To classify Michael Crichton into any one single genre of literature, could be compared to saying Elvis was "just" the King of Rock & Roll. Just as E's legacy is very versatile, so too is Michael Crichton's. It is however understandable why Michael is often so associated with the sci-fi genre. Reknown classics such as "The Andromeda Strain" to his credit have sealed his status in the sci-fi genre's elite.

While much of his writings are centered around futuristic scenarios, and many seem to be anti-scientist due to his portrayal of them as destructive,abnoxious,and too trusting in their own intelligence, Michael, according to many who knew him was not anti-progressive or against technology.

The abuse of technology is what many of Michael's books evangelized against.  Too much of, or mishandling any good thing can be detrimental after all. Not so well known about Crichton is that he also wrote mysteries and thrillers that were not so sci-fi in nature.

If you have never seen or read Michael Crichton's work (which I know is highly unlikely but still minutely possible for some out there) you are missing out.

Rest In Peace, Michael.        

 

Magician – Raymond E Feist  (Fantasy)

This is the first book of three in the Riftwar Saga set in the Kingdom of the Isles and my introduction to the works of Feist who is now one of my favourite authors.

The story follows the lives of two boyhood friends - Pug who is apprenticed to a master magician, and Tomas who inherits a great power from an ancient civilisation. The peace of the Kingdom is one day shattered as mysterious alien invaders attack through a rift from another land and it is Pug’s destiny that leads him through this rift where he discovers a potent magical power.

This is exceptional work and a must read if you love the writings of Tolkien and Gemmell.

 

Legend – David Gemmell  (Fantasy)

This is the first book in a series of many from the Drenai Saga. Again it was an introduction for me to the works of Gemmell who I now hold in high esteem.

The tale follows the legendary Captain of the Axe called Druss. Well renowned he chooses a solitary life for the end of his days rather than the fame he could have claimed. But when the Drenai Empire is threatened by the Nadir hordes, Druss finds himself drawn back into life’s battle, defending the mighty Fortress of Dros Delnoch.

A very easy read but full of pace and vigour. Druss is one of, if not the most famous of Gemmell’s creation.

 

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card  (Sci-fi)

This is the first book in a series of nine from the Ender Saga and is a work of art.

A vast alien force is headed for Earth bent on the destruction of the human race. The only hope could be a young child, but then he is no normal child; he is Ender Wiggin. Before he can stop this threat he must complete the most brutal military training ever.

The characters are full of life and so easy to relate to. The story may revolve around children but does not suffer from this with regard to excitement or fast paced action. It has an addictive story line and once you start you will not be able to put it down.

 

Others – James Herbert  (Horror)

This is not a genre I would normally read but something compelled me to pick up the book and I wasn’t disappointed.

It follows a private investigator, Nicholas Dismas, who is not like your average person. He is a very troubled soul and carries a secret that not even he has the answer to. His life all changes when he is hired to find a missing baby and the investigation takes him down a dark path of mystery and lies where he discovers the secret of the Others and finds answers to his own existence.

This is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. I found it quite disconcerting the number of times I thought to myself, “this could actually happen” as the realism of it all unnerved me. Even if you don’t normally read Horror, you must read this.

 

Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien  (Fantasy)

What can I say? Are there any fans of literature that don’t know the Lord of the Rings? Despite its size I’ve read it twice and will no doubt read it again in the future.

 

Body Guard of Lightning – Stan Nicholls  (Fantasy)

This is the first book of three in the Orcs: First Blood series and may I add, a breath of fresh air.

The book follows a mercenary warband of Orcs on their journey to retrieve five artefacts of power in the hope they may buy their freedom. The leader Stryke and his band of Orcs encounter everything you would expect and hope for along the way and there is no shortage of skirmishes and battles to boot.

This is so refreshing to actually land inside the mind of fantasy's typical bad guy, who is always picked on and flogged by us, the wicked humans. The dialogue has pace and is straight to the point, tinged with a hint tongue and cheek humour. Not your usual fantasy tale but certainly up there with the best and a nice change from the norm.

