|
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK |  Made a mess of adding my challenge,tried editing and instead ended up with two.Also meant it to be private so I could do a lot of books,and it went public willy nilly Ah well,hope Dave can remove the other thread for me.,and will remain public just so as to share
Another problem is I wanted to do 50 books,but had to fix it at 12 just in case anyone else wants to join.Never mind,I will use this thread to show my progress towards 50 books over the year.Any comments on books always welcome,no need to be doing the challenge to post here.Have a great reading year with this brilliant RYO challenge.I should imagine it can be used again every year since it is so versatile.Happy reading folks. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Already read some good books on WWEnd lists so far this year
1. David Brin - Startide Rising.
Loved this book,which combined lots of adventure,lots of aliens,and great themes in one hugely enjoyable package.Hope to get to The Uplift Wars soon.. The idealistic tone of most of the human/dolphin relationship was reminiscent of Star Trek TOS..
2. Philip Jose Farmer - To Your Scattered Bodies Go.
Another book full of rip-roaring adventure,with very grandiose themes and a truly original setting.Perhaps the writing didnt quite live up to the themes,and people will moan about sexism,but apart from dragging a bit in places,it was a fun read,and I hope to continue the seriesIn these PC days where smoking is almost demonised it felt very odd to see cigarettes and cigars among the necessities the reborn were given for their new life.
3. Lois McMaster Bujold - Captain Vorpatril's Alliance.
At last our Ivan has met his match.Another delightful visit to Miles Vorkosigan's universe,though sadly we see little of Miles himself.Good fun though to see a little more of the periphery characters,usually overshadowed by the charismatic Miles.I never feel we et enough of Emperor Gregor..This book was set one year before the last Miles book,Cryoburn,so the story is not overshadowed by the heavy loss at the end of that book.Not sure what will happen next with this series,but it has been consistently entertaining now for the best part of 30 years
Edited by dustydigger 2014-01-21 3:36 PM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Have been reading some fascinating stuff towwards my 50 books for the year.
4. Laurell K Hamilton - A Kiss of Shadows
A fn read about a Fae princess who has been hiding among mortals from her murderous relatives.Wonderful descriptions of the glittering FaeDark Court court.In this genre usually I find it a bit odd when Irish beings of myth are wandering around in modern day America,but Hamilton had an ingenious solution.Apparently Thomas Jefferson invited the Fae to live in US when things were getting too hot in Europe,and allowed them to take over themagical Mounds of Cahokia,,Missourian they built their fairy mound ther after ousting native magical beasts.Hamilton before she turned to soft porn. See review.
5. Franny Billinsley - The Folk Keeper.
Excellent YA tale of a girl whose job it is to placate the fairies on an estate.No glamorous creatures here.They are just hungry vicious creatures who will harm crops and animals if not placated.Waiting impatiently for Dave to add this to WWEnd as it is a fine choice for the YA challenge.
6. Richard Matheson - Hell House
A classic of the horror genre,about a group of people who go to explore a notorious haunted house where many people died,suicided or went mad investigating.Not all will leave the houseMy review is on the February blog if you are interested.
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Just wanted to say hello to those kind people who joined my challenge.I think it is suitable for those who may not want to read 12 books on one particular theme.If you are like me anyway you are forever reading something offlist.well,as long as it is on WWEnd,you can add it here! :0)
@ Rhonda,you are whizzing through!.I want to read some Leigh Brackett too,but she's not available in my library sadly.I am one of the minority who didnt take to Red Mars at all.Why does the theme always have to be intrigue among settlersI loved the descriptions of Mars,but was most disappointed that there was very little actual terraforming. in the book.Enjoyed much more a fun Heinlein juvenile, Farmer in the Sky, about a boy who goes off to Ganymede to carve out a farm from the rock.A lot of interesting details about the difficulties of homesteading. Good fun,and informative at the same time.Wish I could find such books today!
Edited by dustydigger 2014-02-13 6:48 AM
| |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 770
Location: SC, USA | Dusty, the Pick and Mix fits so well with my other RYO challenges. I don't know if I could knock out 50 list books this year like you plan to, but I'll probably be able to read 24 that fit another challenge and Pick and Mix as well. My primary goal is the 35. I have too many unread books in my house (and on the iPad!). About Leigh Brackett, many of her pulp stories are no longer in copyright, so you can find them in various formats online. Take a look at the website Arthur's Classic Novels to find much of her pulp in html format. Happy Reading. I'm currently snowed in in South Carolina, so I should be able to make some progress on The Master and Margarita today. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Hi Rhonda,thanks for the info about the Clarke website.I'll have a look - in about 6 months time!.I had a challenge over on shelfari to read 144 books,and about half of those were in the SF/F/H field anyway,so I was delighted with this years WWEnd challenge.I can use so many in duplicate challenges.And any that dont flt the formal challenges from my 12x12 on shelfari will fit here in Pick and Mix.Must say I am still eyeing some of the other challenges here,but that would add even more books to my challenge TBR - around 170 at the moment.
Have you any time these days for crime novels? This year one of my categories on 12x12 is new to me crime authors,I was in a bit of a rut or getting bored with my usual authors,so this year I intend to read at least one book by, Nancy Atherton,Sam Bourne,Cara Black,Deborah Crombie,Joan Hess,Chris Kusneski,Michael Prescott,Peter Robinson,Charles Todd,Imogen Robertson,and Maj Siowall (cant believe I have never read the Martin Beck series!) Having a break from the vintage crime area,though I will try to squeeze in another of my Margery Allingham rereads..Got to keep the reading fresh! | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | @ Scott Laz.Thanks for joining my challenge,Scott!.I see you have added Double Star. Last year I was reading as many Heinleins,especially the juveniles) as I could find. I enjoyed Double Star,but was disappointed that we didnt see very much of the aliens,would have loved to have seen more of their private life.
I know you are a graphic novel fan.This year I have pencilled in a few - Akira,Ghost in the Shell,Neil Gaiman's Sandman series(Doll's House nd Dream Country are waiting for me at the library now).Last week I finished Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds,which was ery different from most manga I have come across.Very interesting,and Nausicaa was sweet,but I found the different nations confusing,and never really totally graasped the complicated ecological things.The artwork too was a bit difficult,very ''busy''.But a good read.I will get to all those other recommendations you ,Rhonda,and galleyangel gave me - eventually.....sigh...repeat after me,so many books so little time. | |
| | |
Member
Posts: 36
Location: CA | Hey we got some cool new cover art for our challenge, very nice! Kudos all involved!
Cheers,
O. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Hi there Doc E,and welcome to my challenge.Nice to see a new member enthusiastically joining in.Dont know what it is about SF fans,but they are not very chatty as a whole.lol.Feel free at any time to chat here about what you are reading,or about anything I have added here,or is on my shelf.Good to see you are now adding books to your shelf..
Yes,I agree about our banner being cool,so we are no longer vaguely ghost like.
Any particularly criteria for the challenges? eg,are you more list orientated,or award books orientated? I could spend hours just browsing WWEnd,its a fantastic site. | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 770
Location: SC, USA | Hey Dusty, as for mystery/crime I am very old school, especially since I got my iPad. I've been enjoying reading out of copyright (and often out of print) books on Project Gutenberg. John Buchan, Baroness Orczy's Old Man in the Corner, Maurice Le Blanc's Lupin series, and Chesterton's Father Brown. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | I m a major fan of Project Gutenberg .I've read the Old Man in the Corner,which had an odd ending.Of course I read 39 Steps,but didnt really take to it.I LOVE Father Brown,especially Innocence.so otherworldly in a way,atmospheric and infused with an intense feeling for the English countryside.I am always meaning to get round to The Man Who Was Thursday...maybe next year? This last year I have lived on Gutenberg,reading loads of weird fiction by the likes of Lord Dunsany,Clark Ashton Smith,Machen,Blackwood,Poe,and at the moment I am reading Lovecraft.Great stuff | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Oops,goy far behind in tracking my reading for the 50 book challenge.Here are the books I have been reading.
7. Alan Garner - Boneland.The adult novel is the finishing book of the Alderley Edge series which started with the two children's books Weirdstone of Brisingamen and Moon of Gomrath,a mere 50 years ago!. It was interesting,,often poignant but not an easy read as it was two stories set millenia apart intertwined,so it took some time to get the hang of it..Still mulling over my reactions to it.
