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Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
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Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians

by Brandon Sanderson

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Fun, fast written story. Don't like the way Alcatraz is talking to the reader though. Little bit smug and too happy with himself. Very original world. ( )
Maaike15274 | Jun 17, 2009 |  
When Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand for this thirteenth birthday, he finds himself thrust into a word of evil Librarians and noble Oculators.

This was a lot of fun. The story moves quickly, dragging the reader along as Alcatraz meets his grandfather, learns what his bag of sand is good for, and launches an epic rescue mission straight into the heart of the Librarian stronghold. The whole thing is bizarre enough to keep any young reader entertained/confused/exasperated/wanting more. It's certainly not a nice book, (as Alcatraz frequently reminds us), but it should appeal to fans of Lemony Snicket, Jonathan Stroud and others who've crafted entertaining stories about horrible occurrences and less than admirable characters.

There's a fair amount of postmodernism here, too. Alcatraz frequently comments on storytelling as he relates his own strange tale. As a result, I think this would be most suitable for young readers who've already got a fairly good grasp of how books work and are familiar with some literary conventions. Newer readers probably wouldn't get as much out of this simply because they won't know what it's parodying. They may, however, find the humour enough to carry them through.

Definitely recommended. And read some of Brandon's adult stuff while you're at it! ( )
xicanti | Jun 12, 2009 |  
“What you haven’t realized is that all libraries are far more dangerous than you’ve always assumed.”

When orphan Alcatraz Smedry receives a bag of sand as his inheritance from his long departed parents for his thirteenth birthday, he is confused (and disappointed) to no end. That confusion only deepens the next day when his Grandfather Smedry arrives proclaiming, “Lad, with those sands, the Librarians could destroy kingdoms, overthrow cultures, dominate the world!” The Librarians have stolen the sands and it is up to the Smedrys, as Oculators of the Free, to get the sands back.

From the moment of the sand’s arrival into his life, a whole new reality opens up to Alcatraz. It’s the Free Kingdomers with their champions the Smedry’s against the Hushlanders and the evil Librarians in a war that’s fought not about guns or swords but about information. The Librarians rule the Hushlands by controlling information (for example, only the Librarians know of the three extra continents, and now you do too, so shhhh…).

The Librarians were founded by a man named Biblioden who felt that the strangeness of the world required that it be “ordered, organized, and controlled”. The headquarters of the Librarians’ control is the Library, and, thus, Alcatraz’s Grandpa decides a full library infiltration is needed in order to recover the sands.

So the Smedry’s set out for the Library to face down the evil Librarians. Alcatraz is a bit skeptical about the likelihood of their quest’s success: “Let me get this straight. Our strike team consists of a loony old man, an anthropologist, a grad student, and two kids.”

Nevertheless, the four Smedry’s do not enter the enemies lair (the Library) unarmed. They possess unusual talents–Grandpa Smedry (arrives late to his own death), Sing Sing (can trip and fall to the ground), Quentin (can say things that make absolutely no sense whatsoever), and Alcatraz (skilled at breaking things). Plus, they have their knight protector, Bastille–she’s a Crystin who has pledged her life and her services to keeping the Smedry’s alive.

As Alcatraz’s first adventure draws to a close, Sanderson drops many hints pertaining to Alcatraz’s next adventures. The Smedry’s won this battle, but Grandpa Smedry says, “…there is a great deal to be done. The Free Kingdoms are losing the battle against the Librarians.”

In the book, Alcatraz gives readers a warning against books that others describe as important, meaningful, and thoughtful–these books often involve dogs and/or mothers dying. His book, by contrast, includes adventure with fights against Librarians, paper monsters, and one-eyed Dark Oculators while at the same time alerting readers of “the cult of evil Librarians who secretly rule the world.”

While no one would dare to ascribe to Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians such words as important, meaningful, and thoughtful, it is nonetheless a fun yarn that will appeal to conspiracy theorists, readers of alternative worlds fantasy fiction, and overall fast-paced adventure stories. If you enjoy imagining along with the sometimes outlandish, at all times entertaining imaginations of authors such as M.T. Anderson (Whales on Stilts and The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen), Jasper Fforde (Thursday Next, Nursery Crime), and Terry Pratchett (Discworld), then you might want to give Anderson’s depiction of reality a try. You’ll be sure to find a copy of the book at your local library…

Quotes of Note:

“Remember, despite the fact that this book is being sold as a ‘fantasy’ novel, you must take all of the things it says extremely seriously, as they are quite important, are in no way silly, and always makes sense. Rutabaga.”

“Information. The Librarians control the information in this city–in this whole country. They control what gets read, what gets seen, and what gets learned. Because of that, they have power. Well, we’re going to break that power, you and I.” ( )
lbaas2 | Jun 7, 2009 | 1 vote
Alcatraz always manages to break things, usually things that his foster parents love which usually gets him returned to the agency. Now, for his birthday, he has received a box of sand supposedly from his parents. It is his inheritance. He is aggravated by this insult and sets fire to the foster family's kitchen. When the sand is stolen, a man appears claiming to be his grandfather and wanting to help him reclaim his inheritance. This man has strange powers and claims that Alcatraz's power to break things is a great gift which Alcatraz must learn to control. They are off on a wild adventure fighting the evil librarians who have been deceiving the world for many years and promoting all kinds of wrong information. This book takes reality and turns it upside down but it is fun.
prkcs | May 12, 2009 | 1 vote
Orginal, fast-paced, funny...great read for reluctant boys.....use of guns makes this for older elementary/middle school. ( )
KC9333 | May 8, 2009 |  
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Series (with order)
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Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
For my father, Winn Sanderson, who bought me books
First words
I am not a good person. (Foreword)
So, there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians. (Chapter 1)
Quotations
Some people assume that authors write books because we have vivid imaginations and want to share our vision. Other people assume that authors write because we are bursting with stories, and therefore must scribble those stories down in moments of creative propondidty.
Both groups are completely wrong. Authors write books for one, and only one, reason: because we like to torture people.
...
Take for instance, the word I used above. Propondidty. There is no such word — I made it up. Why? Because it amused me to think of thousands of readers looking up a nonsense word in their dictionaries.
You could even scan to the end and read the last page. Know that by doing so, however, you would violate every holy and honorable storytelling principle known to man, thereby throwing the universe into chaos and causing grief to untold millions.
Your choice.
By now, it is probably very late at night, and you have stayed up to read this book when you should have gone to sleep. If this is the case, then I commend you for falling into my trap. It is a writer's greatest pleasure to hear that someone was kept up until the unholy hours of the morning reading one of his books. It goes back to authors being terrible people who delight in the suffering of others. Plus, we get a kick back from the caffeine industry.
Last words
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Blurbers
Book description

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0439925509, Hardcover)

A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.

Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:11 -0400)

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