Book Review (Canon): The Recruit

The Recruit (CHERUB Series, #1)

Written by Robert Muchamore in 2004

The Raccoon: Recently orphaned twelve-year-old James Choke expects nothing more than disaster for the rest of his troubled childhood.  Suddenly, all of that changes when he is recruited by a secretive branch of British Intelligence that trains children as spies.

UNMASKED: Muchamore’s CHERUB series contains twelve main books, an accompanying novella, and a sequel series.  The author has spent at least ten years writing about the adventures of James and his friends as they travel the world and repeatedly save the day.  While I trust that books 2-12 have their merits, Muchamore seems so enthusiastic about developing the series that the first novel failed to provide any noteworthy events or satisfy me.

The Recruit paints itself as realistic fiction; the protagonists neither wield enviable gadgets nor become wrapped up in a plot for world domination/destruction.  This style undoubtedly allows the book to stand above other spy novels, as it provides a glimpse into the subtler domestic concerns that real intelligence agencies solve.  Furthermore, the characters are much more concerned with gathering information than engaging in deadly fights.  Although I would have enjoyed more action, the puzzles of diplomacy and intrigue provided a welcome, and even exciting, change.

The Recruit is a character-driven story.  Consequently, the well-rounded foundation and backdrop of the novel are overshadowed by the unrealistic motivations and behaviors of its cast, which ultimately wrecks the book’s potential.  The titular CHERUB agency was founded to enlist elite children in situations where further adult interference would rouse too much suspicion.  Disappointingly (to the reader, not the protagonists), the extensive training that James must complete before officially joining CHERUB provides absolutely none of the skills he must utilize on his first mission.  Lastly, the agency’s recruitment system seems to be based more on pity than potential.

Strengths:

• The villain’s goal is complex and justified to the extent that James questions whether he is making the right decision by attempting to sabotage it.

Weaknesses:

• None of the characters are relatable, and very few are entirely likable.
• While CHERUB agents’ daily routines seems invaluable in preparing the children for any situation, the “basic training” all members must pass seems to be nothing more than a glorified boot camp.
• None of the characters know what the acronym CHERUB stands for (this is not revealed in any later book either).

Rating: 13/20 hippies

Ideal Setting: Read this if you ever feel that you are too young to accomplish a goal.  Only, do not read it so closely that you realize that some children have reached greater heights than you ever will.

Book Review (Rucksack): Moby-Dick

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Written by Herman Melville in 1851

The Raccoon: Melville’s Great American Novel recounts a sailor’s journey aboard a whaleship under the command of the monomaniac Captain Ahab.  Ahab’s crew finds themselves trapped within their commander’s determination to hunt down the whale that severed his leg, at any cost.

UNMASKED: I have yet to meet a single other person who has read Moby-Dick from cover to cover.  While I take pride in finishing the daunting, arduous task of reading this novel, I only wish I had taken a moment to realize why nobody else has bothered with the struggle.  Melville truly made a mountain out of a molehill.

At the heart of Moby-Dick lies an impactful story about the dangers of untempered passion and not processing one’s emotions.  However, similar to how a single ship becomes insignificant when placed into an ocean, the plot is buried under fathoms of opinionated history lessons and undesired anatomy lectures.

While I would applaud Melville for using strenuous passages which study the minutiae of whales and the process/tools/reflection of hunting them to create the illusion that the reader is present on the many-month whaling voyage, the author instead seems to drag the reader through every whaling voyage that has ever taken place over the course of centuries.  I may now possess a uniquely specific knowledge of the composition of a whale’s skin and the chronology of a spare lance (although such chapters are so influenced by the narrator’s personal, only partially educated views ((Ishmael himself asserts that he is no expert, yet immediately after expects the reader to trust his entire taxonomy of marine mammals)) that I am left wondering about the degree of their scientific accuracy), but such comprehension adds very little to the story and absolutely nothing to the remainder of my life.

Moby-Dick the novel parallels Moby Dick the aggressive whale, in that one must wrestle with it for months in hopes of mastering it.  I am exhausted; although I do not regret reading the Great American Novel, I only wish my suffering yielded a greater payoff.

Strengths:

• Three beautiful, profound passages almost make the entire novel worth reading.
• Melville brilliantly captured both Ahab’s obsessive nature and his officers’ conflicting fear and respect for him.

Weaknesses:

• Each chapter of narrative is separated by at least one tangential chapter elaborating on a (typically minor) detail of the previous section.
• The ending is brutally unsatisfying.

Still Trying to Decide:

• One chapter unexpectedly disregards prose style and is literally written as a musical.  Another chapter is entirely dedicated to analyzing the morality and psychology of the color white.

Rating: 10/20 cannibals

Ideal Setting: Read this whenever you are worried that you are acting selfishly.  At least you are not leading several dozen men away from economic prosperity to their death at the hands of a dangerous beast that you may not even find.

Book Review (Canon): Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy

Written by L.A. Meyer in 2002

The Raccoon: Determined to move beyond her life of urban poverty in the early 1800s, an orphan girl disguises her gender and joins the British navy.

UNMASKED: Meyer likely wrote Bloody Jack for children, featuring young protagonists and humorous situations to drive the action forward.  Nevertheless, the novel is stuffed to the brim with brilliant content and a heroine that no reader should be deprived of meeting, making it a worthwhile read for all ages.

The very first sentence sets up three characters and their attitudes, and the following paragraph fills in the narrator’s entire present situation, all without a hitch.  Meyer maintains this pace and fluid storytelling throughout the entire novel; every single sentence either adds to the reader’s understanding or gives him/her something new to think about.  Moreover, the book is incredibly witty, and most of the humor arises from scenes rather than from dialogue, so that the smirk that one line brings to the reader’s face stays for the rest of the page (and often the next page as well).

Meyer’s greatest achievement in Bloody Jack is “Bloody Jack” herself, the protagonist and narrator.  The novel is heavily character-driven, and Jacky’s own daring nature steers her into events, rather than the author forcing them on her.  Her balance of sarcasm and curiosity ensure that the minutiae of ship life and navigation are understood but not overbearing.  Entertainingly, the reader actually witnesses the book’s language become more refined whenever Jacky mentions her studies or the passing months.

Bloody Jack is the first novel in a twelve-book series, and I already know that I will stay for the entire voyage.  I encourage you to join.

Strengths:

• Several scenes are unforgettable due to their humor and creativity.
• Meyer accurately and openly addresses the issues of gender stereotypes that naturally arise from the book’s plot.
• Bloody Jack does not attempt to glorify piracy and violence, and Meyer effectively shows the characters wrestling with notions of bravery, morality, and reason.
• Meyer avoids the trope of writing characters who are outrageously modern for their time and/or who invent earlier versions of modern machines without any relevant education.  Jacky possesses enviable yet realistic imagination and resourcefulness.

Weaknesses:

• The love interest never seems to have done or said anything worthy of Jacky’s attention.

Rating: 19/20 dissections

Ideal Setting: Read this whenever you need a push to go beyond your comfort zone.