Book number 6 is The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain.
So a little history... I know more about English history than I do the history of my own country, sad to say. I suppose this is due to 1) my obsession with Arthurian legends 2) my interest in Shakespeare 3) the fact that I have a degree in English literature. There are certain points in English history I know better than others (such as the Saxon invasions, The War of the Roses, Elizabethan England and Victorian England), but English history is something I've long been generally interested in.
So when George R. R. Martin listed a series of books written by a Canadian (from Brantford no less, the city my parents now call home) as a source for the Song of Ice and Fire books, well I had to read them. The fact that they're about the Plantagenet kings as a whole, and not just the War of the Roses was even better, it would allow me to examine other events and I'm not as familiar with.
So the Conquering Family begins with the quick introduction of the founder of the House of Plantagenet, Geoffrey V of Anjou, who married Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. On the death of Henry I, there was civil war (something that will be increasingly common as we go through the Plantagenet rulers), until their son, Henry II takes the throne. With Henry II's marriage to the powerful Eleanor of Aquitaine, we have the first true Plantagenet ruler and the head of Angevin Empire, which spanned most of the British Isles and a good chunk of France. Henry's reign is coloured by his campaigns in France, and by his extremely volatile family. His boys (with their mother's backing) rebelled against their father a few times, with the eventual promise to first born Henry the Young King that he would inherit England, while his other younger brothers would inherit various French duchies. Upon the death of Henrys II and Henry the Young King, the crown went to Richard I, Richard the Lion-heart, whom was popular and well loved, and yet barely set foot in the realm he ruled, preferring to use it as a bank to raid so he could embark on his calling, the Crusade to the Holy Land. Honestly, for how little time Richard spent in England, and the way he seemed intent to beggar it really made me wonder why he still has such a golden reputation. Maybe that's because he was followed by his odious brother John I, the same King John who figures in the legends of Robin Hood, and ended up losing the Angevin Empire his father and brothers had carved out and defended, as well as so pissed off his nobles that they created this little document called the Magna Carta and forced him to sign it. John was a pretty lousy king.
Costain's writing style is fun, whether or not his history is correct I don't really know, but he incorporates facts and gossip, and throws in details of clothing and feasts and doesn't shy away from the violence either. He paints lovely pictures of these bigger than life Kings and Queens and Archbishops and Popes and of all the petty and not so petty ways they shaped England during their time. I learned a lot and I can definitely see the influence he had on GRRM. It's quite delightful actually.
Next the line of Plantagenet rulers is Henry III, who managed to hold the throne longer than any of the other Plantagenet kings.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sunday, February 03, 2013
On Second Thought, Let's Not Go to Camelot...
Book #4 is The Camelot Papers by Peter David
It was through comic books (of course) that I was first introduced to Peter David. And these days, his X-Factor is one of the few comics I'm still reading. Over the years, I've branched out and read a fair amount of his prose too, most of which I've also reviewed here.
Peter had a stroke at the end of last year. He's recovering nicely (yay!), but of course, his health insurance doesn't cover everything, so when the call went out to buy some of his books in order to help him out, I immediately did so. Which brings us to The Camelot Papers.
Written in the form of a diary (and with a framing device that these are 'authentic' writings that were discovered and are now being studied) authored by Viviana, a name often ascribed to the Lady of the Lake in the Legends. Not so much here.
Viviana is a slave, sold into servitude by her debt-ridden father, she ends up at Camelot, working in the kitchens, until her intelligence is noticed by... pretty much everyone and she becomes a lady-in-waiting to the new Queen, Guinevere.
Peter plays about with the structure and characters of Camelot quite a bit here, and still (mostly) makes it fit the overall Legends. His Arthur is a dimwitted, too tenderhearted, yet extremely likable doofus. Guinevere is a headstrong tomboy. She and Morgan are sisters (and yes, Morgan is still half-sister to Arthur as well. Mordred is an incredibly intelligent (and creepy) albino child. And Lancelot is a big, French jerk (sigh). And Galahad is a completely fabricated knight of Viviana's invention.
In his other Arthurian books, Peter gets very political-allegory like, and he does so again here. He uses the time-honoured attack on Guinevere and Igraine by Meleagrance as a (not at all) veiled allegory for the Iraq war. Which is fine in and of itself, but I'm not entirely sure what the point was. Yes, Arthur (and the kingdom) lose it's innocence over this, but working in a framework of tales where the characters were often and always at war, it's hard to really feel that this was any worse than anything else Arthur has done in the tales (can you say Childslayer?), so for me, the ill-found war against Meleagrance and his WMD's (yes, that acronym is actually employed) didn't really hit home for me.
That said though, I did enjoy the characterizations and seeing things unfold through Vivana's eyes and interpretations. So yes, I liked this book even if this Lancelot was a jerk :)
It was through comic books (of course) that I was first introduced to Peter David. And these days, his X-Factor is one of the few comics I'm still reading. Over the years, I've branched out and read a fair amount of his prose too, most of which I've also reviewed here.
Peter had a stroke at the end of last year. He's recovering nicely (yay!), but of course, his health insurance doesn't cover everything, so when the call went out to buy some of his books in order to help him out, I immediately did so. Which brings us to The Camelot Papers.
Written in the form of a diary (and with a framing device that these are 'authentic' writings that were discovered and are now being studied) authored by Viviana, a name often ascribed to the Lady of the Lake in the Legends. Not so much here.
Viviana is a slave, sold into servitude by her debt-ridden father, she ends up at Camelot, working in the kitchens, until her intelligence is noticed by... pretty much everyone and she becomes a lady-in-waiting to the new Queen, Guinevere.
Peter plays about with the structure and characters of Camelot quite a bit here, and still (mostly) makes it fit the overall Legends. His Arthur is a dimwitted, too tenderhearted, yet extremely likable doofus. Guinevere is a headstrong tomboy. She and Morgan are sisters (and yes, Morgan is still half-sister to Arthur as well. Mordred is an incredibly intelligent (and creepy) albino child. And Lancelot is a big, French jerk (sigh). And Galahad is a completely fabricated knight of Viviana's invention.
In his other Arthurian books, Peter gets very political-allegory like, and he does so again here. He uses the time-honoured attack on Guinevere and Igraine by Meleagrance as a (not at all) veiled allegory for the Iraq war. Which is fine in and of itself, but I'm not entirely sure what the point was. Yes, Arthur (and the kingdom) lose it's innocence over this, but working in a framework of tales where the characters were often and always at war, it's hard to really feel that this was any worse than anything else Arthur has done in the tales (can you say Childslayer?), so for me, the ill-found war against Meleagrance and his WMD's (yes, that acronym is actually employed) didn't really hit home for me.
That said though, I did enjoy the characterizations and seeing things unfold through Vivana's eyes and interpretations. So yes, I liked this book even if this Lancelot was a jerk :)
Begin again
First post of 2013!
