Signor Finzione Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Nice new books. Wool has been on my wishlist for a while. Mine too! It was only £3.50 on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Look what arrived this morning! Can't wait to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Is that the real Brent Weeks? I wonder how many fantasy books these days have hooded figures on the cover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Is that the real Brent Weeks? I wonder how many fantasy books these days have hooded figures on the cover Including every single other book by Brent Weeks? Apparently he has a bit of a thing for it . . . :giggle2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Laura, I hope you enjoy the books ! The Broken Eye is on my wishlist but I didn't think it was released yet in paperback. The covers aren't brilliant but I do like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I have these on my shelf! and the first two of his second series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I have these on my shelf! and the first two of his second series. Me too! But my cover of The Black Prism is different, it has more white on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Me too! But my cover of The Black Prism is different, it has more white on it. Mine too. I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I knew my cover was different but I had to use Google to remind myself what it looked like . Now that I don't see my books so often, I tend to forget what they look like (though I remember the spine a bit better). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 I have these on my shelf! and the first two of his second series. Me too! But my cover of The Black Prism is different, it has more white on it. Mine too. I think. Mine is different too! When you get around to trying his books, I'd say start with the Lightbringer series first: it's much, much better than Night Angel in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 (edited) Oh, god, the film. It's not a bad film . . . it's just not WWZ. I think there are literally 2 things from the book that made it into the film - it didn't deserve to be called WWZ at all. I'm glad you say that because everyone I know loved it and bought it, but they didn't read the book! I didn't mind the movie, but wish it wasn't called WWZ. Personally I found it fascinating because it almost made me believe it had actually happened. I read it twice and still talk about a zombie apocalypse- in jest, mind you lol- my mom thinks I'm nuts, I probably am Woohoo for grandma- a gift voucher is the best present of all! I hope you like Horns as much as I did (my cover is totally different and the new one is a movie cover ) and I have Wool coming up as soon as I can! Edited August 29, 2014 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Happy reading Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 I read it twice and still talk about a zombie apocalypse- in jest, mind you lol- my mom thinks I'm nuts, I probably am Haha you're not nuts. Ever since I got my mum hooked on The Walking Dead, she likes to speculate about what she'd do if a zombie apocalypse happened. Last time we went shopping together she said she'd probably hide in Hollister, because the zombies wouldn't be able to see her in the dark, and wouldn't be able to get up the escalator. Happy reading Laura Thanks Weave! You too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Review: 'Deadhouse Gates' by Steven Erikson In the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha'ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising named the Whirlwind. Enslaved in the Otataral mines, Felisin, youngest scion of the disgraced House of Paran, dreams of freedom and vows revenge, while the outlawed Brigdburners Fiddler and Kalam conspire to rid the world of Empress Laseen (although it seems the gods would, as always have it otherwise). And as two ancient warriors - bearers of a devastating secret - enter this blighted land, so an untried commander of the Malaz 7th Army leads his war-weary troops in a last, valiant running battle to save the lives of thirty thousand refugees. Deadhouse Gates is the second book in Steven Erikson’s epic fantasy series The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It takes place on the fictional continent of Seven Cities, and introduces a plethora of new characters to the series, as well as continuing to follow a few from the first book. All of the events in Deadhouse Gates are centred around, or influenced by, the continent-wide rebellion that was heavily foreshadowed in Gardens of the Moon, and feature conflict and bloodshed on a thus far unprecedented scale. The plot of Deadhouse Gates is much more tightly woven and focused than that of Gardens of the Moon, concentrated as it is on just a handful of major characters, yet it’s also much more ambitious. Each of the storylines could well have been a book in their own right, yet are artfully woven together into a cohesive pattern of events leading gradually but inevitably towards a catastrophic conclusion. The grand scale of the main plotline is the first true example of what the author is capable of, and the incredible storytelling is just a hint of what the rest of the series has in store. Deadhouse Gates gives us our first real look at Seven Cities, a culturally diverse desert continent made up largely of warring tribes and religious cities; a continent in the midst of a violent rebellion against the control of the Malazan Empire. Led by a Seeress known as Sha’ik, this rebellion – the Whirlwind Apocalypse – threatens to return the land to its pre-Imperial state of ignorance and tradition, blood feuds and senseless violence. The soldiers of the Apocalypse have driven their Malazan conquerors out of all but one of the Holy Cities, and it is their panicked