Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 21:08:08 GMT -5
I thought it would be fun to write a collection of Neopian book reviews and basically get to make stuff up about books the way I do about food in the Gourmand's Guides.
I could use some feedback on it to make sure there are as few errors and weaknesses as possible before I submit it.
Thanks in advance!
I could use some feedback on it to make sure there are as few errors and weaknesses as possible before I submit it.
Thanks in advance!
The Scrivener’s Survey
I’ve heard that holo-viewers imported from the Virtupets Space Station are the newest media craze sweeping Neopia, but in my Neohome, we read. A lot.
Just stepping through the threshold of the Neopian Central Bookshop will tell you: there are countless books in Neopia, with more being written and published every day—and that’s besides the astounding journalism feats of those whose work comprises each week’s Neopian Times issue. (And let’s not even get started on Brightvale—I hear people enter those libraries and never come out.)
Now, most of us don’t really have enough time to read every single thing ever written. Or, even if we do, we’d rather stick to the stuff worth reading, or at least that we know we’re going to like. Believe me, I’ve finished more than one book wishing I could clear out my brain like I can my Safety Deposit Box.
And thus we come to the reader’s dilemma: how do we assess the value of something we’ve not yet read?
I don my scrivener’s cap and grab my fancy quill (I never really write with the thing, I prefer ballpoint pen, but this makes me look so official) to answer you: we read book reviews!
Remember how I said my family reads a lot? (You may have also noticed we eat out a lot, but that’s for another article series.) Well, we’ve decided to share our opinions on some of the many volumes we have read, in the hopes that readers of this article will be well-informed on their next trip to the bookstore. We’ll be giving an overview of each book’s contents, as well as a brief discussion on how well it accomplishes its objectives, and if the end result is something we would recommend.
Knowledge is power!
--
[http://images.neopets.com/items/magic_codebook.gif]
Mysterious Book – Could this unique book contain the secrets of the thieves guild?
Spoilers: it doesn’t. This book is actually a highly-publicized decoy, written under a pseudonym and created at the behest of the Thieves’ Guild. While purporting to be an actual account of the secret details of the Guild, the narrative reads like dramatic fiction, and after its publishing, those in the know claimed the book was chock-full of falsified information, much of it seemingly deliberate.
The Defenders of Neopia launched an investigation and determined that the Mysterious Book most likely was written to throw the public off the scent of the Thieves’ Guild’s actual doings. By presenting the Guild in a glamorised light, playing up and glorifying its intrigue and drama with a likeable protagonist-narrator and blurred moral lines, this tale attempts to lure the reader into thinking she is now an expert in the world of organized crime—when in reality she has been fed a pack of romanticised lies that blind her even more to the Guild’s operations.
While the author does his job with obvious skill and artistry, the result often comes off as too polished and convenient, making his claims to nonfiction difficult for the discerning reader to swallow. The suspense-filled plot certainly will keep you at the edge of your seat, but I feel that at least part of why this book was a blockbuster hit the summer it was published was not so much the content, but the controversy. Still, the Mysterious Book has become a modern classic worth picking up if you enjoy adrenaline-pumping crime drama combined with clever prose. Or anything to do with the Thieves’ Guild. (Or are a Kanrik fan, because yes, he is a character in this, although the real Kanrik has declined to make any public statements regarding his fictional portrayal.)
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_myfirstbook.gif]
My First Book – This is the most basic book in Neopia. Ideal for the first time reader.
The publisher’s description isn’t kidding. This book is literally the most unsophisticated communication in Neopia. Even Tyrannian cave drawings have more substance to them. (Although that may be an unfair comparison, as Tyrannian cave art is actually an intricate mode of expression with several layers of personal and cultural subtext.)
My First Book is actually all of one page long. While I am unable to reproduce the contents of said page due to copyright laws (as that would technically be transcribing the entire book), what I can tell you is that it consists of three words that form a sentence explaining to you that you are looking at a page of a book.
So what, you may ask, is the purpose of My First Book? The layout is drab, there are no illustrations, and any toddler would find it uninteresting compared to the wealth of actual children’s books on the market. Although it might make a passable chew toy.
