Karsa Orlong

Cujo is one of my favourites of his books.

It's so FLUFFY!!!

I'll add The Sunne in Splendour (about Richard III) by Sharon Penman to my list, above. I thought it was excellent

Rush - Vapor Trails (Remixed) Finally!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTO2pkut2jo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb1UaRu0JVA

I was thinking more Hemingway But I don't know if I'll do another plan at the moment

So you're particularly happy, then?

Second time through it was like reading a completely different book. So much depth in there. Make sure you take Dragnipur with you and do it right

Um . . . maybe not

740 Are you aiming for 800 before the end of the month?

I don't know, I haven't finished the last plan yet It won't be Jane Austen, or Russian, I can tell you that much

Hmm yeah, that's a strange one - she seems to be known as Sharon Penman over here in the UK, and Sharon Kay Penman in the US Damn, if I'd known you wanted to read it I could've sent you my unwanted Mills & Boon paperback copy, but I just passed it on to a family friend a couple of days ago Which one's that now?

It's in third person, multiple pov etc. Actually, one thing I should have mentioned is that it is so obvious to me now just how much George R.R. Martin has taken from the Wars of the Roses for 'A Song of Ice & Fire'. I'm starting to wonder now if his books should be classed as 'historical fantasy'

Thanks, Athena. I think any book this long is going to have parts where it drags a bit, it's probably unavoidable. King of Thorns is up next As in the Wars of the Roses? Hee, now you're testing me! They were wars fought for the throne of England between the houses of York and Lancaster over the course of about 30 years during the mid to late 15th century. Richard III was the youngest of four York brothers and the second Yorkist king, after his eldest brother Edward (IV)

Book #56: The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman From Amazon: Richard, last-born son of the Duke of York, was seven months short of his nineteenth birthday when he bloodied himself at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, earning his legendary reputation as a battle commander and ending the Lancastrian line of succession. But Richard was far more than a warrior schooled in combat. He was also a devoted brother, an ardent suitor, a patron of the arts, an indulgent father, a generous friend. Above all, he was a man of fierce loyalties, great courage and firm principles, who was ill at ease among the intrigues of Edward's court. The very codes Richard lived by ultimately betrayed him. But he was betrayed by history too. Leaving no heir, his reputation was at the mercy of his successor, and Henry Tudor had too much at stake to risk mercy. Thus was born the myth of the man who would stop at nothing to gain the throne. Filled with the sights and sounds of battle, the customs and love of daily life, the rigours and dangers of Court politics and the touching concerns of very real men and women, The Sunne in Splendour is a richly coloured tapestry of medieval England. Thoughts: You would hope that, after all the efforts I went to to get the edition of this book I was happiest with, I would enjoy it - and the good news is that I did, for the most part. I had been wanting to read some fiction about the Wars of the Roses and, after slogging through the rather dire BBC adaptation of Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins Wars' books, I decided to go for this one. Gregory's books may well be very good, but all fingers seemed to point to The Sunne in Splendour as being the best. So, after a couple of aborted attempts at starting the novel, it was with some relief that I got hold of the 30th Anniversary edition for Kindle, with scanning errors eradicated, 'Americanisms' in the dialogue removed, and - from what Penman says in her new Afterword - various bits of general improvement and correction. The story covers Richard's life from 7 years old until his death at the age of 32 and covers all the major events in between, beginning with the murder of his brother Edmund and moving on from there. Whilst Penman doesn't paint Richard as an all-round good guy - he certainly has flaws, here - it's refreshing to have him presented as a rounded human being, not as the evil so-and-so history might have us believe. Penman is at pains to point out that a lot of what we perceive about Richard has been passed down from Tudor historians, who were eager to put a less than positive light on Henry VII's predecessor, even to the extent of giving him a deformity (which has since been disproved). What I found Penman did brilliantly was to have some major events happen 'off screen'. Now, normally I wouldn't like that, but she pulls it off by showing how these people (and all but one of her characters were real people) react in the aftermath of the events. Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick - the Kingmaker, if you like - is as ruthless and power-hungry as you might expect, just as Edward IV is charismatic and brilliant. Middle brother George, on the other hand, is shown to have good reason for his various acts of treachery, whilst Elizabeth Woodville comes across as a complete harridan, interested only in power to the detriment of all else. Marguerite D'Anjou is handled superbly. The first section of the book is terrific. It pulled me in immediately with the aforementioned murder of Edmund, and then cracks on at quite a pace. The second section, perhaps entitled 'Anne' as a warning, does go a bit Mills & Boon at times. Okay, it's not that bad, but I did feel the book slowed a great deal at that stage. I think, maybe, that Anne Neville is just a little too bland in this book; she's too sweet and loving and it's in these instances that I was pulled out of the experience. Fortunately, the book gets back on track, treason piles upon treason, historical figures change allegiances like there's no tomorrow, and the final section of the novel is breathtakingly brilliant, including the expected battle scene, but also one particular council scene that I found incredibly powerful. My only complaint really, in the end, is that the book is just too long, and I really lost some impetus in the middle, kept thinking I was only halfway through and wanted to get it done. But I'm pleased that I didn't do my usual thing and force myself to read it when I wasn't in the mood. I took my time over it and enjoyed it more as a result. And, I suppose, I should be thankful that the publishers didn't make her spread it over a trilogy - or more - and kept it to one superior volume. It's a cracking piece of historical fiction. Hilary Mantel it is not - Penman's writing isn't on that level - but it's hugely enjoyable and, vitally, it has about it an air of authenticity that makes me want to believe that this is how it was. 8/10

Chronologically, I think Midnight Tides actually takes place before Gardens of the Moon, so yeah, you could read it first. The only problem is that you wouldn't then see most of those characters again until Reaper's Gale, which is the seventh book. But then you could read Midnight Tides again - it's the fulcrum of the series, imo, because it sets in motion storylines which start to pull the whole thing together. It's an awesome, awesome book. Erikson at the top of his game.

I guess it just hit all the right notes for me, so I got swept along with it, thinking I'd get the answers sooner or later. Depends if I bring Havok along or not, I suppose

Same for me, exactly. That's why Brandon Sanderson and I do not get along - he's too much about the blimmin' magic systems.

Says who?? Half the fun for me was figuring out stuff as it went along

Such a great song Love the title track from the album, too

Double

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpg_ifIs2MQ

The Heroes is my fave I liked Best Served Cold just about equally, but it's The Heroes that really made me a fan after enjoying First Law but not being 'wowed' by it