[Mithfânion]

Kiss of shadows by Laurel Hamilton.

This is apparently the same woman who wrote the Anita Blake books, which I'm told are not half bad. Let's hope they are not anything like Kiss of Shadows.

It's classified as Fantasy but it's nothing other than soft porn. It's bubblegum. No explanation is given as to what the Sidhe are, nor what the difference is with the Fey (the fact that I happen to like Celtic mythology and knew about these things before changes nothing about the lack of info about the book). It's like one of these bouquet romance novels in which the main lead, Merry Gentry, a five foot woman with Sidhe blood, stunning golden eyes which she has to hide from the population and magnificent body, encounters the most fabulous men and cannot help but stare at their huge erections. There are descriptions of sex every five pages, whole scenes being described into detail. This is Fantasy indeed LoL.
"and I felt I couldn't resist his blue eyed stare while he penetrated me"

Seriously, even when Merry (who is a Private detective) is wired with some recording equipment, pages are devoted to describing how the man who installs the material on her bra just cannot stop staring at her wonderful, small Sidhe breasts.

Aside from this being porn, there's also the fact that she does the most ridiculous things. I bought this book for my girl's birthday a while ago and she informed me that it was preposterous and couldn't get through it because of the porn and the ridiculous events and lack of explanation. I checked it out, agreed, but couldn't finish the book (something quite rare).

End rant

Terrible book.

[This message has been edited by Mithfânion (edited January 03, 2002).]

[Belgarion]

I think you have described George RR Martin in disguise!!

Sorry to hear that it spoiled your girlfriend's present.

Try giving her the book "A night in the lonesome October" by the late Roger Zelanzy.

An excellent read which I very much enjoyed over xmas.

[Mithfânion]

Yeah, it wasn't too cool of a present, but it wasn't the only one http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

I think I will give her that book you mentioned, I've heard it mentioned quite often. What's it about?

As for GRRM, he doesn't come close in his sexual descriptions. Anyone who'll complain about that in the future will find me advising them to read Kiss of Shadows http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Qin]

You know, I was thinking about starting a thread discussing this very same issue due to a book I attempted to read, which I detail in the paragraphs below.

Elaine Cunningham. I will forever avoid anything by that wretched wretched writer. And Lucas is letting her play in the Star Wars universe? Considering that he's letting Nsync appear for a split second in Episode II, it all makes perfect sense.

Anyhow, Evermeet - and anything else by this woman - must be avoided at all costs. It's a step up from the Baldur's Gate novelization. It's worse than Eddings, Goodkind and Brooks combined. R.A. Salvatore may as well be the god of forgotten realms novels compared to her.

Stay away! If you value your life and sanity, stay away from this awful, wretched dreck!

If you have read The Silmarillion and enjoyed it, do not even *dare* come near this. It is a blatant and horrid copy of the Silmaril. The dialogue is flat and stale, the names are typical trite D&D inspired names that come out of third degree name generators, and the plot is a carbon copy of the Silmarillion. Gods fights, swords are broken, affairs are had, evil and good duke it out, and so forth. It is PURE ASS.

This was the nail in the coffin for me as far as D&D books go. Occasionally I find them fun to read (Richard Baker's The City of Ravens was surprisingly good for a D&D novel, as was the cover), but unless higher ups at TSR (always and forever) allow new and talented writers to step in and refertilize the playground, things will only get worse.

The proof? Philip Athans and Drew Karpyshyn are allowed to pursue careers in writing.

[Mithfânion]

Qin

Considering that he's letting Nsync appear for a split second in Episode II, it all makes perfect sense.

You mean JustinTimberl... Uh I mean Hayden Christensen? http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

It's a step up from the Baldur's Gate novelization. It's worse than Eddings, Goodkind and Brooks combined. R.A. Salvatore may as well be the god of forgotten realms novels compared to her.

Lol! You couldn't have made it any clearer than that! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Since I truly cherish the Silmarillion, I'll give this one a very wide berth. But then I don't read books based on AD&D anyway.



[This message has been edited by Mithfânion (edited January 03, 2002).]

[Qin]

Sadly, the cover and prologue to the book are actually fairly decent, as far as high fantasy goes.

The rest of the book though....ugn. Pure ass. I'd rather read Dennis McKeirnan, and we all know what he's like...

[Belgarion]

Mith,

ahhhh....that would give it away!! It is full of suspense and mystery.

It centres around 6 animals....a dog, cat, bat, squirel, snake and rat!

I leave it there!! :-))

[Qin]

It centres around 6 animals....a dog, cat, bat, squirel, snake and rat!

Oh my. *Qin's gutter-space renting mind goes into hyper-drive mode*

[Belgarion]

and your point is........

It is better and scarier than watership down!

[SusF]

I agree, Kiss of Shadows was pretty bad. Yep, Hamilton is the same one that wrote the Anita books. Those books, too, have sadly gone down the slippery slide into the abyss recently as well.

If you liked the Anita books, don't even THINK of reading Narcissus in Chains, which is a poorly constructed excuse for poorly written sex scenes, discussion on penile girth and length, etc. That woman has lost her mind.

She's also showing up at Cons wearing outfits that she thinks Anita would wear. But hasn't read any of her own books since she's written them, so she's forgotten what Anita DOES wear. Sigh. That woman has lost her mind and whatever writing skills she ever possessed.

Susan