Challenging the Gods

by Rosemary Clement-Mooreon the Uglies series

I should have known the Prettiverse wouldn’t be pretty.

Any book that starts out by comparing the sky to cat vomit is probably not going to be full of unicorns and rainbows. Not unless the unicorns are surgically engineered special police and the rainbows are really the artificial light reflecting off the metaphorical fog of your nanotech-induced complacency.

Strange as it seems, I mean it as a compliment when I say that the Uglies series scared and depressed me. This type of book, which eggheads and English teachers call “dystopian fiction,” makes you think about what’s wrong with the world. It’s built on things that are messed up in our society right now, and shows very clearly where we could be headed if things don’t change. That can be a real downer.

Fortunately, the Prettiverse has two things: hoverboards (which are, let’s face it, just plain cool), and Tally Youngblood, who uses her … read more»

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Available Until
Wed 2/27

Percy Jackson and the Lords of Death

by J&P Voelkelon Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Once Percy Jackson has vanquished all the foes that Greek and Roman myths can throw at him, what’s next? Sure, his old adversaries could re-materialize and attack at any moment, but like a video game you’ve already beaten, the second time around would be so much ancient history. Yawn.

And what’s … read more»

Available Until
Tue 2/26

Panem et Circenses

by Carrie Ryanon the Hunger Games trilogy

In the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins takes our obsession with Reality TV and extends it to the most horrifying ends: a society that views kids killing kids as entertainment. It’s easy to find this an uncomfortable premise–to turn our noses up and say that while we may enjoy read more»

Available Until
Mon 2/25

Minorities R Us

by Janine Hiddlestoneon Glee

You guys look like the world’s worst Benetton ad!” declared glee club newcomer April Rhodes, looking at the group members seated in a row in “The Rhodes Not Taken” (1-5). (They looked perturbed, unsure whether to be offended, probably unaware that it was a cutting reference
to the multicultural … read more»

Available Until
Fri 2/22

How Buffy Learned to Confront Her Fears

by Michael Wolff, Brian Rabianon shows created by Joss Whedon

A typical reaction to fantasy series, especially one with such beautifully crafted horror elements as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is to wonder, “Who thinks up this stuff?” The implication, of course, is that it requires a twisted, perhaps demented, mind to create such deliberately frightening images of demons, vampires, and … read more»