Red and gold scales...

Eldest by Christopher Paolini, second in the Inheritance series

Eragon is now a cripple. During the epic battle at the end of the first book Eragon fought against Durza, the shade, and won turning the tide of battle but only with the help of Ayra and Sapphire. The victory came at a cost, the star Sapphire is broken and Eragon has an enormous scar across his back that sends him into seizures when he does anything physical rendering him effectively useless as a rider.

Directly at the start of the book, the twins , the leader of the Varden and Murtarg are killed by a group of Kull and Eragon is in time to hear the last words of the Varden's leader, compelling him to make sure the Varden is not thrown into turmoil. These deaths as well as the thousands from the battlefield throw Eragon into emotional and political turmoil.

Eragon now has many problems, his love for Ayra is causing problems, his back is rendering him ineffective, he must delve in politics, he is emotionally fraught and his magic is weak. Eragon is not the only one with problems and in this text a parallel story emerges telling the story of Roran and what happens when the Ra'zac come to Carvahall and threaten Katrina, Roran's beloved.

Both Eragon and Roran set out on a journey, Eragon to the elves and Roran to the Varden, both get more than they bargained for.

A worthy second installment of the inheritance series perhaps not as imaginative as the first but a good read nevertheless with a good assortment of new information to digest. Go forth and read!

Eragon and his Dragon.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini, part one of the Inheritance series.

Eragon, the hero of the story, is an orphan who was placed in the hands of his uncle Garrow when he was a baby. He has grown up with his cousin Roran and learned to farm, hunt and work under the tutelage of his uncle.

While out hunting for deer in the treacherous range of mountains called The Spine, he is witness to an explosion of fire and noise. When he investigates the source, he finds a polished blue stone.

Coming home in a failed attempt to sell the thing, he places it on the shelf and sleeps. The blue "stone" hatches. It is in fact an egg, a dragon egg to be precise. Over the next few months he both feeds and hides his growing dragon, until the day the Ra'zac (evil servants of a mad tyrant) destroy Eragon's uncle's farm and his uncle.

With the help of the village storyteller Brom, he sets out with his dragon Sapphire to exact a heavy revenge upon the Ra'zac, growing and learning on the way all the skills he will need and the rich history that it is a part of.

A good and lively tale full of twists, turns and realistic settings. characters, A little cliched but never the less a a good story.

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams is the single greatest book of all time in its category.

This statement, grand though it may seem, is not an overstatement (at least in my opinion).

This book tells the tale of an inconspicuous and seemingly insignificant British man named Arthur Dent, who wakes up one morning to find a yellow bulldozer advancing down his garden path with the intention of demolishing his much ignored brick house. This slight misunderstanding starts the morning in which,

1). He meets a direct male-line decendent of Genghis Khan,

2). His house is destroyed to make way for a bypass,

3). He finds out his best friend Ford Prefect is from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse,

4). The earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

He wakes up upon a Vogon spaceship having being saved by his friend Ford and begins walking running and randomizing his way around the universe, unwillingly on a quest to discover the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything and meets some interesting characters on the way.

A sci-fi, a comedy, a damm good book.

Death in the skies, haunted by lies

Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, sequel to Airborn

Matt Cruse is no longer a cabin boy on the Aurora, thanks to a generous reward for information leading to the capture of the sky pirate, Szpirglas, he is now studying at the airship academy in Paris, something he has always longed to do.

During a training flight a sudden updraft sweeps the ship he is on far above what they can handle and at the peak of the flight, before he dramatically saves all their lives he sees a ghastly sight.

It has rips in it's fabric skin and icicles hanging from it's ballast tanks, it is an infamous floating treasureship/graveyard called the Hyperion that has been above the clouds since before Matt was born. And Matt is the only one with the coordinates.

Because of Matt's still impoverished state he is greatly tempted by the masses of gold (among other things) rumoured to be hoarded upon the Hyperion. Together with Kate de Vries, a gypsy girl with a key, and a young manly entrepreneur with a ship called a "skybreaker" they set off to skyberia in search of frozen treasure.

