Karsa Orlong Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I did also start reading Theft of Swords by Michael J Sullivan, but have put it on hold for the time being. I was really quite disappointed by what I read of it: considering that the whole series has had rave reviews, it all felt rather dull and derivative. I'm sure I'll go back to it at some point though . . . I do so hate abandoning books! I was just reading the Strange Horizons review of Theft of Swords. It's very spoilery, so I'll just post some of my favourite quotes from it: "I've read bad books. Tedious tie-ins, books that had a good idea and execrable execution, books where the standard of writing barely crossed competent and where clichés swarmed like schools of toothy fish. Thanks to my broad experience and lack of discrimination, Theft of Swords isn't, quite, the absolute worst book I've ever read. But it loses the prize by a very, very slender margin." "Henceforth, the plot bears a marked resemblance to the kind of D&D campaign GMed by a thirteen-year-old boy whose naïve attachment to the worst kind of tropes hasn't yet been shaken by contact with reality or actual human beings." "Theft of Swords is the kind of book that is so bad that it infects other perfectly innocent books with its badness." "I finished it out of sheer disbelief at its badness, and my advice as a result is Don't follow my example. If you see this book, run, do not walk, in the opposite direction. Your brain will thank you." Ouch!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Great review, Laura ! I'm glad your reading mojo is coming back a bit. Thanks Gaia. I think the worst part is that I don't have as much time to write decent reviews - I get to thinking 'what's the point in reading this if I'm not going to have chance to post a review?' On the upside I'm about halfway through Dune - I'm getting there. Slowly but surely! Shame you didn't like Theft of Swords, it's one of those books I keep seeing, either in the shop or on my Amazon suggestions but I have never properly considered reading it. The generic cover always put me off as well. I agree with your Retribution Falls review, however I LOVED the second book! Thought it was a vast improvement, especially with the characters, they are fleshed out a lot more (even the cat!) and some of their dynamics are expanded on. Hope you can find some more time to read soon, it's such a shame when trivial things, like life, get in the way of reading. I know, yeah, that irritating thing called life! It's always spoiling things for us! I think I'm going to buy the second Ketty Jay this weekend. I did see it the other day in Waterstones, but changed my mind because the cover didn't match the one I have. And yeah, the Riyria covers are awful. "Henceforth, the plot bears a marked resemblance to the kind of D&D campaign GMed by a thirteen-year-old boy whose naïve attachment to the worst kind of tropes hasn't yet been shaken by contact with reality or actual human beings." THIS!!! It's so true! When I was reading it I just couldn't believe how formulaic and unoriginal it was. I'll probably still go back and at least try to finish it at some point, though. Although, I'll never understand those people who hate a book and yet go and read the entire series. Mark Lawrence commented on something the other day: there's this guy on Amazon, and he's only ever posted 3 reviews, and they're all 1-star reviews of all 3 books in the Broken Empire. Why would you read the rest of the series if you hated the first one?? I loved all those other comments. Bit harsh, but very amusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 New books! All from Amazon this month, as there were quite a few I wanted and I could get far more for my money. The hardback was only £7.50 and it's brand new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Congratulations on your new books & happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Awesome books, Boneshaker is on my wishlist, so looking forward to your review on that! Hope you enjoy Black Lung Captain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks guys! I'm really enjoying Boneshaker, and can't wait to start BLC too (I love how pretty the colours are on the cover ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Review: 'Dune' by Frank Herbert Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the "spice" melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe. The story explores the complex and multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the forces of the empire confront each other for control of Arrakis and its "spice". So Dune was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand I enjoyed the desert setting, the fantasy elements, and the entire premise of the thing; on the other hand, I felt like most of the characters were un-relatable, and a large portion of the book felt like something of a chore to read. I’ll start with the positives: I loved the beginning of the book. I found myself warming to the main characters Jessica, Paul and Leto, and was intrigued by the mysterious not-quite-explained elements and mythos, such as the gom jabbar and the Bene Gesserit and the Kwisatz Hadderach. I liked how I was thrown in at the deep end, and that the author was clearly intending to reveal things gradually rather than just explain it all straight away. Then again, I did feel there was too much exposition at this point, and that dialogue was being used a little too much to try and convey some of the background; I felt like the characters were unnecessarily talking about things for the sake of the reader. And the mysterious things that started out so intriguing? They actually got quite annoying the more the book progressed. I got the sense that I was being excluded from