The Genius Wars by Catherine Jinks

Image taken from Allen&Unwin.com


Looking back at the last few book reviews I have written here, I have realised that I have been WAY behind in updating you all on the new books I have been reading! For this I apologise...

To return to what I have read, I have definitely finished reading the conclusion to the Genius Trilogy, and just like the other two books, Catherine Jinks does not fail us in providing a rather entertaining tale!

"Genius Wars" sends us a few months later after Genius Squad has eventually been disbanded. Cadel is enjoying life as a university student, until random sightings of Prosper English force Cadel to once again live a life of hiding. This would be tolerable for him, if it weren't for the fact that his friends from the Genius Squad - not to mention his soon-to-be adoptive parents - have had threats carried out against them. Once again it is up to Cadel to save the day and protect the people he holds dear.

This book wastes no time in getting into the action, and is just as fast-paced as the first installment was. Jinks has cleverly managed to answer all questions that were left unanswered from the first two books, and manages to keep the suspense going up until the very end. The rather "ambiguous" ending I also find to be quite clever, for reasons you should find out for yourself by reading this book.

All in all, the Genius Trilogy are three of the best books I have read in a long time.

Capricornia by Louis Nowra

Image taken from www.gazellebookservices.co.uk

This is another really good play I had the opportunity to learn about in my Australian Theatre course. It was written as part of Australia's bicentenial year celebrations, and is a stage adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Xavier Herbert.

The story is about a young man named Norman Shillingsworth, who is raised by his uncle to believe that he is the son of a Javanese princess. The truth about his REAL family origins is discovered when he returns to visit and work for his uncle in Port Zodiac. Step by step, Norman learns more secrets about his family, and he struggles to come to terms with the seemingly never-ending new "revelations." During the course of the play he teams up with Tocky, a aborigine girl who is smitten by his good looks. Tragedy further unfolds when Tocky kills a man in self-defense, and Norman is blamed for the murder. There is action galore throughout the play, more than enough to keep readers (and audiences) on the edge of their seats.

Like the book, the play is very confronting, as it deals with a lot of uncomfortable issues. However, Nowra seems to tackle these issues with ease, and adds humour to the seriousness of the plot.

A definite read for those interested in reading a good Australian play.

The Ghosts Trilogy by Janis Balodis

Image taken from australianplays.org

This is another set of plays that was introduced to us in our Australian Theatre Course. Although we only concentrated on the first installment in the Trilogy, "Too Young for Ghosts," I ended up reading the whole trilogy, and loved it!

The plays detail the lives and loves of a group of Latvian immigrants who come to Australia to start a new life. We learn of their struggles in adapting to a new land, people and culture, and we learn of their affairs and misgivings. In the later two installments, we hear of their children and about their experiences with the language/culture/generation gaps. There is another layer to the text, as Janis Balodis compares and contrasts the immigrants' struggles with the story of Leichardt and his journeys through Australia, adding interest to the performance text.

Balodis writes really well. Having been born of Latvian immigrants himself, he draws on personal experiences as inspiration for the text. He has now become one of my favourite Australian playwrights, now that I have sat down and studied these three plays.

At first, the text seems confusing, as the narrative jumps back and forth from the historical account of Leichardt and his travels with the journey of the immigrants. However, like The Time is Not Yet Ripe, the text becomes better understood once it staged and performed. Once that is done, the reader can better visualize how the story is played out.

Overall, this was a great read, and another definite recommend for those interested in studying Australian theatre.

The Time is Not Yet Ripe by Louis Esson

Image taken from australianplays.org

This is a comedy that was written in 1912 by a talented man by the name of Louis Esson. It was first performed in Melbourne at the Athenaeum Hall, and was well received on its opening night. I came across this play when I was studying it for the Australian Theatre course I am doing at the moment, and I quite enjoyed reading it.

The play details the story of Doris, the daughter of the Prime Minister, an active member of the Liberal Party. Doris is betrothed to a man named Sydney Barrett, a socialist who poses a threat to the Prime Minister's party. At first, her father does not approve of the marriage, but begins to soften in the end after his party wins again in the election.

While the written text does not appear to be comical at first, the comedy becomes more apparent when the play is actually staged. Our class found this out when we performed excerpts from the play in our tutorial class. It is indeed a well-written play, and one that is worth looking into if you are interested in learning about early Australian Theatre.