But no, My First Book was actually the attempt of the Space Adoption Agency to help Grundos newly freed from Dr. Sloth’s control to integrate better with Neopia. For a while, each Grundo adopted from the Space Station was provided with a copy of this book in order to better understand the essential nature of reading material on their new home world. Because even for those whose brains weren’t scrambled by Sloth’s mutation process, it’s difficult to go from holograms and electronic data-pads to slivers of mashed-up tree pulp.
(My Grundo, Hyren, wants me to assure our readers that not all off-world-born Grundos are that naïve.)
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_billyblue.gif]
Billy Blue Hat – The adventures of Billy Blue Hat. Its a short story for beginners.
Don’t let the juvenile appearance and description fool you! What poses as a simple children’s book is actually a tale rife with psychoanalytical symbolism and socioeconomic metaphors. Why has the author picked blue as Billy’s signature colour? Does his hat being the same hue as the sky represent how the author wants her readers to see Billy as a stand-in for businesspets with theoretically unlimited earning potential? Is the rainy day getting Billy’s hat wet suggestive of the ultimate fickleness of fate, and how the ebb and flow of civilization ensures that Billy’s short-term gain will inevitably reach equilibrium with that of the hatless proletariat below him?
… Or maybe it really is just a vapid children’s book and we’re all reading far too much into it. But you never know! Writers are a sneaky bunch.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_myfirstfaerie.gif]
My First Faerie – Everything a young pet needs to know about their first encounter with faeries.
At first glance, this looks like a cute picture book about Faeries. And, well, the illustrations are great, done in a lively and colourful style that will easily engage young readers. But My First Faerie is not mere fluff—it is really an accurately informative – and cautionary – introduction to Neopia’s fair folk.
Though presented in a nonthreatening, gentle manner suitable for children, this book contains simple explanations of the different types of Faeries, what they often seek from Neopets, and elementary wards effective against each element. Although not all of the fay population condone the publication of texts explaining how to dispel them, this book has the approval of Fyora herself, who believes that every Neopian has the right to know how to defend themselves against a Faerie gone bad.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_scienceisfun.gif]
Science is Fun! – Learn how science is fun!
Just because a book is a multi-edition best-seller doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good book—just a popular one. Case in point: Science is Fun!.
Written by a Virtupets physicist in an attempt to make science more accessible to the laypet, Science is Fun! misses the mark and instead is a stilted, somewhat disjointed “pop science” attempt that tries to appeal to the lowest common denominator. In comparing atomic physics to Tyrannian concerts and tying the life cycle of the Moach to the Usuki fandom, the author seems to lose sight of the intrinsic value of scientific knowledge.
I mean, maybe some of us keep tabs on the latest Kreludan selenology research missions because we think Kreludor’s internal structure is cool, not because we want to determine the most efficient options for future resource aggregation.
The author’s instant-gratification, what’s-in-it-for-me approach to science may have a base appeal, but my family found it off-putting and distasteful. In our opinion, the public should be encouraged to get excited about the universe for its own sake, and trying to reach them through ulterior motives is like a Warf barking up the wrong tree.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_grarrlbook.gif]
Grarrls Are Great – Great reading for Grarrls and friends of Grarrls.
Well, the publisher’s description just says it all, doesn’t it?
Those publishers can be awfully vague. This book is actually a serious apologetic treatise defending the Grarrl species as every bit as cognizant and competent as your average Shoyru or Lupe. In a world where Grarrls have an unfortunate social stigma, this book was sorely needed.
But is it any good? Despite the somewhat misleading marketing, the text itself is solid, well-researched, and persuasive. The author makes use of a number of scientific studies, both by herself and others in the fields of Neopet sociology, psychology, and biology, and backs these up with a lifetime of personal anecdotes, many of which are quite touching. Whatever your opinion on Grarrls, this book will forever alter your perceptions of them, and quite possibly get you to be kinder and more understanding to the Grarrls in your life.
