Review: Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations 01, 02) by Michael J. Sullivan

Book info:

Form: pdf e-book
Genre: fantasy
Target audience: fantasy fans young and old

Synopsis (mostly from Goodreads):

This book was originally self-published in two parts, entitled The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.  

Royce Melborn, a skilled thief-for-hire, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles, often double-crossing them in the meantime. One day, however, they accept a deceptively easy and too-profitable-to-be-true job. All they have to do is to pilfer a famed sword, preventing a death of an innocent man. Their earnings will assure them a comfortable winter. Well, nothing is as dangerous as a good deal in the form of a good dead especially offered at very short notice. Soon enough they find themselves in royal dungeons, framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a small dynasty of a tiny kingdom. 

Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires in order to keep a secret too terrible for the world to know? And so begins the first tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend

What I liked:

First let me tell you that this novel was constructed like a solid bit of good architecture - the right proportions, accents laid out properly, the right number of characters, everything in perfect order. Small wonder I couldn't stop reading it till the very end. The plot progressed smoothly and was quite engaging, the world building was original and interesting, mentioning magicians, elves, half-elves and dwarves. I loved the cast of secondary characters, especially Princess Arista,  Alric, her younger brother and the heir apparent, Myron, a monk librarian with eidetic memory and of course my lovely  pearl of a baddie, Archibald Ballentyne - young, handsome, rich, full of himself and... a total jerk! Well done!

What's more commendable the author avoided several traps which often plague such stories. When a princess is saved, her saviour doesn't fall in love with her (thanks goodness!) and she doesn't fall in love with him. When a young, spoilt and rather dumb prince is made a king he, surprisingly, tries to be a good monarch and he actually manages that with a little help of his friends. No insta-love, no unbelievable happy ending!

The comic relief came in the form of Myron who had lived a completely secluded monastery life since he was four and then, all of a sudden, was forced out of his shell to explore the world and its wonders. I enjoyed every scene with him!

What I didn't like:

I found the two main protagonists, Hadrian and Royce, a bit too two-dimensional. Hadrian is Mr. Social Skills and Mr. Muscle (no pun intended lol!) Royce is Mr. Break-and-Enter and Mr. Strategist. All good and clear but too schematic. I must add that their amazing lack of cynicism was also sometimes too obvious to swallow. Ok, Royce at least tried to be sensible, while Hadrian...he often acts like a noble knight in a shiny armour, riding that spotless white horse which doesn't exist. You can say I am jaded but here I missed some dark fantasy grit. Real thieves and thugs are far more mercenary and cruel, far less influenced by those "woe me, pity me" stories. Well., maybe it will make more sense in the next installment - I do hope for more character development as it was definitely hinted here!

My last quibble - there were some small info-dumps in this novel which almost, ALMOST made me bored. Fortunately the author managed to keep them relatively short. What's more, the knowledge was put to use soon afterwards so it made sense after a while.

Final verdict:

There is nothing like a decent fantasy book to soothe your nerves and make you happy after a long day of hard work. Yes, I will continue to read this series and I recommend it to every fantasy fan. It is entertaining, it is well-written and it doesn't contain graphic violence.

Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole

Book info:

Form: pdf e-book
Genre paranormal romance
Target audience: adults

 Warning:

 It is a part of hugely popular series which I read, despite being repeatedly told not to, completely out of order (it is, I believe, the book number 12). Due to that fact my review might be skewed and rather unjust although still fully reflecting my personal opinion. 

 Synopsis:

 One old, bad, murderous vampire called Lothaire the Ennemy of Old looks for his bride – he needs her badly because she only can ‘blood’ him, in other words make him function again. Without a bride any vampire is ‘frozen’ – no hearbeat, no sex, no fun. Ok, he can have fun providing he loves carnage…but after several centuries the effects of even the best carnage can wear off.

 Finally Lothaire finds his bride. Her name is Ellie and she is a hillbilly gal from Appalachians, born and raised in a little dingy trailer among a family of miners. What cheer. Small wonder he believes for half of the story that his real bride must be somebody else - like a demonic goddess hiding in Ellie’s luscious body, reemerging from time to time to demand clothes, jewels, clothes, a nice carnage, shoes, more clothes, spa treatment, blood, clothes, sacrifices, jewels, clothes…you get the drift. Poor undereducated Ellie who did a time in prison due to that goddess’s bloodthirsty habits, has just one hidden weapon, one advantage and one chance: sex. Will it be enough? Who will Lothaire appreciate more and for what reason? Will Ellie get rid of her demonic parasite who is hell-bent on destroying her soul? 

What I liked: 

 Despite the snark that somehow sneaked (or snuck) into my synopsis at an early stage this book had some advantages. Firstly and foremostly it had a sense of humour. Clashing together the worlds of Ellie and Lothaire provided a lot of comic relief. I admit I sometimes laughed despite myself – not a bad thing in my current depressive mood. Lothaire is pretty much all that he was billed to be: snarky, crazy, hilarious, and completely out of his league when having to deal with Ellie.

 What’s more the book mentioned some great and profound issues. It showed that you must be really careful what you wish for. It proved that going to bed with somebody is not the same as falling in love with him/her even if sex was good. It argued that greed is bad as it might make you as blind as a bat and happiness is worth every sacrifice, even if it means hurting your own ego. It downplayed the vengeance and praised family values. Too bad that, in my humble opinion, all of these truths were hidden in a very cheesy mush of a plot.

 What I didn’t like: 

 Hmm…let me think. In order to enjoy this one I would have to be logically impaired. Seriously. Although I am not a great philosopher, just a simple working woman, I sometimes cannot switch off thinking while reading. When I am handed a wrong book…woe is me.

