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Fantasy and Science Fiction

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“Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself. ...Science fiction is central to everything we've ever done, and people who make fun of science fiction writers don't know what they're talking about.”
― Ray Bradbury


Fantasy and Science Fiction are great ways to escape our world into fantastic new ones; to see other galaxies or discover magic in ours. Whether you prefer wizards or spaceships, there's plenty to keep you entertained. 


​Check out our favourites.

(And don't forget you can borrow any titles from the Library)

Review: Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

9/29/2021

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"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall..."
You think you know the story of Snow White and the Evil Queen, but what if you only knew part of the story?
In this fantastic retelling of a well known fairytale, we meet the soft-hearted Sophie right before she is crowned Queen. Her Stepmother Adelaide has been ruling since the death of the King, and she is a harsh ruler. She tells Sophie that to be kind is to be weak, and warns her that she cannot rule with love alone. The day of her coronation, Sophie is sent into the woods with the huntsman who carries with him a glass box for her heart. But that is only the beginning of the tale.
As a fan of the original story, I was a little skeptical about this retelling. I needn't have been. Poisoned incorporates all of the great elements of the classic story - the apple, the mirror and so many more - with a feminist twist. Sophie grows from a young, innocent girl who doubts herself to a confident leader who knows her true value. It is not surprising that she is a brilliant heroine that any person can identify with. What is surprising is how compelling the character of the Queen is. She too is a victim, and as the story twists and turns we learn to look beyond the beautiful, cold mask that she wears.
There is, of course, a prince charming - but not the one you might expect. Alongside the seven dwarves comes a grave robber, a young boy, and some giant insects. This is a great book for readers who enjoy adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic.

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Review: The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods by Samuel J. Halpin

3/15/2021

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Written by Samuel J. Halpin and illustrated by Hannah Peck, this is a fantasy fiction. The general plot line of this story is about a girl named Poppy who discovers something mysterious in Suds. 

The main characters of this book include: Poppy, Erasmus, Gran, Churchill, the pig and the peggs. The story begins with Poppy on a train on her way to her Gran's house in Suds, a place with dark and twisting woods. Poppy and Erasmus are certain that something peculiar is going on in Suds, and they're determined to discover and reveal the secrets deep down in the woods. They gathered all suspicious information that they could find into a notebook. They did everything they could to gather this information. They had to act quick before the peggs could get to them and all the others who lived in Sudds. In the end could they find the courage to solve the riddling mystery and save all in Suds?  You'll have to read it to find out.

The good thing that I liked about this book is that the story was interesting and entertaining throughout the whole book. This was really descriptive and the author made it very imaginative, fun, and adventurous. I also like how he added in some illustrations when needed so it's not full of text. 

The one thing I didn't like about the book was that, at times, I was lost and confused, but it all came out in the end. Maybe this was the effect that the author was trying to create, keeping it mysterious. 

I would highly recommend this book for people to read, especially for those who love some mystery solving and adventurous stories. I personally loved this book, and all the characters, peggs excluded. Overall this was an amazing book! 

​By Kelly J

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Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

3/15/2021

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The first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is a fantasy novel written by J.K. Rowling. This book is about a young boy called Harry Potter, he discovers that he is a wizard on his 11th birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and his fair share of enemies here. And with the help of his friends he battles Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard, extremely evil and powerful, and feared by all. Harry learns that Voldemort killed his parents when he was younger, but he didn't kill Harry. He did leave a scar on Harry's forehead, Harry is very famous now as he survived an attack from Lord Voldemort.

The plot to this story is very well thought out, it goes like this, Harry has been living a very hard life, he is always being abused by his aunt and uncle, and their son. After Harry's parents were killed, he was sent to live with them, they know Harry was a wizard. Then on his 11th birthday a wizard called Hagrid visits Harry and tells him he has been accepted at Hogwarts. Hagrid also tells Harry all about his past and how he is famous. They go to Diagon Alley and get all the supplies they need. They arrive at Hogwarts, Harry has already made two friends Ron and Hermione, he has also made an enemy - Draco Malfoy. Harry, Ron and Hermione all get sorted into the house of Gryffindor. Harry soon learns that he is a very talented young wizard. Harry and his friends then spiral into a massive fight between themselves and the dark lord, with the Philosopher's Stone at stake. Harry and his friends win the battle, now Harry has a big reputation. 

This book is an absolutely brilliant one to read, it is imaginative, creative, funny, scary and very well written. It is, however, quite a long one. All the characters are great in their own ways, and it leaves you wanting more. 

​By Eva D

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Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi

2/1/2021

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Children of Blood and Bone is set in the fantasy world of Orísha, a magical world where people with magical powers ( maji ) lived along side non-magical people (kosídan). This was until the kosídan king ordered a massacre of the maji as he saw them as a threat to Orísha, called the Raid. The raid scarred the land and its people and destroyed magic forever. After that horrific day all diviner’s ( which is people with the capability of becoming majis) and their families, were hated by the rest of the kingdom and discriminated against in horrific ways. They were forced to live poor in small communities with not a lot of resources. 
The book follows a young diviner girl called zelíe and her brother tzain. They live pretty normal lives until one day they accidentally meet a runaway girl who holds the secret to bringing back magic once and for all. However it is not as easy as they first presumed and they meet many challenges along the way. They are now against the clock and the royal guards on their mission to bring back magic and restore peace to Orísha before they are captured or worse, killed. 
Children of Blood and Bone is a Fantastically creative and exciting book. It is a beautifully described
​fantasy that makes you picture the story very clearly. You learn to love all the characters and you are almost sucked into the story and live the story through the author. The story is outstanding and stunningly written. It is full of action and adventure and I highly recommend for fantasy lovers as well as teens and young adults.

