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Stephen Donaldson's 'The Gap Cycle' has been pimped many times by people on the forums, so I figured I would give it a try. I'm almost done with the first book in the series The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story. It sucks. And I won't be reading the rest of the series. Thankfully, I got it from the library and did not spend any money on this. This is a 200 page adolescent rape fantasy from Mr. Stephen 'I love rape' Donaldson masquerading as 'space opera'. There are three characters, all of them cardboard. Evil space pirate, Woman space cop/rape object, and 'Good' space pirate. There's a germ of an interesting idea here - mankind has developed a mode of space travel (the gap drive), which in one case out of a hundred, can drive someone insane. Unfortunately, the author uses this idea as a device to put the female protagonist under the control of an evil space pirate who loves rape. There's some overwrought language, a gimmicky story telling method - retelling the same story several times to get 'The Real Story', and when it comes down to it, very little action. Except the rapes. Apparently, in the afterword (which I haven't read just yet), the author compares himself to Wagner and was attempting to recreate the Ring cycle in space. Color me unimpressed. I remember reading the Thomas Covenant books as a teenager, and liking them. With the endless rape in this book, and the singular act in the Covenant books, Mr. Donaldson would appear to have a pathological obsession. It makes me wonder what I would think if I re-read the Covenant books as an adult.
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May 30, 2007 16:44
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I just finished Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game is Wrong. The knowledge the contributors to this book posess is scary. I'm not a a big math/numbers guy, but the way these guys explain their reasoning using equations and charts is very clear, even for the average reader.
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May 30, 2007 19:35
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Second Foundation, by Isaac Asimov I suppose this is the end of the original "trilogy", but given the nature of the story I don't think it could end before the "thousand years" are up and a new empire is at least in its initial stages. This installment was fun and interesting, after the pretty intense feeling of disappointment at the state of things at the end of the last book. And I suppose you could say this really is a good point to end the tale on, as it's a fairly certain feeling that the Plan is going to win through in the end. I don't remember if I posted about it in this thread or not, but I read Prelude a while back, and it was less a Foundation novel than...something else.
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May 31, 2007 02:33
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Last Week: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville I had such an incredible love/hate relationship with this book. The setting and ecology of China's world is fascinating. The first 200 or so pages held me pretty enthralled with all the descriptions and character introductions, but after that it started to go pretty quickly downhill. The plot got pretty lame (giant moths!?) and the beautifully gross descriptions got grossly repetitive. 3/5 This week: Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut Surprisingly forgettable for a Vonnegut, had some hilarious moments though. I guess I like his sorta sci-fi books better. 3.5/5
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May 31, 2007 02:51
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Just finished a trilogy of fantasy books by Robin Hobb called the Farseer trilogy, or specifically Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest (back to back over 2 weeks  ).Actually, they were pretty amazing. I came into them just expecting some generic pseudo-medieval fantasy, but they were extremely vivid, engaging, and in general very well written.
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May 31, 2007 06:19
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Yesterday I finished The Maker of Universes by Philip Jose Farmer, the first book in the World of Tiers. It was pretty good, but predictable and his style lost me for some reason a number of times. I'm going to read the rest of the series because I have them, hopefully he will grow on me. I do need to read more books where I don't know the ending in the middle. I'm getting bored.
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May 31, 2007 22:20
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War Without Hate, I was little misled by the title, I thought it was going to focus on chivalry and mutual respect early in the war. There were a few anecdotes but it was mostly a general overview of the fighting in North Africa. It does a good job of covering 1940-1943 from the early Italian victories in Tunisa and Benghazi all the way to Alamein and Tobruk.
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May 31, 2007 22:55
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Ragtime by E.L Doctorow. The author uses multiple storylines to weave together a plot about life in the 1900's. People like Houdini, Emma Goldridge, JP Morgan, and other characters all make an appearance. A bit confusing sometimes-- due to the author not using quotes for dialouge-- but overall a great read. 4/5
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May 31, 2007 23:41
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Finished Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods a few weeks ago and forgot to post about it. It isn't meant to be a travelers, or backpackers how-to. It's a comedy, albeit non-fiction. You can expect the standard page long Bryson narratives about the history and geology of the area, and he gets a little preachy about the park service. Overall though, immensely enjoyable. Girlfriend and I went down to Skyline Drive to hike, and three miles in saw a mountain lion. 4/5
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Jun 1, 2007 04:03
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The Once and Future King by T.H. White is a great, great book. It took the Arthur myth relatable/human and at times funny, at times really sad. The politics area of it is kind of iffy (especially the last few pages) but it's still a wonderful read.