 Let’s start with the first chapter. Here we are introduced to Ivana the Bold, the proud and beautiful vampire mother of young Lothaire. This woman, in a fit of righteous rage, defies publicly the king of Horda, a very powerful vampire, her ex-lover and the father of her child under whose roof she lives; as a result she is thrown with her son out of the castle. The conditions outside are brutal – think winter in Siberia. What’s more the happy daddy murders his boy’s favourite puppy as a good-bye gift in order to get his message across. You. Are. Not. Wanted. Here. Eff. Off. All good and well, sadistic vampire fathers happen, but in the same chapter we are told that a) Ivana comes from the royal line of the Daci, a species of vampires who are very clever, cunning and extremely wise creatures b) she cares about her son more than about her own life. Well, riddle me this: how come a mother and a very clever creature who schemes as she breathes could have endangered the well-being of her only offspring just to have a good, cat-fight with her ex-lover over a human woman, allegedly lesser than animals? Her brain went on holiday?

 Then the same woman finds herself trapped and surrounded by human peasants. Her father (one selfish swine in the form of the Daci king) is near but he doesn’t come to rescue her in order not to endanger the secret location of his hidden kingdom. Ivana burries her sonny in a snow mould breaking and blooding her nails (awww) and then she exposes herself, being captured, gang-raped and burned to a cinder. Wait a moment…she was supposed to be a vampire, right? A male vampire can lift a whole train without breaking out into a sweat. As a female she might be weaker so let her lift just one measly wagon. Still she is far stronger than even a bunch of humans. Why couldn’t she defend herself? What was wrong? A momentary lapse of her abilities due to stress?

 I could continue quoting similar scenes and making my review obnoxiously long, repetitive and dull but I will spare you, my dear reader. Just one more thing: rarely did I read a book in which there were so many those horrible, truly horrible Russian swear words included. I grant it, the author got them perfectly right, the transcription and all. Perhaps if you don’t know Russian you might treat them just like innocuous local flavour as the main character is half Russian or something. Let me tell you, though, that I winced every single time I met them in the text. They are…well…I think I’ve written ‘horrible’ too many times in this paragraph so let me make use of my lovely Penguin Thesaurus. Dreadful. Appalling. Abominable. Detestable. Utterly Obscene. Here you go. If my poor mum heard me saying them she would smack me and tell me to wash my mouth with soap for fifteen minutes.

 Final verdict: 

 I know Kresley Cole is one beautiful woman who has many fans out there. She’s written many novels, got them published and people have been reading them – it is a huge achievement. I do not intend to make those people angry or insult their tastes. Some books are the right thing for you, some are not. This was not my cup of tea.

Silent Saturday

Of book reviewers and authors

The Disney persona hiding one of my favourite reviewers out there via Wikipedia - yes,  Wendy Darling.

Usually it starts like this: a reviewer gets a book. It doesn't matter whether the publisher has sent it for free or it was legally purchased in a book shop or borrowed from a library. The book starts it all. The reviewer, who is primary its reader, doesn't like the book. He or she feels like sharing their negative feelings and they write a review; it might be snarky and/or funny, it might be angry  but not necessarily so. He or she might also include some pictures, animations or gifs to illustrate his or her point and make the whole review a bit different.
One example is linked below - an excellent review by Wendy Darling, posted on Goodreads, dealing with a book I don't intend to read (no pics).

Then the author sees the said review and feels outraged - his or her splendid work has been criticized publicly! Don't get me wrong - I can imagine it hurts, most probably a lot but I must admit some authors deal with their hurt feelings in a very mature way. I've witnessed such reactions first-hand on my blog and I admired them greatly although often my admiration for those authors' books was definitely less pronounced. Overall I can't complain - although I do write scathing reviews from time to time I've never been personally attacked. Some of my internet fellow bloggers have, for a change. Although I don't know them personally I felt outraged for their sake.

It is really surprising to what lenghts some authors, allegedly mature adults, often wives/husbands and mothers/fathers, are prepared to go when facing a criticizm, no matter whether constructive or not (I am going to deal with that particular problem later). They can attack the reviewer verbally on public sites such as the aforementioned Goodreads or Twitter or Facebook. They can launch a hatred campaign involving other parties, like their family and friends, which might consist of spamming, calling the reviewers horrible names on their blogs and cussing a lot. Do you think anybody deserves such a treatment just because they don't like your book? If you  honestly answer 'yes' then maybe you shouldn't write at all.

Then I surfed the blogosphere a bit and found different opinions about the whole issue. One of them left me even more angry - I mean the post written by Maggie Stiefvater on her blog. I do not suggest or assume that Ms Stiefvather has ever behaved in a way described by me above, far from it, but her assessment of the non-professional reviewers and their work left me very, very confused and angry.

Firstly, she stated that a review "(...) is an unbiased, careful look at a book — basically it is a little academic paper. It involves an itty-bitty thesis on your opinion of the book, surrounded by tiny supporting sentences describing the strengths and weaknesses of said book. Every month, dozens upon dozens of these reviews come out in professional journals." 


Well, I do try to write unbiased reviews but I know most often than not a review is anything but a scientific paper. It deals with your feelings and feelings are never unbiased. Ler me support my view quoting here the definitions of the verb 'review', taken from The Free Dictionary:

1. To look over, study, or examine again.

2. To consider retrospectively; look back on.

3. To examine with an eye to criticism or correction: reviewed the research findings.

4. To write or give a critical report on (a new work or performance, for example).

5. Law To reexamine (an action or determination) judicially, especially in a higher court, in order to correct possible errors.

6. To subject to a formal inspection, especially a military inspection.

v.intr.

1. To go over or restudy material: reviewing for a final exam.

2. To write critical reviews, especially for a newspaper or magazine.

The third definition speaks about examining but never mentions anything about it being as unbiased as a scientific paper. The fourth definition is even more pertinent here - giving a critical report doesn't require any evenhandedness, quite the opposite in fact. When you criticise a work of fiction or a work of art your feelings are as important as facts and numbers. Does a review have to be published in 'professional journals?" No, not at all, especially in an era of the Internet and digitalized mass media - look at the second meaning of 'review' as an intransitive verb. You can write for a newspaper or magazine but it is not necessary.