flight that is the focus of the story: the Chain of Dogs, fifty thousand Malazan refugees escorted across a hostile desert continent by what remains of the Malazan Seventh army and its commander, Coltaine; stumbling just ahead of a renegade army that vastly outnumbers them all. Their plight is shown to us through the eyes of Duiker, who, as Imperial Historian, is obliged to witness and record every detail of this fraught and seemingly impossible journey. And what a journey! Not just for the characters, but for us as readers. For the first time in the series – but certainly not the last – Erikson throws us into an emotional blender, and then spends the better part of a thousand pages gradually cranking the setting higher and higher before finally letting us crawl our way back out again, shredded and shaken. As the characters experience shock, fear, determination, fury, pathos, hope, despair, and finally wordless outrage, so do we. I’m not easily moved but I spent much of the last 150 pages ofDeadhouse Gates on the brink of tears, partly because I knew what was coming and partly because Erikson has the rare and incredible talent of being able to stir his readers’ emotions with his words, even on a third re-read of the book. The other storylines are also brilliant and worthy of mention, although I don’t think anyone will deny that Coltaine’s Chain of Dogs takes centre stage: there’s also the tale of Felisin, yanked from the comforts of her rich lifestyle during the Cull of the Nobility and forced to extreme measures to survive the slave pits with the help of two unlikely companions; then there’s Fiddler, former soldier of the Bridgeburners, seeking an ancient legend in the holy desert of Raraku and completely out of his depth; Mappo, a Trell warrior endlessly trapped between his loyalty to a sacred vow and his friendship with the man whom he is sworn to destroy; and the assassin Kalam, returned to his home continent and bent on pursuing vengeance against the Empress who wronged him. Each of the storylines are interwoven, and skilfully set the stage for the events of future books in the series; and once again Erikson shows an endless capacity for creating unique and memorable characters, such as the devious High Priest of Shadow Iskaral Pust. Gardens of the Moon is brilliant, but Deadhouse Gates is simply astounding in its storytelling, and left me a gibbering, goosebump-laden wreck – even though I’d already read the thing three times before. I envy those reading it for the first time, and can’t wait to get re-acquainted with the rest of this incredible series. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 When you get around to trying his books, I'd say start with the Lightbringer series first: it's much, much better than Night Angel in my opinion. I'll keep this in mind ! They are not related to each other? Haha you're not nuts. Ever since I got my mum hooked on The Walking Dead, she likes to speculate about what she'd do if a zombie apocalypse happened. Last time we went shopping together she said she'd probably hide in Hollister, because the zombies wouldn't be able to see her in the dark, and wouldn't be able to get up the escalator. I'm pretty sure I'd freak out and not have much chance of survival, personally . Laura, great review ! I'm glad you enjoyed this book upon re-reading it. I've been trying to read bits about the world here and there, to get a better feel for it. It sounds like there's a lot of characters, though! Will you be reading the next one in a while (maybe with a few books in between)? I always love reading your reviews, your love for the story really shows in this one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Deadhouse Gates is simply astounding in its storytelling, and left me a gibbering, goosebump-laden wreck I know that feeling Awesome review of an awesome book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 I'll keep this in mind ! They are not related to each other? No, not at all. Totally different worlds and characters I'm pretty sure I'd freak out and not have much chance of survival, personally . Same here! I'd probably just hide in a cupboard and wait for it to be over. Laura, great review ! I'm glad you enjoyed this book upon re-reading it. I've been trying to read bits about the world here and there, to get a better feel for it. It sounds like there's a lot of characters, though! Will you be reading the next one in a while (maybe with a few books in between)? I always love reading your reviews, your love for the story really shows in this one. Thanks Gaia. Yes, it takes a while for the world to start to make sense - you sort of piece it together through things that various characters say, and of course the maps help too. It also helps not to think too hard about it - sometimes when I try to track the timelines it makes my brain hurt. I think I'm going to follow Steve's pattern of reading a Malazan book each month, with a few different books in between. I'm re-reading Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic now, and will probably read the new Brent Weeks after that. I'll read the next Malazan book, Memories of Ice, towards the end of the month. I've just started a new job so I probably won't have chance to read as much as I have been doing these past few weeks. I know that feeling Awesome review of an awesome book Aw, thanks! Yeah, I was a total mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 No, not at all. Totally different worlds and characters Thanks ! Thanks Gaia. Yes, it takes a while for the world to start to make sense - you sort of piece it together through things that various characters say, and of course the maps help too. It also helps not to think too hard about it - sometimes when I try to track the timelines it makes my brain hurt. Yeah, I can imagine that . I hope to be starting the series not too long from now but there