 

Lion of Macedon – David Gemmell  (Fantasy)

The first of two books set in ancient Greece but touched with a little bit of fantasy. Another fine work by Gemmell.

Half-Spartan, half-Macedonian, Pamenion defies the overwhelming hatred against him and becomes the right-hand man of Philip of Macedon, father to Alexander the Great. Portents of an ancient seeress entwine him within a tale of magic and destiny as he is pitted against the forces of chaos.

A good one for any enthusiasts of ancient history, containing some nice little additions that adds some extra fantastical spice. I guarantee you will just have to read the sequel after finishing this one.    

 

Cain - James Byron Huggins

Another one that I wouldn’t normally of grabbed but something compelled me and I was immediately engrossed.

The story follows three unlikely heroes, a soldier mourning the loss of his family, a priest who’s lost his faith and the scientist that created their nemesis. Three people trying to stop a gene-engineered, super human ex CIA assassin, who when dead was possessed by a demon seeking to rule the Earth.

Another roller coaster ride, that from beginning to end keeps you on the edge of your seat and compels you to keep reading. Jam-packed full of action, the worrying touch of realism continuously niggling in the back of your mind; could this really happen?  

 

 Dragonmaster – Chris Bunch

This is the first book in the Dragonmaster Trilogy. Even though I love Fantasy, I’ve not read many books regarding dragons believe it not, but this one ticks all the boxes for me. 
The story follows a pauper, Hal Kailas, who has runaway from home. Living in a Kingdom where peace is by no means certain his every thought is consumed with the experience of bonding with a dragon when he was younger. When war comes to the Kingdom men ride these great Dragons to battle and Hal will soon become one of the greatest of all.

I read this a long time ago but still remember it quite vividly. It was one of those stories where you know what was going to happen, but I was still engrossed and enjoyed the majesty of the beasts. I think sometimes it’s nice to read something that doesn’t trip you up halfway through and have you constantly guessing, but only sometimes.

 

Aliens Vs Predator: Original - Randy Stradley, Chris Warner, and Phill Norwood

Okay to put you in the picture the movie was in no way similar to this piece of work, apart from the fact that there are aliens and predators in it!

The scene is set on Ryushi, an out-of-the-way farming planet that is of little interest to anybody but the few settlers and administration staff who live there. But it just so happens that this is one of the planets that the Predators have selected to train their young males into Warriors…. by releasing Aliens onto the surface for them to hunt. Of course the humans are stuck in the middle.

It’s not as cliché as it all sounds and the book was that good I finished it in a day. You can’t beat a bit of classic Alien action.

The sci-fi increase in number as the book goes on, though forcing some of them into that category might be inaccurate. But where do you put stories about ordinary people that take place slightly in the future, when climate change has caused oceans to rise, and well-known places (like a good deal of downtown Wellington) have been submerged? Jones has a deft and succinct style, and his writing is considerably better than what's normally found in sci-fi writing, even when the story's set on a distant planet. Some of the stories are plain fantasy - When She Came Walking, for instance, in which the She of the title draws inanimate objects skipping after her, or Homestay, in which "angels" visit a farm, upsetting the locals and themselves.

And then there are short shorts about Borges, or Foucault, or Coleridge: humorous re-imaginings of the lives of other writers. Or the satirical stories: A Short History of the Twentieth Century, with Fries; or Win a Day with Mikhail Gorbachev!, in which Mikhail and his wife turn out to be not quite who they seem; or The New Neighbours, in which the immigrants aren't Asian, or Pacific Island, but alien.

Often the stories leave you to fill in the background from a few particulars - what's happened to the world in Filling the Isles? Why are all the people apparently living literally side by side on hills? Is it population explosion, or something not quite explained? Sometimes Jones teases the reader, as he does most effectively in Robinson in Love, in which a man meets up with a woman who seems to lead him up the garden path. Or does she?