Grarrls Are Great has become a seminal work, and in many Neoschools is part of the required reading curriculum in the middle grades. Goodness knows those cliquish preteens need it.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_goodbyemel.gif]
Goodbye Mel – Say farewell to Mel in this hardback book dedicated to the life and times of your least favourite pet.
The story of this book’s publication is just as interesting as the amusing biography contained therein. Goodbye Mel was originally written as a joke, by an owner so fed up with his high-maintenance Kyrii that he vented enough frustrations to make an entire manuscript. After abandoning the eponymous character, the manuscript lay in the owner’s storage for several years, until during a move, he and some friends found it and read over it again.
The excruciating details of life with a very fussy Kyrii, written in a tone dripping with sarcasm and understated wit, got the author’s friends rolling with laughter, and they convinced him to polish it up and submit it to a publisher. To the author’s surprise, not only was it accepted, but it swiftly climbed to the top of the best-seller list. Nearly overnight, he became a celebrity.
Unbeknownst to him, many readers wanted an epilogue. What happened to Mel? According to the final chapter, the yellow Kyrii had been dumped in the Pound, but he did not turn up in a survey of its then-current residents. With the considerable span of time between his abandonment and the book’s publishing, the task seemed impossible, but still the hunt for Mel began.
Two months later, they found him, living in a family with three other pets on Terror Mountain. Mel had been adopted by a less-fortunate Neopian, and the experience of going from being a pampered only pet to the latest addition in a crowded household had humbled him.
Not enough, however, that his ire was not piqued when he learned about the unauthorized publication of his life history.
Infuriated, Mel journeyed to Neopia Central and sought out his old owner, giving the human a good talking-to and threatening legal action. In hashing out their problems, the two realised they’d missed each other deeply, and Mel’s old owner re-adopted him. The last I heard, the two were living happily on Mystery Island, enjoying the ever-accumulating royalties from their ironic twist of fate.
It is this story that makes Goodbye Mel such an interesting read. If you can get past the often acerbic tone, and the fact that the plot (at least in the book) does not end nicely, it’s a rather humourous book—and it might make you appreciate your own Neopets a little more. Unless they’re as irritating as Mel, in which case find ways to profit off of them.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_skeithbook.gif]
Sinister Skeith – Their motives, world domination plans and darkest secrets revealed.
Unfortunately, not all species-specific publications contain a positive outlook. Unlike Grarrls Are Great, Sinister Skeith is a bitter polemic dedicated to painting Skeiths in the worst light possible. For this reason it has been the subject of much controversy, causing an outcry among Skeiths and their owners when published that led to its being outright banned in many libraries across Neopia.
Upon the rediscovery of Meridell and consequent bringing of that area into Neopia’s present, Kings Skarl and Hagan raised quite the ruckus about Sinister Skeith, to the point where Hagan threatened to boycott the publisher and Skarl nearly marched troops on Neopia Central. Ultimately the issue was never fully resolved, with Hagan unable to maintain the boycott and Skarl being talked down by his diplomats. To this day, it is wise to not mention the book in either of their royal presences, or have a copy of it on your person if you happen to be in their company.
(Incidentally, Malkus Vile has also voiced opposition to the book, calling it an affront to all Skeithdom, despite the Skeith crime lord actually perfectly fitting the description of the species contained within. While this is obviously a public-relations move, it leads this scrivener to wonder if the author of Sinister Skeith had Vile specifically in mind when she penned her argument.)
Publishing hullabaloo aside, Sinister Skeith is not a particularly remarkable book for its literary quality. The author is fueled more by a chip on her shoulder than any particular amount of technical finesse, and while she is quite adept at conveying her emotions on the page, emotion does not a strong rational case make.
I would only recommend this book to the stout of heart who are amused or intrigued by baseless conspiracy theories and the psychology behind species discrimination. For the rest of us, it’s just the same kind of ranting you might find on the Neoboards, put into print to give it the illusion of legitimacy.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_loyallupes.gif]
Loyal Lupes – How to tame Lupes so they respect you and do as you command.
Oh, this is a joke.