I've been busy reading, but I didn't do a post for the first five books yet as four of them are in a series and I wanted to talk about them all together. So...
Books 1, 2, 3 and 5 are:
A Shadow in Summer
A Betrayal in Winter
An Autumn War
The Price of Spring
by Daniel Abraham
There's a lot going on these books; 'magic' and courtly politics, family dynamics and war. We're introduced to our main character, Otah Machi as a young boy. He's been sent away by his family to learn to be a poet, a man who will control the power of an andat, which is basically the magic of the country of the Khaiem, and this is a magic no other country in the world possesses. The cities of the Khaiem rely on the Andat; in Saraykhet, the main commerce is cotton, and the andat Seedless takes the seeds from the cotton instantly, meaning Saraykhet can turn it's cotton around faster than anywhere else in the world. Machi's andat is Stone-Made-Soft, and so is home to vast, intricate mines. But there is a darker half to the benevolence of andats, Seedless can also end unwanted pregnancies, and Stone-Made-Soft could level mountains. With power like that, the other countries, including war-like expansionist Galt, have left the cities of the Khaiem alone for centuries, fearing that the andat would be turned on them if they ever invaded.
But I get ahead of myself. It is as a child that Otah makes a decision that will contribute to the breaking of the world many times over; after a moment of cruelty to an even younger boy, Otah then attempts to make amends for the cruelty and tells the younger boy basically the 'secret' to succeeding at the school. And so the younger boy, Maati, is selected to be a poet, and in the scheme of things, this ends up being not the best decision.
Abraham is not shy about doing drastic things and I always admire that in a good fantasy story. I wasn't being hyperbolic when I said that he breaks his world numerous times and in different ways and all are a kick in the gut. He also advances the timeline between books significantly, which is also great because yes, things don't always move at breakneck speed but instead take time to root and be planned and fester before shit happens.
These books are very melancholy, but it's a beautiful, terrible melancholy that makes them highly enjoyable.
I've been busy reading, but I didn't do a post for the first five books yet as four of them are in a series and I wanted to talk about them all together. So...
Books 1, 2, 3 and 5 are:
A Shadow in Summer
A Betrayal in Winter
An Autumn War
The Price of Spring
by Daniel Abraham
There's a lot going on these books; 'magic' and courtly politics, family dynamics and war. We're introduced to our main character, Otah Machi as a young boy. He's been sent away by his family to learn to be a poet, a man who will control the power of an andat, which is basically the magic of the country of the Khaiem, and this is a magic no other country in the world possesses. The cities of the Khaiem rely on the Andat; in Saraykhet, the main commerce is cotton, and the andat Seedless takes the seeds from the cotton instantly, meaning Saraykhet can turn it's cotton around faster than anywhere else in the world. Machi's andat is Stone-Made-Soft, and so is home to vast, intricate mines. But there is a darker half to the benevolence of andats, Seedless can also end unwanted pregnancies, and Stone-Made-Soft could level mountains. With power like that, the other countries, including war-like expansionist Galt, have left the cities of the Khaiem alone for centuries, fearing that the andat would be turned on them if they ever invaded.
But I get ahead of myself. It is as a child that Otah makes a decision that will contribute to the breaking of the world many times over; after a moment of cruelty to an even younger boy, Otah then attempts to make amends for the cruelty and tells the younger boy basically the 'secret' to succeeding at the school. And so the younger boy, Maati, is selected to be a poet, and in the scheme of things, this ends up being not the best decision.
Abraham is not shy about doing drastic things and I always admire that in a good fantasy story. I wasn't being hyperbolic when I said that he breaks his world numerous times and in different ways and all are a kick in the gut. He also advances the timeline between books significantly, which is also great because yes, things don't always move at breakneck speed but instead take time to root and be planned and fester before shit happens.
These books are very melancholy, but it's a beautiful, terrible melancholy that makes them highly enjoyable.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Looking Back at 2012
So all in all, 2012 was a pretty good reading year. While I didn't manage to read 50 books ( a challenge I was trying to do that would allow for re-reads), I did manage to read 36 ALL NEW books, which is three more than my previous best tally. So yay me.
So what are the new reads I read this year? Let's recap:
1) His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
2) Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
3) How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche
4) Jade Throne by Naomi Novik
5) Bite Me by Christopher Moore
6) The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg
7) Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
8) The Sword and the Chain by Joel Rosenberg
9) Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
10) The Silver Crown by Joel Rosenberg
11) Snuff by Terry Pratchett
12) Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey
13) Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey
14) Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
15) The Guns of Avalon (Chronicles of Amber #2) by Roger Zelazny
16) Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
17) Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro
18) A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
19) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
20) The Gunslinger (reread)
21) The Drawing of Three by Stephen King (reread)
22) The Waste Lands by Stephen King
23) Wizards and Glass by Stephen King
24) The Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
25) The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
26) The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham
27) Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
28) Song of Susannah by Stephen King
29) A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
30) The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
31) The Dark Tower by Stephen King
32) Outlaw by Angus Donald
33) Palo Alto Stories by James Franco
34) Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
35) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
36) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Wow, I read a crap load of fantasy this year. I mean, I read a lot of fantasy anyway, but it really was the bulk of material this year. I was very happy to have delved into the world further into the world of Joe Abercrombie; The Last Argument of Kings and the Heroes were defintely two of my standouts this year. My favourite of the year was the Tragedy of Arthur though, because combining King Arthur and Shakespeare is just the best thing ever in my mind, and Phillips' wrote a passable Shakespearean play, which is a pretty major accomplishment and one to be lauded. We won't talk about the Dark Tower because I just don't want to :)
I've already finished the first two books of Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, but I'm thinking I might write about them all as one entry at this point.
Now let's see where else 2013 takes me :)
So what are the new reads I read this year? Let's recap:
1) His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
2) Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
3) How Shakespeare Changed Everything by Stephen Marche
4) Jade Throne by Naomi Novik
5) Bite Me by Christopher Moore
6) The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg
7) Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
8) The Sword and the Chain by Joel Rosenberg
9) Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
10) The Silver Crown by Joel Rosenberg
11) Snuff by Terry Pratchett
12) Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey
13) Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey
14) Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
15) The Guns of Avalon (Chronicles of Amber #2) by Roger Zelazny
16) Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
17) Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro
18) A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
19) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
20) The Gunslinger (reread)
21) The Drawing of Three by Stephen King (reread)
22) The Waste Lands by Stephen King
23) Wizards and Glass by Stephen King
24) The Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
25) The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
26) The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham
27) Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
28) Song of Susannah by Stephen King
29) A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
30) The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
31) The Dark Tower by Stephen King
32) Outlaw by Angus Donald
33) Palo Alto Stories by James Franco
34) Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
35) The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
36) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Wow, I read a crap load of fantasy this year. I mean, I read a lot of fantasy anyway, but it really was the bulk of material this year. I was very happy to have delved into the world further into the world of Joe Abercrombie; The Last Argument of Kings and the Heroes were defintely two of my standouts this year. My favourite of the year was the Tragedy of Arthur though, because combining King Arthur and Shakespeare is just the best thing ever in my mind, and Phillips' wrote a passable Shakespearean play, which is a pretty major accomplishment and one to be lauded. We won't talk about the Dark Tower because I just don't want to :)
I've already finished the first two books of Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, but I'm thinking I might write about them all as one entry at this point.
