Signor Finzione Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed re-reading this book . I plan to read the trilogy at some point, they are still nicely in the plastic wrapping now . Great review! Thanks Gaia. Ooh, it would be a shame to take them out of the nice shiny wrapping! I wish mine all matched perfectly - although the cover designs do match, my copy of Before They Are Hanged is the size of a trade paperback (i.e. it's massive!), so it looks a bit odd on the shelf in between the other two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks Gaia. Ooh, it would be a shame to take them out of the nice shiny wrapping! I wish mine all matched perfectly - although the cover designs do match, my copy of Before They Are Hanged is the size of a trade paperback (i.e. it's massive!), so it looks a bit odd on the shelf in between the other two. Awww, that is annoying, when books don't match like that (though I am glad your cover designs do match!). I bought the trilogy as a boxset so they are all three the same size and have the same cover design. I have another trilogy though, where all three books are a different size . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 4/5 (shush, Steve) What??? Have you got that score hot-keyed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Review: 'A Darkness at Sethanon' by Raymond E. Feist The battle may be over, but war is coming… The Kingdom forces may have won the first conflict but the enemy has a strong grip on Midkemia and invasion now seems inevitable. Arutha travels north to confront the Dark Elves, but without help, Pug knows that Arutha’s forces face slaughter. With Tomas he must scour the world – and beyond – to find the one person with enough power to give them a chance. If they fail, Midkemia will be the first of many worlds to fall to a madman with the power to dominate death itself… A Darkness at Sethanon concludes the Riftwar Saga, the trilogy of epic fantasy novels that began with Magician and continued with Silverthorn. Thankfully, Feist steps things back up a notch here after the rather poor showing of Silverthorn, and the result is a pleasantly fast-paced and suitably epic conclusion to the first series within the Riftwar Cycle. The Kingdom of the Isles is once again assailed by the dark forces of Murmandamus, who is intent on annihilating anyone who stands in the way of his march to Sethanon. Prince Arutha and his companions lead the resistance against Murmandamus, while Pug and Tomas are forced to breach the boundaries of space and time in search of the one man who can help them defeat the forces of evil. Set almost a year after the events of Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon continues storylines set in motion by the previous book, concluding them in a more-or-less satisfactory way. As with many of Feist’s other Riftwar books, A Darkness at Sethanon isn’t terribly original. For instance, amongst the ‘good guys’ we have magicians, elves, dwarves and dragons, whilst the ‘bad guys’ are mainly composed of dark elves, goblins, trolls and snake priests. The bad guys are in search of an all-powerful magical McGuffin known as the Lifestone, which will destroy the world if it falls into the wrong hands. Not for the first time, I found myself likening the series to the multitude of D&D games based on the Forgotten Realms; and while this in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does unfortunately mean that the word ‘derivative’ remained in the back of my mind throughout the duration of the novel. Despite this, the final instalment of the Riftwar Saga remains an enjoyable read. A Darkness at Sethanon has a much more epic feel than its predecessor: there are a lot more ambitious battles and exciting sieges, and a lot less travelling around on horseback, with is definitely an improvement. In fact, A Darkness at Sethanon feels more like the ‘true’ sequel to Magician, with Silverthorn as nothing more than a blip in between. It hints towards world building of a grand scale previously only hinted at in Magician and featuring only superficially in Silverthorn, and although it goes into a huge amount of depth with regards to lore and history we still get the feeling of barely scratching the surface, and of even greater things to come. The book isn’t perfect, and there are plenty of things to gripe about, but I’m only going to mention one more, and that’s the cheesy, exaggerated ‘happily ever after’ conclusion that characterises many of Feist’s earlier novels. You know the type: royal rewards being dished out left, right and centre, back-slapping all around, every wrong righted, happy endings galore, etc. While it’s a nice change from a lot of the grimdark around at the moment, nonetheless the pure cheesiness of it all does tend to grate somewhat. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised by Feist’s return to form in A Darkness at Sethanon, and am mightily excited to now be able to move on to his Empire trilogy. I just hope it’s as awesome as I remember . . . 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Have you got that score hot-keyed? Apparently so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed re-reading this book. I've heard good things about the Empire trilogy. I've yet to read any of Feist's books myself (though I did read the Dutch translation of Magician when I was 15 but I don't remember it so I'm not counting it). I own a lot of his books if not all, and I plan to start them at some point (it'll be a decision between Feist, Hobb, Brooks and Eddings, which one I'll start or continue first (I did read a book by Eddings before, a standalone)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed re-reading this book. I've heard good things about the Empire trilogy. I've yet to read any of Feist's books myself (though I did read the Dutch translation of Magician when I was 15 but I don't remember it so I'm not counting it). I own a lot of his books if not all, and I plan to start them at some point (it'll be a decision between Feist, Hobb, Brooks and Eddings, which one I'll start or continue first (I did read a book by Eddings before, a standalone)). Thanks! Yes, the Empire trilogy are some of the best books I've ever read, though