Laura's Fantasy Reviews 2014

[Anna Begins]

Wow- great review!

[Michelle]

I couldn't get into The Color of Magic, but I did like the three Mort books I read. 

[Athena]

I loved it when I read it for the first time. I have heard from other people that it's not considered the best book in the series, but I loved it when I first read it.

[Signor Finzione]

Typical, the only Discworld novel I have... Which would you recommend starting with? Are they all stand-alone?

 

I dunno, I guess in a way it IS the best one to start with because you get a good first impression of the world and how it works. I'd say just bear in mind while reading it that it's not his best.

 

Most of the ones I've read so far can probably be read on their own, except perhaps The Light Fantastic, which follows on from The Colour of Magic. I read a whole bunch of the books in the wrong order at first, and started with Thief of Time (which is number 26 or something), but still enjoyed it. My favourites by far have been Hogfather and Going Postal, both of which I'd say could be read on their own, and which I'd highly recommend. (They've also both been adapted to TV - the Hogfather one is awesome).

 

There are also alternative reading orders based around the character 'groupings' (the novels tend to either focus on the Witches, the City Guard, Death, the Wizards or the postmaster), but that's a whole different kettle of fish.  

 

Wow- great review!

 

Thanks very much! Have you read any Discworld?

 

I couldn't get into The Color of Magic, but I did like the three Mort books I read. 

 

I think Death is one of the best characters in the whole series - he's awesome.

 

I loved it when I read it for the first time. I have heard from other people that it's not considered the best book in the series, but I loved it when I first read it.

 

Yeah, for some reason I've never really connected with the character of Rincewind - even though I loved David Jason's interpretation of him in the TV adaptation.

[Athena]

I think Death is one of the best characters in the whole series - he's awesome.

This is very true!

 

Yeah, for some reason I've never really connected with the character of Rincewind - even though I loved David Jason's interpretation of him in the TV adaptation.

I loved that too! I loved all three TV adaptations and have watched them several times. All three were good (for reference, they are The Hogfather, The Colour of Magic and Going Postal)! I also loved how Terry Pratchett made a cameo appearance in each of them.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Athena

[Anna Begins]

 

Thanks very much! Have you read any Discworld?

No, no, I just live vicariously through you, Tim and Steve  I have picked up some good suggestions though- both of which were 4/5's for me.

[Signor Finzione]

I loved that too! I loved all three TV adaptations and have watched them several times. All three were good (for reference, they are The Hogfather, The Colour of Magic and Going Postal)! I also loved how Terry Pratchett made a cameo appearance in each of them.

 

Yes, I love that too! He's such a sweet old man. My favourite is Hogfather, followed by The Colour of Magic - both of which I've seen lots of times! - but I've only seen Going Postal once. I might watch it again after I've re-read the book.

 

No, no, I just live vicariously through you, Tim and Steve  I have picked up some good suggestions though- both of which were 4/5's for me.

 

Haha glad to hear it.

[Signor Finzione]

I just realised it's been a whole year since I joined BCF! How time flies, eh?

 

I was going to do a load of statistics about my reading in the past 12 months, but then I remembered that I'm rubbish at that sort of thing.

 

Interesting fact, though: according to my blog I've read 59 books since starting it this time last year. Pretty good, eh? I thought so too . . . until I realised that, out of those 59 books, only 4 were written by female authors. Pretty terrible, eh?

 

I put this down mainly to the fact that my favourite genre is fantasy fiction, a field which has traditionally been dominated by male writers. Also, a lot of those I've read in the last year have been multiple books by the same (male) author (I've read 3+ books by each of the following: Mark Lawrence, Peter V. Brett, Daniel Polansky, Scott Lynch, Daniel Abraham, and Brent Weeks), which has tipped the scales even further towards the men.

 

I have plenty of books on my shelves written by female authors - such as Robin Hobb, Trudi Canavan, Fiona McIntosh, and Janny Wurts - and I've decided that I'm going to make a concerted effort to read more books written by women, and to discover some new female fantasy authors whose work I enjoy.

