2003 releases read

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The Elder Gods
David & Leigh Eddings
Voyager - July 15 HC
UK
What can say. Eddingses are my favourite authors and I love everything they have written. "The Elder Gods" pleased me very, very much. I read it in a single day and I'm currently re-reading it.
The plot, I must say, surprised me. There are similarities to "The Belgariad", but they are few. The villains are much different and a real challenge to the good guys, because of their strange thinking (they are bugs, actually). The good guys also a different story - there is no Belgarathish character for example.
The battles are quite cool, and the closing scenes with the raging volcanos are a potential classic. Also, here we see the negative effects of the war. In the end, there is a great promise for the next book.
So, I rate this book ten out of ten - but that's hardly a surprise. I just love Eddings'books.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J. K. Rowling
Bllomsbury - June 21 HC
UK
The best book in Potter-series so far. Much more epic and grand than the previous one, it pleased me with it' nice atmospheres, wonderful characters and hearth-stopping twists i the plot.
Rate it ten out of ten - another unsurprising mark. It's Harry Potter, after all.

Talon of the Silver Hawk
Raymond E. Feist
Eos - June 15 HC
USA
Feist started his third big Midkemian saga and I'm quite pleased of the beginning. The main hero, Talon is annoying sometimes, but the sons of Pug are really cool characters. Also, i liked the swordsmasters tournament.
A good book, but I expect more from the next one.
rate it 8 out of ten.

Crossroads of Twilight
Robert Jordan
Tor - February HC
USA
OK, I know that it's not in the rank of the first books, but it is not that bad. Actually, I didn't read the whole Elayne chapter, 'cause I hate them, but the storylines of Egwene, Mat and perrin was quite interesting. We saw Darkhounds in the book, or at least their trails and Aran-gar finally started to do her dirty job.
So it's quite entertaining.
Rate it 7 out of ten.
 
Two chapters and a prolougue into The Darkness that Comes Before, and already I would recommend this book at anyone. Not since I read A Game of Thrones four years ago have I been this enthralled by a fantasy book- not even by Hobb, Keyes, or Tad Williams. The writing and worldbuilding are amazing- particularly the former; it is on par with Guy Gavriel Kay. As for the plot...that remains to be seen, as I am only on about page 75. It certainly has potential and I will comment further when I am done.

Don't wait for this book to be released in America; you can order it online at www.amazon.ca
 
I think im a little farther into The Darkness that Comes Before than Haffyd is, but id offer up the same advice. Although not much has happened, it is well written and has that feeling of greatness to it. I was dissapointed that it wasnt offered in hardcover though.

I just got Lords of Snow and Shadows today and will try to have it finished by monday so ill post opinions of it when im done.

Edit: finished LoSaS. It was ok, unless you are a collector i wouldnt shell out the 20+ to buy the hardcover but definately worth a read at some point
 
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I've read The Darkness that Comes Before and i was very impressed with it. An excellent book. I'd strongly recommend it, especially if you like Erikson.
 
So Far ive read House of Chains by Erikson and The Briar King by Keyes. Im just starting The Lord of Snow and Shadow and i ordered The Darkness that Comes Before from Amazon/Canada based on the dicussions here.

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-House of Chains was pretty good, i hoped for a bigger fight after all the marching but the ghosts rising up in the desert was great. The ending really got me excited for Midnight Tides. I love Eriksons discriptions, expecially the butterflies that arrived with the ghosts of the Chain of Dogs. Really cool imagery.

The Briar King was a fantastic book, one of the best ive read in years. I love the new take on the Greenman and the way Keyes just kept killing people off reminded me alot of Martin. He doesnt have any qualms about offing a main charcter or two along the way. The ending of the book really gave a great sense of evil and i am really looking forward to the Charnal Prince.
 
This past weekend I just finished Grass For His Pillow, by Lian Hearn, book 2 of the Tales of the Otori.

I had an ARC, otherwise I would have had to wait for it to go into PB. It was good, but not as captivating as book 1.

I liked the development of Kaede, she grows and becomes very much the POV for me (though technically the story alternates between Kaede and Takeo). The story is still told in a very spare manner, and in book 1 it seemed lyrical, in book 2 it seems a bit closer to superficial. The book is less than 300 pages, yet Takeo gets a prophesy that he will be in 5 battles. None of them take place in book 2, so that leaves presumably a final book of around 300 pages to conduct five battles, and sort out the love affair -- a tall order given the pace and level of detail of the first two books.