8. Roger Zelazny - This Immortal. Ah,the joys of early Zelazny,the pyrotechnics of style,the humour,the prodigal tossing out of ideas that could have furnished a whole series for another author,the sheer zest of it all.Here we have a post nuclear war Earth,where the continents are too hot to live on,mutated humans can look like beasts of ancient mythology,and thee owners of earth are blueskinned aaliens from Vega. Oh,and the hero seems to be immortal,since for centuries he has looked 30 years old.A synopsis would sound crazy,but in short he is taking a Vegan around the ancient glories of Egypt ,Greece and Rome. Only Zelazny would have the chutzpah to toss in higgledy piggledy a Haitian Voodoo ceremony,an albino vampire,a hitman called Hasan(yes,Hasan the Assassin) ,satyrs in the woods,cannabalistic humans and a huge metal dog!.Zelazny carries it all off with verve and confidence and its all an enjoyable romp.Developed from a novella called And Call Me Conrad,this book shared the Hugo Award with Frank Herbert's Dune.Not so shabby for your first novel. I loved this book,with its mythology,but then I am a dyed in the wool Zelazny faan since I read Nine Princes in Amber and Lord of light well over 40 years ago.
| |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 263
Location: Gunnison, Colorado | Dusty: I didn't see your post until today, but thanks for the welcome (and it's good to see you back hanging out more at WWEnd). Over the last few years, I've been working on four book lists (Pringle's SF, Pringle's Modern Fantasy, Cawthorn/Moorcock's Best 100 Fantasy [not on the site], and Broderick/Di Filippo's 101 Best SF), so a challenge that I can do while still working on those projects is perfect! I enjoyed Double Star more than other Heinleins I've read, and have plans for a couple more this year (The Door into Summer and Have Space Suit--Will Travel), but he's never been one of my big favorites. I'd be curious to see what you think of Sandman, which was my favorite comics series while it was running. A new sequel miniseries by Gaiman and J. H. Williams just started, and the first issue looks like a worthy successor to the original series. I still haven't actually read any of Gaiman's novels, but consider him one of the top comics writers. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Hi Scott! I am still plugging away at the NPR list,because most of the lists on WWEnd have lots of hard to locate books on them. I was glad to see I am able to get all but 6 of the books necessary to do the list through my library Using quite a few off the NPR for the challenges here this year,should come up to about 80% and finishthe list next yeart next year. Hey,we cant all be like the super achiever Engelbrecht!
I was frustrated that I couldnt located The Sandman,but a recent new edition has come into the library,and I have read the first three.I was blown away by this seriesOf course I am no expert on graphic art,and have only the dimmest knowledge of the DC comic heroes mentioned,but the story telling was mesmerising,alternating between beauty and horror,as you would expect from Gaiman.Outstanding things?The 24 hour diner section in Preludes,absolutely terrifying.The serial killer convention in Doll's House,hilarious and horrifying at the same time And the Midsummer Night's Dream section in Dream Country What a brilliant idea to have the real fairies sitting watching Shakespeare,Babbage ad Co acting out the play about them,and Puck well,just being Puck really.Good stuff.Looking forward to vol 4,Season of Mists Loved .Tut tut, you havent read American Gods yet? | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 263
Location: Gunnison, Colorado | dusty... The "Midsummer Night's Dream" story is the single issue that still sticks in my mind the most. Charles Vess is my favorite artist for fantasy-type illustration. And the Corinthian is definitely one of the most memorable characters, so I'd say your reactions are similar to mine. So far, I've signed up for this challenge along with the "Fantasia" one, so maybe I can fit in American Gods before the end of the year... | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | AScott,s I said,I know zilch about graphic art,but even I was transported by Gaiman and Vess's Instructions,which gives excellent advice on how to get safely through the world of fairytales - or life itself.Hints and allusions to fairytales abound,and Vess's illustrations are perfect,a sort of muted,almost misty world,understated but evocative.Loved it,and I am looking around for Blueberry Girl now. | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 770
Location: SC, USA | Dusty, I think Season of Mists is my favorite. I know that I liked A Game of You less than all the others, so I will be interested to see what you have to say about the next two issues.
Rhonda | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Rhonda,it seems Mists is a favourite for many people.I am waiting for Mists and A Game of You to come in .Reflections is already here on my shelf.Waiting on the vagaries of the library system,where one book comes in 2 days,another even six months later!
Wow! You are blazing through your reading,11 out of 12 already! Only Hyperion left.What an amazing book that is. I was reading it in October last year,around Halloween,and I have to say that that was a very appropriate time for it.Some of the tales are pretty harrowing. Warning - creatures you do NOT want to annoy - number one,the Shrike!.
I am not reading much SF at the moment,as I am working my way through a crime author list.Read 90/100.I am reading Michael Bishop's Transfigurations though,and while absorbing and fascinating,it is a very dense work,and very slow going.After that it will be Revelation Space,which I am looking forward to | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 770
Location: SC, USA | Dusty, I'm very close to finishing Pick and Mix and the Guardian challenge. Most of my unread books fit those two so I didn't have to look hard to find books to fit them. . In fact, I'd like to do the Guardian x2 because there are several books on it that I should read. I am about 100 pages into Hyperion, and I like it very much. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Congratulations on finishing your Pick and Mix challeenge Rhonda!.Some interesting reads there.I always thought Solaris was unbearably slow.Hyperion was brilliant,my first Simmons book,and of course I had to read Fall of Hyperion immediately.Different,not so much impact but still a good read.I seem to be in a minority about KSRs Red Mars,I was very disappointed in it,Oh for a book about the terraforming of Mars that actually has some solid terraforming in it.It seems books about Mars have to be about political manouevering and skullduggery,revolts and revolutions..The format annoyed me too.We learn early on of the death of a character,then go back and follow him for 100s of pages,he was one of the few characters in the book I liked!Anyhoo,thanks for doing the challenge Rhonda,and good luck with the 35 challenge.Should be a snap at the rate you are reading! | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 770
Location: SC, USA | Thanks, Dusty. Much of the "summarizing" of Solarian scholarship was very slow. I read a newer translation that is supposed to be better than the one that was only available until last year (or maybe a bit earlier). I just finished Hyperion, and the jury is still out for me. I liked the stories better than the overall plot, and I've read that the second book is told from a different POV. i don't think I'm going to run out to buy Fall of Hyperion right away, but I'll probably get to it eventually. As for Red Mars, I wrote in my review that it could be 100 pages shorter and no one would miss them. I got so tired of reading about people driving/flying around Mars and describing what they saw. I'm still looking for the book that will make me say "Wow!" so far nothing I've read this year has been that astounding. However, I might have thought that about The Handmaid's Tale, if I didn't know so much about it when I started. I'm about to start KSR's Years of Rice and Salt, so that might take me to the end of the month, as it is 800 pages and I have a stack of student essays coming in soon. Cheers! Rhonda. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Some of the books I have read for my challenges.
9. Maggie Stiefvater - Scorpio Races.(R) I thoroughly enjoyed this story of magic horses,vicious and flesh eating,who are tamed to run in the Scorpio race,but who always try to get back to the seaInteresting characters and a vivid setting made this book read for the 2014 YA Challenge an exciting read.The wild island,with its wild weather is almot a character in itself.
10 .Anne McCaffrey - All the Weyrs of Pern . I recently reread the Harper Hall trilogy and couldnt resist a return visit to the culmination of the Dragonriders of Pern seresFor mllenia Thread has been coming from space and the people of Pern,stranded colonists slowly have engineered dragons to fight the menacce.Now when an ancient computer has been uncovered,at last a plan to remove Thread for ever can be put into practice.A delightful and satisfying climax to the core series.Read for the Fantasia challenge
11.William Gibson - Neuromancer.Massively influential and seminal cyberpunk novel about a disparate group of people manipulated by a rather paranoid AI who wants to cast off the restraints imposed by society as to the size and power of AIs and merge with its twin.Under the flash and dazzle of the style and the setting,this is basically a crime caper novel where the group steal a programme that will enable them to slide through the seemingly inpenetrable firewall to remove the lock which prevents the merging of the AIs.Of course the police and the other twin,Neuromancer have issues with this.Flashy fun,somewhat dated by the developments of the last 30 years,but still resonating because of its themes of the over reliance on technology,the isolation of obsessed users,hacking etc.. The first half seems dated because so many followers of Gibson,including Alistair Reynolds,Dan Simmonsand Neal Stephenson made the themes and settings so widespread and ubiquitous.A good fast read,for my SF masterworks challenge.
Edited by dustydigger 2014-03-24 4:14 AM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | oops,I am far behind in adding my reads for all the various challengesetc.Health problems family obligations and preparations for visitors from America in June have made reading and reviewing a bit sidelined.
12. Isaac Asimov - Pebble in the Sky.Asimov's first full length novel was a light pleasant read.A middle aged tailor is accidentally transported to the future after a nucluar catastrophe of some sort has ruined most of the earth,many have fled to be second class citizens in a galactic empire,and earth people are despised by the galaxy and in turn the religious fanatics ruling their people are devising a plan to infect the galaxy with a deadly plague to which earthmen are immune..It was fun to see an unheroic older man as a protacgonist.Enough plot twists and descriptions of a future society to make for a light fun read.Oh,and for once the hero doesnt understand the greatly changed language at all,and has to learn it over quite a long period. I am often annoyed about how the language problems are glossed over in many books.Big exception of course is C J Cherryh's Foreigner series,where the language problems are the basis of the plot!
13. Robert A Heinlein - The Door into Summer.One of my fave Heinleins,with a typically resourceful ebullient hero,a brilliant inventor whose business partner and his avaricious fiance cheat him out of his business and bundle him off in a cryogenic facility,where he awakes decades later and finally locates someone who can send him back in time to see what has happened to his patents and his nasty backstabbing friends.Cue an amusing and hectic time travel sequence to put things right. There is a super cat in the book,Pete,who punishes the nasty pair for mistreating his owner(servant?) in a priceless and hilarious part of the book.Highly recommended.
14. Michael Bishop - Transfigurations.The Hugo- and Nebula-nominated novella "Death and Designation Among the Asadi" forms the first part of Transfigurations, the notes and journal of an anthropologist studying the mysterious hominid Asadi on a strange planet. The story continues when his daughter comes to investigates his disappearance. We join in with the characters as they speculate on the Asadi,creating and abandoning hypotheses in a way that seems very credible in the story as they learn more about these weird creatures. A dense,even dry book,but continually fascinating,and the last section of the book provides us with surprising answers to all our questions,incidentally turning from an anthropological investigation to a horror novel.I had inevitable comparisons to make with parts of Simmons Hyperion,a synthesis of horror and anthropology.I wonder if Simmons read this and was influenced.Complex,original and mesmerising, Transfigurations was nominated for the British Science Fiction Association Award in 1980.Read for my Masterworks challenge.Excellent
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 15. Holly Black - Tithe
16. Holly Black - Valiant
17. Holly Black - Ironside
Excellent well written YA series known as the Modern Faerie Tales
Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.
