Signor Finzione Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 That's cruelty to animals! At least get her to read A Storm of Swords instead I've been showing her the Erikson books whilst feeding her treats, but it doesn't seem to be working. (Would that work on people d'you think?) That's never a good sign. I wonder if it's just me, because it has really good reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. The cover of it (even the spine!) is also plastered with positive quotes from reviews . . . although none from fellow authors. Hmm. Haha, that's great, funny that it's one particular book, clearly ASoIaF re-read is in order Yeah, she did have a bit of a sniff at the others in the series, and she chewed the corner of one of my Abercrombies a little bit, but I think she's trying to tell me something. 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 Ooohh, I'm glad! The next one is even better. Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. It's never nice when one isn't enjoying a book. It's really unusual for me, and seems to be happening a lot lately. Maybe I just need to work on my patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 In case you don't read my thread, thought you might be interested in this book. http://www.bookworld.com.au/book/dangerous-women/42985604/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 Thanks Devi, I heard of this a while ago on Joe Abercrombie's website. His contribution features Shy South, although I think I would have preferred more Monza Murcatto instead. Also, I thought I was already following your thread, but apparently I wasn't. I am now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 His contribution features Shy South, although I think I would have preferred more Monza Murcatto instead. I'm fine with either of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Thanks Devi, I heard of this a while ago on Joe Abercrombie's website. His contribution features Shy South, although I think I would have preferred more Monza Murcatto instead. Also, I thought I was already following your thread, but apparently I wasn't. I am now. Thats ok, I rarely write reviews so I wouldn't blame people if they didn't read my thread. Thanks for the follow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 I'm fine with either of them I like Monza. She's baaaaaad! Thats ok, I rarely write reviews so I wouldn't blame people if they didn't read my thread. Thanks for the follow! No probs, I always like reading your stuff about games and fantasy books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 1, 2013 Author Share Posted December 1, 2013 Review: 'The Black Prism' by Brent Weeks Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. His strength, wit, and charm are all that preserve a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he’s willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart. I read the final book in Brent Weeks’ Night Angel trilogy a few weeks ago, and was left a little bit underwhelmed with the way things were concluded, and with the trilogy in general. Some of the characters were great, while others were underdeveloped or just plain annoying. There were things in the final book that should have been epic, but hadn’t been set up properly, or even mentioned in the first two books at all. Aside from a few memorable moments/characters, the whole trilogy just seemed kind of average: nothing terrible, but nothing really special either. The Black Prism is the first book in a different series – the Lightbringer series– and I only decided to give it a go because the second book (The Blinding Knife) recently beat Mark Lawrence’s King of Thorns AND Joe Abercrombie’s Red Country to win the 2013 David Gemmell Legend Award. And so I thought I’d give Weeks another try.To be honest, I wasn’t blown away at the beginning. I found it similar to the Night Angel books: fairly interesting, but not exactly gripping. I stuck with it, though, and after a brilliant twist about a third of the way in I was pretty much hooked. Stuff started happening, characters became much more interesting, and the somewhat complex histories of both the world and the characters started to unfold in unexpected ways. The Black Prism is told from the alternating points of view of four main characters: Guile, the Prism and ‘Emperor’; Kip, his illegitimate son; Liv Danavis, the daughter of a disgraced general; and Karris, one of the Prism’s elite Blackguards. All four characters are very different, and it’s interesting to see how each of them regard different situations and people. I particularly like reading Kip’s PoV: he’s fat, he’s clumsy, and his life has just been turned upside down, but he’s determined, he’s talented, and he’s funny. It’s also great to read Guile’s PoV chapters, as we learn a lot of his secrets from him. This leaves us in conflict regarding how we feel about him: do we admire him, or do we hate him?The one thing all the main characters have in common is that they are magic-users, and the magic is one of the things that almost made me put the book down with a snort and a shake of the head. It’s based on light and colour, hence the ‘Prism’ is the most powerful of all as he can control all the colours of the spectrum. Using colour magic is referred to as ‘drafting’, which creates a magical substance called luxin, which can be moulded to whatever purposes the drafter requires depending on their skill and will, and the properties of the luxin itself. This magic is called Chromaturgy. Each person (drafter) capable of using it has an affinity to one colour (monochromes), two colours (bichromes), or even more (polychromes). It sounds ridiculous, I know. It’s basically ‘Rainbow Magic’. But the thing is, what starts off as the most ridiculous-sounding thing ever actually becomes one of the more interesting parts of the book. The scenes involving the use of Chromaturgy (and there aren’t many that don’t) are really fun to imagine, especially after you have an idea of the different uses/properties of each colour. Some of the things it’s used for are spectacular; although importantly (for those who like their magic with rules and restrictions) it’s not without its drawbacks and limitations.There’s lots of action in The Black Prism, and even when there’s no fighting or drafting there’s almost always something happening. Lots of different plot strands have been introduced in this book, and it left me wanting to know not only what will happen next, but also the full details of the events that happened before the main plot of the book. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by The Black Prism, and I’m glad I have the second book at hand to start straight away! My rating: 4/5 Note: This score doesn't take into account how irritated I was by the author's repeated use of 'kinky' as an adjective when describing people's hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Rats, Karris is the name of the main character in my story Oi, Weeks, noooooooooooooo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Rats, Karris is the name of the main character in my story Oi, Weeks, noooooooooooooo! Aw, never mind! You told me yourself not to worry about names being re-used in fantasy. (Did you notice? No spoilers! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Great review ! I have the book on my TBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Thanks Gaia! I'd definitely recommend it over the Night Angel series - I enjoyed it a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I have the Night Angel series also on my TBR, so I'll be reading both eventually. Do you know if the Lightbringer series is intended to be a trilogy? The second book has been on my wishlist for ages but usually when I wanted to buy books it was always out of stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Aw, never mind! You told me yourself not to worry about names being re-used in fantasy. Well obviously I was wrong (Did you notice? No spoilers! ) Sort of, I was reading it with one eye closed just in case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 I have the Night Angel series also on my TBR, so I'll be reading both eventually. Do you know if the Lightbringer series is intended to be a trilogy? The second book has been on my wishlist for ages but usually when I wanted to buy books it was always out of stock. I know there's going to be at least 4 books in the series, but don't know if there are more planned for the future. The third one comes out next year. Well obviously I was wrong Oh, it's different when it's YOUR book? Sort of, I was reading it with one eye closed just in case I thought I did very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Oh, it's different when it's YOUR book? Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Rats, Karris is the name of the main character in my story Oi, Weeks, noooooooooooooo! Don't worry there's always Kar'ris Great review, I am curious as to what I will make of Weeks' when I get round to him, hopefully the series will improve even more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Don't worry there's always Kar'ris Or K'arris. Great review, I am curious as to what I will make of Weeks' when I get round to him, hopefully the series will improve even more Thanks! Yeah, I've heard the second book is brilliant. So far, so good! Most people rate the Night Angel trilogy really highly too, though, so maybe you'd enjoy that more than I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Or K'arris. Apostrophes are banned from character names, as you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) I know there's going to be at least 4 books in the series, but don't know if there are more planned for the future. The third one comes out next year. x Ah, thanks ! I plan to buy them all (in paperback). Edited December 3, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 x Ah, thanks ! I plan to buy them all (in paperback). Well, they are very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) Review: 'The Blinding Knife' by Brent Weeks Gavin Guile is dying. He thought he had five years left – now he’s got less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a 'person of dubious parentage' son and an ex-fiancée who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin’s got problems on every side. As he loses control, the world’s magic runs wild, threatening to destroy the Seven Satrapies. The old gods are being reborn and their army of colour wights is unstoppable. The only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole sixteen years ago. Earlier this year The Blinding Knife beat King of Thorns and Red Country to win the Gemmell Legend award. Since Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors and Mark Lawrence’s King of Thorns is one of the best books I’ve read in 2013, I expected big things from Brent Weeks’ fifth novel. And I’m pleased to say that he totally delivered them. The Blinding Knife is the second book in the Lightbringer series. It picks up where the first book, The Black Prism, left off, and seamlessly continues the story of Kip and company. Unlike a lot of second books, this one doesn’t use info-dumps to convey information from the first book, and it doesn’t feel like it’s stalling or just filling in the gap before the big finale. Just like the first book, it’s full of action and great characters, and there is always something happening that is both exciting and relevant to the plot.What I liked most about The Blinding Knife is that the characters continue to develop in interesting ways. My favourite character from the first books was Kip, and this book focuses a lot more on him, continuing what is essentially his coming-of-age story. Despite being the son of the most powerful man in the world, Kip has to constantly overcome obstacles: he’s fat, he’s illegitimate, he has little experience with using his magical talents, and he has enemies who are constantly working to use him to undermine his father. Weeks writes Kip’s character in a way that makes him likeable and strong and yet also very human, the end result being that we spend most of the book hissing at his enemies and cheering him on. The other characters are just as interesting. The Blinding Knife introduces us properly to the Prism’s father, Andross Guile, who harbours a mysterious secret and whose schemes run much deeper than anyone suspected. His slave Grinwoody is almost as villainous as he is (despite only featuring as a very marginal character), and the main ‘antagonist’ – The Colour Prince – is actually quite sympathetic, his reasons for what he does being quite logical. Other characters from the first book feature again as PoV characters, and undergo very interesting character arcs: the main one here is Liv, who is struggling with the conflict between what she has learned and what she had previously spent her whole life believing. I was a bit disappointed that Karris was somewhat side-lined in this book, but I suppose you can’t have everything.I’m not a huge fan of cliff-hanger endings, and The Blinding Knife leaves us on one hell of a cliff-hanger, but since the next book comes out next year I’m not too frustrated. I suppose. The writing is smooth and captivating, the action scenes are brilliant and well-written, the main characters are three-dimensional, and the unique magic system is becoming more and more interesting the more we learn about it. I was originally annoyed at this book for being voted as better than King of Thorns: I’ll now grudgingly admit that maybe, just maybe, it is.My rating: 5/5 Edited December 9, 2013 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I was originally annoyed at this book for being voted as better than King of Thorns: I’ll now grudgingly admit that maybe, just maybe, it is. High praise indeed! You're not Brent Weeks, are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 High praise indeed! You're not Brent Weeks, are you? I was surprised too! No, though it's a good job I didn't post this on the Malazan forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Nice review, I'm glad you liked the second book! I plan to buy it the next time I order things, if it's in stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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