The other change is that book 1 blew the story out of the water, in terms of following what you would expect. Several of the main characters and the seemingly main villian all die by the end of book 1, leaving the question of what will be the content of book 2 ? Unfortunately book 2 does not seem to grasp the bold new direction that book 1 sets up. I won't go into a lot of details and spoil it for any who are or plan to read it.

There is an exquisite scene where several of the characters are sitting on a veranda in the evening, in silence, watching snow fall on a Japanese garden, which is described so perfectly that you feel you are there watching with them.

I did like it, and I will read book 3, but I am not as excited by book 2 as I was by book1 (The Nightingale Floor )
 
Recently finished Leah Cutter's debut novel The Paper Mage. I had hopes for this work as it was Asian-themed and, being a stand alone, looked to be a nice quick read. However, Ms. Cutter is not the greatest writer or storyteller. She is hardly the worst, but as more and more authors enter the fold, it is becoming clear that quite a few of them do have a fair ability and have a way to infuse their work with a vivid and compelling imagination. This latter bit can hugely help tepid or lax prose, whereas toothy prose cannot bolster a dull and flat land/dreamscape on paper. Cecilia Dart-Thornton is a prime example of this. No matter how determined a wordsmith, the story itself just never appears as captivating or fully fleshed to draw me in. Cutter suffers much the same without really seeming to break any sweat in the prose department.

Cutter also exhibits a technique that rarely works. Namely the juxtapositioning of past and present; chapter by chapter. The constant jumping back and forth is jarring and tends to break any real character and plot development that this book so desperately needs. It does not relaly allow for momentum to build, anticipation to grow or interest to really continue. Also, quite frankly, I found the whole 'western' aspect of the plot to almost be a kind of sellout. As if Ms. Cutter was unable to tell a tale completely immersed in the culture that she used as her inspiration. Basically, dipping her toe in the water to test it first.


The other recent read was Kristen Britain's First Rider's Call. I must preface by mentioning that I thought the first book in this 'series', The Green Rider, was hardly the stuff of legend (no pun intended). It was okay, but struck me almost a fan-fic in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. It took the whole book to shake that feeling off and some residue still remained.
Britain has gotten quite a bit better. her storytelling abilities have definitely improved. Taking her time for this sequel was the wise thing to do. I think this is possibly a case where the editor played a significant role in getting the best out of an author. The storyline is terse and yet there is nice backstory leeway to provide color and to allow for more works within an expanding and more interesting world-building exercise. Still a few Lackey vibes, but in a good way. Britain is nowhere near as indulgent with her characters as Lackey is; nor does Britain seem to wallow in overkill as Lackey is sometimes (and more frequently) apt to be guilty of.

Plotwise, Britain does have a fumble or two. The book starts off with a rather disconcerting lurch, as if you lifted your foot to take a step and found yourself fifty feet further down the path when it hits the ground. As much as I hate gratuitious recap, Britain really does not bridge the two books well. A necessity when the gap tends to be measured in several years. Laura Resnick did this wonderfully in The White Dragon, her follow-up to In Legend Born. Otherwise, Britain has done an admirable job of stepping back from the precipice of discontinued reading. I shall be looking forward to another novel in this world. No something that I will be longing for with bated breath, but still a nice interim book that satifies for some nice quick summer reading.
 
Originally posted by JohnH
Recently finished Leah Cutter's debut novel The Paper Mage. I had hopes for this work as it was Asian-themed and, being a stand alone, looked to be a nice quick read. However, Ms. Cutter is not the greatest writer or storyteller.

[snip]

No matter how determined a wordsmith, the story itself just never appears as captivating or fully fleshed to draw me in. Cutter suffers much the same without really seeming to break any sweat in the prose department.

Cutter also exhibits a technique that rarely works. Namely the juxtapositioning of past and present; chapter by chapter. The constant jumping back and forth is jarring and tends to break any real character and plot development that this book so desperately needs. It does not relaly allow for momentum to build, anticipation to grow or interest to really continue

[snip]
Click to expand...

