Signor Finzione Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Nice review. When a book by one of your favourite authors is disappointing it always feels like he's let you down personally, doesn't it? How many more do you have left to read? Or have you been reading them chronologically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 It's a shame you didn't enjoy this one as much. Great review though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 Nice review. When a book by one of your favourite authors is disappointing it always feels like he's let you down personally, doesn't it? How many more do you have left to read? Or have you been reading them chronologically? Oh I didn't feel let down as such - tbh, I wasn't expecting much from this one as I'd read some very scathing reviews of it so, if anything, it was actually better than I expected it to be I have 12 of his books left to read, but only two of those are Drenai novels. Don't know how I missed them out, but I haven't exactly been sticking to the order as they mostly stand alone anyway. I don't know when I'll read those two - I may wait until I do a Drenai re-read. I've got the ten non-Drenai novels to read, so there's a few to be getting on with before thinking about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Sounds great Steve, I really should read some more Drenai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Not just Drenai, I hope. Some of his other books are just as good, if not better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I just bought Knights of Dark Renown with my Waterstones voucher - can I read this at any time in the series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Yeah, it's completely stand alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Not just Drenai, I hope. Some of his other books are just as good, if not better I have the Troy trilogy to read as well as a couple of the stand-alone, would also like to get the Rigante series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) # 50 The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor 2013 - HarperCollins ebook - 481 pages From Amazon: August, 1778. British-controlled Manhattan is a melting pot of soldiers, traitors and refugees, surrounded by rebel forces as the American War of Independence rages on. Into this simmering tension sails Edward Savill, a London clerk tasked with assessing the claims of loyalists who have lost out during the war. Savill lodges with the ageing Judge Wintour, his ailing wife, and their enigmatic daughter-in-law Arabella. However, as Savill soon learns, what the Wintours have lost in wealth, they have gained in secrets. The murder of a gentleman in the slums pulls Savill into the city's underbelly. But when life is so cheap, why does one death matter? Because making a nation is a lucrative business, and some people cannot afford to miss out, whatever the price... Thoughts: I picked this book up a few months ago when it was recommended by one of the visiting authors during BCF's Crime Month, and it sounded right up my street (especially after reading reviews and the Kindle sample). The Scent of Death won the 2013 CWA Golden Dagger for Historical Crime Fiction. Set during the American War of Independence it tells the tale of Edward Savill, a fairly inconsequential civil servant sent to New York in 1778 to deal with claims from displaced Loyalists. He has barely set foot off the boat when a corpse turns up and he finds himself drawn into a . . . I was going to say tangled web of mystery and violence, but then you'd expect that at the very least from a crime novel! I was really quite excited about reading this book, so it's with some disappointment that I'm about to give it a bit of a slagging. Whenever I do this I always think 'could I have done better?' and the answer is invariably 'no'. So I don't have any right to criticise, really. But I read for entertainment and escapism, and I found this book had none of the former and very little of the latter. It is unremittingly morose, populated by characters who are so devoid of personality that they ceased to become people for me and instead were just puppets going through the motions. I don't know if others feel the same, but I always find that characters truly come alive for me if they have some humour within them, or something to give them an edge. None of the characters here have any of that. Savill (the first-person narrator) is a whiney, miserable nobody who seems to stumble from one dangerous situation to another more through bad luck than any investigative skill. Mrs Arabella, who I suppose could be called the 'heroine', is tetchy, moody, lacking in anything that might be considered charm, and yet we are told right at the novel's beginning that 'once met she is never forgotten'. Well, not in your nightmares, anyway. In fact, every single one of the characters in this book is so busy being enigmatic that it's a wonder any of them bother talking to each other at all. I'm assuming that this was all designed to produce an air of mystery, but all it succeeded in doing for me was to distance me from the story entirely. I didn't care about any of them and, worst of all, I'd figured out the central mystery by half way through the book, leaving myself with another 250 pages to wade through wondering why Savill couldn't see what was so obvious to me from the off. Suffice to say, the conclusion to the book failed to produce any surprises, apart from the fact that I managed to stick with it all the way through. A lot of the reviews I read remarked on the novel's brilliant atmosphere, but I didn't get much of it at all. The pacing is sluggish, and it chokes the life out of it. For all Savill's 