Kylie Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I live alone but still cop grief if I mention to my book-loving mum or partner that I want/need a new bookcase! In fact, mum has a lovely big IKEA bookcase sitting unused under her bed and I don't think she wants it anymore, so I'm trying to convince her to give it to me. Tim, I've been way behind on your thread. I love the pics you posted of your shelves. I'm so envious that all of your series perfectly match in terms of size and covers! And I'm envious that you got to meet GRR Martin! Although I'm glad you didn't ask him about how his next book is going. He might just go postal one day if he's asked too many times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 I'm so envious that all of your series perfectly match in terms of size and covers! Thanks It has taken a lot of patience to build up the matching sets, most of them are out of print now. I think once I have a big enough pile of books that won't fit on the shelves she will cave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 The Malloreon Series - David Eddings Synopsis Evil doesn't disappear. It just changes form... The evil God Torak is slain, and Garion, the long-awaited King of Riva, hopes for peace. And for a while he gets his wish. But then a darker prophecy is revealed, and new and more insidious forces gather. As danger mounts from all quarters, and his son is kidnapped, Garion has no choice but to follow his fate, wherever it might lead... Review I wrote separate reviews for the first two books of the series but was running out of things to say then let alone after the 5th book, so i decided it would be better to review the series as a whole. The Malloreon is a sequel series to The Belgariad, also 5 books, and features much of the same characters, settings and style. So if you really enjoyed The Belgariad and wished for more of the same, then that's exactly what this series is, but is by no means a bad thing. Garion and his Wife, Ce'Nedra, enjoy a (somewhat) peaceful life after the defeat of the evil god Torak, as King and Queen of a small island called Riva. They even have a son and heir, Geran to make their lives complete. That is until another, darker prophecy is brought to their attention, then Geran is kidnapped and Garion sets off in pursuit with his old friends in tow. Although much the same as The Belgariad, I preferred this series more, it was a bit darker, a bit more focussed and with less exposition and character introductions to contend with, Garion is also a lot less wingey and more like the authority figure he has become . The story is also much more personal to our main heroes who we came to love other previous 5 novels thus allowing the reader to sympathise and connect on a deeper level. Plus it still had everything that made The Belgariad such a delightful read. The characters are what provides the heart and soul of these books, by the 5th book Garion and his allies number 14, including; Sorcerers, sorceresses, kings, queens, emperors, knights, merchants, seers, drunks and wolves. This colourful band of characters means there is rarely a dull moment. Silk (and his nose) and Ce'Nedra stand out again as the best characters but they were closely followed by some new additions such as Zakath. The ending bought a heart-warming and satisfactory conclusion to the series, so even though it is a disappointment that it doesn't keep going I did end the series with a smile on my face. What more is needed? Guardians of the West - 9/10 King of the Murgos - 8/10 Dæmon Lord of Karanda- 9/10 Sorceress of Darshiva- 9/10 Seeress of Kell- 9/10 Overall - 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) Seeress of Kell also marks my 50th book this year, plus 10 audio books Currently reading through I, Claudius for the Reading Club, with a history book for reference Edited August 22, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Aw, nice review of the Mallorean. Well done you on getting through 60 books! Do you reckon the Mallorean could be read without having read all of The Belgariad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Nice review, Tim - glad you enjoyed them. Are you going to read the Sparhawk trilogies? Do you reckon the Mallorean could be read without having read all of The Belgariad? I wouldn't recommend that. Why would you want to? Is it because you didn't like Pawn of Prophecy much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Nice review, Tim - glad you enjoyed them. Are you going to read the Sparhawk trilogies? Yeah I will, I have a few of them already, but won't be for a while. Aw, nice review of the Mallorean. Well done you on getting through 60 books! Do you reckon the Mallorean could be read without having read all of The Belgariad? Thanks! No, not really, the Belgariad sets up all the world and characters, then the Malloreon is a separate story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Great review, Tim ! I'm glad you enjoyed the books. I should really read some more Eddings at some point. Congratulations on reading 50 books + 10 audiobooks, this year so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Nice review, Tim - glad you enjoyed them. Are you going to read the Sparhawk trilogies? I wouldn't recommend