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Chasing Ray has started a Wicked Cool Overlooked Books Iniative in which she highlights--and asks other bloggers to highlight--titles that they feel deserve more attention and recognition.

Here is my pick for this month:

Garcia, Laura Gallego. 2005. THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING. Translated by Dan Bellm. New York: Arthur Levine (Scholastic). ISBN 0439585562

As a young man, Walid (Wah-leed) ibn Hujr dreamed of being a great man, a great ruler, and a great poet. He wanted to be loved, admired, appreciated, and respected. And since he was born a prince, son of King Hujr ruler of Kinda (in Arabia), he thought his dreams would be easily attained—especially since many thought he’d been touched by a djinn at birth. (Djinn being a genie). However, Walid failed to consider what fate had in mind.

A gifted and beloved prince, Walid was certain that he was the best poet in Kinda. Wanting to earn his father’s approval to go to Ukaz to enter a poetry contest, he organizes a smaller poetry contest for the kingdom of Kinda—arrogance and vanity assuring him that his winning is a matter of certainty.

However, when a peasant man—a carpet weaver—Hammad ibn al-Haddad, wins the contest three years in a row, the once magnanimous prince becomes embittered and resolves to make the peasant pay for his superiority. He forces the peasant to leave his home, his wife, and his three sons (a merchant, a shepherd, and his youngest son who has not chosen a career yet) to become the kingdom’s archivist and historian. He is told he must read and organize the kingdom’s archives (library). The task is monumental and overwhelming. He begs for mercy, but none is given. Walid does grant him this, however, if he can organize the archives and weave him a carpet, then he can be free to return to his home.

After four years, a thinner and wearier man presents himself to the King—Walid’s father having died in the subsequent years. Walid is surprised, yet wanting to remain a man of his word, he adds a stipulation to his earlier request: he must weave a carpet “that will contain the entire history of the human race” (62). Hammad is subsequently driven mad on his quest to create such a carpet, but in his madness finds unusual peace. Even Walid notices the change in him and becomes scared of him noting that there was something not quite human about him now. Once when Walid visited him in his workshop, Hammad tells him mysteriously, “Know that you are a mere mortal who has unleashed powers more terrible than a mighty storm, and that as a mortal, you cannot stop their wrath. Not anymore. It is far too late” (73).

After considering these seemingly prophetic words, Walid decides to release the man from his “curse” and allow him to go home. He opens the door to discover him dead, collapsed on the floor, and the completed carpet. One look at the carpet and Walid becomes convinced that the old man spoke the truth; in shame and fear, he locks the carpet into his secret room. But his life (and destiny) is forever changed. His kingdom begins to fall apart. His soldiers, his servants, his household begins to distrust him. Betrayal seems inevitable.

In the middle of the night, a former friend and advisor slip into the palace with two companions their goal to steal the king’s treasure. Instead of silver or gold, they find a carpet. The king is awakened by a nightmare about the carpet—and so being a paranoid man—he decides to make sure the carpet is still locked away. He discovers that his dream is all too true, just in time to receive a club on the head. As soon as he awakes, however, he dashes off to the stables for a horse so he can pursue the thieves; he’s still dressed in his nightgown!

Since his plan was foolhardy—to begin a dash across the desert without any provisions—it’s no surprise when he collapses in the sand certain that his death is hours away. He is saved by a stranger, an outlaw. But this close-call with death won’t be his last.

THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING is an adventure quest with unexpected twists and turns. As Walid sets out on his journey to recover the carpet and restore past wrongs, what he discovers is that it is never too late to change one’s self. It is an adventurous quest to restore and redeem his own life.

Set in Arabia in 6th century C.E., THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING is an exciting adventure story with probing questions. Is there such a thing as fate? Can a man ever truly make amends for his past mistakes? Is a man defined by his mistakes? Can a person really change his character?

First published in Spain in 2002, THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING has been translated into English by Dan Bellm. It is rich in pre-Islamic Arabic culture. An author’s note explains the time and culture which is depicted in the book. (Yes, the book is based loosely on a pre-Islamic legendary poet, Imru’l Qays.)

