CATCHING FIRE

There have been a great number of books that have given me sleepless nights.  The very first that I can remember was way back in high school when I first read the Amityville book; and that because of the horror that my vivid imagination gave me.  After that, there have been an innumerable string of titles that I can barely remember the titles of, simply because I could not put them down as soon as I started reading.  But then, I can remember reading something that I had to pause in between chapters and think about what I have just read - that is, not until the second book in the Hunger Games series; Catching Fire.

After i virtually devoured the first of the series, I was totally prepared to be taken into the whirlwind of Panem after Katniss' and Peeta's victory.  As expected, the book delivered the twists and turns that though some have been forming at the back of my mind while reading the first book, others have totally unnerved me, but, totally in a good way.  If I though I was addicted in the first book, i'm totally much worst here in the second staging of the Hunger Games.

Katniss as always is the girl on fire.  The other cast of characters have been totally hard to hate and its hard to root for the main characters when some of the other tributes are equally as appealing.  Finnick, Johanna and the rest have given me stunned minutes as I imagine how they might look like.  The ending is as always a bomb!

I still can't wait to see the first of the titles on screen as Hunger Games open in theaters March 23, 2012 but now I have something else to watch out for, Catching Fire, out in theaters November of 2013.

Now I'm on fire as I am immersed in the third and final installment.

HUNGER GAMES

I have heard a lot of good things about the HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins but for some reason, I did not have the push to read the book when I started by YA bookfest late last year.  It was only when I had nothing else to read that I finally got down to haphazardly read the first book of the post apocalyptic series.

And boy was I blown away.

The Hunger Games series is set in the future where the continent of North America, or what is left of it has been taken over by what is known as the Capitol; a pseudo-communistic government that is led by the snake and rose smelling President Snow.  The center, Capitol, is home to the rich and privileged while the rest has been divided into Districts.

In "celebration" of Capitol's win over the people, the districts are made to "sacrifice" two of its teens every year in a reality-television game of survival where the lone winner must kill each and every other tribute in the arena.  In its 74th year, the Hunger Games pits 24 youth whose cunning, skill and sometimes luck will eventually decide the victor.  It is a story of Katniss, of Peeta, of Gale and the rest of the cast who though some are silent in the book have made what could only be one of the most exciting premise I have ever read.

I was so immersed on Hunger Games that I lost tract of time and am currently devouring the next book.  Sad, I may be as the pages I have yet to read gets thinner, I hunger for the third book and am eagerly awaiting the movie coming out next year.

For those who wish to see the movie and is excited on how they look, here are the main cast of HUNGER GAMES coming out March of 2012.

KATNISS EVERDEEN

PEETA

GALE

PRIMROSE

CINNA

THRESH

RUE

GALE during the District 12 reaping

Katniss and Gale at the forest near District 12

Katniss as District 12 tribute

Peeta at his family's Pastry Shop

a series begins

about a year ago a friend lend me a copy of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book 4, The Shadow Rising.  i have seen copies of this particular series for years now but since the book is really thick, i was not all that interested to follow the titles one after the other.  in fact, a cousin who is an avid fan of the series had been telling me to go and read since according to him its a really cool read.  well, having nothing else to read at that time, i read my friend's copy.  and i only read until about a quarter of the thick book.

i did not finish the book not because i did not like it but simply because i liked the world that it introduced to me so much that i never wanted to experience it like a stranger suddenly thrust in an unknown world that would only confuse me and not allow me to get the most of my visit.

at this time, there are already 13 books in the series if we include the prequel, Robert Jordan wrote.  so what i   did is begin my quest for all the titles and promised myself not to read a single one until i have all available titles.  

it took me 6 months to complete the first thirteen books and as soon as i was able to purchase the last one i started my journey to the land of Aes Sedais and the Dragon Reborn.

so far, i have finished the prequel and is halfway through the first title.

in the Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan has created a whole history of intrigue, suspense, adventure and magic that has captured my fancy since the very first time i read a part of that fourth book.  not only will you feel the tension of each of the seemingly real characters but you get to understand all that pushes them to do the mounting action upon action that propels the reader to move on from one page to the next.

after finishing New Spring, i feel the magic of Jordan's world grip me.  immediately, i grabbed the first official book of the series and continue my journey this time in the company of the main characters that will show me why we need to at least in our lifetime share in the intricately interwoven tale that could have been reflection of our very own.