Perhaps the most chilling story is Best Practice - chilling not just because it's set on an exposed plateau in Mt Aspiring National Park, but because of the corporation's cold and calculated attitude towards the staff who are taken there for their annual Christmas party. This story is enough to make anyone get out of the corporate world, and quickly.

Overall this is a most entertaining collection. Jones' widely varied worlds thoroughly arouse the imagination.

WARNING - SPOILERS!

1. 1984 - Bridge To Terabithia; Katherine Paterson; published 1977

   I read this book when I was thirteen. It was the first book that ever shocked me and the first book that ever made me cry. Don't read on if you don't want spoilers because it is impossible to write about this book without mentioning the single most important event of the whole story. I remember enjoying the book very much and feeling very comfortable with the characters. I enjoyed the friendship between Jesse and Leslie and when Jesse went off to spend the day at the museum with his teacher instead of his best friend, I didn't even see it coming. See what coming? The first death I had ever encountered in a book - and the death of another child at that. For the last few chapters, detailing how Jess dealt with the death of Leslie, I cried. Profusely. I sobbed all the way to the end of the book.
   
   Years later, I have read the book several times and it still has the same effect on me - I still cry from the moment Jess is told of Leslie's death, right to the end of the book. I recently saw the movie and, boy, was I glad I'd chosen to watch it at home on DVD instead at the cinema. I sobbed for the entire last half-hour of the movie - I've never seen a movie so true to the original story. I was terrified at first that Hollywood might have ruined my beloved story - made it a happy-ever-after where Leslie didn't die. Thankfully, they didn't shy away from such an important part of the book and it played out on screen exactly as it did in the book, right down to the smallest detail.
   
   I would recommend this book to everyone, adults and children alike. I know that it is used in the classroom from 5th grade (Year 6, UK) upwards because of the themes it deals with - finding yourself; learning to trust others; insecurity; grief and loss. It is a beautiful story and the depth of emotion contained within it will not fail to touch your heart.

2. 1987 - Flowers in the Attic (and sequels); Virginia Andrews; published 1979

   This book was recommended to me by other girls at school. It didn't seem that interesting when I first heard of it, so I didn't bother. My best friend at the time kept pestering me to read it though, so I did. And there it was. Another book to make me cry.
   
   This book is a heartbreaking read for anyone who is particularly close to siblings and/or parents. In fact, the whole series of books will make you run the whole gamut of emotions from disgust and anger and incredible sadness, to relief and joy, even though the overwhelming emotion is heartbreak and the strongest theme is betrayal - of love and trust. It's also quite scary to see how, despite our best efforts, we sometimes do take on the sins of our parents.
   
   I've read the five books in this series probably more than ten times now, and just like with “Bridge to Terabithia”, I've cried every time. My heart breaks for the main character, Cathy, as she struggles to come to terms with the greed of her mother and the actions it led to - locking her four children up in an attic room for more than three years. The repercussions of those actions reverberate through the entire series which, shockingly, is supposedly based on a true story.
   
   This book - this series of books - will draw you in and mesmerize you. The best bit for me was actually in the second book - Petals on the Wind, where Cathy returns to confront her mother. I was almost breathless with anticipation during the build up and then satisfyingly shocked and horrified at the outcome. The weakest book in the series is probably book three, “If There Be Thorns”, which is told from the alternating points of view of Cathy's two sons, Jory and Bart, about how they see their parents and what happens when they find out the truth of their parents' childhood. Or maybe, in another sense, it isn't the weakest - maybe it's the most disturbing, which is why I find it so difficult to read.
   
   Book Four, “Seeds of Yesterday” returns to Cathy's point of view, a few years after the events of “If There Be Thorns”. Reading this book, you realize that there will never be a happy ending for Cathy, and again, it's a heartbreaking read. Finally, we go right back to the beginning with a prequel, “Garden of Shadows”, finding out that everything we thought we knew from the first four books isn't actually what we knew at all as it reveals shocking secrets about Cathy's mother and grandparents.
   