As any seasoned Lupe owner can tell you, you can’t tame a Lupe, and often it’s a stretch just to get them to acknowledge your authority. Lupes are a proud and willful species, and it takes a deep bond of trust with a strong and mature owner to get them to see you as anything but a hapless puppy at best—or a threat to their autonomy at worst. (It’s even worse with Werelupes—trust me on this one.)
While well-intentioned, this work is woefully misinformed, containing outdated research, impractical tips, and an overall underdeveloped attitude toward Neopet ownership. It is the product of a defunct school of thought in Neopet psychology, as any Lupe would be happy to tell you. Unfortunately, Loyal Lupes’s accessible prose and attractive formatting made it a hot buy for new Lupe owners back in the day, and is probably the sole reason why it has never gone out of print.
Best viewed as a quaint look at the behavioral science of yesteryear, I would advise against bringing this volume home if you have a Lupe, regardless of intent. She will undoubtedly get the wrong message, and summarily teach you to never make that mistake again.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_jmpin2future.gif]
Jump Into the Future – A First time author and long time comedian leads you through his hilarious take on life in the year 20.
Although this book is already showing its age (it’s Y17, where are my Faerie-tech bionics?), the text is pure gold, truly one of the classics of literary humour. Combining his expertise in comedy with his interests in history, science, and engineering, our Techo author takes the reader on a tongue-in-cheek romp through Y20, complete with gentle but effective social satire targeted at the Neopia of his day. The result will have you laughing at every page.
Although unintentional, it is also fascinating to compare and contrast the author’s Y20 with our present day. Many of his serious suggestions, such as using Maraqua’s bubble-shield technology to colonise near-Neopia asteroids, have yet to take place, while he never even saw coming things like the discovery of Meridell and Moltara. It just goes to show that we can never know all the variables, and the future is a tricky business.
The author currently lives in Kiko Lake, where he runs a comedy club and continues to publish humour. Although Jump Into the Future was his first work, he reportedly is still fond of it, and insists that if there is not another Tyrannian land war by Y20, he will just have to make it happen himself.
--
This has been but a small sampling of the sea of literature in Neopia. Hopefully it has been an informative and entertaining journey, one that will allow you to exercise more discretion next time you become bewildered in a bookstore.
Never stop reading!
I’ve heard that holo-viewers imported from the Virtupets Space Station are the newest media craze sweeping Neopia, but in my Neohome, we read. A lot.
Just stepping through the threshold of the Neopian Central Bookshop will tell you: there are countless books in Neopia, with more being written and published every day—and that’s besides the astounding journalism feats of those whose work comprises each week’s Neopian Times issue. (And let’s not even get started on Brightvale—I hear people enter those libraries and never come out.)
Now, most of us don’t really have enough time to read every single thing ever written. Or, even if we do, we’d rather stick to the stuff worth reading, or at least that we know we’re going to like. Believe me, I’ve finished more than one book wishing I could clear out my brain like I can my Safety Deposit Box.
And thus we come to the reader’s dilemma: how do we assess the value of something we’ve not yet read?
I don my scrivener’s cap and grab my fancy quill (I never really write with the thing, I prefer ballpoint pen, but this makes me look so official) to answer you: we read book reviews!
Remember how I said my family reads a lot? (You may have also noticed we eat out a lot, but that’s for another article series.) Well, we’ve decided to share our opinions on some of the many volumes we have read, in the hopes that readers of this article will be well-informed on their next trip to the bookstore. We’ll be giving an overview of each book’s contents, as well as a brief discussion on how well it accomplishes its objectives, and if the end result is something we would recommend.
Knowledge is power!
--
[http://images.neopets.com/items/magic_codebook.gif]
Mysterious Book – Could this unique book contain the secrets of the thieves guild?
Spoilers: it doesn’t. This book is actually a highly-publicized decoy, written under a pseudonym and created at the behest of the Thieves’ Guild. While purporting to be an actual account of the secret details of the Guild, the narrative reads like dramatic fiction, and after its publishing, those in the know claimed the book was chock-full of falsified information, much of it seemingly deliberate.