it's been quite a few years since the last time I read them. I also need to make a start on Brooks at some point, and intend to re-visit Hobb too. Not sure whether I'll go for any more Eddings, as I read the first Belgariad novel last year and didn't enjoy it all that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Not sure whether I'll go for any more Eddings, as I read the first Belgariad novel last year and didn't enjoy it all that much. Shame, they're great books. Probably ones to read when you're first getting into fantasy, though. Mind you, to leave Eddings but go to Brooks . . . shame on you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Review: 'Among Thieves' by Douglas Hulick There is no honour among thieves . . . Ildrecca is a dangerous city, if you don't know what you're doing. It takes a canny hand and a wary eye to run these streets and survive. Fortunately, Drothe has both. He has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers from the dirtiest of alleys to the finest of neighbourhoods. Working for a crime lord, he finds and takes care of trouble inside his boss's organization – while smuggling relics on the side. But when his boss orders Drothe to track down whoever is leaning on his organization's people, he stumbles upon a much bigger mystery. There's a book, a relic any number of deadly people seem to be looking for - a book that just might bring down emperors and shatter the criminal underworld. A book now conveniently in Drothe's hands . . . The first instalment of the Tales of the Kin, Among Thieves is a strong, smart, entertaining debut novel. Set in a corrupt world built upon the destruction wrought by ancient magic, the novel introduces us to Drothe, a somewhat hapless criminal who comes into possession of dangerous knowledge and suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of, well, everybody. In a world where Watchmen exist merely to protect the status quo, and in which the Kin and the Empire have a long history of enmity, Drothe finds himself in the midst of a deadly war where both sides will do anything to take what he has found. Drothe is a likeable and sympathetic protagonist who develops slowly throughout the novel, starting out as something of a selfish anti-hero before morphing into an unlikely saviour and accidental hero. Like any decent main character, he has flaws and limitations, which make him more interesting and easier to identify with. He is not especially powerful, or overly skilled with weapons, or even remotely tall; but neither is he an obvious underdog with any crippling failings to overcome, as per many recent fantasy trends. He is a middling criminal, with people working beneath him and yet more people pulling his strings from above, and all he wants is to do his job and look out for the few friends he has under his protection. When a dodgy smuggling job becomes more than he can handle, he’s thrown into the midst of potentially huge events, and all his subsequent actions are essentially a chain of reactions driven by his own sense of self-preservation. Many of his victories are brought about by luck rather than skill, and many revelations occur as a result of key misunderstandings rather than any manipulation on Drothe’s part. My first thought was that Among Thieves would be grimdark to its core – largely because the very first scene involves the torture and interrogation of a prisoner by an ‘Agonyman’ named Shatters – and I’d expected subsequent events to be similarly grim and gory. Instead, the novel is filled with a satisfyingly clever plot, a number of shadowy mysteries, and the gradual unravelling of a series of cryptic clues, clearly favouring thoughtful plot developments over gore-filled shock value. The setting is also nicely brought to life and incorporates a variety of locations, from filthy burned-out hovels to stinking sewers to opulent mansions, and although not exactly unique Hulick’s world does contain some nice little nuggets that make it stand out, such as an Emperor who is slowly losing his sanity from being reincarnated again and again. Hulick’s prose is straightforward and his first-person narrative is engrossing; his language creates an atmosphere and world that seeps from the pages to engulf the reader. The continual use of thieves’ cant in Among Thieves gives it the feel of a Locke Lamora novel, whilst the hints of dark magic amidst a world of dirt and corruption are reminiscent of Abercrombie. On top of that, Among Thieves is fast-paced, with a clever balance of intrigue, action and lore. Highly entertaining and highly recommended. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Shame, they're great books. Probably ones to read when you're first getting into fantasy, though. Mind you, to leave Eddings but go to Brooks . . . shame on you! Quit trying to put me off Brooks! If I ever do get around to reading him, all I'll be able to think of is that disapproving blue face. ^^ About 80 pages in to Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. It's a bit slower than I remember it being, but everything else is just as good as I remember. I'm really excited to be re-visiting it. And I just got an email to say that my Christmas pre-order of The Goblin Emperor paperback is on its way, which is also exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Great review! About 80 pages in to Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. It's a bit slower than I remember it being, but everything else is just as good as I remember. I'm really excited to be re-visiting it. And I just got an email to say that my Christmas pre-order of The Goblin Emperor paperback is on its way, which is also exciting! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope you enjoy your pre-order ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Thank you Gaia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 Review: 'Daughter of the Empire' by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts Magic and murder engulf the realm of Kelewan. Fierce warlords ignite a bitter blood feud to enslave the empire of Tsuranuanni. While in the opulent Imperial courts, assassins and spy-master plot cunning and devious intrigues against the rightful heir. Now Mara, a young, untested Ruling lady, is called upon to lead her people in a heroic struggle for survival. But first she must rally an army of rebel warriors, form a pact with the alien cho-ja, and marry the son of a hated enemy. Only then can Mara face her most dangerous foe of all--in his own impregnable stronghold. At the beginning of this year I embarked on my Big Riftwar Read/Re-read, starting with Magician and the rest of the Riftwar Saga. Part of the reason I’ve been so enthusiastic about this so far is because I couldn’t wait to revisit one of my favourite series of all times: the Empire trilogy. The trilogy is a stunning collaboration between Feist and his fellow epic fantasy writer Janny Wurts, and reveals much more of the world on the ‘other side’ of the Rift. This isn’t the Middle-Earth-ish Midkemia, with its forests and its mud and its grey skies; this is Kelewan, hot and exotic, home to a powerful society in which personal honour is held above all else, ritual suicide is the norm, and public displays of emotion are deemed shameful. This intriguing society places great emphasis on honour and social standing, and reader will come to understand – and be fascinated by – the social implications of such seemingly minor things as clothing, jewellery, and behaviour such as bowing or smiling. I LOVE reading about Tsurani society. Kelewan is bizarre and colourful, and its inhabitants even more so. The rich and powerful consider it a mark of wealth and status to dress extravagantly, even gaudily, to the point where even their soldiers wear armour to reflect the colours of the family they serve. Tsurani society is organised into strict hierarchical family units, with the more powerful of these families referred to as Houses. There are hundreds of these Ruling families, each with their own colours and allegiances, and the book’s frequent and casual references to lots of different names really conveys a sense of the sprawling and ancient hierarchical society of the Tsurani empire. This society revolves almost entirely around politics, deriving much of its order from an endless political struggle known only as the Game of the Council. Daughter of the Empire accompanies Mara, the new and untested Ruling Lady of House Acoma, throughout the first two years of her rule as she strives to protect her ancestral family name and gain enough strength and standing to enter the Game of the Council. The book focuses solely on her social, emotional and political journey, from a sheltered temple initiate to an independent Ruling Lady. Mara is a sympathetic and admirable protagonist, someone you can really root for. She starts out in a frighteningly weak position, and must use her wits and resources to strengthen her House, making great sacrifices along the way. Mara regrets not having the physical strength to defend her family: her enemies undermine and underestimate her since she is a member of the ‘weaker sex’, and she’s forced to compensate by exercising exceptional skill in the areas of politics, business and high society. She goes above and beyond expectations to ensure the honour of her House is preserved, even to the point of orchestrating schemes that are uncharacteristically ruthless and vicious, and often struggles to deal with the emotional turmoil that often arises as a consequence of her actions. Feist has created a beautiful and deadly world, and here Wurts really helps to bring it to life. Each page bursts with the rich and vivid setting of Kelewan, with just a sentence or two here and there managing to evoke smells and sounds and colours: you can hear the calls of the bargemen and see the bustle of the markets when Mara travels to the city; and you can smell the akasi blossoms in the evening and hear the needra being brought in from pasture when she returns to the peaceful Acoma estates.Daughter of the Empire is immersive and flowing, and is thoroughly engaging for its setting and atmosphere as much as its plot. There’s little in the way of action, and there are few scenes in the book that can be described as fast-paced, yet Daughter of the Empire is never plodding or arduous. There are plenty of tense moments, as well as one or two mini climaxes before the big finale, and the authors make even the nuances of Tsurani politics thrilling to read. And of course there’s nothing better than witnessing the political payoffs: it’s well worth the wait to see Mara’s plots finally coming to fruition after hundreds of pages of plotting and pain. Re-reading Daughter of the Empire after so many years has reaffirmed this trilogy as one of my favourites of all time. Knowing how the rest of the series pans out only makes me more eager to continue with the series, and more enthusiastic in recommending it to others. Seriously: it’s magnificent. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Great review! I'm so glad you enjoyed re-reading this book . I hope the rest of the trilogy is just as enjoyable to re-read for you. I plan to read the Feist books eventually, including this trilogy (if I'm not mistaken Devi also really likes this trilogy). I also own a couple of books by Janny Wurts alone, have you read any of her books that weren't written with Feist? Have fun with the other two books in the trilogy . The world sounds very interesting, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy this book when I get around to reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 I'll read it in the winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 Great review! I'm so glad you enjoyed re-reading this book . I hope the rest of the trilogy is just as enjoyable to re-read for you. I plan to read the Feist books eventually, including this trilogy (if I'm not mistaken Devi also really likes this trilogy). I also own a couple of books by Janny Wurts alone, have you read any of her books that weren't written with Feist? Have fun with the other two books in the trilogy . The world sounds very interesting, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy this book when I get around to reading it. Thanks Gaia. Yeah, Devi loves this series too - we're both like stuck records, always recommending it to people. I have the first two books in Janny Wurts' Wars of Light & Shadow series. I started