I have to agree that this book is not as good as I hoped it would be. I started it maybe in June or July, and am still very near the begining. It is not a hard read, but it is so bland and unsatisfying that I put it down, and only pick it up when I have nothing else to read. Who knows when I will finish it.

My main problem so far is that both the female characters are doormats. In the prolog, Mei-Mei shows possibilities, but she gives it all up to be a traditional female, and stay with her family.

Then she uses her niece to take her place, earn the heavenly rewards, and yet turn them over the her aunt. The niece, at the start anyway - have no idea how it ends, goes along with this stupidity. But she too spends all her time, lamenting her difference, and wishing to be just another doormat for her family and the males.

While all this may be authentic to how women behaved at the time, it is damned annoying to read about page after page.
 
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I finished this past weekend, The Well of Lost Plots, by Jasper Fforde. It is the 3rd book in the Thursday Next saga.

I have to say I didn't like it as much as the other 2. In this story Thursday, pregnant, hunted, and still missing her time-expunged husband jumps into the book world (with her pregnant Dodo, and her 108 year old Granny) to find a safe place to hide out and have her baby. She takes over as a character in a terrible un-published book....

My problem was that it seemed the story was a series of set-up scenes with nothing much to set-up for, until almost the end of the book. Thursday pops in and out of various fiction locations (real and non-real books, the Library, the Well of Lost Plots) while meeting characters (some new, some recurring) and working on several nebulous long running plot threads, but nothing defininte or vibrant or new until the end. I kept waiting to get to the story, to get to the really good parts and they seemed mostly absent.:(

I actually put the book down while in the middle, to read another, non-fiction book. I didn't hate it, but perhaps I was expecting too much, that it would live up to Lost in a Good Book (#2) and it didn't.

I will still read the next one :) in July 2004, but the waiting won't seem so hard now.
 
Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint. Well it is a curse and a blessing to be a fan of de Lint. I will buy almost anything by the man, often spending exorbitant sums of money for small press books and oop stuff, so it was inevitable that I would buy this. However, he is prolific as hell, with new books constantly out and all sorts of good stuff happening in the small press arena over at Subterranean press. It was almost a foregone conclusion that I would like this book since I have loved just about everything that he has published. That being said: this was another great de Lint novel. It is set in his Newford city series of novels and stories. No, you don't need to have read any other Newford stories to get into this one, but it might enhance your reading pleasure to get familiar with some of the characters. It might also be a great place to pick up the Newford stories and follow de Lint, he doesn't make it too hard for this one to stand on it's own.

De Lint does a very nice job with the ideas and technical computer stuff expressed in this novel. Basically the premise of the novel is finding that some spirits inhabit the technology of the world and live in the internet. Trust me, it is not corny. Always with de Lint he does a very nice job with the ideas, even when they seem as silly as that. Plot is pretty much guaranteed to be irrelevant in de Lint's novels, where ideas and tight characterizations reign supreme, however, the plot here is just fine. It is a fast paced novel, and a good read.
 
The Anvil of the World : If you are not already a Kage Baker fan, I implore you to become one directly. Simply put, I believe she is one of the best kept secrets in the genre. Her Company series of novels are outstanding. She is also very prolific with stories appearing constantly in the various magazines every month. Her new novel is set in a new world, her first fantasy world, and would be a perfect opportunity for folks to get familiar with her.

Her style is clever, quirky, and definetly irreverent. She draws her characters very well, then has all sorts of fun dissecting their various foibles within a great plot and exciting settings.

The basic plot is a semi-retired assassin trying to get out of the biz and the different scenarios he can get involved in when thrown together with a diverse crowd including a pubescent girl, a cook, a quarter-demon with powerful parents, and a vegetarian. Very fun.

Of all of the great books being released this year, I was anticipating this one the most (well... maybe tied with Wolves of the Calla). It did not disappoint. Ms. Baker brought the goods with her classic style and witty humor, and was definetly worth my hardback money. Pick up this book, then pick up everything in her Company series (including the top ten of 2002 by Locus magazine: Black Projects, White Knights which is a collection of her Company shorts) and you won't be disappointed at all.

Kage is also a regular poster over at the deadcities forum along with Matt Stover.

DrB
 
I like DeLint's stuff. Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to look for that one DrB.

