Reading in February 2010

[Seegee]

I completed the second book of the Eldarn Sequence: Lessek's Key. Despite having some very well written action sequences too much of the book seemed like filler, trying to stretch what should have been 2 books into 3. I've posted a full review at: http://www.travelsthroughiest.blogspot.com if anyone wants to read it.

 

[algernoninc]

Next was Jennifer Fallon's Wolfblade. Let's just say I completed it, but not sure I will continue the series. The human characters were okay, but I didn't care for the Harshini. Any thoughts on any other books by her would be appreciated.
.

I haven't read Wolfblade, but I enjoyed her Second Sons trilogy - I thought it struck the right balance between politics, actions scenes and worldbuilding. With some nice romantic twists thrown in and an economical style that doesn't go for page after page of filler material, it was a pleasant foray into classic epic fantasy as opposed the more modern approach of Lynch, Abercrombie or Morgan.

 

[Oce]

I haven't read Wolfblade, but I enjoyed her Second Sons trilogy - I thought it struck the right balance between politics, actions scenes and worldbuilding. With some nice romantic twists thrown in and an economical style that doesn't go for page after page of filler material, it was a pleasant foray into classic epic fantasy as opposed the more modern approach of Lynch, Abercrombie or Morgan.

Thanks for that Algernonic. Might give it a go sometime, but I have a number of books I am looking forward to reading before then.

 

[SusF]

I finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: Hero of Ages last night, the last book in the trilogy. I'm going to need something lightweight after that while I recover! It was a good set of books though I found myself skimming a lot through the third one to get to the ending to see how it was all resolved.

 

[Loerwyn]

I finished The Stolen Throne last night. The ending was better than I expected and I can't wait for the MMPB version of The Calling to be released in the UK!

 

[DurzoBlint]

Just finished The Rats and the Ruling Sea by Robert VS Redick. Not as good as the first book in the series, The Red Wolf Conspiracy, as I felt it was long winded and at times things felt forced a little to much for my liking.

Moving on to Armageddon Bound by Tim Marquitz. It looks to be a really good and quick read. I have heard quite a bit of good things about this book so I hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[Randy M.]

Another great read that I'm really enjoying dipping into: The Vampire Archive edited by Otto Penzler. A huge 1000+ pages of great stories and authors. [...]
Mark

Nosing around the Internet I found thd following table of contents. I've taken the liberty of putting an asterisk beside the stories I've read elsewhere and especially enjoyed. I'm saving this particular anthology for later in the year.

Randy M.


Table of Contents

Foreword: Kim Newman
Preface: Neil Gaiman
Introduction: Otto Penzler


PRE-DRACULA

Good Lady Ducayne: M. E. Braddon
The Last Lords of Gardonal: William Gilbert
A Mystery of the Campagna: Anne Crawford
The Fate of Madame Cabanel: Eliza Lynn Linton
Let Loose: Mary Cholmondeley
The Vampire: Vasile Alecsandri
The Death of Halpin Frayser: Ambrose Bierce
Ken's Mystery: Julian Hawthorne
Carmilla: Sheridan Le Fanu *
The Tomb of Sarah: F. G. Loring
Ligeia: Edgar Allan Poe
The Old Portrait: Hume Nisbet
The Vampire Maid: Hume Nisbet

TRUE STORIES

The Sad Story of a Vampire: Eric (Count) Stenbock
A Case of Alleged Vampirism: Luigi Capuana
An Authenticated Vampire Story: Franz Hartmann

GRAVEYARDS, CASTLES, CHURCHES, RUINS

Revelations in Black: Carl Jacobi *
The Master of Rampling Gate: Anne Rice
The Vampire of Kaldenstein: Frederick Cowles
An Episode of Cathedral History: M. R. James *
Schloss Wappenburg: D. Scott-Moncrieff
The Hound: H. P. Lovecraft *
Bite-Me-Not Or, Fleur De Fur: Tanith Lee
The Horror at Chilton Castle: Joseph Payne Brennan
The Singular Death of Morton: Algernon Blackwood
The Death of Ilalotha: Clark Ashton Smith

THAT'S POETIC

The Bride of Corinth: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
The Giaour: Lord Byron
La Belle Dame Sans Merci: John Keats *

HARD TIMES FOR VAMPIRES

Place of Meeting: Charles Beaumont *
Duty: Ed Gorman
A Week in the Unlife: David J. Schow

CLASSIC TALES

Four Wooden Stakes: Victor Roman
The Room in the Tower: E. F. Benson *
Mrs. Amworth: E. F. Benson
Doctor Porthos: Basil Copper
For the Blood Is the Life: F. Marion Crawford *
Count Magnus: M. R. James *
When It Was Moonlight: Manly Wade Wellman
The Drifting Snow: August Derleth *
Aylmer Vance and the Vampire: Alice and Claude Askew
Dracula's Guest: Bram Stoker *
The Transfer: Algernon Blackwood
The Stone Chamber: H. B. Marriott Watson
The Vampire: Jan Neruda
The End of the Story: Clark Ashton Smith

