I am reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. I am enjoying it. It is differently different than anything his brother has written (John Green).
Woah, this sounds really cool. Looks like I know what I'm reading next.
I am reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. I am enjoying it. It is differently different than anything his brother has written (John Green).
I don't use my eyes for fiction nowadays. The audio version of Seven Deaths is very good. I've listened to it many times. Eventually I figured it out. It's still always a fun read.
This isn't an easy book.
Tad Williams eases you in with familiar fantasy tropes by dropping you into the world of Osten Ard, where you follow the day-to-day life of a scullion and the drama surrounding the impending succession of a great king. It all feels nice and cosy and is made that much more pleasant as a result of Williams' evocative prose. (After reading this book, I'd venture to say that Williams is one of the best sentence crafters in all of fantasy)
The book then takes a dip in the first third, as it spends a good chunk of time following the aforementioned scullion around the labyrinth beneath the castle. It's a very long escape sequence that depicts practically every single step of the protagonist's journey. Gotta be honest, I considered dropping the book there and then.
But I'm glad I didn't.
Eventually, you get glimpses of what's really going on and what the real threat is on top of what could have just been a story of sibling rivalry for the throne and of a nobody-turned-somebody hero.
Then geopolitics start being prominently pushed into the narrative. As does religion. And suddenly you're trying to keep up with who came from where and is interested in what and who worships who.
The great thing about this is that these elements are there almost right from the start, so when the book starts pushing them more by introducing you to dozens of characters, you do feel out of your depth a bit, but you still want to keep going because you've at least got a feel for the interests and different regions these characters are coming from. This is the bit that's not easy, as you WILL occasionally feel overwhelmed by the size of the cast and everything going on in the narrative. But it's worth trudging through.
There is some wonderful action in this book, and a lot of engaging world building that doesn't hit you over the head with exposition. More than anything, the book makes you want to spend time in its world.
You want to hang out with Simon, Binabik, Miriamele, and Josua to learn more about them and their desires. You want to keep reading just to admire Williams' writing. And you want to know what happens next. (well, once you get past the first 200-300 pages, and the labyrinth section in particular)
I won't be jumping to the second book of this series right away because I've got a ton of other books I need to get to on my bookshelf, but I'll definitely be returning to this world in the future. I didn't do a great job of talking this book up in this review, but I really did enjoy it and can see the appeal this world has for so many people.
4.25/5
If you've ever heard and enjoyed Thomas Shippey wax poetic about Tolkien and middle-earth, or if you're simply interested in examinations of iconic literary figures, this Great Course is an excellent primer on the similarities and differences between heroes as old as Odysseus to as current as Harry Potter. Shippey does an excellent job of deconstructing narratives, placing them in their historical contexts, and opining on why each of the heroes mentioned was so influential during their time and continues to be so in ours.
Each period and geographical location from which these stories sprung forth had different anxieties, needs, and desires that required an avatar and cultural narrative to help make sense of the listener's or reader's reality. In short, a hero is someone people have been waiting for, as the stories we tell reveal our anxieties, needs, and desires. (more coming...review not finished)
Woah, this sounds really cool. Looks like I know what I'm reading next.
I never listened to audiobooks. I fear my mind will just wander in stead of listening.
Anyway, I just think the book wasn't really for me. It's very plotheavy and those aren't usually the stories I like to read. I only read it because I heard great stuff about it and how it was a puzzlebox of sorts. It works in that regard, sure, it just didn't grip me.
Holy shit, I totally forgot about The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gonna read it during christmas!Finished these two recently...
I'm glad I convinced myself to keep going with this one after wanting to put it down during the long section beneath the Hayholt. Williams' prose are beautiful. I'm completely envious of his ability to craft a sentence and to paint a picture in readers' minds. The geopolitics are complex, the size of the cast is bigger than any fantasy book I've ever read, and everything still manages to feel new-but-familiar. After I finished the book, I re-read the intro and first few pages again. And I wanted to keep going to experience the whole thing again so I could better understand who is who and where they're coming from. This is a difficult book that's worth the investment. It took me over 3 weeks to finish, but it was well worth it. Here is my Goodreads review:
Also finished listening to this Great Course offering:
It was great! I already like Thomas Shippey because of his work on Tolkien, but this made me appreciate him even more. I'm now interested in reading other books, namely Don Quixote and the Iliad, after listening to Shippey deconstruct them. Here is my in-progress review of the book...
I just started this today and should finish it by Friday...
Reading through the intro, which is loaded with names and dates, so I'm not really taking anything in just yet aside from the fact that this story came out of Mesopotamia almost 5000 years ago, and that Gilgamesh was a real king. Anyway, it's a quick one, and I'm looking forward to finally reading the text myself. I have a slender Penguins Classic edition.