I really enjoyed the edgy rather wildyoung characters,certainly no paragons of virtue.The details about the faerie courts and the tricky dangerous and often cruel rulers there is spot on.Great descriptions of the courts,and intricate plots that dont compromise on the fact that the audience is YA. Read for my Faerie Mythology challenge.Good exciting fun with an edge to it.,and some sexual content,eg homosexuality,which could offend some. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 18. Beth Revis - Across the Universe.Oh dear, the premise of this book is excellent - cryogenically frozen scientists will sleep away 350 years till they arrive at the planet they are to colonise, meanwhile support staff live on the ship, a generation ship. Some cataclysmic changes have taken place before Amy is prematurely aroused from sleep. Lots of secrets on this ship, lots of authoritarian control, murders and a teenage romance. . . . All completely ruined for me by the whiney childish Amy. She is either very angry or crying in self pity, and she irritated me unbearably. Cardboard characters and improbable events just added to the wish for the book to be over. I suppose teenagers, at whom the book is aimed, have very little knowledge of science fiction, so perhaps they were awed by this book, but all in all, a waste of a great (though derivative) idea.
Do yourself a fvour, if you want intelligent YA science fiction, check out Laini Taylor's impressive Karou sequence, and see how it should be done .
19. Susan Cooper - Over Sea,Under Stone.When Simon, Jane and Barney Drew go to stay with their Great Uncle Merry in the Cornish village of Trewissick, they are all looking forward to a long summer holiday of hilltop picnics and seaside jaunts. But when Barney discovers an ancient map from King Arthurs day, they suddenly find themselves up against the minions of a mysterious dark power, many of whom appear in the unlikeliest of guises. Luckily for the children, their enigmatic uncle turns out to be something of an expert on ancient maps and Arthurian legend, with mysterious powers of his own. Can the Drews decode the map and discover the invaluable treasure it leads to before the dark forces manage to get their hands on it?
This first book in Susan' Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence starts out a a Enid Blyton like mystery adventure,but it rapidly becomes darker.Characters on the surface maybe seemingly harmless,but they may be quite cold,ruthless and willing to stop at nothing to obtain what they desire.The villains here are really quite unsettlingly dark and even terrifying.Several times I had a definite frisson of unease and anxiety along with the children.The beautiful scenery of Cornwall in the blazing summer heat covers something quite cold, nasty and genuinely frightening.Gradually too the exciting treasure hunting becomes a part of the battle of good and evil that will be developed in Cooper's later books.
Well written,with unusual characters,a brilliant sense of place,and unrelenting tension and adventure,this is an excellent puzzle book too,as the children solve the mysteries in a convincing way,and of course there is the enigmatic Merry Lyon - Merlin. Very enjoyable.
20. Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys.We first mey Anansi the Spider god, owner of all the world's tales, in the much darker American Gods.Here,after he purportedly dies his son Fat Charlie the shy bumbling ineffectual office worker is surprised to find he has a brother Spider, who is his opposite in every way. Spider moves into his life and takes it over, including his girlfriend, and desperately Charlie has to ask for help from magical beings to get his life back.
Once again Gaiman is affirming the significance and importance of song and story in the world, but on a much lighter even humorous level. I found this a fun and engaging read, not as dark as most of Gaiman's stuff, but funny and charming. It lightened the dull dark stormy winter days for me.
. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 21. Marissa Meyer - Cress. The third episode in this engaging YA science fictionseries,where each book loosely ties in with fairy tales. Cinder started off the series about a part cyborg girl who gets embroiled in deadly imperial politics,where the wicked Queen on Luna wants to rule the earth .Book two,Scarlet was about a girl involved with a werewolf,and the latest,Cress has a heroine who is imprisoned on a space ship for years monitoring the queen's enemies signals.To preevent her trying to rebel she is not allowed any sharp objects,so no scissors,so long,very long hair.Rapunzel,of course.I hadnt known that cress and rapunzel were synonyms! Good fun,fast paced,sympathetic characters and a wicked villain and a rollercoaster plot all make for a light engaging read.Nice to see sci-fi in a YA book for once,instead of all those vampires or dystopias!
22.L Sprague de Camp - Lest Darkness Fall. The book started off great.Archaeologist/historian Martin Padway slips back through time whileon holiday in Italy,and finds himself in the turmoil of 6th century Italy at the time of the disintegration of the Roman Empire,where a host of factions - Franks,Goths,Vandals,Greeks etc are fighting for power.Martin sets up some businesses - setting up brandy distilleries,inventing the telegraph and printing presses etc,and this part of the book was great fun,lots of humour. But when Martin decides that he must try to change history enough to prevent the Dark Ages from swallowing up scientific developments in a darkness of ignorance and intolerance, the tone becomes darker as Martin increasingly gets entangled with politics and eventually war.I got a bit overwhelmed with the countless warring factions,and we are left hanging as to whether his inventions will survive if he dies in such turbulent times,though he feels sure the printing press will change the world enough to hold back the darkness.
This was a quick fun read for the most part.The novel was published in 1941,and I wonder if it was partly written as war propaganda,since it shows a good old practical no nonsense American guy going in to prevent the fall of civilisation,where all these European bloodthirsty factions cant keep the peace?
23. Vonda Macintyre - Dreamsnake. I really enjoyed this book, for all sorts of reasons. The heroine was everything you could want, brave, tenacious, compassionate, loyal, courteous, and long-suffering. Her love for her snakes even mollified me a bit, and I am so not a snakeloving person. I also found the world fascinating, so beautifully described. Unlike others who were disatisfied with the vagueness about what had caused the worldwide catastrophe, what were these alien artifaccts, cratures and fauna, it just added a pleasant sense of mystery and depth. No long historical explanations or expositions on the setting, just fascinating glimpses. (I rarely read historical crime fiction because the tale is slowed down enormously by descriptions of the protagonist's clothing, means of transport, food etc. We wouldnt put up with such masses of detail in a contemporary nove, where such things are taken for grantedl.)
I also liked the touching little romance theme, the interestingly diverse communities with their alternatively set up cultures, from bedouin tribesmen to technologically advanced cities, but again, for the most part descibed only as much as is necessary for the plot. Quirky non stereotypical characters, however lightly sketched, and beautiful depictions of landscape also add to a staisfying read, and I wish McIntye had written more books in this intriguing world | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 24.L.Sprague de Camp - Lest Darkness Fall. This book started off great.Archaeologist/historian Martin Padway slips back through time while in Italy,and finds himself in the turmoil of 6th century Italy at the end of the Roman Empire,where a host of factions - Franks,Goths,Vandals,Greeks etc are fighting for power.Martin sets up some businesses - setting up brandy distilleries,inventing the telegraph and printing presses etc,and this part of the book was great fun,lots of humour. But when Martin decides that he must try to change history enough to prevent the Dark Ages from swallowing up scientific developments in a darkness of ignorance and intolerance, the tone becomes darker as Martin increasingly gets entangled with politics and eventually war.I got a bit overwhelmed with the countless warring factions,and we are left hanging as to whether his inventions will survive if he dies in such turbulent times,though he feels sure the printing press will change the world enough to hold back the darkness.
This was a quick fun read for the most part.The novel was published in 1941,and I wonder if it was partly written as war propaganda,since it shows a good old practical no nonsense American guy going in to prevent the fall of civilisation,where all these European bloodthirsty factions cant keep the peace? Just a thought
25. Kim Harrison - Ever After .I thought this series was falling away,the last few books got a bit repetitious,but this one is back on track,with new plot developments and some tragic shocks.Its always fun to visit the old church with its complement of vampire,witch,pixies and gargoyle,and of course,demons.. The eleventh in the series holds up well. Only downside is Rachel STILL bemoaning her past boyfriends,which is a bit tedious. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 26. David Eddings - Pawn of Prophecy. I am not a great fantasy fan,but wanted to try some famous titles in the genre,but have to admit being a little disappointed in this book. I am sure back in the eighties when all the well-worn fantasy tropes were still new-minted I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. It has engaging characters a fast paced plot and is a fair page-turner,but there isnt a great deal today to differentiate it from all the others . Also I had expected this to be written for adults, and was occasionally puzzled by the almost simplistic style. Now I see it is claimed as a YA novel,though was it meant to be classed so back in the early 80s? I think I have read too many books of this type lately(Robin Hobbs Assassin's Apprentice,Raymond Feist's Magician,and Terry Brooks Sword of Shannara),and am perhaps too old and jaded to appreciate Eddings. Perhaps I will give it a year or two before trying more of the series .
Have to admit too that having recently been blown away by Susan Cooper's extraordinary The Dark is Rising,I would find most fantasy a bit lacking!
27. TJ G Ballard - The Crystal World. I followed up reading Ballard's The Drowning World with this book,and can see many similarities - the downbeat tone;the hero almost completely cut off from society,detached and without real relationships;the oblique likenesses to themes in Conrad's Heart of Darkness;elaborate descriptions of the landscape,inadequate depictions of characters; a rather token use of SF tropes used only to bear the freight of Ballard's dark pessimism.