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Jun 1, 2007 18:10
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I finished three books this week. In the order I finished them… The first book I finished was “First Blood” by David Morrell. Most of us are familiar with the story via the Sylvester Stallone movie from 1982, but I can reassure you that the book and the film are significantly different. The book takes on a far more grim and complex tone that the film. In the novel, Rambo (whose first name is never mentioned) is an insanely violent Green Beret who kills police officers without prejudice when he is antagonized to leave town and Sheriff Teasle is a humble, down-to-earth man who simply doesn’t want vagrants like Rambo marching into town and causing trouble. What occurs here in a clash between two generations of soldiers. Teasle is a respected Korean War vet who is simply looking to wind down after a life of conflict and Rambo is a Vietnam War veteran, who is looked down upon by a society who despises the war he has fought, and is looking for a place himself to retire to. When Rambo escapes from Teasle and the local police, killing one of Teasle’s men I the process, what also occurs is a unique conflict on how the Vietnam War was fought. When the National Guard is organized to find Rambo, we see the U.S. going to battle with large numbers and many resources. On the other side we see Rambo (VietCong) who is desperate, poorly equipped, and outmanned, but keeps the upper hand over his pursuers with his better understanding of his environment and enduring will to survive against a force who he feels is trying to dictate his way of life. Also, what we have here, is an image of Rambo as the Vietnam War itself. Vietnam vets weren’t exactly widely celebrated by the public following the war, a public that does not exactly understand the horrors of living in a legitimate war zone. When Rambo goes renegade he essentially recreates the Vietnam War right there in the town which doesn’t want him. He kills the people’s loved ones and bombs their town without warning or prejudice. Before I let this get any longer that I’ve already let it, let me say that this was a very intelligent book and I very much recommend it to anyone with a fascination with books that deal with the issue of war, or simply want to read an exciting novel of survival. The second book was “Scooter” by Mick Foley. I’ve read Mick Foley’s two previous memoirs and I loved his writing style. Still, I have never read any of his fiction work and this was my first foray into it. I’m very pleased to see that his gift crosses the fiction/nonfiction boundary. “Scooter” is a coming-of-age story about a young man growing up in the Bronx during the 60’s and 70’s. Here, Scooter faces the tribulations of his highly dysfunctional family, the many horrible physical injuries he sustains along the way, and the prejudice he faces in the two neighborhoods he finds himself living in. In the Bronx, he finds himself being the only white kid in a growingly Puerto Rican neighborhood and in Long Island, he’s viewed as white trash amongst a much wealthier community. Foley’s prose is very easy to read and he has no problems with keeping his story very intriguing. Scooter comes from as awkward and dysfunctional a family as you may imagine and despite the horrors he endures up until his young adulthood, the story feels hauntingly real. Baseball is a major motif for the story and if you don’t understand how the game is played or have a strong comprehension of the history of New York City then you might not be able to get the most out of “Scooter”. However, I had neither and I was still able to enjoy this very engaging, touching and darkly humorous tale. Lastly was “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk. Being a fan of the motion picture, I felt as if it was my responsibility to read the book as well. Wow, I didn’t anticipate it to be this good! “Fight Club” is easily one of my favorite books now having read it for myself. Palahniuk has an undeniable gift for prose. I simply adore his writing style in how he can keep it so personal and so profound. I could really feel the anger, resentment, and confusion coming from the main character of this tale. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the story so there’s no need to go into detail over it, but I still recommend this book to those who have not read it. Palahniuk’s style is something to truly behold. The next book on my list is "The Rum Diary" by Hunter S. Thompson.
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Jun 2, 2007 21:49
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Goldfinger, Ian Fleming This is about the halfway point in the Fleming Bond series, and I hope it's not the shark-jumper since I've absolutely loved Bond up till now. It was still a good book, but the number of cliches was a little unnerving. We have the bizarre form of murder (girl being painted in gold), the super-villian round table, a fiendish plot to rob Ft. Knox, and finally the suggestive name "Pussy Galore" in this instance. Still, only Fleming can write about a game of golf and make you feel as if the fate of the free world depended on its outcome. And the post climactic "uh oh" situation was a nice twist at the end. The one bit that bothered me was the "prick a hole in the window of the plane and create a vortex that sucks someone out the window". It simply doesn't work like that! I wonder if this has ever been done on Mythbusters? Now I'm off to start on Omberto Eco's Foucalt's Pendulum for the June SA book club.
