Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, 1)

Everything by Sanderson is amazing! Plus, these books are illustrated.Reader thoughts: Alcatraz is witty, slightly sacrastic (but not rude), and he pokes fun at readers and writers alike. He makes fun of things like: the fantasy genre, people who skip to the last page; literary techniques like cliffhangers. I can (and do) read these books over and over. I laugh so much, and the jokes are funny the second and third time through.The technology and magic are well explained and fun. Glass is magical. Glasses are magical. Some people can use magical glasses, and some people can use magical talents (like arriving late or tripping spectacularly). Some people, like Alcatraz and his grandfather, can do both.Much about this book is so clever, including the Smedry talents (who knew you could stop a drought by washing dishes? Or that speaking gibberish at an interrogation would be a good idea?). The talking dinosaurs, encyclopedia altar, and romance book monsters were just too fun.The plot is just the right size and complexity, and the pacing was perfect. One horrible birthday, one assassin, one hideout, and one library to infiltrate. Oh, and the library has a dungeon, a torture room, and a one-eyed dark occulator.I really liked how all the characters worked together, and that each was unique. Their voices are all different, but they're all somehow clever and funny. They each have their own pasts and motivations (like the Mokian, Sing, who is an antrhopologist, or Bastille, who gave up her dream of being an occulator in order to become a Knight of Crystallia).Alcatraz is quite an annoying narrator, though, and he never misses an opportunity to interrupt with a nearly useless paragraph of information once or twice in each chapter (usually his interruptions have to do with trying to convince the reader he is not a very nice narrator). However, he is still funny to read, and fairly bright.Writer thoughts: Sanderson has said these books were longer (I think 65k words), and his publisher made him cut them to 55k words. When an author is on a word budget, no sentences are wasted. Every piece of information in these books moves the plot forward. Every description is short and powerful. Every line of dialogue is necessary and funny.Then we have Alcatraz's interruptions. They take up a page at the beginning of every chapter. Why weren't they cut?It's because, despite initial assumptions, those interruptions are vital to the story.They show the reader Alcatraz's character.They make the reader laugh.And they make the reader want to slap Alcatraz for being so annoying.

Below is an excerpt of my full review of the first four books in the Alcatraz series:This review goes in line with that of the Alcatraz series, more specifically the attitude of a Smedry. You see, they are trouble makers, and are prone to getting themselves into life threatening situations. They have an uncharacteristic attitude when dealing with any situation. The more danger, the more excited they are. Through thick and thin, Smedry's are rarely to be found with a sour mood. They are bubbly, charismatic, bold, audacious, and have a knack for getting themselves into trouble. Wait, I said that did I not? Gack! You see, I imitating a number of characters found in this book. Granpa Smedry, Alcatraz, talking dinosaurs. Yes, you read correctly, talking dinosaurs with a British accent, and as we know, those Brits are refined, calm, and well-mannered; dinosaurs are no exception! They really know how to cause trouble for Librarians, like eating the entire C section of the Science Fiction shelf and moving six books out of their proper places. Okay, so maybe they are useless as Bastille said... The only thing worse than talking dinosaurs are talking rocks, but I tell you, the dinosaurs are a treat! To round off this paragraph, I leave you this quote from Grandpa Smedry if you think I am making any of this up:I am a Smedry, and we do ridiculous, unexpected, eccentric things like this all the time.The Alcatraz series is a tremendously fun read. My friend that recommended Mistorn and Elantris did not bother giving these books a shot because of their young adult emphasis, despite being a lover of Sanderson's work. Aspiring Asimovs, what a horrible reason! Lots of fun, many laugh out loud moments, tons of humor and wit, with a great story to boot! The books are written from the first person perspective of Alcatraz Smedry, written as a biography of how he became the hero of the Free Kingdom and to dispel the many myths about how it happened. The books are much shorter than all of Sanderson's other works, easily read in two or three days, and are extremely enjoyable. I cannot recommend these books enough!Unfortunately Scholastic decided to not sign Sanderson for the fifth and final book. According to his assistant via Twitter, Sanderson will finish the series, but it's still a few years out, which is a shame. When I found out about this, I shook my fist at Scholastic and demanded they be burned alive with the Firebringer's Lens. You'll have to read the books to know what that's about ;)

My oldest son loves to read, but my youngest avoids it like the plague. I bought this series and started reading it to him at bed time. He loved it so much that he sneaks out of bed at night and steals the book (which I let him think he shouldn’t do) so he can read ahead of me. It’s funny with lots of action. And of course anything Brandon Sanderson is a win!

This book is amazing: I can't decide if it's genius or ridiculous, if it's funny or silly. I remember I got similar feelings while reading "The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" even though they're quite different books. Definitely worth reading the rest of the books too, considering they are both short and enjoyable.