I thought Ballard became over-enamoured with his vision of the petrified forest.There are only so many ways to say every living thing in the forest is being progressively turned to crystal. Very little happens really,people wander about the jungle at random..I didnt find people's motives very credible either.All in all a disappointment,and I couldnt raise a tear when ,like in The Drowned World,our hero with a death wish,however romantic in theory,went off to seek oblivion.I'm afraid existential ennui is so not my cup of tea,and the whole scientific(?) explanations of time''leaking'' away from the universe,leaving all creations left in a frozen stasis forever was way over my poor head.
Too determinedly literary and heavy for my tastes. One of those authors who use a form of SF for their own agenda.With enough passion,clarity of theme and ideas,such books can became classics,both within and without the SF genre - think of Brave New World,1984,and works by Margaret Atwood.This was too airy fairy,and sometimes,despite interminable descriptions of the landscape,it was a bit puzzling seeing what exactly the author meant.AS for the science,I hadnt a clue! lol.Read for various WWEnd lists and my 12x12 challenge
28. Terry Pratchett - Small Gods. .Like Pyramids,this one is a savage satire of religion,cloaked in humour,where a rather thick young man is chosen as a prophet by a god currently trapped in the form of a tortoise.The gods of Discworld have power and fame according to the number of true believers.This tortoise god has precisely one!. Amusing,but I dont really care for religious satire. | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 526
Location: UK | My memory is that Pawn of Prophecy was originally just a mainstream fantasy book, but then that whole side of the field was probably treated as kids' stuff at the time. I know I originally read it when I was the same age as Garion (12-13, I believe), and I'd already read Lord of the Rings by then. I enjoyed it at the time, which is more than I can say for Shannara, but lI quickly felt I grew out of it, and looking back could see how much it relied on racial stereotypes and other cheap crutches (like the dreaded prophecy). Maybe it's best regarded as a fantasy primer for young readers.
I still love to wallow in a nice epic fantasy, but I feel it's possibly a bit like junk food. I'd eat it all the time if I didn't watch myself, and it's probably not good for me. ;-) I guess that's true of anything formulaic. Is Agatha Christie any different? There's always pleasure to be had from watching someone play with the rules, and a good practitioner is like a virtuoso musician: it's still the same instrument that the plodders are playing, but some people can make it sing. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | I can see that most of the people who loved it were quite young,at the time and it all must have seemed fairly fresh,though it does have the obligatory long journey,Gandalf- like figure,a magic orb,and a boy with a secret lineage. Perhaps I am just to old to enjoy it fully.,and the whole gene is still firmly in the enormous shadow cast by Tolkien,which is rather impressive. I think it is 60 years this year since Fellowship of the Rings was published!Sword of Shannara was pretty dire,dull,derivative and longwinded. Last year when I read it ,as an important link in the chain of development of a whole flourishing subgenre,I had to take it in small doses like medicine,and it took me a whole month to read it.! lol.
I agree about the formulaic nature of genre fiction of all kinds,,and your very apt analogy about virtuoso/plodding performers There is a variety of instruments,and it seems the '' instrument'' of fantasy isnt really my thing. SF and crime fiction are so much more my cup of tea. | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 535
Location: Great Lakes, USA | I read the whole Belgariad series, one right after the other, the summer after my senior year in college. One of my housemates had the set and said they were really good. I can't believe I read all five, but I kept hearing "it gets better" every time I'd say something negative. The entire plot was outlined in the preface of the first book and the entire plot was totally predictable. They weren't considered a Young Adult books back then. Had they been, I doubt I would have read them. After four years of technical books and barely any fiction, I didn't want to waste time on YA fiction, which I have never really liked, and waste the three months that I had to read anything I wanted before it was back to the technical books again. That series soured fantasy for me. I didn't read fantasy again until A Game of Thrones came out and I had to be talked into reading that.
Edited by daxxh 2014-08-12 1:58 AM
| |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 1057
| Thanks for the notes about The Belgariad. I didn't realize it was YA (and like you, daxxh, I've never never enjoyed most YA, even when I was a YA -- to me, the writing in YA books mostly seems very simplistic). Eddings was on my "to-read" list; now I'll feel comfortable deferring that indefinitely. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 29. Douglas Adams - Life,the Universe and Everything. I was rather disappointed in this third episode of the Hitchhike's Guider series, and am not at all sure it deserved to be published in the Masterwork series, which is very prestigious indeed as a rule. Loved Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but its a case of diminishing returns with the rest of the series. I found the elaborate humour, so fresh and funny in HHG rather lame here. The long elaborate lectures fell a bit flat for me, only mildly amusing, such as linking probability to restaurants. Oh well, at least Arthur Dent learned how to fly, and we saw more of the wondrously named Slartibartfast, award winning creator of Earth's fjords! Not a very poor read, but nothing to set the world on fire either.
30.Laurell K Hamilton. Anothr fun romp in Laurell K Hamilton's fast paced exotic and erotic series about a fae princess who has cruel enemies in high places in the fairy courts. She is still attempting to have a child by one of her guards,while working as a detective,trying to keep out of the sight of enemies,develop her magical talents,help an exiled royal fae to become pregnant and fight against an horrific creature ,The Nameless.Its all go in Merry's world!.
This was a good read,but not as good as the first book,a Kiss of Shadows,possibly because we didnt get to visit the Dark Court,also because there were too many long episodes of bickering and sulks among Merry's lovers,which became a little tedious at times.The riproaring set piece at the end against the Nameless,and the re-emergence of lost magical powers made up for this to some extent,and the plot thickens when Merry and her guards learn a desperate secret about the fairy king,who will do anything to prevent his secret emerging.A fun if trashy read,which intrigues enough to make you want to learn more and be immersed in the glamorous if highly dangerous world of these supernatural characters.Read for the Faerie Mythology challenge.
31.Gene Wolfe - The Shadow of the Torturer. Severian is a lowly apprentice torturer, blessed and burdened with an eidetic memory, who is exlied from the guild of torturers after allowing one of his victims, with whom he has fallen in love, to kill herself to avoid a death by excruciating torture. Armed with his ancient executioner's sword, Terminus Est, he travels through the strange far future Earth, where the sun is slowly dying, to travel to a distant city to be an executioner. But there are all sorts of machinations, Severian for all his purported exact memory and straightforward tale telling, will prove to be an unreliable narrator.
Master storyteller Wolfe in a series of four books, known collectively as The Book of the New Sun weaves together all the classic tropes of the fantasy genre, coming of age, adventure, sex, betrayal, murder, exile, battle, monsters, and mysteries to be solved in a way that is haunting and original. No Tolkien imitator here. And the language is distinctive. Notable throughout the series is Wolfe's use of words which appear perhaps to be invented to describe this world but are mostly old words long fallen into disuse. His use of language helps set the atmosphere, alien but strangely familiar. Descriptions of the world are precise and clear, yet somehow almost hallucinatory. Severian himself is an enigmatic and fascinating characterthough his matter of fact acceptance of his gruesome carreer is disturbing yet logical, since he was brought up to it from a very young age.
30 years ago a friend had read this book, then newly published, and raved over it. I was put off by the title and the fact that the hero - antihero?- had such an unsavoury profession, and declined to read it. Again, it has been sitting on my shelf unread for six months. Now I am wishing I read it all those years ago. Somehow the torture scenes are written in an almost. . . . tactful?. . . way, clinical, remote, not at all sensationalist, and mercifully only a very minor part of the story. Now that I have read it, and know a little of the whole series, I have to wonder how Gene Wolfe had to wait till 2012 to become one of Damon Knight's Grand Masters. And why is he not such a household name as many less gifted authors? Probably because the books may be esoteric, complex,and with difficult language, with an unreliable narrator. However this book is excellent, and I look forward to reading the next three, so that I can then go back and reread with knowledge, and will understand what the shake of the kaleidoscope of the revealed plot ultimately reveals. Looking forward to it! A book well deserving its classic status.
AND it filled no less than six slots in my RYO challenges.Cool! | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 32. Neil Gaiman - Stardust. Tristran Thorn is a fairly ordinary young man, though unaware of his exotic origins. Madly in love with a young woman he vows extravagantly to bring her her heart's desire. Amused but contemptuous she orders him to bring back a falling star, which has landed over the Wall that separates the land of Faerie from the mundane Victorian rustic world. So off he goes to face perilous events, where he meets with witches, murderous elven lordsvying for the right to rule, a fallen star turned into a rather belligerent young woman, a unicorn, all sorts of spells and magical traps - even flying pirates!
Once again I have read a Neil Gaiman book and been amazed at its freshness and originality, even though as ever Gaiman is extolling the value and importance of story and storytelling, showing how we can enrich ourselves despite our harassed, mundane world by immersing ourselves in fantasy. Of course Gaiman shows us that the world of fantasy isnt necessarily something light, beautiful, and having a happy ending. He well knows the origin of our European fairy stories, which in their original form, straight from the lips of peasants who were repeating them as they had heard them from their own elders,were full of darker passions, cruelty, murder and violence. It was only later that the savagery and horrific incidents were glossed over or softened to become suitable for children.
Gaiman has succeeded in producing a modern take on the fairy story, and it is mainly for adults, with one four letter word and a rather graphic sex scene not meant for children. There is wit and humour, quirky characterisation, surprising plot developments, familiar fairytale elements, especially the coming of age quest trope,and a rather poignant ending. Gaiman sails through it all with aplomb and respect for his sources, and all in all it is a fun read.