HUSH

when i say hush, i mean one of its synonyms and that is "quiet";  to shut you mouth and not utter a single word about what i am about to say.  so shhhhhh...

hush, hush is a novel written by becca fritzpatrick and deals with a girl and the absurdity of everything that started to happen when she first got to know a new lab partner.  things spiral towards an ending that is though exciting is somewhat cliche.

from the cover, we know it is a story of an angel or a fallen angel and that somewhere along the story we get to meet one or a few of these divine creature.

now after reading the book, let say this; and its going to be a little hard so brace yourself.

the books started like stephanie meyer's twilight; mysterious new student, school setting and a little creepy dash of something eerie thrown in the way.  after a little bit, it started to remind me of NANCY DREW, honestly it did.  Sleuthing girls, going off to find clues, looking into school records etc. etc.  Then right at end it becomes SCREAM.  Yes the movie!

now, for those who has not read the book, I'm not saying its a bad read. In fact, I enjoyed all 400+ pages of it.  What Im saying is, it just takes getting used to.  

all in all, though I might not have the nudge to read this book again well lets just say my curiosity was a little piqued to try my hand at the second book.

lets see if that PATCHes it up!

*HUSH HUSH is book 24

City of Fallen Angels

L’amor che move ill sole e l’altre stel e...

My will and my desire were turned
by love, the love that moves the sun and the other
stars... PARADISO (Dante)

Have you ever had that feeling of doom that you know will eventually happen but just keeps building up until you feel ready to explode?  When you are expecting something bad and you know it is not just a thought but is really about to happen and you cant do anything about it but wait for it to be there?  Well thats how I felt reading the newest installment of the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

After reading the third book, City of Glass a few months back, I never really thought that there would be another book in the series.  In fact, I thought the ending was one of the best on any series or trilogies I have read.  The conflict was fixed, loose ends tied up, it was over and done with.  The end.  Then I read on the author's website (which I read from time to time much is my fascination on the characters within the Shadowhunter books) that there would be another book. I thought, hell, what now?  Will it eventually be one of those series that goes on and on without any ending whatsoever?  With complexities that will eventually devour everything into incomprehensible nonsense.  But still I waited for the fourth book.  And now I'm really glad I did.

City of Fallen Angels begins a few weeks after the third book ended.  And while the first conflict was resolved, this new book tells us that it was but the beginning of a whole new adventure and this time with more at stake than just the Shadowhunters. 

I thought with the third book, the end of the trilogy that i know everything there is to know about their world,,,only to find out that i have only touched the surface of something that is so deep that it would take the rest of the upcoming books to scratch it, probably more.

I also only just realized that though Simon was one of my liked characters in the first three books, it is only now in City of Fallen Angels that I become to realize that he is as real as Jace or Clary. Also, new characters are introduced with subtlety that you sort of grow into liking them bit by bit and not suddenly thrust into your presence.

In the end, this is a whole new different ball game.  A story of love, salvation, forgiveness, hate, and self sacrifice.  The feeling of the angst of someone in love but filled with the confusion of it all emanates from Jace like a throbbing presence, add to this the questions that plague Clary's mind creates a jumble of emotions clearly evident in young lovers feeling the enormity of the emotion in all its splendor.  The characters have  all grown up and has become more real with depths and emotions not entirely different from ours.

The antagonist, when finally revealed is someone/something you would expect but then again someone/something that you would never have thought in a million years (curious? read the book).

Reading through the pages, I realized the the way the novels were written makes them perfect to be transformed to films without much changes to the premise. as a script writer, the sequences of how it was written is perfect. I cant wait for the first movie.

All in all, read the book.  Immerse yourself once more to a world that might not be our own but shouts with the goodness that makes us who we are.

*City of Fallen Angels is book 23 of the 100 challenge

twenty two

lately, i have been on a reading rampage.  not only have i devoured several books in the last days but  have been to enraptured by them that i forgot to post them here.

here are the books i have finished from cover to cover to another cover to cover.

20. Krondor: Tear of the Gods by Raymond E. Feist
21. Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey
22. Dragons of a Fallen Sun of the Dragonlance Series

currently finishing up on City of Fallen Angels, Book Four of the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.  And this ill write a review about tomorrow!

