Signor Finzione Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Didn't see that coming! I like to keep it unpredictable. Great review ! The book sounds interesting. Thanks Gaia! It's certainly different. Great review! is there more of the series already published? Thanks. I don't think there's any more, no, and it wouldn't surprise me if she just left it at that. But for me it wasn't that much of a satisfactory ending, and I hope there's another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 New book acquisition: The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance. Thanks very much to Tim for sending it to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 New book acquisition: The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance. Thanks very much to Tim for sending it to me! You're welcome, I got it cause I loved the vintage cover. Hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 New book acquisition: The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance. Thanks very much to Tim for sending it to me! I love The Dragon Masters! It's a quick one day read but quite exciting . Be interested to know what you think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Miserere sounds interesting, very different. Will look out for that one thanks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 New book acquisition: The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance. Thanks very much to Tim for sending it to me! x Congrats on the new book ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 x Congrats on the new book ! Thanks! I've also just added a few more to the TBR myself, which I'll post when I've took a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Review: 'Pawn of Prophecy' (Belgariad #1) by David Eddings Long ago, the evil God Torak fought a war to obtain an object of immense power - the Orb of Aldur. But Torak was defeated and the Orb reclaimed by Belgarath the sorcerer. Garion, a young farm lad, loves the story when he first hears it from the old storyteller. But it has nothing to do with him. Or does it? For the stories also tell of a prophecy that must be fulfilled - a destiny handed down through the generations. And Torak is stirring again . . . I have to start by admitting that I struggle a little when reading 'classic' fantasy. The reason for this is probably my age: I've (more or less) become familiar with the genre by reading 'modern' fantasy, which is influenced heavily by the likes of Tolkien, and Gemmell, and Eddings, and the like. This means that when I read a book like Pawn of Prophecy, I can't help but read certain parts of the story (such as a huge man who transforms into a bear, a farmboy torn away from his home and forced into an adventure, a mysterious magical object, and a wise old man who is more than he first appears) and think 'oh, dear, how derivative'. When, in fact, these guys wrote about this stuff before everyone else did. They created these tropes in the first place; they made them fashionable, and it's only now that they've become, to varying extents, cliched. There is a fair bit of this book that was clearly influenced by Tolkien, but there's much more of it that seemed familiar because I've read it in more recent books. The epic journey, the motley companions, the young boy who discovers that he's actually rather special, the evil God bent on ruling the world . . . It's all traditional, classic stuff. And there's nothing wrong with that. (That is, in fact, the reason I've been enjoying Daniel Abraham's Dagger and Coin series so much recently - he draws on such traditional plot points in a nostalgic sort of way, but mixes them up just enough to keep in interesting and entertaining.) However, what is less impressive is that there isn't much of a real plot going on here. I realise it's the first book in a series, and the entire book has obviously been spent setting up for the rest of this series, but that doesn't make the constant repetition (travel to a town, stay at an inn, have some cryptic conversations; travel to a town, stay at an inn, have some cryptic conversations . . . rinse, repeat, etc.) any less of a chore to read. I think the fact that I've had to read it in small chunks hasn't helped much: there hasn't been a lot to really grip me, and I felt like I was reading the same bit again and again every time I picked up the book. However, I did rather like the characters. The main character - the boy Garion - is fairly likeable, and the author has done well with writing credibly from the point of view of a child with a nice mixture of ignorance, curiosity, and simplicity. With the current trend of multiple PoVs, it's certainly refreshing to read a tale that focuses entirely on one main character. The other character I really liked was Silk, who has more of a minor role: in fact, the author does a nice job with the entire 'supporting' cast, giving them enough personality to make us care about them and prevent them from fading into the background. It's also good to see how well Eddings has built his world: we have maps (which, while often criticised as yet another cliche of the genre, I actually feel give an extra dimension to the story), we have conflict (racial, political and gendered), we have politics, we have history, and we have economics. And, even better, it's not thrown in our faces: it's just there, giving the story a sense of reality, which is exactly how it should be. There's certainly a sense of where the overall story began, and where it's going to end. This, along with the sympathetic characters and the easy and simple (if occasionally flat) writing style, is the reason I'll probably give the second book in the series a try at some point, despite only rating this one . . . 3/5 Note: it almost got 4/5 just for having such a pretty cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Great review, I love the Belgariad, but I did give the first one a lower rating than the others, it does pick up a nicer pace and story. The supporting characters steal the show, especially Silk I'll be reading the Mallorean at some point this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Great review, I love the Belgariad, but I did give the first one a lower rating than the others, it does pick up a nicer pace and story. The supporting characters steal the show, especially Silk I'll be reading the Mallorean at some point this year. Cheers Tim. Good to know they do get better. I did get the sense that it was setting up for all the interesting stuff, and I'll definitely pick up book #2 if I come across it. I don't really know anything about Eddings' work - this is the only one of his I've read, although I do own a couple of others (The Elder Gods and The Diamond Throne, I think). Is the Mallorean related to this series in any way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I believe it's a sequel-series as it were, same characters new story, but I could be wrong. Steve has read them both I think, he'll know more. I haven't read