   And with that, I'll leave you to read the books….

3. 1989 - Children of the Dust; Louise Lawrence; published 1985

   I was eighteen when I first read this book and it scared me to death! It's the story of three generations who live through the aftermath of a nuclear attack. The first part of the book, about the nuclear attack itself, is the scariest part and the bit about the dog will have you crying your eyes out. We move on to the next part of the book, the next generation, who live in an underground bunker keeping safe until it's time to return to the surface. Finally, we find out about the generation after that, who try their best to survive on a planet decimated by nuclear war.
   
   It sounds like the most depressing read ever, but surprisingly, it isn't. The pervading theme of the whole story is hope. In fact, the final segment of the book is the part that finally helped me to get over my fears about nuclear war. Even though it's fiction, it gives hope that the world can and will carry on after such devastation and that the human race will survive, even though they may have to mutate slightly to deal with it.
   
   If you are the sort of person who has a fear of nuclear attack, then this is a good book to read, even though the first segment is incredibly hard and uncomfortable. It's worth persevering until you reach the final chapters and the warmth of hope seeps into you. The story is bittersweet, really, but a definite must-read for anyone who likes their emotions to be dragged around the block a few times whilst reading.

4. 1993 - The Rainbow Gate; Freda Warrington; published 1989

   A must-read for anyone who has ever suffered from depression. Unlike the other books I've written about, this one falls into the genre of real fantasy, taking the reader, as it does, into another world or, more accurately, plane of existence and turning conventional ideas about religion and reincarnation completely on their heads.
   
   It's the story of Helen and her friend, Rianna. Helen can remember that, as children, they often seemed to be in a different world and not the park they had entered. As an adult, Helen discovers that she and Rianna had indeed been walking the boundary between this world and the next - the place people go when they die. However, this is not the heaven many believe in, but another world where the process of reincarnation continues. This land, Tevera, is the home of a bright, happy people - the Chalcenians - and the sombre, depressed people - the Domendrans.
   
   The fascinating aspect for me was the discovery, later in the book, that being Chalcenic or Domendric was not a race but a state of mind - the state of being happy or depressed. As someone who has suffered from depression, I related very much to the characters who moved in and out of these states of mind and many people who suffer from depression will also recognize the changes.
   
   I was fascinated, too, by the process by which people arrived in Tevera after they died and what happened to them there. At first, there is a very sinister feel to everything that happens, but this is a story where not everything is as it seems.
   
   I would recommend this book to people who love the fantasy genre (and indeed I would recommend all of Freda Warrington's books!). I would recommend it to people who are interested in the hereafter, or theories about life and death and, more especially, I would recommend it to anyone who has ever suffered from depression.
   
   This is a book I still read today, although it still has such a profound effect on me I prefer to save it up for special occasions. It is a definite must-read.

5. 1994 - Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy; Dirk Benedict; published 1991

   Are you surprised? I've moved from fiction to non-fiction - autobiography, really, with this “warts and all” story of actor Dirk Benedict's battle with cancer.
   
   I must admit, before I continue, that Dirk has been my favourite actor since I was a child of around ten years old, and would watch him in Battlestar Galactica, so it is no surprise to those who know me that I've read his book! When people would ask me, as a teenager, why he was my favourite actor, I couldn't really say. It was true that, as a sci-fi and action genre fan, I enjoyed BG and The A-Team, but there was something more that I couldn't quite put into words.
   
   It wasn't until I finally managed to get a copy of his book and read it in 1994, that I realised. I think I had somehow known as a child that this man would one day change my life. He did it through this book.
   
   1994 was a difficult year for me. It was the year when, as a young woman of only twenty-three, I began to suffer from depression and from several other illnesses. I had to leave college and I had no focus in my life. Then I read Dirk's book, bought for me by my parents as a way to cheer me up and make me feel better. They must have hunted everywhere for it. But then, my mother is the woman who also replaced my copy of Children of the Dust when she saw how unhappy I was that it was lost. I hadn't got round to replacing it myself, but she surprised me with it one day. Anyway, I digress.
   
