Karsa Orlong Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 x No, it's on my wishlist . Does your TBR list include books on your wishlist? Don't go and buy it twice TBR (post 1): Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan Saga 1: Shards Of Honor http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12398-athenas-reading-list-2014/?p=375011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Apparently I bought it in a bundle of ebooks! I tend to forget about ebooks, because their covers aren't on my shelves . Thanks, Steve . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Apparently I bought it in a bundle of ebooks! I tend to forget about ebooks, because their covers aren't on my shelves . Thanks, Steve . I thought maybe it had been hidden by all your Robin Hobb books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Shame about Zelazny, I have yet to try any of his work despite owning 6 of them Not sure you've got or read this but if not you might be interested. Roma by Steven Saylor is only 99p for April... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Not sure you've got or read this but if not you might be interested. Roma by Steven Saylor is only 99p for April... Oh cool, thanks for that I should probably finish the Roma Sub Rosa series first, I suppose, but 99p . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 # 22, 23, & 24 The Faded Sun Trilogy by C. J. Cherryh Individual titles: Kesrith, Shon'Jir, & Kutath 1978/1979 - Daw paperback - 785 pages From Amazon: They were the mri - tall, secretive, bound by honor and the rigid dictates of their society. For aeons this golden-skinned, golden-eyed race had provided the universe mercenary soldiers of almost unimaginable ability. But now the mri have faced an enemy unlike any other - an enemy whose only way of war is widespread destruction. These "humans" are mass fighters, and the mri have been slaughtered like animals. Now, in the aftermath of war, the mri face extinction. It will be up to three individuals to save whatever remains of this devastated race: a warrior--one of the last survivors of his kind; a priestess of this honorable people; and a lone human--a man sworn to aid the enemy of his own kind. Can they retrace the galaxy-wide path of this nomadic race back through millennia to reclaim the ancient world that first gave them life? Thoughts: I didn't know whether to do three separate reviews for these, as I finished each book, or just one review to cover all three. I decided on the latter, in the end, as they are presented in one volume - so counting them as three books for my total read this year, but only one book coming off the TBR. Confuzzled! I read some of Cherryh's work back in the 80s and found it very hard going - and, as a consequence, had never been really tempted to return, until this trilogy came up in my recent trawl for space opera. The hook that initially got me was when one review mentioned that the mri were effectively a race of Samurai. That really appealed to me, for some reason. Once into the book, though, it becomes apparent that the mri are a nomadic race, more akin to the Bedouin or Tuareg people. They have a strict caste system which dictates everything they do and, beyond that, are quite alien, hiring themselves out as mercenaries, with their swords and their code of honour. I suppose they feel a little like Dune's Fremen in some ways, especially given the desert environments in which these stories take place, but that is where the similarities end. Also completely alien are the regul, the mri's masters for the past 2,000 years. They are a species whose existence is built on trade and commerce. They are, from what I could gather, somewhat elephantine, and incapable of physical combat due to their immobility - they ride around on sleds (hence their hiring of the mri to do their dirty work). Enter us lot. The regul, and therefore the mri, have been at war with mankind of the last 43 years. As the first novel - Kesrith - begins, the war is drawing to a close, the regul have signed peace treaties and are ceding planets to the humans, including the planet Kesrith, which is the mri homeworld. During the war the regul sent the mri warriors increasingly to their deaths - they have been slaughtered, and from thousands there are now only a few hundred left. What follows over the course of the three books - whilst masquerading as hard sf, or even military sf - is largely a soft sf story, cultural and anthropological science fiction, if you like. These aren't thrill-a-minute reads: the pacing is s-l-o-w, the action brief to non-existent, and the tone unremittingly sombre. Perhaps this is unsurprising when the potential for genocide is involved. It also felt a little like Dances with Wolves to me, at times - especially with regard to a particular character 'going native', so to speak (and yes, of course, the books pre-dated that movie by over a decade). But, in this case, these aren't criticisms. Cherryh is apparently something of an expert at world building (I haven't read anywhere near enough of her books to verify this) and the way she handles the three different species and their inability to understand each other's actions and motives is quite brilliant. It also means that her characters are front and centre and, for the most