are so many books I want to read and I'm not sure if I'll be up for a complicated book yet (but it'll keep being that way so..). At the moment my brain is very foggy but maybe after the read-a-thon or such, I could start reading the series. I think I'm going to follow Steve's pattern of reading a Malazan book each month, with a few different books in between. I'm re-reading Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic now, and will probably read the new Brent Weeks after that. I'll read the next Malazan book, Memories of Ice, towards the end of the month. I've just started a new job so I probably won't have chance to read as much as I have been doing these past few weeks. That sounds good ! I loved The Colour of Magic when I first read it. Good luck with your job ! What do you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Yes, I'd definitely wait until you have a clear head before re-attempting Malazan! Hope the fog clears soon - and good luck with the read-a-thon. That sounds good ! I loved The Colour of Magic when I first read it. Good luck with your job ! What do you do? It's been a while since I last read The Colour of Magic - it's definitely not one of his best, but I fancied a jaunt in the Discworld and thought I may as well go back to the beginning of the series and start a re-read. Thank you! I'm a Teaching Assistant at a high school, so I help out kids who need support, such as those with autism or disabilities. The children aren't back in school until Wednesday so it's nice to have a couple of days in school getting prepared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great review of Deadhouse Gates, after yours and Steve's I went on ebay to find the cheapest copy I could as my library doesn't have any Hope you enjoy The Broken Eye, it must be proper fantasy if it has a hooded figure on cover I'm planning to start Night Angel soon. The Colour of Magic is the only Discworld book I have but I haven't read it yet Looking forward to hearing what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Yes, I'd definitely wait until you have a clear head before re-attempting Malazan! Hope the fog clears soon - and good luck with the read-a-thon. It's been a while since I last read The Colour of Magic - it's definitely not one of his best, but I fancied a jaunt in the Discworld and thought I may as well go back to the beginning of the series and start a re-read. Thank you! I'm a Teaching Assistant at a high school, so I help out kids who need support, such as those with autism or disabilities. The children aren't back in school until Wednesday so it's nice to have a couple of days in school getting prepared. Thanks ! That sounds like an interesting job, I hope you enjoy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great review of Deadhouse Gates, after yours and Steve's I went on ebay to find the cheapest copy I could as my library doesn't have any Oh dear. Well, it's definitely worth owning anyway. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks ! That sounds like an interesting job, I hope you enjoy it . Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Review: 'The Colour of Magic' by Terry Pratchett On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet... The Colour of Magic is the first book in Terry Pratchett’sDiscworld, a series currently comprised of around 40 novels and still going strong. The series is fantastic and well worth looking into for any fans of fantasy; however, I’d recommend starting somewhere other than the beginning, as The Colour of Magic is unfortunately not one of its strongest instalments. The book introduces two of the most important recurring characters of the series: Rincewind, the Discworld’s worst wizard; and Death, a tall, skeletal, black-robed figure . . . who rides a horse named Binky. The book’s mad events are set in motion by the arrival of Twoflower, the Discworld’s first ever tourist (or ‘looker’), to the city of Ankh-Morpork, where Rincewind is coerced into being his guide for the duration of his stay in the city. Of course, things don’t go to plan, and the pair are forced to flee Ankh-Morpork under disastrous circumstances. After this they travel far and wide, encountering numerous perils and fantasy stereotypes under entirely arbitrary conditions. I have to say that, for a book that is over 30 years old, The Colour of Magic stands the test of time fairly well. Pratchett wrote this loving mockery of fantasy stereotypes decades before such tropes were even considered well-worn, and much of his ironic commentary on dragonriders, magic, gods and the like is still relevant to a huge chunk of so-called ‘modern’ fantasy today. However, much of the plot is nonsensical (and not in a good way), there’s no real sense of direction, and the characters are somewhat two-dimensional; it feels almost as though Pratchett is more preoccupied with cramming in as many caricatures as possible, and less bothered about building or developing the characters of our heroes in any way. I think, if I were a newcomer to the series and had started with The Colour of Magic, I might not bother with the rest. However, having read several of the series’ stronger instalments and hidden gems makes it a little easier to overlook the less-than-brilliant outings into the Discworld. The Discworld series is, I’ve always found, spectacularly hit-and-miss; and while The Colour of Magic is a lot more ‘miss’ than ‘hit’, you have to remember that it was the first of its kind to really use fantasy satire to create an original story. It’s not fantastic, but it’s a short, fun read, and is absolutely, undeniably unique. 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Typical, the only Discworld novel I have... Which would you recommend starting with? Are they all stand-alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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