Sorry
for the delay in starting my summer book reviews but something came
up and I couldn't get to the computer. But now I'm ready to start
with 2 terrific new books that are already in the Lakeview
collection.
Steelheart
by Brandon Sanderson envisions a future where some people, called
Epics, have gained superpowers but, unfortunately, only use those
powers for themselves. A few Epics with the strongest powers have
taken over major cities and hire Epics with lesser powers to be their
enforcers. Chicago is the focus of Steelheart who can turn anything
into steel including streets, buildings, even the ground. When David
is six years old, he sees his father killed by Steelheart. But he
also sees Steelheart injured. David spends the next ten years
researching Epics in the hopes that he can kill Steelheart. When he
gets the chance to join a rebel cell of humans fighting and killing
Epics, it may be time for his revenge. This story of danger,
intrigue, and revenge will grab science fiction and adventure
readers.
I
have been fascinated by other cultures and how they live and are
treated so it's no surprise that I wanted to read Susan Cooper's
Ghost Hawk. What starts as a Native American story in early colonial
days becomes much more. The story starts with Little Hawk and his
winter-long journey into manhood. Before he leaves on this journey a
couple of white men and a white boy visit his village. Little Hawk
and the boy John Wakeley spend a day becoming friends. When Little
Hawk returns from his manhood journey, he finds everyone dead except
his grandmother from a white man's disease. Though many villages have
been wiped out by this disease, Little Hawk and his grandmother find
a new village that takes them in. On a fateful day when Little Hawk
again meets John Wakeley, a tragedy occurs. The boys' friendship
continues throughout their life overcoming unusual obstacles and we,
the readers, get to see how the early English settlers interacted
from both the Native American and the white man's viewpoints.