Signor Finzione

I know, and when Mappo lies to him about the fight that he doesn't remember. I'm just at the bit where they've met him and the bhokaral have let down the rope. Had to go to a wedding yesterday and lost valuable reading time. I got a bit confused about servants arms - did he have an arm missing anyway and they gave him a new one? I don't remember.

Yeah, and I just wondered if the Mallorean would be more my cup of tea. I'll possibly give Belgariad #2 a go at some point, though I might try The Diamond Throne first. Hmm, fair enough. Glad you enjoyed it so much anyways.

Aw, nice review of the Mallorean. Well done you on getting through 60 books! Do you reckon the Mallorean could be read without having read all of The Belgariad?

I loved that exchange between Bult and Coltaine. And yeah, I've just read the bit with the Spiritwalker and the conch shell - "salty waves", indeed. And . . . Iskaral Pust! Iskaral Pust! I didn't realise he appeared so early on in the book. He's one of my favourite funny characters.

I know But I could just imagine you saying it as though it's something everyone already knows.

Oh, of course.

Oh shush.

That explains the continuity errors, then. But, WOW, what a lot of stuff to keep straight without writing it down. Good point. I think it said somewhere that Laseen wanted the commoners to have their riots and mobs so that they'd become sick of blood and settle down again. Maybe letting Baudin hurt them was part of the strategy? I want my own little Moby.

Awesome quote describing Mappo: ". . . the thousand years that capered like a gleeful goat behind Mappo's eyes." Awesome. Exploding dhenrabi = also awesome.

Yes we do! I actually prefer the older vintagey covers to the newer ones, but they only seem to do them for a few of the books these days. Still, my REF collection is now well on its way to being complete - these new ones have filled all the gaps in my collection up to the end of the Riftwar Legacy (barring Jimmy and the Crawler - I'll wait for that to become a bit cheaper I think!)

After hearing what Steve's said about the author being somewhat vehement in portraying his extreme personal views, I'm a bit worried about the prospect of him having a book titled Black Man. What is a needlecast?

I won't enter as I've already been sent Smiler's Fair and Timebomb. I enjoyed Timebomb the most, and reviewed it in my reading log here.

I mentioned the other day that I bought a bunch of new books from Amazon with the money my kindly old grandmother gave to me. Well, here they are! (Although they look a bit paltry after all Devi's lovely photos ) I love having new books.

Oh, Deadhouse Gates, I still love you too! Oh, true - it was Felisin's POV after all. I'm going to try and keep my eye out for instances of the unreliable narrator this time through.

They're such meanies! As soon as that looks like changing, make sure to stock up on bookcases!

Same here - I'm more familiar with fantasy than SF, though I have been meaning to try Kameron Hurley for a while, and I'm curious about Ann Leckie too. Have you read any of the authors Steve?

Oh, these are a thing of beauty! I notice the Midkemia book in pride of place - very jealous! And I love that your Feist collection is even more mismatched than mine - brilliant. I didn't realise you had the entire Malazan series. The dark colour of the bookcase makes everything look awesome. Awesome photos!

Maybe we just like to make things complicated for you. Next time I'll say een-na-laatste instead.