PSYCHIC VAMPIRES

The Lovely Lady: D. H. Lawrence
The Parasite: Arthur Conan Doyle
Lonely Women Are the Vessels of Time:
Harlan Ellison

SOMETHING FEELS FUNNY

Blood: Fredric Brown
Popsy: Stephen King
The Werewolf and the Vampire: R. Chetwynd-Hayes
Drink My Red Blood: Richard Matheson *
Dayblood: Roger Zelazny

LOVE . . . FOREVER

Replacements: Lisa Tuttle
Princess of Darkness: Frederick Cowles
The Silver Collar: Garry Kilworth
The Old Man's Story: Walter Starkie
Will: Vincent O'Sullivan
Blood-Lust: Dion Fortune
The Canal: Everil Worrell
When Gretchen Was Human: Mary A. Turzillo
The Story of Chugoro: Lafcadio Hearn

THEY GATHER

The Men & Women of Rivendale: Steve Rasnic Tem
Winter Flowers: Tanith Lee
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady: Brian Stableford
Midnight Mass: F. Paul Wilson

IS THAT A VAMPIRE?

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire: Arthur Conan Doyle *
A Dead Finger: Sabine Baring-Gould
Wailing Well: M. R. James
Human Remains: Clive Barker
The Vampire: Sydney Horler
Stragella: Hugh B. Cave
Marsyas in Flanders: Vernon Lee *
The Horla: Guy De Maupassant *
The Girl With the Hungry Eyes: Fritz Leiber *

THIS IS WAR

The Living Dead: Robert Bloch
Down Among the Dead Men: Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

MODERN MASTERS

Necros: Brian Lumley
The Man Upstairs: Ray Bradbury
Chastel: Manly Wade Wellman
Dracula's Chair: Peter Tremayne
Special: Richard Laymon
Carrion Comfort: Dan Simmons *
The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be: Gahan Wilson

The Vampire: A Bibliography: Compiled by Daniel Seitler

 

[PogiRunner]

I finished Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: Hero of Ages last night, the last book in the trilogy. I'm going to need something lightweight after that while I recover! It was a good set of books though I found myself skimming a lot through the third one to get to the ending to see how it was all resolved.

If you enjoyed the Mistborn trilogy and have not yet read Warbreaker, I recommend it. It too is by Brandon Sanderson and also has a unique magic system.

I found Warbreaker to be a fast read and much 'lighter'. It is a standalone novel.

 

[SusF]

Yes I'm going to get Warbreaker soon. Brandon Sanderson is definitely on my permanent author list.

Right now I'm listening to Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher on the iPod at work. Makes long days of reports a bit less painful.

 

[suciul]

After a detour through sf, I started two new fantasies, both March debuts, one a reasonably hyped Farlander by Col Buchanan,the other a small press one Secrets of the Sands by Leona Wisoker.

They have some similarity as it happens, though so far Farlander is more in the "new style" - darker, grittier, while Secrets is more in the traditional mold, but is well written and gripping so far with characters that are easy to care about. I like both so far and I will read them in the next several days with reviews to come on FBC during March...

 

[NickeeCoco]

Well, I'm at chapter nineteen of C.J. Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time. That's page number 322 in this edition. Though, in any other normal book it'd be about page 450.

The marigins are tiny in this MMPB. The type pretty much starts at the very top of the page and I really have to open the book so I can read the first words of each line. The book is a whopping 773 pages long. I have to bend the spine so much to be able to read it that I'm worried about pages falling out

The font is miniscule! This is not a version of the book to read if you need reading glasses. I don't, but I have to make sure that I have sufficient light. I also have a hard time reading it in bed before I sleep. My eyes tire too quickly trying to focus on it.

These are complaints the author has no control over, I know. But it does get a little annoying. If I'm going to spend $10.50 on a book, I want to make sure it's not going to fall apart on me during my first reading. I strongly suspect that it is.

As for the actual content of the book, I'm a lot more interested now. I find the concept for Tristen to be very interesting. Cheryh has done a good job at making me wonder if certain people's assumptions about him are true or not. This, of course, makes me want to read on.

Cheryh's writing style is pretty good, too. There are a few things that make me cringe a bit. Just some things that feel a bit too cliche for me. For instance: How Mauryl (a wizard) uses thees and thous. Or how suddenly she'll throw in words that stick out like sore thumbs, like "profligate" and then be redundant and follow it with "and unneeded". Then there's the wizard Emuin who

Spoiler

runs off to do some research a la Gandalf.

But really, I dig what I've read thus far. The whole "words and names have power" thing has been done to death, I think, but Cheryh has taken that concept and run with it in a different direction, so that's nice.

Though, I can see Tristen becoming ridiculously powerful, like BrightStar has commented.