 

(Just as soon as I finish the new Brent Weeks novel.)

[Karsa Orlong]

Interesting fact, though: according to my blog I've read 59 books since starting it this time last year. Pretty good, eh? I thought so too . . . until I realised that, out of those 59 books, only 4 were written by female authors. Pretty terrible, eh?

 

Appalling!  Go and sit on the naughty step!  

 

<<heads off to check how many female authors he's read>>

[Timstar]

I've noticed my lack of female authors this year as well, there's been a few but not many. However I strongly oppose forced diversity, so I'll get around to them when I get around to them

[Athena]

Congrats on your 1 year anniversary !

 

It's true there are much more fantasy male authors than female. I read both about equally, because I read a variety of genres. Within the fantasy genre, I read more male authors, but within the chick-lit genre (for example) I read more female authors. It all works out roughly equally in the end (so far at least).

 

I hope you have fun reading some books from female authors also .

[Signor Finzione]

Appalling!  Go and sit on the naughty step!  

 

<<heads off to check how many female authors he's read>>

 

It's already more than me just with all those Bujold novels you've read!

 

I've noticed my lack of female authors this year as well, there's been a few but not many. However I strongly oppose forced diversity, so I'll get around to them when I get around to them

 

I think, rather than reading female authors for the sake of reading female authors, it's more that I want to read more to try and find some that I enjoy. So far, I haven't really enjoyed those written by women as much as I've enjoyed ones written by men, and I just want to branch out until I find a couple of female authors whose work I actually want to read more of.

 

Congrats on your 1 year anniversary !

 

It's true there are much more fantasy male authors than female. I read both about equally, because I read a variety of genres. Within the fantasy genre, I read more male authors, but within the chick-lit genre (for example) I read more female authors. It all works out roughly equally in the end (so far at least).

 

I hope you have fun reading some books from female authors also .

 

Thank you! Yes, you have a much wider variety of reading that I do, and your authors are nicely balanced. I suppose, by only reading one genre, I only have myself to blame.

[Karsa Orlong]

It's already more than me just with all those Bujold novels you've read!

I've read 6 of hers so far (and I'm about to start another one) and a total of 17 books by female authors so far this year.  Still quite a low number, I think.

 

 

I think, rather than reading female authors for the sake of reading female authors, it's more that I want to read more to try and find some that I enjoy. So far, I haven't really enjoyed those written by women as much as I've enjoyed ones written by men, and I just want to branch out until I find a couple of female authors whose work I actually want to read more of.

 

Don't forget Elizabeth Bear    Although it doesn't help you much, I find the SF Mistressworks website very helpful - I imagine there must be a similar site for female fantasy authors

 

You could probably do worse than have a look at C J Cherryh's and Bujold's fantasy books.  I haven't particularly liked the couple I've read, but you may enjoy Mary Gentle, too   After I've read the next Bujold I'm thinking of giving Kameron Hurley a try.  I picked up her latest on Kindle for £2.70 the other day

 

 

[Signor Finzione]

 

Don't forget Elizabeth Bear    Although it doesn't help you much, I find the SF Mistressworks website very helpful - I imagine there must be a similar site for female fantasy authors

 

Ah, thanks. Yes, I have Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear on my soon-to-read list.

 

You could probably do worse than have a look at C J Cherryh's and Bujold's fantasy books.  I haven't particularly liked the couple I've read, but you may enjoy Mary Gentle, too   After I've read the next Bujold I'm thinking of giving Kameron Hurley a try.  I picked up her latest on Kindle for £2.70 the other day

 

I've heard lots of good things about Kameron Hurley. I think she mostly writes SF? 

 

I actually have Bujold's Curse of Chalion on my wishlist - must have been after reading one of your reviews. Other than that, the only female authors on my wishlist are K.J. Parker (at least, I think it's a woman), Celia Friedman, Evie Manieri, and Kate Elliott. And I've just added C J Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time - thanks.

