August 2008 Reads, Near-reads, and Aborted Reads

[kcf]

I finished [i]Lord Tophet [/i]by Gregory Frost up a couple days ago and finally got [url="http://nethspace.blogspot.com/2008/08/lord-tophet-by-gregory-frost.html"]a review written[/url]. This is the the conclusion to [i]Shadowbridge [/i]and both of these are excellent books that I recommend. My biggest issue is that with all the potential that this duology had, it didn't quiet live up to it.

I'm now a good way into [i]Zoe's Tale [/i]by John Scalzi.

[Gold Storm]

Finished [i]Fingersmith[/i] by Sarah Waters last night, very good book with several surprising twist and turns in it. She paints a great picture of 1860s England, and can write a deep and complex mystery. Now I am reading [i]Hawkwoods Voyage[/i] by Paul Kearney.

[Morcant]

Just finished [b]Before they are Hanged [/b]today. I'm going to take a break from the trilogy for a bit and read [b]Mythago Wood[/b] and [b]Latro in the Mist.[/b] I'm also intermittently rereading Wolfe's [b]The Knight[/b]. After that...I might just break down and finally read the [b]Fionavar Tapestry[/b]. I guess the [b]The Knight[/b] is putting me in the mood for the "real person in a fantasy realm" story.

[ThomasFoster]

I've nearly finished [b]A Perfect Spy[/b] (John le Carre). It's taken my five attempts over ten years to get past the first few, rather confusing, chapters. It's well worth it; one of the most remarkable books I've read.

Next up is [b]A Winter's Tale[/b]. I promise ;)

I've also got Graham Greene's [b]The Quiet American[/b] lined up, along with a couple more le Carre novels, and Patrick O'Brian.

For more casual reading I'm going through Ian Fleming's [b]James Bond[/b] novels. They're better than I remember. The short story [b]A Quantum of Solace[/b] is particularly good.

I've just finished a rather erratic reading of [b]the Sandman[/b] series.

I've also got Alan Clark's [b]Diaries[/b] to read, and at some point I'm going to re-read Jeffrey Archer's [b]First Among Equals[/b].

[Werthead]

Going through the [b]Sandman[/b] series. Will try to manage one of the graphic novels every week.

Just started [i][b]The Briar King[/b][/i] by Greg Keyes. Been looking forward to this one for five years and it's not disappointing.

[Deornoth]

Just finished reading John Scalzi's 'Old Man's War', not a perfect read by any means but is one of those books where I was left wondering why I didn't pick it up sooner.
I got the feeling that life was perhaps a little too easy for our hero, John Perry, but the story itself more than made up for this with sympathetic characters, space battles and vicious alien races to spare. I can't wait to get into the rest of the series! My review is over [url="http://www.graemesfantasybookreview.com"]Here[/url].
I'm taking a break from sci-fi, for a bit, and am now reading 'Iron Kissed' by Patricia Briggs.

[Peadar]

So far this month I have gobbled:
[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawk-George-Green/dp/0553815385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218038363&sr=1-1"]Hawk[/url] by George Green. Roman/Germanic adventures. Sword-fighting, camaraderie, wild beasts and chariot races.
[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monster-Blood-Tattoo-Foundling-Trilogy/dp/038561148X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218038724&sr=1-3"]The Foundling[/url] by D.M. Cornish. A great little book steeped in Gormenghastian baroque. It was written for younger readers than myself, but many of us journeyman writers could learn a lot from the way this author sketches great characters in a few short lines. I wasn't surprised to see that he was also the creator of the creepy drawings on many of the pages.

Now reading Gary Gibson's [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stealing-Light-Gary-Gibson/dp/0230700403/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218038841&sr=1-2"]Stealing Light[/url].

[gyrehead]

[quote name='Peadar' post='1470292' date='Aug 6 2008, 12.08']So far this month I have gobbled:

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monster-Blood-Tattoo-Foundling-Trilogy/dp/038561148X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218038724&sr=1-3"]The Foundling[/url] by D.M. Cornish. A great little book steeped in Gormenghastian baroque. It was written for younger readers than myself, but many of us journeyman writers could learn a lot from the way this author sketches great characters in a few short lines. I wasn't surprised to see that he was also the creator of the creepy drawings on many of the pages.[/quote]

You still have [i]Lamplighter[/i] to look forward to then. Just as good as the first. Though I'm not sure how Cornish can wrap everything up in a way that produces a trilogy. Talk about rich complex and yet perfected nuanced worldbuilding! Some of us have to go the two years till the third with nothing else to sustain us.