Now let's see where else 2013 takes me :)
Monday, December 31, 2012
A Gentleman Pirate's Life for Me
Book #36 - Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
This is the second Locke Lamora book, and while I enjoyed it (and I did), I also have quite a few criticisms of it.
I found it to be nowhere near as tightly plotted as Lies. Even with all the flashbacks in Lies, there really was only one overall objective; defeating the Grey King. But here, in Red Seas, it starts with what looks to be an Ocean's 11-type casino heist, but then we go to an actual ocean and get a pirate yarn, and then we're back and manipulating city politics and turning it into an art heist and it all just felt... confused. And the divergence into the gladitoral-like games of another near-by city state really seemed unneeded. Especially since it contributed only to a part of the overall plan. An important part yes, but it still felt like the emphasis on this outweighed it's actual importance in the structure of the story.
That isn't to say I didn't like many of the aspects going on. I always like a good pirate tale, and when the pirate captain here is a badass forty-something mother of two, yeah, I can get into that. My only problem with Drakasha was she wasn't a terribly well-developed character. She has potential, and I'd like to see her again, but the fact that she was a strong pirate captain who just happened to be a woman, I did like that.
The relationship between Locke and Jean is rather strained throughout this, and I found that got annoying after awhile. I understand completely why it is, but I would rather they get over it and revert to their normal bantering and not the continual pity party that conversations between the two often reverted to.
SLIGHT SPOILER: I also really needed them to have succeeded in their objective. Lynch has laid them low, taken pretty much everything from them (again!) and so one victory, even if not as big as they hoped, would've been good. Especially since Lynch has left them in a rather dire predicament again, a bit of a cliff hanger for when he finally gets around to finishing the next book.
This is the second Locke Lamora book, and while I enjoyed it (and I did), I also have quite a few criticisms of it.
I found it to be nowhere near as tightly plotted as Lies. Even with all the flashbacks in Lies, there really was only one overall objective; defeating the Grey King. But here, in Red Seas, it starts with what looks to be an Ocean's 11-type casino heist, but then we go to an actual ocean and get a pirate yarn, and then we're back and manipulating city politics and turning it into an art heist and it all just felt... confused. And the divergence into the gladitoral-like games of another near-by city state really seemed unneeded. Especially since it contributed only to a part of the overall plan. An important part yes, but it still felt like the emphasis on this outweighed it's actual importance in the structure of the story.
That isn't to say I didn't like many of the aspects going on. I always like a good pirate tale, and when the pirate captain here is a badass forty-something mother of two, yeah, I can get into that. My only problem with Drakasha was she wasn't a terribly well-developed character. She has potential, and I'd like to see her again, but the fact that she was a strong pirate captain who just happened to be a woman, I did like that.
The relationship between Locke and Jean is rather strained throughout this, and I found that got annoying after awhile. I understand completely why it is, but I would rather they get over it and revert to their normal bantering and not the continual pity party that conversations between the two often reverted to.
SLIGHT SPOILER: I also really needed them to have succeeded in their objective. Lynch has laid them low, taken pretty much everything from them (again!) and so one victory, even if not as big as they hoped, would've been good. Especially since Lynch has left them in a rather dire predicament again, a bit of a cliff hanger for when he finally gets around to finishing the next book.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Book 35# - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
I do so love a good con man. And Locke Lamora is a a con man extraordinaire I thoroughly enjoyed this book, fun characters, witty dialogue, elaborate ruses, a dangerous foe, well-told flashbacks and some good world-building.
Lynch does a fabulous job of building Locke and his gang of Gentlemen Bastards up and then completely tearing them down, to the point where one does wonder how the hell Locke will come out of this. But unlike so many fantasy novels, there isn't a nice handy deus ex machina to make things all better for them, it is strictly Locke's wits, that have gotten him into as much trouble as they've rescued him, that save the day, and that's the way it should be.
Definitely onto the second book.
I do so love a good con man. And Locke Lamora is a a con man extraordinaire I thoroughly enjoyed this book, fun characters, witty dialogue, elaborate ruses, a dangerous foe, well-told flashbacks and some good world-building.
Lynch does a fabulous job of building Locke and his gang of Gentlemen Bastards up and then completely tearing them down, to the point where one does wonder how the hell Locke will come out of this. But unlike so many fantasy novels, there isn't a nice handy deus ex machina to make things all better for them, it is strictly Locke's wits, that have gotten him into as much trouble as they've rescued him, that save the day, and that's the way it should be.
Definitely onto the second book.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Book #34 - Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
I'M GOING TO GIVE AWAY AN IMPORTANT PLOT POINT HERE. GO NO FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW SHIT...
So Red Country... ah how I love Joe Abercrombie. So wonderfully violent and dark and damn funny at times. And here we have his foray into blending the Old West into his fantasy world.
We don't even have a catchy name for the world Abercrombie introduced to us in The Blade Itself. No Middle-Earth or Narnia or Midworld or Westeros (ok, yes I know, that's just a continent or anything like that. It is what it is. And yet, I'm getting that wonderful feeling of familiarity now each time I come back to Abercrombie's books. And this is mainly because he threads characters through them all, to the point where you're not sure who might show up again, or where.
Which brings me to the best freaking part of this book...
Logen Ninefingers is BACK!!
To say he's one of the best characters I've come across in a long time is an understatement. And he was left in such a literal cliffhanger at the end of Last Argument of Kings, I really had no idea if he lived or not. But he did, and he went far away from the Northlands, assuming the name Lamb, and turning into 'some kind of coward' as his adoptive eldest 'daughter' Shy South constantly reminds us. Seems Logen has done everything he can to shed his past, but of course he couldn't stay away from trouble forever.
When Shy's brother and sister are stolen, off they go across the Far Country on an epic journey into the wild frontier to get them back. All the tropes are there, dangerous 'savages' just trying to protect what's there's, the motley band of settlers bonding against adversity, the frontier town that is a wretched hive of scum and villainy... yeah, it's all there and it should all be cliche, but Abercrombie makes it work and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Some of the characters were a little under developed, and I'm still not quite sure what Abercrombie was getting at with his introduction of the Dragon People (I got the idea that this might be set up for another book?) and some of the dialogue got a little repetitive (the endless renditions of 'can't escape your past' and 'I'm too old for this shit' could've been cut down some), but those are small quibbles in what was generally a fun (and violent) romp through new territory in Abercrombie's world.
I'M GOING TO GIVE AWAY AN IMPORTANT PLOT POINT HERE. GO NO FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW SHIT...