any of his other stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 I believe it's a sequel-series as it were, same characters new story, but I could be wrong. Steve has read them both I think, he'll know more. Ah, alright, awesome. I look forward to hearing what this other series is like! Now: Steeeeeeeve, answer my questions please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Great review, Laura. I'm scared to re-read Eddings because I'd probably find the same issues with his work now. When I originally read the series, back in the early 80s, it was awesome, though Yeah, The Mallorean is a direct sequel to The Belgariad, and is basically more of the same. The other two books you mention aren't connected. The Diamond Throne is the first book of his 'Elenium' trilogy, about the knight called Sparhawk. It follows a similar pattern but doesn't contain the farmboy with the destiny. I gave up on Eddings after The Redemption of Althalus, which was very poor, so I haven't read The Elder Gods. Oh, and Silk RULES. Still one of my favourite characters ever, in any book(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 Ahh, thanks for clearing that up. I'm excited to read more of the Belgariad now, since you both speak so highly of Silk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Great review Laura ! I have a lot of Eddings' books on my TBR, and Pawn of Prophecy will be the first one to read. I did read Redemption of Althalus and liked it but didn't love it. If Steve says he found that one the worst one, then I should like the rest of the books! You've made me more excited to read the first one now. My covers are different btw, though still pretty . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm not overly keen on that new cover - and having Christopher Paolini do the blurb . . . For once I wouldn't have minded seeing GRRM's name there instead These are the covers that I have: Pretty generic, but at least they don't follow the sword/axe/dagger trend Btw, I forgot to mention that there are two other books in the Belgariad/Mallorean world: Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I have those covers as well, and the similar Mallorean ones. I really like them, they match the tone perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I do like the covers too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 My cover looks like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 My cover looks like this: DavidEddingsDawnofProphecyCover.jpg That one's pretty good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm loving all the 'book cover love' in everyone's threads lately! Great covers guys. Great review Laura ! I have a lot of Eddings' books on my TBR, and Pawn of Prophecy will be the first one to read. I did read Redemption of Althalus and liked it but didn't love it. If Steve says he found that one the worst one, then I should like the rest of the books! You've made me more excited to read the first one now. My covers are different btw, though still pretty . Thanks Gaia! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his stuff (although maybe I'll stay away from Althalus! ) I'm not overly keen on that new cover - and having Christopher Paolini do the blurb . . . For once I wouldn't have minded seeing GRRM's name there instead Yeah, I do agree with the comment about Paolini . . . I imagine they basically picked him to do it because Eragon is so clearly influenced by it all. (Right down to the love of the colour blue, according to the new covers ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 New book acquisitions! Sorry the photos are bloody awful quality . . . The first is the Jack Vance one Tim sent me (which I might read in March, in the spirit of the reading circle!) The others are: Dune by Frank Herbert The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham Dodger by Terry Pratchett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Pretty covers! Yay for new books, I hope you enjoy them ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Thanks Gaia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Review: 'Control Point' (Shadow Ops #1) by Myke Cole All over the world people are ‘coming up latent’ – developing new and terrifying abilities. Untrained and panicked, they are summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. US Army Lieutenant Oscar Britton has always done his duty, even when it means working alongside the feared Supernatural Operations Corps, hunting down and taking out those with newfound magical talents. But when he manifests a rare, startling power of his own and finds himself a marked man, all bets are off. On the run from his former colleagues, Britton is driven into an underground shadow world, where he is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he’s ever known . . . and that his life isn’t the only thing he’s fighting for. Okay, so: I quite liked the film Black Hawk Down; I’m a fan of the X-Men franchise; I really enjoyed the film Avatar; and I used to love the TV show Heroes. Therefore it’s not that surprising that I enjoyed Myke Cole’s Control Point, since it’s sort of a mixture of all of the above. This book really surprised me. I wasn’t intending to read it for quite a while: I bought it for the sake of completing a multi-buy offer, and only then because it (and its sequel) were blurbed by Mark Lawrence and Peter V Brett. However, I recently had the urge to read something a bit different, and since this was to hand I thought: ‘why not?’ ‘Why not’, indeed. Book one of Cole’s Shadow Ops series turned out to be a really enjoyable read, and despite a few misgivings early on (such as the improbability of the protagonist mastering his ability so quickly) and a couple of ongoing gripes (such as the almost schizophrenic back-and-forth of the protagonist’s attitude) I had a lot of fun with it. The premise isn’t all that original: a minority of people find themselves in possession of rare and magical abilities, which makes them outcasts. However, the book is set on an army base, and focuses on how magic can be integrated into combat, which is interesting; and I really liked the way we were shown various uses for the different sorts of magic, particularly Britton’s ability. The fact that the author was in the army himself really comes across here, and he creates a very authentic-feeling military setting. The characters do occasionally feel a little flat; one of the weakest points of the novel, for me, was the way Britton’s internal conflict was explored, namely the way in which his opinions are presented as a constant back and forth rather than as a gradual change. However, the pacing in general is great, and there’s a ton of action and excitement, as well as plenty of awesome abilities and mythical beasties and gory scenes. The magical battles are vivid and pacy, and overall the book is a fun and enjoyable read. My rating: 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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