Signor Finzione Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Life of Pi was brilliant. Glad you enjoyed it. What did you think of the ending? Dunno if this was for me or Tim, but when I watched the film with my husband, he got up off the sofa at the end and shouted 'that's BULLSH*T!' Don't think he was impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I for one, loved the ending, but I can see why some people reacted the way your husband did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Gosh, Tim, how dare you have a life outside of books?! What sort of things have you been up to? Glad you've been relatively enjoying your reading. I've never read Life of Pi but LOVED the film. Been busy at work, lots of experiments to do. Also trying to enjoy the brief moments of sun. Lots of family and friends stuff going on, and making the most of our National Trust membership. We went to Isaac Newton's childhood home which also included his apple tree The film was a very good adaptation and has stunning visuals which the book doesn't really describe, but they had to include due to the lack of events that actually happen. It was a great read apart from the Island section which just felt tacked on and added nothing to the story. Life of Pi was brilliant. Glad you enjoyed it. What did you think of the ending? I really liked it! I can see why some people wouldn't but it makes a lot more sense and makes a good statement on stories vs truth. I can't remember what it is now but I really loved the final line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I look forward to hear what you think of Great North Road, Tim. I haven't yet read the book Life of Pi, but I quite liked the film. I only own the book because it was a gift, but after seeing the film I didn't mind of course! I might enjoy it so . Someone gifted it to my mum, but it was an English copy and my mum doesn't like to read English for pleasure (she prefers Dutch), so she gave it to me. I was happy to accept of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton Synopsis When attending a Newcastle murder scene, Detective Sidney Hurst finds a dead North family clone. Yet none have been reported missing. And in 2122, twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire was horrifically murdered in the same manner on the tropical planet of St Libra. So, if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? She never wavered under interrogation, claiming she alone survived an alien attack. Investigating this potential alien threat now becomes the Human Defence Agency's top priority. St Libran bio-fuel is the lifeblood of Earth's economy and must be secured. A vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and experts are dispatched to the planet - with Angela Tramelo, grudgingly released from prison. But the expedition is cut off deep within St Libra's rainforests, and the murders begin. Angela insists it's the alien, but her new colleagues aren't sure. Did she see an alien, or does she have other reasons for being on St Libra? Review I picked this up on a whim from the library, had no idea what to expect as it is one of Hamilton's very few stand-alone books. The cover shows the exotic planet of St. Libra whereas the title suggests this is somehow linked to the A1 (The longest road in Britain linking London to Edinburgh, formally known as the Great North Road). After finishing it I still don't quite know how. At 1085 pages this was a real chore to get through, the plot and the characters were no where near developed enough to justify the page length. It could very easily be half the length and not lose anything because of it. This is the 8th Hamilton book I've read and most are long but none have overstayed their welcome like GNR did. There are two main plot threads, one following a detective in Newcastle (the A1 going past here and a brief action scene on the road itself are all that seem to the link the title to the novel) investigating the murder of a prominent family member in the same manner as a series of murders on St Libra 25 years previous for whom Angela was accused. Which brings us to the second thread, Angela is released from prison to help track down the 'alien' she claims committed the murder, along with a large expedition they head to St Libra (A wormhole links Newcastle to St Libra). I loathe detective stories, I find them incredibly dull but I thought if anyone could make it interesting it would be Hamilton... he did not. It drags on and on and the characters involved are all 2-dimensional stereotypes that could have been lifted out of any generic crime show. The St Libra plot is much better and writing alien worlds is clearly Hamilton's strong point but he doesn't bring his A-Game and apart from a few redeeming moments it falls pretty flat and ultimately fails to capture any suspense. I really wish I had abandoned this after a few hundred pages but I assumed it would pick up pace and get me hooked... I was wrong. There are a few redeeming features; A couple of interesting characters (out of a cast of dozens though), a few good actions scenes and some intense death scenes. But there really isn't a reason to recommend this to anyone, even Hamilton fans. If it was a few hundred pages long I would say go for it but at the length it is, life is too short. Overall 5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Oh dear, such a shame this wasn't an enjoyable book for you . I hope your next read will be better! Great review though . I won't be in a rush to read this book then (I do own it so I hope to read it eventually). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I look forward to hear what you think of Great North Road, Tim. I was gonna say you might regret that after reading it Oh dear, such a shame this wasn't an enjoyable book for you . I hope your next read will be better! Great review though . I won't be in a rush to read this book then (I do own it so I hope to read it eventually). I'm reading The Fall of Hyperion, Elfstones of Shannara and Sharpe's Devil, plus a few other things. All of which I am enjoying immensely more than Great North Road I haven't yet read the book Life of Pi, but I quite liked the film. I only own the book because it was a gift, but after seeing the film I didn't mind of course! I might enjoy it so . Someone gifted it to my mum, but it was an English copy and my mum doesn't like to read English for pleasure (she prefers Dutch), so she gave it to me. I was happy to accept of course. Always nice to get books as gifts. I'm sure you will like it. I got mine for 20p on kindle years ago, can't argue with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I'm reading The Fall of Hyperion, Elfstones of Shannara and Sharpe's Devil, plus a few other things. All of which I am enjoying immensely more than Great North Road I'm glad you're enjoying these a lot more! I really liked The Fall of Hyperion (I must re-read these books some time..). Always nice to get books as gifts. I'm sure you will like it. I got mine for 20p on kindle years ago, can't argue with that. I agree . 20p is an excellent deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) The Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell Synopsis Following the escapades of the Essex-born, green-jacketed, hard-nosed, orphan Richard Sharpe and his faithful companion; the larger-than-life, overally pious Irish killing machine Patrick Harper, throughout the Penninsula war. Review At 22 books and approximately 8,000 pages it is no wonder the Sharpe series has taken me around 5 years to complete but I will have a fondness for them that will last at least another 50 years. The first book written, Sharpe's Eagle, was released in 1981; set in 1809 at the height of the Peninsula war it sees Sharpe and Harper fighting at the battle of Talavera where he captures a much coveted French golden eagle (Napoleon's emblem). This was also the first Sharpe book I read and absolutely loved it, the vivid depictions of battle had me completely engrossed and the characterisation was top-notch. I didn't hesitate to buy the rest of the series. Cornwell went on to write eleven more over the next ten years, (including a Sharpe's Rifles, set before Sharpe's Eagle) finishing off the Napoleonic wars with Sharpe's Waterloo before one final installment, Sharpe's Devil that sees him face-to-face with Bonaparte himself. No more were seen for a few years but after the emergence of the TV series starring Sean Bean, Cornwell decided to go back and write some more. Fitting them in and around the existing storyline, most were set in Portugal or Spain but Cornwell also penned a 'prequel trilogy' of sorts, set in India as well as a naval setting in Sharpe's Trafalgar and the one-off Sharpe's Prey set in Copenhagen. With the exception of Sharpe's Eagle, these 'non-Pennisula' novels were my favourite, possibly because they stand-out more from the rest (which tend to all merge into one) with different settings and different foes, rather than an increase in quality. Here are all my ratings with the subsequent years they were released: Sharpe's Tiger 1997 9 Sharpe's Triumph 1998 9 Sharpe's Fortress 1999 8 Sharpe's Trafalgar 2000 8 Sharpe's Prey 2001 9 Sharpe's Rifles 1988 7 Sharpe's Havoc 2003 8 Sharpe's Eagle 1981 10 Sharpe's Gold 1981 9 Sharpe's Escape 2004 8 Sharpe's Fury 2007 7 Sharpe's Battle 1995 8 Sharpe's Company 1982 9 Sharpe's Sword 1983 8 Sharpe's Skirmish 1999 8 Sharpe's Enemy 1984 8 Sharpe's Honour 1985 8 Sharpe's Regiment 1986 8 Sharpe's Siege 1987 9 Sharpe's Revenge 1989 9 Sharpe's Waterloo 1990 8 Sharpe's Devil 1992 9 Sharpe's Eagle was the only book I gave a 10/10 to, but the more I think about it the more I think it is just because it was the first one I read and as they are all written in a similar style it is hard to enjoy any of them as much as the first time. I believe if and when I re-read them, Sharpe's Eagle won't live up to the pedestal I have placed it on. But Sharpe and Harper will always have a fond place in my heart, and Sharpe's Eagle was were it began for me. Overall: 9/10 A note on reading order: Every book is written to be a stand-alone, which is good as it makes every novel a potential starting point but it does mean we are introduced to the same characters and same concepts again and again. My order (and the order I would recommend) was to read the first book written first (always the best introduction in my opinion) then go back and read them all in chronological order. This was a good method but not necessarily the best. This way you get a great introduction to the characters and then get a great chronological view of the Napoleonic wars but it can be quite jarring as you are often skipping ahead or backwards decades in terms of when they were written. You could read them in the order they were released, this will give a nice flow to the development of the characters but could cause confusion as to which section of the war you are reading and therefore disrupt the overall narrative. You could of course read them in which ever order you like, my only suggestion would be to read the three Indian novels together and in the correct order as these are the closest linked of them all, and