firstfrost | Two Charming Books, One Anti-Charming Book (Reply)

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (by Alexander McCall Smith): This is one of those books that the Today Show likes. It's not really a mystery at all. It took something like two hours, tops, to read So I feel a bit embarassed and more In Tune with Pop Culture than I normally am, to have so thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe I just have a soft spot for the style of language that uses no apopstrophes. Four stars.
The Unhandsome Prince (by John Moore): Another light read. The book opens with the beautiful maiden having spent months gridding up the swamp with stakes and string, discarding used frogs and pre-frog tadpoles downstream, when she finally kisses the prince - who is disappointingly Not Handsome. But it's not just a parody, it progresses from there to an actual plot of its own. It's not amazingly epic, but it is a lot of fun. Four stars.
Monument (by Ian Graham): This is an unusual book. Imagine the opening scenes from Les Mis, with the idealistic priest taking in Jean Valjean, and the subsequent theft of the silverware. But instead of Valjean being a good guy at heart, imagine that he's basically just another Thenardier. That's our anti-hero, and the back of the book is certainly accurate when it describes it as "not your average noble quest fantasy." There's a Perilous Travelling Quest for dubious reasons, chased by the Forces of Oppressive Government. But the quest is somewhat unsatisfying, as is the resolution, and a number of the mysteries are left somewhat unresolved. It's the author's first novel, and I'm glad he's willing to write something everyone else hasn't written first, but he's not yet brilliant in his innovation. Two and three quarters stars.

(Books 1 and 2 are borrowable; Book 3 will go to the MITSFS soon unless someone wants it).