Signor Finzione Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Great reviews, hope you enjoy the new one just as much. I started The Straight Razor Cure this morning. Thanks Tim! Hope you like it; I look forward to reading what you think of it. The second one is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Ooohh I'm now officially a "bookworm". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Ooohh I'm now officially a "bookworm". Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Congrats! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 2, 2013 Author Share Posted November 2, 2013 Thought I'd post this as it gave me a laugh. It's Game of Thrones meets Mr Men! My personal favourite is 'Mr. Pimp', a.k.a. Littlefinger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 Review: 'She Who Waits' by Daniel Polansky Low Town: The worst ghetto in the worst city in the Thirteen Lands. Good only for depravity and death. And Warden, long ago a respected agent in the formidable Black House, is now the most depraved Low Town denizen of them all.As a younger man, Warden carried out more than his fair share of terrible deeds, and never as many as when he worked for the Black House. But Warden’s growing older, and the vultures are circling. Low Town is changing, faster than even he can control, and Warden knows that if he doesn’t get out soon, he may never get out at all. But Warden must finally reckon with his terrible past if he can ever hope to escape it. A hospital full of lunatics, a conspiracy against the corrupt new king and a ghetto full of thieves and murderers stand between him and his slim hope for the future. And behind them all is the one person whose betrayal Warden never expected. The one person who left him, broken and bitter, to become the man he is today. The one woman he ever loved. She who waits behind all things. She Who Waits is the third instalment in Daniel Polansky’s Low Town series, and seemingly rounds off this particular trilogy about the life of Warden. It’s a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable read that takes all the elements we’ve come to love about the series – grimy settings, disreputable characters, casual vice, fascinating flashbacks and wicked schemes – and multiplies them by ten to create a convoluted but fast-paced plot leading to an explosive and heart-stopping conclusion. As with the author’s previous novels (The Straight Razor Cure and Tomorrow the Killing) the story follows the character of Warden, a disgraced former soldier and Black House operative who is now a drug dealer. Not only does he practically run Low Town, but he also secretly manoeuvres critical events within politics, not to his own advantage, but to the disadvantage of those who have previously caused him harm. Most of the characters he encounters are despicable in varying ways, their negative attributes brilliantly exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness. Low Town and its denizens are ugly, inside and out, and this makes those rare moments of goodness or peace experienced by Warden all the more striking.One thing I will point out is that there’s not really that much emphasis on Albertine, the woman who betrayed him years ago and is therefore partly responsible for the way his life has turned out since. However, I don’t think the novel suffers from this, since the focus of the series has always been on Warden’s decisions in the present rather than his dwelling on the past; and, of course, the title is clever, referring not just to his lost love but to the goddess of death, commonly known as ‘She who Waits Behind All Things’. And that’s a pretty apt title, since the novel’s events are set against the usual Low Town backdrop of frequent violence and murder.In a nutshell: the dialogue is gritty and facetious, the protagonists are tough and easy to root for, the plot is clever and brilliantly executed, and the final awesome culmination of events leaves us feeling wretched yet satisfied.My rating: 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 Whoops. Just fell down the stairs while reading the back cover of The Lions of Al-Rassan. Not the most auspicious beginning for my first date with Guy Gavriel Kay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 I hope the book didn't get damaged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 The book is fine, thanks very much! I gave the cats a fright, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 So you managed to combine book abuse and cat scaring in one action? If the cat figures out what made you fall down the stairs you may have to hide your books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Whoops. Just fell down the stairs while reading the back cover of The Lions of Al-Rassan. Not the most auspicious beginning for my first date with Guy Gavriel Kay. With GGK it can only get worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Just kidding. TLOA-R was OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 So you managed to combine book abuse and cat scaring in one action? If the cat figures out what made you fall down the stairs you may have to hide your books! They already chew them when I'm not looking! And use them as pillows. With GGK it can only get