19

nineteen

the number does not describe my age but counts the number of books i have read so far this 2011.  This is in my quest for 100.  I recently finished the last two books, one the ending of a trilogy and the other the second book of one of Raymond E. Feist's numerous series.

the Amber Spyglass ends Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, a story of Lyra Belacroix, a young girl on the verse of adolescence as she moves from world to world in an adventure that will ultimately save the world.

this third book for me is the most thought provoking.  No wonder it was questioned by the Catholic church in some countries as a book not fit for young readers (as it rightfully is).  It presents the story of paradise lost in an entirely new vision.  Not only that, but it also questions the very basis of the catholic faith.

but remember that this is fiction and along with the premise and the superb writing of Pullman, I truly believe that this book is a must read.  Adventure, magic, suspense and the ultimate sacrifice that will always mean that good will always prevail.

lately, i have noticed that i have been reading a lot of Feist.  and with this title, the second in the Serpentwar Saga, i again realized why.  Raymond E. Feist presents young out of the way characters as the main personalities of his adventures.  what started with Pug and Tomas in the Riftwar Series, this story now has a different cast of characters in a setting that to me is almost more familiar than my own.

rise of a merchant prince is truly the story of Roo, an ambitious criminal turned soldier turned merchant as he rises from non-existence to that of being an important figure in Krondor, set of the story. with equal amount of wit, adventure, danger, and sexuality this is one novel that is truly Feisty (pun totally intended).

the end of a saga...

among the different genres of novels, there is one that i believe needs an unending supply of creativity and imagination from the author.  that is epic fantasy.  with these kinds of works, one needs to create a believable world and characters that would not only entertain us but also make us believe in their reality.  so far, i have visited upon worlds that have given me cause to imagine and wish to be transported there.  while one would be the middleearth of the lord of the rings novels created by j.r.r. tolkien, one other world has time and again invited me to visit.

the world of midkemia and its parallel world of kelewan.

written by the genius of raymond e. feist, i have first glimpsed upon the beauty of this land and got to know these characters back in college so many years ago.  since then i have never forgotten the beauty and the intrigue that it has shared with me.

now, i have just reread the whole series that have introduced these worlds to us, the riftwar saga.

since being introduced to pug, i have been immersed to the politics and the adventure of the personalities and creatures that have since then been made known to me.  with the growing powers that he has learned as the years go, i have also increased the thirst for more and more of all things midkemian and tsurani.

devouring chapter after chapter of the first four books, i cant wait for the other titles and series that have sprung up after the best selling initial saga.  though i have read a lot of them, still reading them once more have given me the visions like a well loved movie seen again after a long period of longing.

ill bet, these titles would soon be known as novels to film just like the other works from other authors before this.  surely i will welcome the visions to compare them to the visions i have made in my mind.

like all epic fantasies, the series has ended with darkness at sethanon.  but rest assured there are still other stories about these worlds out there, just waiting for the pen of feist for us to have a glimpse of them.


*ending the series puts me at 17 at the 100 challenge:
14.Apprentice,15.Master,16.Silverthorn,17.Sethanon; almost finish with Amber Spyglass as of writing

a compass & a knife

back in 2007, i got pretty interested in a movie called The Golden Compass.  not because i knew at the time that it was from a book, but because of Nicole Kidman whom I am forever in love with.  the movie was about a world that was like our own but entirely different.  for one, all the people there had a daemon, or an animal spirit that stays with them and is much like a conscience or a soul is to us.  I thought the story was different, interesting but different.  And since it had the right amount of fantasy and effects that made it a good watch, i considered it a success.

since then, i found out that the Golden Compass is the first book in a trilogy written by Phillip Pullman.  An award winner and bestseller, it has since then been completed with the next two books which I have only recently acquired.  in fact, I have only read the first one a couple of months ago.

however I liked the movie, I found the novel way better and totally satisfied my expectations and more.  not really meant as a standalone, it proved to be an effective introduction to the characters that will propel the story forward into places and ideas that you would not have thought possible in a YA book.  the main character, Lyra Belacroix is a young girl much too strong willed to be anything but a heroine.  the action, the suspense and her journey across what would be the Europe of another world will leave you breathless and asking for more.  the movie, in comparison is child's play.