The Defenders of Neopia launched an investigation and determined that the Mysterious Book most likely was written to throw the public off the scent of the Thieves’ Guild’s actual doings. By presenting the Guild in a glamorised light, playing up and glorifying its intrigue and drama with a likeable protagonist-narrator and blurred moral lines, this tale attempts to lure the reader into thinking she is now an expert in the world of organized crime—when in reality she has been fed a pack of romanticised lies that blind her even more to the Guild’s operations.
While the author does his job with obvious skill and artistry, the result often comes off as too polished and convenient, making his claims to nonfiction difficult for the discerning reader to swallow. The suspense-filled plot certainly will keep you at the edge of your seat, but I feel that at least part of why this book was a blockbuster hit the summer it was published was not so much the content, but the controversy. Still, the Mysterious Book has become a modern classic worth picking up if you enjoy adrenaline-pumping crime drama combined with clever prose. Or anything to do with the Thieves’ Guild. (Or are a Kanrik fan, because yes, he is a character in this, although the real Kanrik has declined to make any public statements regarding his fictional portrayal.)
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_myfirstbook.gif]
My First Book – This is the most basic book in Neopia. Ideal for the first time reader.
The publisher’s description isn’t kidding. This book is literally the most unsophisticated communication in Neopia. Even Tyrannian cave drawings have more substance to them. (Although that may be an unfair comparison, as Tyrannian cave art is actually an intricate mode of expression with several layers of personal and cultural subtext.)
My First Book is actually all of one page long. While I am unable to reproduce the contents of said page due to copyright laws (as that would technically be transcribing the entire book), what I can tell you is that it consists of three words that form a sentence explaining to you that you are looking at a page of a book.
So what, you may ask, is the purpose of My First Book? The layout is drab, there are no illustrations, and any toddler would find it uninteresting compared to the wealth of actual children’s books on the market. Although it might make a passable chew toy.
But no, My First Book was actually the attempt of the Space Adoption Agency to help Grundos newly freed from Dr. Sloth’s control to integrate better with Neopia. For a while, each Grundo adopted from the Space Station was provided with a copy of this book in order to better understand the essential nature of reading material on their new home world. Because even for those whose brains weren’t scrambled by Sloth’s mutation process, it’s difficult to go from holograms and electronic data-pads to slivers of mashed-up tree pulp.
(My Grundo, Hyren, wants me to assure our readers that not all off-world-born Grundos are that naïve.)
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_billyblue.gif]
Billy Blue Hat – The adventures of Billy Blue Hat. Its a short story for beginners.
Don’t let the juvenile appearance and description fool you! What poses as a simple children’s book is actually a tale rife with psychoanalytical symbolism and socioeconomic metaphors. Why has the author picked blue as Billy’s signature colour? Does his hat being the same hue as the sky represent how the author wants her readers to see Billy as a stand-in for businesspets with theoretically unlimited earning potential? Is the rainy day getting Billy’s hat wet suggestive of the ultimate fickleness of fate, and how the ebb and flow of civilization ensures that Billy’s short-term gain will inevitably reach equilibrium with that of the hatless proletariat below him?
… Or maybe it really is just a vapid children’s book and we’re all reading far too much into it. But you never know! Writers are a sneaky bunch.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_myfirstfaerie.gif]
My First Faerie – Everything a young pet needs to know about their first encounter with faeries.
At first glance, this looks like a cute picture book about Faeries. And, well, the illustrations are great, done in a lively and colourful style that will easily engage young readers. But My First Faerie is not mere fluff—it is really an accurately informative – and cautionary – introduction to Neopia’s fair folk.
Though presented in a nonthreatening, gentle manner suitable for children, this book contains simple explanations of the different types of Faeries, what they often seek from Neopets, and elementary wards effective against each element. Although not all of the fay population condone the publication of texts explaining how to dispel them, this book has the approval of Fyora herself, who believes that every Neopian has the right to know how to defend themselves against a Faerie gone bad.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_scienceisfun.gif]
Science is Fun! – Learn how science is fun!