that. Why would you want to? Is it because you didn't like Pawn of Prophecy much? Yeah, and I just wondered if the Mallorean would be more my cup of tea. I'll possibly give Belgariad #2 a go at some point, though I might try The Diamond Throne first. No, not really, the Belgariad sets up all the world and characters, then the Malloreon is a separate story. Hmm, fair enough. Glad you enjoyed it so much anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Yeah, and I just wondered if the Mallorean would be more my cup of tea. I'll possibly give Belgariad #2 a go at some point, though I might try The Diamond Throne first. Well, bear in mind what you'd say to people who give up on Malazan after GotM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 (edited) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Audio book narrated by Simon Prebble) Review Jonthan Strange and Mr Norrell is a fantasy book about two English magicians written in the style of an early 19th Century novel. I didn’t really know what to expect from this book other then something unique, and that it certainly was. I can’t compare this to any fantasy I’ve ever read but I can certainly compare it to Dickens’, though somewhat of a lesser version. The story begins in 1806, when two theoretical magicians with the wonderfully Dickensian names of Segundus and Honeyfoot encounter the reclusive scholar, Mr Norrell. Their quest is to find out why magic, which was once so common in England, particularly in the North under the 300 year reign of the Raven King John Uskglass, is now a distant history to be studied by gentlemen like themselves. But they discover that, for all his bookish and condescending ways, Mr Norrell is in fact a practical magician, which he proves by bringing all the statues in York Minster/Cathedral to life. Having brought his powers to the attention of the public, he immediately sets of to London, where he plans to help in the war effort against Napoleon, and in the process resurrect English magic. At first he is not taken seriously, and it soon becomes clear Norrell will go to any lengths to become the only magician in England. But when he encounters Jonathan Strange, another magician, he seems to wake up to new possibilities. He takes Strange on as a pupil. But the two men are too different for the partnership to last. Norrell is secretive and unfriendly, hoarding magical knowledge and desperately preserving his own prestige. Strange is charming and gregarious, and becomes a hero in the wars. What starts off as mild rivalry soon escalates into a feud, with far reaching consequences. Based on reviews JS&MN appears to be a very polarising book and I was expecting to either love or hate it but to be honest it didn’t have a great impact on me. It starts off rather slowly as we are introduced to the Learned Society of York Magicians and Mr Norrell who is a rather bland an uninteresting character. After a good while we get to meet Jonathan Strange who is a bit more relatable and as the relationship between the two magicians developed, so did my interest. The book reached its pinnacle when Strange enters the Peninsular War and uses his magic against the French, working alongside the Duke of Wellington, who is particularly well depicted. Then unfortunately during the last third of the book is goes quite downhill and becomes even slower and I really started to lose interest. Other than being impressed by the originality the book failed to have much of an impression on me. The writing was great and the style was used to good effect, but the majority of the characters lacked that unique Dickensian charm that makes them so vivid and unforgettable. The narration was good but far from the best I have heard, the footnotes were used well but I do feel Clarke sometimes used them as free exposition instead of skilfully working the information into the story. The popularity of the book is unsurprising though, I can see why people enjoy it so much and why it won many awards including a Hugo. I’ve heard an adaptation has been in the works for some time with a TV series likely to be made sooner rather than later, I believe Clarke is also working on a sequel, but I will check the length before reading it. Overall 6/10 Edited August 29, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Good review Tim. It seems I'm no longer the only person on here who didn't love this book! I actually gave up on it after about 600 pages because it bored me . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Good review Tim. It seems I'm no longer the only person on here who didn't love this book! I actually gave up on it after about 600 pages because it bored me . . . I struggled on, expecting something to happen... it didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Shame you didn't enjoy it, Tim. I believe Clarke is also working on a sequel, but I will check the length before reading it. Maybe you should've read this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Maybe you should've read this one Ha, glad I didn't to be honest, think I might have given up around the same place as Laura. Easier when it's read to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Great review, Tim ! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it so much. The book is on my TBR but after not really getting on with some of Dickens' work it's not at the top of my list. I hope your next read will be more enjoyable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Easier when it's read to you Aw, diddums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Awww, shame you didn't enjoy the book I loved it myself, but I can imagine it getting really boring and tiring if you weren't that into it. It is quite massive and some would say it can drone on a bit. What's next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 I certainly enjoyed bits of it, I would rate the middle section of the book 9/10 but I felt it dragged a lot after that. I'm glad I've read it though. Well I've just finished Doctor Sleep, Sleeping Late on Judgement Day and Homer's Odyssey but I don't know when I will have a chance to write reviews for them, but I will at some point. I've just started The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 I look forward to hear your thoughts on Doctor Sleep and The Odyssey. Have fun with The Temporal Void ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 Review The Temporal Void is the second book in Hamilton's Void trilogy, not only does it not suffer from the 'middle-book-curse' but it is in fact the best Hamilton book I have read so far (that being 5 of the 6 Commonwealth universe books). As with Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, it is clear Hamilton has effectively written one mahousive book and split into publish-able chunks. The story picks up right where The Dreaming Void left off and carries on in much the same fashion. As before this is two stories in one, one being a typical Hamilton space opera and the other been in the style of a traditional fantasy. The difference in The Temporal Void though is that everything is kicked up a gear, the threats are much more real, the action is more frequent with more significant consequences and the characters really begin to question their own morals. Again with TTV the fantasy sections were stronger than the SF but both improved significantly, there was also much more of the former, this time making up about two thirds of the book. Here we find Edeard still struggling to obtain peace in Makathran, and going to greater and greater lengths to achieve it. Having recently watched The Dark Knight I couldn't help make the comparison in that the hero tries to clean up a fairly immoral city but only succeeds in driving the criminals to desperation and thus making things much worse. But as Edeard's power continues to develop we are treated to some truly cinematic style scenes that kept me glued to the page. The SF sections don't disappoint either as they continue to build tension towards the final book, and had me gripped the entire time. Every time I put the book down I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Overall 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Stop it. Stop it right now. I don't need to add another bunch of massive books to my TBR list (the fact that I already had two of them and gave them to charity without reading them notwithstanding ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Great review, Tim! I plan to read this trilogy in a while, as my next Peter F. Hamilton read. I'm really glad you're enjoying them, that bodes well for my own reading . I have a different cover, yours is very pretty too . The weird thing is, all three of the books of TTV I bought at different times, they all have different sizes (one's of mass market paperback size, one a big trade paperback and one a standard paperback size). You've made me more excited to read these books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Stop it. Stop it right now. I don't need to add another bunch of massive books to my TBR list (the fact that I already had two of them and gave them to charity without reading them notwithstanding ) My bad Although I did enjoy Judas Unchained a lot more then you, so you might not like the Void trilogy as much Great review, Tim! I plan to read this trilogy in a while, as my next Peter F. Hamilton read. I'm really glad you're enjoying them, that bodes well for my own reading . I have a different cover, yours is very pretty too . The weird thing is, all three of the books of TTV I bought at different times, they all have different sizes (one's of mass market paperback size, one a big trade paperback and one a standard paperback size). You've made me more excited to read these books . Mine was a library book, I have avoided buying more Hamilton books for exactly that reason, (they also take up way too much shelf space). More reviews pending but from non SF/F/H I have recently finished: Sharpe's Regiment - Bernard Cornwell 8/10 The Spy Who Loved Me- Ian Fleming 7/10 The Book Thief - Makus Zusak 8/10 Land of Fire - Chris Ryan 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Sharpe's Regiment - Bernard Cornwell 8/10 The Spy Who Loved Me- Ian Fleming 7/10 The Book Thief - Makus Zusak 8/10 Land of Fire - Chris Ryan 9/10 I look forward to read the reviews . Out of those, I've only read The Book Thief, which I really liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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