So Red Country... ah how I love Joe Abercrombie. So wonderfully violent and dark and damn funny at times. And here we have his foray into blending the Old West into his fantasy world.
We don't even have a catchy name for the world Abercrombie introduced to us in The Blade Itself. No Middle-Earth or Narnia or Midworld or Westeros (ok, yes I know, that's just a continent or anything like that. It is what it is. And yet, I'm getting that wonderful feeling of familiarity now each time I come back to Abercrombie's books. And this is mainly because he threads characters through them all, to the point where you're not sure who might show up again, or where.
Which brings me to the best freaking part of this book...
Logen Ninefingers is BACK!!
To say he's one of the best characters I've come across in a long time is an understatement. And he was left in such a literal cliffhanger at the end of Last Argument of Kings, I really had no idea if he lived or not. But he did, and he went far away from the Northlands, assuming the name Lamb, and turning into 'some kind of coward' as his adoptive eldest 'daughter' Shy South constantly reminds us. Seems Logen has done everything he can to shed his past, but of course he couldn't stay away from trouble forever.
When Shy's brother and sister are stolen, off they go across the Far Country on an epic journey into the wild frontier to get them back. All the tropes are there, dangerous 'savages' just trying to protect what's there's, the motley band of settlers bonding against adversity, the frontier town that is a wretched hive of scum and villainy... yeah, it's all there and it should all be cliche, but Abercrombie makes it work and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Some of the characters were a little under developed, and I'm still not quite sure what Abercrombie was getting at with his introduction of the Dragon People (I got the idea that this might be set up for another book?) and some of the dialogue got a little repetitive (the endless renditions of 'can't escape your past' and 'I'm too old for this shit' could've been cut down some), but those are small quibbles in what was generally a fun (and violent) romp through new territory in Abercrombie's world.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Yes, THAT James Franco
Book # 33 - Palo Alto Stories by James Franco.
To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect when husband brought this home for me (he found a copy of it cheap at our favourite used/remainder book store). I like James Franco as an actor a lot, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a good writer.
Well, some of his short stories aren't bad. They're all terribly uncomfortable in a lot of ways, all dealing with teenaged drugs and sex and drinking and violence (and admittedly, I was an extremely straight and narrow teenager, so events described in these stories are very much out of my frame of reference). I think "American History" was the best one, because it was uncomfortable, but there did also seem to be some emotional payoff there, a little more resonnance.
Because, while the stories all seemed to be interlocking with some reoccuring characters, but I began to find that they all spoke with the same voice. Which gets really repetative when they're all talking about the same thing all the time. I don't know though, maybe that was the point and Franco was trying to point out that all the kids of this generation speak with the same bored, disenfranchised, violent, teenaged ennui. And if that's true, then this book was also fucking depressing.
To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect when husband brought this home for me (he found a copy of it cheap at our favourite used/remainder book store). I like James Franco as an actor a lot, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a good writer.
Well, some of his short stories aren't bad. They're all terribly uncomfortable in a lot of ways, all dealing with teenaged drugs and sex and drinking and violence (and admittedly, I was an extremely straight and narrow teenager, so events described in these stories are very much out of my frame of reference). I think "American History" was the best one, because it was uncomfortable, but there did also seem to be some emotional payoff there, a little more resonnance.
Because, while the stories all seemed to be interlocking with some reoccuring characters, but I began to find that they all spoke with the same voice. Which gets really repetative when they're all talking about the same thing all the time. I don't know though, maybe that was the point and Franco was trying to point out that all the kids of this generation speak with the same bored, disenfranchised, violent, teenaged ennui. And if that's true, then this book was also fucking depressing.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Oo-de-lally
Book #32 Outlaw by Angus Donald.
When I was three years old, my absolute, hands-down favourite movie was the Disney version of Robin Hood. I was obsessed with it. There were no DVDs or VCRs back then, but I had the storybooks, and any and all toys associated with that movie that my parents could find me. And of course, a toy bow and arrow.
That obsession grew to an overall in Robin Hood as a legend for awhile, but strangely, as a teenager, my obsession with larger-than-life English legends who were based on a real person but completely embelleshed upon switched to King Arthur and my childhood love of Robin Hood was mainly forgotten. I have nearly an entire bookcase full of books on King Arthur, whereas the only Robin Hood book I own is a taped together, scribbled on adaptation of the Disney movie I got when I was four.
So yes, Outlaw is about Robin Hood. It's told from the POV of Alan Dale (who was the awesome rooster in the Disney version, voiced by Roger Miller) and it's... ok. It definitely tries to give a Bernard Cornwell feeling reality to the legend. I mean, Robin is definitely shown to be a legend and a leader and all that, but he's also not unrealistic. Of course, the problem with reading this tale told by a member of his band (and Alan here is young and only recently joined), Robin is definitely a secondary character. Which I guess is ok since we are supposed to just see Alan's indoctrination into Robin's Merry Band.
The timeline here is different than the one I remember from the Disney version, or even from that awful Ridley Scott/Russell Crow version of Robin Hood from a few years ago (saw a free screening of it and still wanted my money back). Here, Robin is outlawing during the reign of Henry II, and towards the end of the book, Richard ascends the throne. I find this interesting, as usually the given reasoning behind Robin's robbing the rich to give to the poor is due to the oppressive taxation carried out by Richard's regent and brother, Prince John (y'know, the guy who screwed the pooch so badly when it comes to being king that his nobles come up with the Magna Carta and force him to sign it). So I admit, this threw me a little.
The characters are all fine, if a little... dull. No one really stands out. And I even got tired of the meticulously detailed battle scenes by the end. (also rather reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell). But there are a number of nice touches here and there, and he does capture how shitty it was to be a peasant back then, and how there weren't many opportunities to escape being destitute. His attempts at intrigue are a little transparent though.
There is a sequel, which is basically Robin goes to the Crusades! but not sure I want to continue on or not...
When I was three years old, my absolute, hands-down favourite movie was the Disney version of Robin Hood. I was obsessed with it. There were no DVDs or VCRs back then, but I had the storybooks, and any and all toys associated with that movie that my parents could find me. And of course, a toy bow and arrow.
That obsession grew to an overall in Robin Hood as a legend for awhile, but strangely, as a teenager, my obsession with larger-than-life English legends who were based on a real person but completely embelleshed upon switched to King Arthur and my childhood love of Robin Hood was mainly forgotten. I have nearly an entire bookcase full of books on King Arthur, whereas the only Robin Hood book I own is a taped together, scribbled on adaptation of the Disney movie I got when I was four.
So yes, Outlaw is about Robin Hood. It's told from the POV of Alan Dale (who was the awesome rooster in the Disney version, voiced by Roger Miller) and it's... ok. It definitely tries to give a Bernard Cornwell feeling reality to the legend. I mean, Robin is definitely shown to be a legend and a leader and all that, but he's also not unrealistic. Of course, the problem with reading this tale told by a member of his band (and Alan here is young and only recently joined), Robin is definitely a secondary character. Which I guess is ok since we are supposed to just see Alan's indoctrination into Robin's Merry Band.