worse Oh dear. That doesn't exactly fill me with inspiration. I'm only on page 12, though, so it's too early to tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 I've decided I'm not in the proper frame of mind for GGK, and will return to him at a later date. I've started The Grim Company by Luke Scull instead - grimdark ahoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I've decided I'm not in the proper frame of mind for GGK, and will return to him at a later date. I've started The Grim Company by Luke Scull instead - grimdark ahoy! Next time you pick up GGK fix a safety harness to the top of the staircase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 You rate Low Town very highly what is so good about them for you? And what genre would you put it in is it high fantasy, you know orcs and elves and stuff? ( I hate orcs and elves I can't help it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Next time you pick up GGK fix a safety harness to the top of the staircase I think it's safer for everyone involved if I just keep them downstairs. You rate Low Town very highly what is so good about them for you? And what genre would you put it in is it high fantasy, you know orcs and elves and stuff? ( I hate orcs and elves I can't help it) There's no orcs or elves here, and if there was they'd get mugged in an alley then knifed and left for dead. The Low Town novels are what I'd describe as low fantasy, or grimdark. They're set in a city, and everything's really dark and dirty. The first two books are a bit like detective novels in a fantasy setting: there's murders and disappearances and conspiracies, but also a bit of magic. I think I enjoyed them because they're not like anything I've really read before. Also, I really like grimdark fantasy (Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie) and they sort of fill the bill nicely. Then again, Tim likes Abercrombie but hated the first Low Town novel, so I guess it's just a matter of taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 OK thanks. I may check one out at some point. I haven't heard of Lawrence or Abercrombie either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Ooooh, they are both brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've officially given up on The Grim Company. I don't like it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I've officially given up on The Grim Company. I don't like it at all. That's a shame, what didn't you like about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 It's just not what I expected. It's been bigged up on the internet as the next Abercrombie or Lawrence, but I got over a hundred pages in and was just bored and frustrated. It's full of fantasy clichés (not least of which is a magically glowing sword called Magebane that can only be wielded by a 'hero'), which I at first thought might be there for satirical reasons (like Pratchett and Abercrombie), but it seems they're not. I also found it to be a bit clunky sentence-wise, and I managed to reach 150 pages without giving a toss about any of the characters. Just 'meh' all round. (Although Steve suggested it might be because I'm too involved in my own novel to be able to enjoy someone else's.) Your 'reading now' just reminded me of the most recent Quirky Cat Behaviour in our household: every morning this week I've come downstairs to find my copy of A Feast for Crows lying in the middle of the floor. No other books, just that one. Anyway, I came down early to feed them this morning, and caught Fili sat on top of the bookcase, carefully pulling FFC off the shelf and onto the floor! I think she wants to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Your 'reading now' just reminded me of the most recent Quirky Cat Behaviour in our household: every morning this week I've come downstairs to find my copy of A Feast for Crows lying in the middle of the floor. No other books, just that one. Anyway, I came down early to feed them this morning, and caught Fili sat on top of the bookcase, carefully pulling FFC off the shelf and onto the floor! I think she wants to read it. That's cruelty to animals! At least get her to read A Storm of Swords instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 (edited) I also found it to be a bit clunky sentence-wise, and I managed to reach 150 pages without giving a toss about any of the characters. Just 'meh' all round. That's never a good sign. Your 'reading now' just reminded me of the most recent Quirky Cat Behaviour in our household: every morning this week I've come downstairs to find my copy of A Feast for Crows lying in the middle of the floor. No other books, just that one. Anyway, I came down early to feed them this morning, and caught Fili sat on top of the bookcase, carefully pulling FFC off the shelf and onto the floor! I think she wants to read it. Haha, that's great, funny that it's one particular book, clearly ASoIaF re-read is in order Also reminded me that I need to update that as I finished it over a week ago. Half-way through Prince of Thorns and really enjoying it Edited November 15, 2013 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. It's never nice when one isn't enjoying a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.