Prose // Booklog

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss
The Robinson family finds themselves stranded on an uninhabited island after a raging storm destroyed their ship. Without losing hope, they adapt to the island and turn it into their new home - building their own lives with their resourcefulness. Through many challenges and adventures, the Robinson family manages to live in peace and harmony in their new abode, which they christen as the New Switzerland.

A pretty basic summary above, but that's all I know of the plot. I wasn't too impressed with the book. Maybe it's because it was an English assignment and I had to hurry the reading along, but I didn't enjoy it very much. The storyline was tedious and oftentimes boring. It wasn't horrible... nor was it enjoyable. I don't know what else to say, I literally had to keep myself awake through the pages.

At least the ending, if not predictable, gave it some justice. That was the only part that I paid actual attention to. Maybe I just need to re-read this at a better time, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. If you really want a shipwrecked type of story, Robinson Crusoe would be a much better choice.

Genre: Classic
Side note: The Swiss Family Robinson was originally inspired by Robinson Crusoe, so if you've read the latter (or vice versa), then you've practically read both. :P

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
Cosmo Hill is a 14-year-old boy living at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for the Parentally Challenged Boys in Satellite City - an orphan dump to be precise. The orphans in the institute are treated as guinea pigs, testing dangerous products that often lead to their deaths. If Cosmo doesn't escape, he too will die soon. Opportunity strikes, and he soon finds himself part of a group called the Supernaturalists, a band of youngsters with the ability to see Parasites - creatures that live off of humans' life force. They round the city, terminating the Parasites. But a shocking discovery and a new obstacle shakes the entire group, and now the Supernaturalists must depend on the Parasites for the welfare of the city!

Yay, another Eoin Colfer book review! I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Colfer very much indeed owns me as property. The Artemis Fowl series was obviously in my very-special-books corner for a long while, but The Supernaturalist just blew me away! I loved the story's characters and the way its seemingly simple plot just twists and morphs into a complicated conflict as you flip through the pages, resoluting into a bittersweet ending.

Teenage fangirls would definitely get a kick out of this book with the angsty-but-oh-so-cool Supernaturalist leader, Stefan Bashkir. And of course, we can't forget the rest of the Supernaturalists: Cosmo Hill, the hero from Clarissa Frayne, Mona Vasquez, the mechanic expert from Booshka, and Ditto, the Bartoli baby who's much more than meets the eye. I adore these characters very much. They're not "recycled" characters (characters directly derived from other books by the same author), I'm glad Mr. Colfer didn't make that mistake like some other authors. The setting is also very surreal: a tormented city solely powered by the Satellite - nothing similar to our world today.

What else to say? Well, I read this book in less than two days. ^_^ The rush of excitement I felt as I read, and the feeling of yearning right after I finished... Argh, I'm out of words. My point is you should definitely read The Supernaturalist if you don't want me to post death threats at your door. Go! *shoves*

Genre: Young Adult
Side note: By the ending, I think it's safe to say that a sequel is definitely coming up!