[Karsa Orlong]

I've heard lots of good things about Kameron Hurley. I think she mostly writes SF?

 

A mixture, I think.  I do fancy her 'Bel Dame Apocrypha' trilogy, which is SF, but it wasn't going cheap    The new book is fantasy, though 

 

 

 

I actually have Bujold's Curse of Chalion on my wishlist - must have been after reading one of your reviews. Other than that, the only female authors on my wishlist are K.J. Parker (at least, I think it's a woman), Celia Friedman, Evie Manieri, and Kate Elliott. And I've just added C J Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time - thanks.

 

Yeah, K J Parker is a woman    I tried reading Celia Friedman's 'Coldfire' trilogy but didn't get further than the first book - might be more your kind of thing than mine

 

Just to prove that Jo Walton has read everything: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/09/a-blank-slate-in-a-complex-fantasy-landscape-cj-cherryhs-fortress-in-the-eye-of-time and http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/gods-and-kingdoms-lois-mcmaster-bujolds-the-curse-of-chalion

[Timstar]

I actually have Bujold's Curse of Chalion on my wishlist - must have been after reading one of your reviews. Other than that, the only female authors on my wishlist are K.J. Parker (at least, I think it's a woman), Celia Friedman, Evie Manieri, and Kate Elliott. And I've just added C J Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time - thanks.

 

I really want to read more Robin Hobb, I also have a few Anne McCaffrey's on shelf as well as J.V. Jones which I'm looking forward to getting around to.

[Athena]

I started to read Trudi Canavan - The Black Magician Trilogy 1: The Magician's Guild, will let you know what I think, Laura .

 

Some female fantasy authors on my TBR (with more than a few books on my TBR) are Robin Hobb, Anne McCaffrey, Maria V. Snyder, K. E. Mills (aka Karen Miller), Sara Douglass (some incomplete series), Janny Wurts (incomplete series), Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (mostly complete series), Katherine Kerr (incomplete series), Juliet Marillier (incomplete), Gail Z. Martin (1 complete and 1 incomplete series), Fiona McIntosh, Juliet E. McKenna (incomplete), Melanie Rawn (some complete some incomplete).

[Signor Finzione]

I really want to read more Robin Hobb, I also have a few Anne McCaffrey's on shelf as well as J.V. Jones which I'm looking forward to getting around to.

 

I've heard good things about J.V. Jones. I read Hobb's Farseer trilogy a few years ago: I thought it was okay at the time but not great, but would love to re-read it again at some point to see if I enjoy it more.

 

I started to read Trudi Canavan - The Black Magician Trilogy 1: The Magician's Guild, will let you know what I think, Laura .

 

Thanks Gaia, I've had that book for years and have never touched it - would love to hear what you think of it.

[Signor Finzione]

Review: 'The Broken Eye' by Brent Weeks

 

 

 

 

As the old gods awaken and satrapies splinter, the Chromeria races to find its lost Prism, the only man who may be able to stop catastrophe. But Gavin Guile is enslaved on a pirate galley. Worse, Gavin no longer has the one thing that defined him -- the ability to draft.

Without the protection of his father, Kip Guile will have to face a master of shadows alone as his grandfather moves to choose a new Prism and put himself in power. With Teia and Karris, Kip will have to use all his wits to survive a secret war between noble houses, religious factions, rebels, and an ascendant order of hidden assassins, The Broken Eye.

