Alcatraz Versus The Knights Of Crystallia

The third book in this series sees Alcatraz Smedry finally arrive in the Free Kingdoms where he learns he's quite a celebrity (lots of not so subtle jabs at Harry Potter here) and that there are currently evil librarians meeting with the kings and queens of the Free Kingdoms on a treaty. Alcatraz's frenemy and protector Bastille is stripped of her knighthood due to Alcatraz breaking her sword in the previous book. Alcatraz and a whacky crew - including a daft prince and a "recovering librarian" - work to uncovers suspicious goings on while the librarians are in town. Central to the plot is the Royal Archives (Not a Library), a running gag that makes me laugh as an archivist who has attended professional conferences, but maybe won't be show more as funny to other readers. As usual, this addition to the Alcatraz series is clever, witty, funny, and still a rather ripping adventure.

Favorite Passages:

"The love books. However, to them, books are a little like teenage boys. Whenever they start congregating they make trouble." show less

In the third book in the Alcatraz series, Alcatraz finally gets to visit his home country of Nalhalla. Of course, life is tumultuous from the start with the Evil Librarians trying to forge a peace treaty with the Free Kingdoms, Alcatraz trying to figure out what his relationship should be with his newly-found father, and Bastille having to face trial with the Knights of Crystallia for the loss of her sword (way back in the first book).

As in all the Alcatraz books, humour abounds throughout this novel. Sanderson continues to write characters full of quirks, snark, and increasingly bizarre Talents. He also develops the relationship between the characters and Alcatraz and Bastille continue to bond. Of course the over-arching mystery of show more just what Alcatraz's mother and the Evil Librarians are plotting continues to deepen and while a few clues are dropped in this book, the big bad plan continues to remain a mystery. Of course, Sanderson continues to include many meta moments in the book which are thoroughly entertaining. And as always, there are wonderful quips about librarians. My favourite in this novel was the following:

Now, you may have gotten the impression that there are absolutely no uses for Librarians. I'm sorry if I implied that. Librarians are very useful. For instance, they are useful if you are fishing for sharks and need some bait. They're also useful for throwing out windows to test the effects of concrete impact on horn-rimmed glasses. If you have enough Librarians, you can build bridges out of them. (Just like witches.)

An amusing continuation of the series. show less

Publishers' blurb:
"In this third Alcatraz adventure, Alcatraz Smedry has made it to the Free Kingdoms at last. Unfortunately, so have the evil Librarians--including his mother! Now Alcatraz has to find a traitor among the Knights of Crystallia, make up with his estranged father, and save one of the last bastions of the Free Kingdoms from the Evil Librarians."
My comment:
Just as good as the first two. Watch out for lots of red herrings and twists and turns. Loved it. Highly recommended.

Winter 2020 (January);
Sanderson Syspean Challenge

(I'm playing catchup on around 20-30 books since January started, so this morning's books will likely be a bit of an overview looking back on series from two months ago.)

The Alcatraz series was an adorable romp to get into in December and finish through the beginning of January (which sets me up as ready to read the the 6th book in the series being published this year!!). I do find Alcatraz himself a little much at times, but I love the surrounding cast, and figuring out the Shemdry talents before they are explained. I love Bastille with the power of a million suns. I absolutely felt heart-shot at the spoiler of book five. As well, I always look forward to the 1-2 tongue-in-cheek, wholly show more correct references to/commentary on Harry Potter hidden in each of these books. show less

Summary: After growing up in the Librarian-controlled Hushlands, Alcatraz Smedry is finally returning to the Free Kingdoms. After all of the danger he has faced, one might think he'd be ready for anything, but he's never had to deal with people treating him like celebrity, thanks both to his Smedry heritage and his time in the Hushlands. He also, for the first time, has to deal with his parents: his newly-rescued father is strange and distant, and his mother, a Librarian, is skulking around the city, and Alcatraz is sure she's up to no good. To top things off, his friend Bastille has been stripped of her armor and her powers, and the Librarians have sent an envoy to the king, ostensibly negotiating a peace treaty... although Alcatraz show more will have to find out what their real motivations are before it's too late.

Review: I'm sad to say it, but I didn't quite enjoy this installment as much as I'd enjoyed the first two books in the series. It was still extremely clever, very fast-paced, and incredibly imaginative. However, I just didn't connect to Alcatraz as a narrator as much as I had before, although I can't quite point to a reason why. Maybe he was a little bit less snarkily sarcastic than usual, or maybe the shine has worn off the hyper-aware meta-narration he provides. Maybe it's because I haven't recently re-read the first two books (a lapse for which Alcatraz berated me at several points throughout the book), so maybe I was missing some plot or character through-lines that would have made this third book resonate more strongly. Maybe I was just not in exactly the right mood to appreciate it fully.

None of this is meant to say that this is a bad book. It's not, at all. It was absolutely an enjoyable read, with a bunch of giggle-inducing lines and scenes and gags liberally sprinkled throughout. (I particularly loved the tips to thirteen-year-old boys about thirteen-year-old girls.) There are also some interesting developments regarding What's Really Going On that make me excited to see where Sanderson takes the series next. It's just that it felt like the plot was a *little* less interesting than previous, a *slightly* smaller percentage of the jokes connected, and a *smidge* of the sparkle that made the first two books such a riot had worn off. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not as gangbusters as the first two books, but still a solidly entertaining read. Don't start here, but the series as a whole is highly recommended to young fantasy fans, mid-grade reluctant readers, and Hushlanders of all ages who need something light and humorous after being overly oppressed by the Librarian regime. show less

Yeah, I know this is book 3 and I haven't read books 1 or 2, but I saw it in the library and picked it up because of the author. I've read other things he's written and enjoyed them. This one is different, and it gets points for that. It gets a point for the Terry Pratchett reference, too. It's an absurd fantasy. Nothing wrong with that. The first person narrator speaks directly to the reader, often commenting on what he's writing and why. Between the two of these, there is no way you can take the story seriously, which I rather liked. (I tend not to like fantasy that tries to pretend that it's plausible.) I don't think I enjoyed this book enough to read the others in the series, but I appreciate how clever it is.

Alcatraz finally arrives in the Free Kingdom of Crystallia, but there is a plot afoot by the Librarians to capture a key book. Alcatraz also discovers what it means to be a real friend and how to judge between those who just want to be around him because he is famous.