Karsa Orlong Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 IYeah, I've been taking Steve's advice a lot lately - I think he may have brainwashed me or something. Pfft, if that were true you wouldn't have read Brandon Bloody Sanderson, would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 Pfft, if that were true you wouldn't have read Brandon Bloody Sanderson, would you? True! That must have been Tim and Gaia's brainwashing countering yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More reading time required Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Hmm I shall take that into consideration! Thanks Michelle. Also, totally unrelated: your cats are adorable. Thank you That's Mario & Clara. Mario (the tabby) is 9 and Clara (the tortie and white) is nearly 2. We had Mario from a kitten along with his sister, Zelda, but she got run over 3 years ago. My hubby found Clara - a Zelda lookalike kitten - on a 'things for sale in...' group on Facebook. We paid £12.50 for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More reading time required Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Pfft, if that were true you wouldn't have read Brandon Bloody Sanderson, would you? There's nowt wrong with Brandon Sanderson! (Well, not with what I've read so far anyway. I may change my mind when I finally get round to the Sanderson scribed Wheel of Time books ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 There's nowt wrong with Brandon Sanderson! (Well, not with what I've read so far anyway. I may change my mind when I finally get round to the Sanderson scribed Wheel of Time books ) Ooooh, Brandon Sanderson and WoT - two of my favourite things . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More reading time required Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Ooooh, Brandon Sanderson and WoT - two of my favourite things . . . How far did you get in the series? I'm up to book 5 in the re-read and so far it's still good. I've not got back up to the point where it really started to drag yet though (and where I abandoned reading it until it was finished - an exceedingly long wait!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Ooooh, Brandon Sanderson and WoT - two of my favourite things . . . Two of my favourite things . How far did you get in the series? I'm up to book 5 in the re-read and so far it's still good. I've not got back up to the point where it really started to drag yet though (and where I abandoned reading it until it was finished - an exceedingly long wait!). I'm glad you're enjoying the re-read . I've not yet re-read the series but I loved it the first time around. I hope to re-read the books in a few years or such. It does drag a bit in the middle, though at the time of reading I still enjoyed them though not as much as the earlier and later books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 How far did you get in the series? I'm up to book 5 in the re-read and so far it's still good. I've not got back up to the point where it really started to drag yet though (and where I abandoned reading it until it was finished - an exceedingly long wait!). I think I managed to get half-way through book 4 before giving up, I couldn't believe when people said it only got worse and slower! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 How far did you get in the series? I'm up to book 5 in the re-read and so far it's still good. I've not got back up to the point where it really started to drag yet though (and where I abandoned reading it until it was finished - an exceedingly long wait!). I made it through the first two WoT books then lost the will to live I made it through four Sanderson books before I started wanting to break things I actually wanted to like both. I think, if I'd got to WoT sometime after Eddings but before Erikson, Martin and Abercrombie, I probably would have given it more time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Thank you That's Mario & Clara. Mario (the tabby) is 9 and Clara (the tortie and white) is nearly 2. We had Mario from a kitten along with his sister, Zelda, but she got run over 3 years ago. My hubby found Clara - a Zelda lookalike kitten - on a 'things for sale in...' group on Facebook. We paid £12.50 for her! Aw poor Zelda. We keep ours indoors because we're too anxious about that happening to let them out. They're such soft, spoiled little monsters. Loving the game-themed names! How far did you get in the series? I'm up to book 5 in the re-read and so far it's still good. I've not got back up to the point where it really started to drag yet though (and where I abandoned reading it until it was finished - an exceedingly long wait!). WoT is yet another series on my TBR! I reckon I'll be about 50 before I actually get around to it. I made it through the first two WoT books then lost the will to live I made it through four Sanderson books before I started wanting to break things Did you read them all quite closely together, though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Did you read them all quite closely together, though? Not that I remember I read the Mistborn trilogy over a couple of months with other books in between, and it was a year or so after that that I read The Way of Kings. And after that one I decided never again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Not that I remember I read the Mistborn trilogy over a couple of months with other books in between, and it was a year or so after that that I read The Way of Kings. And after that one I decided never again Yeah, I think I'm going to leave the Stormlight Archives until last . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Review: 'Last Argument of Kings' by Joe Abercrombie The end is coming. Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy. It's past time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no one is safe, and no one can be trusted. His days with a sword are far behind him. It's a good thing blackmail, threats and torture still work well enough.Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is far too painful, and turned his back on soldiering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too, and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.While the King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one believes that the shadow of war is falling across the very heart of the Union. The First of the Magi has a plan to save the world, as he always does. But there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, after all, than to break the First Law... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Logen Ninefingers and Sand dan Glokta are two of my favourite fictional characters ever, and re-reading the third instalment of the First Law trilogy has firmly cemented my opinion. Glokta’s sardonic internal monologues are a continual source of entertainment, and he continues to shine as a despicable yet pitiable anti-hero; while Logen’s increasingly difficult struggle against his own nature provides a sympathetic and captivating counterpoint to Glokta’s dry wit. Almost as enthralling are Jezal dan Luthar and Major West, each of whom are interesting, sympathetic and likeable in different ways; and of course let’s not forget the jewel that is Ardee West. As always the dialogue is superb, totally engaging and frequently funny, and Abercrombie has an incredible knack of conveying a huge amount of character information through just one or two lines of conversation. So, as far as characters go, Last Argument of Kings is almost faultless. But is the plot up to scratch? I said in my reviews of The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged that, although entertaining, both books were considerably lacking in action. Not so with Last Argument. Here, everything set up during the first two books finally – finally! – comes to a head. In short: stuff happens. And it’s awesome. Gone is the endless travelling; gone is the continual bickering between characters. We’re no longer being prepared for huge events: we’re being thrust into the centre of them. Goodbye setup, hello payoff! Last Argument is full to the brim with spectacular set pieces, bloody battles and malevolent magic, not to mention a plot twist or three. Having read the book before, albeit several years ago, I was able to fully appreciate the way the final events were set up: the pacing is outstanding, and if anything I enjoyed the twists even more because this time I was able to spot all the little clues and hints leading up to them. I’ve said before that Abercrombie is a master at pulling the rug out from beneath us, and has frequently shown a fondness for manipulating characters and events in ways that totally shock (and sometimes outrage) his readers; Last Argument is the first, and perhaps finest, example of his skill at doing this. Readers of the First Law trilogy will have known from the beginning that none of the protagonists are squeaky-clean (far from it!); in fact, pretty much every single character we meet is highly flawed in some way or another. However, we as readers like to believe that we know exactly who is a ‘goodie’ and who is a ‘baddie’ . . . and this is the point where Abercrombie kicks us where it really hurts. Last Argument makes it agonisingly obvious that the characters we all know, and love, and root for . . . are actually rather despicable. And vice versa: those characters we love to hate may indeed be better human beings than those we previously identified with the most. In short, our heroic protagonists are, in fact, pitiful wretches, with one or two who could accurately be labelled as villains. Last Argument is where Abercrombie really begins to show his (rather gloomy) fascination with the futility of attempting to change one’s nature, a theme continued in Best Served Cold. It makes for a truly engaging and captivating read – as long as you’re not too bothered about happy endings, of course. Abercrombie characteristically ensures that not everyone gets what they deserve: he rewards the ruthless, screws over the virtuous, and even sends a fair few unlucky ones back to the mud. Revisiting the original First Law trilogy has been insanely enjoyable. I actually felt kind of sad as I neared the end of this Last Argument re-read – as though I was saying farewell to old friends, despite knowing that a few of them reappear in later books. I’ve heard that Abercrombie is planning a collection of short stories set in the world of First Law, which is bound to be completely awesome. But if I don’t see Sand dan Glokta somewhere amongst them, I’ll be releasing my inner Bloody-Nine and sending him to have a few words with the author . . . 