33.Philip K Dick - The Man in the High Castle. The book completely confirmed that I am not a fan of PKDs work!.He is the darling of the brand of SF that yearns for literary respectability,so the more downbeat,baffling and enigmatic the work is the better!It was fairly interesting,but overall tailed off,with a weak ending,and I felt the work overdid the irony, it wasnt truly effective.There may be lots of themes about identity,false/ true reality,the whims of fate,the helplessness of humanity in the grasp of the vagaries of history etc,but it never gripped me.The convoluted worldbuilding seemed confused,(probably deliberately,but I didnt like it)and the book may have started off a whole new genre of alternate history,but I didnt take to more than two or three characters. The book rested on an ancient book,the I Ching,where people's lives are ruled by arbitrary tossing of sticks and dice and reading abstruse aphorimss to make important decisions of life.I was disappointed too that I struggled at the start of the book to make the effort to understand the strands of history.We have the strand of what we know of the real history of WWII.Then we have the strand of the "reality" of the story which is set in an America divided up by Japan and Germany after they won WWII. Within the book a man has written a novel which speculates on what if Japan and Germany had lost the war. This strand is quite a bit different from the history of our real world.Then halfway through the book all this is pretty much tossed aside,and arbitrary events occur,yes ironic,but to me it was just irritating!
Ah well,just not my cup of tea I supposebutt fairly interesting
| |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 526
Location: UK | I kind of agree with your take on both of those. I loved Stardust. Some people don't really seem to get on with it, but I think it's my favourite Gaiman novel.
Also, while I would count myself as a fan of PKD, I've never understood the love for Man in the High Castle. The PKD I love is probably epitomised by Ubik - the head-twisting stuff that makes you keep re-evaluating everything you've read. | |
| | |
Uber User
Posts: 1057
| dustydigger - 2014-09-10 10:18 PM 32. Neil Gaiman - Stardust. Gaiman sails through it all with aplomb and respect for his sources, and all in all it is a fun read. I saw Stardust the movie before I got to read the book -- and when I got to read the book, it was the limited edition illustrated version belonging to a friend, which was absolutely FABULOUS and made me love it even more. What a beautiful, complex story -- compared to many of the fairytales we're given. Dusty, I hope that you're posting all of these comments as Reviews on these books. Because they should be, there for everyone to share.  | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Good to see fellow Gaiman fans. Have you come across his Instructions with its wonderful Charles Vess illustrations?It has all sorts of allusions to fairy tales,but not heavy handed,just hints really,but it all enriches the story,and its fun working out which tales are being alluded to Excellent instructions for if you find yourself in a fairy taleYou can find Neil reading the story with Vess's lovely otherworldly art over on You Tube
Scib,most of these ARE my WWEnd reviews for the books,I decided this would be an excellent place to keep them altogether. My personal Pick and Mix plan was to read 50 books this year,but since I am doing quite a few challenges I expect I will continue on adding my reviews here - well,more mood pieces than proper reviews,,I really admire some of our reviewers on this site,but couldnt come anywhere near them,so I just make more like impressions than reviews! But I am pleased to see there have beenmore than 1200 views of this thread .Hope some of you got some nice hints on how to expand your TBRs to even greater heights
I am far behind adding them ,so I will have to get cracking.I think I only have about 10 more books to read for my WWEnd challenges.with about half a dozen reviews to write yet,plus several dozen to add.Hope to be up to date by the end of September
Edited by dustydigger 2014-09-11 8:22 AM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 34. Arkady and Boris Strugatski - Roadside Picnic
In Roadside Picnic we find Earth has been visited by aliens, though we never see them or know what they are like. All we see are six "Zones" where they landed for a matter of days and left unseen, leaving behind weird technology, most of which is unfathomable to earth 's scientists, strange gravity anomalies, deadly substances, genetic mutation of those who enter the Zones, and causing "zombies" which resemble their original humans but have little brain function.
Though blocked off , the Zones become magnets for Stalkers, young men who seriously risk their lives by entering the Zones and stealing the strange tech to sell to scientists and collectors, risking mutilation, mutation and death in the Zones, imprisonment by the government if caught.
We follow the life of one such Stalker', Red Schuhart, and gradually learn more about the situation. But halfway through the book a character speculates about the aliens as neither benefactors or destroyers. He describes a peaceful woodland scene, the insects and small animals busily going about their business. But then there is an intrusion -
" A picnic. Picture a forest, a country road, a meadow. Cars drive off the country road into the meadow, a group of young people get out carrying bottles, baskets of food, transistor radios, and cameras. They light fires, pitch tents, turn on the music. In the morning they leave. The animals, birds, and insects that watched in horror through the long night creep out from their hiding places. And what do they see? Old spark plugs and old filters strewn around... Rags, burnt-out bulbs, and a monkey wrench left behind... And of course, the usual messapple cores, candy wrappers, charred remains of the campfire, cans, bottles, somebody's handkerchief, somebody's penknife, torn newspapers, coins, faded flowers picked in another meadow."
So, it may be that Earth is just irrelevant to the universe, just a passing through point where rubbish is left behind, but the original inhabitants will never feel safe again, which may be more disturbing than harboring the fear of an alien return to conquer. In the book the general public have ostensibly ignored the whole situation, getting on with life, though of course accepting the benefits of the small bits of tech that have been understood. Scientists are ostensibly fascinated by the huge strides they are making, whilst secretly terrified at just how far behind the aliens we are. And the Stalkers? There is a rumour that in the Zone there is a machine that grants the desires of the heart. It is the Holy Grail for these young men, including Red. No-one is unaffected by fear or anxiety under the surface.
I was riveted by this very short book of less than 150 pages. The ending is inevitably tragic, and enigmatic, but I think Red Schuhart and the Zone will stay in my mind for a long time. A classic. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 35. Lois McMaster Bujold - The Curse of Chalion . Synopsis - Lupe dy Cazaril, a castillar (a knight or minor baron), returns home to the Royacy (Kingdom) of Chalion a broken man, though he is only in his mid-thirties. "Caz", as he is known to his friends, had defended a castle during a long siege, only to be ordered to surrender it. Afterward, a jealous enemy had seen to it that he was not ransomed (as were the rest of his men), but sold into slavery, spending 19 months as a galley slave before finally escaping.
His old noble patroness finds a use for him as a tutor for her granddaughter, the Royesse (Princess) Iselle, half-sister to the king, and her companion, Lady Betriz. Despite his ardent desire to live a safely low-profile, peaceful life, Caz finds himself drawn into a strange journey of dangers both spiritual and temporal as he seeks to dispel the debilitating curse that hangs over the royal family of Chalion.
Not usually into fantasy,but this was a great read,with delightful characters,as is standard with LMB,and with interesting world building,including an odd but believable religion. A bit different from most mediaeval style fantasy,and with a wonderful hero,whose modesty,integrity and kindness make him beloved by his friends,and a thorn in the side of his enemies. He could have been a prig as he is so good,kind,honest etc,but he is so full of self doubt and fear at times,and has suffered so much that we fully engage with him A pleasant enjoyable read.
This was a worthy winner of the Mythopoeic Award and a nominee for the Hugo and World Fantasy award.
Though I am not so much into fantasy I have got to say the books listed on the Mythopoeic Award havent let me down in my quick forays into fantasy | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 36. Larry Niven,Jerry Pernelle - The Mote in God' Eye.thoroughly enjoyed this first contat novel,which gathered momentum after a rather slow start and soon had me gripped and turning the pages as human struggled to understand the Moties,a vey intelligent and cunning race indeed. The Moties were devious and ruthless,but we were made to understand the imperatives caused by their biology and history. Full of plot twist and fast paced,this is a fun read about interesting aliens,but of course as is usual in this sort of book,the characters are rather stereotypical and shallow but adequate for the story.Allthe humans of course are impossibly honourable and courageous of course
Why is the genre of military SF so fixated on kingdoms,aristocracies etc though? Especially among American writers,who have odd ideas about monarchies which at least add extra amusement for a Brit!.
All in all,a fun read with excellent aliens.Read for the YA challenge
37.Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space. AT LAST, put out the flags, I finished Revelation Space which I have trudged through for what feels like a decade, and includes reading the first 100 pages in March, laying it aside till June, and then reading a small bit each day since, till those 550 closely packed pages were finally completed. I would surface after reading some dull stuff for what seemed hours, and find I had only read 8 pages.
Astrophysicist Reynolds first novel is jam packed with awe-inspiring ideas, embracing a timescale of billions of years, interesting world building, futuristic tech - especially the weapons - and deep intrigue by billion year old beings with plans to prevent the development of intelligent species. There is hard science too in places, about black holes the blurring of the space time continuum etc, over my head of course. BUT, and its a big but, for me the whole thing was ruined by the dull, dry, plodding, pedestrian style which muted the most pyrotechnic developments and plot revelations.Obviously I was predisposed against it since I dont really enjoy hard SF, not really my cup of tea (I like my SF plot and character driven, with the SF themes there to be enhanced by the people and action. Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity is more to my taste than say, Tau Zero). The characters in RS were just flat, mostly unlikeable, and I just couldnt care less what happened to them. Add a really slow pace, then squashing mind-bending events and ideas in the last 20 pages, and it was just a constant irritation for me. One for the guys here, I think.