its a totally great thing that I decided to read this series after I finally completed the three books in the collection.  after the last page of Golden Compass, all I needed was a few books as to debrief and I was back on Lyra's tail/tale (pun totally intended).

if the Golden Compass happened in a world much like ours but different, then the Subtle Knife happens in our very own world and a few others.  taking off right where the previous book left off, its a seamless adventure that introduces new characters and give old ones a lot more solid personalities.

from the very first pages, it will take you through twists, turns and unpredictabilities that one cant help but read it in one seating.  but then again, it also gives rise to a lot of questions.

i grew up in a christian country.  now, as the story of the Dark Materials become clearer, it shows a direct link to beliefs and religious ideas that I have found disturbing.  maybe because it questions a lot about things that might have reached my mind back then, or it could be a whisper of what i must have felt subconsciously.  

the thoughts are neither bad nor good.  in fact, it leaves a vague feeling that things are not what they should be.  maybe, an author's trick to read on to the next book.  

for all its worth, i truly enjoyed the book and would probably read it again soon.  too bad, the fate of the second film is still in question.  recommend the book? probably! but only to minds that are quick to judge what is fiction and what could be a voice that should have stayed hidden.

*The Subtle Knife is book 13 on the 100 books in 2011 challenge

witch and wizard

i totally love james patterson.  years before, i read some of his more mature works.  what initially got me interested were the titles that were borrowed from children's rhymes or stories.  those earlier works were full of mystery, action and suspense that stirred my adrenaline as if i was one of the heroes within the novels.

years after knowing his works, i found maximum ride and like his adult novels, i was hooked to his YA titles.

yesterday, i was fated to have a copy of his WITCH & WIZARD series.  and excited as i was with a new book and an opportunity to once more savor a world that patterson has designed, i read it like there was no tomorrow.  finishing the whole hardbound copy almost straight from page one to the last page.

the story is great.  a pseudo x-files, sorcerer's apprentice come xmen type of story where a brother and sister were taken from the comfort of home and sentenced to die only to find out that they have powers beyond their understanding.  it grabs the interest.  but i believe it only stops there.

the chapters shift from both the character's point of view.  the only problem was i failed to distinguish one from the other.  i believe the personalities of both were not truly developed as to be distinct.  in fact, i find myself flipping back to the beginning of the thankfully short chapters to find out which was one speaking.  also, some of the situations were comical if not downright silly.  predictable in some places, absurd in some.  

but you truly can never take anything away from patterson.  maybe because he wrote this for the younger ones; but then again, there was something totally absorbing with the max ride books that i failed to see here.

all in all, the WITCH & WIZARD book was a respite.  a rest from the more slowly paced epic-fantasy that i have been known to get addicted to time and again.  the descriptions are good enough, the characters are there if a little 2 dimensional.  it all feels like an invitation to read further, like an introduction of sorts.  

for sure I'll get a copy of the next book in the series.  as usual, a good story needs to be given another chance to grow.

one hundred

starting a blog from scratch can be a daunting task, especially if one wants to be followed.  so what i did was google and google for existing blogs that shared my interests.  that is, reviews of books, films and any whatnots that i deem interesting.  well that is a very broad range of subjects indeed.  but during one of these "quests" i chanced upon a book blog that got me really really interested.

now, i've always loved books. but before, i lived in a province that gave me limited access to the books that i really wanted to read.  in fact, i used to find myself reading through my grandfather's stash of outdated novels about cowboys and indians set in prairies and fields that were totally uninteresting for me.  but then, there were times that i could grab on some book that i cherished each second of reading.  books lent to me by friends and relative who had ways of getting them.

the situation changed when i moved to the "big" city last year.  since then, i have accumulated titles and titles of the books that set my mind on fire.  devouring each chapter and pages like wild fire.  

the start of the year, i promised my self to read the most number i have within a year.  lo and behold, a challenge has presented itself through this 100 Books in a Year 2011 hosted by Book Chick City.  

nope, i'm not a chick.  but i am a reader.  so from now on, i'll count and tally all the books that i have read since january of the current year and show the girls out there that yeah, we read too!

i accept the challenge and happy reading to all of us!

