Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I was trying to work up the enthusiasm to start The Desert Spear today, but that damn audiobook of The Painted Man seems to have put me off it at the moment, it was so painful The Plan 2 From the TBR list: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie - finished 17/04/13 Stonemouth by Iain Banks - finished 09/04/13 The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett (Demon Cycle Book 2) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bar Steward Sequence Book 1) - finished 05/04/13 HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey/Maturin Book 3) - finished 21/04/13 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive Book 1) - finished 22/03/13 Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds - started 23/03/13 - finished 28/03/13 The Cure of Souls by Phil Rickman (Merrily Watkins Book 4) Re-reads: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (about 20 years since I read this) A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (over 30 years since I read this!) - finished 30/03/13 Books I might buy: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files Book 7) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan (Kovacs Book 1) Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Expanse Series Book 1) Monarchies of God by Paul Kearney Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis (Milkweed Tryptich Book 3) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Shogun by James Clavell The 'one no-one saw coming' East of Eden by John Steinbeck - started 22/04/13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 These Captain Aubrey books seem interesting I have heard many good things about them lately.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've not listened to the Painted Man audiobook... was it really that bad? I am about 2/3 into The Desert Spear, it is ok but very slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Book #22: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie Some words . . . 10/10 I picked up a copy of this at the weekend, based on your post above (so no pressure then!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 But it's got a map on the cover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've not listened to the Painted Man audiobook... was it really that bad? I am about 2/3 into The Desert Spear, it is ok but very slow. Yeah, it was awful, and it just made it sound so childish. Very offputting, plus I've been reading some extremely bad reviews of The Daylight War. I think I'll wait for your review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 But it's got a map on the cover I think we should just get you an ordnance survey map for Christmas you will just look at it for ages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I don't remember having problems with the audio for The Painted Man. As for The Daylight War, I've given up on it - it confused me by going back in time, and then it started dragging so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I think we should just get you an ordnance survey map for Christmas you will just look at it for ages Only if it's on parchment and tells me how to get to Mordor I don't remember having problems with the audio for The Painted Man. As for The Daylight War, I've given up on it - it confused me by going back in time, and then it started dragging so much. Oh dear A mate bought The Daylight War for me for my birthday, so I'm feeling kind of obliged to read them, but I really can't summon up the will to do so at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I get the impression that he signed up for a 5 book deal, and is now trying to make the story last long enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Yeah, one of the comments I read said that the latest book is just characters sitting around explaining the plot. Still, the cover's nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 But it's got a map on the cover Not on the inside, that I recall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Not on the inside, that I recall! Actually, there are parts of the map inside You'll probably appreciate Joe's views on maps in fantasy books. Somewhat amusingly, each book he's published since writing that blog has had a map on the cover and other bits and pieces within Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Excellent reviews of Master & Commander and Post Captain there Karsa. Thanks Will You mention how O'Brian gets the historical detail in there by osmosis, a good way of expressing it. What Iove about his writing is the way you are immersed so completely in that time - the very language the people speak is so perfectly placed for the era; after reading a few of his books I always discover my speech littered with expressions such as "Indeed", "Very good sir", "God damn your eyes" and of course "There is not a moment to be lost". Indeed! I'm definitely finding myself getting into a rhythm when reading the books, which made the last couple very difficult to put down. His humour is also very subtle, but as you say, some great laugh out loud moments, from quotes like this one for example (this is from memory): "Killick? Get the doctor aboard with all his dunnage, whatever it is, a pack of mice or a gorilla got with child by the bosun, he must be aboard within the hour." I think my favourite so far was in HMS Surprise when Jack got the sloth drunk, causing much Maturin outrage - "Jack, you've debauched my sloth!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I love both The Painted Man and The Desert Spear, and am looking forward to getting the paperback of The Daylight War. I guess opinions differ . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Hope you enjoy it, Athena. Maybe I'll wait for your review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Actually, there are parts of the map inside You'll probably appreciate Joe's views on maps in fantasy books. Somewhat amusingly, each book he's published since writing that blog has had a map on the cover and other bits and pieces within They're just for decoration though, I can live with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 Hmm, Stover's 'Acts of Caine' books are finally getting a Kindle release in the UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_sabc?