Steve's Bookshelf 2013

[Karsa Orlong]

No, seriously .. great review Steve  

 

Thanks!

 

 

Glad you liked it because it's a great book and if you hadn't liked it then we'd probably never get to see the one we never saw coming again  (what's it going to be btw? )

 

Well if I told you then there'd be no point in calling it 'the one no-one saw coming'

 

I do have another one in mind, though, but I've no idea when it'll be.  I'm struggling to finish the existing plan at the moment 

 

 

 

Have you read any of the great Russian novels .. have you read Crime and Punishment for instance?

 

No, I haven't.  Are you going to try and convince me?  It probably won't work at the moment - there's too much other stuff I want to read for now    

[poppyshake]

Well if I told you then there'd be no point in calling it 'the one no-one saw coming'     

Couldn't it be 'the one that most people didn't see coming but someone did as they were blessed with great insight and wisdom?' (and then I could tell you it was Crime and Punishment )

No, I haven't. Are you going to try and convince me? It probably won't work at the moment - there's too much other stuff I want to read for now

Do you accept bribes? Oh all right .. far be it for me to load you down with more stuff. Put it on your radar .. that's all I'm saying .. for 2021 or something

[Karsa Orlong]

Couldn't it be 'the one that most people didn't see coming but someone did as they were blessed with great insight and wisdom?'

 

I'll let you know if they do.

 

    

[poppyshake]

I'll let you know if they do.

 

    

Ohhhh!!  

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #49:  The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

 

 

From Amazon:

 

In the middle years of the ninth-century, the fierce Danes stormed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man, one king.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

This is the first book in 'The Warrior Chronicles', Bernard Cornwell's series about Alfred the Great.  Much like 'The Warlord Chronicles', his marvellous Arthurian trilogy, here he tells the story in first person, through the eyes of Uhtred, looking back at his life and the momentous events that surrounded him.  It's possible that this could take a little tension out of proceedings, because you know Uhtred is going to live to tell his tale.  Sometimes I find this a bit of a problem, particularly in thrillers, but here - as in the Arthur books, where Derfel told his story - it works brilliantly. 

 

It starts with Uhtred, a young Saxon boy, at his home at the fortress of Bebbanburg, on the north east coast of England.  When news comes that a Danish fleet has arrived and taken possession of Eoforwic (York - Cornwell uses Anglo-Saxon place names throughout the novel), Uhtred's father and his men march south to join with other Saxon forces and re-take the city.  Uhtred himself is brought along to learn of battle.  He is nine years old at this point.

 

This all happens in the prologue, which ends - for various reasons - with Uhtred being taken captive by the Danes.  Cornwell rarely uses the term Viking, as he has stuck to its meaning as, essentially, what the Danes do when they raid coastal towns (i.e. 'to go on a viking'). 

 

The rest of the story covers roughly 10 to 12 years of Uhtred's life, and he has conflicting loyalties, as you can imagine.  It's quite a handy tool, because it allows Cornwell to show both sides of the conflict.  Cornwell's characterisation is fantastic, as usual.  Along the way Uhtred meets Alfred (of course), but my favourite(s) were the Danes, especially Ragnar the Fearless and his son, Ragnar the Younger.  The older Ragnar is larger than life, and I thought he leapt off the page.

 

I find Cornwell is such a natural storyteller, and this tale has a real ebb and flow to it, as if Uhtred was sitting in front of you telling you himself.  I'd say this is a better book than any of those in his 'Grail Quest' trilogy, and just a smidgeon behind the Arthurian books.  It's a brilliant novel that doesn't overstay its welcome - far from it! - and I can't wait to read more of Uhtred's adventures.

 

 

9/10

Edited August 20, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[Timstar]

Yay, glad you liked it!

 

 

I'd say this is a better book than any of those in his 'Grail Quest' trilogy, and just a smidgeon behind the Arthurian books.  It's a brilliant novel that doesn't overstay its welcome - far from it! - and I can't wait to read more of Uhtred's adventures.

 

This tends to be the general consensus amongst fans. Can't wait to start them

[Karsa Orlong]

I'm sure you'll like it, too.  Thanks to your heads-up I have the next three or four books waiting on my Kindle

[Athena]

Great reviews, Steve ! I also really liked To Kill a Mockingbird.

[Little Pixie]

 

 

I find Cornwell is such a natural storyteller, and this tale has a real ebb and flow to it, as if Uhtred was sitting in front of you telling you himself.  I'd say this is a better book than any of those in his 'Grail Quest' trilogy, and just a smidgeon behind the Arthurian books.  It's a brilliant novel that doesn't overstay its welcome - far from it! - and I can't wait to read more of Uhtred's adventures.

 

 

9/10

 

How many of the Arthur books have you read ? Obviously, I`ve read none, but plan to read them all very, very soon.

[Karsa Orlong]

How many of the Arthur books have you read ? Obviously, I`ve read none, but plan to read them all very, very soon.

 

 

I read all three of them a couple of years ago, loved 'em 

 

The Winter King

 

Enemy of God

 

Excalibur

 

[Karsa Orlong]

Great reviews, Steve ! I also really liked To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

Thanks

[Little Pixie]

 

I read all three of them a couple of years ago, loved 'em 

 

The Winter King

 

Enemy of God

 

Excalibur

 

 

Thanks.

