I've just blasted through the Raymond E Feist Serpentwar Saga for about the twentieth time. I have a soft spot for the books, they are somewhat dear to me for no rational reason. However, I've noticed something in my last couple of re reads which makes me sad...
The mythical element is so much weaker than the action roles, it is absurd. There's nothing well done about it, and it's so clumsy. Compare it to a pretty similar mythical element (God gone, how does it impact on the world, how do you cope) in the Godless World saga.
The problem is, it is an interesting conceit, which Feist bleeds to death. This is the reason I haven't got his later books yet - because I know it's going to happen again.
As it is, I skipped all the bits with Pug in, because it's dull. I won't be reading the end of the final book, I've read it before, it doesn't do anything for me.
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Monday, 31 August 2009
All sorts of updates
Books:
Nights of Villjamur - Mark Charan Newton
I was super intrigued by this book. Newton is the same age as me, from Nottingham, pitching out a fantasy debut. He's the me I want to be. Of course, the me I want to be would have finished this book a little better. There's too much telling rather than showing, some character developments which don't really hang true, and the edit is a touch weak. On the plus side the world building has plenty of interesting pieces in it, and there's aliens and non humans a plenty to add to the mix. I'll be getting the next book, because I think there's promise here, but this isn't a debut that stands up against First Law, Name of the Wind or a lot of last year's big splashes. This is a wait for paperback book.
Divided Kingdom - Rupert Thomson
This book is dreadful. Dreadful. The initial premise doesn't hang together at all, doesn't hold up under any scrutiny, doesn't, in fact, make any sense. The main character goes on a journey of personal discovery without making an personal discoveries. This book is, I will be honest, worse than the GI Joe Movie, worse than being waterboarded, worse than that bug which lives inthe Amazon and swims up your piss.
Football
Bye bye Matt Cassell. We hardly knew you. Hello Tyler Thigpen? I heard you were moving to Jacksonville, but that may be off now. Of course, Matt Guttierez may be making an appearance for KC, which is super exciting. It's battle of Tom Brady's backups, redux!
More later
Nights of Villjamur - Mark Charan Newton
I was super intrigued by this book. Newton is the same age as me, from Nottingham, pitching out a fantasy debut. He's the me I want to be. Of course, the me I want to be would have finished this book a little better. There's too much telling rather than showing, some character developments which don't really hang true, and the edit is a touch weak. On the plus side the world building has plenty of interesting pieces in it, and there's aliens and non humans a plenty to add to the mix. I'll be getting the next book, because I think there's promise here, but this isn't a debut that stands up against First Law, Name of the Wind or a lot of last year's big splashes. This is a wait for paperback book.
Divided Kingdom - Rupert Thomson
This book is dreadful. Dreadful. The initial premise doesn't hang together at all, doesn't hold up under any scrutiny, doesn't, in fact, make any sense. The main character goes on a journey of personal discovery without making an personal discoveries. This book is, I will be honest, worse than the GI Joe Movie, worse than being waterboarded, worse than that bug which lives inthe Amazon and swims up your piss.
Football
Bye bye Matt Cassell. We hardly knew you. Hello Tyler Thigpen? I heard you were moving to Jacksonville, but that may be off now. Of course, Matt Guttierez may be making an appearance for KC, which is super exciting. It's battle of Tom Brady's backups, redux!
More later
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Blind Side
The trailer for the movie of Michael Lewis's book The Blind Side is out on youtube.
If you haven't read the book, go out and get it straight away. The writing has Lewis's typical style - he makes the relatively complex relatable. Go and get all his stuff, actually - Liars poker is fantastic and Moneyball is a great baseball expose which is accessible for non baseball fans.
Of course, part of the reason Blind Side is amazing is that there is the redemption of Michael Oher, form tragic hard knocks case to millionaire, and Lewis's investigation as to how exactly economics and personality have combined to create a perfect storm of circumstance.
I'm excited. Sandra Bullock.
Oh, and the film is going to be a weepy. Ideal for taking a girl to!
If you haven't read the book, go out and get it straight away. The writing has Lewis's typical style - he makes the relatively complex relatable. Go and get all his stuff, actually - Liars poker is fantastic and Moneyball is a great baseball expose which is accessible for non baseball fans.
Of course, part of the reason Blind Side is amazing is that there is the redemption of Michael Oher, form tragic hard knocks case to millionaire, and Lewis's investigation as to how exactly economics and personality have combined to create a perfect storm of circumstance.
I'm excited. Sandra Bullock.
Oh, and the film is going to be a weepy. Ideal for taking a girl to!
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Book review: The Instrumentalities of the Night
Books: The Tyranny of the Night, Lord of the Silent Kingdom
Author: Glen Cook
Purchase: Book 1 , Book 2
About:
Glen Cook uses his unparalleled world building skills to showcase a version of Crusades era western Europe where magic exists and the gods are all too real. Else Tage, slave soldier turned infiltrator, represents a threat in the mind of hoary powers, sorcerers and warrior emperors, even if he isn't aware of it. A heresy rages, a crusade stutters and stumbles and the old gods rise.
Why?:
The mix of complexity, politics, war and realism that Cook creates is a pretty unique blend. There are dozens of non fantasy war authors who would kill their kids to achieve a similar level of grit and grime in their work, but Cook will never achieve the same level of commercial success because A) he writes fantasy and B) as far as I can tell, he is an ornery cuss.
Trivia:
The heresy in the books is a pretty accurate representation of the Albigensian heresy in the south of France, which the Catholic Church put down in typically brutal fashion - the contention was that, as the world is such a shitty place to live, it seems more reasonable to assume it was made by the Devil than God. Cook even gets some of the famous lines of the era into the lips of his characters.
For readers of:
Glen Cook, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Pat Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson
Author: Glen Cook
Purchase: Book 1 , Book 2
About:
Glen Cook uses his unparalleled world building skills to showcase a version of Crusades era western Europe where magic exists and the gods are all too real. Else Tage, slave soldier turned infiltrator, represents a threat in the mind of hoary powers, sorcerers and warrior emperors, even if he isn't aware of it. A heresy rages, a crusade stutters and stumbles and the old gods rise.
Why?:
The mix of complexity, politics, war and realism that Cook creates is a pretty unique blend. There are dozens of non fantasy war authors who would kill their kids to achieve a similar level of grit and grime in their work, but Cook will never achieve the same level of commercial success because A) he writes fantasy and B) as far as I can tell, he is an ornery cuss.
Trivia:
The heresy in the books is a pretty accurate representation of the Albigensian heresy in the south of France, which the Catholic Church put down in typically brutal fashion - the contention was that, as the world is such a shitty place to live, it seems more reasonable to assume it was made by the Devil than God. Cook even gets some of the famous lines of the era into the lips of his characters.
For readers of:
Glen Cook, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Pat Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson
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