Susan
 
A couple of new additions to the shelves. First was Rosemary Edghill's Vengeance of Masks. The copyright date says first editions were published in both 2002 and 2003. I am not sure that the first year was not a limited release. So it is included here. For an independent press book, it was quite good. I am usually a bit leery of those as the quality sometimes is a bit off. This was interesting and managed to surmount the the built-in blandness that can come with a reality and fantasy worlds collide. I do see hints of Moorcock and Tanith Lee in this work. But the author has a nice wry wit when approaching these influences that makes it all quite palatable. I do recommend her as it would be nice to see a minor publishing house get a few 'star's in their stable and her writing is certainly better by far than the likes of Haydon, Douglass, Farland or Drake -- all who have rather nice hardcover contracts with Tor.

The next book read, was Quicksilver Rising by Stan Nicholls. Nothing great, not even really that good. Just not bad.
Problem that Nicholls is that he is writing as if he was basing this all on a gaming world; a type of book I loathe: very Weis and Hickman; yuck! He really has established little to no true back story and has create a paper thin series of machinations etc. that really are quite bland and dull. The suspense is much like that of the typical action movie starring ___________ who no matter what they face, you know is not going to die. Blah all around. Oddly, I can see many taking to this author though; just as so many have taken to a few other authors that I really find a bit insipid and just lacking overall in substance.
 
I finished last week The Years of Rice and Salt , by Kim Stanley Robinson. It came out in PB in 2003. I was not sure which forum to list this in because he is a SF writer, but the book is called an alternate history.

The premise is that the black plague wipes out 95% of the Europeans, and makes them and christianity just a minor footnote in a world developed by the powers of the east: China, India, and the various Islamic states. The story covers about 600+ years. KSR does this by setting up a group of characters and using the eastern mechanism of re-incarnation to weave them into various cultures, countries, and time periods. Consequently there is also a big dose of eastern religion and metaphysics added to the history.

Most of the characters are humble people who lead ordinary lives, except for a few who actually shape their world. In between the stories of their lives KSR lets us meet the characters in 'limbo' where they are waiting to be judged and their next re-incarnation to be decided upon. When they are back in the world they mostly don't remember their time in the 'bardo', or each other. KSR divides the book in multiple chapters, set in several 'books'. He also spends a lot of time preaching about his theories and the philosophies of history that he believes in.

I found the book to break into three stylistic parts. The first is about living in the east from the point of view of various people: from slave, pirate, tiger, mongol, up to rebel Sultana. These people move through time, and the different cultures/countries of the east. I enjoyed his characters, but since they weren't developing into a unified story I began to tire of popping in and out of these lives. At about that time the next phase of the book started and this is where the gold is in this book. He had several stories of characters who were extraordinary people in terms of being scientists, and philosophers. He had one man who seemed to combine all the scientific discovery of the west from Da Vinci to Newton and beyond. There was a story about a wonderful philosopher, where KSR starts to put forward his ideas about history. The highpoint is the story of the Widow Kang. This part finishes up, and the next phase starts. It seems to be KSR bringing them into the modern age, and doing a lot of preaching. He seemed to be aiming at us and our consumer lifestyle, while people in other parts of the world starve.

Overall I thought the middle part was best, and wished he could have worked the first part into it, and done away with the last part. It was over 700 pages and really didn't need to be. In terms of his constructing an alternate history from the eastern perspective - not even close. He basically rewrote our real history and cast eastern players.

He never dealt with the plague deaths in the east, the consequence of the Crusades or the Mongol invasion on Islam. Nor did he spend any time in the ancient seats of great Islamic learning: Baghdad, Cairo, Persia, Grenada, and Cordoba, which were all established well before the plague. He also didn't deal with any of the learning passed on from ancient pre-islamic civilizations such as the Assyrians, or the Sumerians, or the Babylonians. He spent even less time on the Indians and the Chinese, and their ancient pasts. So the eastern cultures of the book were eastern only in the most superficial manner. He seemed to be saything that although there may be progress through history, individual lives are still individual tragedies - even when they are striving to progress.

I did enjoy it, I really liked the characters, even though this was not a book about characters, but wish it had been shorter and that he had been able to develope a truly alternate eastern history. I will probably read more KSR in the future
 
Gridlinked by Neal Asher was just released in the states (in Britain for much longer) and is sci-fi, but since I eschew genre definitions (and there being a recent release topic on this forum... and since I am rather partial to this forum) I decided to post a mini-review here.