finish with Sharpe's Devil as it is set 5 years after the rest of the series and has a nice conclusion. I think if I went back and read them all again I would start with Sharpe's Rifles (the first Peninisula War novel) and read 6 or 7 in chronological order from there then go back and read the novels set before the war and then finish off with the rest. This would simply give you a break from all books set in the Peninsula War as they all start to merge into one after a while and I can't remember what specific ones were about. A note on the TV series: I hadn't watched any of the series before starting the first book but I have since watched them all. I would say they are good fun and capture some of the essence of the novels but not enough to do them justice. The budgets were far too small to convey the scope of the battles and they are mostly PG certificate (Suitable for all with parental guidance) meaning they couldn't portray the horrors of war often seen to a realistic degree in the books. Worth watching just don't expect Cornwell's vivid depictions to come across well. But Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley are brilliant as the respective Sharpe and Harper. Edited July 30, 2015 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Great review, Tim. I'll get around to them eventually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Great review ! I'm glad you really enjoyed this series. The covers are quite pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Great review, Tim. I'll get around to them eventually You've been saying that for five years Great review ! I'm glad you really enjoyed this series. The covers are quite pretty. They are nice and they all match really well. The pictures are taken from paintings of battles relating to the war. Though I actually prefer the new style of covers they have released: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 That is a good cover too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Wow, that's a lot of dedication Tim! You deserve a badge or something. LOVE the new style of covers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 You've been saying that for five years Hang on, I only bought them the Christmas before last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Hang on, I only bought them the Christmas before last He meant cat years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 He meant cat years. I wouldn't mind, but he hasn't even been on here for five years himself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Wow, that's a lot of dedication Tim! You deserve a badge or something. LOVE the new style of covers! Just send it in the post! Hang on, I only bought them the Christmas before last I wouldn't mind, but he hasn't even been on here for five years himself *whistles* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Well done, Tim - that's quite a feat! A note on the TV series: I hadn't watched any of the series before starting the first book but I have since watched them all. I would say they are good fun and capture some of the essence of the novels but not enough to do them justice. The budgets were far too small to convey the scope of the battles and they are mostly PG certificate (Suitable for all with parental guidance) meaning they couldn't portray the horrors of war often seen to a realistic degree in the books. Worth watching just don't expect Cornwell's vivid depictions to come across well. But Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley are brilliant as the respective Sharpe and Harper. They occasionally re-show the TV series on Yesterday and I caught most of them [again] a few years back. It's not dated too badly, mainly because of the period setting, but the budget constrained battle scenes are a little lack-lustre when you know there should be hundreds of troops, rather than a handful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 They occasionally re-show the TV series on Yesterday and I caught most of them [again] a few years back. It's not dated too badly, mainly because of the period setting, but the budget constrained battle scenes are a little lack-lustre when you know there should be hundreds of troops, rather than a handful. Yeah, I think they did well with what they had... but they really didn't have a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Just booked my ticket to the Gollancz festival at Waterstones in Oct. Has a great line-up: Ben Aaronovitch; Joe Abercrombie; Stephen Baxter; Aliette de Bodard; Adam Dalton; Joanne Harris; Alex Lamb; Elizabeth May; Ian McDonald; Simon Morden; Richard Morgan; Sarah Pinborough; Al Robertson; Justina Robson; Brandon Sanderson; Gavin Smith; Mark Stay; Tricia Sullivan; Tom Toner and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 ^ The list on the side of that page is misleading, I thought it was attendees until I saw Philip K. Dick and Terry Pratchett! Sounds good, otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Oh yeah, I can see how that can be mistaken.. It's a good line-up but it's not THAT good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 That sounds awesome Tim! Very jealous! Why are these things always in bloody London?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 That sounds awesome Tim! Very jealous! Why are these things always in bloody London?! Well there is the exact same thing in Manchester the day before... http://www.gollancz.co.uk/gollancz-festival-waterstones-deansgate-events/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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