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thank you That's Mario & Clara. Mario (the tabby) is 9 and Clara (the tortie and white) is nearly 2. We had Mario from a kitten along with his sister, Zelda, but she got run over 3 years ago. My hubby found Clara - a Zelda lookalike kitten - on a 'things for sale in...' group on Facebook. We paid £12.50 for her! Aw ! Lovely pic. Torties rule ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Torties rule ! :yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Review: 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there are spells to be learnt and (unluckily) Potions and Divination lessons to be attended. But Harry can't know that the atmosphere is darkening around him, and his worst enemy is preparing a fate that it seems will be inescapable... As I opened my oft-read, yellowed and rather battered hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I felt a thrill of excitement. As testified by its well-read condition (the corners are dog-eared, and the cover is held together with liberal amounts of sticky tape) this was one of my favourite books as a teenager. In fact, the only book I liked better back then was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. So it was with much excitement – and some trepidation – that I returned to it now. Would it be as good as I remembered? Or would it disappoint me like its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? Reading Goblet of Fire felt like sinking down into a cosy and long-forgotten armchair, one that is loved for its familiarly threadbare exterior as much as its comfort. From the first page until the very last I was enveloped in nostalgia, and charmed anew by the easy prose and lightly humorous tone that suffuses so much of this entire series. Furthermore, Goblet of Fire is the first Potter book to really start to explore social issues like class and racism (it’s been so long since I read the book I’d almost totally forgotten about S.P.E.W!), and also to introduce lots of new characters and concepts. After reading Prisoner of Azkaban I realised that that the series was beginning to feel kind of stale – after all, how much can you really do with just classrooms and Quidditch? – but this is remedied in Goblet of Fire, which is simply packed with tons of new stuff: foreign wizards, new students, exciting events, and more. From the very first chapter it feels different from the previous books: the Quidditch World Cup is not only fun to read about but also grants us an extended change of scenery from the usual Privet Drive/Hogwarts fare. The pacing is also new and different, with the Triwizard tasks providing exciting mini-climaxes at key points in the story. The whole book just feels fresh, yet also much more mature than each of the previous instalments. Much as I loved Goblet of Fire I have to say I felt it outstayed its welcome towards the end, largely down to the pages and pages (and pages) of anticlimactic exposition. I found myself skimming the long, wordy monologues in the final few chapters, wherein certain characters take the opportunity to drone on about (what feels like) their entire life story. The last few chapters are essentially one long infodump, and it’s a real shame, since the previous events are so exciting. Still, the actual main event is just as chillingly awesome as I remembered, and it’s quite possible that it’s only my total over-familiarity with the story that made the explanations seem dull. Re-reading the books as an adult is something of an exercise in cynicism. All the way through Goblet of Fire I found myself asking questions such as: why does Harry *have* to compete in the Triwizard Tournament? What will happen if he doesn’t? And what exactly do the students from the other schools do during the months between tasks? Why couldn’t they go home and just come back again when they need to? Would Krum really miss Hermione more than his own parents? Really? And if Moody can see Harry’s socks through his robes, doesn’t that mean he can also see . . . everything else? (Parvati has a point: “that eye shouldn’t be allowed!”) Why isn’t Veritaserum used at criminal trials? How the hell was Karkaroff allowed to become headmaster of a school? Don’t they have a wizarding equivalent of a CRB check? Oh yeah, and how did they swap the dragons over so quickly during the first task? And what was the point of having everyone watching the second task when it was entirely underwater? Why can wizards arrive at Hogwarts via Portkey when they’re unable to use other methods like Apparition? And why on earth would that Portkey have been enchanted to return to Hogwarts? And most of all, why doesn’t any of this stuff stop me from thoroughly enjoying these books??? 