I liked this book. Plain and simple. Basic premise: a cop who has been endowed with a super-fast mental link with computers (ie. gridlinked) has been plugged into the system for too long and is starting to lose his edge. He finishes his last sting operation and leaves a planet. In the process he takes down this baddie's family and entire crime operation. Baddie obvious wants satisfaction- follows him across galaxy. The cop has to have his gridlink terminated for his own safety. His next job is to investigate the sabotage of a runcible (from Edward Lear's famous poem) on a remote, uncivilised planet that was being terraformed. Runcibles are instantaneous transport (think stargate). He has to go investigate while adjusting to his new, handicapped state while being pursued by the bad-guy.

The real winning qualities about this book are the ideas/premises, and the characterizations of the protagonist and especially the bad-guys compatriots.

People who like Alastair Reynolds and Richard Morgan will like this book and I recommend it.

DrB
 
Hi, I'm back after a few months of lovely summer holidays and lots of good books to read.

After all the praise Greg Keyes' Briar King got on this board he was top on my reading list and didn't disappoint me.

The language is beautiful, the story enthralling.
What strikes me as quite unique in my reading experience is the atmosphere of menace and impending doom he creates throughout the whole book.
It impressed me so much that I had nightmares during I read it while I normally enjoy an undisturbed blissful sleep.:)

There's a heavy dark and sinister feeling creeping through, surpassing ASoIaF, although the overall story is much more conventional and less grizzly than Martin's books.

All the more praise for this novel which shows what quality can be achieved within the limits of classical fantasy settings.

There was only one little point of critique: In the first half of the book I foung the characters a little lacking of depth and the character perspectives changed sometimes rather sudden and unconnected. This was made good in the second half. Anyway,in the beginning his hopping around between Povs sometimes made me a little dizzy.

Carol Berg, Song of the Beast.
This is a wonderful book and doesn't deserve the lukewarm critiques it sometimes gets. Of course expectations fly high after her outstanding "Restoration" series but I think this new novel can keep up with it.
Her writing and storybuilding have improved imo and are rather more dense and to the point. The story is imaginative although you'll find some topics you alread know from the first series, such as: prisoner of highstanding abilities is set free after a long and devastating torment and has to find his way back to himself.... Maybe that's just her "theme".
I found it brave that she didn't return to her first world but started something new instead. Very recommendable book, quality read.


Llynn Flewelling, Hidden Warrior.
A looong awaited book since I liked Bone Doll's Twin so much.
I enjoyed the book very much. It laid its stress on character development which I appreciated and found was the necessary thing to do after the abrupt unveiling ending of the first book. I can't really discuss much more without giving spoilers away, let's just say I exspect and hope we'll see much more trouble awaiting Tobin in the next book.
 
A few more under the belt.

The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker
A nice book. But a bit too clever for its own good. I enjoy humor all very well. A problem though with using humor is 1. it can distance you from the characters; if they become the butt of the joke one too many times, you tend to lose empathy
or lose interest in their fate; 2. the author can get too caught up in delivering the punchline, so much that the build-up loses much of its own 'punch'.

In both cases, Baker falls into the traps of her own making. Overall, I would recommend the book. It was entertaining and clever. But it also could have used a slap upside its figurative head. Baker, like many who have been praised for being witty and clever, gets caught up in making sure the reader knows just how witty and clever she is. But too many nudges give bruises and too many winks make you think the person giving you them either wants something that is illegal in thirty-nine states or just has a really bad twitch. In my mind, there seems to be a type of author that is overly aware of what they write. I know that sounds odd, but then so am I. Point is, this type of author does not seem to be able to relax and just let the creative juices flow. The work comes across as too contrived and detached. I think some of my favorite works are from authors that truly seem to love the world they have created, instead of approaching the work as an experiment or exercise. Baker unfortunately seems to fall into the latter category. A bit
too analytical and a bit too detached; trying to write a certain 'type' of book that cramps the end result. Still Baker can write; so in no way a loss or even a regret. I will check out the next associated book by the author and I do think fantasy is something she does better than her previous works. Just needs to relax.


Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling
Took awhile before approaching this work. I enjoyed The Bone Doll's Twin immensely; much more than Flewelling's previous "Nightrunner" books. So I wanted to be able to devote the proper amount of attention to this work (i.e. lots of time off). Despite a rocky start, Flewelling has delivered. Mind you, this is a set-up book. It is the bridge between book one and the third and final book of a trilogy. And it does follow the structure that these type of books usually
establish. That said, Flewelling was able to keep the plot moving, involving a nice amount of action with character development and interesting world-building. Flewelling is one of those authors who recognizes that in writing within this type of milieu, history is going to play a strong role. Events played out in the political forum concerning royalty and nobility are going to an important factor in this type of society, both high and low. She manages to intrigue with such backstory and keep the momentum going. Looking forward to the next book and whatever she has planned after that.

The Lost Steersman by Rosemary Kirstein
To be honest, this has been establishing itself as sci-fi more and more. And yet like Cherryh and Wingrove attach elements that fit fantasy more than anything else. Not magic. But the social, cultural and historical elements that seem more in line than sci-fi. Kirstein has written a bizarre book here. It is like child who needs ritalin; jumping from place to another quite sudden and at times disturbingly so. And yet the book is wonderful. Weird, impossible to define, almost shocking at times, this book catches up to the first two and surpasses
them. I have no idea where the author will head to next with this 'series' and that makes it all the more enjoyable. For those looking for the different, I think this could be up your alley. It was definitely a book that did not suffer from its eleven year wait. I keep tryiing to think this whenever I see the spot on my shelf where Captal's Tower is supposed to go.

Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn
Another second/bridge book in a trilogy. Once again Hearn explores a culture that she clearly loves and is quite familiar with. Hearn is able to translate this passion and present a story that is lyrical and charming. Hearn is one of
those authors, whose style and approach are atmospheric; providing a nice interlude that does not need bells and whistles to keep my interest. It is like those moments where it is snowing, the world is quiet and I am warm, have my cocoa and a fire going. Everything just fits. Patricia McKillip does that for me as well. It is not just reading a good story, but finding that just-right comfortable spot. So with all that in mind, there is not a whole lot that happens in this book. Hearn keeps her work short and almost slight. But she clearly is establishing some groundwork for the next book and the story itself is well-written and engaging. I was not disappointed at all; but then Hearn is a writer that I have no real idea of preconceived expectations; I find that so with my favored authors. Just enjoy the ride.

Goddess of the Ice Realm by David Drake
An above average wordsmith that does not know how to write a linear story. You say oxymoron, I say David Drake. This is one of those frustrating series that stand on
the verge of abandonment. I hate that Drake clearly has no idea where he is going and that he seems to lack the ability to actually produce a real plot. Once again he falls back on on the overused (and in his case so abused Health and Human Services shoudl be called) ploy of having characters get seperated, fall into alternate worlds/dimensions and battle their way through endless and increasingly meaningless menaces.
Drake has created a fresh and unque world based on the ancient Mediterranean world. He does borrow shamelessly from Jordan and others who have already started the walk
down the epic fantasy path. But his world-building and action sequences are such that he can be excused a bit. His work started out to be WoT fan-fiction as if written by David Gemmell in his spare time. Froth, but fun. Not so derivative to detract
or overly frustrate, but neither emotionally investing like WoT. Problem is that Drake has created a world and characters and does not know what to do with them at all. And it seems he never really did. He needs to do that now. Right now. If he wants to just write stories that let his characters explore the world he is creating, that is fine. But the segues into alternative worlds that Drake makes a little too off-center is, well, too off-putting. In some senses, Drake is the most dysfunctional
author I have read; he creates a world, only to constantly remove his characters from said world and instead plunk them down in flat, boring, trite and yet surreal alternate settings. I think Drake and his world need to do some couples counseling,
get it all out in the openned and resolved. If Drake would decide to stick to the here and now within his here and now, 'Lord of the Isles' would be a very decent read. As it is now, it is still step seven in kicking my 'completionist' problem.
 