However gold attracts more than penniless heroes and they are followed by pirates yet again, these pirates are better equipped, more ruthless and a lot more nasty.

Altogether this is a good read, not quite as clever as the first but certainly a good story with an entertaining plot.

Born in the air, flight without care.

Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel

Matt Cruse wasn't born on earth.

He was born high in the sky in a dirigible, one of the fantastic fleet of ships with skeletons of alumiron, held aloft by bags of goldbeaters skin filled with the lightest gas on the planet: hydrium .

He, like his father before him works on these magnificent machines. Unfortunately for him he is a lowly cabin boy and most of his pay gets sent to his mother and sisters, his father died 3 years ago and is therefore unable to support them.

Through a supposed ballooning incident he meets Kate de Vries, a bright and knowledge hungry female (not to mention beautiful as Matt soon realises) in search of her grandfather's dreams. Her search pits both of them against storms, pirates and flying things with pointy teeth.

This book gives any reader a good rolling adventure story that unlike many does not push but slides along and I would recommend this to anybody.

What is inside a dog is good for Readers

"outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is to dark to read"

For anyone who can identify with the feeling shown in the above joke will enjoy this site http://www.insideadog.com/.

It is primarily a user generated book review site but there are many other things you may do, read the news any reader would like to know, write and submit surveys, get sneak peaks at up coming novels, check out the extensive themed book lists and even win a book when you submit a review or answer a survey.
the layout is good with a tasteful border and a rather funny logo and slogan

This is a good solid website that is good at what it does I would certainly recommend it if you are looking for a book reviewing site, if you are looking for games, hard facts or the local greengrocer it doesn't want to know you.

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend, inside a dog it is to dark to read"-Groucho Marx

The Name Of The Wind: Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the wind, the kingkiller chronicle's day one written by Patrick Rothfuss.

The story starts by describing a man named Kote, an "innkeeper" who seems to be more. When he is found by a wandering Historian named The Chronicler he is recognised as "Kvothe the Bloodless" an imagination defying historical figure who has slipped into obscurity for unknown reasons. The Chronicler manages to persuade him to tell his story and so he starts, the story goes from the caravans of the Edema Ruh, to the streets of Tarbean and finally to the University, a place of magic and bitter rivalry. For the length of the book and for some time after the anticipation is tangibly real as Kvothe goes from one drama to another. It finishes back in the inn where it started leaving you wanting more, but sadly the next two are not yet in existence and so we shall have to wait.

The Name of the wind is, in my humble opinion, a great book full of Mystery, Magic and Myths. It is set in a beautifully crafted world, the characters are almost real to the mind and the penmanship is second to none. This book is a great read though the text is small and the book long. It is certainly recommended by me.

New Zealand Post Book Awards

This month sees the announcement of the NZ Post Book Awards. This annual event celebrates New Zealand books written for Young People. The Teenage Shortlist includes

• Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale
• Chronicles of Stone # 1: Scroched Bone by Vincent Ford
• The Tomorow Code by Brian Falkner
• 10 pm Question by Kate De Goldi
• Gool by Maurice Gee



Here @ Hillcrest High we hold copies of the Teenage Shortlist.To celebrate the NZ Post Awards Hamilton City Libraries are holding a Short Story Competition

Entry Form.




The theme : Describe a Utopian Society. Only 700 words all short stories have to be in at your local HC Libraries by 5pm Wednesday 13th May 2009.

For ideas try reading the following titles:

• Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess


• The giver by Lois Lowry


• Shade's children by Garth Nix


• Theives by Ella West


• Noughts and crosses by Malorie Blackmore


• Cherry Heaven by L. J. Adlington


• Brave new world by Aldous Huxley


• 1984 by George Orwell


• or watching V for Vendetta on DVD



All of the above are availble from our school library

If you'd like to investigate Utopian fiction further take a look at Appleton Library's booklist

there are a number of interesting titles to discover.

Happy reading and writing...

Mrs H.








Or watching V for Vendetta