Just because a book is a multi-edition best-seller doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good book—just a popular one. Case in point: Science is Fun!.
Written by a Virtupets physicist in an attempt to make science more accessible to the laypet, Science is Fun! misses the mark and instead is a stilted, somewhat disjointed “pop science” attempt that tries to appeal to the lowest common denominator. In comparing atomic physics to Tyrannian concerts and tying the life cycle of the Moach to the Usuki fandom, the author seems to lose sight of the intrinsic value of scientific knowledge.
I mean, maybe some of us keep tabs on the latest Kreludan selenology research missions because we think Kreludor’s internal structure is cool, not because we want to determine the most efficient options for future resource aggregation.
The author’s instant-gratification, what’s-in-it-for-me approach to science may have a base appeal, but my family found it off-putting and distasteful. In our opinion, the public should be encouraged to get excited about the universe for its own sake, and trying to reach them through ulterior motives is like a Warf barking up the wrong tree.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_grarrlbook.gif]
Grarrls Are Great – Great reading for Grarrls and friends of Grarrls.
Well, the publisher’s description just says it all, doesn’t it?
Those publishers can be awfully vague. This book is actually a serious apologetic treatise defending the Grarrl species as every bit as cognizant and competent as your average Shoyru or Lupe. In a world where Grarrls have an unfortunate social stigma, this book was sorely needed.
But is it any good? Despite the somewhat misleading marketing, the text itself is solid, well-researched, and persuasive. The author makes use of a number of scientific studies, both by herself and others in the fields of Neopet sociology, psychology, and biology, and backs these up with a lifetime of personal anecdotes, many of which are quite touching. Whatever your opinion on Grarrls, this book will forever alter your perceptions of them, and quite possibly get you to be kinder and more understanding to the Grarrls in your life.
Grarrls Are Great has become a seminal work, and in many Neoschools is part of the required reading curriculum in the middle grades. Goodness knows those cliquish preteens need it.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_goodbyemel.gif]
Goodbye Mel – Say farewell to Mel in this hardback book dedicated to the life and times of your least favourite pet.
The story of this book’s publication is just as interesting as the amusing biography contained therein. Goodbye Mel was originally written as a joke, by an owner so fed up with his high-maintenance Kyrii that he vented enough frustrations to make an entire manuscript. After abandoning the eponymous character, the manuscript lay in the owner’s storage for several years, until during a move, he and some friends found it and read over it again.
The excruciating details of life with a very fussy Kyrii, written in a tone dripping with sarcasm and understated wit, got the author’s friends rolling with laughter, and they convinced him to polish it up and submit it to a publisher. To the author’s surprise, not only was it accepted, but it swiftly climbed to the top of the best-seller list. Nearly overnight, he became a celebrity.
Unbeknownst to him, many readers wanted an epilogue. What happened to Mel? According to the final chapter, the yellow Kyrii had been dumped in the Pound, but he did not turn up in a survey of its then-current residents. With the considerable span of time between his abandonment and the book’s publishing, the task seemed impossible, but still the hunt for Mel began.
Two months later, they found him, living in a family with three other pets on Terror Mountain. Mel had been adopted by a less-fortunate Neopian, and the experience of going from being a pampered only pet to the latest addition in a crowded household had humbled him.
Not enough, however, that his ire was not piqued when he learned about the unauthorized publication of his life history.
Infuriated, Mel journeyed to Neopia Central and sought out his old owner, giving the human a good talking-to and threatening legal action. In hashing out their problems, the two realised they’d missed each other deeply, and Mel’s old owner re-adopted him. The last I heard, the two were living happily on Mystery Island, enjoying the ever-accumulating royalties from their ironic twist of fate.
It is this story that makes Goodbye Mel such an interesting read. If you can get past the often acerbic tone, and the fact that the plot (at least in the book) does not end nicely, it’s a rather humourous book—and it might make you appreciate your own Neopets a little more. Unless they’re as irritating as Mel, in which case find ways to profit off of them.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_skeithbook.gif]
Sinister Skeith – Their motives, world domination plans and darkest secrets revealed.