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Jun 3, 2007 12:17
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Just finished Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell last night. I had had this jotted down on a list of books I wanted to read, based on a mention of it in an old thread in TBB that I read prior to buying an account. Definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year. It consists of several interconnected stories, each written in a different time, place, genre and writing style, ranging from a South Pacific voyage in the 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future Earth. Each of the stories has a connection to the others and Mitchell uses this to demonstrate how their fates are connected in the grand scheme of things. Even more interesting is the presentation: The stories are presented in a "nested doll" style, with the first half of the story being told then it cuts off and continues to the next story. There's one story in the middle of the book that is told in its entirety, then the second half of the last story picks up again until all the stories have been completed. It's a really interesting tactic that I've not seen done before, much less how successfully Mitchell manages to present each tale in a completely different prose style and genre. Going to move on If On A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino next.
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Jun 3, 2007 14:27
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The Fall of the Roman Empire, by Peter Heather. Its author has a fluid writing style and manages to weave an engaging narrative centering on the last days of the western half of the empire. The book starts by describing the state of the Roman Empire in the 4th century CE and compares it to what it was like in the first century BCE; after that it discusses the barbarian tribes that lived along the empire's borders and their interactions with it. One the author has set the scene, he then moves on to adeptly describe how the barbarian invasions gradually weakened the empire by conquering the areas on which it relied for its revenue, which in turn led to the eventual collapse of its western half. This is a very readable book and I highly recommend it to anyone with a general interest in ancient history or in the Roman Empire specifically.
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Jun 4, 2007 02:01
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Just got done with East of Eden because I had never gotten into Steinbeck. Certainly enjoyable and a fluid read. While I enjoyed the themes, I kind of wish he hadn't spelled them out so explicitly, but that's probably just my own habit of overanalyzing books. Definitely worth getting through, and it didn't take much effort. I'm now into As I Lay Dying, which I already love, but that isn't so much a surprise since I've gone through Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom. I think I actually like it a little more than Absalom, Absalom, but AA has grown on me a lot on its own after I had time to digest it. Darl's chapters are my favorite type of narration from Faulkner and remind me of Quentin's point of view, which was breathtaking in S/F. Vardaman's awesome too. I just got to "My mother is a fish." 
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Jun 4, 2007 05:11
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Just finished If On A Winter's Night A Traveler earlier this evening. Fantastic book, and I'm amazed at how much depth it has for being so short (less than 300 pages). My first experience with Calvino, and I was very impressed. Definitely will be seeking out his other books. Going to start Life of Pi by Yann Martel next.
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Jun 6, 2007 04:59
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Children of Hurin don't read it if you haven't read the other Tolkein books. Even then, it's not very interesting.
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Jun 6, 2007 05:42
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Just finished The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. I had trouble getting into it at first, in part because the unfamiliar setting and nmumber of Yiddish words make it a little disorienting. I stuck it out for a bit, and couldn't put it down after the first couple chapters. An awesome detective story in so many ways; I feel like writting Chabon a love letter right now. I was going to read Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin next, but I'm in the mood for another hardboiled detective novel, so I may just plow through some Raymond Chandler really quick instead.
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Jun 6, 2007 17:48
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LooseChanj posted:Chapterhouse: Dune Much MUCH stronger climax than usual, with some nice decompression at the end. It would have been nice if Herbert had lived, the very end hinted at an interesting direction the story could have gone in. Cool. I needed to hear that. I took a break from Frank Herbert after God Emperor of Dune. I was considering starting it back up. Avoid Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert at all costs. Been working on The Butlerian Jihad for well over a year now. I keep it as a back up for when I finish something and don't have another good book to move on to. It usually only takes a few pages of this crap to inspire me to hurry to the bookstore.
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Jun 7, 2007 21:57
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I finished The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac a few days ago. He's really got a knack for capturing these lovely, lonely moments in life where you've got nothing but your thoughts (and maybe some good company like Japhy Ryder). I loved how it was structured as some bhikku's journey with others until ultimately Ray Smith (Kerouac) must go on his own path to self-discovery. I'll have to pick up some of Gary Snyder's poetry soon (he was Japhy in the book). Next up is Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Be Free Where You Are, True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart, and, most importantly, She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman  .
