Timstar Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Plenty to keep you going, then Which of the stand-alones do you have? I want to re-read Legend and The King Beyond the Gate so I can finally read Quest for Lost Heroes, as I only recently got that one. No idea when I'll around to it though I've got Dark Moon and Echoes of the Great Song, but like you, i've no idea when I'll get around to them Sorry to hear about all the bad luck, Tim. Won't dwell on it because that makes it worse, but I know how you feel. Still: it really is true that when one door closes, another one opens, etc., etc. Hugs and kind thoughts to both of you! Nice review of the Gemmell, I'm glad you enjoyed it - Waylander did the same thing for me when I was in a reading slump a few weeks ago. I have Legend on the shelf to read soon. Thanks Laura, I'll be sure to post any positive news Read it! Read it soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 Dune - Frank Herbert Synopsis The sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices". Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and also grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence. The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a superhuman--he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the centre of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium. Review Well this was certainly an interesting book, you can tell just from the synopsis that it is certainly not a straight forward story. Dune has gone down as a timeless classic of the genre, winning the hugo award, spawning 5 sequels from Herbert himself as well as over 10 sequels and prequels by his son, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. There was also a film, a television series, board games and video games. (probably more as well). So expectations were high, but I also knew this wasn't the easiest book to read so I tried to keep an open mind and absorb as much of the culture as possible. It was slow to get going but you start to understand the world and politics and it gets more intriguing, the characters develop nicely, especially Paul and his mother, Jessica. The latter managing nicely to keep the book grounded and relate-able for the reader. Eventually these aspects immerse the reader in vivid planet of Arrakis. The writing flows very nicely, and is very character orientated, there is no needless exposition. As we follow Paul and his family relocate themselves to the planet Arrakis/Dune as new rulers, much of the first act is concerned with the ducal court that surrounds Paul. Although abundant with swords and of the royal hierarchy, ritual and betrayal the novel firmly grounded in SF with its use of force fields, flying vehicles and highly-conditioned individuals that can perform extreme logical computations. But I think it will always be the iconic worms that fill my memory of this story. I did enjoy it, but it lacked that all important personal connection to the story or characters that stopped me loving it. But given the high-praise it is always endowed with, this is unlikely to be a common occurrence. Overall 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Very good review. It's been a long time since I've read this book. I'll have to read it again and see what I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Great review ! I also gave the book 8/10 though I read it at a time before I wrote reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Nice review, Tim. Agree about Jessica giving the reader someone to relate to, and about the characters being a bit distant - I've said much the same thing in mine! Edited March 16, 2014 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yeah, good review Tim It's interesting that you say the characters develop nicely, and that it's very character oriented, but that you didn't feel a connection with them. I can't say I had that issue with it, but I've often wondered about FH's chosen style in the book, about how he flits from viewpoint to viewpoint and gives all the internal monologues without even a section break to split the POVs up. It was an interesting choice and I think it may be problematic for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yeah, good review Tim It's interesting that you say the characters develop nicely, and that it's very character oriented, but that you didn't feel a connection with them. I can't say I had that issue with it, but I've often wondered about FH's chosen style in the book, about how he flits from viewpoint to viewpoint and gives all the internal monologues without even a section break to split the POVs up. It was an interesting choice and I think it may be problematic for some. The way he switches between viewpoints within the same chapters really confused me when I first started reading! I'd forgotten about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 It's interesting that you say the characters develop nicely, and that it's very character oriented, but that you didn't feel a connection with them. I can't say I had that issue with it. Haha, I thought someone might question that, I'm not sure why myself, I only realised I felt that way as I was writing the review. Great review ! I also gave the book 8/10 though I read it at a time before I wrote reviews. Thanks Nice review, Tim. Agree about Jessica giving the reader someone to relate to, and about the characters being a bit distant - I've said much the same thing in mine! Glad I'm not the only one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) Judas Unchained - Peter F. Hamilton (Audio book narrated by John Lee) Synopsis The Commonwealth is at war. After discovery an incredibly hostile alien race the Commonwealth is fighting for it's very survival. As the ethics of WMDs are discussed it is up to one man to prevent the genocide. However a greater danger may lie within the Commonwealth itself. Review This is the effectively the second half of one mammoth book that equates to well over 2000 pages or 75 hours as I listened to the audio books. Because of that I knew what to expect, there wasn't much new in Judas Unchained in terms of characters and technology but they are expanded on very well. That's not to say there is nothing new, the Cat's Claws are introduced, by far one of the most interesting plot lines, they're a band of convicts paroled early in return