The timeline here is different than the one I remember from the Disney version, or even from that awful Ridley Scott/Russell Crow version of Robin Hood from a few years ago (saw a free screening of it and still wanted my money back). Here, Robin is outlawing during the reign of Henry II, and towards the end of the book, Richard ascends the throne. I find this interesting, as usually the given reasoning behind Robin's robbing the rich to give to the poor is due to the oppressive taxation carried out by Richard's regent and brother, Prince John (y'know, the guy who screwed the pooch so badly when it comes to being king that his nobles come up with the Magna Carta and force him to sign it). So I admit, this threw me a little.
The characters are all fine, if a little... dull. No one really stands out. And I even got tired of the meticulously detailed battle scenes by the end. (also rather reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell). But there are a number of nice touches here and there, and he does capture how shitty it was to be a peasant back then, and how there weren't many opportunities to escape being destitute. His attempts at intrigue are a little transparent though.
There is a sequel, which is basically Robin goes to the Crusades! but not sure I want to continue on or not...
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
To the Top of the Tower. Finally.
Book # 31: The Dark Tower by Stephen King.
Holy crap, I'm done. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. It's such a freaking relief. Ok, well there is actually one more book, more in the vein of Wizards and Glass, but I don't have the strength to continue on anymore. I just need a break from these books and from Stephen King in general.
But when it comes right down to it, I honestly don't know what to say about this beast. There were times when I hated it vehemently, and times where I was just not liking it, and times when I was apathetic towards it.
At one certain point, I had to put the book down and walk away from it I was so angry at Stephen King. The whole him as a character in his own work trope was getting more out of hand in this book, and then he took it to an incredibly maddening extreme, and I had to question whether or not I even wanted to continue.
But I did.
The ending? Meh. How very tilting at windmills of you Stephen.
When new characters are added with obvious deus ex machina powers, you can immediately see how they're going to shake out. And I was right.
The showdown with Mordred? How very anticlimactic. I was expecting something grand and Arthurian. No. Not really.
Susannha's 'reunion'? That didn't leave me happy. Although not that I really wanted to be. Hate that character, so her being happy at the end wasn't really a thing for me. But these aren't the same people she had all those adventures with. They don't share those experiences with her or one another. So no, it didn't hit that Lost chord with me at all there. It didn't hit a chord with me at all.
The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.
I'm done following. Thankee sai.
Holy crap, I'm done. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. It's such a freaking relief. Ok, well there is actually one more book, more in the vein of Wizards and Glass, but I don't have the strength to continue on anymore. I just need a break from these books and from Stephen King in general.
But when it comes right down to it, I honestly don't know what to say about this beast. There were times when I hated it vehemently, and times where I was just not liking it, and times when I was apathetic towards it.
At one certain point, I had to put the book down and walk away from it I was so angry at Stephen King. The whole him as a character in his own work trope was getting more out of hand in this book, and then he took it to an incredibly maddening extreme, and I had to question whether or not I even wanted to continue.
But I did.
The ending? Meh. How very tilting at windmills of you Stephen.
When new characters are added with obvious deus ex machina powers, you can immediately see how they're going to shake out. And I was right.
The showdown with Mordred? How very anticlimactic. I was expecting something grand and Arthurian. No. Not really.
Susannha's 'reunion'? That didn't leave me happy. Although not that I really wanted to be. Hate that character, so her being happy at the end wasn't really a thing for me. But these aren't the same people she had all those adventures with. They don't share those experiences with her or one another. So no, it didn't hit that Lost chord with me at all there. It didn't hit a chord with me at all.
The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.
I'm done following. Thankee sai.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
The Heroes
Book number 30 - The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
((I'm now WAY behind on my reading because I totally ran aground on the huge fucking problematic rock that is Stephen King's the Dark Tower. I hit a point in that book that made me so damn mad I had to put it down and pick up The Heroes and cleanse my palate. I'm glad I did.))
Set in the same world as his other novels, we see some familiar faces engaged in a familiar past time; war. But this book is very interesting, as Abercrombie gives us one decisive battle, and the whole story takes place over the three days of this battle between the Union and Black Dow's Northmen.
The Heroes refers to both the place of the fight (a stone circle at the top of a hill) and of course, those who are fighting. And of course, some find that they are heroes or not.
There are multiple POVs throughout the novel, and it's one of Abercrombie's great strengths that he can pretty much make all his characters likeable enough that you end up wanting them to survive, no matter what side they're on. He's also wise in not giving us, for the most part, POVs of the more 'villianous' characters such as Black Dow or Bayaz or even poor old Caul Shivers, returned home from Styria.
But for the others, old vetern Curnden Craw, deposed Prince Calder, new recruit Beck, disgraced bodyguard to the King and combat monster Bremer dan Gorst... even when they're not likeable, there's still something about them to like. Abercrombie is so good at this it's a little scary sometimes.
There were a couple of POVs I could've done without (I understand Corporal Tunny's inclusion in the narrative, but I didn't really need him.), but nothing so bad it detracted from the overall story for me.
He does an admirable job of showing war in none of it's glory. Even those who are there for glory realize it's not. War is bad for everyone, even for those who are good at it. Also, he did a fantastic job of making Finree dan Brock's capture horrifying, without resorting to violating her. Although I'm sure poor Alize didn't fare as well, I appreciated him not putting that out there.
The ending is a little... pat, where we find out that a certain someone is pulling all the strings again. I'm hoping that Calder's little move at the end may have thrown a wrench in that someone's plans, 'cause I didn't really anticipate Calder doing what he did.
Looking forward to Red Country even more now.
((I'm now WAY behind on my reading because I totally ran aground on the huge fucking problematic rock that is Stephen King's the Dark Tower. I hit a point in that book that made me so damn mad I had to put it down and pick up The Heroes and cleanse my palate. I'm glad I did.))
Set in the same world as his other novels, we see some familiar faces engaged in a familiar past time; war. But this book is very interesting, as Abercrombie gives us one decisive battle, and the whole story takes place over the three days of this battle between the Union and Black Dow's Northmen.
The Heroes refers to both the place of the fight (a stone circle at the top of a hill) and of course, those who are fighting. And of course, some find that they are heroes or not.
There are multiple POVs throughout the novel, and it's one of Abercrombie's great strengths that he can pretty much make all his characters likeable enough that you end up wanting them to survive, no matter what side they're on. He's also wise in not giving us, for the most part, POVs of the more 'villianous' characters such as Black Dow or Bayaz or even poor old Caul Shivers, returned home from Styria.
But for the others, old vetern Curnden Craw, deposed Prince Calder, new recruit Beck, disgraced bodyguard to the King and combat monster Bremer dan Gorst... even when they're not likeable, there's still something about them to like. Abercrombie is so good at this it's a little scary sometimes.