   Dirk's book, about how he changed his diet and lifestyle to beat cancer without medication was an eye-opener and a page-turner. His insights into what really makes the body tick and heal were an epiphany to me. It was the first time I'd ever heard of macrobiotics and I was fascinated. Now, I can't say that I immediately began to embrace a macrobiotic lifestyle, or even that I do now, but I did make changes in my life and embrace principles which I read about in that book.
   
   For the first time, I began to look at what I was eating and how it might be affecting me, and slowly, I changed. I stopped eating meat and cut down on animal products. These days, I'm practically vegan. I began eating grains (although not wheat because I'm intolerant) and have made the effort over the years to eat neutral foods grown naturally in my local environment. I can honestly say that, although I still have minor health issues, I would be much worse were it not for the ideas I found in his book. Two of the seven principles of macrobiotics which I have noticed in the world time and time again are:
   
   #5. What has a front has a back.
   
   #6. The bigger the front, the bigger the back.
   
   Nowhere are these principles more noticeable than in the damage we have done to our environment and climate and if you think about them long enough, you'll know what I mean, but that's another article.
   
   In short, if you are searching for another way, if you think there must be something more out there, get into macrobiotics. Even if the food thing is beyond you, as Dirk wrote inside my copy of his book when I met him a few years ago -“let the notions in this book into your life.”

So there you are. The five books that have touched my life and changed it in some small way. I hope they do the same for you. Thanks for reading!

Well… First of all, writing a novel demands time, patience and investment. In Writing Your Novel I pointed the importance of reading a lot, and I will repeat it. To write a novel you must read as much as you can from the genre that you love. If you can't find time to read, I seriously doubt that you will find time to write a novel. Some books helped me more than others when I wrote those genres, and I want to point the ones that empowered my abilities to write this kind of novel.

The Lord of The Rings

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I know… some of you will say that this book is not Sci-Fi or Supernatural, but Fantasy. Well… My list is about books that help writing novels in Sci-Fi and Supernatural, and a book doesn't need to be from those genres to be helpful.

I read “The Lord of the Rings” when I was 14 years old, and that book taught me about perfection and devotion. J.R.R. Tolkien invested much time and research to this book. His descriptions are flawless and the scenario is fantastic. You must admire a man who can write a novel for grown ups around the story of tiny hairy creatures with large feet. He developed a whole world to host his story and his characters. It would be presumptuous to say that you need the same amount of dedication that Tolkien had for you to write your novel, but if you can develop 10% of it, you're on the right track. In Sci-Fi and Supernatural stories, one of the most important things is to build the background of the place where your characters dwell, and Tolkien's is the example you must follow.

Harry Potter

 

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I'm not a huge fan of J.K.Rowlling's story, but I must admit that that woman knows how to set pace and induce an addiction in the reader. Harry Potter teaches us that we don't need to write the best characters to our novel as long as we have erratic events that push them through it. I mean… the character Harry is stupid as a blind rodent, but things keep happening around him in that supernatural and intriguing environment just compelling him through the story. What I want to say is that you don't need all the characters in your novel to be perfect. In genres like Sci-Fi and Supernatural, is natural that bizarre things happen all the time during the novel, giving motion to the story and the characters. Motion is J.K.'s trick. When action happens all the time, the reader gets eager to the next page of the novel.

J.K. used action most of the time, but I think she made the mistake to give to much voice to her characters in the last novel. I read it, and I got so bored about Harry Potter's whining that at some point I just wanted him to die.

From J.K. we learn two important things: when writing your novel, use the most action you can, and don't let your main character becomes so boring that the reader wants him to be cruelly assassinated by Voldemort.

