Today we are delighted to offer you a guest review by Riley Carney. Riley is the author of fantasy series for young people: the first book of which is "The Fire Stone". Do check out her webpages. You will be blown away by this young lady.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray was one of the strangest books I have ever read. It was also one of the funniest books I’ve read. The premise in itself is amusing, though depressing – sixteen-year-old Cameron is an ordinary teenager dealing with the thrills and kills of high school until, that is, he is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, more commonly known as mad cow disease. Cameron begins to see visions that hover between hallucinations and reality. He is told by one of these hallucinations, a punk rock angel, that he must stop the band of dark energy that has been released into the world, and which will destroy the universe unless he intervenes. Cameron must travel across the country to find the mysterious Dr. X who can stop the dark energy, and conveniently, cure Cameron’s mad cow disease, as well. He embarks on a fateful journey to Disney World, accompanied by a neurotic dwarf named Gonzo and a talking garden gnome named Balder who claims to have once been a mighty Norse god. Uh…what?
I enjoyed reading Going Bovine because of its sardonic, often laugh-out-loud, humor. Cameron is an entertaining narrator, but it took me a while to actually like him as a character. He does change and grow throughout the story, making him much more agreeable by the end of the story. I felt that Bray placed a number of necessary elements into this book purely to make the story “edgy”, rather than as way to add depth to the plot. The ending was unsatisfying, but like the rest of the book, it certainly revealed some interesting perspectives. Overall, the story was just too strange to make it a must-read book.
http://www.rileycarney.com/
Going Bovine
Accelerated Reading level : generic "5"
- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 22, 2009)
- ISBN-10: 0385733976
The Fire Stone
by Riley Carney
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: BookLight Press
- ISBN-10: 0984130705
Matt knows how to shovel hay, dig trenches, and dodge his father’s whip, but when three terrifying creatures attack Matt, and he is rescued by a wizard, he kidnaps a baby alorath, and is befriended by elves, Matt’s life transforms overnight from dreary to astonishing. When he unwittingly joins a quest to find the Fire Stone, one of the elusive Stones of the Elements which have the power to destroy the world, Matt is thrust into a string of perilous adventures. He soon discovers that magic does exist and that he has extraordinary powers that can change his destiny and determine the fate of Mundaria.
1 comment :
Riley, I read "Going Bovine" after talking to you, and I totally agree with all of your conclusions.
Like you, I didn't like Cam until after the story was well underway. He was insightful, and certainly funny, but his snarky attitude got old fast.
And, like you, I thought that the ending was just 'not enough' to cast the book into the 5-Star realm. I kept waiting for more about Gonzo and even Cam's sister, Jenna. Alas, it never came.
In any case... I liked this book and I'm glad I read it. Definitely different.
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