There were a couple of POVs I could've done without (I understand Corporal Tunny's inclusion in the narrative, but I didn't really need him.), but nothing so bad it detracted from the overall story for me.
He does an admirable job of showing war in none of it's glory. Even those who are there for glory realize it's not. War is bad for everyone, even for those who are good at it. Also, he did a fantastic job of making Finree dan Brock's capture horrifying, without resorting to violating her. Although I'm sure poor Alize didn't fare as well, I appreciated him not putting that out there.
The ending is a little... pat, where we find out that a certain someone is pulling all the strings again. I'm hoping that Calder's little move at the end may have thrown a wrench in that someone's plans, 'cause I didn't really anticipate Calder doing what he did.
Looking forward to Red Country even more now.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Not so Super Heroes...
Book # 29 - A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
I really loved the premise of this book; that there was a world-ending threat, and in order to defeat that threat, all of the superheroes give up and combine their powers and give it to one hero, who goes into the the threat and seal it off.
The plan works, Ultimate saves everyone and all the heroes are now without their powers.
Except for one who didn't answer the call...
Ultimate's (the Supermanesque character) sidekick, PenUltimate had retired from superheroing years before the threat (an all-encompassing energy field called the Blue) appeared, and so when the call went out to all the heroes, Pen did not answer.
So I liked the idea of all the heroes having to live as shadows of what they once were, some of them completely unable to let go of the lives they had before, and the idea that the one lone superhero who still has powers doesn't want those powers and is reviled by the others as a coward.
But of course, as always in comics, everything comes back.
There are new threats and new problems that force Pen back into heroics. New mysteries connected with old and betrayals and hidden truths and everthing else that makes a comic book good.
So there are lovely ideas and some lovely turns of phrase, but I sometimes found this book very... muddled. Almost as if King were writing a comic script but somehow, the pictures didn't full get added.
I do think that, pared back, this would've made a magnificent graphic novel. But as an actual novel... something just doesn't quite fully work.
I really loved the premise of this book; that there was a world-ending threat, and in order to defeat that threat, all of the superheroes give up and combine their powers and give it to one hero, who goes into the the threat and seal it off.
The plan works, Ultimate saves everyone and all the heroes are now without their powers.
Except for one who didn't answer the call...
Ultimate's (the Supermanesque character) sidekick, PenUltimate had retired from superheroing years before the threat (an all-encompassing energy field called the Blue) appeared, and so when the call went out to all the heroes, Pen did not answer.
So I liked the idea of all the heroes having to live as shadows of what they once were, some of them completely unable to let go of the lives they had before, and the idea that the one lone superhero who still has powers doesn't want those powers and is reviled by the others as a coward.
But of course, as always in comics, everything comes back.
There are new threats and new problems that force Pen back into heroics. New mysteries connected with old and betrayals and hidden truths and everthing else that makes a comic book good.
So there are lovely ideas and some lovely turns of phrase, but I sometimes found this book very... muddled. Almost as if King were writing a comic script but somehow, the pictures didn't full get added.
I do think that, pared back, this would've made a magnificent graphic novel. But as an actual novel... something just doesn't quite fully work.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Dark Tower VI
Book # 28 - Song of Susannah by Stephen King
What can I say? Perhaps, since I'd been forewarned of the ridiculousness of this book, I didn't end up wanting to throw this one across the room as much as I did with the Wolves of Calla. Surprised? Me too :)
Yes, I got to the ridiculousness and it was VERY ridiculous, but I guess that after my dissatisfaction with Wolves, I couldn't really be surprised by anything that King pulled anymore. So that made it easier to get through this.
Also surprising? I felt this one moved along at a pretty decent clip. There was the very nice gunfight Eddie and Roland had immediately upon arrival back in their world. I was good with that. And I liked Callahan and Jake as the other buddy cop couple. Their brush with Black Thirteen waking up was pretty awesome. Oh, and that street preacher who shows up twice? Loved him. Don't know why, but I thought him grand.
But yes of course, there was an awful lot of Susannah/Mia/Detta blah blah blah. I know it was kinda the point of the book, but could've gotten there faster. And with less her talking to herself. Ugh.
Also, that turtle she finds? Didn't like the deus ex machina aspect to it. I kinda wanted to see her struggle a bit with having to be in modern day New York, but the turtle took that aspect out of it immediately. Meh.
So perversely, even though I expected to absolutely despise this book more than the last one, it's actually energized me enough to move onto the final act in this huge ass play. Onto the Dark Tower.
What can I say? Perhaps, since I'd been forewarned of the ridiculousness of this book, I didn't end up wanting to throw this one across the room as much as I did with the Wolves of Calla. Surprised? Me too :)
Yes, I got to the ridiculousness and it was VERY ridiculous, but I guess that after my dissatisfaction with Wolves, I couldn't really be surprised by anything that King pulled anymore. So that made it easier to get through this.
Also surprising? I felt this one moved along at a pretty decent clip. There was the very nice gunfight Eddie and Roland had immediately upon arrival back in their world. I was good with that. And I liked Callahan and Jake as the other buddy cop couple. Their brush with Black Thirteen waking up was pretty awesome. Oh, and that street preacher who shows up twice? Loved him. Don't know why, but I thought him grand.
But yes of course, there was an awful lot of Susannah/Mia/Detta blah blah blah. I know it was kinda the point of the book, but could've gotten there faster. And with less her talking to herself. Ugh.
Also, that turtle she finds? Didn't like the deus ex machina aspect to it. I kinda wanted to see her struggle a bit with having to be in modern day New York, but the turtle took that aspect out of it immediately. Meh.
So perversely, even though I expected to absolutely despise this book more than the last one, it's actually energized me enough to move onto the final act in this huge ass play. Onto the Dark Tower.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Book #27: Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin.
It's strange that, despite my love for his Song of Ice and Fire books, I've never read anything else by GRRM. I say it's strange because usually when I find an author I enjoy as much as I love those books, I run out and devour that author's entire catalogue. But that's not been the case here. I had a graphic novel of Fevre Dream, so I knew the story, but that was adapted by Daniel Abraham, so even then, I was reading GRRM's words filtered through someone else.
I saw a copy of Fevre Dream for sale cheap and decided the time has come to read it.
Well, it's kinda Anne Rice meets Mark Twain, but definitely recognizable as GRRM's work. If only for all the descriptions of all the meals and food :)
I jest because it's also recognizable as his because we've got some strong characterization (I really liked gruff, loyal, smarter than he seems, riverboat Captain Abner Marsh), an interesting twist on vampire mythology and because it's a dark, dark piece of work with lots of violence. It's not a very long read, so the pace is pretty good, and he manages not to get too carried away with the riverboating descriptions. Just enough to give you the flavour of antebellum Mississippi, not enough to bog you down there.
Definitely an enjoyable vampire yarn.