[Gabriele]

[quote name='Peadar' post='1470292' date='Aug 6 2008, 18.08']So far this month I have gobbled:
[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawk-George-Green/dp/0553815385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218038363&sr=1-1"]Hawk[/url] by George Green. Roman/Germanic adventures. Sword-fighting, camaraderie, wild beasts and chariot races.[/quote]

Erm, did I get that right? The book takes place in 34 AD during the reign of Tiberius and features the Varus battle which took place in 9 AD during the time of Augustus? :stunned:

And while I don't give much on Amazon reviews, the mention of stirrups arose my suspicions about the research.

[Peadar]

[quote name='Gabriele' post='1470441' date='Aug 6 2008, 19.03']Erm, did I get that right? The book takes place in 34 AD during the reign of Tiberius and features the Varus battle which took place in 9 AD during the time of Augustus? :stunned:

And while I don't give much on Amazon reviews, the mention of stirrups arose my suspicions about the research.[/quote]

Don't worry about the Varus battle -- it occurs at the very start of the book as a flashback. So, that is not an issue. Also, the research in general is pretty good. The author has a huge reading list for anybody who asks for it. Also, at the back of his book he 'confesses' to a few of the liberties he took during the writing of the book.

[quote name='gyrehead']You still have Lamplighter to look forward to then. Just as good as the first.[/quote]

I'll buy it for some day when I have a long journey ahead of me. It should make the time fly :)

[Thrashalla]

[quote name='Peadar' post='1470553' date='Aug 6 2008, 12.01']Don't worry about the Varus battle -- it occurs at the very start of the book as a flashback. So, that is not an issue. Also, the research in general is pretty good. The author has a huge reading list for anybody who asks for it. Also, at the back of his book he 'confesses' to a few of the liberties he took during the writing of the book.[/quote]

There's also the fact that it's Historical [b][u]FICTION[/u][/b]. I get down on authors for taking liberties from time to time as well (Conn Igulden for his Genghis Khan series, most recently), but for the most part I just try to enjoy the story for what it is and soak in the setting. It's also nice that there's a lot of authors out there that at least acknowledge openly that they have taken liberties, kind of takes the sting out :P

[Peadar]

[quote name='Thrashalla' post='1470594' date='Aug 6 2008, 20.22']It's also nice that there's a lot of authors out there that at least acknowledge openly that they have taken liberties, kind of takes the sting out :P[/quote]

I would agree with you about that, although those of us who enjoy historical romps probably all have our own level of tolerance for inaccuracies below which we won't go. Each to his own. :fence:

[Ratatoskr]

I just finished "Toll the Hounds". Jesus wept, what a bloated mess. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but at the same time it irritated the hell outta me. All this pointless meandering, this nerve-wracking whining on all fronts. And still, unmitigated Erikson fanboy that I am, I can't find it in me to dislike it. In fact, I find it more than a little disturbing how I can be this appalled and engrossed by something at the same time.

"Roses are red - violets are blue
I'm a Schizophrenic -and so am I"

I sincerely apologize for the incoherent babble above. A few weeks of reading Erikson tends to do that to you.

I'm having a hard time deciding what to read next to restore my sanity.

It must be very, very [i]good[/i], but it also has to be sufficiently straightforward and readable. Oh, and the plotting. The plotting must be impeccable. Clear. Lucid. Lean. Lean most of all. Free of all dead freight. And some crisp prose, please. Nothing overwrought. A writing style that's unmatched in its clarity is needed here, people. And for the love of god, no endless pondering the futility of existence in internal monologues by fifty different characters, going on for pages and pages and pages. And pages. In fact, the word "futile" must not occur [i]at all[/i]. Not even [i]once[/i]. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if there actually happened, you know, [i]things[/i] in there. And it can't be too long. Not too long. No, no.

So there goes Hamilton's [i]Night's Dawn[/i] trilogy. Way too long right now. Prolly not a good moment to start reading Gene Wolfe, either. Too convoluted, not straightforward enough, most likely. No [i]Thomas Covenant [/i]either, too much whining there I guess. Not Gemmell, simply not [i]good [/i]enough. No Hal Duncan, no Banks, no Miéville. Cook? Naaah, kinda don't feel like it.

So, what's left? Abercrombie maybe. Or Cornwell's [i]Arthur [/i]trilogy.
I've been prowling Carey's [i]Sundering [/i]books for quite some time now, so maybe I'll give [i]Banewreaker [/i]a shot. It sounds kinda cool.

Hey, wanna help a fellow out by dropping him a hint? If you think you know just the thing for me, don't hesitate to mention it. Chances are I got it lying around here somewhere. I'm buying books much faster than I can read 'em after all.

[Bellis]

[quote name='Ratatoskr' post='1470673' date='Aug 6 2008, 15.03']Hey, wanna help a fellow out by dropping him a hint? If you think you know just the thing for me, don't hesitate to mention it. Chances are I got it lying around here somewhere. I'm buying books much faster than I can read 'em after all.[/quote]

Look at the book in the avatar and sig of the poster above you. I liked it and I think it might fit your criteria.