38. Neil Gaiman - .The Ocean at the End of the Lane.I am using Neil Gaiman as a featured author this year, and have been reading a variety of his books, which I always find quirky and very enjoyable as he gives his own take on fairytales and myths in a fascinating way. But I feel he has really excelled himself this time. Right from the start the tension and fear began to mount, so I was very much on edge, fully identifying with the 7 year old hero as he faced terrifying events in a believable way, his terror, vulnerability and helplessness very harrowing. A sad book, in many ways, and with no standard happy ending, but resolution anyway, and still shot through with beauty and the delight in small, happy things. Wish I could eat in that farmhouse kitchen, the heart of safety and security.
I identified so closely with this boy, his fears and unhappiness that it didnt dawn for a long time that he has no name, as is the common way with the heroes in fairytales. Then there were the mesmerising characters, the wonderful Triple Goddess influenced Hempstocks, the utterly terrifying Ursula Monkton, with her pretty face, sweet smile and a corrupting touch on everything she met, as well as the boy's rather unlikeable family. The scene where his father tries to drown him in the bath will stay with me a very long time.
All in all a haunting, mesmerising beautifully written tale, It will certainly soon reach classic status. Highly recommended | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 39. Laurell K Hamilton - Seduced by Moonlight. The third and to me the best of the Merry Gentry series. Now Merry's magical powers are growing exponentially as she seems to have been chosen to bring back life and magic to the courts. I was so disappointed when the plot lines set up in this book ,that Merry would go to see the goblins to cement their alliance,and then on to find out what exactly the king of the Court of Light was plotting that needed Merry to be there at his court.. In book 4 all this was tossed aside and the whole series just degenerated into soft porn with the plot lines a poor second to the sex..Most disappointing
40. Laurell K Hamilton - A Shiver of Light. This is book nine of the Merry Gentry series, published after a 4 or 5 year hiatus. The heroine has had triplets,and each child has at least two fathers (I am assuming Hamilton has taken this idea of multiple fathers from ancient Celtic myths). Merry is exactly five feet tall,and has triplets,only two are twins conceived at one time,the other,(presumably magic is involved),was conceived later in her pregnancy.According to LKH one baby was 7 lbs,another was 6 lbs,and even the premature third kid who is described as really really tiny is 5 lbs.I know magic is involved somehow,but if LKH took 2 or 3lbs in weight off each baby I would find it more credible! I think its another case where this author shows that there is no editing of her books.These days with big name authors editorial staff kowtow to them,and seem to fear telling them what is rubbish or unfeasible.This was touted to be the final book,but if so it is pretty weak,there are so many threads left unsorted. All in all,LKHs work has deteriorated badly since about 2004. Great ideas that started off so promising just petered out iton erotica - and badly written erotica at that. Pity.
41. Laini Taylor - Dreams of Gods and Monsters.All in all this third book in Laini Taylor's amazing sequence of books about ostensible angels and demons in parallel worlds which interconnect with our own through portals is a satisfactory, though not stellar ending to this series.Taylor's writing is as vivid as ever, with glints of humour and horror, wonderful worldbuilding, engaging and likable characters, and some major twists.
The complicated plot did manage to tie up most threads of the series, with the last section feeling a bit strange as it introduced whole new societies and ideas in a rather sketchy way - perhaps opening up the opportunity for future adventures in this very strange, often cruel, often beautiful world?
A very enjoyable exciting read, and definitely Laini Taylor is a name to look out for in the future
Edited by dustydigger 2014-10-07 9:02 AM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 42. Joe Hill - Heart-shaped Box.This is a pretty powerful first novel for Stephen King's son Joe. 53 year old death metal rock star Judas Coyne collects morbid curios mostly for effect, in keeping with his dark reputation as lead in a former death metal band, and unwarily is manouvered into buying a suit haunted by its dead owner's ghost. Soon Judas discovers that the suit belonged to Craddock McDermott, the stepfather of one of Coyne's former groupie girlfriends, and his malignant ghost is seeking revenge for his stepdaughter's death after her return home when Jude got tired of her emotional problems. All is not as it seems, however, and the truth is gradually revealed in a fast-paced thrills and spills and blood drenched plot. That could be one of a hundred mundane stories, but where Hill does extremely well, especially so early in his career, is to set the theme of physical or sexual abuse solidly around complex, fleshed out characters to an unusual degree.This gives a credibility to the story despite wicked ghosts and blood soaked horror, so we have a sympathy for the characters, we care about what happens to them. Hill superbly controls the horror, never letting it submerge the vulnerable but courageous response of the hero and his girlfriend. This is a confident and excellent debut, haunting and memorable.Great characters, and a subtle depiction of the variety of ways people are affected by abuse. They can become clones of the abuser, or be weak and unable to integrate themselves as whole humans, or react by becoming wild reckless and self loathing, or like Jude, emotional cut off from others, drifting through life carelessly using up people, till guilt and depression, loneliness and despair begin to overwhelm him.
One thing I really liked about this book was the positive, happy ending. Too much horror has a downbeat ending. The evil returns, all has been in vain, and we end with hearing the dragging feet of the monster we thought destroyed coming up the stairs. Or the evil that decimated some small town goes off to wreak havoc elsewhere. The huge alligator is killed, but another baby one is already beginning to grow in the sewers. So I liked the happy end to this book! Even though one vulnerable character is still very fragile, the book ends with at least some hope for her, and our main protagonists live happily ever after. Now thats my sort of story!
So, despite, as a wimp, not usually enjoying the horror genre, I was happy to make an exception in this case, as courage and kindness somehow manage to shine through the gore. Highly recommended. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | I have read some enjoyable junior books for the YA challenge
43. Alan Garner - The Moon of Gomrath. Fast paced followup to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen,with the siblings Colin and Susan once again coming in contact with elves,dwarvesand the wizard Cadellin who guards the sleeping Arthur in the rugged hills at Alderley Edge in Cheshire. The tone is much darker than Weirdstone,with dissension between the aims and desires of the different races as they once more face the Morrigan and an even more fearsome foe. The children unleash an evil creature,and there is voilence,battle and death of friends. The book ends with Susan bereft,as the Wild Hunt leaves her behind. Garner waited 50 years to publish the final part of the tale in the adult novel Boneland. Garner deftly weaves in British mythology and the real life landscape.
44. Susan cooper - The Dark is Rising.On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift that he is destined to seek the six magical Signs of Light. He is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark.Its a fine book,mixing will's life as part of a big family at Christmas with his adventures in time and his struggles with fear and self doubt. Highly recommended
45. Rick Riordan - The House of Hades. Another fun outing in the Heroes of Olympus series,the continuing adventures of Percy Jackson to save the world from ancient deeities and monsters intent on destroying the world. Much of this story is set in a vividly portrayed Underworld,and the kids have quite a tough time. Riordan is as deft as ever at bringing the greek mythological characters into the modern world,with humour and rollercoaster action.
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | 46.Maria V Snyder - Storm Glass the first of a trilogy set in the same world as her excellent ''Study'' series.I was a bit disappointed in this one,preferred the ''Study'' series with Yelena. This girl was too obsessed with her self perceived failings,her self esteem was zero,and I like to identify fully with the heroine,and she was just too whiny for my liking! lol The world building was interesting as usual,but I dont like love triangles,and Ulrick was not a very pleasant character,even before certain plot developments Not sure if I will bother to follow on,I dont care if she rescues a certain character or not!
47.Robert E Howard - The Conan Chronicles vol I and II These sword and sorcery books are not really my sort of thing,but they weent too ridiculous really,although of couse I had Big Arnie in my mind's eye all the way through! The settings were a bit odd,veering from what seemed like the east,then mentioning the barbarians of the north and then Ophir and Shemites,presumably middle east.. Only read them for my Masterworks challenge,where I had to read a minimum of two books from the Fantasy Masterworks list.
48. Adam Roberts - Jack Glass. am a long term fan of the John Dickson Carr/ Ellery Queen sort of book, as well as having a delight in the old Golden Age SF in the Doc Smith trradition, fast moving adventure tales set in exotic settings, full of breathless action. So this book was a fun melding of the two genres, written with verve and humour. More a "how-dunnit?" than a "who-dunnit", as we learn how the notorious murderer Jack Glass escaped from a sealed asteroid without weapons, leaving bits of his fellow inmates behind, see a country house style murder where someone in a limited group somehow uses a huge hammer, far too heavy for the suspects to wield to kill an obnoxious sexual predator, and finally a disappearing weapon. Add people searching for the secrets of faster than light travel, and its all good fun, though the narrator's style is a bit irritating at times. Quirky, with an interesting world, full of twists and surprises, and an affectionate homage to some of my fave genres, who could ask for more?
Edited by dustydigger 2014-10-24 3:25 PM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Just finished the stunning Perfume by Patrick Suskind. An amazing book about a man called Jean- Baptiste Grenouille,a strange being born in early 18th century France,meant to be aborted by his mother,but survived while she was executed fo attempted infanticide. He grows up with no natural scent,though,like an animal he can distinguish thousands of scents. He grows up in horrible circumstances,but is apprenticed finally to a master perfumier. As he grows he comes to hate the very scent of humans,and lies in a cave in the Alps for 7 years,till he final discovers that it is his lack of natural scentthat makes him alienated from humans,whom he comes to detest. However he realizes that he can manufacture a variety of scents to mimic other humans,making them have certain feelings about him He decides that his goal is to create a perfume which will make all humans adore him. It is a tad unfortunate that the production of this special perfume requires the deaths of 26 beautiful virgin young girls to make it.....