Well, if it was the matter of a simple definition I wouldn't bother to write this essay of mine but Ms Stiefvater went on saying:

"Let's talk about the negative "reviews" that authors have been lashing out at. They often involve animated gifs, swearing, and snark. They're often quite funny. But here's the thing, though. When a blogger writes a biased, hilarious, snarky rundown of a book they despised, he/ she is not writing a review. They are writing a post about a book. I'm not saying that bloggers shouldn't write biased, hilarious, snarky rundowns of books. I'm saying that those rundowns are not reviews.

Well, reading that fragment I hit the roof. Almost literaly. So if your review is: a) negative, b)illustrated by gifs and pictures c) funny and snarky d) biased it doesn't qualify as a review at all but should be called 'a post', 'a rundown' or 'an entry' ? My foot !!! It is still a review, according to the definitions quoted above!

In any good literature review your personal voice is the most important factor! YOUR VOICE must be heard!!  You might use the research or selected arguments to support your voice but without it the whole review might be better left unpublished because it is not worth a dime!

An example: let me present a very bad, almost illiterate pearl of a very positive review:

"I lurves your book! Esily the bestest thing Ive ever read! I lurves you too! Mwah, mwah, my author!!Lurves your work!!! pleese more!!!mooooore!!!"

A review? Yes. A bad review? Yes, certainly so, mainly because the grammar sucks and there are no arguments presented. Would an author complain? Well... I haven't heard of such a case. Only negative reviews get bad press and are called 'rundowns' and such.

Of course some reviewers sometimes forget themselves as well - they try to insult authors they hate, they  get personal, cuss and turn into trolls who make your cyber life impossible. You should ignore them along with unruly authors. Here, I got as even-handed as I possibly can. Finally. But it is not a review!

Now a question to my fellow reviewers: have you ever been attacked by an author which book you criticized? If yes, how did it finish?

If you are an author: how do you deal with negatives reviews of your work? What's the best approach in your opinion?

Review: Half Way to the Grave (Night Huntress 01) by Jeaniene Frost

Book form: pdf format e-book

Genre: urban/adult romance/action/suspense/vampire

Target audience: adult (explicit sex scenes, dirty language and a lot of innuendo)

Synopsis:

 Catherine Kathleen Crawfield, by friends and enemies known as Cat, is  a half-vampire half human, probably the only of her kind. Her main occupation and pastime is hunting vampires. Once a vampire ruined her mother’s life, date-raping and neglecting her afterwards. Now, Cat lives to kill as many undead as she can find in nightclubs and discos, luring them outside with the help of her low cleavage and as much of her body exposed as it is legally possible. Her mum approves.

One night Cat is captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter and hit man – she killed his mark and then tried to do him in as well. Bones thinks Cat might work for another vampire and when he finds out he is wrong he forces her into a partnership. Cat is trained by him in exchange for finding her father. She learns far more than she’s bargained for. It seems vampires are as different as people; some of them are actually noble and good, something her mother didn’t know… Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be such a horrible fate either. Before she can enjoy her newfound status as a kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat. Will she be able to trust him, though?

What I liked:

Firstly and foremostly I was smitten by the sense of humour. I like it when the characters are witty and intelligent – with such characters I can forgive a book and an author a lot. Cat is perhaps not the sharpest tool in the drawer but Bones makes up for that. His calm and patient demeanor contrasts well with Cat's impulsive nature. What’s more those two have a lot of backbone. In short Jeaniene Frost has put a new spin on the vampire hunter theme, especially adding that slightly paranoid and definitely damaged mother to the whole set – a mother who turned her own daughter into a murderess in order to get her revenge.

Cat is a likeable character - strong, vibrant, damaged, outspoken and  sometimes rather naïve. She is struggling with what she is. Bones brings her to life - he takes her under his wing, trains her and falls in love with her. Her mother has done quite the number on her growing up making her believe that all vampires are evil and she is a bit evil herself unless she follows her mother’s advice and kills as many of these dirty demons  as she can. Bones challenges her prejudice and brings out the best in her.

I even enjoyed the background, especially the bit showing that the politicians can be in cahoots with whoever  gives them an advantage. That family can let you down no matter how hard you try to make it up to them. That life there to be lived whether you have a pulse or you pretend to have one. Such topics gave this novel definitely more serious overtone than I expected.

Also let me tell you that the end was unexpected, taking the whole storyline down a surprising turn. It is not a cliffhanger but as close as you can get.

What I didn’t like:

This book is like deep-fry spring rolls  with double French fries (or chips if you live across the pond) and no salad. A big, greasy, delicious meal but even if you wash it away with a diet coke you know you will regret it later. After reading it I felt my cholesterol levels spike, clogging my synapses and shutting up my poor brain. I asked myself some serious questions I was too ashamed to answer. Bad, bad Anachronist.

Well, to be absolutely honest I must admit Half Way to the Grave is filled with gratuitous scenes of jealousy, flirting, snogging, sex on the stairs, sex elsewhere and proclamations of love - the stuff you can find galore in any decent fanfiction. The sex orginates from Bones and Cat, our main protagonist. Some other characters come into this story but they're not important because they're not having sex. Sad.

There is also the question of the main character's full name… when it was finally revealed it made me laugh out loud. Either it's a joke, or the author didn't bother to Google her first and middle names, or  we should just believe that the character's mother is so far "out there" that she deliberately named her daughter the same name twice ! 

I’ve also read in other reviews that Bones is Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel TV show (I haven’t watched it, so I can’t tell). Right. Let the lawyers take care of it.

Final verdict:

One more food analogy – this book had perhaps no nutritional value, probably not what you would choose if you could have whatever you wanted, but at the right time and the right place, it really hits the spot. If you are a fan of urban fantasy, I recommend it. It was still good escapist fun and I enjoyed it.

Mini Review: Miss Bannerman and the Duke by Fenella J. Miller

This book was provided by the author's publisher via my lady Blodeuedd's excellent blog in return for an honest review. I haven't been compensated for writing the said review in any way and the fact that the book came free of charge didn't influence me either.  