_________________________________________________

so far:

Eragon by Paolini

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riodan

Titan's Curse by Rick Riodan

Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riodan

Last Olympian by Rick Riodan

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist

King's Buchaneer by Raymond E. Feist

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

and is currently reading:

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson

thats almost 12...88 more to go... loving this!

cheap spell

the afternoon was boring. without much thought i just suddenly decided to visit the mall and finally reserve the upcoming fourth Mortal Instrument book that will be available in April. that done, i decided to browse through the titles available on the shelves that i still do not have and would catch my fancy. true enough i finally found myself debating against myself if i truly wanted James Patterson's YA novel Witch and Wizard & its sequel, Gift. as always i was attracted by the cover. i couldn't decide since i've yet to finish the enormously funny leven thumps book 2. hmmmm, undecided i decided to stroll around the mall to ponder on things.

such a fortunate thing that was. as fate would have it, i chanced upon a local thrift bookshop and lo and behold there it was.

a hardbound copy of the very book i almost bought for 400 was available for the measly amount of 47.00. talk about cheap and its a hardbound copy still in its plastic cover. wow.

now, i did not even think twice but grabbed the pristine book, paid for it and left without a backward glance.

God, i love thrift bookshops.

young at heart

theres something very captivating about the idea of reliving one's youth that makes YOUNG ADULT (YA) fiction very popular to readers.  i'd guess that there is a certain part of our childhood that stays with each of us until our adult years that somehow a glimpse of those slices of wonder and discovery drives us to escape into these windows of innocence.

YA fiction is a branch of fiction whose story revolves around young characters, usually in situations that would bring them to greatness amidst insurmountable odds.  in my quest to bulk up my cache of books in my collection, i have accumulated quite a number of them; attracted with the quick wit, action, drama and the fantasy that is still all too real from the eyes of these youthful characters.  most often than not, it is their naivete that lends them the strength to succeed.

LEVEN THUMPS by OBERT SKYE

im currently absorbed in this hilarious adventure of a 14 year old orphan boy who turns out to be an important character to a dreamland called FOO.  the pacing is fast, the words are witty and the situations are totally out of this world although a lot of the scenes are in our very own dimension. together with a thirteen year old girl who can control and create ice, a cute furry cat-like creature and a king who temporarily is a sliver of wood.  the formula of the story is new and totally entertaining...hahahaha... who can resist a strong, powerful and tall king who unfortunately is currently a toothpick.  priceless!

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by RICK RIODAN

adventure and action is what makes the percy jackson series tick.  from book to book (five in total) the unpredictability of the plot twists guides the characters into a situations weird and weirder.  a son of the sea god, POSEIDON, percy faces monsters and TITANS with a daughter of ATHENA, a CYCLOP halfbrother and a faun whose favorite food is an aluminum soda can.  one thing good about this series is it has reintroduced me to the gods and goddesses of greek mythology.  tsk tsk tsk, now, if only my literature class was this interesting.

SHIVER (and the rest of the series) by MAGGIE STIEFVATER

now, what made these book really popular was the earlier titles that introduced the genre to the public.  who among us would not recognize HARRY POTTER and the TWILIGHT series.  these two are undeniably the forerunners of the popularity of YA books.  not only were they made into movies (the current trend is transforming the books into blockbusters: currently playing I AM NUMBER FOUR, BEASTLY (March), MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (2012), etc.) but they paved the way for the genre to be read by adults as well.  one of the driving force of the interest is the emotions that pushes the characters into reality - foremost would be love.

what the twilight series did to vampires, SHIVER will do to WEREWOLVES.  the books not only  delivers the emotion, the pain of wanting to belong, the love that will bridge all odds.  watch out for the movie now in pre-production.

i love books, whatever genre, whatever age.  i might not be one of the characters in these youthful books but then again, as i read from page to page somehow i feel the age that i will forever be in.  young at heart!

i am number four (a review)

a common trend in movies is giving visions to words that have proven to be popular to readers, not only prompting them to watch and compare how their imaginations compare to that of the movie makers but also giving the opportunity to those less inclined to read the chance to share in the spectacle of how more "creative" people create worlds and circumstances that they otherwise would not have thought of.  in a few instances, the process is even reversed if a film has been popular enough that it deserved to be put into words.    in my remembrance, thats how it usually goes, never have i heard of a book optioned to be a film before it was published.  that is, until I AM NUMBER FOUR.