I reviewed Melanie McGrath's The Long Exile: A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic several months ago for Booklist. Even with a degree in Northern Studies, this was a story I was completely unaware of and it blew me away. Basically, in the 1950s, the Canadian government relocated several Inuit families to the barren wasteland (and I mean that literally) of Ellesmere Island. It was a bizarre social experiment aimed at proving that the Inuit would do better if forced back in time - forced to act more like the people the whites thought they should be. Part of its extreme failure was due to the fact that everything these people knew how to do as far as hunting and fishing was impossible in Ellesmere. In other worlds, they were being asked to not only live like their ancestors, but do it in a place where their ancestors chose not to live.

And so they died. Many many many of them died.

If The Long Exile was a dry academic tome then I might understand why it has been relatively unnoticed. But McGrath wrote this book as a piece of "historical detection" according to the starred review in Kirkus, and I completely agree. She has the testimony of those who grew up in Ellesmere and the reams of reports and findings from the many government employees involved in the relocation. This is not a book about how McGrath thinks it might have been in Ellesmere, it is a book about how it was - and why it was - according to those who lived it. The payoff is the 1994 Royal Commission on Aborignal People report which determined that contrary to claims that the Inuit were relocated to ease population overcrowding, "The goal of the relocation was to restore the Inuit to what was considered to be their proper state."

Even though their "proper state" was not Ellesmere and these Inuit were generations removed from the life they were forced back into.

The commission concluded:

"The relocation was an ill-conceived solution that was inhuman in its design and its effects. The conception, planning, execution and continuing supervision of the relocation did not accord with Canada's then prevailing international human rights commitments.

Great wrongs have been done to the relocatees, and it is incumbent on the government to accept the fundamental merit of the relocatees' complaints. This acceptance is the only basis upon which reconciliation between the Inuit and the government is possible."

There were sixteen families sent to the high Arctic between 1953 and 1955. They were promised they could return if they were unhappy there. Although they repeatedly begged to go back to the eastern shore of Hudson's Bay, the government refused their wishes. There was a boat only once a year; there were no roads, no aircraft, no trails. They were marooned by their own government for no discernible reason other than a conviction on the part of several members of that government that they knew better where native peoples should live. They suffered and they died and still those in charge called the experiment a success. They could not accept that the solution for the Inuit and the whites was much more complicated than simply moving them away; they thought the "happy eskimo" would save themselves in the wild but it doesn't happen that way when cultures clash in modern times and it never will.

If you have any interest in indigenous peoples or social justice or anthropology then you will love The Long Exile. If you want to see what a dedicated journalist can accomplist then by all means read this book. It is exceedingly well written and compelling from start to finish. My Booklist review was starred for this one, and for good reason. McGrath is a great nonfiction talent, and I hope she has chosen another unknown topic to shed some light on for her next book.

Other WIcked Cool Overlooked Books today:

At Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Jules and Eisha

This month's Wicked Cool Overlooked Book is At the Firefly Gate, by Linda Newbery. This one hasn't been completely overlooked: Tasha reviewed it at Kids Lit, Gina Ruiz reviewed it for Blog Critics (and, first, at AmoxCalli), and I reviewed it here.

But, to date, At the Firefly Gate is my favorite Middle Grade title of the year and I'm surprised it hasn't garnered the attention that, say, The Book Thief or Kiki Strike did last year. And that's because At the Firefly Gate is a quieter, less showy title. But, At the Firefly Gate is one of those books that remind you why you read in the first place. Part ghost story, part historical fiction, At the Firefly Gate enthralls to the very end.

Thanks to Colleen at Chasing Ray for setting aside the first Monday of every month for Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

I've written before about Jo Walton's Farthing and why this book has impressed me so very much. But I've been exchanging emails with Jenny D. recently on the book and why we both are so enamored with it and Walton (we are each reading the "sequel", Ha' Penny right now) and I've been wondering why it is not better known. In the SFF circles it has gained some notice and awards recognition but I have heard nothing about Farthing on any of the literary blogs. It doesn't seem to have garnered the kind of buzz that it should and while I have my suspicions as to why (genre genre genre); it still really ticks me off.

