Karsa Orlong

Great! I need to find a bookshop that has the latter two in stock so I can go and have a proper look at them, and maybe compare them to other translations, before I buy them

I don't That's 'Trollocs'. If you're going to take the pee at least spell it right And yours just got shorter

The Aeneid (Oxford World's Classics) The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics) Both going on the wishlist on the basis that, by the time I've read The Odyssey and The Argonautica, I'll probably have had enough, for the time being at least

<<ignores frankie>> That was easy

No, sadly not. I looked on Waterstone's website and none of the nearby branches had it in stock, so I ordered it from Amazon (they only had one copy left). Haven't been out for lunch yet

Well I lasted fifteen days into 2013 . . . My first book purchase of the year and, typically, it is one that never touched my wishlist Jason and the Golden Fleece (The Argonautica) - Oxford World's Classics edition

I read Lustrum without realising it was the second book in a trilogy, and I still thought it was blimmin' marvellous. I've got Imperium and Pompeii on my TBR list

It's not too long, maybe 80 to 100 pages. Might be worth a go just to see if you like his writing or not

You could always get the Kindle app for you laptop and read The Man in the Snow on there

You're welcome, I hope you enjoy them if/when you read them I was talking to a friend in the pub last week and telling him about the Rory Clements series, and he immediately got his Kindle out and bought Martyr

Adding Theft Of Swords: The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan to the wishlist . . . ETA: and The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney.

Well, I hate to say I told you so. Oh, wait, no I don't

Ooh yeah, that's the Stephen Mitchell translation, which is the one that initially grabbed my attention - I read a bit of it and thought it was fantastic. It was the version I really wanted but it's only out in a massive hardback version at the moment and I couldn't wait I may (as in 'probably will') get it when the paperback comes out later this year The Robert Fagles translation I'm reading has got an (abridged) audiobook version read by Derek Jacobi. I'm 300 pages into it, now, so about 250 to go.

It's completely new ground for me - I'd never even thought of trying anything like it until last year. I spent ages deciding which translation to try. I must've looked at six or seven versions trying to work out which one read the best for my tastes. So I'm actually quite relieved that I'm enjoying it

I'm really enjoying it. It's a lot easier to read than I thought it would be

About 180 pages into The Iliad

You're a lost cause

Can't wait to read this - I loved Wolf Hall so much

Had to laugh at the US Government's response to the petition raised for the construction of a Death Star: "The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons: The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it. The Administration does not support blowing up planets. Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?" https://petitions.wh...e-youre-looking

It is complex, for sure! If you try to understand everything immediately your really wouldn't enjoy it - you kind of have to go with the flow and trust that he knows what he's doing. His world is like a giant onion from which he peels back the layers with each successive book. I've read most of them twice, and going back to the earlier books with the knowledge gained from the later ones is a revelatory experience. Gardens of the Moon is almost a completely different book on re-read - there is so much foreshadowing in it I spent most of my time going "Oh my God, I can't believe he planned that so early on"

It's the other way around - Erikson's a pseudonym, his real name is Steven Lundin I haven't read any of them yet, though. Ah, you tempt me. It's two years since I read the final book and it'd be great to discuss them with someone. But I should probably continue with Robert Jordan. Not that we can't discuss them anyway, of course, but it'd be nice if my memory was fresh.

I have a Kindle Keyboard. I had a Sony originally but didn't think much of it.

You wouldn't have that problem with an e-reader, as they're not backlit like computer screens - which is what causes eye fatigue, for me at least.

And you're going to start when it arrives? I might have to re-read them vicariously, then My plan, at the moment, is to re-read the whole series, including Ian Cameron Esslemont's 'Malazan Empire' books, next year. Assuming I can wait that long. I keep taking them off the shelf and reading bits and pieces from them as it is You might find this thread interesting - it's people giving their views, good and bad, about the series, so it's quite well balanced

Catching up with this week's Stargazing shows