Karsa Orlong

I've figured out three. You're okay with first books in series?

This makes it easier for me to choose the books

Oi, if you're going to diss my books do it in your own thread! Oh ... wait ... this is your own thread

Okay I have a couple in mind. I suppose I have to stick to sf/fantasy, do I? Yeah, cos I'm great with dating advice

Sure, why not? There might be a couple from last year I want to include again, though Well if you'd given me a bit more notice . . .

Am I still meant to be coming up with a 'challenge' list for you, frankie? Cos if I am I need to start thinking about it

At the moment it would have to be Richard Topcliffe, the priest hunter from the 'John Shakespeare' books by Rory Clements. He's such a brilliant, scary character in the novels, if he was the same in real life he must have been terrifying

It hasn't arrived I blame the snow

Why? Do they keep nicking each other's cutlery?

Nice Assuming PW is 'Power Windows' (rather than 'Permanent Waves'), that was - for me - their last truly classic album. 'Hold Your Fire' is good, so's 'Counterparts'. I hate 'Test for Echo' with a fiery passion, though . . . Hoping the new Riverside album will be waiting for me when I get home

Hi Julie, yes, I thought I'd love reading it. There's no doubting the man's imagination. I may give it another go in the future and see if my opinion changes Hi Bree - I'm glad it wasn't just me who didn't enjoy it, then Yes, it's a beautiful edition. Weighs a ton, though!

Book #4: A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne From Amazon: The father of science fiction, Jules Verne, invites you to join the intrepid and eccentric Professor Liedenbrock and his companions on a thrilling and dramatic expedition as they travel down a secret tunnel in a volcano in Iceland on a journey which will lead them to the centre of the earth. Thoughts: I thought the start of this story was great fun. Narrated by Axel, nephew of Professor Liedenbrock, the early chapters deal with the decoding of a code found within the pages of a journal that belonged to Arne Saknussemm, a 16th century Icelandic alchemist. You can guess from the title exactly what the code might contain. Axel, in love and certain that the code is nonsense, is not very keen on the idea of being dragged on this journey by his abrasive and obsessive uncle. There is some nice humour in these early stages, and the preparations for the journey and the initial trip to Iceland make for a fun read. Strangely, though, once they had met up with their Icelandic guide, Hans, and ventured into the depths, I started to find the story less interesting and a bit of a chore to read. Axel becomes increasingly morose, which is something I struggle with when stories are written in the first person. Coupled with the frequent digressions into descriptions of rock, I found my attention wandering more and more frequently. One thing that did amuse and annoy in equal measure were the frequent footnotes courtesy of the translator, who was determined to point out every time Verne's scientific ponderings were incorrect. Totally unnecessary, with the unfortunate side effect of also pulling you out of the story. The contrived and somewhat rushed ending turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I suspect I just wasn't in the mood for this story - and am probably not giving it a fair crack - but I had figured, after a long fantasy novel and an epic poem, something short and to the point was needed. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't this. 6/10

The final two episodes of Fringe

It was your reviews of Verne last year that made me want that hardback in the first place

^^ Hmm, I recorded that last night . . . I watched the Director's Cut of Troy

I loved it when I was a kid, too, but I haven't seen it since then and can't remember it in detail. It certainly involves a volcano in Iceland

You're quite right, they're not essential at all. Bauchelain & Korbal Broach are two characters who appeared in the main series - the novellas are just side stories about them Ah, but it could end up being even larger, as there's no end in sight to that one yet Great!

To be fair, I did point that out in the review I'm about two thirds of the way through A Journey to the Centre of the Earth now

Groan . . .

This particular version is £6.55 on Kindle . . . ETA: I would highly recommend the paperback, though, if - like me - you're likely to be flicking back and forth to the glossaries

Cancelled my order for Jason and the Golden Fleece - Amazon had it 'dispatching soon' since Tuesday, which indicates to me that the '1 copy left in stock' was a lie

I gave up on Play.com two or three years ago - they were getting so slow to deliver and sent me the wrong item on two occasions, and on a couple of other occasions they didn't deliver at all. Plus they're in Jersey. My family's from Guernsey, so they're the enemy

Aw, thanks Sari

Could you get the books from the library instead? I believe there are/were some problems with the Kindle editions, particularly with Gardens. Plus you will want to keep flicking back and forwards to the maps and dramatis personae