Ender's Game

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In this book, Orson Scott Card does something unbelievable. His background is so well built and is so easy to empathize with his main Character, that we forget that the whole novel happens in a Space Station orbiting around the world. Believe me; he didn't hold back in writing Sci-Fi elements, but the story is so good and the characters are so well placed, that we simply forget that none of that is possible yet. Is like watching a movie filled with special effects so good that we don't even remember, during the movie, that all those things are just Computer Generated images. When you write your novel, think about Ender's Game and try to reach that effect. It will worth it.

Wuthering Heights

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I know you must be asking what this 19th century novel is doing in this article about writing Sci-Fi and Supernatural novels. See… Emily Bronte wrote her only novel in 1847, and Hollywood made movies of it in 1920, 1939, 1948, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1978, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2003, 2008 (production) and 2010 (pre-production). What is so special about this novel that Hollywood can't stop making movies of it?

In my opinion, it is the Characters. Emily Bronte's characters are so deep and powerful that it is impossible not to be captivated by them. If you never read the book, I will spoil a detail for you: the characters are hideous and mean, and yet, it's impossible not to love Katherine and Heathcliff. The way Bronte introduces us in their mind and personalities is hypnotic.

I'm not saying that you should write your characters like that. In Supernatural and Sci-Fi novels there isn't much room for overwhelming characters. If you want to have it, write just one for your novel… no more than that. The important thing is the connection that Bronte produced between the characters and the reader. Try to achieve it, and will be impossible not to empathize with your characters.

Dune

Dune is my favorite novel, and should be the guideline of how every sci-fi story should be. Dune has it all. The background, the characters and the action. Everything is there. Dune is the utmost perfection in its genre, and if you ever plan to write Sci-Fi in your life, you can't even consider typing the first word before reading Frank Herbert's Dune. If you have to choose only one of the five books I mentioned to read, choose Dune. You won't regret it.

Interview with the Vampire (the Bonus Book)

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If you ever want to write a vampire novel, read this book. When you end, if you still want to write a vampire novel, read it again. Keep repeating this process until the desire to write a vampire novel fade away. I mean it. Anne Rice did a nice job with “Interview with the Vampire”, but during her lousy “vampire chronicles”, she exhausted all the possibilites of writing about vampires. She didn't destroy vampire only for her wrtinting, but for everyone else's. A good theme turned into a boring one. Maybe, and just maybe, if people stop writing about vampires for 20 years, it will become interesting again.

That is the time when any one person realizes that it is necessary to escape and go against society. Individuals begin to break free and go against a corrupt society when they start to think further than what the society wants them to. This is shown through the use of indirect and dynamic characterization in Ayn Rand's timeless novella Anthem, as well as Ray Bradbury's everlasting novel Fahrenheit 451.Throughout the whole story, Equality 7-2521 develops through the use of indirect characterization. He starts off his life being different from others, even looking different: “For your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers” (Rand 18).

Even from the start of his life, he is different from others. And although little is known about him except his physical feature, the author constantly reveals what he is like through his thoughts and his actions by the use of indirect characterization. It should be obvious to the reader that he is already beginning to think differently and further than the society thinks. This is revealed through his early thoughts and actions: “'This is a foul place. They are damned who touch the things of the Unmentionable Times.' But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, clung to the iron as if it would not leave it” (Rand 33). Here, Equality, knows that being around and examining this thing is wrong, and he knows that he shouldn't be doing it, but he does it anyways. We can see through indirect characterization that he is beginning to think differently and beyond what the society would like him to think. He was taught when he was younger that the things of the ancient days were not to be experimented, yet there's this impulse inside of them that tells us, as the reader, that he is really beginning to break away from society.

His train of thought is running into a different station than all of the other ones. He doesn't quite realize here that he needs to start breaking away, but this passage alludes to it. Later on in the story, he realizes what is wrong with the world that he is living in and starts to break free from it: “We swung our first through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a ringing rain of glass” (Rand 75). Equality finally recognizes that it's necessary to getaway from the corrupt world that he is living in. There is always a time in an individual who understands when his moment comes and he needs rebel against the messed up society that he's living in. This was Equality's moment. He leaves in an outburst of anger and by this action the reader should comprehend through indirect characterization that Equality is an individual who is striving to get rid of the government system that exists.