a novel of the same title written by james frey & jobie hughes (collectively known as PITTACUS LORE), it follows the story of a young man by the name of JOHN SMITH who turns out to be one of nine alien children gifted with extra-ordinary powers (no, those are not flashlights in his hands) and destined to save the world.  originally coming from the planet LORIEN, these nine children were scattered all over Earth with each a guardian that must guide them and hide them from the deadly MOGADORIANS set to conquer Earth after delivering Lorien to destruction.  the story is set in PARADISE, OH where Number Four aka John Smith struggles to stay anonymous after the death of Number 3 in the jungles of Kenya.

as a book, it kept me awake until I was done with the last page; including the first chapter of the next book in the series which is entitled POWER OF SIX set to be released August of this year.  (something i should not have done since I cant wait for it to come out - spoiler: its the story of SEVEN)  it had all the right ingredients of a well packed action and sci-fi with the right amount of mushy stuff inside.  and since then i had been dreaming of the scenes, the magic and the almost smallville-like discovery of power.

as a movie, its different.  the story is there, the action is there, and as movies from novels go - the magic.  i remember suddenly the outworldliness of harry potter, the mystery of narnia and the sweeping panorama of lord of the rings.  and like before, i forced myself not to compare what i see onscreen to the thoughts that i created when i was reading them.

as expected, some things were changed to fit into the media that is film.  but the more important stuff were kept and some were even added so as to be easier for those who were not fortunate enough to read the book.  from the death of number three to number four's discovery of his first legacy one cant help but be propelled like the story is pushed to its climax.  be amazed, gawk and be surprised ( i was surprised even if i knew what would happen next).  alex pettyfer {this 20 year old  british actor is set to be known as the novel prince; i saw him first as alex rider (2006) , he is set to be the beastly (March, 2011) , jace wayland in the city of bones,mortal instruments (2012), and talks are for him to play Peeta of the Hunger Games (2012)} shines in this film, though obviously older than the fifteen year old Number Four of the novel, the movie was adjusted to fit him perfectly.  the rest of the cast does not fail either.  Callan McAuliefe, the young australian actor playing Sam will be an actor to look out for, and NUMBER SIX totally sizzles.

as for the other aspects of the film, its all there; effects, suspense and a totally to die for soundtrack (some parts of the film plays like a music video - awesome!)

for the most part I AM NUMBER FOUR, both book and movie is highly recommended.  a word of advise though, i'd rather you watch the movie first then read the book.  you'll enjoy both all the better.

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in the realm of the fantastic

books are and have always been windows that have taken me into the lives and worlds that are described within the pages.  not a few times have i found myself too immersed in the stories that i read that i completely forget the present and exist inside for that moment.  my mind adds sound, atmosphere and little details that are otherwise not given by the author.

maybe its this reason that my genre of choice has always been fantasy.  i remember way back when my mom used to read to me bulfinch's mythology, the iconic lord of the ring series in high school and discovering the creatures of narnia in college during the 90s.  of course, the more recent world of hogwarts and harry potter is joy cut short much too soon.

what i love about these worlds are the realism behind them.  yes, realism.  i would always equate a great fantasy when the worlds and those that inhabit them are much too real to be considered as make believe.  for sure, this is the main reason that most of these titles have been made and are continued to be made into movies.

the fantasy/scifi genre for fiction is a myriad collection of these universes and alternate realities that are each fantastic in their own rights.  and in each of them are characters and ideas that are both different and mirrors of our own.  from the dragons of anne mccaffrey's dragon of pern series to the gay herald mage character of mercedes lackey, to the rodents of redwall of brian jacques; however unbelievable, they take us in because somewhere there are emotions, situations and places that remind us of our mundane world.  

i love all these worlds.  in fact, there is not one among them where id say no to an invitation to visit again.  but of all these, these are the top 5 that i would gladly live in.  

*i wont even consider middle earth of J.R.R. Tolkien, Narnia, Hogwarts and the rest of the more popular ones since i'd think that with the movies and the hooplah about them, they'd be too over crowded with humans to be exciting for my taste, hehehe

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS by CASSANDRA CLARE

several months ago, i chanced upon a boxed set collection of three books while lounging at powerbooks in megamall.  not familiar with the author, i bought a copy of the first book; City of Bones since I was intrigued by the tattooed torso in the cover.  a week after, i had all three in the series.

