Book Review: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

When I got the hankering to reread The Rook, I thought I'd give it a review this time.

The Hopeful Wanderer – A Waymarker

There was a light shining from beneath the sand. I spied it while walking along the seashore late on a moonless night, chilly surf chuckling around my bare toes. Just a steady glow ringing a patch of emptiness. I guess I already knew what it was when I started digging there, because this had happened … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – A Waymarker →

The Hopeful Wanderer – Catching Strays

Pure white light blazed in my eyes. A moment before, it had been the kind of vast, empty night that only farmland can offer. Corn rows marching away into the distance. Stars blazing overhead, etched sharply against the shapes of distant trees and a cluster of silos on the horizon. No artificial light for miles … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Catching Strays →

The Hopeful Wanderer – Butterfly Breaths

I drew in several deep breaths and blew them out, preparing to hold as long as I could. By my count, the constant practice while traversing this twilit forest had me up to a solid two minutes, though I still struggled. I had a feeling two minutes wouldn't be long enough for what I wanted … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Butterfly Breaths →

The Hopeful Wanderer – Fishing for Fears

"It contains your greatest fear." The kingfisher perched in the branches above me preened its green and gold feathers with a long beak and a self-righteous air. "I can see into it. Want to guess what's inside?"

The Hopeful Wanderer – Accessory to Conceit

Undulating waves of cotton candy pink and sapphire blue filled up my vision, shifting, swirling. Like gazing into a sunrise and finding it could dance. Over and over, the display stole my breath, made my heart sing. Dizzying me with euphoria. I desired nothing more than to keep watching; I wanted desperately to look away. … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Accessory to Conceit →

The Hopeful Wanderer – Pebble Prophecies

White surf hissed against a pebbly black shore, curling around my toes in a wash of cold spray. Secrets from distant lands washed onto this ancient beach, catching on pebbles and snagging within tide pools. Collected and kept here where few knew to seek them. The older secrets rested further up the beach, but the … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Pebble Prophecies →

The Hopeful Wanderer – Warning Signs

Blood on the dirt path ahead of me. So fresh it glistened bright red in the noonday sunlight, still puddling around bits of gravel. Just a moment ago, a hare had hopped down this turn, tall sunflower stalks obscuring it from my line of sight. Now it was gone. Now, the blood. Sunflowers. Though the … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Warning Signs →

The Hopeful Wanderer – A Ghostly Guardian

A thick cloud came to rest over farmland and countryside, shading the afternoon in sepia tones and muffling the distant sounds of highway traffic. To avoid a wide, unnecessary loop of interstate, I was cutting across an open field, boots squishing in mud from overnight rainfall. Yellowing grass swished against my knees, soaking my pants … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – A Ghostly Guardian →

Book Review: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

While I don't quite agree that 'Thunderhead' beats 'Scythe,' they're absolutely comparable in terms of quality.