'woe-is-me' wittering, that goes on for pages at a time, I found there was very little in the way of a sense of place. I wanted to be immersed in 18th century New York, instead it felt like it could have been set anywhere. It seems to want to address the class and race divide, but the characters involved in this are not fleshed out at all and simply stand around in the shadows attempting - and failing - to be mysterious. The only real mystery here, to my mind, is how and why this won the Golden Dagger. Proof to me, if it were needed, that awards are generally a load of old nonsense. I could go on, but you've probably realised by now that I didn't think much of it. If you're still reading, well done for getting this far. Perhaps the author should have included that as the last line of the book. It might've made me feel a bit better about wasting my time on it. 4/10 Edited August 15, 2014 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Burn! 4 almost seems to good for it given your review, did it have any redeeming features? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I could go on, but you've probably realised by now that I didn't think much of it. If you're still reading, well done for getting this far. Perhaps the author should have included that as the last line of the book. It might've made me feel a bit better about wasting my time on it. Interesting to read your reaction. I tried one of his other books, Bleeding Heart Square, a couple of years ago. It had been positively reviewed, but I gave up mid-read through sheer boredom. Set in immediate post-war London, my notes commented that it was about as grey and dull as the setting. Indeed, your comments on the characters reminded me vividly of my own experience (if anything to do with the book could be described as vivid). You have definitely dashed any ideas of giving him another go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Harsh, Steve! Pity you didn't enjoy this, but it seems that writing the review was cathartic at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the book but I very much enjoyed your review of it I've read The American Boy and quite liked it and had pencilled in Bleeding Heart Square as one I might possibly like to try. I might still give it a go .. perhaps he's got worse or maybe I'm his audience I quite like it when books just plod along .. excitement is probably wasted on me The characters sound dull though and that never does though I am intrigued by 'tetchy' Mrs Arabella .. we may be kindred spirits Oh .. never mind Steve .. you were probably due a dud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the book, Steve. Great review, though . I hope your next read will be more enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) 4 almost seems to good for it given your review, did it have any redeeming features? Well, it ended - a major plus point I had to give it a 4 because it wasn't quite as bad as Dawnthief, which is the worst book I've read this year by far, and I gave that a 4. Kind of painted myself into a corner on that one Interesting to read your reaction. I tried one of his other books, Bleeding Heart Square, a couple of years ago. It had been positively reviewed, but I gave up mid-read through sheer boredom. Set in immediate post-war London, my notes commented that it was about as grey and dull as the setting. Indeed, your comments on the characters reminded me vividly of my own experience (if anything to do with the book could be described as vivid). You have definitely dashed any ideas of giving him another go! Interesting you mention Bleeding Heart Square, as I was quite interested in that one (as I work near the place) - but not there's no way I'm going to read it now. Harsh, Steve! Pity you didn't enjoy this, but it seems that writing the review was cathartic at least. I don't think it was harsh enough I quite like it when books just plod along .. excitement is probably wasted on me The characters sound dull though and that never does though I am intrigued by 'tetchy' Mrs Arabella .. we may be kindred spirits I was going to post something there that would've been very spoilery, so I'd best not But yeah, there's nothing going splat in it, so I you might enjoy it Actually, having said that, it was a bit gruesome in places, so maybe not Edited August 18, 2014 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Well, it ended - a major plus point I had to give it a 4 because it wasn't quite as bad as Dawnthief, which is the worst book I've read this year by far, and I gave that a 4. Kind of painted myself into a corner on that one This has made me think - what`s the worst book I`ve ever read ? And... I just can`t think of one off the top of my head. I gave up on an excerpt of I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes recently, `cos I thought it was plain nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) # 43 Half a King (Shattered Sea Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie Half-a-King.jpg 2014 - Harper Voyager ebook - 333 pages From Amazon: Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand. Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge. Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could. But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy… Thoughts: A new book by Joe Abercrombie is now something of an EVENT for me as, after a shaky start, he has rapidly become one of my favourite authors. Yet I still approached this one with some trepidation, as it is his first foray into a Young Adult series. This doesn't mean I have anything against YA novels, not at all, but I did wonder how the absence of Joe's penchant for writing dark, dark stories with graphic violence and sex, and his often hilarious gallows humour would affect the outcome. I don't really want to say more about the story than the blurb above already gives away. The plot is pretty simple. It's a coming-of-age story, with murder and betrayal and a quest for revenge. The set up is pretty hackneyed, tried and trusted, seen it all before stuff. It is Joe Abercrombie toned down, with all the grit and genre-upside-downiness of his previous work left far behind. Abercrombie-Lite, if you will. It is for me, to be perfectly honest, a recipe for disaster, mainly because I love the darkness in his stories. And for the first 30 or so pages, whilst I never thought it was going to be completely that - a disaster, it was disappointingly . . . ordinary. The opening is one of generic fantasy that usually makes me run a mile. It was only the occasional neat turn of phrase or wording of a sentence that made me think "yeah, that's Joe", otherwise it might have been written by some bog-standard fantasy hack, the type of which there are far too many, in my opinion. But it's Joe. And somehow, after that first 30 pages, he does it again. I managed to steer clear of all spoilers for this, didn't read the long extract that was released some months ago, didn't even read the blurb on the Amazon page until just now, so I knew nothing about what was going to happen. So, when that first major twist in the plot came along, my eyes were suddenly nailed to the page. Oh, Joe knows how to write this sort of thing for sure. Suddenly I couldn't put the book down. Suddenly, characters who had seemed at first tired and cliched became fully-formed individuals who I wanted to spend time with. Suddenly the story was moving at such pace that it made it impossible to put down (Joe has this way with chapter lengths that make you think 'Oh, just one more chapter before I go to bed' ). The humour is there, dialled back for sure, but there. The violence is turned down several notches but it works. The twists are plentiful (I did not see a couple of them coming at all). And Joe's knack for characterisation is, imo, second to none in the genre and, even though this is a short book with a simple story and the characters begin invariably in stereotypical fashion, soon he had me eating out of the palm of his hand. From Yarvi himself to Sumael to Rulf, he has created a winning cast. There's a character called Nothing who is brilliant and, perhaps best of all, Grom-gil-Gorm, self-proclaimed 'King of Vansterland, bloodiest son of Mother War, Breaker of Swords and maker of orphans'. The book is full of wonderful descriptions such as: 'They bristled with weapons and puffed with menace, glared daggers and spoke swords. They wore their scars as proudly as a princess might her jewels while, by way of music, a woman's voice shrill as a whetstone keened out a love song to Mother War, of spilled blood and notched steel and lives lost too soon'. And dialogue such as: 'If you have a plan,' hissed Sumael from the corner of her mouth, 'now would be the time.' 'I have a plan,' said Nothing. 'Does it involve a sword?' asked Jaud. A pause. 'All my plans do.' 'Do you have a sword?' Another. 'No.' 'How will your plan work without one?' muttered Sumael. A third. 'Death waits for us all.' I ended up loving this book. It may be a familiar old plot (hell, Joe's already done similar himself in Best Served Cold), and it may be short (hell, it's too damned short - I want more now!!), and it may not be quiet as good as his last three books in my opinion but - by populating it with such wonderful characters - he has, I think, raised its standard above the crowd and all should flock to it. So, in the end, is Half a King the start of a new fantasy trilogy that will, hopefully, reach its target audience as well as his existing fans, and maybe pull in a few Abercrombie doubters as well? Who knows, but I think this is a book that deserves your time. It's a cracker. Again. 9/10 I should really look into this Abercrombie feller... Great review! And I liked it that you enjoyed it so much eventhough you were a bit hesitant about it in the first place, it being a YA book and therefore possibly void of all the Abercrombie hallmarks (or what is the word I'm looking for). I'm curious: where's your TBR at the moment? Timstar asked that a while ago but you didn't exactly answer the question with numbers... Edit: Never mind, I went and checked it out myself. It's getting big! Edited August 19, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Edit: Never mind, I went and checked it out myself. It's getting big! I console myself in the knowledge that it's one of the smaller TBR piles around here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I console myself in the knowledge that it's one of the smaller TBR piles around here Hmph. That backfired! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hmph. That backfired! Hee, did it ever. For everyone ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 ^ Well I can hardly speak for everyone else, I don't keep a tally of everyone else's TBRs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 I don't keep a tally of everyone else's TBRs.... Says the person who just checked up on mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Says the person who just checked up on mine You think rather highly of yourself if you think you're 'everyone' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 You think rather highly of yourself if you think you're 'everyone' I'm pretty sure I'm 'one' of 'everyone' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I'm pretty sure I'm 'one' of 'everyone' ... but you're not the whole package! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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