In comparison, indirect characterization is also used throughout the story of Guy Montag to show when individuals recognize the need to break free from a tainted society. Guy is a burner of knowledge. His job is to destroy books as if they were monsters. He is stirred to think about things from a different viewpoint by Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor. His conversations everyday always end up with him rethinking about what life is: “He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a non-trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other” (Bradbury 24). Through indirect characterization, the audience can tell that he's beginning to question everything that he has been doing. His conversations with this one girl, Clarisse McClellan, have such a big effect on him. Montag lives in a brainwashed society, but he is starting to think beyond what the government wants him too.

Only one in a million, like McClellan, actually think about what life is and question what happens every day. Montag, being a fireman, is almost like a tool that is being used by society to destroy all knowledge of the past. This is like in Equality's story, where to seek knowledge of the past is forbidden, and it's wrong and shunned upon. Both of the characters in the stories realize that knowledge is something that should be sought through. Equality and Montag both take extreme measure to prevent the destruction of knowledge, which eventually leads to straight-forward rebellion. Later on in the story, Montag begins to escape and rebel against society. This can be seen as he is talking to an old scholar, Faber, when they start to hatch a plan, “Plant the books, turn in an alarm, and see the firemen's houses burn” (Bradbury 85). His words tell the audience that he is a man of action, and that he wants to do something about the “burning books” problem as soon as possible.

This is the time in his life that Montag begins to understand why he needs to run away from this polluted society and get away to rebel. He's ready to turn around and betray his fellow fireman and instead of burning books, he plans to burn the people that burn books. Although this plan is very direct, in reality it would never work because the society has already stopped reading, the problem is not because of the fireman, but it goes deeper, it goes to the loss of knowledge probably years and years back. In both stories, it should be obvious that Montag and Equality relate to each other in many ways. They both have a point in their lives when they realize that need to break free from the society that is corrupt and damaged. This indirect characterization in both Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem show the reader and the audience the development of the main characters and when and how they break free of the corrupt society that they live in.

Also, as Equality develops throughout the story, he is seen as a dynamic character and this is also another element that shows why and when individuals need to break away from a corrupt society. As Equality grows through the story, he changes quite a bit. He is taught the rules of society and the values of the society, but he changes from them and develops his own values. He is always constantly changing and disregarding the rules: “Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones' Ancients, have men done that which we are doing. And yet there is no shame in us and no regret” (Rand 37). Equality is obviously changing dramatically because, he feels that never, not once in the history of the whole world, has anyone done as much evil as he has. This dynamic change shows us how he is breaking away from this tarnished society. He starts disregarding the rules, he develops his own ideas and own values, and he doesn't feel any wrongdoing in it, where as any other person in that society would feel wrong and live with it on their conscious.

He is always constantly growing and realizing that he needs to break away sometime soon and his changes are dynamic. And even once he is away from society and his community, he still is constantly changing: “But I am done with this creed of corruption. I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame” (Rand 97). This change in character tells the reader, that even though he's basically alone, he is still going against society. Throughout his whole life, he has been taught the word “we” as a word of equality, but he realizes that this definition of “we” isn't the definition that is true. His dynamic characterization in this novella shows how individuals break free of a corrupt society.

Along with Equality, the dynamic growth in Guy Montag also shows individuals breaking free of society. He starts of as a fireman, a burner of knowledge, and a wielder of fire. In the beginning, he believes that fire is this beautiful thing, this flame, but as he is changing and growing, he realizes that “Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences” (Bradbury 115). This is a very dynamic change because he was always someone who favored fire. The author tells us that he always loved to burn; he always thought, “It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 3). And as he goes on through the story, he comes to realize that fire destroys as well as creates. It takes away as well as gives. This change in him helps him realize that knowledge should be sought and should be taught instead of being burnt and lost forever. His thought changes from the brainwashed state that was of the past: “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame” (4).