I enjoyed this one. Not super intense, but the build up is nice.
I only know The City and the City, which I enjoyed listening to in a reading by John Lee for Random House Audio (via Audible.) I also enjoyed watching the BBC2 production starring David Morrissey earlier this year.
What about the Stillhouse Lake books?
A year ago, maybe, I posted a thread asking for book recommendations and The City & The City was recommended highly. I got it out from the library and still have it, but haven't read it yet. I need to soon.
I just finished A Wizard of Earthsea.
I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a fairly quick read, but the writing was rich, and the world felt real. I loved that aspect about the story. I also enjoyed the travels of the main character, and the personal struggle.
My one issue I had was that the final confrontation felt a bit weak compared to the experience building up to it. But still, I left with a nice feeling, and I also enjoyed reading Le Guin's afterword about how she wrote the story. I also read this from the new Earthsea collection, which is a large, tome-like book (and quite fitting!). I'll most likely start reading book 2 in the series in January.
I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads. I'm now going to move on to the book of the month, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I'll start it either tomorrow or the next day. Sometimes I like to take a day off between finishing books to give some space.
I really enjoyed This Census-Taker, in addition to the Bas-Lag series and Embassytown.
Is Into the Water worth reading? I kept seeing it and was intrigued by its premise and cover, but have since heard that it has too many viewpoints and is confusing. Has anyone here read it?
Yeah I've read it, and it's not confusing whatsoever. I didn't mind it, about on the same level as Girl on the Train I reckon. The ending is a bit limp, but there's some very weird and interesting characters to keep you entertained throughout.
I really enjoyed This Census-Taker, in addition to the Bas-Lag series and Embassytown.
Wizard of earthsea was one of my favorite books when I was younger and is still special to me. I've considered rereading it to see what I think now, but I may wait until my son is old enough and read it with him. I liked the other books in the series but my recollection is that they sort of get weaker as they go. Still worth it but wizard of earthsea is so good it's hard to hit those highs.
Just started this. Google Play sent me a $5 off coupon so only cost me a dollar.
As an adult first-time reader of the book, it holds up really well today. I can't wait to read the rest of the books, despite people saying they aren't quite as good as the first.
I haven't read enough yet, I'll post again once I get a feel for it though. And yeah I picked it by cover really and it had 4.25 stars on Google Play books.
The Vagrant is his name. He has no other.
Years have passed since humanity's destruction emerged from the Breach.
Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape.
As each day passes the world tumbles further into depravity, bent and twisted by the new order, corrupted by the Usurper, the enemy, and his infernal horde.
His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war.
What little hope remains is dying. Abandoned by its leader, The Seven, and its heroes, The Seraph Knights, the last defences of a once great civilisation are crumbling into dust.
But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.
I haven't read enough yet, I'll post again once I get a feel for it though. And yeah I picked it by cover really and it had 4.25 stars on Google Play books.
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=sapnCwAAQBAJ
The Vagrant is his name. He has no other.
Years have passed since humanity's destruction emerged from the Breach.
Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape.
As each day passes the world tumbles further into depravity, bent and twisted by the new order, corrupted by the Usurper, the enemy, and his infernal horde.
His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war.
What little hope remains is dying. Abandoned by its leader, The Seven, and its heroes, The Seraph Knights, the last defences of a once great civilisation are crumbling into dust.
But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.
It has its own ending, without trying to connect to leave threads for a sequel. If I were to guess without reading book 2, it feels like the story of this character is "complete" in a sense, even if it does continue in the next book.Is the first book a satisfying story on its own, or does it end on a cliff-hanger that tells you it's obviously a series?
It has its own ending, without trying to connect to leave threads for a sequel. If I were to guess without reading book 2, it feels like the story of this character is "complete" in a sense, even if it does continue in the next book.
Glad to see so many people discovering Earthsea for the first time. It's still probably my favourite fantasy series.
I want to try to find a first edition of 20th Century Ghosts for a good price. I have that version out from the library (and have for a while, though I got a paperback from Book Depository last month), and it's really nice. The hardcover has a unique texture and is really well put together.
They're generally pretty expensive though.
I see a lot of options on Google image search. Is it this one?
I think that one is a really rare and expensive special edition that came out for its 10th anniversary. I wish.
This is it:
Nice! I've never heard of this book, but I'm intrigued. :) Enjoy.
On my audiobook livestream on Mixer, we're halfway through Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. (Next week will be some sword & sorcery shenanigans)
For my own personal reading, I'm starting Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup. I'm quite interested to compare this to the recent film adaptation.