[Ratatoskr]

[quote name='Bellis' post='1470678' date='Aug 6 2008, 22.05']Look at the book in the avatar and sig of the poster above you. I liked it and I think it might fit your criteria.[/quote]

Yeah, Peadar's book. That might be it. But, uh, I kinda didn't get around to, uh, buy it just yet. *Ducks*. But right up there on my list! Honest!

[Mexal]

[quote name='Ratatoskr' post='1470673' date='Aug 6 2008, 16.03']So, what's left? Abercrombie maybe. Or Cornwell's [i]Arthur [/i]trilogy.[/quote]

I approve both of these selections. They're amazing!

[Gabriele]

[quote name='Peadar' post='1470670' date='Aug 6 2008, 22.02']I would agree with you about that, although those of us who enjoy historical romps probably all have our own level of tolerance for inaccuracies below which we won't go. Each to his own. :fence:[/quote]

Definitely. Conn Iggulden overstepped the boundaries for me; he should have called his Caesar books alternate history.

I have no problems with some liberties if they're acknowledged and make sense storywise. What I do mind are downright contradictions.

To give an example: nothing in the sources says anything about the relationship between Arminius and Germanicus prior to Arminius kicking Varus' butt and later fighting the Romans under Germanicus. So I can make them friends, assuming that they have met during the Pannonian wars, both being officers there, both the same age and probably of great personal charisma. I could as well have made them rivals. I think I can even go as far to have them meet in person during the 15/16 AD campaign though the sources don't mention such a meeting (they're not the most complete anyway, mostly written 100 years after the events, and biased). What I could not do - or what I would feel bad about doing - would be to have official peace negotiations because there's a chance the sources would have mentioned those. And I definitely can't have Arminius [i]win[/i] the battle of Idistaviso which was a stalemate at best, or maybe a Roman victory, if not a very strong one.

But I don't see why a writer would need stirrups on a Roman saddle for story purposes; and it's not such a difficult thing to figure out Roman saddles had no stirrups. But if History Channel gets it wrong, maybe I should not blame authors. ;)

[Gabriele]

[quote name='Ratatoskr' post='1470673' date='Aug 6 2008, 22.03']...And some crisp prose, please. ...

I've been prowling Carey's [i]Sundering [/i]books for quite some time now, so maybe I'll give [i]Banewreaker [/i]a shot. It sounds kinda cool.[/quote]

Well, Carey's prose is lovely, imho, but it's definitely not crisp.

[TakLoufer]

Currently reading Cornwell's [i]The Winter King[/i]. So far I love it. I can't believe I've never read anything by him.

[RedEyedGhost]

[quote name='Ratatoskr' post='1470673' date='Aug 6 2008, 14.03']I'm having a hard time deciding what to read next to restore my sanity.

It must be very, very [i]good[/i], but it also has to be sufficiently straightforward and readable. Oh, and the plotting.[b] The plotting must be impeccable. Clear. Lucid. Lean. [/b]Lean most of all. Free of all dead freight. And some crisp prose, please. Nothing overwrought.[b] A writing style that's unmatched in its clarity is needed here, people.[/b] And for the love of god, no endless pondering the futility of existence in internal monologues by fifty different characters, going on for pages and pages and pages. And pages. In fact, the word "futile" must not occur [i]at all[/i]. Not even [i]once[/i]. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if there actually happened, you know, [i]things[/i] in there. And it can't be too long. [b]Not too long. No, no.[/b]

...

Hey, wanna help a fellow out by dropping him a hint? If you think you know just the thing for me, don't hesitate to mention it. Chances are I got it lying around here somewhere. I'm buying books much faster than I can read 'em after all.[/quote]

The bolded stuff just screams [u]Already Dead[/u] by Charlie Huston. Trust me, just read it.

[quote name='Dylanfanatic' post='1464867' date='Aug 1 2008, 02.14']I never knew you used to live in Memphis! Actually, while Memphis is its own world, it's East Tennessee that most in the Nashville area don't claim outside of Football Saturdays in Knoxville - Memphis has some culture, ya know :P Temp's only going to be in the mid-90s later today, so with the heat index, that's only about 102-106, not bad. I remember last year, when it was around 120-125 and Metro Nashville schools had to let out before noon for a week so the kids could get home safely, since the buses weren't air-conditioned.

As for Abraham, I really need to pick up his second book sometime. Almost did today, but I hate buying MMPBs, so I'll probably order a used hardcover sometime and then get the third book later in the year.[/quote]

Yep, I was there 4 years for optometry school. I was so glad when I was able to get out of there :P It's been over two years since I've been there, and I can't imagine wanting to go back anytime soon.

I finished up [u]An Autumn War[/u] today and it was great! My favorite of his books so far. I'll add some more thoughts in a couple of days, after I get some distance from reading it.