His thought differs from everybody else's, and this difference causes him to discover that his true purpose in his life is to break free of the polluted society that he was born into and then change. He knows that once he takes this road that he can't turn back, but once he started thinking real individual thoughts, there was no turning back from that either, which was like Equality. Also, in both stories, both of the main characters take dramatic action against the society when they break free of it. They both change from people who kind of believe in the society, but always have a doubt, to individuals who both understand when and why they need to take action against the society is damaged beyond repair, so they need to break free, rebel, and create their own. All of these similarities in both stories demonstrate when and why individuals need to break away from a corrupt society because both of the stories are very similar.

Both of the stories, of Montag and of Equality, are similar in many ways. They both start of as individuals who are a part of the society and are apart of the big picture, a piece of the puzzle. But once they break away, the piece is missing and that ruins the whole picture. Both develop by means of dynamic and indirect characterization and this characterization shows individuals breaking away from a corrupt society when necessary. The two stories are also similar in the manner that they both realize that there needs to be a change in the society, whether it's for individuality or for knowledge, the two main characters recognize the need to change and rebel against society.

The authors demonstrate good use of dynamic and indirect characterization in the manner that they are able to convey the message of an individual distinguishing when a society needs to be questioned and to be rebelled against. It's when individuals begin to actually think, to think beyond the need to think, but to think because there's a want to think. To think thoughts that are different, to think thoughts that aren't manipulated, to be creative and think in a manner that would never be imagined, as long as that thought is in a positive manner. That is the moment that an individual will feel the need to change society.

You'll also notice the character that is most mainly focused on and the evil behind all the challenges. The main characters in the two books we're focusing on did have a lot of similarities like they were both brave about doing things that could betray their allies, both clever on sneaking way from places they were supposed to stay, and both were leaders when they had to lead their allies to safety. Both protagonists (who were not inanimate) had the goal to kill or harm the protagonist. Simon Frick from The Ravenmaster's Secret was sneaky and cruel and also the tower, who was another antagonist, was always gloomy and stopping Forrest from having freedom. On the contrary, Merkon from The Transall Saga wasn't that sneaky and was also from Forrest's time period. Also, the protagonists had their differences. Forrest wasn't that tough but he was friendly because he made friends with all those prisoners. Mark was ready for action and had a more hostile approach, which could have been the reason he had more enemies than Forrest. So there is a good and bad to every story.

However, a factor that could relate to the antagonist and protagonist is, believe it or not, the genre! The genre could decide if the people are realistic or unrealistic. The Ravenmaster's Secret didn't have real people in it and the event was made up. Likewise, The Transall Saga is just unrealistic because there is no such thing as a blue light that can be used for time travel. The Ravenmaster's Secret is historical-fiction because it was in the past in 1735. On the contrary, The Transall Saga was in the future and was made-up with all the going into the future, meeting cave-men like races, and a mysterious time- transporting light. So what could give a book it's tough and evilness deep within could all depend on the genre.

Setting is also an important factor because that could be what the whole book is based upon. Both books were related setting-wise because they were both on Earth. Yet, they were in very different time periods. The Transall Saga was somewhere in the future and you know that because Mark found all those Earth-related items. But, Forrest's time was in 1735 in London in the past. So if you have a fixed setting, you should stick with it or else your book might fall apart.

What can be worse than a bad ending? Usually, nothing. That is why you must have a solid ending to wrap up your story. Both books had epilogues which explained what happened when the main character grew up. But, The Ravenmaster's Secret's ending was full because it explained what happened when Forrest overcame the challenge but trailed on a bit with the epilogue. While, The Transall Saga's ending was short and abrupt. One minute he was fighting in a jungle in the future and the next he's a grown man in the middle of a shopping mall. An ending could mean a lot and you should always shoot for a nice ending.

It's there similarities and differences that bring this book together. Without differences our books would be dull and boring. But without similarities, you might not know what to read, just imagine a world without genres! Without these similarities and differences, there would be no fun in literature.