reading the first one, Curse of the Mistwraith, last summer, but it didn't really grip me, soI stopped reading it after about 100 pages. I bought the second book, The Ships of Merior, because I saw it on Ebay for 99p. I'm planning on trying the series again at some point in the future. Which of her books do you have? I'll read it in the winter Don't be silly! It's set on a really hot planet, so that means you have to read it in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I have the first two books in Janny Wurts' Wars of Light & Shadow series. I started reading the first one, Curse of the Mistwraith, last summer, but it didn't really grip me, soI stopped reading it after about 100 pages. I bought the second book, The Ships of Merior, because I saw it on Ebay for 99p. I'm planning on trying the series again at some point in the future. Which of her books do you have? I have a couple of books from that series as well . And I have To Ride Hell's Chasm which I think is a standalone fantasy book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Don't be silly! It's set on a really hot planet, so that means you have to read it in the summer. Alright, I'll read it in the summer. Not saying what year, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Alright, I'll read it in the summer. Not saying what year, though '69? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Review: 'Leviathan Wakes' by James S.A. Corey Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, "The Scopuli," they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why. Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to "The Scopuli" and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything. Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. For my first ever science fiction reading experience, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Leviathan Wakes. I wasn’t sure what to expect – 600 pages of spaceships randomly flying around and making ‘peowm!’ noises? – but it certainly wasn’t a mystery story with horror elements that just happens to be set in space. Leviathan Wakes introduces us to the futuristic world of The Expanse, a world in which humanity has colonised the Moon, Mars and the Asteroid Belt, and in which the ‘Belters’ are seen as inferior to the ‘Inner Planets’. When a small mining crew accidentally stumbles upon an eerie deserted ship, they find themselves reacting to a series of explosive events as unseen players try to eliminate them in a bid to start a destructive interplanetary war. Meanwhile, a washed up and world-weary security guard on the asteroid of Ceres finds his fate tied with that of the crew, as a seemingly standard investigation begins to turn up clues about a sinister plot that threatens not just the planets but the entire human race. The story focuses on two central characters: Holden, a dashing young ship captain intent upon protecting his small crew and doing the right thing; and Miller, a fifty-something cynical Detective with a much looser opinion about right and wrong. Both characters are likeable and sympathetic in their own ways, though Miller proved to be the more interesting of the two given his many faults and peculiarities. For the most part Leviathan Wakes has a pleasantly colloquial and engaging tone, though the prose feels a bit bland at times. This may be the result of two authors sharing the writing, but the inconsistency leaves it feeling slightly rough around the edges. Despite this, the first book in the ongoing Expanse series is an intriguing, character-focused narrative with a minimum of technological bullshit, which I think has made it an excellent choice for my first ever SF read. I’ll definitely be coming back for more, of this series at least. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 You've taken your first step into a larger world... I had similar feelings except the last sentence, a week or so after I found I had no desire to read any of the sequels, and at this point I don't think I ever will. I did enjoy whilst reading it though. Great review Do you own any of the sequels yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 You've taken your first step into a larger world... I had similar feelings except the last sentence, a week or so after I found I had no desire to read any of the sequels, and at this point I don't think I ever will. I did enjoy whilst reading it though. Great review Do you own any of the sequels yet? Thanks Tim. I don't own any of the sequels yet, but I'm hoping to get hold of Caliban's War soon. I'm going shopping today and will be keeping my eyes peeled in the charity shops; if not, then I think I'll be making a cheeky trip to Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 So I might have been naughty recently and bought a few books . . . The three at the top I found in charity shops whilst out shopping today. The three at the bottom I ordered from a second hand store online a few weeks ago, and they just happened to turn up this morning. The total cost for all 6 books works out as £16.75. . . . Also, Daniel and I have won £25 on the lottery twice in the last two weeks, so I've just spent some of my half and ordered the following books off Amazon: Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab This brings my total books bought this year to 23. Oops. Good thing I don't keep track of my TBR any more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Thanks Tim. I don't own any of the sequels yet, but I'm hoping to get hold of Caliban's War soon. So I might have been naughty recently and bought a few books . . . Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey ..very soon! Hope you enjoy your new books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Great review ! And well done for trying a new genre, I'm glad you liked the book. I believe it's on my wishlist/want-to-read-list (to be sorted). Yay for new books! I own Unseen Academicals but I haven't read it yet, and I loved The Ambassador's Mission. I hope you like all your new books (and that the ordered ones will arrive soon). Lucky for winning some money in the lottery, that's great . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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