[caladanbrood]

drinksinbars;212125 said:

ordered brass man

Hot damn that's a good book:cool:

[Fist Gamet]

Moby Dick...nearly finished and I am still not sure if I like it or not? Puzzling. So impressively well written yet in parts drier than the Sahara.

[Lost Marine]

Fist Gamet;212262 said:

Moby Dick...nearly finished and I am still not sure if I like it or not? Puzzling. So impressively well written yet in parts drier than the Sahara.

I think that's why it's a classic, it's so damn terrible, but written so beautifully you have to like it.

[Leoman]

Finally,
night of knives!

*all cheer*

[Shiara]

Just finished reading The Devil's Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow (great nom de plume there ) and before that, Feast of Souls by Celia Friedman. I have now run out of new books to read - suggestions please!!

[Flawed]

Im reading Kate Elliots " Spirit Gate "

Dont get it. Fairly naff in all. Only reading it as it was a birthday present.

SIGH!

[Lost Marine]

Shiara;212310 said:

Just finished reading The Devil's Right Hand by Lilith Saintcrow (great nom de plume there ) and before that, Feast of Souls by Celia Friedman. I have now run out of new books to read - suggestions please!!

Have you read "The Traveler" by someone Twelve Crows Shiara? It was an entertaining book, you might enjoy it.

[McLovin]

Lost Marine;212335 said:

Have you read "The Traveler" by someone Twelve Crows Shiara? It was an entertaining book, you might enjoy it.

John Twelve Hawks is the author's name, I believe.

~McLovin, real surname Two Pigeons

[Fist Gamet]

Lost Marine;212275 said:

I think that's why it's a classic, it's so damn terrible, but written so beautifully you have to like it.

Glad I am not the only one who feels this way. Opened my eyes though, always wondered how these men hunted down enormous whales in little rowboats and then managed to get the oil from them.

[lokiman]

Reading The Ruins by Scott Smith.

[amphibian]

Fist Gamet;212262 said:

Moby Dick...nearly finished and I am still not sure if I like it or not? Puzzling. So impressively well written yet in parts drier than the Sahara.

I am dead serious when I say "Read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry next."

[pat5150]

Just finished Brandon Sanderson's The Well of Ascension.

Sorry to say that this one didn't do it for me. Not at all. A letdown and my biggest disappointment of the year so far.

Check out the blog for the full review.

Patrick

[pat5150]

Just finished William Gibson's Spook Country.

Unfortunately, though the book is good enough, it is clearly a far cry from what one has come to expect from a writer of William Gibson's caliber. Interestingly enough, the story never quite takes off. Moreover, the ending is about as lackluster as it gets.

Spook Country showed signs of brilliance early on, yet the story deteriorates into something quite ordinary before Gibson brings this one to a close.

Nevertheless, it's still a good read for the morning commute or the plane. But there's no denying that Gibson has accustomed his fans to much better works over the course of his career.

Check the blog for the full review. . .

Patrick

[Astra]

Finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Superb. Cannot stop reading.

I was planning to read a couple of books before Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix....alas! could not stop thinking about Harry ....so after reading 2 pages of Black Man, I started to read Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. The only problem is that I know that

Spoiler

Sirius Black is going to die in this book . I really like him

[Falco]

Damned Utd. by David Peace. Told from inside Brian Clough's head about his 44 disastrous days at Leeds Utd.

Awesome.

[caladanbrood]

Just finished the suberb Black Man - Morgan's finest to date.

Now gonna fnally get around to starting Knife of Dreams, I think. See how little I remember of what is happening...

[Seed]

Ploughed through Empire of Ivory, the latest Tremeraire book by Naomi Novik last night. Quite an enjoyable series all up, like a milky way bar, it's light and fluffy so it won't fill you up. I got through it in about 3 hours. Then I started on The Metal Swarm, book 6 of the Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin Anderson IIRC. Also not a bad read, I'm quite enjoying this series, I usually prefer my sci-fi a bit harder, but this is quite good for a space-opera romp. I should have that finished tonight. Time to restock the To-Read pile methinks.

[Falco]

Finished Damned Utd, now reading Night Watch by Lukyanenko. Really digging it. Never saw the movie.

[Dancer+]

Reading Dune atm.
It seems quite good so far, i'm about a quarter of the way through. I should really put a motor on.

[pat5150]

Finished Ellen Kushner's The Privilege of the Sword yesterday, but I needed at least a day to get over it before writing my review. . .

I am acutely aware that some will grill me for saying this (some already have!), but this book is, in my humble opinion (which doesn't count for much, as some will surely point out!), fantasy chick lit. I'm all for strong and genuine female protagonists, yet this is one of the "girliest" novels I've ever read. Needless to say, this book didn't do it for me. I'm not implying that male readers won't enjoy it (many already have, with more to come, I'm sure), but, personally, I found it completely impossible to connect with the characters and the paper-thin plot underlying this tale.

On the upside, Kushner's prose is excellent. The author writes her narrative economically and skillfully. The Privilege of the Sword is as well-written as it gets. Still, as good as the prose is, it cannot possibly make a boring and predictable story any better.

The characterization is the aspect which leaves the most to be desired. Artemisia and Lydia rank among the most insufferable, whiny, vapid, harebrained and soporific characters in the history of the genre. The main character, Katherine, never truly takes center stage, and thus she never really has the ability carry this story along. The sole interesting character is the Mad Duke Tremontaine, but he never lives up to his apparent potential.

I refer to this book as fantasy chick lit because it contains several elements that are associated with "chick lit." There's a very "girly" approach to the narrative. It focuses on undying/forbidden love, corny romance, flowers, jewelry, gowns, fabrics, and an inordinate amount of emo moments. For crying out loud, the characters shed more tears in this book than bridesmaids at a wedding! There is only so much crying one can take, after all. In addition, the emo male characters are not authentic.

The Privilege of the Sword is supposed to be a coming-of-age tale that is hip and edgy. Original? Well, we've seen it all before, I'm afraid. The gender role-reversal was done by Robin Hobb in the Liveship Traders series, and Althea was a much more believable and genuine character than Katherine could ever hope to be. Edgy? Why, because it contains girls kissing girls and men having sex with other men? Gay and bisexual characters make The Privilege of the Sword edgy? Perhaps I'm too avant-garde, but not in this house. I kept plodding on, reading more and more, desperately hoping that I would finally grasp what made this book such a favorite among many SFF fans. But the more I read, the worst it got. I guess that Ellen Kushner's brand of storytelling just isn't for me. . . To each his own, as they say!

I know that many will disagree with me, yet as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most overhyped novels I've ever read.

Check out the blog for the full review...

Patrick