Book form: e-book pdf format
Genre: historical romance (like 5% historical, 95% romance)
Target audience: women and girls who like pink dresses


Synopsis:

Two young sisters are climbing a tree when their older brother brings some male friends home. Each of those guests catches one girl helping them to descent. Later on they marry. Oh, and in-between there are some balls to be attended and different outfits to be described and ruined. And jewellery. You can dance a waltz only with your betrothed in order not to scandalize the ladies of the ton. Isn’t this rule rather silly?

Good girl review:

It was a sweet read, more a longer novella than a short novel, about twin girls who get exactly those husbands they dream of. Amelia is a golden-haired angel and she is paired with a more flashy but poorer guy; still she fancies him a lot. I think the buyer's regrets will come in time. ;p Rosamond is a bit of a tomboy and an original so she scores higher – the Duke of Essex, no less, a fine gent in his prime who understands her like no other and is filthy rich. Have I mentioned their mutual understanding yet? Awwww…and horses, do not let me forget their horses…you know it is a match made in heaven when your horse falls for the horse of your partner, right? Pour some pink champagne and say it with me in unison: awww…

Bad girl review:

Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” would be a perfect soundtrack here, perhaps with a dash of Behemoth. No story. There was simple no story - just balls and dresses and every Jill gets her Jack as soon as possible or even sooner without major complications or problems. Insta-love is rampant and I haven ‘t found any significant character development whatsoever. Apart from the horses, mentioned above, the book also features a homeless puppy found in the park – vermin- infested but what are those servants for, right? My inner Punk yawned and swore, my inner Goth went out looking for a vampire to share a pint of blood. Without the Magic Flute of Mr. Mozart (more precisely the Queen of Night aria “Der Hölle Rache”) I wouldn’t be able to finish it. Fortunately it was short. Just ten repetitions and I was almost at the end. Still…”Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen; Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!...”

The quote that sums it all:

“The Duke of Essex was no longer proud and disdainful and Rose Bannerman was no longer prejudiced and wild. True love, as it always does, had changed them both.”

My foot! Even Miss Jane Austen would give a very polite snort.

Final verdict:

Bad girl wins - I didn’t enjoy this one but I love Mozart.

Musical Monday 16 of January

Welcome to Musical Monday! 

This particular song (?) saved me more than once from the deepest despair, especially while reading a bad book. Enjoy! 

German Text

Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Sarastro
Todesschmerzen,
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr.
Verstossen sei auf ewig,
Verlassen sei auf ewig,
Zertrümmert sei'n auf ewig
Alle Bande der Natur
Wenn nicht durch dich!
Sarastro wird erblassen!
Hört, Rachegötter,
Hört der Mutter Schwur!

English Translation of "Der Hölle Rache"

The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart,
Death and despair flame about me!
If Sarastro does not through you feel
The pain of death,
Then you will be my daughter nevermore.
Disowned may you be forever,
Abandoned may you be forever,
Destroyed be forever
All the bonds of nature,
If not through you
Sarastro becomes pale! (as death)
Hear, Gods of Revenge,
Hear a mother's oath!


Have you ever seen this opera live? Or on tv? What's your opinion if so?

Mini Review: The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Book info:


Form: e-book, pdf format
Genre: Detective story, crime mystery
Target audience: adults

Synopsis:

Lauren Stillwell, a homicide detective from New York, is happily married to a handsome finance advisor, Paul. One day she decides to surprise her husband, visiting him at work during lunchtime. She sees Paul going out with an unknown, tall, slim blonde. They enter a posh St Regis hotel and Lauren is left rethinking her marriage and her life from quite a new perspective – that of a cheated, ageing wife. She comes to some fateful conclusions. One of them is that Paul has stopped caring about her some time ago and she, being very busy, hardly noticed. The second one is that she needs some mood-boosting entertainment. Like a quickie or rather a one-night stand.

The same evening Lauren pretends she has missed her plane and invites a handsome bike-riding colleague from other department, Scott Thayer, to have a late dinner with her. Scott, calling himself the most eligible bachelor on the whole NYPD, has been flirting with Lauren at work for some time now, apparently rather smitten by the older woman’s looks and not ashamed of showing his admiration. Although Lauren hesitates till the last possible moment, the evening ends up with them both going to bed at his friends’ flat. However, when Lauren’s husband appears outside, things get complicated. Lauren watches both men having a fight on the street and disappearing after a while in Paul’s Toyota.

Next day Scott’s battered body is found in a Bronx fountain. The whole NY homicide department is looking for the culprit and Lauren is made the main investigator. What cheer. For starters she finds out that ‘the most eligible bachelor’ was married and had three kids, one of them barely an infant. Then she finds his gun and his badge in her garden shed. Everything indicates that Paul knew about their flirt and killed Scott in a fit of righteous jealousy. Why doesn’t he want to admit it, lying to his wife through his teeth all the time?

Lauren feels very bad about her role and the whole situation, especially after visiting the young widow and witnessing her grief. She is so depressed that she thinks about telling the truth to her partner, exposing Paul and herself, ending her career in shame, perhaps even committing suicide. Then her investigation takes quite a turn - she finds a huge stash of banknotes hidden in Scott’s locker and a DVD glued underneath his desk at his house, labeled ‘insurance’ – it seems that Scott, the raising star of the Anti-Drug Task Force, had more than one secret to hide…Lauren takes another fateful decision – to stand by her husband and cover for him to the bitter end, no matter what. Will she succeed? Will she ever manage to talk to him about the whole event at all? Will the truth set her free in any sense?

What I liked:

Although at first glance this book might seem just another novel about cops and thugs I admit it was very well-executed. The pace of narration kept you waiting for more but the heroine and the readers were given some breathers from time to time. Overall it was very pleasant to read. Lauren was a great character – funny, stubborn and definitely kick-ass, although she didn’t wield any katana and never donned leather pants. She simply never lacked the backbone, even when she was utterly disgusted with herself.

I liked the most the fact that neither Lauren nor her hubby and coworkers were without flaws and the reality around them changed constantly, like in a kaleidoscope. It proves that you don’t need all the supernatural background to make a book riveting. The ending was  satisfying although bitter-sweet and the amount of things Lauren discovered during her investigation I found really mind boggling. Not bad.