for their aid in the war. They perform guerilla warfare and subterfuge in attempt to slow down the Alien advances where ever possible. Ideas and concepts set up in Pandora's Star are expanded on and utilised in new ways. The plot is complicated, and with a vast array of characters and stories lines, most of which meet and interchange at various points, it would have been easy for it to get too bogged down and trip over its own feet, so to speak. But it certainly doesn't do this, Hamilton clearly had all the different plots worked out beforehand and he brings them together very nicely. The only issue is that he takes his time in doing it. So as not to understate the fact, this book is SLOW, very very slow. I think if I had been reading as oppose to listening to it, then it would have been painfully slow. Luckily John Lee's narration is as superb as always and his vast stockpile of voices and accents is great to differentiate between the characters. The action, when it eventually starts, is pretty darn good. It is usually on such a massive scale as to make Hollywood blockbusters look tame. It always vividly described and perfectly paced. So good in fact it almost makes up for the slow pace in between. Overall I enjoyed the Commonwealth saga a lot, it would have benefited from being slightly shorter and a lot faster but it is certainly salvaged by the immensity of the plot, the wealth of characters and diversity of the ideas and technology. I still have the Night's Dawn trilogy to read and from what I hear it puts these books to shame so I am eager to start them! Overall 8/10 Edited March 19, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Great review ! I've yet to read this duology but I loved The Night's Dawn trilogy so I hope I'll like this one too! (the only reason I haven't started Pandora's Star yet is that it's a big hardcover which isn't my favourite book format). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Sounds like you enjoyed it a lot more than I did, Tim - I gave it a 4 out of 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson Synopsis According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed . . . They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won. Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself - and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne. On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few days is a young spearman ,forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn't understand and doesn't really want to fight. Review I've been putting off reviewing this for a while as, not only do I not really know what to say, I don't really know how I feel about it. But not to put you off straight away I will have a crack at it. This is the first part of Sanderson's answer to Epic High-Fantasy, currently planned as a ten-part series but knowing Sanderson I've no doubt this will go over with more in different formats as well. Other than from Steve, I had heard nothing but good things about this, it has tonnes of five-star reviews and I have a friend who states it as his favourite book of all time, also Steve's opinions are often wrong anyway. So I went in with high expectations, especially from the magic system which is Sanderson usual strong point. Unfortunately I am more inclined to agree with Steve's point-of-view on this one. It is too long, simply put, too long for the content that is there. It's as if he wasn't ambitious enough to make it truly epic, it wasn't on the grand scale I was expecting, especially with 9 more door-stoppers to come. We do see several characters POVs but 60%-ish of the book is focused on one character, Kaladin, who was a good character and his story was interesting, just not interesting enough for the length of the book. The other main characters are sorely lacking in personality and show little, to no development, but my understanding is that the first few books will focus on different characters, telling their story before integrating them into the large picture. The next book, Words of Radiance, just released, focuses on Shallan, the woefully under-developed female in The Way of Kings. There was little shown of the larger world, what we might expect to see in the future books etc. This make it hard to but the current events into perspective. As for the magic system itself, it felt a little underwhelming. There is clearly more to come and be explained and discovered by character and reader alike but in The Way of Kings there wasn't much to be awed by. I think the magic system from his Mistborn series was much more original and innovative with tonnes more potential then what I can see in this one. That's not to say the book was without merit, despite the long length I was never particularly bored with it, that's not to say the pages flew by, but I never struggled to pick it up again. The action scenes were great with some vivid imagery, there are some brilliant creatures that have beautiful sketches of them in the book, I hope they get more involved in the plot. It also improved as it on, it started giving some interesting 'interludes' devoted to new characters, Szeth been a particular favourite. Kaladin also develops nicely and his story and crew become a lot more interesting and the investment of their time starts to pay off. There is clearly a lot more to the world and characters and hopefully the magic system then we have seen but it isn't really hinted at what it could be or the importance of anything not yet revealed, so we will have to wait and see. The issue with this is it doesn't leave you desperate to know more. Overall I did find myself enjoying it, but certainly not up to my expectations. I will read WoR in due course (even though it is longer than TWOK, despite a note in at the beginning of the series stating the first would have to be the longest by far ). Part 1 - 7/10 Part 2 - 8/10 Overall 7/10 Edited March 24, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) Sounds like you enjoyed it a lot more than I did, Tim - I gave it a 4 out of 10 I remember your words were "Blood awful" So I'm guessing I did yeah. Great review ! I've yet to read this duology but I loved The Night's Dawn trilogy so I hope I'll like this one too! (the only reason I haven't started Pandora's Star yet is that it's a big hardcover which isn't my favourite book format). I don't blame