The Mortal Instruments series is an urban fantasy set in modern day US.  It tells the story of the Shadowhunters, a band of special individuals gifted with extraordinary gifts.  The story talks about angels, nephilims, demons and all there rest of the creatures from the pages of fairy tales.  In fact, it even had a rat that became a vampire.  

Jace Wayland and Clary Fray has completely taken me in that I cant even wait for the fourth book out in April of this year.  And watch out, a movie with Alex Pettyfer and Lily Collins is in the works!

The Mortal Instruments titles are The City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass.  City of Fallen Angels is the 4th book.  A prequel series The Infernal Devices whose Book 1, The Clockwork Angel came out late last year is almost as good.

THE SECRETS of the IMMORTAL NICOLAS FLAMEL by MICHAEL SCOTT

fresh from my find of the mortal instruments and having to wait for the next book in the series, i browsed the titles on the bookshelves, choosing books based on instinct and on how i feel about the book cover (yes, especially for the genre, book covers matter a lot) and found The Alchemyst, the first volume in this work that totally blew me off.  

initially set in san francisco, the story chronicles the chaos that happens to a set of twins when they discovered that they are not who they thought themselves to be.  in company of nicolas flamel (yes, the very same nicolas flamel mentioned in the novels by jk rowling and apparently is a real person from history), a wizard, sophie and josh newman soon discovers and gets to meet and encounter entities only real in stories from greek, roman, egyptian and any number of mythologies.  

the story is fast paced and is full of action and movement.  in fact, to those more inclined to the more action-packed genre of fiction; the writing style feels much like da vinci code by dan brown. 

like the previous series, these books: alchemyst, magician, sorceress, necromancer and the forthcoming titles were also optioned to be made into movies.

THE WHEEL OF TIME by ROBERT JORDAN

i don't only buy books from the major bookstores.  in fact, my person is a constant fixture in any number of booksale or books for less branch all over the metro.  my new favorite is bookayukay in quezon city where i just found some missing titles to complete some of my series collections early today. 

during one of these visits, another cover got my attention.  the eye of the world, book 1 of the 14 volumes in the wheel of time series.  honestly, while reading this i totally felt i was back in middle earth but with little differences in the feel like going from one city to another in the same province.  

although the action sequence or the plot development is repetitive in each of the books, i was never the less taken into the heart of rand al thor and his being the dragon reborn.

it took me three months to finally have a copy of the first eleven books and the prequel book in the series.  book 13 and 14, written by another writer after the demise of robert jordan is to be out soon. 

THE RIFTWAR SAGA & THE SONS OF KRONDOR by RAYMOND E. FEIST

another epic fantasy series that i totally dug out of the mountain of thrift books are the titles within the rift war saga and the succeeding series, the sons of krondor.  

i was able to read this series a very long time ago when i had a friend who would loan me his books during the times i could ill afford to rent one.  now, i have almost all the titles with the exception of the newer ones that i plan to buy as soon i can finish the other books that i have recently purchased.

the riftwar saga takes place in two worlds both very much like our own if not of the existence of magic and the creatures that were "invented" for this world.  and while as all epic fantasies are alike in the broad scope of almost-nomadic main characters go, this one surprises the readers with each title  in the series.

pug, the driving character in the first two books, magician:apprentice and magician:master is a common and recurring character in all the books including those just newly published.

a graphic novel of this work is out as well.

SANDMAN by NEIL GAIMAN

now this next series are not even books.  

a collection of graphic novels with art done by selected artists, this 11 volume work chronicles stories and life glimpses of the mythological being sandman.  the lord of dream, as he is called presents tales and wonders as only neil gaiman can deliver.  nuff said.

there are a lot more authors, series and books out there. in fact, i dont consider my choices here as my permanent choices.  works by ursula le guin, eragon and the inheritance series by paolini, the percy jackson books by rick riodan, pittacus lore's i am number four and the lorien legacy series etc. are great works that have found permanent spaces in my own private library.  and my choices might not be yours but let me share this with you, there are two keys to the realm of the fantastic; good authors and good imagination.  can you enter?