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The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett


Werthead

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[quote name='cseresz' post='1547486' date='Oct 8 2008, 06.34']Thanks for the info. I have another question. From Brett's blog:

Is it good news or a bad one? (I like reading long books.)[/quote]

My edition is an ARC which is 542 pages and packed a fair amount into it. It felt the right size for the book.

[quote]Dude, that should so be your custom title: "Literary Hulk".[/quote]

:D
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Just finished it last night, and I really enjoyed it. It doesn't stray too far from the norm in the beginning, but it starts to break out in the latter part, and the central concept is new to me at least. Peter Brett's ability as a writer and his willingness to portray the fluidness of the human condition are what really carry this book. I am eagerly awaiting the next volume in this series.
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Just posted the interview with Brett on the Hotlist.

The author comes across as a really nice guy, and I'm intrigued enough to move this one up in the rotation! :)

Check it out!

Patrick
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[quote name='eef eef cummings' post='1550532' date='Oct 10 2008, 09.03']*sigh* I went to a bookseller here near work and got told it's not coming out until April next year. They could order a hardback copy from the US for me, though. :bang:[/quote]


I got my copy from play.com for about a tenner, with free shipping, hardback too.
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[quote name='eef eef cummings' post='1550532' date='Oct 10 2008, 01.03']*sigh* I went to a bookseller here near work and got told it's not coming out until April next year. They could order a hardback copy from the US for me, though. :bang:[/quote]
Go to [url="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=0007276133"]Bookdepository.com.[/url] Around $20 US, free shipping, and it usually gets there within a week.
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[quote name='pat5150' post='1550370' date='Oct 9 2008, 20.03']Just posted the interview with Brett on the Hotlist.[/quote]
Cool interview, thanks! I liked his comments regarding the whole YA thing.

I hope to finish the book this weekend.
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No no, it's not the issue of not getting it -- it's that they say it's not coming out until April, which is flat-out wrong. Paperback, maybe, but the hardback is definitely out. And they won't order from the UK, which, y'know, is [i]on the same island[/i], but they will from the US.

Went to another store tonight, who said it was in stock, but who didn't have it out of the storeroom. *sigh*

I should be able to get it in the next week or so, I imagine. Luckily I managed to pick up some other books to tide me over. :P
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[quote name='Werthead' post='1548341' date='Oct 8 2008, 23.00']My edition is an ARC which is 542 pages and packed a fair amount into it. It felt the right size for the book.[/quote]
You missed the point here, Werthead, what I was about to say that the book seems to me too tight:

[quote]I may write several paragraphs on the politics of a situation, or the complex cultural rules guiding the characters’ actions, and then sum it all up in one carefully crafted line of dialogue ...[/quote]
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Nah, it's tight enough. Written in just enough detail to make it seem rich without going overboard.

I just finished Stephen Deas' [i]The Adamantine Palace[/i] and was disappointed to find it the opposite, mostly in the second half of the novel: he skimps over major events and scenes very quickly, giving little depth and resonance to events. It was one of the few times I finished the book wishing it had been longer so the huge earth-shaking events had more build-up and felt more significant when they happened.
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[quote name='Werthead' post='1553141' date='Oct 12 2008, 20.33']Nah, it's tight enough. Written in just enough detail to make it seem rich without going overboard.[/quote]

Now my mind is at rest on the matter. Thanks.
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Just finished, and I have to say, it was a very easy read. Brett wrote, imo, a compelling story. I will admit, I was tempted to put the book down at the end of Arlen's first chapters...I felt like I knew exactly where the story was going. And I was right, sort of. However, I had time to kill and read further, and was hooked by Leesha's story (and later Rojer). This book does not deviate from standard fantasy fare, but the three main characters are so well written and the plot is so forward-driven that I ended up captivated. The ending was satisfying, yet definitely left me wanting to read more.

I think the series, like the first book, has the potential to grow darker and more complex, and I for one am eagerly looking forward to the next book.

WRT the whole YA thing: good vs evil is very clear-cut, which makes the story [i]very[/i] simple. I think Brett has laid some good groundwork for political intrigue, and I do hope he expands further, but at the end of the day, the enemy is very clear. This is very black-and-white.

I will say, I [i]very much[/i] like Brett's characterization of women throughout the novel. He captured many complexities, without generalizing or seeming overly mastorbatory (Lynch, I'm looking at you). Well done.
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Just finished this one earlier. It took me a while to get into it, because the rural village setting is [i]so[/i] familiar, but once Leesha's story got going it drew me in (despite skirting dangerously close to over-familiar there too) and from there on out it was plain sailing.

The worry I have for the series is that by the end of the book the repetitive nature of the demon attacks started getting a little annoying, and if he doesn't make it something more it's going to get tedious after three books. There are hints that it'll come to more than that though.

Overall, it's not as good as this year's other strong debut (Red Wolf Conspiracy), and certainly not as good as the Abercrombies, Lynches and Rofthusses of recent years, but it earns a place on the 'looking forward to see how the next one goes' shelf.
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  • 2 weeks later...
I really did enjoy this book. As already said, it's very well paced and as a result is hard to put down. I thought the Leesha parts were the most predictable, as I liked what Brett did with Arlen.

My fear is that the Desert Spear will just be an army book. Which is all well and good, just not something I particularly enjoy. I'll certainly be be buying it anyway.
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Just finished it, and I enjoyed it. Brett can write, and even in those chapters where nothing much happens, it's still enjoyable. Granted, I liked Arlens story better than Leesha and Rojers. The Darkness in the story was welcome, and I hope the story becomes even darker in the sequel.

I particulary liked the contrast between cosy villages and the scorching desert. Brett can write good scenery, and mix it with good characters and a nice story.

Can't wait for the sequel :thumbsup:

But it wasn't as good a debut as Abercrombie. No way.
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