This is a well written, thought provoking, intense and smart murder mystery that nicely uses history to skewer everything we think we know about security, freedom and compromise. It's England and America, it's the 1949 that was and was not and the 21st century that most certainly is. Farthing is the kind of book that will make you shake your head, nod your head and roll your eyes in wonder.

It is flat out the real deal folks. And all of you should read it - I mean that. Every single one of you needs to find a copy of this book and read it.

So what makes it so powerful? (So incredibly, steathly powerful?) Well for one, it sneaks up on you. First you are just reading an alt history novel (and why alternate history sometimes ends up in SFF and sometimes doesn't - if it's written by someone sufficiently "literary" - I will never know. Why is alternate history considered SF at all? Isn't it still just a historical novel? There's no time travel - it's just an imagined was, rather than a realistic one. Who decided this was SF? Do we just not know what to call it?) and you are along for the ride, noticing all the differences from true history but still experiencing a murder mystery set at a wealthy British country estate. So far, not really so different. But as the plot unfolds and the murder is investigated more and more of the strangeness - the alienness - of Walton's world is revealed. The US did not "save" Europe in WW2, there was a compromise with Hitler, France was lost - the continent was lost - and Churchill did not get to make his stirring speech about only fearing fear itself.

Some people prospered in the deals with Germany and some did not. I'll give you one guess on the poor folks who really got screwed - they weren't friends of Hitler's in the real history either.

But other than alluding to the poltiics involved, Walton keeps the story small. There is a murder and the cast of characters who are the suspects are a microcosm of England's ills. They have made their deals and alliances as well, and they have their petty hatreds too. Everyone is out for something or to get someone (just like war when you think about it) and poor Inspector Peter Carmichael is struggling to keep them all straight, let alone get to the bottom of the crime. It soon becomes clear that the murder is only the tip of the iceberg for what is going on out at "Farthing". It's far bigger than just one dead man and far more frightening. In the end, Carmichael is stunned to discover just what this plot is about and why it had to happen that particular weekend, among those specific guests. By then he foolishly thinks he knows what is going on - that he knows everything. But Jo Walton is not about to let us think that wars are so easily ended (as if we need to be reminded of that right now); or that a compromised peace brings some measure of freedom.

We are never safe until we are free - all of us, she reminds us with Farthing. And that may be an ugly truth, but still it is an honest one. There are more things to be afraid of then war it seems and by the end of this book I was scared indeed, not from what I read, but from what I now understood. It's so easy to believe you are safe just because someone tells you so - it's so easy to believe that you must give up everything they ask from you in order to maintain that safety. It's always so damn easy to do what you are told.

But there is a price, Walton reveals - there is a big ass price to be paid. And now more than ever I am suspicious of that; I am suspicious of everyone who wants to promise me the moon without telling me how much it will cost.

Farthing is a brilliant look at modern society and combines so many genres (mystery, history, family drama) that I believe it is impossible to classify as any one. It is a thinking book, the kind that will stay with you for weeks and weeks (months) after reading it. For coming up with this sort of drama, Jo Walton has proven herself to be not just a writer but a thinker of great value. She is giving us a mirror and inviting us to see. Be brave and read Farthing; I promise it will not disappoint.

Kirkus reviewed Amaryllis by Curtis Crist-Evans as the "...the finest depiction of war we've yet seen." This is a great statement, but please - PLEASE - don't think that you have to be the slightest bit interested in war fiction to be impressed by this book. One of the reasons why I think it has gone a bit undernoticed is because of reviewers who aren't fond of historical fiction or war books and think that is what the book is all about. It does take place during the Vietnam War, one of the main characters does enlist and go to Vietnam and he does write letters about his experiences to his younger brother, who stayed behind. So yes - all of that makes it a book about war.

But, Amaryllis is also about brothers, and families and growing up. It is as much a coming-of-age story as war story, as much about what happens to Jimmy Staples who remains in Florida as it is about his big brother Frank who slowly unravels in the jungles of Vietnam.

