Uncle Patrick's Reading Room

Not a lot to report today. My wife and I spent the evening with my parents, plotting a trip to Costa Rica in the near future. Rest assured, faithful reader, that I will blog all of the salacious details in due course!

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass along a reading recommendation. After finishing Rick Atkinson's The Army At Dawn (we won), I turned to Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand (also available in paperback). At first glance, this book is yet another children's fantasy novel about a young wizard's formative years. But there are several things that distinguish this work from its competition.

First, the magic in this book is well thought out and consistent, with distinct limitations and strengths. This system attracts a certain type of person, and they are (as a rule) petty, greedy and avaricious. A child thrust into this world is left to his or her own devices and must adopt some of those traits in order to survive.

Second, the story is told in part by a djinn. But this ain't the Genie from the Disney film. Nope, this guy is mean. He has some positive traits that begin to peek through the facade as the story progresses but, by-and-large, he's not someone to cuddle up to or trifle with.

In short, the book is surprisingly mature for a book aimed at children. It is well worth the read.