By Lily G

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Review: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

1/25/2021

 
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The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a children’s novel about a fantasy world called Narnia, that is hidden from the outside world in a wardrobe. The novel follows four siblings and their wonderful adventures in Narnia.

The main protagonists of this novel are the four siblings Lucy Pevensie (the youngest), Edmund Pevensie, Peter Pevensive and Susan Pevensie. Another main protagonist in the novel is the lion Aslan. The siblings were quite close but Edmund always wanted to prove himself to the older siblings - even if it meant lying to the older siblings about Narnia. Most of the story is told from Lucy and Edmunds perspective in my opinion. Lucy and Edmund have spent the most time out of all the siblings in Narnia. With them finding the entrance to this wonderful world early in the novel. The main antagonist in this novel is a woman who is called the ‘White Witch.’ The White Witch is a witch who is trying to take over Narnia and turn the whole place into winter. She is the first person Edmund meets from Narnia therefore it was very easy to get him to trust her.  
Four siblings are sent to the country to live during the Blitz of World War II. While living in a big mansion in the country. The youngest out of the four Lucy Pevensie encounters a wardrobe that sends her to a different world called Narnia. When she comes back after having tea with a very nice faun, she tells her siblings and none of them believe her. That is until the second youngest out of the four siblings, Edmund, also ventures into the wardrobe discovering Narnia for himself. Edmund encounters the White Witch who tricks him into believing her lies. She also uses Edmunds gluttony and greed to get valuable information from him. He then leaves Narnia. When he is back he lies to his older siblings ,Peter and Susan, about the truth of Narnia, leaving Lucy very upset. After hiding in the wardrobe from the housekeeper, all four siblings find themselves in Narnia. Soon they are helped by some talking beavers who tell them all about an old prophecy that includes all four of them and them being kings and queens of Narnia, and how they will take down the white witch. Edmund however has left his siblings to go find the queen at her castle. After Edmund tells the witch where his siblings are, she starts treating him badly and abusing him. She then starts to hunt his siblings down. From then on it is a race between the witch and the siblings to the throne of Narnia. 
This book had many strong and weak points. The strong points would include how this book plays with the imagination of children and even adults sometimes. It always gave a very vivid and real description of the place where the children are. Another strong point it has in the book is the narration that C.S Lewis adds on the story. This gives the story a small taste of comedic humour for children especially. One of the weak points of the book would definitely be the description of Aslan. The book describes him as a powerful character than even the witch feared. But C.S Lewis never really expands beyond that. He basically just describes Aslan as a lion who has this big power and that he’s been around for a long time. Yet this book is a book that has a target audience of children but yet it still leaves you wondering; Who really is Aslan?
Overall the book is really amazing - always challenging how far your imagination will stretch. I feel this book has a target audience of children. For example children seven to twelve years old. I would not recommend this book to anybody who dislikes fiction or fantasy. Furthermore my rating of this book as a whole was 8/10

By Ozi N

World-Building: Fantasy and Science Fiction at it's best

1/18/2021

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Fantasy and Science Fiction is for nerds, for the weirdos, for the people who hate sunlight and love video games. At least, that is what some people would have us believe. The genre we describe as 'Fantasy' is literature that is set in a fictional universe that is often inspired by real life myth and folkore. Magic and the supernatural are staples of the genre. Whereas 'Science Fiction' is based on imagined future scientific or technological advances. Space and time travel is this genre's bread and butter. It seems unfair to lump them together, but perhaps it is easier to do so since they both have one very important thing in common: world-building. Within the pages of these novels, we experience worlds beyond our own and see them in new ways. We meet magical centaurs who invite us to tea (The Chronicles of arnia). We see corpses brought back to life (Frankenstein). We are introduced to small creatures with hairy feet and a healthy appetite who live underground (The Hobbit). We meet famous wizards like Harry Potter and Gandalf, and see them battle with dark forces. We learn of sandworms on Arrakis (Dune). We meet the unfortunate Arthur Dent, the last person on Earth who must travel the galaxy with his not-quite-human friend (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).  The worlds these characters inhabit look different to ours, but their problems are universal. Good must battle Evil. Corrupt governments must be overthrown. Space travel unearths new planets. The ethics of technology are tested. Morality is called into question. Societies must decide what ideals they will uphold. Individuals must choose to fight for the common good. Within these worlds is a looking-glass, one that reflects the world in which we live. In Harry Potter we see the dangers of fascism. Lord of the Rings warns against greed and corruption. Frankenstein reminds us that we are responsible for our actions, and the consequences of them. Even the Song of Ice and Fire series shows the true burdens of power and leadership - and the precarious nature of them. 
Fantasy and Science Fiction is not for the faint-hearted. They are incredibly sophisticated genres that paint us possibilities, both good and bad, for our world. Plus they give us relief from the mundane. This is a literature that does not always take itself seriously, that revels in the silly and the absurd. It makes us laugh as it asks us to question ourselves. And it tells us that the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. So you can't really argue with that.

​By Rebekah Wade
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