And I had no idea this book was part of a series. Good thing it's the first book! Ha!

 

[Astra_]

As for The Graveyard Book, I have yet to be impressed by Gaiman. Everyone seems to love his books but everyone that I have read left me with little impression if any at all.

So far, I have read only 2 books by Gaiman.
1. American Gods - one of the worst books I have ever read.
2. Neverwhere - not bad. 7/10.
Although, I don't have any desire to read anything else by him. Enough is enough.

 

[DurzoBlint]

Just finished Armageddon Bound by Tim Marquitz. I really enjoyed it. I am not a huge urban fantasy reader but the action and black humor was enjoyable. It read like a movie novelization which normally isn't very good but in this case it was a nice diversion from the heavier novels I have read as of late.
I will definitely be reading the sequels as they come out.

That said I am moving to Michael J. Sullivan's The Crown Conspiracy. The reviews claim it is quite a good series so I hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[tyriseus]

I finished Seventh Son by Card last weekend and found it to be very enjoyable. I'll definetly carry on with that series.

Now I'm returning to the world of the great albino wizard Elric in book #2.

 

[Amaunette]

Well, I'm at chapter nineteen of C.J. Cherryh's Fortress in the Eye of Time... And I had no idea this book was part of a series. Good thing it's the first book! Ha!

I'm a big fan of Cherryh so I'm glad you're giving her Fortress series a try! You can stop after the first book if you want - it ends well enough that you don't have to read beyond that if you find it a chore.

I recently finished K J Parker's The Company, which I've been waiting to read for forever it seems. It didn't end quite the way I expected, though perhaps I should have known given other Parker books I've read. I think the beginning part, with all the dialogue and character development, is my favorite. The middle, with lots of description about cargo and details about colony life, gets a little slow but is helped along by action-packed flashbacks. Altogether a five star book, though. Parker's such a great writer. Now if only she'd write a book with characters I like, I'd be happy.

I started reading Andre Norton's Witchworld[/bB] series through the omnibus The Gates to Witch World. The series is about a man from modern times who travels to an alternate world via a celtic artifact. He allies himself with the witches in this world and helps fight evil neighbors. I'm about 100 pages in, which I feel like is a fair try for a book, and I'm starting to lose interest. Too much of this book reminds me of Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion and Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber. This is probably high prise for most people, but I'm only lukewarm about the style. I feel like I've read it all before, and I know that Norton is a classic fantasy author, so I know that's unfair. I'm just not feeling hooked.

I recently picked up N. K. Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I'm trying not to read it, since I need it for a trip I'll be taking this weekend, but I did sneak a peek at the first chapter and I am very excited. I've been following the author's online presence since RaceFail2009, so I'm excited to read a book from someone whose political opinions I'm already familiar with. It doesn't hurt that it's already received great reviews.

 

[The K]

I´ve just finished all current Thomas Covenant Novels and thank god it´s over. I liked them well enough but it was definitely a mistake to read them in a row. After a time I just wanted it to end.
From now on I will pause after 3 books and pick up something else, so I won´t get bored and don´t give a story the attention it deserves.

Now I´m 200 pages into Black Sun Rising and it´s hard to put down.

I also succeeded in talking my friend into reading a book for a change. Thinking that a standalone would be best, because it wouldn´t be so intimidatingly big for a beginner, I lend him Tigana.
If that won´t draw him into fantasy literature nothing will.

 

[NickeeCoco]

I started reading Andre Norton's Witchworld series through the omnibus The Gates to Witch World.

That's funny. I was very close to buying that very omnibus this weekend. It was in my hand and I actually carried it around a bit while I browsed at other stuff. I ended up putting it down in favour for some Cherryh and Sheri S. Tepper. I read a couple of the Witch World books years and years ago. (I'm talking. . .16-18 years ago?) I liked them then, but I was looking for something more "literature" (like the snob that I am), so I went with the choices I did.

 

[Seak]

Just finished Armageddon Bound by Tim Marquitz. I really enjoyed it. I am not a huge urban fantasy reader but the action and black humor was enjoyable. It read like a movie novelization which normally isn't very good but in this case it was a nice diversion from the heavier novels I have read as of late.
I will definitely be reading the sequels as they come out.

That said I am moving to Michael J. Sullivan's The Crown Conspiracy. The reviews claim it is quite a good series so I hope it lives up to the hype.

So glad you liked it (AB), I was worried you would think, what the heck was seak thinking?!?!?!

Crown Conspiracy's good stuff.

I'm currently reading The Way of Shadows. Almost done actually and really enjoying it. Having a hard time putting it down to go to sleep at night actually. There are a few things that are bugging me, like lots of grammatical mistakes, but otherwise really fun.

 

[Warewolf]

Just finished up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Monday. While not as good as Order of the Phoenix, it was still very enjoyable. Looking forward to reading the last book...

 

[Loerwyn]

I don't know what to read.
I'm half tempted to try A Game of Thrones.