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) Yeah, I think I'm going to leave the Stormlight Archives until last . . . Last as in 'only if they're the last books left in the world to read', I hope Great reviews Laura I’ve heard that Abercrombie is planning a collection of short stories set in the world of First Law, which is bound to be completely awesome. Isn't it due next year? I can't wait. I really hope it includes the stories that were bundled in with the hardback editions of the stand-alones. Edited September 13, 2015 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Isn't it due next year? I can't wait. I really hope it includes the stories that were bundled in with the hardback editions of the stand-alones. Just been on his website to have a look and, sure enough, it's due next April! From Joe's blog: I’m delighted to announce that my collection of short stories is (nearly) complete and will be published by Gollancz in the UK and Orbit in the US in April 2016. It shall be called Sharp Ends: Stories from the World of the First Law, and will contain 13 stories, all set in the Circle of the World over a period that starts some ten years before the beginning of The Blade Itself and ends a few years after Red Country closes, featuring a rogue’s gallery of familiar and unfamiliar characters. Most of these have been (or will have been) published somewhere else before – in anthologies with other authors or special editions of the First Law books, but in general they haven’t been available that widely. Several are entirely new, including one that teeters on the edge of being defined a novella. The table of contents: A Beautiful B*stard: The Union army may be full of b*stards, but there’s only one big enough to think he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta. Made a Monster: After years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There’s only one obstacle left – his own lunatic champion. Small Kindnesses: The hopes of Shevedieh, the best thief in Westport, to turn her back on crime, come crashing down when she finds a huge drunkard sleeping in her doorway. Doing the right thing always comes at a price… The Fool Jobs: Curnden Craw has been sent with his dozen to recover a thing from beyond the Crinna. One small problem. No one seems to know what the thing is. Skipping Town: Shevedieh and Javre, ill-matched adventurers, find themselves forced to flee yet another self-made disaster. Hell: ‘I have seen hell, and it is a great city under siege.’ The fall of Dagoska through the eyes of a young acolyte. Two’s Company: Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp, runs into Cracknut Whirrun on a bridge over a remote canyon. Can Shevedieh persuade either of these proud heroes to step aside? Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Three not entirely innocent bystanders are sucked into the chaos of Monzcarro Murcatto’s vengeance. Some Desperado: There is no honour among thieves when the outlaw Smoke finds herself being hunted down by her own comrades. Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden: Royal Observer Bremer dan Gorst reports to the king on another ugly little skirmish as summer dies in the North. Three’s a Crowd: It’s a foolish man who steals from the best thief in Styria, and when Horald the Finger steals her lover, it’s time for Shevedieh to stop running and start fighting. For those who work in the shadows, though, few things are ever quite as they seem… Freedom: Being an absolutely true account of the liberation of the town of Averstock from the grip of the incorrigible rebel menace by the famous Nicomo Cosca. Tough Times all Over: All Carcolf wants is to take her package from here to there, but in the city of fogs and whispers, there are always a dozen other rogues with their own ideas. More news, including a reveal of the cover, when I get it… I'm now ridiculously excited about this - especially the first two stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Fab reviews, I've been really wanting to re-visit some Abercrombie books but... the TBR pile!! I'm looking forward to his short stories, I think I've only read one from that collection, the final story which was in the Rogues anthology which I am still making my way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Great reviews! I re-read the Harry Potter books last year and I enjoyed it a lot. Your questions at the end of your review make a lot of sense. I wondered some of those things too, but I still enjoyed the book a lot, like you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I'm now ridiculously excited about this - especially the first two stories. No need for your inner Bloody Nine then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Freedom sounds familar, was it at the beginning of Red Country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Yes, it was in the Waterstone's exclusive hardback, and 'Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden' was included in their hardback edition of The Heroes. Those were the two I was really hoping would be included Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Yes, it was in the Waterstone's exclusive hardback, and 'Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden' was included in their hardback edition of The Heroes. Those were the two I was really hoping would be included Oh right, well I listened to the audio book so it must have been included in that... exclusive my bum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I expect they meant exclusive to people who actually read books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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