It's about the non-glory of war and the pain of being left behind; about what parents don't understand about their children, what girls do sometimes understand about boys and what brothers need to know about each other. There's also Florida surfing (something I know a thing or two about), finding gators in the swamp and houses with jalousie windows. It's as much about what Florida used to be as it is about the war we once fought. And it is completely - and compellingly - about that invisible barrier that must be crossed by teenage boys on the way to becoming young men. Far too few books are written about how boys grow up, and Amaryllis is one of the best on this subject I've ever read. As Jimmy stumbles along at the beach and home, slowly finding his way in the larger world, and Frank falls to pieces in the place he thought would make him a man, readers are able to witness a very honest portrayal of what it is like to make that transition to adulthood. They see Frank and Jimmy in the beginning, as carefree surfers, and they see them at the end, after so much has gone to hell. It's gripping, it's beautiful and it's hard to walk away from.

Amaryllis is a book I reviewed over a year ago and have not been able to forget. More folks should know about it and for sure, it should be recommended to every teenage boy you know. (Pair it with The Things They Carried for the ultimate look at boys and life, and men and war.) If there's anyway you can fit this title into your summer reading list (or even better, a high school curriculum), don't pass up on the chance. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

Colleen Mondor over at Chasing Ray has started a new Monday series called Wicked Cool Overlooked Books. You know the ones. The books you reviewed a year or two ago, but still haven't forgotten. The ones that didn't win any of the major awards for one reason or another. Yeah, those Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

My first choice is T.K. Welsh's The Unresolved. I reviewed this novel in October of 2006 for The Edge of the Forest. I loved this novel for its beautiful prose, its telling of a true story in an unusual way, and its hardheaded (deceased) narrator.

One of the many things that has come up in all this blog vs print review madness, is that bloggers should spend more of their time writing long indepth reviews that champion books then running author interviews, link lists or entries full of pithy comments. As it happens, I spend a lot of time writing about great books that I wish the rest of the world would read. (Start with this most impressive essay collection on Abu Ghraib and the nature of violence in America.) I don't want to spend time arguing about who does more for relatively unknown books, but I will make it easy to find out about them (at least here). Starting next Monday, I will be spending the first Monday of every month singing the praises of a "Wicked Cool Overlooked Book". It might be YA or adult, or even a picture book. All genres are welcome (you guys know I'm just open-minded that way) and even the occasional comic book might be discussed. My goal is to write about books that few others (anywhere) seem to have noticed. This is something I think newspaper reviewers do not have the time and space (or possibly inclination) to do - but lit bloggers can - heck the big thing everyone has been talking about is that we answer to no one but ourselves.

Mad with power, anyone?

Check back here on Monday for my latest overlooked book recommendation. (I will be posting on other things before that, of course.) If anyone else wants to join the party feel free to comment or email and linking will commence.

Honestly, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm tired of listening to people who don't have a clue give their opinions on what I do, why I do it and what I'm wearing right now. (For the curious, it's not pajamas, I'm not in a basement, and I'm not anywhere near Terre Haute.) I read, I write, I blog. Come Monday I'm using my power (such that it is) to champion a title that I love.

Call me crazy, but who could possibly have a problem with that?

Here's one for the unaware-of-the-concept that crocodiles+available human=snack.

This definitely belongs in the people-unaware-of-the-end-result or he-should-have-known-better file.

So this man who is a zoo veterinarian no less indicating that he has experience with dangerous animals, enters the crocodile compound or cage or whatever and wherever crocs live, in Taiwan. According to the report he was in the crocodile's cage to give it an aenesthetic dart since it was sick, given the crocs propensity to bite without provocation. At the point where he was about to remove the tranquilizer dart and not noticing that it i.e. the croc, wasn't fully aenesthesised, the crocodile made its move biting off the man's fore-arm.

Again, it makes one (me) wonder how a person in his i.e. the veterinarian's situation could have missed this very important fact or reality.

Initial reports indicated that shots fired at the crocodile by a co-worker killed the beast however an updated report now claims that no bullet holes have been found in its hide.

Darn - there goes another crocodile purse! Seriously though...

According to a zoo worker the crocodile was shocked perhaps at the fact that it was a target and opened its mouth to let go of the arm. A video report shows the police officer firing at the animal to retrieve the arm.

Anyway...the bottom line to all of this is that the arm was rushed to the hospital where it was re-attached. Here is the "before" photo:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21543403-2,00.html

There is no report on how the crocodile is doing.