What I didn’t like:

Well, after reading such a book you will really think twice before trusting any man. Not exactly a cheerful or sensible conclusion but in my present state of mind one that, I admit, might save you a lot of trouble and pain. Some twists did seem a bit outlandish but overall I have no major complaints.

I don't like the cover, though. It would be more appropriate for erotica stuff and I think is misleading a potential customer.

Final verdict:

It is not a classic whodunit and not a classic cop novel either. I enjoyed it very much and I recommend it to fans of both genres and also those who would like to try something different

How reality is always stranger than fiction...

I have had a very bad week and, as a result, my blogging activity was rather limited. The reality got to me big time, leaving me more depressed, angry and befuddled than usually. I know I also have been acting rather weird, sometimes overreacting, sometimes not reacting at all. After clearing my head a bit and thinking the whole issue over time and again I decided my guests here deserve at least some rudimentary explanation. It won't hurt any of the interested parties (no one knows English) and it might help me tackle the whole issue. It will be rather personal. If you are already bored - feel free to leave this site, I will understand.

First a bit of a backstory just in case. In my country young people finishing their secondary education (it concerns only those who decide to take the equivalent of British A levels called the maturity examination or matura) have a ball organized for them by their school. It usually takes place about 100 days before the exam, in the middle of the carnival season. Such balls have had a long tradition - they are also treated as a kind of coming-of-age celebration. I think they are similar to American Senior Prom balls or formal dances held before school-leaving exams. Anyway, my cousin attended such a ball this year. It didn't end well.

In short, when the ball finished she went with her boyfriend to his house, driven there by his brother, a designated driver. They were supposed to take her home but  she allegedly agreed to stop by and have a drink or two. After the drinks she was raped by both of them. That's of course her side of the story. In order to be fair I also phoned the b****** in question to find out more. He ( let's call him an ex-boyfriend for the clarity's sake) claimed that yes, they had sex, but my cousin was a willing participant and even the initiator, not a victim. Very convincing, especially that it was her first time and my cousin is not that  mouthy teen girl who loves breaking rules (expecially if her parents forbid her to do so). Both her ex-bf and his bro are older, more experienced guys. Perhaps my cousin did make a mistake or two but I am sure she didn't deserve that. A real ordeal, however, started when she returned home (on foot, neither of men bothered to give her a lift).

As soon as my aunt called me I talked to my cousin on the phone. She was so depressed it was hard to get  one word out of her so I decided to go to the village they live and speak with her in person. My cousin  was very downcast, crying all the time, very afraid, very humiliated and completely at loss what to do next.
When I asked my uncle whether he had gone to the police he told me that they weren't planning to press charges because...there was no point. It made me first surprised and then completely mad. It turned out, after the initial shock, my aunt and uncle started to blame my cousin for all of this. In their opinion she behaved badly, made them the laughing stock of the village. Did she have to wear such a short red dress? Did she have to wear those black stilettos with red soles? Did she have to wear so much make-up like a common whore? Apart from that she should have returned straight home, what was she thinking, getting into a car with two older men... I admit, here they finally said something sensible but when I reminded them that they knew who she had gone to the ball with and they approved I was told to mind my business.

After a while I got sick, literally nauseatic, listening to such drivel - and they were completely serious. When I tried to defend my cousin, indicating that first and foremost she is a very young and very scared victim of a sex crime, in need of professional help, not reproach, they asked me to shut up or leave, using rather foul language. I left. Since then I've been communicating with my cousin only via Skype and mails as her mobile phone has been confiscated by her parents - their idea of a punishment. No, she hasn't got an appointment with a gynaecologist or a doctor, and of course she is not going to have any kind of psychological therapy any time soon. On the other hand, although she undoubtedly got the main blast, as a result I was also affected - her parents have given me the honorific title of the black sheep. It turned out I somehow share the blame.

You see, I made her long chandelier earrings. It was me who helped her to choose and buy the said devilish red dress and those horrible shoes straight from a brothel; yes, I booked her a visit at a beauty salon (something unheard-of in the village where she lives)  to have a nice, professional make-up applied for the occasion; yes, I found a nice hairdresser to give her a special hairdo. I knew she was looking forward to that ball. I tried to help. Instead, at least according to my aunt and uncle, I doomed her. I know they are wrong but still I feel bitter as their accusations hurt like hell. It also hurts that my hands are tied.

My cousin is officially a consenting adult. Being 18+ she should have gone to the police herself or accompanied by her parents. Without charging that a***** of her ex-bf with a rape she basically admits there was no foul play, more or less confirming his version of events. Add to that the fact that his brother, who took an active part in the rape, started spreading false gossip about my cousin and she lives in a small, close-knit community where you can learn on the grapevine pretty much everything, and you get a recipe for a disaster. The outcome is such: both criminals are free and they walk with their heads kept high (according to them it shows they have a clean conscience). Their victim is highly traumatized and unsure what will happen to her for a change. A pregnancy? An STD? (she told me none of the perpetrators bothered with a condom - they told her she should have bought it herself if she really cared). Will she be able to pass her exams and study at all? What about her psychological condition?

I do hope she will find her inner strength. I told her to contact me if she decides to visit a doctor or a shrink or just feels like chatting at all. Meanwhile I am suffering the torments of somebody who meant well and now is being punished for it. The worst thing is that you can't help anybody if the victim refuses your services because he/she is too afraid to face the truth. That's the beginning and the end of my woes. Thanks for reading till the very end.

Musical Monday, 9 of January

Welcome to Musical Monday! 

It happened I had some very sad news today - that's why my chosen song won't be nice and funny although still very good, at least in my humble opinion.

