[Teresa Edgerton]

I'm reading The Divided Crown by Isabel Glass, and not enjoying it as much as the previous book in the series, Daughter of Exile. The setting seems less convincing than the last time.

[Erfael]

I finished up Hal Duncan's Ink last night. All in all, a very nice read. It's been a year since I read Vellum, but Ink seemed like an easier read. Perhaps it's because I already had one Duncan book under my belt, perhaps it's because I'm a year older.

The book brings back our whole case of friends from Vellum, along with interweavings inspired by Virgil and Euripides. The wold and crazy structure returns, with sections presented in three different fonts to help the reader follow along with what is going on where. The reason for the seemingly scatalogical structure becomes clear over the course of the book as things fall into place by the end.

I'm not sure Vellum, on its own, made my top five last year, but I think Ink certainly will. It's action-packed, interesting, and emotionally-charged.

Looking up on that, I realize that I say very little about what kind of book it is. Vellum and Ink are a little bit of Moorcock's multiverse, a little bit of the Matrix, a little bit of hardcore action flick, a little bit of a vast conspiracy, a little bit of a war between heaven and hell, a little bit of a lot of different kinds of love story...it's really a great mix of things. And it's near indescribable. I would recommend these for anyone looking for something completely different and who isn't afraid of a little challenge (thinking on it, fans of Gene Wolfe may really appreciate this).

I was a little bit disinclined to pick up Ink after reading Vellum last year. My recollection is that it was a difficult read that didn't make much sense (at least after a year). I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to slip into the rhythms of Duncan's writing again, and this time I followed along for the whole journey, no head-scratching at all.

All in all, very happy with the read.

[Eventine]

Would you recommend a re-read of Vellum first?

[Erfael]

You know, I didn't....and I'm sorely tempted to go back and read it now in light of Ink. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. They're big complex books, and I didn't want to spend the time to reread something I'd just read a year ago. I guess it depends on what you remember or want to remember from Vellum. There's not a synopsis in the front of Ink (there's a section talking about what came before, but it's not a synopsis...not even sure a year later that it's directly relating what happened in Vellum).

I think if you basically remember who the characters were in Vellum, what happened to some of them (Thomas Messenger, Seamus Finnian, and Phreedom seemed to be the ones to really remember the most as far as what "went down," though remembering Jack and Joey and their relationships will help, as will being reasonably familiar with Don and Guy....yep, that's all seven of them. :) ), I think you'll be okay. I was. Do you remember how different Book 1 and Book 2 of Vellum were? Well, Ink is Book 3 and Book 4, and they're just as different, so it isn't as if you'll be picking up from a cliffhanger (even though Vellum sort of was one).

Is that terribly specific enough for you? I guess the short answer is......I just can't say. I sort of wish I had, but I can't say for certain it would have done anything for me. I can't say it wouldn't have, either....

[pat5150]

I just finished reading Carrie Vaughn's latest Kitty novel.

Fun, fast-paced, engaging and entertaining, Kitty Takes a Holiday should not disappoint fans of the series thus far.

Patrick

[Banger]

Just finished The Drawing of the Three by King. It was better than the first Dark Tower book, although I found the first third or so pretty boring and I almost gave up a few times. Once the character of Odetta/Detta was introduced through, things got more interesting. I'll read the next DT book, although honestly I'm not going to expect anything fabulous.

Now I'm starting something fluffy that I found at the library, Green Rider by Kristen Britain.

The third Dark Tower book, The Waste Lands, is excellent, MUCH better than the first two, IMO.

[Murrin]

Started Ink, at long last. Looking forward to the ride.

[Erfael]

Do let us know what you think when you finish, Murrin.

[AuntiePam]

I finished a non-genre book, "The Blind Assassin," by Margaret Atwood. It was wonderful, as all of her books are.

I read this a few years ago, and when I got into a discussion about it, it turns out I didn't get it at all. I don't remember what my problem was -- I think I had a couple of characters confused. I like Atwood too. Alias Grace is my favorite.

I'm reading The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. I really, really like it. A couple of very minor editorial-type nitpicks (you "nock" an arrow, not "knock", I think) but not enough to hurt my enjoyment of the story. Great energy and lots of humor.

[intensityxx]

Yay! I finished the Farseer Trilogy! I'm probably the last one on the board to read it, but thanks to all of you who persist in recommending it year after year, I finally got around to it. It was the most engrossing story I've read in ages, and a wonderful reminder of why I came to sf/f in the first place.

Of course I want to dive right into Liveship Traders, but hoping to avoid burnout, I think I'll read something short and completely different in between.