 

 

Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series was one of my favourite discoveries of 2013. The second book in the series, The Blinding Knife, won last year’s Legend award, and for very good reason: it was fast-paced, full of great characters, and continued to develop the unique and fascinating magic system on which the entire series is based. This high standard, then, might be why The Broken Eye – Lightbringer #3 – left me feeling a little flat.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed The Broken Eye, quite a lot actually. The pacing is still fast, the characters are still great, and the magic system – light spectrum-based ‘drafting’ – is still creative and fun. However, despite the fast pace – which is accelerated rather than stunted by the alternating points of view – there were some sections of the book which felt kind of aimless and/or disjointed (Blackguard training exercises, I’m looking at you!). There were some parts that had me skipping back to previous chapters to see if I’d missed something, such as Kip appearing at the Chromeria despite the fact that he was lost in the wilderness the last time we saw him.

 

Another gripe I have about The Broken Eye is the language. There are quite a few Americanisms used, particularly during Kip’s chapters; perhaps these are simply more noticeable to a non-American reader, but personally I found that some of the modern phrasing felt somewhat jarring. Some of Kip’s internal monologues, most of which worked well in conveying his youth and social awkwardness, sometimes felt a little too forced and child-like, and ended up feeling kind of patronising, making me cringe internally for all the wrong reasons. Again, though, that may just be me.

 

As for the rest of the book, it made a valiant attempt to live up to the high standard set by its predecessor. The chapters alternate between several characters with whom we’re now very familiar – Kip, Karris, Gavin, Teia and the rest – and often focuses on one character for a long period of time, which gives us the opportunity to really get involved in the different storylines. Gavin in particular has a great storyline in this book, partly because of his involvement with the brilliant character Gunner, and Teia has also become a very prominent player. There are also several one-off POVs slotted into the story at intervals, some of which are more entertaining than others: most are written in first person (in contrast to the third person narrative forming the bulk of the novel) and are intended to be disorienting, but happen so infrequently that they serve to disrupt the story rather than embellish it. Others are so enjoyable to read that it’s a disappointment to realise they’re only a one-off, such as the chapter focusing on Arys Greenveil.

 

With regards to the story, The Broken Eye is sadly nowhere near as full of twists and turns as the first two books seemed to be, although it does contain one HUGE twist at the end which almost rivals the one in The Black Prism. We also don’t seem to learn as much about the magic system as we did in previous books, especially as Kip is no longer attending magic classes. However, the author compensates for this by expanding Teia’s role in the story, and chooses to focus on the creative and sometimes sinister ways in which she is finally able to explore her own special drafting ability.

 

In the end, I found The Broken Eye a lot more enjoyable and entertaining than the bulk of this review suggests. Personally I think the Lightbringer series may have peaked too soon with The Blinding Knife; however, I still look forward to the release of The Blood Mirror (book 4) in 2016. I’ve been through too much with these characters to not want to know how it ends! 

 

4/5

[Athena]

Great review! It's a shame you didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books, but I'm glad you still liked the book . Are there going to be four books in total?

 

P.S. I haven't been able to find this book in paperback anywhere, it's all sold out or unavailable. I hope it'll be available again in a while.

[Signor Finzione]

Great review! It's a shame you didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books, but I'm glad you still liked the book . Are there going to be four books in total?

 

P.S. I haven't been able to find this book in paperback anywhere, it's all sold out or unavailable. I hope it'll be available again in a while.

 

Thank you! Yes, there will be four books in total. The Broken Eye has only just been released (mine is a hardback that I pre-ordered), so I imagine it will become available in paperback at some point next year.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Signor Finzione

[Athena]

Thanks , I hope so!

[Karsa Orlong]

I read Hobb's Farseer trilogy a few years ago: I thought it was okay at the time but not great

 

Same here.  The third book almost killed it for me - I thought it was pretty average and really overstayed its welcome, which was a shame cos I liked the second book a lot.  I started the 'Liveship Traders' trilogy but only read the first book.  I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time 

[Devi]

Usually there is a six month gap between hardcover and paperback. I always try to wait for paperbacks.

[Athena]

Laura, just wanted you to know I finished my first Trudi Canavan book (review can be found in my thread here). I quite liked it, my only complaint with the particular book would be that it feels like an introduction to a more epic story yet to come. I will be reading the second and third book in the trilogy soon.