"Luka"

My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble. some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was

I think it's because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud

They only hit until you cry
After that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore

Yes I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway
I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown

Just don't ask me how I am [X3]

My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was

And they only hit until you cry
After that, you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore

Review: The Isle of Blood (The Monstrumologist #3) by Rick Yancey

Book info:

Form: e-book, Kindle format
Target audience: allegedly YA but I would say adult (more about it in my review)
Genre: horror, adventure, psychological


Synopsis:

Pellinore Warthrop is sent from England a very strange object, called a ‘nidus’ or nest. Allegedly it is made by one of the most unique monsters on earth, a kind of a dragon called Typhoeus Magnificum, aka the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology", a creature so elusive nobody has seen it dead or alive yet. Its nest is also very toxic to humans – a mere touch and you are infected. Small wonder the unwilling courier who brought it to the doctor falls ill and has to be killed. As you can guess it was not a normal illness and it is highly contagious. Before he dies he attacks poor Will and the boy loses his index finger – well, better that than  lose your sanity and life, right?

Doctor Warthrop, definitely shaken by the fact that he had to chop off his faithful apprentice’s finger with a butcher’s knife to save him, this time decides to go to London with somebody else. It happens a perfect companion presents itself as if conjured out of thin air – his name is Thomas Arkwright, he reveres Warthrop as the biggest monstrumologist alive, he knows pretty much about monsters, he is young, fit and eager. Frantic Will is left behind with von Helrung’s niece and her family. It seems he has finally a chance to enjoy a normal life but the situation is unacceptable to him from the very start. Will looks for a way to join his doctor because he clearly thinks he doesn’t belong anywhere but by his side.

Soon enough, unable to rest and fueled by the logical reasoning Warthrop has thaught him, Will finds out that Arkwright is most probably not the man he claimed to be. Then a message comes from England, announcing Warthrop’s death…and Arkwright returns alone, with a clearly made-up story of Pellinore’s demise. After an interrogation session no real agent would be ashamed of, Von Helrung, Will and another monstrumologist, called Torrance form a rescue team and go to London to investigate. What will they find? Monsters, as usual, but what monsters? Will’s journey will take him even further, to Socotra, the Isle of Blood, where human beings are used to make nests and blood rains from the sky. Will his loyalty, bravery and humanity pass the ultimate test?

What I liked:

Forget the "Young Adult" categorization as in this case it is very misleading. I am an adult female reader who doesn’t like most of YA fiction and I loved these books, finding them definitely more suited for older audience. Rick Yancey's Monstrumologist series is one of the masterpieces but, like such books, it defies pigeonholing. Let me only tell you that it should appeal to anyone who loves great storytelling and is not too squeamish when it comes to gory details. I loved the monsters populating these books and I couldn’t avert my eyes even when bits and pieces of human bodies flied around in the form of a blood rain.

There is one more thing. Reading the third part of this series I had a very strange feeling because every wish I expressed after previous parts came true. After the second part I wanted to see Jack/John Kearns/Cory again and here you go, Kearns is back in a peripheral but vital role as a prankster and hunter extraordinaire. I wanted to have more female characters and we get the intrepid Mrs Bates, who dares to sing Will lullabies, and her daughter Lilly, who dares to kiss him and gives him her photo. I enjoyed the philosophical undercurrents and here we get more of it as well. It was as if the author communicated with me beforehand. Weird, to say the least of it. I’ve never enjoyed such a phenomenon before.

The character of Will is in the main focus of the third part. The relations between him and his master have never been more complex. Will finally understands why his services are so “indispensable” to Warthrop; their mutual bond is one of the most compelling dynamics I’ve found in contemporary books.

The boy has grown up and I don’t mean only physical development. He thinks and plans on his own. He can stand up to the doctor and anyone else, taking independent, sometimes very difficult decisions. Of course at some levels he still remains a child – a child feeling very lonely and bereft to add – but he can overcome his weaknesses. The writer uses different adults in the story to give us impressions of what Will Henry might become, depending on his choices. Will he be like Mr. Bates, a successful financier and a proper gentleman with his little, happy family? Will he be one of the cold, calculating monster hunters who delight in the game of killing more than anything else? Will he be one of the scholars working behind the scenes and hoarding over the treasures of the monstrumologist secret society? Finally, will he become a ruthless monster like Kearns or a more humane monster like Warthrop?

The Isle of Blood, just like the other Monstrumologist novels, begins with the frame of Yancey editing a collection of folios written by the real Will Henry about his adventures. But this time, the investigation becomes more personal than ever - our tenacious narrator digs deeper into Will Henry's life and tries to figure out exactly who and what he was. There are scenes that will shock the reader that are made even more powerful as they are seen through Will's ever observant but so youthful eyes.

Let me also say how much I  appreciated the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle and especially Arthur Rimbaud were among the secondary characters of this book!

What I didn’t like:

Socotra via Wikipedia

???

Final verdict:

There is not a dull sentence to be found in any one of the three novels but if you prefer maudlin teen romance novels, stay away; this series is not for you. Where is the fourth part btw? I know the author has planned it and I will preorder it asap. Can a reader pay a bigger compliment than begging for more?
"We are hunters all. We are, all of us, monstrumologists". I quite agree - I've just bagged some great books...

Some quotes to share the joy:

""Miss Marks, you see, makes her living by... entertaining young, and not so young, sailors...or any other members of the armed forces, or civilians, who enjoy...being entertained by ladies who...entertain." He cleared his throat." (isn't Warthrop, discussing the oldest profession with his young apprentice, a sweetie?)

""What did I learn, sir?" The breeze was delicious upon my face. I could smell the sea. "I learned a poet doesn't stop being a poet simply because he stops writing poetry.""


"I don't know if you are a spiritual man but - "
"Not often," said the monstrumologist, urging Conan Doyle toward the lobby doors. "Hardly ever. No - just once. I was three or four and my mother caught me deep in a conversation with God." He shrugged. "I have no memory of it. God might."

Review: The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey (The Monstrumologist #2)

Book info:


Form: PDF format, e-book
Genre: YA horror
Target audience: older YA and adults


Synopsis:

It is no longer possible to escape men. Farewell to the monsters, farewell to the saints. Farewell to pride. All that is left is men.
Jean Paul Sartre

What monster is the most dangerous of all? The one you are sure doesn’t exist. Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, one of few American monstrumologists, and his young assistant, Will Henry, are going to find out that much to their cost.