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Jun 7, 2007 22:14
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The Midnight Tides by Steven Erickson The fifth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen, it was the first book to take place on a different continent with entirely different characters. As always I enjoyed the world he has fleshed out but I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. I also thought there where a few too many needless plot twists but other then that I enjoyed the book. Even if its somewhat formulaic fantasy, I plan on ordering the next two from the UK so I don't have to wait.
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Jun 7, 2007 22:32
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Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh Haven't read anything that heavy in a long time. At first I thought it was going to keep me reading Welsh all summer. Now, I think I have to do something lighter before I get back into him. Unless, of course, Trainspotting's ending is anything like the film. Anyhow, I came for the concrete text and phonetic spellings, I stayed for the goddamn mindwarp. The story clipped right along, and then those last two chapters just beat your loving face in. I expected that we'd find out how Roy got into the coma near the end, but I didn't expect him to do it himself. Plus, his meeting Dorie and the slight upturn his life took softened me up just enough to bring me right down with the flaming wreckage at the end. e: So I started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again just to pick myself up after Nightmares. It's working. pill for your ills fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jun 10, 2007 |
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Jun 7, 2007 22:37
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Obi-Juan posted:Cool. I needed to hear that. I took a break from Frank Herbert after God Emperor of Dune. I was considering starting it back up. Chapterhouse still ends on something of a cliffhanger, but I think it had a stronger third act than any of the other Dune novels. I've given some thought to reading Hunters, just to get some idea of where Frank was going with the story, but yeah, I'd definitely take it with a huge grain of salt. Beyond that, the series is dead to me. 
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Jun 7, 2007 22:58
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LooseChanj posted:Chapterhouse still ends on something of a cliffhanger, but I think it had a stronger third act than any of the other Dune novels. I've given some thought to reading Hunters, just to get some idea of where Frank was going with the story, but yeah, I'd definitely take it with a huge grain of salt. Beyond that, the series is dead to me. I kinda disliked the end of Chapterhouse to be honest. It was a solid novel, but that ending just left too much unanswered, which is great for wanting more... which will never come.  My favorite has to be the original Dune, and Heretics (Teg is just so drat awesome.On another note... just finished:Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Around the World by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman It was a really great read. It is really compelling to read about an around the world motorcycle trip and all the highs and lows of the journey. Now there is a TV series as well, but I found that for the most part the show was more about the drama, where as the book was a much more personal account. My only complaint is the pacing of the story was a little odd. There was a good 2 or 3 chapters about the Mongolia leg of the journey, but North American was only 1. Not a major issue, just found it weird. Definitely recommend it to anyone who likes travel or motorcycles, or just Ewan McGregor! :P
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Jun 8, 2007 03:39
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On a kick, I decided to re-read The (First) Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. I literally finished The Power that Preserves about 15 minutes ago. Next, I'll likely move on to the second set of books, which I never made it all the way through. I was thrilled to see that a third and final series is currently being written. I think I was a bit too young to really appreciate the books the first time I read them, and that was so long ago that most plot points had been lost to me. All in all, they were a tough but entertaining read, with a third book that was much more satisfying than many trilogy conclusions I've read. Also, because I was traveling in Europe the past couple weeks, I quickly devoured Neverwhere and The Book of Lost Things. As far as airport booksellers go, I think I did pretty well.
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Jun 8, 2007 03:50
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Shōgun by James Clavell. This epic is terrific and gripping. It has a pedestrian feel at times, because it doesn't assume any knowledge of Japanese history or culture, but once you get past that it rewards you with some very rich characters. At 1152 pages, it is daunting but by the end you'll be wishing it was the first in a trilogy. Mariko, Blackthorne, Rodrigues, Father Alvito, Yabu, Omi, Gyoko and especially Toranaga are delightfully rich characters. The history involved is fascinating- if you didn't know about the Jesuit influence on trade, or the details of sailing a ship without knowing longitude, or samurai etiquette, you'll get an earful and it's written in a very enjoyable fashion. I'm looking forward to reading more of Clavell's books, and I regret not picking up some of them when I was younger, since every man had a copy of Shōgun in the 70's.