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&pageMinusResults=1&suo=1366969709926#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=acts%20of%20caine&sprefix=acts+%2Cdigital-text&rh=i%3Adigital-text%2Ck%3Aacts%20of%20caine I had the first one in paperback but didn't read much of it and gave up, especially seeing as the second book was pretty much unavailable, unless you were prepared to pay a lot for it (which I wasn't). Might be tempted to give them another go now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I am still trying to get hold of a copy of Heroes Die... for a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 Yeah, I think it's reached the point where even second hand copies are getting more expensive, because it's gone out of print Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Curses! Tregillis's Necessary Evil seems to have been released a few days early and I didn't realise. My mate received his copy from Amazon yesterday I can see a trip to Waterstone's happening tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 Book #24: East of Eden by John Steinbeck From Amazon: An epic allegorical novel chronicling the fortunes of two families as they try to escape the sins of their forbears. Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity; the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. Thoughts: I have to say, I never thought I'd type the words 'East of Eden by John Steinbeck' at the top of one of my posts, but there they are. I'm not entirely sure what made me want to read it. I've seen it on my mum's bookshelf over the years, and I know she's read it several times and loves it, but her tastes and mine have never been exactly similar At the start of the year, I kind of wanted to read a few books that are outside my usual fare, and I guess this qualifies. So I borrowed mum's copy. I couldn't find an image of the cover on this version of hers, which is a shame, so the one above will have to suffice. Anyway, I'm not sure I can do the book justice, and I'm certain there are others here who will have a far better appreciation of its content than me. I found it was the sort of book where sometimes I could read it very quickly, and at others I had to slow down and try and absorb it, yet the strange thing is that it is very easy to read. The story itself could probably be described as straightforward, but it's in the characters - and their thoughts and their actions - where the depth shines through, and it's how they - for the most part - try to fight against the Cain and Abel template that I found fascinating. The story is largely about two families: the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Their stories are used as a framework on which Steinbeck hangs a lot of philosophising on human nature, how we live our lives, what we hope to get from it etc. I found the truths in this could be evidenced by the number of times I had to stop reading and work through memories of things that have happened in my own life that it seemed to directly address. I should add that none of these memories had anything to do with Cathy He uses mainly two characters for these philosophies: Samuel and Lee. They were my two favourite characters in the book. What a brilliant character Lee is. I don't want to say too much about him, so as not to spoil it, but he (and Samuel) really came alive in my head. But, then, most of the characters did so. Cathy is a creation of such malevolence that I am actually quite surprised my mum likes the book so much The strange thing about her - Cathy, that is! - is that she was the character who really pulled me into the book, just because I couldn't really believe what I was reading, and I had to see what she did next. Her relationship with Adam Trask takes up most of the first half of the book. The second half is mostly about the next generation, Caleb and Aron, and I spent most of that second part hoping and praying that they would not just re-enact, on some level, what had happened to their parents. There's a fine sense of history about the novel and a vibrant sense of time and place. Steinbeck obviously loved the setting for the novel. At times it felt a little bit preachy to me and, at times, I wanted him to get on with it, but it's one of those novels that needs to meander and take its time about things. Overall, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I'm glad I read it. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Great review, glad you liked it I read Of Mice and Men last year and loved it! I have had East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath on my TBR pile since. What's next? let me guess... Necessary Evil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 What's next? let me guess... Necessary Evil? If the Waterstone's on Oxford Street has got it on my way home today! If not, I'll be getting the Kindle version first thing in the morning, I think, and then getting the paperback when I see it (to complete the trilogy on the shelf) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 The Plan 2 From the TBR list: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie - finished 17/04/13 Stonemouth by Iain Banks - finished 09/04/13 The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett (Demon Cycle Book 2) - dropped The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bar Steward Sequence Book 1) - finished 05/04/13 HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey/Maturin Book 3) - finished 21/04/13 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive Book 1) - finished 22/03/13 Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds - started 23/03/13 - finished 28/03/13 The Cure of Souls by Phil Rickman (Merrily Watkins Book 4) Re-reads: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (about 20 years since I read this) A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (over 30 years since I read this!) - finished 30/03/13 Books I might buy: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files Book 7) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan (Kovacs Book 1) Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Expanse Series Book 1) Monarchies of God by Paul Kearney Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis (Milkweed Tryptich Book 3) - started 30/04/13 Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Shogun by James Clavell The 'one no-one saw coming' East of Eden by John Steinbeck - finished 29/04/13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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