When Muriel Chanler darkens the door of Warthrop’s humble abode at 425 Harrington Lane Will is instantly smitten with her great looks. Soon enough he learns that this beautiful, sophisticated lady used to be his poor doctor’s fiancée and now she is the wife of his best friend. Ok, his ex-best friend. Muriel asks Warthrop to rescue her husband, who, allegedly, has been captured by a Wendigo or Outico in Canadian wilderness. Wendigo is a mythical creature which, according to the local Indian tribes, starves even as it gorges itself and it eats only human flesh. Although Dr. Warthrop considers the Wendigo to be as fictitious as vampires and zombies, he relents and performs the rescue—only to see the man he used to know as John Chanler transformed beyond recognition into a monster. Is he really becoming a Wendigo, though? If so, can the doctor and Will Henry hunt down the ultimate predator, who, like the legendary vampire, is neither living nor dead, and whose hunger for human flesh is never satisfied?

Meanwhile the small and exclusive world of monstrumology is thrown into disarray by one Abram von Helrung, the former mentor of Warthrop, who intends to drop a kind of bomb-shell in his annual address to the gathered experts at the monstrumology congress in New York. Warthrop feels torn between the old friendship and loyalty towards his ex-master and his own conscience and beliefs…will the case of John Chanler help or hinder his chances of persuading the fellow monstrumologists that Wendigo doesn’t exist?

What I liked:

Quite a lot. Firstly let me assure you that the second installment is indeed better than the first, especially plot-wise. It is a very rare occurrence but, as you see, fully possible. The pace of the narration is far more exciting and the real action starts when usually other adventure stories wrap up – after the seemingly successful rescue of John Chanler.

Secondly the character of Pellinore Warthrop underwent a major development and transformation here, exploding like a firework. We see more glimpses from his younger years. He was a clumsy teacher’s pet. He used to have a girlfriend. His best friend used to play pranks on him. He wanted to be a poet (sic!). He wanted to commit a suicide. Oh dear, what a chest of treasure! Small wonder Will becomes more and more attached to him! Warthrop remains easily the most intriguing character in this part and it can be reflected by an interesting debate between Will Henry and a new friend of his, a girl called Lilly - if Will, who, as he claims, sees himself as Oliver Twist, does that put his mentor in the role of Twist's kindly benefactor, Mr Brownlow, or the dastardly Jew, Fagin?

Do you remember my carping about the all male cast of The Monstrumologist? It changed too and for the better! Here, you have the enchanting Muriel whose relationship with the monstrumologist makes him look so much more human. You have Lilly, a girl slightly older than Will but as cheeky as you would wish (or not), whom I found a delightful juxtaposition with our young assistant. I do hope that she will feature in future installments of Will's story. Other great secondary characters abound: Von Helrung (the monstrumologist's mentor), John Chanler, Sergent Hawk. All of them fully-fledged and well-rounded. Well done!

What’s more? Yancey's writing is brilliant and the stories he tells in this series are spellbinding. I especially appreciate the recurring philosophical undercurrent, as different characters are asking difficult questions about love, life, death, faith and the rights of women, answering them sometimes in a very funny sometimes in a very macabre way. An example in a form of two quotes:

“You don’t understand, Dr. Warthrop. These people are savages. A man who boasts of killing his own people—boasts of it! Kills them to save them! Tell me what sort of person does that?”
“Well, Sergeant, the God of the Bible leaps immediately to mind. But I shan’t argue the point.”


"They were not so different in the end, the place where he was lost and the place where he was found. They differed only in their topography. The wilderness and the slum were but two faces of the same desolation. The gray land of soul-crushing nothingness in the slum was as bereft of hope as the burned-out snow-packed brûlé of the forest. The denizens of the slums were stalked by the same hunger, preyed upon by predators no less savage than their woodland counterparts. The immigrants lived in squalid tenements, crowded into rooms not much larger than a closet, and their lives were mean and short."



Also the fact that the author was able to describe the living conditions of 19th century New Yorkers – both the haves and the have-nots – shows that he has made a lot of research concerning the setting of the book and the appropriate era – a round of applause!

What I didn’t like:

I still feel keenly the lack of Mr. Richard Cory aka Jack Kearns, the baddie from the previous part and my favourite…oh well, you can’t have everything, can you? But you can certainly dream…perhaps in the third part?

Warning:

It is allegedly a YA position but let me tell you that this book is more gory than the first installment. I might even say this time the horror hit me on a much deeper level because it was slightly less substantial although still as bloody as hell. I suppose some readers might struggle with the vivid descriptions of different atrocities committed by the Wendigo; children and women are involved. If you happened to read the ASOIAF series by George Martin and never flinched you would be ok. Anyway you know what to expect.

Final verdict:

You don't need to read "The Monstrumologist" in order to enjoy "The Curse of the Wendigo"; it stands alone quite well. That said, if you enjoyed the first one, you WILL HAVE TO read the second one and the third installment as well. "The Curse of the Wendigo" is still a dark and twisted gore-fest of a book for older teens and adults but also a fascinating journey into human souls…let me only say I have already bought the third part – I am so totally hooked!

A mandala of all plots or why everything repeats itself in fiction

Not so long ago some Internet friends discussed a fantasy book on Twitter. They mentioned that other readers have criticized it for being roughly the same as other books of this genre. It made me think of a problem of repeatability in literature. Is it really a problem though?

Let’s face it – there is nothing new under the sun (nihil novi sub solum) and no author, no matter how they strain their imaginative powers, can claim they've used an original idea. Not really. How they use it is quite another story, though and that's why writing and reading still make sense.

Ok., so how many plots available are there? Is their number somehow limited?

I’ve always favoured the theory about seven basic plots. It is short, elegant and somehow compelling. However, its versions differ. 

An IPL (Internet Public Library) list includes just these fairly expansive and universal plot concepts:

• man/woman vs nature
• man/woman vs man/woman
• man/woman vs the environment
• man/woman vs machines/technology
• man/woman vs the supernatural
• man/woman vs self
• man/woman vs God/religion

You can find the other version described in “The Seven Basic Plots – Why We Tell Stories” by Christopher Booker. According to that author the seven basic plots are: overcoming the monster; rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; comedy; tragedy; rebirth. Christopher Booker establishes the endurance of these plots in works ranging from the Bible and Greek drama through 19th-century opera to the latest Hollywood films.

