具体描述
内容简介
Unfortunately, Roy’s first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn’t been sinking his thumbs into Roy’s temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and–here’s the odd part–wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy’s trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida.
作者简介
When one thinks of the classics of pulp fiction, certain things -- gruff, amoral antiheroes, unflinching nihilism, and a certain melodramatic self-seriousness -- inevitably come to mind. However, the novels of Carl Hiaasen completely challenge these pulpy conventions. While the pulp of yesteryear seems forever chiseled in an almost quaint black and white world, Hiaasen's books vibrate with vivid color. They are veritable playgrounds for wild characters that flout clichés: a roadkill-eating ex-governor, a bouncer/assassin who takes care of business with a Weed Wacker, a failed alligator wrestler named Sammy Tigertail. Furthermore, Hiaasen infuses his absurdist stories with a powerful dose of social and political awareness, focusing on his home turf of South Florida with an unflinching keenness.
Hiaasen was born and raised in South Florida. During the 1970s, he got his start as a writer working for Cocoa Today as a public interest columnist. However, it was his gig as an investigative reporter for The Miami Herald that provided him with the fundamentals necessary for a career in fiction. "I'd always wanted to write books ever since I was a kid," Hiaasen told Barnes & Noble.com. "To me, the newspaper business was a way to learn about life and how things worked in the real world and how people spoke. You learn all the skills -- you learn to listen, you learn to take notes -- everything you use later as a novelist was valuable training in the newspaper world. But I always wanted to write novels."
Hiaasen made the transition from journalism to fiction in 1981 with the help of fellow reporter Bill Montalbano. Hiaasen and Montalbano drew upon all they had learned while covering the Miami beat in their debut novel Powder Burn, a sharp thriller about the legendary Miami cocaine trade, which the New York Times declared an "expertly plotted novel." The team followed up their debut with two more collaborative works before Hiaasen ventured out on his own with Tourist Season, an offbeat murder mystery that showcased the author's idiosyncratic sense of humor.
From then on, Hiaasen's sensibility has grown only more comically absurd and more socially pointed, with a particular emphasis on the environmental exploitation of his beloved home state. In addition to his irreverent and howlingly funny thrillers (Double Whammy, Sick Puppy, Nature Girl, etc), he has released collections of his newspaper columns (Kick Ass, Paradise Screwed) and penned children's books (Hoot, Flush). With his unique blend of comedy and righteousness ("I can't be funny without being angry."), the writer continues to view hallowed Florida institutions -- from tourism to real estate development -- with a decidedly jaundiced eye. As Kirkus Reviews has wryly observed, Hiassen depicts "...the Sunshine State as the weirdest place this side of Oz."
精彩书评
"Hiaasen, a columnist for the Miami Herald and the author of many best-selling novels for adults about the wild and wacky side of the state of Florida, offers a hoot of a read here in his first novel for YAs. Roy is the new kid in town, a student at Trace Middle School in Coconut Cove. From the school bus window, as a bully is harassing him, Roy spots a barefoot boy his age running by, and he becomes intrigued. Roy follows the boy, and gradually learns that he is involved in trying to protect the nesting site of some rare burrowing owls. This site is currently an empty lot that is about to be turned into a pancake house by a corporate executive called Chuck Muckle, with the assistance of a bald foreman called Curly. Adventures and misadventures ensue alligators pop up in portable potties and a tough girl takes a bite out of Roy's bike tire before Roy works out a way to get revenge on the bully and help the barefoot boy save the owls. My 14-year-old daughter read this and liked it, calling it "clever and funny" and commenting "it was interesting how the plots came together." Hiaasen's trademark over-the-top humor and satire, along with his concern for safeguarding Florida's wildlife, come through clearly and will entertain readers. Here's hoping he continues to write for YAs. Recommended for junior high school students."
