strange and random happenstance: Eva Nine

The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 6th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Eva Nine might be a human but that doesn't mean she's like their leader Cadmus Pryde. She doesn't want to exterminate all alien races, she wants to coexist. Which was originally Cadmus Pryde's dream. That is until Loroc convinced him that the aliens were a threat to humanity and that he should build weapons of mass destruction. Loroc though had other plans for Cadmus Pryde's warbots. He planned to turn them against their creator, killing Cadmus Pryde and all other humans in New Attica. Because Camus Pryde is nothing more than Loroc's puppet. Until he has no more use for him that is, pinning the warbot attack on Solas solely on Cadmus Pryde's shoulders and making himself look like their saviour. Loroc is a master manipulator and is voracious. He wants all the power for himself, consuming all those, even his siblings, who stand in his way. The added benefit of devouring his siblings is that he gains their abilities through the ancient ritual of Consumption. The longer he is unchallenged the more powerful he will become. And it's up to Eva Nine and her cohort to try to save all of Orbona. She is the advocate for Orbona, now being able to communicate with the world around her after her sojourn in the forest. But that means she has to emerge from hiding in order to get all the various factions, many of which have tried to kill her in the past, to come together for the sake of Orbona. One hope is Loroc's last remaining sibling, his brother Zin. Zin had taken refuge in the ruins of New York City that Eva Nine had previously discovered. Zin is willing to help Eva Nine talk to Queen Ojo to prove that humans didn't attack Solas, it was Lorac using the humans as a scapegoat. Sadly Zin's help costs him his life as his brother absorbs him. As all the players in this drama descend on Solas, it's up to Eva Nine to speak the truth, to show that forgiveness is possible, as is coexistence. Orbono can be a home to all if all will only just listen.

The Battle for WondLa holds a special place in my heart. Not just because it so perfectly finishes this series, but because I got to see Tony DiTerlizzi on tour promoting this book. My friend Janice and I headed to Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee ten years ago now to see Tony DiTerlizzi speak. Over the years I have spent my fair share of time at author events. They can be good, they can be bad, they can be so good or so bad that they come back around on you. Authors run the whole gamut of abilities when it comes to handling crowds. Some are confident and control the room, others almost totally disappear. There are those who totally don't understand their strengths and will read long-winded excerpts when they excel at questions and answers. Needless to say, there is rarely a perfect book event. But then, Tony DiTerlizzi is one in a million. His event was flawless. He had a wonderful presentation, he knew how to interact with the crowd in such a way that he didn't talk down to the kids but also didn't bore the adults. His enthusiasm for literature and art was infectious. And in the signing line he took the time to actually talk to everyone. No one was rushed and from that day forth I went from being a fan to being an acolyte. But even if I had never had this experience with him and getting to see the joy in the eyes of my friend Janice, I would be a fan. Because the WondLa series is just wonderful. It shows valuable life lessons without being preachy or condescending. And I know a lot of Oz fans were drawn to this series because of the connection, but, well, I'm sorry, L. Frank Baum could be a condescending shit. He often talked down to his audience and lectured them when they wouldn't buy his other books and he was "forced" to return to Oz. So yeah, I'm choosing this series of Oz anyday. But what's the biggest compliment I could give this series? It left me wanting more. I wanted to see what became of Eva Nine's life. I wanted to know more. Yes, the epilogues give us hints, but not enough. Though the Cadmus Pryde reveal at the very end? Oh, that left the series on just the right note.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: Abzorbaloff, Book Signing, Boswell Books, Cadmus Pryde, Eva Nine, For the Love of Book Clubs, Humans, L. Frank Baum, New York City, Orbona, The Battle for Wondla, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tony DiTerlizzi

A Hero for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Eva Nine thought that her search for humans had ended. That like New York City they were an ancient civilization whose time had passed. But just as she was ready to admit defeat a ship appeared in the sky and a boy walked out. A human boy. Hailey. Hailey Turner is the pilot of the Bijou and he's going to take Eva Nine to New Attica. New Attica is the hub of the Human Repopulation Project and where all the humans live in a utopic society led by their benevolent leader Cadmus Pryde. It's everything Eva Nine has been looking for, which makes her friend Rovender Kitt warn her to be wary. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. But Eva Nine is ready to embrace her new life, getting a tour of New Attica from Cadmus Pryde's own daughter, Gen. She even gets a makeover to make her more like the three Gens, aka Gen and her friends. But soon she starts to see that not everything is perfect in New Attica. What's more shocking though is finding out she has an older sister! Eva Eight was raised in Eva Nine's sanctuary by the same Muthr. Eva Eight left the Sanctuary for New Attica hoping to start a family which sadly never happened. At one point she even returned to the Sanctuary for Eva Nine, but Muthr refused her the child. But Eva Eight knew that one day Eva Nine would come to New Attica and there they would meet. And one night, in the Aviary, Eva Eight approaches her sister and tells her the dirty secrets of New Attica. The aliens held captive, Cadmus Pryde's plans for the human race to once again spread out over the globe destroying all other life. Eva Nine agrees that this isn't right. They need to flee New Attica and free the prisoners. They need to warn the world about what Cadmus Pryde has planned. Eva Nine might have just discovered the wide world around her, but it's already time for her to step up and save it.

The middle book in a trilogy is always tricky. You have to advance the plot enough to make it worthwhile but simultaneously keep the really big action for the finale. For the most part A Hero for WondLa does this nicely. We get to see Eva Nine experience interacting with humans for the first time and learning what it is to have peers. What's more we learn she has family with her radical sibling Eva Eight. But we also learn the lesson humanity has learned over and over, that supposed utopias come at a cost. That those who are "different" or "other" aren't part of this ideal society and they must be exterminated. So yes, it explores the dark human need to expand and control, colonialism and all it's evils. Which makes sense here, but at the same time I felt it was too much of the same. We've heard this all before, sure turning Eva Eight into a sentient tree is something new, and yes, that does happen if you think I'm making it up, but humans killing everyone off is just the same old same old. The thing is, I'm trying to think if there are any dystopian novels that don't do this... And I'm coming up blank. It's kind of the go-to trope, survival at any cost. And the one trilogy in particular I keep thinking about is The Hunger Games. Now I'm a huge fan of that series and oddly enough think the middle book is the strongest, but all I can think about with the three Gens is that they belong in The Hunger Games. I mean, come on, robotails? When they take Eva Nine out to do her makeover I couldn't help thinking of when Katniss Everdeen met Cinna. Sure, lots of dystopian books have the elite wear impractical and fanciful clothing, but I felt like this was too much of a similarity with another franchise so that it made A Hero for WondLa a little less than it could have been. On the whole it's so original in how it uses the building blocks and tropes of dystopian fiction that I felt let down a little. And seriously, it's just a little. But it was enough to make a difference.