There are plenty of other lists, some of them pretty old, other quite contemporary and the numbers of plots vary greatly too. I will try to present some of them very shortly. To tell you the truth I think not all of them deserve a full description anyway.

Sixty-nine. Attributed to Rudyard Kipling by Ronald Tobias . Tobias doesn’t explain what the 69 plots were. Perhaps it was a wise decision.

Thirty-six. Attributed to Carlo Gozzi and reprised by Georges Polti in The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations (1917). Polti states stating that there are precisely 36 emotions, which are, in his opinion, tied to the 36 situations. Nonetheless, many of his story lines unquestionably are timeless locomotives of plot, for example, Situation III, Crime Pursued by Vengeance (Hamlet anyone?) 0r Situation XV, Murderous Adultery, which pretty much sums up Fatal Attraction.

Twenty. From 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) by Ronald Tobias (1993). Tobias doesn't claim these are the only plots, merely 20 the most serviceable ones.

Three. From The Basic Patterns of Plot by William Foster-Harris (1959). Not one to be distracted by unnecessary detail, F-H divines three basic plots: (1) happy ending, (2) unhappy ending, and (3) the "literary" plot, "in which the whole plot is done backwards [and] the story winds up in futility and unhappiness."

Two. Of course plots can always be broken down to simply comedy- and tragedy-based, as Shakespeare did. In tragedies, everybody dies; and, in comedies, at least the protagonist lives. So simple it makes you wonder why bother with other classifications at all…

Two again. Also Tobias, mentioned before several times, concedes that his 20 plots boil down to 2, "plots of the body" and "plots of the mind." Plots of the body are your action flicks, full of sound and fury, not necessarily signifying anything. Plots of the mind are more cerebral and often involve "searching for some kind of meaning". Hmmm, sometimes I get the feeling no meaning is found throughout the whole book…

One. All stories can be summed up as Exposition/Rising Action/Climax/Falling Action/Denouement or to simplify it even further, Stuff Happens, although even at this level of generality we seem to have left out Proust.

If we talk about “one plot fits all”, what about the monomyth , also known as the hero’s journey? It is a basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world. Campbell allegedly borrowed the term from Joyce’s Finnegans Wake.

In a monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve a great gift or "boon." The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world. The stories of Osiris, Prometheus, Moses, Buddha, for example, follow this structure closely.

Campbell describes 17 stages or steps along this journey. These 17 stages may be organized in a number of ways, including division into three sections: Departure (sometimes called Separation), Initiation, and Return. "Departure" deals with the hero's adventure prior to the quest; "Initiation" deals with the hero's many adventures along the way; and "Return" deals with the hero's return home with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey.

Departure 

The Call to Adventure
The hero starts off in a mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.

 
Refusal of the Call
Often when the call is given, the future hero first refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances. 

Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. More often than not, this supernatural mentor will present the hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their quest. 

The Crossing of the First Threshold 

This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown, often dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known. 

Belly of The Whale
The belly of the whale, a biblical metaphor, represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage, the person shows willingness to undergo a major metamorphosis.

Initiation

The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes. 

The Meeting With the Goddess
This is the point when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. 

Woman as Temptress
In this step, the hero faces those temptations that may lead him or her to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey. 

Atonement with the Father
In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power.

 
Apotheosis
When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return. 

The Ultimate Boon
The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.


Return

Refusal of the Return
Having found bliss and enlightenment in the other world, the hero may not want to return to the ordinary world to bestow the boon onto his fellow man. Why should he/she? 

The Magic Flight
Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding.

 
Rescue from Without
Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience. 

The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult.

 
Master of Two Worlds
This step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.

 
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past. 

As usual, when somebody thinks of a theory, plenty of sharks…I mean critics try to take the shine off it and earn a decent living by publishing their negative opinions. Accordingly scholars have questioned the very validity of the monomyth, its usefulness as a tool for critical investigation and interpretation of narrative, and its male bias. Donald J. Consentino remarks, "It is just as important to stress differences as similarities, to avoid creating a (Joseph) Campbell soup of myths that loses all local flavor." Marta Weigle rejects the idea of a "monomyth" in which women appear only exceptionally, and then as indistinguishable from men. Others have found the categories Campbell works with so vague as to be meaningless, and lacking the support required of scholarly argument. Right…

You can start wondering of course whether any taxonomy can encompass everything in literature, and secondly, there is no theory that would tell you anything beyond the obvious. A more useful approach would be to focus on what works today. By this light it seems to me that the most useful divide is: Everybody Gets Killed (or at least the hero[ine] does, e.g., Hamlet, Thelma & Louise, Romeo and Juliet, American Beauty, etc.) versus Only the Bad Guys Get Killed (the collected works of Spielberg, Lucas, Peter Jackson et al.). The former can be called a realistic apporach as it leaves you thinking life sucks and you are more or less right, whereas the latter is an optimistically pink approach as it  has everybody walking out of the cinema with one big smile (or one big smirk). Naturally any avid reader can come up with numerous subdivisions, such as the one exemplified by Disney animated fairy tales, i.e., The Bad Guy Gets Killed but by Accident Only so The Good Guy Has Still A Pair of Clean Hands. In the odd case no one gets killed, but this is mostly in works by sensitive lady writers that seldom earn back the advance and which books' cover art usually includes people's bodies without  heads. Indicating what their potential readers/buyers might be missing as well...

Now add to it the sizable genre of stories that may be characterized as The Protagonist(s) Angle to Get One Another in the Bedroom ASAP and we begin to get a pretty firm handle on the situation. My point is, never mind the 36, 20, 7, or whatever basic plots--take out sex, violence, and death and you lose 90 + percent of literature right there. Not the worst part, mind you.

Sources:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2366/what-are-the-seven-basic-literary-plots

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3632074/Everything-ever-written-boiled-down-to-seven-plots.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A41427254