Reading in March
 

Little bit slow out of the traps this month (it's 2nd March here!) but I guess better late than never. :)

What books have we read this month and what did you think?

Hobbit

Still reading Ash...

So far, so very very good.

I KNEW IT! :) :D

LOL....pleased you are enjoying it NOM.... I'll say no more! :)

Hobbit

Ash is an excellent read, glad they finally got it here in the states.......

Just read your Book Club forum, read Gardens of the Moon when it first came out 3 (4) years ago, now that I just finished HoC maybe it's time to revist to boys (and ladies)

I picked up The Mists of Avalon after hearing a lot about it and so far read the first part of the book. It's going pretty well so far, though maybe no exceptional, but it seems a really good book.

Still reading ROTK, stayed up till 4AM reading :O awesome!

I just finished Pattern Recognition by William Gibson over the weekend so that counts in March. Great book, well-written and is worth your time as a reader of genre fiction.

I just started Across the Nightingale Floor. I know that it is aimed at younger readers, but I was intrigued by the name of the book.

DrB

OK. dumb question I,m sure. What is Ash? Thanks.

phedra, I really think Ash is something you would enjoy - blends Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, History and would well fit in line with the type of book you mention on your initial post.

Here are two reviews from SFSite:
http://www.sfsite.com/10b/ash91.htm
http://www.sfsite.com/04a/ashus78.htm

HA! beat you to it Hobbit!

LOL

I'm not allowed to say too much, Phedra. :) I have ranted about this book a lot over the past few years and am trying to claim my commission. :D

It (the UK omnibus edition) is one of the most extraordinary reads that I have read (and reread!) in over 30+ years of reading the stuff.

I keep lending copies out but never getting them back. I have a signed HB edition which is very useful as a coffee table when not being read.

I'll let Fitz's threads tell you the rest!

Hobbit

Ok Hobbit, why were you so sure I'd enjoy it. Not just the mercenary thing, surely?

NOM

Farseer
 

I'm just finishing Royal Assassin, the second book of the Farseer Trilogy. It's *****ing great. Got about 60 pages left.

I'm reading Hobb for the first time, and really enjoying it so far. I plan to finish up the trilogy this month, and then either finish up the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, or keep going with Hobb's other works.

-Elendil!

Just finished up the Ill Made Mute.
It had stuff I liked and stuff I didn't like.

Considering I'm usually tolerant of authors others would describe as "overly descriptive" such as Wurts, sometimes Dart-Thornton managed to totally bore me with the lists of every item on a shelf in a house, or the fashions of the people in a city. It was only a minor irritation however, and to the authors credit one that doesn't appear often enough to have put me off reading a sequel.

What annoyed me more was the introduction of Prince Charming. Or Thorn. Or whatever his name was. It seemed like the author was describing her perfect guy. I could almost see the puddles of drool mixed in with the print. I'm over the whole faultless/charming/undefeatable in battle/wise/mega attractive/environmentally friendly hero type, and the addition of this guy didn't do much for me.

I liked the whole use of folk lore in the stories. It's good to read about creatures you normally wouldn't find outside of The Magical Faraway Tree in an adult context - it's easy to forget that a few hundred years ago people actually believed in Brownies, Gnomes, etc.


The final thing that annoyed me and had nothing to do with the work of the author whatsoever was the quality of the book. It had a flimsy cover and ultra thing pages which made it a bit unwieldy to hold. If the publishers hadn't been massive tight arses and doubled the thickness of the cover I would have been a lot happier.

So I've got nothing to read at the moment. Time to post a topic asking for reccomendations I think... ;)

In fairness, i think he's fairly confident that everyone will like it. :D :D

It's a very good book - but i still think the ending SUCKED. I cryed. Isn't it odd, NOM, how some authors are mean enough to make you cry ;)

I'm almost finished GG Kay's Lord of Emperors...and all I can say is "wow". Beautifully written. I'm tempted to read Tigana or A Song for Arbonne next! But after seeing the posts about Ash. I think I'll tackle that next. It'll fit the mercenary theme of books that I think I'll be reading for the next little while - Chronicle of the Raven and just maybe Deadhouse Gates. I don't think I can get enough of the grit!

LOL

Thank you Sammie!

Yes, I know what has been said about the ending - I'm not even sure I got it after two read-throughs. In the end I can see that it is suitable if a little downbeat - Gentle has a habit of producing somewhat dark and depressing endings! (If ever a person was inappropriately named then I guess this is one!)

NOM - why would you like it? Erm - characterisation, historical depth (she knows her stuff!), and plain gritty violence - battle scenes that are nasty, brutish and probably quite realistic (within a fantasy context! :) ) not to mention plot twists that tend to make you go....oh, WOW....now that make sense! :)

Remind you of another author's work perhaps? ;)


Sorry to hijack the thread folks, but you did ask. :)

I'll be quiet now.

Hobbit

I really am going to give ASH a try... I tended to avoid Gentle after the Golden Witchbreed dross.

But I do know this work is touted as better.

Okay... my reads... I have just re-read the 3 Song Of Ice and Fire books, just made a start on a non fantasy book, The Devil's Acolyte, by Michael Jecks.. it is a medieval murder mystery.

I tried the witchbreed stuff, Den - it just doesn't COMPARE with 'Ash'. Totally different leagues!

A Game of thrones
Tigana
Little, Big

And all because of the thread 'Single greatest fantasy' or something like that anyway.

I'm also reading 'Why men don't listen and why women can't read maps' which is hilarious and sooooooo true.

er and Ray Mears 'Bushcraft' which is ace and great reference book for writers of survival fantasy type stuff.

Juzzza...

What did you think of A Game Of Thrones?

Haven't read it yet Cad, they are my planned reads for March. Oops is this a 'have read' thread? My bad if it is...

At the moment I am reading Wood Beyond the World by William Morris and enjoying it very much . Finally , after five weeks waiting , The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany has arrived , I'll be reading this next .

Finished Chris Bunch's Empire Stone and Chitra Banerjee Divarakuni's The Conch Bearer.
Next up: James Barclay's Dawnthief.

Cad - I think I've said it before, but it really does bear repeating...ASH is FAR superior to Golden Witchbreed which I read last year and didn't really like either.

Nevyn - looks like you're trying to rival Llama and jfclark as the resident scholars in Classic pre-Tolkien Fantasy.

Well, since I just finished my MBA/MS Engineering program (after three years...graduation's in May, hooray!!!), I finally have time to read again, so...

As per jbcohen's instructions :D , I am now about halfway through Dragons of a New Age from the Dragonlance series. I wanted to jump into Weis & Hickman's War of Souls, but he said I should read this series and this other one first, so...

Sammie, yeah but you'll be smiling come July... (such mystery).

Hobbit, got me in one... can't deny it, guilty as charged etc etc.

Oooh!! Did ya get me a 21st b'day pressie? :D

*all anticipation, now!*

Something like that ;)

Coool. Plleeeeeeeeease don't make me cry again, though! :(

Am having break from reading fantasy atm, btw folks, or i really WOULD be more on topic!

*off to tell the historical fiction ppl what she's reading*

Cadfael shows just 4 inches of Terminus Est....

I am gonna hold you to that!!!

so.. July then? :D

Can you not just get of your butt, put ASH down and make it sooner!!!!:D :D :D

I know I know... in the hand of your publishers... but you could phone them!!!!

KUDOS!