Review: 'The Widow's House' by Daniel Abraham Lord Regent Geder Palliako's war has led his nation and the priests of the spider goddess to victory after victory. No power has withstood him, except for the heart of the one woman he desires. As the violence builds and the cracks in his rule begin to show, he will risk everything to gain her love or else her destruction. Clara Kalliam, the loyal traitor, is torn between the woman she once was and the woman she has become. With her sons on all sides of the conflict, her house cannot stand, but there is a power in choosing when and how to fall. And in Porte Oliva, banker Cithrin bel Sarcour and Captain Marcus Wester learn the terrible truth that links this war to the fall of the dragons millennia before, and that to save the world, Cithrin must conquer it. The Widow’s House is the fourth – and penultimate – book in Daniel Abraham’s awesome fantasy series The Dagger and the Coin, and continues to follow the stories of four central characters during their nation’s descent into war. As with the previous three books in the series, The Widow’s House is very character-focused and is structured using the named chapters and switching POVs popularised by George RR Martin. As with all books that use this technique this is sometimes quite frustrating, particularly when a chapter ends on a cliffhanger, or when you’ve forgotten what a certain character was doing when last we saw them. However, it’s nice that the focus has consistently been on the same four POV characters throughout the series, and picking up The Widow’s Housegave me the sense of being reunited with old friends. The switching POVs also become much less disorienting as the novel progresses and each of the different storylines all begin to fall together. Much as I like all four of the main characters, I have to say that once again Geder Palliako edges in front as my favourite. The Lord Regent is child-like and peevish, petulant and bitter, and yet strangely sympathetic. He’s the nicest of people while at the same time being the villain of the piece, a tyrant who simply does not realise he’s a tyrant. He fails to observe that everyone is terrified of him and his inexplicable rages, and is instead desperate for everyone to be his friend. He doesn’t realise certain things are inappropriate, such as staying over for a week to personally oversee his Lord Marshal’s wife giving birth, or committing entire armies to devastating battles simply to take revenge on a woman who hurt his feelings. He also doesn’t realise that he is a puppet, manipulated by his most trusted friend – the spider priest Basrahip – into turning his kingdom into a platform for the chaotic cult of the spider goddess. The other characters are very different, but also likeable and interesting to read about, and all three are working together – whether knowingly or not – towards the same end. The darling of the piece has to be Clara – the ‘widow’ in The Widow’s House – who is secretly scheming to overthrow the Regent in order to protect the kingdom, a job made much more complicated by the fact that her husband was executed by Palliako for treason, and she is unwilling to jeopardise her sons, both of whom hold high positions within the Regent’s army. Clara is brave, practical and loyal, and her chapters always make for a pleasantly easy read (despite the fact that not a lot really happens in them). In contrast, Marcus is a cynical mercenary who has travelled to the ends of the earth searching for ancient weapons to stop the spider priests from spreading their evil; while Cithrin, a banker, is attempting to undermine the Regent and his priests using more unconventional means. Cithrin’s chapters are often the most interesting: she is the ‘coin’ in The Dagger and the Coin, and is forced to find ways to defeat her enemies using the resources at her disposal, namely money. This thread of the story, focusing on economics rather than war or politics, is original and interesting, although a little under-used. All of the characters have developed throughout the series in their own fascinating way, and the plot has progressed to the point where I can’t wait to see how it ends. Bring on book five! 4/5

Thanks BB. Yeah, the format's not everyone's cup of tea, but at least you tried it - I know a few people who've flat-out refused to read it when they learned it was set out that way. Personally I found it fascinating because it almost made me believe it had actually happened.

I know! Like, abuse of human rights, or something. We should protest!

Aw, Mappo. Yeah, part of the reason Deadhouse Gates is so exciting for me is because it means that soon I'll get to read Memories of Ice, which is possibly my favourite book of the whole series. I noticed a possible discrepancy in the prologue. They refer to some of the guardsmen as 'Red Swords', whereas I was sure they were called 'Red Blades'. Is it a different thing, or is it a mistake, or am I just being petty?

I started it last night! I've only really read the prologue so far, but I'd forgotten how good the beginning is. Throwing us straight into the shoes of Felisin, taken prisoner after the dreaded 'cull of the nobility', as she prepares to be dragged through a bloodthirsty mob on her way to a slaver's ship . . . powerful stuff. I've always loved the image of the priest covered in flies - disgusting, but awesome. God, I love this book.

Gorgeous pics, again! You're so organised. I did see them on Facebook, and I laughed at the person who commented (in reference to photo #3) "who is Shima and what did he do wrong?" Love the book owl thing. Owls are awesome.

Yeah, certified husband approval is just as difficult to come by. When I need a new bookcase I actually have to ask for it for birthday/Christmas - even though it's clearly a necessity, not a luxury!