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Yikes! This tawdry affair with my keyboard prevented me from including this last entry:

Tetrarch by Ian Irvine
Second book in "The Well of Echoes" series. Irvine has not pulled a David Eddings a la "Mallorean", there are new foes and there are different twists and even some variation on characters. But for all intents and purposes, Irvine has not changed much. He has gotten better at the craft of writing. He still creates a vivid and unique world. He continues as an excellent fictional historian. And change is not always good. When I like a style of writing, familiarity does not breed contempt.
Well, not always. And even then, it takes a bit. But what drags this work down and keeps this author from breaking through the ranks and establishing a stronger niche in the field? Mainly, the author's inability to just cut to the quick. We all have different plot paicing that we like to read. Books that others
say drag, I find challenging, riveting and filled with opportunity of more than just a good story; I get to actually share in someone's imagination. So pacing can be slow or fast for me; that is not the issue. The issue is that Irvine wants to play travel agent for his world and show you ever rock, ditch, bog, quagmire and sewer. If a character travels somewhere ten days, you get all ten days. And sometimes of those days is nothing more than a recitation of just how much it bites to be that character. Irvine is definitely a writer who makes sure that each character comes with plenty of warts and each wart is picked over in, sometimes, exasperating detail. With some it dwells on the superficial. Physical imperfection is a Irvine trademark. When all else fails, make a character gawd-awful ugly with three different shades of nose-hair that is long enough to braid. Luckily, Irvine chooses to burden the main characters
with incredibly bad judgement and almost pathalogical social disorders. Wait. Delete that 'almost'. These characters all are in need help of some serious therapy. Irvine's cast could have a self-help guru write enough books to make the talk-show circuit for years. Dysfunctional Fantasy Characters, Their Determination to Always Make the Worst Decision And that other Fantasy Characters (that, well don't quite love, actually almost hate them, but still form relationships with them).

So, here's hoping that between now and the third book, Irvine decides that a chapter devoted to the fleeing character (who fled due to an incredibly stupid choice that said
character even knows is stupid befor making it and of course makes it based on the thinnest and stupidest misassumptions) getting blisters just walking and walking
and on the sixth day the water is starting to get lower, and lower and lower... Still, Irvine has a nice story. He still has me, but I do hope he not only takes a look at his current proclivities but also looks at the story and tries to get the whole race war for survival a bit more compelling. It is obvious that he plans to pull a few surprises and that is why the main thrust just seems to not make sense even if the characters still are saying their lines. Oh, well. It is an interesting read. Irvine's uses his obvious interest in the southern hemisphere to have created a unique and compelling world. But I recommend waiting for him in the cheapest possible publication form; his work is a lunch date at best, maybe even just a coffee date.
 
and one more from me...
"Jarka Ruus"
"High Druid of Shannara - Book One"
Terry Brooks
Well, the new "Shannara" novel is perhaps the best so far. Mysterious, magical, scary and romantic it is a great read and will enchant the old fans.
Also, Brooks expands his world and complicates the whole storyline. And old and very favourite villain appears again...
10/10
 
The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker.

I had to buy this from Clarkesworld Books since I live in the states. I think that this Canadian author has a UK and US deal for future publication. I picked it up, because enjoying BFF, as is my guilty pleasure, I almost always read the hyped authors. And this guy certainly has been picked as 'the next big thing.' His book features a blurb by Steven Erikson among others.

It certainly lived up to the word-of-mouth endorsements on some of the forums. Since Bakker is an academic (philosophy and history) complex worldbuilding was expected... and delivered. The prologue starts off very densely. I imagine that impatient readers might set it down before reaching the first chapter. This would be a mistake. A big mistake. Following the prologue, the book becomes very reader-friendly. The story surrounds only a few main characters and their trials leading up to the Second Great Holy War, and the prophesized return of the No-God. It moves quickly, and with its exemplary cast of characters, it is a hell of a good read. Bakker makes a strong effort to distance his series from the tropes of conventional BFF. He is successful, due in large part to the degree of worldbuilding, history of the setting, and the wonderful characters. A whore, a dowdy priest, a fatuous yet devious emperor and a coldly logical prince.

I will certainly buy the second novel in this series at the additional cost of importing it into the states. It comes out in April of 2002 and is called The Warrior Prophet. In addition Mr. Bakker wrote an article for this website: article. There is also a nice thread going about the novel over at the malazan forum: thread.

DrB

Also this review at SfSite: Review
 
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