The Sword and Laser discussion

Just finished the book, looked around, and didn't see a general discussion thread. Thought I'd start one here.

So, Elatsoe. The feel is a mix of girl detective and comics. She's insanely overpowered to just be walking around, and far too precious a resource to be put into danger casually. Just sitting around thinking she can come up with insights to our planet's past that would astound a paleontologist.

I find it to be two parts Nancy Drew, two parts Illyana Rasputin (Magik) of the 80s X-Men/New Mutants, and one part Rahne Sinclair for connection to Earth (and canines.) Fun read, serious themes treated on a surface level, the more violent parts kept PG13.

Now getting into spoiler territory...
(view spoiler)[I found it funny that every person in the book is as they appear. Person identified as murderer? Yes, that is the murderer. He may as well be twirling a mustache in the later book. Raising human ghosts only brings back their anger? Yep, let's tell you why. Evil vampires are evil vampires are evil vampires, no subtlety. Ghost pets are just as cool as they were when alive, no Pet Sematary aspect to them.

Meanwhile, everyone is completely casual that there's an earthshaking conspiracy in Wellville, er, I mean Willowbee. (Next stop, Willowbee.) No authorities to help, the FBI wouldn't care, there's no association of magicians to take them down. And they would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling kids! And ghost Shaggie. Dad casually walks away to his job while the life of his daughter and many others are in danger. Friends pop in when needed but don't stay, because plot.

I found the other-thread discussions of Elatsoe as asexual to be interesting. She says as much more than once, but even at the end she tells Jay that she loves him. It's not a romantic love, but still the emotion is there.

Given the many ghost dogs of her family's acquaintance, and the TNT style effect of one ghostly bark, I kinda wondered what would happen if the whole pack went off at once. I expected a nuclear bomb style full-pack bark, with maybe Elatsoe hiding in the Afterlife as it occurred. Oh, the ending was fine, I just wonder if we'll get something like that in the inevitable sequel.

Nice coda too, if a little too fast. Six-Great Grandma is just fine, and sent back Kirby with one of her dog toys! (hide spoiler)]

Lol well said. I wish Goodreads had a "Like" button for the discussions like they do in the feed as I don't have anything else to add. 👍

Now, can you compress that review down to 280 characters or less?

Personally I could have done without the (view spoiler)[vampires (hide spoiler)]. That seemed a bit standard whereas most of the book had some very original ideas.

AndrewP wrote: "Personally I could have done without the [spoilers removed]. That seemed a bit standard whereas most of the book had some very original ideas."

I think that’s the point. Willowbee represents colonization and subjugation, bringing their Old World ideas of manifest destiny with them. So of course they bring their old monsters along.

Trike wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "Personally I could have done without the [spoilers removed]. That seemed a bit standard whereas most of the book had some very original ideas."

I think that’s the point. Willowbee ..."

That is how I read it. European myths overrunning the original stories, for example the scare crows...

John (Taloni) wrote: "Just finished the book, looked around, and didn't see a general discussion thread. Thought I'd start one here.

So, Elatsoe. The feel is a mix of girl detective and comics. She's insanely overpower..."

Six-Great Grandma? That makes SO much more sense than Six-Grade Grandma which is how I heard the audiobook. HA.

Iain wrote: "That is how I read it. European myths overrunning the original stories, for example the scare crows..."

I found that bit interesting. As if there were a certain potential for magic that would be expressed one way or the other. I found it a bit like American Gods, that the people brought their supernatural entities with them.

American Gods YA. Still loving the TV show, btw!

The Six-Great did sound weird in the audiobook. It took me a while to figure it out.

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "JSix-Great Grandma? That makes SO much more sense than Six-Grade Grandma which is how I heard the audiobook. HA"

So glad it wasn't just me!

It took me a while to work out that Six-Great wasn't her name.

It was a bit weird also when Vivian (Ellie's mum) called her Five-Great. Which she would be to her.

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Six-Great Grandma? That makes SO much more sense than Six-Grade Grandma which is how I heard the audiobook. HA"

Yes! And wasn't there something that happened to her in sixth grade or am I misremembering? I know some event happened at school when she was younger. That made it more confusing.

^ That was when she was goaded to summon Kirby in class. He barked, but because he was nervous (or something, memory is a bit dim) he accessed supernatural powers and essentially blasted everyone in the room. Maybe the whole school? Anyway, the class was dismissed for the day on account of Kirby's bark.

John (Taloni) wrote: "^ That was when she was goaded to summon Kirby in class. He barked, but because he was nervous (or something, memory is a bit dim) he accessed supernatural powers and essentially blasted everyone i..."

Misti wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Six-Great Grandma? That makes SO much more sense than Six-Grade Grandma which is how I heard the audiobook. HA"

Yes! And wasn't there something that happened to her in..."

Right so like, in my head, she refers to her as "Six Grade Grandma" because that was when she died or appeared to her or when her grandmother herself came into her abilities... in sixth grade!

Buzz wrote: "Lol well said. I wish Goodreads had a "Like" button for the discussions like they do in the feed as I don't have anything else to add. 👍

Now, can you compress that review down to 280 characters or..."

Hey, twitter reviews are hard!

No matter how many times I read it, my brain refused to read six great and told me it said great six instead. I was about a third of the way through the book before I even noticed what was happening and had to flip back to see that it had always been written as six great.

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "No matter how many times I read it, my brain refused to read six great and told me it said great six instead. I was about a third of the way through the book before I even noticed what was happenin..."

Mandela Effect! Glitch in the matrix! Berenstein!