I am irresistibly reminded here of satirist Jonathan Swift,. Satirists as a whole have a pretty dim impression of the worth of humanity,and some indication of this appears when Grenouille can make a rough and ready approximation of human scent from the essence of cat dung,the scrapings of sardines,vinegar and rancid cheese!. Suskind himself as refused all interviews,awards and prizes for many years,living as a recluse The whole book is heavily ironic right from the start(poor Grenouille,the priests called him Jean Baptiste,John the Baptsist,even though his mother was guillotined for infanticide,so he can never forget the circumstances of his birth) and ends in the darkest of ironic humour as Grenouille gets his wish to be loved by the people. We have glimpses of 18th century France in flux,detailed descriptions of making perfume by a number of processes,all in wonderful language( John Woods rightly won an award for translation of the year) We are fascinated and repulsed by turn,and in the beautiful prospects,only man is vile. By turns fascinating and repellent thsi book is totally mesmerising, original and disgusting by turns. The language,originality and style beg for 5 stars,the nitty gritty vileness of the topic begs a two. I think I will give it a 3.5 Not soon to be forgotten,this tour de force. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Just finished the stunning,though unpleasant, Perfume by Patrick Suskind. An amazing book about a man called Jean- Baptiste Grenouille,a strange being born in early 18th century France,meant to be aborted by his mother,but survived while she was executed fo attempted infanticide. He grows up with no natural scent,though,like an animal he can distinguish thousands of scents. He grows up in horrible circumstances,but is apprenticed finally to a master perfumier. As he grows he comes to hate the very scent of humans,and lies in a cave in the Alps for 7 years,till he final discovers that it is his lack of natural scentthat makes him alienated from humans,whom he comes to detest. However he realizes that he can manufacture a variety of scents to mimic other humans,making them have certain feelings about him He decides that his goal is to create a perfume which will make all humans adore him. It is a tad unfortunate that the production of this special perfume requires the deaths of 26 beautiful virgin young girls to make it.....
I am irresistibly reminded here of satirist Jonathan Swift,. Satirists as a whole have a pretty dim impression of the worth of humanity,and some indication of this appears when Grenouille can make a rough and ready approximation of human scent from the essence of cat dung,the scrapings of sardines,vinegar and rancid cheese!. Suskind himself as refused all interviews,awards and prizes for many years,living as a recluse The whole book is heavily ironic right from the start(poor Grenouille,the priests called him Jean Baptiste,John the Baptsist,even though his mother was guillotined for infanticide,so he can never forget the circumstances of his birth) and ends in the darkest of ironic humour as Grenouille gets his wish to be loved by the people. We have glimpses of 18th century France in flux,detailed descriptions of making perfume by a number of processes,all in wonderful language( John Woods rightly won an award for translation of the year) We are fascinated and repulsed by turn,and in the beautiful prospects,only man is vile. By turns fascinating and repellent thsi book is totally mesmerising, original and disgusting by turns.
Edited by dustydigger 2014-10-25 2:46 PM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Christopher Fowler - Full Dark House I was a little disappointed in this first book in the Peculiar Crimes series about two very old detectives working on cold cases with odd factors. I didnt really see why this book won an award for fantasy,as there was only the least of tinges of fantasy to it,just red herrings really. Some nods to Phantom of the Opera as most of the book is set in an old theatre where members of the cast of a play are being bumped off. I found the long long descriptions of the theatre,with people wandering around it to little purpose,to be longwinded and redundant. Not at all what I was expecting,and really just a rather mundane detective story,though the two protagonists,Bryant and May,were fairly amusing
Christopher Fowler - The Water Room. Book 2 in the series Again,I was a bit disappointed with this book. I like the characters Bryant and May, two far beyond retirement age policemen who are given odd cases to solve in their own inimitable way. This one was about a series of murders in a tiny London street, and involved the hidden rivers of London, but in my opinion it was far too jam-packed with redundant information about the history of the ancient rivers, it moved at snail's pace,and crossed the "t"s and dotted the "i"s far to many times. Good ideas and good characters bogged down in excessive detail, so it ended up for me as a very boring read. Not sure if I will continue the series, as I had the same issues with the first book in the series, which spent hundreds of pages describing an old theatre in excruciating detail. You need to be a history buff on esoteric subjects to enjoy these books fully, and I am not one of them!
I was transfixed with the absolutely amazing last four volumes of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman - Brief Lives,World's End,The Kindly Ones,The Wake. I have tried various famous graphic novels (Watchmen,Batman Returns,Kingdom Come and a few others ) but for the most part they rather left me cold. Not so with the miraculous Gaiman Sandman saga,which runs the gamut of every emotion from horror to melancholy,awesome worlds and high concepts,lowlife cruelty and biting irony and a host of other things. The books cover every genre,and have a host of vivid characters,and an awesome storyline about the life, death and to some extent rebirth of the charismatic,callous and often cruel Morpheus, Lord of Dreams,who, finally softening and admitting his culpability comes to see the need for acceptance of his own end.And of course Gaiman's wonderful writing,mesmerizing,poetic,ironic,blending together a host of myths from many sources,an area that I love.My head is a whirl of wonderful scenes,myths and legends allusions,and of course the artwork, which I regret I dont have the knowledge to appreciate properly. My brain is too jumbled up yet to even think of reviews,and I havent the faintest idea where to start,but I think Brief Lives and The Kindly Ones will stay in my mind a long time.Classic
.
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Kevin Hearne - Hounded. A light fun UF tale about a 2000 year old druid who annoyed an old viking god by stealing his sword.He is hiding out by rrunning an occult bookshop in Arizona ,friends with a odd collection of friends - werewolves,vampires witches included - and getting into serious trouble with a variety of gods. Sharp,funny and delightful,and the best in the whole series IMO.
Jim Butcher - Skin Game. Another excellent outing for our old friend Harry Dresden. Once again he is forced by Queen Mab to do some repugnant things. Finally however, Harry i starrtng to get Mab's measureand has to be farsighted enough to avoid all the pitfalls and traps before him. Good to see he is becoming as devious and tricksy as the fae around him Welcome return too for some old friends as well as old enemies. Its great that Butcher can keep up such a high standard after so many books
.
Catherynne M Valente -The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I loved this book! There are so many hints and allusions to children's classics of the past eg Alice in Wonderland with its heroine falling a long way to reach a strange new world, The Wizard of Oz, with a child from Kansas whisked away to a world of witches and danger, but with a kind hearted Dorothy becoming firm friends with various creatures and going off to seek help for them, and also the moral dimensions of C S Lewis's Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where the blight caused by tyranny can only be destroyed by great sorrow and sacrifice, and the courage to put what is right ahead of oneself. Yes Valente may delicately touch on magic shoes and wardrobes, but she does a wonderful job of bringing freshness to old ideas, telling a sometimes harrowing tale about a remarkable young heroine, September, and writing exquisite descriptions of both the beauties and terrors of Fairyland in a lyrical, poetic style. Never does she forget though that Fairyland can be cruel and wicked, and the heroine suffers badly at times. There are surprises and reversals of expectations, and all in all this is an excellent book, fresh, inventive and exciting, with a redoubtable, and unforgettable heroine. Highly recommended.
Connie Willis - To Say Nothing of the Dog .The had many good things in it.It mingles time travel (which I always just let go over my head,I go with the flow,knowing the author will sort it all out lol) with an homage to Jerome K Jerome's delightful Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing about the dog) ,stories about eccentric Victorian Oxford dons,Oxford colleges,and golden age detective stories,especially Sayers and Christie The first 250 pages is great fun,we meet lots of funny characters and situations,but the last section is very drawn out,with long winded explanations and complicated time travel issues I would have edited down by at least 50 pages. Anyway,it was quite an enjoyable read,but long and slow.
Edited by dustydigger 2014-11-05 8:59 AM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Guy Gavrie Kay - Tigana.Set in a beleaguered land caught in a web of tyranny, Tigana is the deeply moving story of a people struggling to be free. A people so cursed by the dark sorceries of the tyrant King Brandin that even the very name of their once beautiful land cannot be spoken or remembered. But not everyone has forgotten. A handful of men and women, driven by love, hope and pride, set in motion the dangerous quest for freedom, to overthrow their conquerors and bring back to the world the lost brightness of an obliterated name: Tigana
I dont as a rule read much fantasy After continual immersion in Lord of the Rings for years, I find most fantasy rather dull or simplistic, full of overused, well-worn tropes which dont arouse my interest. So my heart sank when I started reading Tigana, which was very bloody and downbeat, full of cruelty, torture and bloody death, quite hard to take. But I persevered and gradually became gripped by the unfolding story of the small band on a seemingly impossible task. The book has a richly depicted background and is full of superbly delineated characters. Even the tyrant lord is shown to have complex, believable motives for his behaviour, and in true tragic fashion we helplessly watch his downfall with mixed emotions. There is also a tragic love affair, and in the final battle a shocking secret is revealed and the ending is bitter sweet. Kay weaves a brilliant tapestry, everchanging and fascinating us. It is, in the usual fantasy novel tradition, very long, almost 700 pages, but it held my attention throughout.
What separated this book from the pack for me was its intense emotionalism, the strong plot, and the fascinating characters. For once this is a book that merits the name High Fantasy. My first Kay novel, it will certainly not be my last. Highly recommended.