It's strange that, despite my love for his Song of Ice and Fire books, I've never read anything else by GRRM. I say it's strange because usually when I find an author I enjoy as much as I love those books, I run out and devour that author's entire catalogue. But that's not been the case here. I had a graphic novel of Fevre Dream, so I knew the story, but that was adapted by Daniel Abraham, so even then, I was reading GRRM's words filtered through someone else.
I saw a copy of Fevre Dream for sale cheap and decided the time has come to read it.
Well, it's kinda Anne Rice meets Mark Twain, but definitely recognizable as GRRM's work. If only for all the descriptions of all the meals and food :)
I jest because it's also recognizable as his because we've got some strong characterization (I really liked gruff, loyal, smarter than he seems, riverboat Captain Abner Marsh), an interesting twist on vampire mythology and because it's a dark, dark piece of work with lots of violence. It's not a very long read, so the pace is pretty good, and he manages not to get too carried away with the riverboating descriptions. Just enough to give you the flavour of antebellum Mississippi, not enough to bog you down there.
Definitely an enjoyable vampire yarn.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Dagger and the Coin Pt. 2
Book # 26: The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham.
This is the second book in Abraham's "The Dagger and the Coin" series (the first being The Dragon's Path) and I must say I enjoyed this one more than it's predecessor. This may be because the world feels more lived in, the characters are fleshed out beyond their introductions, and the court intrigue is starting to pay off and Abraham's got a better handle on it than he did in the first book.
We're still following a handful of POV characters; Cithrin, Marcus, Geder, Dawson and Clara. Things change significantly for the POV characters in this book, and in fact, we lose one of them along the way. While I sometimes found it difficult to get into the first book, there was none of that problem here as the Abraham keeps the plot and the action moving at a pretty fierce clip that feels both natural and really scary. Things are going downhill quickly in some ways, and the quest to stop this is only just getting under way, and I actually found myself urging those characters on. Which i took to be a pretty good sign of enjoyment.
While I'd only been luke-warm in looking forward to this book, after having read it, I'm really looking forward to the next installment.
This is the second book in Abraham's "The Dagger and the Coin" series (the first being The Dragon's Path) and I must say I enjoyed this one more than it's predecessor. This may be because the world feels more lived in, the characters are fleshed out beyond their introductions, and the court intrigue is starting to pay off and Abraham's got a better handle on it than he did in the first book.
We're still following a handful of POV characters; Cithrin, Marcus, Geder, Dawson and Clara. Things change significantly for the POV characters in this book, and in fact, we lose one of them along the way. While I sometimes found it difficult to get into the first book, there was none of that problem here as the Abraham keeps the plot and the action moving at a pretty fierce clip that feels both natural and really scary. Things are going downhill quickly in some ways, and the quest to stop this is only just getting under way, and I actually found myself urging those characters on. Which i took to be a pretty good sign of enjoyment.
While I'd only been luke-warm in looking forward to this book, after having read it, I'm really looking forward to the next installment.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Arthur meets Shakespeare
Book #25: The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips.
When I first heard of this book, my immediate reaction was (excuse the swearing) FUCK YEAH! It combines two of my very favourite things; Shakespeare and Arthurian Legends. More specifically, a supposed lost play about King Arthur, written by Shakespeare. Fuck yeah again!
The bulk of this book is Arthur Phillips' 'Introduction' to the previously unknown play The Tragedy of Arthur, discovered and given to him by his dying father. Now, this would be remarkable on it's own... a completely unknown play? This isn't even like Cardinio or Love's Labours Found, plays we know existed, but don't have the texts for, no, there is no record whatsoever of this play. Which makes Phillips wary. Why? Because his father is a con man, more specifically, a forger.
So Phillips lays out his extremely complicated relationship with his father, and with his twin sister Dana, and even with Shakespeare. Phillips has no love for the Bard, and he makes this abundantly clear. So of course, he is the one his father enlists (and not Shakespeare loving Dana) to shepherd this play into publication. Which is very interesting, because it means Phillips is fairly skeptical from the beginning of the play's authenticity.
So after the introduction, we get to the play itself. That's right, the actual play is included in it's entirety. It's no Hamlet, but it's enough like Shakespeare's early plays to pass for one. The language is quite perfect, but it really doesn't have that extra bit of magic, of playfullness, that Shakespeare is so capable of. But still, the play is done well enough and there were some lovely scenes in it.
I'll probably end up reading the play a few times, just for fun :)
(and yes, I am aware that there was an actual incident of forged Shakespearean plays, 'found' in the 1790s, called Vortigern and Rowena (the other was Henry II). Vortigern, was the British warlord/king that Arthur Pendragon's family defeated for the throne of Britain)
When I first heard of this book, my immediate reaction was (excuse the swearing) FUCK YEAH! It combines two of my very favourite things; Shakespeare and Arthurian Legends. More specifically, a supposed lost play about King Arthur, written by Shakespeare. Fuck yeah again!
The bulk of this book is Arthur Phillips' 'Introduction' to the previously unknown play The Tragedy of Arthur, discovered and given to him by his dying father. Now, this would be remarkable on it's own... a completely unknown play? This isn't even like Cardinio or Love's Labours Found, plays we know existed, but don't have the texts for, no, there is no record whatsoever of this play. Which makes Phillips wary. Why? Because his father is a con man, more specifically, a forger.
So Phillips lays out his extremely complicated relationship with his father, and with his twin sister Dana, and even with Shakespeare. Phillips has no love for the Bard, and he makes this abundantly clear. So of course, he is the one his father enlists (and not Shakespeare loving Dana) to shepherd this play into publication. Which is very interesting, because it means Phillips is fairly skeptical from the beginning of the play's authenticity.
So after the introduction, we get to the play itself. That's right, the actual play is included in it's entirety. It's no Hamlet, but it's enough like Shakespeare's early plays to pass for one. The language is quite perfect, but it really doesn't have that extra bit of magic, of playfullness, that Shakespeare is so capable of. But still, the play is done well enough and there were some lovely scenes in it.
I'll probably end up reading the play a few times, just for fun :)
(and yes, I am aware that there was an actual incident of forged Shakespearean plays, 'found' in the 1790s, called Vortigern and Rowena (the other was Henry II). Vortigern, was the British warlord/king that Arthur Pendragon's family defeated for the throne of Britain)
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Dark Tower V
Book number 24 - The Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
Good lordy this one took me forever to finish. It wasn't that I was disliking it or anything... I just kept finding other things to do besides reading it.
In fact, I kinda liked the whole Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven vibe throughout most of it. And bringing back a character from a much earlier novel of King's? Very interesting.
Yes I wasn't minding this book until the end....
The Wolves are Doombots armed with light sabres and explosive golden snitches????
WTF???
Just... no.
Good lordy this one took me forever to finish. It wasn't that I was disliking it or anything... I just kept finding other things to do besides reading it.
In fact, I kinda liked the whole Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven vibe throughout most of it. And bringing back a character from a much earlier novel of King's? Very interesting.
Yes I wasn't minding this book until the end....