-- KLIATT
迷雾中的低语:一个关于勇气、友谊与失落家园的故事 书名: 《迷雾中的低语》 作者: [虚构作者姓名,例如:艾莉丝·詹金斯] 页数: [约 400 页] 装帧: 精装 目标读者: 10 岁及以上 --- 故事梗概 在被古老橡树和潺潺溪流环绕的“静水谷”里,生活着一群与世无争的生物。这里的宁静,如同被封存在琥珀中的时光,美好而脆弱。故事的主人公是小狐狸芬恩(Finn),一个生性好奇、却又有些胆怯的年轻生命。芬恩的梦想是能够像传说中的老探险家一样,穿过神秘的“低语之森”,到达山谷尽外的世界。 然而,这份宁静很快被打破了。 一切始于一场突如其来的“寂静”。以往清晨总是充满活力的虫鸣、鸟叫声,乃至风吹过芦苇的沙沙声,都消失了。取而代之的是一种令人不安的、几乎听不见的低语,仿佛大地本身在叹息。动物们开始感到恐慌,最让他们忧心的是,赖以生存的“月光草地”——一种能吸收夜间微光的珍稀植物——正在以前所未有的速度枯萎。 长老们声称,这是对打破古老契约的惩罚,但年轻一代,特别是芬恩,坚信这背后隐藏着更真实、更紧迫的威胁。当芬恩最好的朋友,一只名叫莉拉(Lila)的敏捷的雪貂,为了寻找治愈枯萎的方法,独自冒险进入了从未有人敢踏足的“幽暗沼泽”后,芬恩知道他不能再躲在安全的洞穴里。 芬恩决定踏上旅程,去寻找传说中掌握着古老智慧的“织梦者”。他的旅程将穿越崎岖的“碎石坡”,横渡湍急的“银刃河”,并最终深入低语之森的中心。 主要角色 1. 芬恩 (Finn): 主人公,一只比同龄的狐狸略显瘦小,但观察力极强的小狐狸。他最大的特点是拥有一对异常灵敏的耳朵,这让他能捕捉到常人忽略的微小声响,也因此让他对突如其来的“寂静”感到无比恐惧和警觉。他必须克服自己对未知的恐惧,学会相信自己的直觉。 2. 莉拉 (Lila): 芬恩的挚友,一只行动迅速、敢于冒险的雪貂。她性格外向、乐观,是团队中的行动派。她的失踪成为推动芬恩前进的主要动力。 3. 老巴纳比 (Old Barnaby): 静水谷中最年长的獾,是知识的守护者。他口述着关于山谷历史的古老故事,但他的记忆正随着月光草地的衰败而逐渐模糊,他代表着传统与对过去的依赖。 4. 塞拉斯 (Silas): 一只独居的渡鸦,以其黑色羽毛和闪烁着智慧光芒的眼睛而闻名。他是一名中立的观察者,总是在关键时刻出现,用充满谜语的话语引导芬恩,但他是否完全值得信赖,是旅途中最大的悬念之一。 核心主题与冲突 主题: 倾听的艺术: 故事探讨了在噪音和混乱中,真正“倾听”自然和彼此的含义。寂静本身有时比喧嚣更具威胁性。 成长的代价: 芬恩必须学会分辨何时应该服从传统,何时必须质疑权威,并为自己的选择承担责任。 生态的关联性: 静水谷的危机揭示了万物相连的自然法则。一个微小环节的缺失,如何能引发整个生态系统的连锁反应。 冲突: 外部冲突: 威胁静水谷的“寂静”并非自然现象,而是由一种未知的、似乎正在“吸收”声音和生命力的“灰影”所致。芬恩必须找到阻止灰影的方法,并在它完全吞噬山谷前,解救被困在沼泽深处的莉拉。 内部冲突: 芬恩必须克服他的“过度敏感”——这种特质使他在过去经常被同伴嘲笑为胆小——并将其转化为对抗敌人的强大武器。他需要从一个被动的倾听者,转变为积极的行动者。 旅程中的关键场景 1. 遗忘的图书馆: 芬恩和老巴纳比一同前往山谷深处一个被藤蔓覆盖的岩洞,那里是巴纳比珍藏的古老记录存放地。他们发现的不是魔法咒语,而是一份关于不同生物对“光线与声音”需求的详细记录,暗示了生态失衡的真正根源。 2. 银刃河的考验: 在穿越河流时,芬恩遇到了由一群因家园被毁而变得充满敌意的河狸。他必须运用他非凡的听觉,分辨出河狸头领的痛苦呼喊,而不是被它们集体制造的假象所迷惑,从而赢得它们的帮助。 3. 织梦者的迷宫: 在低语之森的核心,芬恩找到了织梦者——一个古老的、看似毫无生气的巨型真菌网络。他发现织梦者并不是一个生物,而是一个复杂的生物交流系统。要唤醒它,芬恩必须在寂静中发出一种只有特定频率才能触发的“原声”。 故事高潮 当芬恩最终找到莉拉时,她已经被灰影的力量困在一个近乎完全静止的琥珀状物质中。灰影的真正身份揭晓:它并非邪恶的怪物,而是一种古老的地衣菌群,因人类(或者更早期的居民)过度开采月光草地,导致其生态平衡被打破,地衣菌群为了自我保护而“休眠”并开始抽取周围的能量以维持自身存活。 芬恩意识到,用武力无法解决问题。他必须利用从图书馆和织梦者那里学到的知识,恢复被破坏的生态平衡。他需要用他那双特殊的耳朵,去精确地“演奏”出一种能让地衣菌群重新回到休眠状态,而非过度扩张的特定频率组合。 在最后一刻,芬恩屏住呼吸,释放出他积累的所有力量和专注力,发出了一段复杂而悠扬的音符。这段声音穿透了灰影的屏障,唤醒了莉拉,也让地衣菌群找到了它们需要的“宁静”。 结局展望 静水谷的生命力开始缓慢恢复。月光草地重新泛起微光,鸟儿的歌声重新回荡。芬恩不再是一个胆怯的旁观者,他成为了山谷的“倾听者”和“平衡者”。他学会了真正的勇气,不是不害怕,而是带着恐惧依然前行,并且懂得尊重自然界中每一个微小的声音和生命。他与莉拉重聚,他们都知道,平静的生活来之不易,需要世代守护。 --- 《迷雾中的低语》:这是一部关于如何在新世界中找到自己声音的冒险故事,它邀请年轻的读者思考:当我们看不见危险时,我们是否还能用耳朵去感知?