something, and while this doesn’t always bother me (it’s pretty much one of the hallmarks of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen, my favourite fantasy series of all time) it really started the get on my nerves here, to the point where I’d grind my teeth any time the words ‘Bene Gesserit’ or ‘prescience’ were mentioned. Anyway. I loved the way the beginning of the book conveyed a sense of total upheaval, how the protagonists were literally transported from one world to another within a matter of pages, and that this new world was totally alien and hostile. One of my favourite scenes in the whole book happens around this point: Leto, the ‘thopter, the sandworm, the spice factory, the daring rescue . . . I loved this scene. It’s epic. But . . . then I felt like the book sort of went downhill. I (kind of) get why Paul doesn’t have much personality, but it still makes for an incredibly unsympathetic protagonist. I think in some ways all of the characters suffered from this: I felt like I was watching them do things, but I was ignorant as to why they were doing them. As such, I felt disconnected from all of them, which made me less invested in the story as a whole. I was pretty interested in the Harkonnens; however, I really felt like they could have been fleshed out a lot more, particularly the Baron: I felt he was a rather disappointing villain, two-dimensional and defined only by his greed and his homosexuality (which I also disliked, since it’s presented very negatively). I would’ve liked to learn more of the feud between the Atreides and the Harkonnens, and instead felt that the scenes with the Baron ad Feyd-Rautha were a little shallow and irrelevant. Despite all my gripes, I did enjoy the book; just not as much as I'd hoped. I kept waiting for it to turn into something spectacular, and for some reason I never felt it really delivered everything it could have done. There were other elements I enjoyed, such as the setting. The author paints a very vivid picture of the desert planet - although I did sometimes feel like he didn't stress enough about how hot and uncomfortable it must be! - and I liked the whole idea of how the population wanted to change the ecosystem and create a better world. I liked the concept of having to wear stillsuits in the desert - it's a very practical rather than romantic view of the Fremen, and made it a bit more realistic. I also loved the sandworms, although I think I preferred them at the beginning when they were scary, rather than later when they were just used as glorified donkeys. I loved the fantasy (rather than SF) elements, such as the knife-fights and the sandworms; I just wish there had been more of both. To sum up, then: there were plenty of things I liked about Dune, and plenty more that I didn’t. I’ll probably give the second book a go at some point, just to see what happens, and to find out more about those characters I was interested in, such as Gurney Halleck and Count Fenring. I think I’d have enjoyed the book more had I not been reading it sporadically on busy train journeys, which is why I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt and rating it 4 rather than 3. My rating: 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Yay for new books, I hope you enjoy them ! Great review ! I'm glad you liked Dune even if not as much as you'd hoped. I also gave it 4/5 (or rather 8/10). It doesn't seem like a good book to read on trains for half an hour at a time. I think I have done so back in 2012, but I don't remember much about the circumstances (other than going to university). Edited March 16, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yay for new books, I hope you enjoy them ! EDIT: Whoopsie, in the time it took me to post, you posted a review! I better go and read it . Thanks! At least you don't have to worry about my usual spoilers, since you've already read it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) That's very true ! I edited my post just when you posted so my comments are up there ^ . Edited March 16, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Haha we're just too quick for each other! Thanks for the comments - I wish I'd enjoyed it more too, though I'm glad a lot of the criticisms I had seem to be shared by others as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Great review, Laura. I disagree with a lot of it, but still a great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Love the new books Laura! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks guys!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Great review, Laura. I disagree with a lot of it, but still a great review Very diplomatic. I do, however, agree with most of it Laura, great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Very diplomatic. Wasn't trying to be diplomatic. I like a good, well written review (which Laura's always are!), even if I don't agree with parts of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Nice review of Dune. I agree with a lot of what you say and I too enjoyed the first part of the book a lot more than the second part after Duke Leto was killed. . Interesting that you say you enjoyed being thrown in the deep end....I hated that. I get so frustrated when words and phrases are used that I have absolutely no understanding of. I can feel myself getting quite uptight when I read things that I just don't get. I also have Boneshaker on my TBR pile - hope you enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 I do, however, agree with most of it Laura, great review! Thanks Tim! Glad we both felt the same way about it. Wasn't trying to be diplomatic. I like a good, well written review (which Laura's always are!), even if I don't agree with parts of it Thanks, Steve - I try my best. Nice