part, very sympathetic. I must admit that I found some of the regul sections a little uninvolving because I didn't connect with their characters at all, and they were a chore to read at times, slowing the pacing even further. But the humans are great - especially Sten Duncan - and the mri are simply wonderful. These books are full of political intrigue, philosophical questions and, above all else, alien cultures that are truly alien. There are some incredibly tense moments but, for me, the somewhat stately pacing just knocks it down a mark. Otherwise, great stuff. Cherryh's written a lot of books. I've no doubt I'll be returning to her work, sooner rather than later this time. Kesrith 9/10 Shon'Jir 8/10 Kutath 8/10 Overall 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Great review, as always! Sounds intriguing . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Great review ! I agree with Laura, it does sound intriguing! It's already on my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 # 25 Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds 2003 - Gollancz ebook - 208 pages From Amazon: Diamond Dogs: The planet Golgotha—supposedly lifeless—resides in a remote star system, far from those inhabited by human colonists. It is home to an enigmatic machinelike structure called the Blood Spire, which has already brutally and systematically claimed the lives of one starship crew that attempted to uncover its secrets. But nothing will deter Richard Swift from exploring this object of alien origin… Turquoise Days: In the seas of Turquoise live the Pattern Jugglers, the amorphous, aquatic organisms capable of preserving the memories of any human swimmer who joins their collective consciousness. Naqi Okpik devoted her life to studying these creatures—and paid a high price for swimming among them. Now, she may be the only hope for the survival of the species—and of every person living on Turquoise… Thoughts: Alastair Reynolds is obviously a David Bowie and Echo & the Bunnymen fan These two novellas are both set in the Revelation Space universe. They don't really require any prior knowledge of the series, although I think it adds some resonance to the stories if you've read the previous books. Diamond Dogs, for example, begins in Chasm City, and makes reference to Calvin Sylveste and the Monument to the Eighty, not to mention the Melding Plague. It also has references to the movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and Cube, and once you get into the story it becomes - amusingly - apparent why this is (assuming you've seen the films, that is). The story is told in the first person from the perspective of Richard Swift. He and his friend Roland Childe had long competed or cooperated in playing various games. Childe has discovered a mysterious alien structure on an otherwise uninhabited planet called Golgotha and has assembled a party to go and figure it out. Attempts by previous explorers had resulted in their deaths, and the team must race against time to figure out how to get to the top of the spire. Turquoise Days tells the story of Naqi and her sister, Mina, who are scientists attempting to unravel the mysteries of the Pattern Jugglers, which have also made appearances in the previous books (the characters and the planet Turquoise have not). When a communications black-out affects the whole planet they discover that a mysterious Lighthugger is approaching the planet with motives unknown. Both stories are full of twists and turns, and both have brilliant endings. I think I mentioned in previous reviews that, for me, the only issue with the 'Inhibitors Trilogy' is that it could've done with a bit of tightening up, so what interested and excited me about this book was the chance to see what Reynolds can do with a shorter format. And I think these stories are first class. They're naturally pacey, exciting, have plenty of wit, and characters who are developed quickly and cleverly, and there are plenty of surprises, all with a much shorter page count. They're also quite pleasingly dark. I suppose the flip side of that is that they can't have the level of depth and atmosphere that his novels achieve, but that's barely worth consideration. I had heard that he is a brilliant short story writer and, going by these novellas, it looks like it could be true. The next book in the RS sequence is Galactic North - a collection of short stories. Can't wait! 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Great review, Steve! The book is on my wishlist. I'm glad you enjoyed the two stories . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Just stopping by to say hello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 *waves* Hi Sarah, hope you're doing okay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 (edited) # 26 White Wolf by David Gemmell 2003 - Corgi paperback - 589 pages From Amazon: Skilgannon the Damned had vanished from the pages of history. Following the terrible triumph at Perapolis, the General had taken the legendary Swords of Night and Day and ridden from the lands of Naashan. No-one knew where he had gone, and the assassins sent by the Witch Queen could find no trace of his passing. Three years later, as a mob intent on murder gathers outside a distant monastery, they are faced by a single unarmed priest. In a few terrifying seconds their world is changed for ever, and word spreads across the lands of the East. In a world torn by war, White Wolf is a page-turning tale of love, betrayal and treachery, which examines the nature of heroism and friendship and the narrow lines that divide good from evil, redemption from damnation. Thoughts: Going by the internal chronology of Gemmell's Drenai books, this one falls somewhere between The Legend of Deathwalker and Legend itself. Olek Skilgannon was once a general in the Naashanite army, the right-hand man of the Witch Queen who, several years before, he had saved from certain death. But, as her power grew, he performed evil acts in her name, culminating in the sacking of Perapolis. Appalled by what he had done, stalked in his dreams by a white wolf, Skilgannon walked away. He became a monk, and disappeared, and that's where this story begins. Hmm, I wonder if he can stick to being a monk for long? White Wolf starts off in typical Gemmell fashion, introducing the characters quickly and effectively and then getting on with it. Skilgannon is a character riddled with guilt. He's not trying to escape his past because he knows he can never do so. He doesn't even believe he can atone for his actions. His one driving force is to find a mysterious temple where he believes his wife can be brought back to life. So it's something of a quest tale and, in other hands, I might have found it a bit boring because it could have become formulaic. I do think Gemmell had a winning formula that he stuck to, by and large, but I didn't find this book boring for one minute. In fact, the pages flew by (590 pages in less than four days is very fast reading for me!). What he does brilliantly here is tip the hat to several of his other Drenai novels - almost a drawing together of the mythology he created: little nods and winks, a loaded piece of dialogue here, a throwaway line there, all of which add an extra resonance to the tale. As such, it may not be a good place to start with his books, cos if you don't get the references then I'm not sure how it would affect your enjoyment. As usual, though, he creates a winning cast of characters, especially Skilgannon himself (and his terrifying abilities with the Swords of Night and Day). And an old face shows up and kicks the whole story onto another level. His characters are world-weary and do what they do not for pay or enjoyment, but because they live by a code, and that code walks a path through all of his books. Most of the time they are scared because they know death awaits them around every corner. It's also interesting that cancer crops up again, in a more literal way than it did in Legend. Gemmell is pretty much my go-to author when I want to be entertained. The stories are streamlined, the action is thrilling. His writing is simple, straightforward and effective. There is no flowery prose, no long passages of description. He lets his characters do his talking, and their friendships, loves, losses, and the natural banter and humour between them makes them come alive. I thoroughly enjoyed their company over the last few days. I thought White Wolf was fantastic from start to finish. 9/10 Edited April 13, 2014 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Some great reviews here Steve. The Reynolds sounds interesting - I loved the film Cube. And I really must get on track with my Gemmell reading . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Great review Steve! You're reading quite fast . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Yeah, you've been stormin' through 'em! Faded sun trilogy sounds interesting, also happy to see Gemmell is continuing to please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Thanks I'm still about 50,000 behind Gaia, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Gaia would put Johnny 5 to shame! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqbt5JlQGZQ&list=PLFkjj5nWbCAE-JXIEQLcLnOmQIC9TjVOK Edited April 14, 2014 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Gaia would put Johnny 5 to shame! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqbt5JlQGZQ&list=PLFkjj5nWbCAE-JXIEQLcLnOmQIC9TjVOK I used to like Ally Sheedy, back in the day, mostly in The Breakfast Club ETA: Bloody hell, just looked it up - that's nearly 30 years ago now Edited April 15, 2014 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I may just have ordered the graphic novels of Legend and Wolf in Shadow. It had to be done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I may just have ordered the graphic novels of Legend and Wolf in Shadow. It had to be done Exciting! I hope you're going to post pictures when they arrive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Exciting! I hope you're going to post pictures when they arrive? With my trademark 'Shaky Cam'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 With my trademark 'Shaky Cam'? Yes! I'm expecting high quality Blair Witch Books, as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Yes! I'm expecting high quality Blair Witch Books, as usual. No need to be snotty about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 It's like watching Cloverfield... but with a plot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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