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Jun 8, 2007 14:25
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Naked by David Sedaris. It was an absolutely hilarious read. Many of the strange situations in this book show how unique David is. His writing style is very vivid and the stories in here really kept me turning the pages. Robert Bloch's Pyschos This anthology of horror stories really does deliver. At times I was laughing, and other times I was gripping the book in fear and questioning whether or not I should turn to the next page. Most of the stories are fairly short which is a good thing for me. The story "Safe" stood out to me, it's descriptions of a man murdering his entire family and then killing more people in a mass shooting was terrifying, because it seemed like something like that could happen. Especially with North County Tech, it is quite a frightening story. Great book. Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly. This is an over the top action book and the third in the Shane Schofield series. Honestly I enjoyed the book and plowed through it in one night. It isn't very well written, the author uses the same 50 words again and again and again. Some of the situations are so unbelievable it makes you just laugh. Each chapter is strung together with major action sequence after major action sequence. There are a few twists that you don't see coming but the reader can only take so much. I'm glad I'm done with this author for now, I feel guilty reading this kind of garbage.
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Jun 8, 2007 16:01
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Mack the Knife posted:Shōgun by James Clavell. This epic is terrific and gripping. It has a pedestrian feel at times, because it doesn't assume any knowledge of Japanese history or culture, but once you get past that it rewards you with some very rich characters. At 1152 pages, it is daunting but by the end you'll be wishing it was the first in a trilogy. Mariko, Blackthorne, Rodrigues, Father Alvito, Yabu, Omi, Gyoko and especially Toranaga are delightfully rich characters. Definitely read his other books as they're equally terrific and provide the same sense of fascination albeit in different periods e.g. Tai-Pan is set during the founding of Hong Kong while Noble House is set 120 years later on when Hong Kong has become a trading powerhouse. You'll love the throwbacks and references to the previous books as well, as they are all centered around the same 'family' of characters.
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Jun 8, 2007 23:10
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I just finished The Year of Magical Thinking by Didion. Can I just say, although I cannot deny her talent, this book is written, I feel, for someone older than myself. Although I have lost loved ones, I don't have a romantic history with someone like she did with her husband. No plot, either. I know it is supposed to be excellent and blah blah blah and I am sure it is...when one can relate to it. I will surely reread it when I am married for a while.
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Jun 9, 2007 01:05
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The Straw Men by Michael Marshall. This was the first in a trilogy, but I doubt I'll go on to read the other two. It's a crime drama/thriller. The first half of the book was pretty good but it just feels like it fell apart as it went on, almost reading more like a novelization of a movie than an original novel. I liked the plot well enough, but the characters were not interesting at all. Whenever the characters would get into a conversation, I would just want them to shut up, or get to the point quickly, so the plot could move forward.
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Jun 9, 2007 05:05
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Just finished Life of Pi by Yann Martel - fantastic book and very enjoyable. I've got The Quincunx by Charles Palliser lined up next. Another one I picked up based off a recommendation in a TBB thread.
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Jun 9, 2007 19:58
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i just finished one hundred years of solitude and it was so loving beatiful, touching in its simplicity, amazing how succintly he can portray the depts of human misery and just a truely epic narrative
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Jun 9, 2007 23:29
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Cell by Stephen King Not as bad as everyone says. On the contrary to what I've heard, I feel that it started out weak but got better as it progrossed.
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Jun 10, 2007 01:44
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Monster Island by David Wellington. I've had this book sitting on my shelf for over a year wincing every time I thought about reading it and wondering why I had bought it. Oh right, an SA banner ad told me to get it. Every couple of months I would read the synopsis on the back and decide that it was not the book I would read next. Well I finally sat down and read it. A team of teenage female Somali soldiers mounts an expedition to New York City to recover medicinal supplies for the last remaining nation in the world after a zombie holocaust that has destroyed civilization. I tend to prefer virus zombies, not magic zombies, which are the flavor presented in this novel. The book switches between first and third person narration depending on where the chapter is centered. It also has a cool twist ending. I think the most fun part was being able to literally follow the story around. I live in NYC and with the entire story taking place in Manhattan it was fun to go around and read a couple chapters IN the exact spots the story was taking place. Despite my assumptions about the book it actually turned out to be pretty entertaining. I bought the sequel (Monster Nation) which takes place in LA (I think) which is fun because I'm going to LA this week on a business trip. Read this if you like zombies. Total Party Kill fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Jun 10, 2007 |
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Jun 10, 2007 03:48
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Macrame_God posted:The second book was “Scooter” by Mick Foley. I’ve read Mick Foley’s two previous memoirs and I loved his writing style. Still, I have never read any of his fiction work and this was my first foray into it. I’m very pleased to see that his gift crosses the fiction/nonfiction boundary. “Scooter” is a coming-of-age story about a young man growing up in the Bronx during the 60’s and 70’s. Here, Scooter faces the tribulations of his highly dysfunctional family, the many horrible physical injuries he sustains along the way, and the prejudice he faces in the two neighborhoods he finds himself living in. In the Bronx, he finds himself being the only white kid in a growingly Puerto Rican neighborhood and in Long Island, he’s viewed as white trash amongst a much wealthier community. I've been trying to sell people on Foley as a novelist for a while, with little luck. His first novel, Tietam Brown, impressed me quite a bit. The writing isn't complex, but it's well written and the imagery is fantastic. It is definitely a good "summer" book. I plan on reading Scooter in the next few weeks, so I hope it lives up to his previous work.