 

Now I just have to get into the mood to read them ; I almost started The Mists of Avalon the other day, but wimped out `cos of it`s mighty tome-ness.

[Karsa Orlong]

I almost started The Mists of Avalon the other day, but wimped out `cos of it`s mighty tome-ness.

 

Hehe!  I just went down to Waterstones to see if they had The Count of Monte Cristo and stood there flicking through it for a couple of minutes.  It was a lovely edition, but it was HUGE.  Really don't want to be carrying that around with me, so I think I'll get it for Kindle instead 

[Kylie]

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourites. I read a cheap paperback copy, but I'd like to get a special hardcover edition. Was the one you were looking at this or this? 

[Athena]

My copy is a Wordsworth one, I haven't read it yet though so I can't comment on the contents XD. It's a paperback and it's mainly blue with a picture. Those editions look beautiful, Kylie!

[Karsa Orlong]

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourites. I read a cheap paperback copy, but I'd like to get a special hardcover edition. Was the one you were looking at this or this? 

 

No, it wasn't either of those.  I've got a couple of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound editions, though, and they are gorgeous.

 

I was torn between two editions, the Oxford World Classics or the Penguin Classics, which was the only one Waterstone's had.  It's the sort of book I'd love to have sitting on the shelf, but it's a bit too big to contemplate carrying around with me, really, so I went for the Kindle edition of the latter.  I spent ages looking up reviews and comments on the different translations and was really torn between the two.  The Penguin Classics is a modern translation, which I was unsure about, but apparently it restores some aspects of the story that were altered in the 1846 translation, plus it's unabridged.  I may switch to the other one if I don't like it.  If I end up liking it a lot, though, I'll probably get a treebook edition as well.

 

I looked at the current Wordsworth edition, but it appears to be the abridged version of the story, which put me off

[Little Pixie]

Hehe!  I just went down to Waterstones to see if they had The Count of Monte Cristo and stood there flicking through it for a couple of minutes.  It was a lovely edition, but it was HUGE.  Really don't want to be carrying that around with me, so I think I'll get it for Kindle instead 

I don`t know if it`s so much the transportation difficulties - though it`s certainly far too big for a handbag   - so much as the idea of starting a book which I know will take ages to read, and what if I`m not wowed by it and I end up with another Pillars of the Earth situation  , ie, it takes weeks to get through and I start thinking of all the other books on my TBR list I could`ve read in the time ?

 

I might have to get to 100 this year, then devote myself to just a few Mighty Tomes .

[Little Pixie]

No, it wasn't either of those.  I've got a couple of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound editions, though, and they are gorgeous.

 

I was torn between two editions, the Oxford World Classics or the Penguin Classics, which was the only one Waterstone's had.  It's the sort of book I'd love to have sitting on the shelf, but it's a bit too big to contemplate carrying around with me, really, so I went for the Kindle edition of the latter.  I spent ages looking up reviews and comments on the different translations and was really torn between the two.  The Penguin Classics is a modern translation, which I was unsure about, but apparently it restores some aspects of the story that were altered in the 1846 translation, plus it's unabridged.  I may switch to the other one if I don't like it.  If I end up liking it a lot, though, I'll probably get a treebook edition as well.

 

I looked at the current Wordsworth edition, but it appears to be the abridged version of the story, which put me off

 

 

Ooh, nice. Plus, excellent prices for some of the others - Don Quixote for £1.99 ? The first 3 Charlie Chan mysteries for £2.54 ?

 

Must. Stop.Browsing.

[Karsa Orlong]

I don`t know if it`s so much the transportation difficulties - though it`s certainly far too big for a handbag   - so much as the idea of starting a book which I know will take ages to read, and what if I`m not wowed by it and I end up with another Pillars of the Earth situation  , ie, it takes weeks to get through and I start thinking of all the other books on my TBR list I could`ve read in the time ?

 

I hope The Count of Monte Cristo is a bit better than that load of old tosh 

 

I reckon it'd take me about two weeks to read, and that's if I lug it back and forth to work, hence the Kindle version

[Little Pixie]

I hope The Count of Monte Cristo is a bit better than that load of old tosh 

 

I cannot argue with you.

[Karsa Orlong]

I've bought two doorstoppers in the last couple of days (or at least they would be, if they weren't Kindle versions . . . ):

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1,316 pages)

 

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman (948 pages)

 

and also

 

Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey (608 pages) - cos the price has come down, finally.

[poppyshake]

Crime and Punishment only has 564 pages .. it's a mere short story compared

[Karsa Orlong]

Crime and Punishment only has 564 pages .. it's a mere short story compared

 

No.

 

 

[vodkafan]

Those three books are Karsa's reading for the rest of the year then.

Steve just thinking if you had bought the tree book versions and lugged them to work every day think how fit you would be by Christmas.

[Karsa Orlong]

Finished The Odyssey - will write some thoughts later.  Made a start on The Count of Monte Cristo today.  I might finish it by Christmas