A very well written and enjoyable children's book with a wry, satirical sense of humour that will simultaneously entertain adults as well as amuse children.It is a story concerned with our world not being as we think we know it. It is based around the concept that evil librarians rule the world behind the scenes and suppress the peoples of it with lies, manipulation and sometimes force. The story is told from the perspective of the main protagonist, the eponymous Alcatraz. He is an orphan in our world who discovers he is the last in the family line of Smedry, a leading magical family in the battle against librarian oppression in this mysterious hidden world.A lot of this magical world and its inhabitants are left half explained as it is gradually revealed through the cynical eyes of Alcatraz. There is a lot of establishing ideas which will no doubt be fleshed out in the several sequels. Many of these concepts are very intriguing and need developing further.The highlight of this book, however, is the first person perspective and writing style. In this way it is very different from much of Sanderson's other work (almost as if it is a different author) despite some similar themes and content. The idea that Alcatraz is actually the author and Brandon Sanderson only a pseudonym gives another level to the book and provides plenty of entertainment as the author mocks his own art form.This is a great novel for the children's/young adult market. But any adult who has enjoyed Sanderson other work should definitely give this a go. The question above will also be answered.

日本では「ミストボーン」シリーズや（ロバート・ジョーダンの後を継いだ）「時の車輪」シリーズを完結させたことで有名なブランドン・サンダーソンのYA小説。発表は2007年10月です。主人公はAlcatraz Smedry（以下、アルカトラズ）。孤児（小説の最初は）。フォスター・ファミリーを転々と、というか、たらい回しにされている。なぜか？彼には特異な力（才能？）があった。人が大切にしているものを壊してしまうのだ。それゆえどこのフォスター・ファミリーもアルカトラズを扱い損ねるか、アルカトラズに愛想をつかす、というわけ。13歳になったある日郵便が届く。中を開けると「（ただの）砂」。差出人は、と見るとなんと両親から。砂はアルカトラズへの遺産だという。「自分には両親がいなかったのでは？」「いたならいたで、なぜ、今ここに住んでいるとわかったのだろう？」疑問は膨らむ。そんな中、祖父を名乗る人物が登場する。「誕生日に郵便物が届いたろう。あれはどうした？今どこにある？」「あれ？ない！」誰かによって既に盗まれていたのだ。単なる砂、とアルカトラズには思われていたものは、実はとてつもなく貴重な「Sands of Rashid」だったのだ。アルカトラズは祖父から、この世界の多くが実際には「Evil Librarians」によって支配され、そして今もその支配領域が広がり続けていること、世の中の情報が「Evil Librarians」によって（都合のよいように）操作されていること等を教わる（なんか映画の「Matrix」っぽいですね）。なんと、世界には一般人が知らない大陸が3つもあるというのだ。そして、さらに、アルカトラズは「Evil Librarians」に対抗する「The Free Kingdom」の中で最も重要な家系（Smedry家）に属する人物であることを知らされるのだった。アルカトラズは、祖父、いとこのSing SingとQuentin、さらには祖父のボディーガードである13歳の武道の達人、Bastilleと一緒に、奪われた「Sands of Rashid」を奪還すべく敵の拠点である市の図書館に乗り込むのだった。。。こう書くと何かファンタジー小説として「正当な！？」感じがしますが、ギャグも多く、かなり笑いながら、そして気軽に読める小説です。アルカトラズの才能は「ものを壊すこと」。これはまあ、まだまともに見えますが、祖父の才能は「物事に遅れること」。Sing Singの才能は「突然、躓いたり転ぶこと」。Quentinの才能は「意味不明の言辞を弄すること」。ギャグとしか思えない才能も、サンダーソンの筆にかかると小説の中で重要な意味をもってきます。ヤングアダルト向けに書かれてはいますが、大人ももちろん楽しめます。現在第4作まで発表されています。

This book is recommended for readers between the ages of nine to twelve. Well, it was one of the funniest books I ever read and it is certainly worth reading, even if you should happen to be in your twenties (I'm 27, by the way, and a fan of 'hard space operas' and 'hard science fiction' and fantasy operas/series; i. e. for example works by authors like alastair reynolds, dan symmons, peter f. hamilton, scott lynch, jim butcher, a.s.o....) or older. I've never laughed so hard since aeons, as when Sanderson described the 'Talent' for the first time or the different stages and values of science in his two societies.Everyone should read this book and, of course, beware off the evil Librarians, because they will reduce your mind's worlds; and imagination shall never flourish again, if you miss this work of art!Für alle Deutschen, die diese 'Rezension' lesen: wenn Ihr Eltern seid, setzt in Eurem Elternbeirat durch, daß die angestaubten Werke von Shakespeare und Co. im Englisch-Unterricht nicht als "so bedeutend" bewertet werden, wie dieses moderne Buch! Es ist schnell gelesen (weil groß geschrieben und mitreißend), voller Wortspiele und Idiome; wichtiger noch: es macht beim Lesen einfach nur Spaß. So kann man seine Kinder bilden, ohne 'große Literatur' - die kommt im Deutschunterricht eh schon zu häufig zum tragen!