Edited by dustydigger 2014-11-05 9:16 AM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Terry Pratchett - Going Postal.The last couple of his books I read were Pyramids and Small Gods ,where there was too much religion banging in it for me,the humour barely hid the satire on religion.This book was great fun,and as a bonus had quite a lot of Lord Vetinari,the Patrician,in it.I really love his ruthless machinations! Apparently Pratchett himself has Alan Rickman firmly in mind as his perfect actor for the character,which is great,all that smooth urbane polite surface hiding ruthless mayhem! lol
Lord Vetinari ,Death,and The Luggage are my three faves from this series.
Roger Zelazny - Trumps of Doom. Book 6 of the Amber series,the first narrated by Corwin's son,Merlin,who resides in our world, content to bide his time until he will activate the superhuman strength and genius inherited from his father,. But that time arrives all too soon when the forces of evil from the world of shadow drive him mercilessly from Earth. Good fun,we see quite a bit of Amber,and the complex family relationships,but the original nine siblings are still being sadly depletedthey are always plotting to kill each other!
Walter M Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz.Please dont ask me for a logical review, it is beyond me. I am still digesting this complex work of art. I was expecting something in the downbeat plodding depression tradtion of On the Beach, or the coruscating biting satire of Heller's Catch-22, but this was way beyond them. Every shade of irony was there from the sly and gentle to the tirades of the last 40 pages, but always shot through with humour, and while it has no use whatsoever for man's hubris, greed and ambition, it respects the individual humans burdened by original sin, and the bleak thesis that man is forever doomed to build up then tear down his works is all pervasive. The very ambiguity of the book makes it impossible to see what exactly Miller believes. Is this a song of praise to the Catholic Church, or a criticism of it? Complex themes about faith and humanism, Church and State, the problem of pain, the thorny problems of knowledge, who should own it, disseminate it or curb it, warnings on mankinds swinging between fear and ignorance, then hubris and greed for power over the earth, are all there, shifting and subtle, with enough symbolism to keep a thousand graduates happy deciphering the clues for decades.... I give up trying to even make a judgement other than that this should be up there with Brave New World and 1984 as a classic of the genre.
Not for everyone, especially if you haven't a clue about Catholicism, or Latin. I get the feeling that every read would bring me new insights, and maybe altering my ideas of what the book is about. A masterpiece in my view. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Garth Nix - Sabriel. I very much enjoyed this rather dark toned YA book,which made few compromises for its younger audience.The young heroine,Sabriel,faces dreadful magic ccreatures,as well as experiencing sorrow,fear,and self doubt The world building is interesting,with an intriguing take on death,where through the gates of the dead a river runs,taking the spirits of the dead through increasingly frightening and dangerous Gates of Death,till through the ninth gate they go into oblivion.Sabriel has magic powers to return spirits back to the world but not from the final gate.Her father,a mage has been captured by an evil sorcerer,and Sabriel endeavours to save him,while trying to prevent the sorcerer bringing an army of terrifying creatures through the gates to take over the world.
The magic elements are well handled in a fresh way in the context of the story,the rituals seeming credible yet eerie There is a very slight romance element which never slows down the storyThe heroine is well drawn,,vulnerable but brave,never whining as so many young YA heroines do(possibly because of the male author!).There's lots of tension,rollercoaster action,and well depicted settings that seem solid and real amid the magic so the obligatory journey in such books seemed realistic. Very enjoyable indeed,with some frissons along the way,and interesting characters,including a cat that is very malevolent when released from a spell! Excellent
H P Lovecraft - The Dunwich Horror. Ah,good old H P Lovecraft. I have just finished the anthology The Dunwich Horror and other stories Typical HPL grandiloquent prose,half seen horrors in the dark which came aeons ago from the outer reaches of the galaxy to lurk about in the bowels of the earth. Or learned gentleman who studied esoteric magic from ancient terrible books like the Necronomicon,and have cause to regret it when the creatures they summoned forth drag themselves up the stairs to the garret to devour them. Or young men are possessed by evil demons,and have to be dispatched by their friends who then end up in mental homes.Or strange creatures from the subterranean depths ,or beneath the sea mate with humans to produce horrid deformed offspring.Then there are the description of ancient houses,echoing underground passages where monsters lurk. Yes,standard LPH,terror at its finest,or awesome with overarching tales of timescales beyond human understanding. The tales are often leisurely in pace,slowly ratcheting up unease and tension till the final awful end for the protagonist either leads to his death,or a lifetime of fear and nightmares. Good stuff!.
Gregory Benford - Timescape. Afraid I found this a rather dry and pedestrian book. The science went over my head completely,(since I dont know a tachyon from a taco! )the characters werent very attractive,and the book fizzled out with the dismal 1998 of the original timeline going from bad to worse,though in the alternate 1970s created by John F Kennedy's survival,Gordon Bernstein at least gets some credit for his discoveries.Altogether too downbeat for my tastes,I'm afraid. It was very accurate about the scientific methods and difficulties of getting new ideas accepted. You wonder at times how there is ANY new scientific progress because of academic jealousy and backbiting. This book won numerous awards,and is on any best SF lists,but did little for me.It is of course a product of its times,written at the end of the 70s,when the whole of society seemed on its last legs.Because of the accurate scientific research side,and the ideas expressed,(however vaguely and obscurely),I'll give it 3 starsbut it ust isnt my kind of book.Read for my Killer Bs challenge. Out of Bear,Brin and Benford I have to say I enjoyed Brin the mos treading Startide Rising and also The Uplift Warboth engaging fun.
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Stephen King - Duma Key. I really enjoyed it,not very gruesome,more like suspense till the last 60 pages.King handled his often complex material very well as he slowly unveiled the true horrors and tragedies of the family on Duma Key 80 years ago,and the pain and suffering of the likeable characters in the present. Liked all the painting stuff and the depiction of the Florida keys. Probably the most enjoyable of his books for me,some are too gruesome for my squeamish soul!
Charles De Lint - Moonheart. I really enjoyed this odd mix of celtic bards and druids and magical native american spirits, 1980s Ottawa and the Otherworld, a Dread Nameless spirit seeking revenge on an old enemy, a young apprentice wizard looking for his mage, a government organization looking to find out about magical powers with a ruthless rich man in the background pulling the strings in his endeavourrs to gain immortality, some very nasty thugs and even nastier terrifying creatures from another world, a disparate but likeable group of people living in a mysterious and magical house that can protect itself from evil creatures, a magic ring,some time travel... and more! This is an exuberant work, written with verve and warmth, and very engaging in spite of all the disparate motifs. It is a rollicking adventure story, interspersed with heartwarming quieter interludes in a magic primeval forest. If you can swallow celtic bards mixing with Indian forest spirits, I think you would thoroughly enjoy this book.Just sit back and enjoy the ride
Dean Koontz - Odd Thomas. I really enjoyed this book,it was exciting,chilling,funny and moving by turns. And even cynical old me was a bit misty-eyed by the end,though there had been plenty of hints about what occurred.The humorous first person style for once didnt grate on me like it usually does,it was appropriate and helped to mask certain plot developments. I look forward to reading more about this sweet young man with his modest take on life,plus his kindness and bravery. An unusual and haunting character
John Scalzi - Old Man's War. Wow! Just had a great time galloping through John Scalzi's Old Man's War. Cory Doctorow said this book was "Heinlein without the lectures" and I would call it "Heinlein on crack"! This is the sort of thing I had been hoping Haldeman's Forever War would deliver and didnt. Only problem was the miniscule print I have never read such small printing, which in addition was very light in colour, really difficult to read. But in spite of that I had a great time. Now must look for book 2, Ghost Brigades.
I just loved the basic training section, with cynical Master Sergeant Ruiz. Loved his denigration of all those fictional/filmic sarges with a tough exterior and a marshmallow heart. I couldnt get Sergeant Foley (ie. Lou Gosset Jr. in Officer and a Gentleman out of my head), and that's how I pictured Ruiz! :0) This was one really good first novel (Hugo nominee is not to be sneezed at!) Though the style is very different, the exuberance and panache just reminded me of the young Roger Zelazny. Lots of flash and bang and high octane enjoyment for the reader. Military SF at its best.
Edited by dustydigger 2014-11-17 1:44 PM
| |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Sorry to have been AWOL so longI am having a very slow recovery from my knee replacemen/bone grafts,sitting at the computer is ddifficult. Does anyone want to do Pick and Mix again this year.. We had a very successful year last yearour ratio of books read to books reviewed was excellentahead of the packand the eclectic choices was fascinating. Ah,if only people would participate in posting about their reads. Never known such a reticent set of people! lol.
The admin are being very closed-mouthed and reticent too. We are eager for the unveiling of of our improved version of WWEnd. Stop torturing us! | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 305
| Hope your knee improves soon. Sounds very uncomfortable. I enjoyed thinking about what to add to yourPick and Mix challenge and might very well do it again. And I love your reviews here. Wish I felt more up to reviewing the books I've read... | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1004
Location: UK | Thanks Dwl28.! The thing about Pick and Mix is its total eclecticism (is there such a word?) Any 12 books that appear on any award list or book list,or indeed ar ejust on WWEnd are eligible. Cant get a wider or easier scope than that! lol.Some people only read a little SF varied in subject matter or sub-genes,not enough for most challenges,but they will all qualify for Pick and Mix if they read 12 books in a year.
Tell you what, if 3 other people besides Dwl28 say they will do the challenge,I will post it. So get over those hangovers and get posting! | |
| | |
Veteran
Posts: 106
Location: scotland | I did not notice this challenge last year. It sounds perfect for me. So I would really like to do this. | |
| |
|
The Pick and Mix Challenge.