Unfortunately, not all species-specific publications contain a positive outlook. Unlike Grarrls Are Great, Sinister Skeith is a bitter polemic dedicated to painting Skeiths in the worst light possible. For this reason it has been the subject of much controversy, causing an outcry among Skeiths and their owners when published that led to its being outright banned in many libraries across Neopia.
Upon the rediscovery of Meridell and consequent bringing of that area into Neopia’s present, Kings Skarl and Hagan raised quite the ruckus about Sinister Skeith, to the point where Hagan threatened to boycott the publisher and Skarl nearly marched troops on Neopia Central. Ultimately the issue was never fully resolved, with Hagan unable to maintain the boycott and Skarl being talked down by his diplomats. To this day, it is wise to not mention the book in either of their royal presences, or have a copy of it on your person if you happen to be in their company.
(Incidentally, Malkus Vile has also voiced opposition to the book, calling it an affront to all Skeithdom, despite the Skeith crime lord actually perfectly fitting the description of the species contained within. While this is obviously a public-relations move, it leads this scrivener to wonder if the author of Sinister Skeith had Vile specifically in mind when she penned her argument.)
Publishing hullabaloo aside, Sinister Skeith is not a particularly remarkable book for its literary quality. The author is fueled more by a chip on her shoulder than any particular amount of technical finesse, and while she is quite adept at conveying her emotions on the page, emotion does not a strong rational case make.
I would only recommend this book to the stout of heart who are amused or intrigued by baseless conspiracy theories and the psychology behind species discrimination. For the rest of us, it’s just the same kind of ranting you might find on the Neoboards, put into print to give it the illusion of legitimacy.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_loyallupes.gif]
Loyal Lupes – How to tame Lupes so they respect you and do as you command.
Oh, this is a joke.
As any seasoned Lupe owner can tell you, you can’t tame a Lupe, and often it’s a stretch just to get them to acknowledge your authority. Lupes are a proud and willful species, and it takes a deep bond of trust with a strong and mature owner to get them to see you as anything but a hapless puppy at best—or a threat to their autonomy at worst. (It’s even worse with Werelupes—trust me on this one.)
While well-intentioned, this work is woefully misinformed, containing outdated research, impractical tips, and an overall underdeveloped attitude toward Neopet ownership. It is the product of a defunct school of thought in Neopet psychology, as any Lupe would be happy to tell you. Unfortunately, Loyal Lupes’s accessible prose and attractive formatting made it a hot buy for new Lupe owners back in the day, and is probably the sole reason why it has never gone out of print.
Best viewed as a quaint look at the behavioral science of yesteryear, I would advise against bringing this volume home if you have a Lupe, regardless of intent. She will undoubtedly get the wrong message, and summarily teach you to never make that mistake again.
[http://images.neopets.com/items/book_jmpin2future.gif]
Jump Into the Future – A First time author and long time comedian leads you through his hilarious take on life in the year 20.
Although this book is already showing its age (it’s Y17, where are my Faerie-tech bionics?), the text is pure gold, truly one of the classics of literary humour. Combining his expertise in comedy with his interests in history, science, and engineering, our Techo author takes the reader on a tongue-in-cheek romp through Y20, complete with gentle but effective social satire targeted at the Neopia of his day. The result will have you laughing at every page.
Although unintentional, it is also fascinating to compare and contrast the author’s Y20 with our present day. Many of his serious suggestions, such as using Maraqua’s bubble-shield technology to colonise near-Neopia asteroids, have yet to take place, while he never even saw coming things like the discovery of Meridell and Moltara. It just goes to show that we can never know all the variables, and the future is a tricky business.
The author currently lives in Kiko Lake, where he runs a comedy club and continues to publish humour. Although Jump Into the Future was his first work, he reportedly is still fond of it, and insists that if there is not another Tyrannian land war by Y20, he will just have to make it happen himself.
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This has been but a small sampling of the sea of literature in Neopia. Hopefully it has been an informative and entertaining journey, one that will allow you to exercise more discretion next time you become bewildered in a bookstore.
Never stop reading!