review of Dune. I agree with a lot of what you say and I too enjoyed the first part of the book a lot more than the second part after Duke Leto was killed. . Interesting that you say you enjoyed being thrown in the deep end....I hated that. I get so frustrated when words and phrases are used that I have absolutely no understanding of. I can feel myself getting quite uptight when I read things that I just don't get. I also have Boneshaker on my TBR pile - hope you enjoy it. Thanks very much BB! Again, good to hear others felt the same way - I was a bit worried I'd be in the minority. And I did find myself getting a bit annoyed with stuff that wasn't explained after they were mentioned like a million times. I've just finished Boneshaker - I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll have time to write a review soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I've just finished Boneshaker - I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll have time to write a review soon. x That's great to hear! I have it on my Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Bet it gets 4 out of 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) It might even be a 5/5! I was actually quite upset when I found out that the other Clockwork Century novels aren't actually related to it in any way. EDIT: They are related to it! Yay! Edited March 20, 2014 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Review: 'Boneshaker' by Cherie Priest Ezekiel Blue’s father committed a crime, unleashing a deadly menace into steampowered Seattle. And his bereaved family has paid the price. Now, Ezekiel is determined to clear his father’s name, risking death and the undead in the attempt. Sixteen years ago, as the American Civil War dawned, gold brought hordes to the frozen Klondike. Fanatical in their greed, Russian prospectors commissioned Dr Leviticus Blue to create a great machine, to mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus the Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine was born. But the Boneshaker went awry, destroying downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas, anyone who breathed its fumes turning into the living dead. The devastated city is now walled in to contain the blight. But unknown to Briar, his widowed mother, Ezekiel is going in. His quest will take him into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive. Let me start by saying that this is most definitely not a zombie novel, although it is sometimes marketed as such. I picked this book up thinking “zombies? Awesome!”, and at first I was disappointed that they were such a minor aspect of the story. However, I quickly became enthralled in the plot, despite the disappointing dearth of zombie action. Priest does a great job of setting the scene, and paints a very vivid picture of the misery of day-to-day life outside the walls of Blighted Seattle. The scenes within the walled city itself, especially those on the streets, are brilliantly eerie and atmospheric, and the fact that we see it all through the restrictions of the characters’ gas mask (with limited peripheral vision and the echoing of their own breathing distorting their hearing) makes it very, very creepy. The highlight of the first half of the novel is really the tension that comes from entering the unknown, and I must admit reading these scenes made me quite jumpy. The rest of the novel is much more action-focused. We meet several other characters (some more nefarious than others) who scrape a living in the walled city, and the pace picks up quite a lot towards the end, with a three-way underground war and the big reveal of a dirty family secret. I wouldn’t say that the actual ending was brilliant, and the big ‘secret’ isn’t exactly hard to figure out, but I did find myself keen to read more of the series, particularly as the steampunk elements are a lot of fun and the scene-setting is so strong. The characters are fairly strong too, particularly the main character of Briar: she’s easy to both admire and feel sorry for (probably because she rarely feels sorry for herself): she’s a strong female character, but she’s also a realistic one, kept alive as much through the help of others as well as her own practicality, and driven only by her desire to protect her son (who, I must say, I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for). One of the downsides was, I felt, the lack of explanation about the Blight. Despite the eerie atmosphere created by the mystery of it and the fear of what to expect, I had hoped to learn much more about the undead, about the Blight and where it came from, but we never actually get any real answers on this front, which feels a little disappointing and unsatisfactory. I’d love to see further novels in the Clockwork Century series return to Seattle and stop the Blight once and for all. Until then, I’ll definitely continue with the rest of the series: I’m a big fan of Priest’s writing style, scene setting and suspense building, and look forward to reading more. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Fascinating review, Laura, definitely sounds intriguing But . . . 4/5 - told you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thanks Steve! But . . . 4/5 - told you! I know, I know, I couldn't help myself! The ending was a little bit of a let-down and there weren't nearly as many zombies (or 'rotters') as there should have been. Otherwise it would have got full marks! The good news is that Blood Song is a 5/5 so far - and still going strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 The good news is that Blood Song is a 5/5 so far - and still going strong. Ach! Don't tempt Fate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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