Don’t Let The History Of It Scare You Off

I need to talk in great detail about an excellent novel called “Brian Boru,” by Morgan Llywelyn. It’s historical fiction, but don’t yawn. You should be hooked throughout the whole book, unlike John Hale’s “Napoleon.”

In fact, every character makes sense, whatever they do. Everything makes sense, and I wish I knew what Llywelyn was thinking when this book was written.

The best character is Brian Boru’s third wife, who is evil and hilariously mesmerizing. She has scheme after scheme after scheme, and eventually winds up divorced from two of Ireland’s most powerful rulers.

One other great book is “Overdue.” No, I haven’t forgotten to turn it back in, it’s the book by Stanley Tankersly Cusick. It is your standard slasher-type book, with some new twists, and there is more than enough wit to go around.

A young girl is working in the library, when her friends are hurt or killed by a person using book death methods (a fire a la “Dante’s Inferno,” acid kills a rival as in “Phantom of the Opera.”) The end is superb, because two people who belong together - gasp! - get together!

Here’s one more book that is excellent! It’s “The Wrecker,” by David Skinner. I was hooked and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

The kid’s name is Theo. (Why do we have to have the same old names over and over, like Jeff, Matt, Tom, Scott and Sean? Let’s get some weird names out, like Dinch and Rhinobaby.)

Anyway, Theo is “called” by garbage. Don’t ask me how, he just is. The garbage tells him where to put things and other weird stuff. Anyway, Theo finds an ally - not a friend - in Michael, against Jeffery Pratt, who bullies Theo. Theo wants to wreck Pratt. What wrecking is, exactly, is never explained.

The big scene, in which Pratt is finally wrecked, is anticlimactic. There should be a big pay-off scene, but there’s zilch instead.

Head to the North Spokane Public Library to find these and other good books.