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Jun 10, 2007 05:06
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Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Fantastic book, given to me by my stepdad for some summer reading, after a hectic finals week, finished it in 3 days. Fantastic interweaving of 5 stories that have a great overall theme. Recommended to EVERYONE. Very humorous as well. Please go read this now, you will not be disappointed.
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Jun 10, 2007 06:02
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solorca posted:I've been trying to sell people on Foley as a novelist for a while, with little luck. His first novel, Tietam Brown, impressed me quite a bit. The writing isn't complex, but it's well written and the imagery is fantastic. It is definitely a good "summer" book. I have yet to read "Tietam Brown" (I simply cannot find a copy of it anywhere), but if it's as good as "Scooter", I look forward to picking it up. I implore anyone who questions Foley's ability as a writer to read his memoirs. Even for people who hate professional wrestling with a passion, or those who are simply indifferent to it, will find themselves intrigued by the inner workings of the industry, Foley's experiences with its many superstars, and Foley's own upbringing as a professional wrestler. He also has a genuine gift for writing. His style is easy and genuinely fun to read. I too have been trying to sell his works to others who write me off as biased because I'm a professional wrestling fan (in truth, I've become disillusioned with it in the past few years). He really is a very promising writer. It's been a slow week so I've only finished two books. "The Rum Diary" by Hunter S. Thompson and "On Writing" by Stephen King.
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Jun 10, 2007 07:12
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last night I started and finished "Man Without a Country" by Vonnegut. Extremely short, took about an hour, but a fun an enjoyable read. recommended.
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Jun 13, 2007 18:03
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Joshtafari posted:Stephen Donaldson's 'The Gap Cycle' has been pimped many times by people on the forums, so I figured I would give it a try. I'm almost done with the first book in the series The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story. I'll agree the first book is pretty tough to get through if you're not into reading about what a monster Angus Thermopyle is, but the rest of the series is pretty good from what I recall. I'm not a big sci-fi person but Donaldson does do some interesting things with the story. Angus does somewhat redeem himself, although he's still an rear end in a top hat. bows1 posted:Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Fantastic book, given to me by my stepdad for some summer reading, after a hectic finals week, finished it in 3 days. Fantastic interweaving of 5 stories that have a great overall theme. Recommended to EVERYONE. Very humorous as well. Please go read this now, you will not be disappointed. I just read this about a week or two ago (mentioned it earlier in the thread as a matter of fact), and I'm wholeheartedly agreeing.
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Jun 13, 2007 18:12
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| # ? May 14, 2024 18:31 |
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Trips always give me an opportunity to finish things. The first thing I finished was Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green. As a fan of urban fantasy, I thought this would be right up my alley. But, no. The story itself was fine, although standard stuff, involving the main character searching for a client's lost daughter in the mythical Nightside of London. However, the first person narrative, combined with the amount of explaining (to us and to the other characters) the main character engaged in, really destroyed the fun. Way too much tell, not enough show. That, plus, the ridiculous character motivation (he falls madly in love with his client after 2-3 hours of hanging out with her? Really?). I can't recommend it. In contrast, the latest Dresden novel by Jim Butcher, White Knight, was great fun. Yes, it's light reading, but it also has a suprising amount of character development for a typical fantasy series. The 'impossible odds'/'everyone against Harry' fight scenarios are getting a little tiring - I'd love it if Butcher would go for a more stripped down plot in the next installment. Still, a good read. I also finished The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue. The plot basically revolves around the life and times of Henry Day and the changeling who replaces him when he's 7 years old - the story is told from their alternating points of view. It's interesting, but suffers by trying to cover too much of their lives. I didn't feel like I really knew either character by the end. Also, I realize that the changeling was trying to 'become' Henry Day, but the narration of the two characters is so similar, it's indistinguishable. They don't feel unique.
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Jun 13, 2007 19:04
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