The Wolves are Doombots armed with light sabres and explosive golden snitches????
WTF???
Just... no.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Dark Tower IV
Book #23 - Wizards and Glass by Stephen King.
This has definitely been my favourite of the series so far, I really enjoyed Roland's backstory as a freshly minted gunslinger, out in the wide world, and his meeting of his love Susan. Obviously I knew it was going to end badly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it unfolded. To me all the characters in Mejis felt more fully actualized than either Eddie or Susannah, and I resented it whenever we made a brief interlude to go back to that bunch. It was very important to meet Susan, Cuthbert and Alain (again for the latter too) as this story does so much to humanize Roland. The western touches, the post-apocalyptic touches, the fantasy touches... they were all blended together quite masterfully...
Which made me really go WTF when we returned to the 'modern' ka-tet and they ended up in a parody of a well-known tale... it felt really heavy handed. I think if it had been a little more subtely presented (ie not all the characters going instantly 'oh we're in such and such), I might have enjoyed it more. Now, I'm not saying King's the most subtle of writers, he's not, but this felt clumsy even for him.
However, the awkward ending didn't diminish what I really did like about this novel, and I'm all for more Roland flashbacks in the future.
This has definitely been my favourite of the series so far, I really enjoyed Roland's backstory as a freshly minted gunslinger, out in the wide world, and his meeting of his love Susan. Obviously I knew it was going to end badly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it unfolded. To me all the characters in Mejis felt more fully actualized than either Eddie or Susannah, and I resented it whenever we made a brief interlude to go back to that bunch. It was very important to meet Susan, Cuthbert and Alain (again for the latter too) as this story does so much to humanize Roland. The western touches, the post-apocalyptic touches, the fantasy touches... they were all blended together quite masterfully...
Which made me really go WTF when we returned to the 'modern' ka-tet and they ended up in a parody of a well-known tale... it felt really heavy handed. I think if it had been a little more subtely presented (ie not all the characters going instantly 'oh we're in such and such), I might have enjoyed it more. Now, I'm not saying King's the most subtle of writers, he's not, but this felt clumsy even for him.
However, the awkward ending didn't diminish what I really did like about this novel, and I'm all for more Roland flashbacks in the future.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Dark Tower III
50 Book Challenge, Book #22 - The Waste Lands by Stephen King
For me, this book did not start cooking until Jake made his appearance again. And if he hadn't, I probably would've quit this series by now. Eddie and Susannah do nothing for me as characters. I like Roland, but if it had been just the three of them for ever and ever in this series... bah.
Once Jake enters again, the story just comes alive and I found myself invested again. Maybe its because I've always found that King has a talent for writing children, and Jake was interesting enough in his brief Gunslinger appearance that it's great to have him back. His escape back into Roland's world was such an incredible scene.
I really liked the stuff in the city too, even the introduction of Blaine (although I see how that is going to annoy me if it goes on too long. A pain indeed)
Just a few things that caught my attention:
- Another reference to the works of Richard Adams. Both Shardik and Watership Down this time. (King made heavy reference to Watership Down in The Stand as well. I find this interesting since that book about bunnies is a very favourite of mine)
- So we have a John Chambers (called Jake though) and an Andrew Quick. My nerd brain is turning this over a lot. lol
- I want an Oy.
Something about Wizards next I believe?
For me, this book did not start cooking until Jake made his appearance again. And if he hadn't, I probably would've quit this series by now. Eddie and Susannah do nothing for me as characters. I like Roland, but if it had been just the three of them for ever and ever in this series... bah.
Once Jake enters again, the story just comes alive and I found myself invested again. Maybe its because I've always found that King has a talent for writing children, and Jake was interesting enough in his brief Gunslinger appearance that it's great to have him back. His escape back into Roland's world was such an incredible scene.
I really liked the stuff in the city too, even the introduction of Blaine (although I see how that is going to annoy me if it goes on too long. A pain indeed)
Just a few things that caught my attention:
- Another reference to the works of Richard Adams. Both Shardik and Watership Down this time. (King made heavy reference to Watership Down in The Stand as well. I find this interesting since that book about bunnies is a very favourite of mine)
- So we have a John Chambers (called Jake though) and an Andrew Quick. My nerd brain is turning this over a lot. lol
- I want an Oy.
Something about Wizards next I believe?
Friday, June 15, 2012
Dark Tower II
50 Book Challenge, Book #21 - The Drawing of Three by Stephen King
I usually remember at least something about a book I've previously read but in this case... wow. Nada. It's pretty much like I've never read it before. Which is fine.
But I wonder if this lack of any recall is linked to why I've been... searching for what to say about it since I read it last night.
It's not that I didn't like it. I liked it well enough. But I'm still not... sold I guess. I think it's interesting that King took the oh so well worn fantasy (and western) trope of travelling and made it, weird. Not weird in a bad way mind you.
So Roland has some pretty serious problems right off the bat, and it really is only the forays into our world through the doors he discovers, that saves his life. Fine. He needs to assemble his group. All fantasy characters need a pre-destined group and even lone gunslingers need a posse now and then. Eddie's a fine character although man, his so obviously written in the 80s dialog did grate on my nerves once in awhile, but I can't hold that against the book since it was written in the 80s. I'll get over it. I'm wondering if I'm going to find the whole Odetta/Detta/Susanna thing problematic or not. Guess I'll see.
But what did I enjoy? I like Roland's bad-assedness despite everything he was going through. Detta's right, he is a mean honky mahfuh. Also... so glad the diminishing ammunition thing was addressed. Cause I've been wondering about that since the beginning of the gunslinger. It's the little things that really should be huge things that count, and I was pleased King knew this.
So... onward again.
I usually remember at least something about a book I've previously read but in this case... wow. Nada. It's pretty much like I've never read it before. Which is fine.
But I wonder if this lack of any recall is linked to why I've been... searching for what to say about it since I read it last night.
It's not that I didn't like it. I liked it well enough. But I'm still not... sold I guess. I think it's interesting that King took the oh so well worn fantasy (and western) trope of travelling and made it, weird. Not weird in a bad way mind you.
So Roland has some pretty serious problems right off the bat, and it really is only the forays into our world through the doors he discovers, that saves his life. Fine. He needs to assemble his group. All fantasy characters need a pre-destined group and even lone gunslingers need a posse now and then. Eddie's a fine character although man, his so obviously written in the 80s dialog did grate on my nerves once in awhile, but I can't hold that against the book since it was written in the 80s. I'll get over it. I'm wondering if I'm going to find the whole Odetta/Detta/Susanna thing problematic or not. Guess I'll see.
But what did I enjoy? I like Roland's bad-assedness despite everything he was going through. Detta's right, he is a mean honky mahfuh. Also... so glad the diminishing ammunition thing was addressed. Cause I've been wondering about that since the beginning of the gunslinger. It's the little things that really should be huge things that count, and I was pleased King knew this.
So... onward again.
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