Tambo

I haven't read any Ian McEwan yet, but I really should. My brother is heavily into him, I think I'll mooch a copy of Atonement and go from there.

My decision to purchase this particular book was swayed by the sticker they had slapped on the front cover, “Perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden” A fan of Iggulden I most certainly am, and if the marketing people are trying so hard to sell me this book that stickers are going to come into the equation, then who am I to get in the way of such a process? It got bought. Sidebottom has set his story in the third century AD. The city of Arete, on the banks of the Euphrates River, is currently the Eastern extreme of Roman influence. This could be about to change as an attack is expected the following year by a horde of Sassanid Persians. Fire in The East follows the journey of Marcus Clodius Ballista, a former barbarian come Roman military officer, who has just been appointed as the commander in charge of the city’s defence. I was not too impressed with the first half of the book. The intrigue, I didn’t find too intriguing, and the engagement, I didn’t find too engaging. The comic moments provided no relief; I don’t think my sense of humour was ever aroused to the point of laughing out loud. I felt there were too many characters for my tiny mind to keep up with. There’s a very helpful list of characters appendix at the end of the book, but as I’m a very linear chap who reads from left to right, I didn’t know it was there until it was too late. It’s not all bad though, the book really came into its own as soon as those pesky Persians arrive. In some quite exciting battle sequences, the author explores the process of siege warfare, and the use of various types of siege equipment, in a surprising amount of depth. The detail given in no way gets in the way of the narrative’s pace; I was glued to my seat and finished the second half of the book in one sitting. So what did I think overall? “PART ONE” can be seen written in quite a prominent place on the dust cover of this book, and subsequent volumes are referenced in the afterword. It is clear that follow up novels are to be released, but will I be interested? The last ten or so pages of Fire in the East answered that question for me. The plot takes an unexpected turn at the last minute, and has left me eager to find out what will happen next. So yes I will be reading Warrior of Rome, part two, soon after it comes out. This time, I’ll be wise to the location of any hidden lists of characters. That’ll be one thing less for me to gripe about.

Hello, I like your t-shirt Enjoy the forum

I'll give Jeff Abbot a go at some point. Cheers for the review. Panic is now on the wish list, I'll get round to it at some point.

So long as it never becomes ok to belch at the dinner table before announcing "compliments to the chef" I know of someone who does that and it just gets right under my skin. I'm far from prudish but when people are eating..... Ugh

I'm tackling Don Quixote at the moment, 900 or so pages long, should take me most of the week if not more. I've enjoyed the first 100.

I was browsing bookmooch, just checking the site out, and saw a list of the members from Aberdeen. Kell's profile stood out (as everybody had 0 or 1 friends, and she had 20 odd) I clicked on it and was directed here by her blurb.

"Thank God for cheap books" I echo that sentiment, welcome to the forum. I read that Angels and Demons a month or so back. It was quite a good read, although the helicopter jump seemed a bit far fetched for me.

I started a bookring with this title if you, or anybody else, is interested. http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5874

Currently, I have a self imposed limit of 2 new books per month as I'm on a budget. I'm looking to branch out into things like bookmooch.

I thought I'd post this here, seeing as how every second member seems to be from Aberdeen. I was looking to request a book from another library today. In the past it has involved filling in a wee card and paying 50p. You now no longer need to go down to the library and fill in the wee card. You can order the books online instead, and select which library you want to pick them up from. You pay the 50p when you collect the books.

I think Ottakers may have used a similar tack to a crack dealer. They give you the first one for 99p and get you hooked. I've just read Under the Eagle, and also like it. I smiled at the part where, whilst travelling through Gaul, one of the characters complains as to the quality of the local wine and wonders whether the locals will ever be able to produce some decent stuff.

Hello to the West coastie.

David Benioff

Wow, what a friendly forum. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

1. I'm married and we have a little girl called Molly. 2. I sell burgers for a living. 3. One day I'd like to be a secondary school teacher. 4. I cry near the end of Forrest Gump. 5. At the moment, I'm watching old episodes of the Larry Sanders show on youtube. I should go to bed, the taxi will be here in less than 6 hours.

My name is Tam, a bibliophile who has recently moved to Aberdeen/Scotland. I've always liked books, but my interest in them has really picked up recently; I've moved from reading two or three in a month to two or three in a week. Historical fiction is probably my favourite genre, but I have been trying to vary my tastes and try out different things as well. I also write a little, but consider myself very much a beginner. I don't produce much in the way of output, save for the odd blog entry and book review. In September, I'm hoping to go back and have another crack at University. (I dropped out of a Maths degree about 4 years ago.) This time I'm going to study something I love...English. Looking forward to getting to know you all, and talking about the books we love!