkward self. His voice is by far the strongest in the book simply because he is the narrator. But I think that even written in third person I still would like Alcatraz best, he's a very open and real character. His goal is to let readers know the real him, to give them the truth of who he is and I think that is one of the things I like best about him. A close second is Bastille who is a lot more than she first seems. The other characters are also enjoyable particularly Alcatraz's Grandfather. The villains are a little cardboardy but to be fair most of them don't get a lot of time in the book. The main two villains have some character and are interesting, if not likable.

Have I mentioned the world building in this book yet? No, well somehow amidst all of the fun Brandon Sanderson manages to build a wonderful world similar to ours but totally different as well. One of the best parts about this book is despite the crazy things that happen you can still imagine it being real. There is an explanation for everything that makes sense in the context of the book. The reader can really step into Alcatraz's world and feel like they could live there. Brandon's descriptions and Alcatraz's responses to what is going on around him really set the reader up to be willing to suspend their disbelief every time they open the book again to read.

There is nothing I did not like about this book, except that it was too short. But that is easily rectified by getting my hands on the next book, and the rest of the series.

Overall Alcatraz was a great read that I will recommend to anyone in need of a good laugh, or just a good book. It's great for kids to read but I think that adults may enjoy it more simply because they would catch more of the hints and references talked about in the book. I cannot stress enough how often this book made me laugh. The thing I like best about reading is getting to laugh and Alcatraz never let me down in this area. It truly lifted my spirits and gave me a great laugh without taxing my brain too much, and yet it still managed to keep my mind active as I plodded on through the story. As a short, quick read I give it a perfect score for what it hands out.

~ Dawn