ya, it must be huge in hardback! Edited March 24, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 also Steve's opinions are often wrong anyway. Harsh but fair I was reading the Wertzone review of Words of Radiance. Apparently it's mostly set on the Shattered Plains again, and it is s-l-o-w - or, rather, languid, as he puts it.. Not that I needed putting off this one, but I'm definitely counting myself out of this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Nice review, Tim ! I look forward to read the books, though I think I'll start with the Mistborn series since that has generally better reviews, I'm quite curious about the magic system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Great review Tim! I'm still really curious about Sanderson and plan to read The Final Empire fairly soon. Have you (or anyone else here) ever read Warbreaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks Laura, Yeah I have, I reviewed it here. It was a very interesting concept but I preferred Mistborn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Warbreaker is on my TBR, I haven't read it yet . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 There's a thread about it on the Malazan forums. They don't seem to like it much but, interestingly, someone pointed out that you can download it for free from his website: http://brandonsanderson.com/books/warbreaker/warbreaker/warbreaker-rights-and-downloads/ this being the final version: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/drafts/warbreaker/Warbreaker_hardcover_1st_ed.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 I did start reading the free version but I could only download it as a PDF at the time and that's not how I like to read books so I went and bought it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Yeah it's a bit of a pain, I suppose, even putting it on a Kindle or something. But hey ho, it's free for anyone who can handle it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 The Fade - Chris Wooding Synopsis A subterranean world of vast caverns, underground seas, crystalline forests. A civilisation born of darkness, in darkness, protected by shadows. A city of merchants, whose eyes have turned upward to the surface, where the lethal light of day beats down on their world. A conspiracy so vast that it will swallow them all . . . Review The world of Callespa was long ago settled by humans. A rocky moon circling a much huger world (presumably a gas giant) in a binary system, the world became virtually uninhabitable when the stars' output dramatically increased. Humanity retreated underground, splintering into many tribes, leaving only those hardy people known as the SunChildren to dwell on the surface. For many years the nations of Eskara and the Gurta have been at war, a battle fought back and forth through vast subterrenean chambers with neither kingdom able to win a decisive advantage. Massima Leithka Orna is a Bondswoman, an indentured servant of Clan Caracassa. She is also a member of her clan's Cadre, a collection of warriors and magic-wielders (known as chthonomancers) beyond compare, elite fighters at the front of every major push but also adept at assassination and espionage. During a brutal battle her forces are betrayed and her husband is killed. Taken prisoner to a Gurta fortress, Orna lives only to escape and find her son, now serving on the front lines. After thoroughly enjoying the Ketty Jay series I was eager to try some more Wooding, This is his only stand alone novel for adults. In a format that appears to be rarity in fantasy, the story is told from the first person POV of the female lead character, Orna. Opening with an epic battle scene, we are literally thrown straight into foray. Orna is a remarkable warrior as well as assassin, spy and thief, so seeing the battle through her eyes was a joy. The following third of the book is by far the best, we see Orna's grief and humiliation of the defeat and her aptly dealing with her fellow prisoners, all of whom are male. She also plots her escape, and we meet some great characters, both prisoners and guards. The second half is a bit slower but still enjoyable, the world is explored in more depth and Wooding does well to put the reader into Orna's shoes, making us feel her emotional distress and passions. The chapter structure was a bit odd, the first chapter is 30 and then it counts down as the story progresses, but there are also a number of 'flashback' chapters which tell Orna's backstory but go progressively back in time and these chapters count up from 30. So the higher the chapter number the further back in time you are. This isn't explained why it happens this way, but it's easy enough to follow. At only 300 pages it is rather refreshing to read a short stand alone fantasy, but there are a few threads left open for a potential sequel but as the book is now 6 years old with no sequel mentioned by Wooding I would be surprised to see one. Refreshing but not ground-breaking, the short format makes a nice easy read and the characterisation of the lead female is brilliant but I felt the world creation lacked a bit and could have done with some more imagery. Overall 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Great review ! It sounds like an interesting book . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Very interesting review, Tim The chapter structure was a bit odd, the first chapter is 30 and then it counts down as the story progresses, but there are also a number of 'flashback' chapters which tell Orna's backstory but go progressively back in time and these chapters count up from 30. So the higher the chapter number the further back in time you are. This isn't explained why it happens this way, but it's easy enough to follow. Sounds like he's borrowed that idea from Iain M. Banks's Use of Weapons. I quite like it, if it's done well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Sounds like he's borrowed that idea from Iain M. Banks's Use of Weapons. I quite like it, if it's done well Oh right, I didn't know it was used elsewhere. It is well done, in the sense that it is consistent, so you know what to expect from the chapter number. It's just never explained why they count down as opposed to up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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