2005 Releases Read

[Hobbit]

I like Jasper Fforde.

Interestingly, Book 5 (The Big Over Easy) is not a Thursday Next book, but concerns the character Jack Spratt (of 'eats no fat' fame).

It is the book that Jasper wrote first (with some revisions I'm assuming!) but couldn't sell. How times change.... already on it's 4th HB printing in the UK after being out about a month.

The next book is a Thursday Next book, I believe.

Hobbit

 

[Luke_B]

I finished reading Kelly Link's Magic For Beginners last night. If you read and loved her first story collection, Stranger Things Happen, as I did, you'll almost certainly love this second collection too.

For those that haven't read any Link before, the term kitchen sink magical realism if the best description I've come across for her writing. What I really like about her stories is how her images and atmospheres are so strange yet resonate as familiar. She manages to be funny, melancholy and scary all at once, as she riffs on a variety of pop-culture themes without ever losing her emotional impact.

These stories are challenging in the way they play with structure and language, and may distance people who dislike experimental fiction. But there's enough traditional story-telling elements blended in with the post-modern game play that most fans of the fantasy genre will find something to please them here, I would think. Easily my favourite book of the year, so far.

 

[DragonReader]

Read the Binding Stone, by Don Bassingthwaite

 

[Rob B]

C'mon folks don't just list 'em! Let us know what you thought about them, too! Are they worth looking into? Should we wait until they come out in PB?

 

[Rob B]

Finished John Marco's Sword of Angels a couple of days ago and posted my review, here's a breif snippet:

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With The Sword of Angels, John Marco brings the tale of Lukien, the Bronze Knight, to a close. The flawed, yet noble, knight has seen much in the two previous novels (The Eyes of Godhttp://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/94.html, The Devil’s Armor) and his trials are far from over when we meet up with him again in this massive tome. When last we left the cast of characters, Baron Glass was lording over Liira in the Devil's Armor, with Jazana Carr as his consort/queen. Gilwyn Toms, the young librarian, left Jador in hopes of saving Glass's soul, and Lukien was in search of the mythical Sword of Angels. At just over 900 pages, this is a large novel, and Marco uses all the pages to nicely bring the plot threads, cast of characters, and elements of the previous two novels together rather nicely.

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[Eventine]

The Stone Ship, Peter Raftos (MMPB, February 2005)
Peter Raftos isn't an author I'd heard of before this release, and being published on an Australian small

press I'm not sure many others here would have heard of this book either.
The Stone Ship begins with an attempted suicide by our protagonist, Shipton. Saved by the ghost of another suicide, Shipton travels to The University, and academic institution managed by a stifling beuracracy.
The University is an interesting environment where rioting librariansare just as likely to destroy lives as callous beuracrats. Unfortunately while Raftos shows inventiveness and good storytelling, it is too inconsistent throughout the book. Thus some sections drag and others move along well. One point about three quarters of the way through the book is nearly impossible to put down, but is then followed by a patch so dry the book becomes a chore to read.
Raftos is an author I'd read again because I believe he has enough potential to produce a more consistent offering.



Across The Wall, Garth Nix (MMPB, august 2005)
Australian author Garth Nix here combines several of his published short works, some previously unreleased

shorts and a novella set in his Old Kingdom universe.
The novella, Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case, deals with one of the characters from the Old

Kingdom trilogy and is actually set in Ancelstierre, the non-magical part of Garth nix's Old Kingdom setting.

It's in the same vein as the rest of the Old kingdom books, and is unashamedly a fun YA adventure.

Nix also displays a great sense of humour throughout several of included short stories, including a terrific

spoof of the "Choose your Own Adventure" books. One of the best written shorts was Three Roses, which was a

touching story told in the style of short fairy tale.

Some of the stories have a darker/more adult streak showing that Nix hasn't always written exclusively for

the YA/childrens market.

Overall a solid collection, but one I'd really only recommend to fans of Nix.

 

[Rob B]

Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer

I liked this one very much. Any book that revolts, frightens, touches, and moves you the way this one did is something special. Here is my official review.

For all the darkness that otherwise pervades this book, there is some fun to be had, as well. Among the many things VanderMeer does so well in this book is drop occasional odes to other works of literature and the fantastic, almost like little Easter eggs for the reader to discover. In addition to the little treasures for the reader, the novel blends elements of fantasy, of horror, of science fiction into truly a unique and singular work of wonder. VanderMeer is one of the growing contingent of writers who successfully blend and/or blur the lines others have set up to define the intricacies of genre. Where the novel works best is at the intersection of these lines, when it elicits something between the fantastic sense of wonder and the horrific sense of dread and "Oh My God!"

 

[Rob Anybody]

<Yes I'm new...>

Read Half Blood Prince (ages ago, but I'm just here) and was thoroughly dissapointed. Hopefully book 7 will be better then book 6, but if Rowling ever attempts to write a romance novel I'll hang myself.

As for 'New Releases' - I am about a third of my way into Thud! by Terry Pratchett, thankfully I've got a friendly bookstore and I got mine early (worldwide release is on the First). So far, it's brilliant! Very funny while still managing to be a a bit of a mystery - a cross between 'The Fifth Elephant' and 'Night Watch'.

Looking forward to the next Robert Jordan book - however I'm told that the last 5 books aren't as good as the early ones. I've got stuck after book 6, got to pick them up soon!

Looking foward to this forum, not anything too specific, just genre specific - very happy!

Rob Anybody

 

[DragonReader]

Finished Master of Chains, by Jess Lebow (Book #1 of the Fighters series of Forgotten Realms novels).

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Interesting characters and story and pretty well written. The dialogue did leave something to be desired and there were a few parts that didn't sit well with me, but as I said, overall I thought it was a pretty good book.

The book is worth checking out if you like the Forgotten Realms or if you are looking for a quick action read between other books.

 

[Bard]

Just started 'The hickory staff' by Scott/Gordon and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm about 100 pages in, so can't give a complete review yet, but I like it so far. The beginning is btw quite brutal, but I shall not give anything more away...

 

[estranghero]

Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys

I'm surprised no one has posted about this yet.

Here's a review I did for the book from my blog:

I've seen reviews both good and mixed (no bad ones yet) and though I admit it's not great literature, Anansi Boys is definitely a great read. It's fast and funny at the right times, yet slow and musing at others. Likewise, I found myself with a lot of sympathy with Fat Charlie. Like him, I hate embarrassing situations such that I found myself letting my eyes slide past sections of the page that related Fat Charlie pinioned in the jaws of embarrassment (but I didn't, of course). Gaiman is that good a story-teller in that he subtly grabs your attention with the opening line of his story and reels you in quietly without you even noticing it.

Moreover, I think Gaiman himself is improving in his novel-writing here. Whereas American Gods somewhat stuttered a bit due to the vignettes (interesting though they may be), the flow of Anansi Boys was smoother. Of course this may be because Gaiman's use of a more intrusive narrative voice but it worked.

All in all, as I finished the book last night, I thought that if China Mieville wrote stories that made me wish I had thought of 'em, Neil Gaiman writes stories that made me wish I had written 'em. You could say he's the reader's writer: never condescending, never obtuse, like a good friend you keep coming back to just to hang around. Because he has a lot stories to tell. And because he's that kind of a guy.

 

[Rob B]

Anansi Boys & Silverheart

I forgot to post my thoughts about Anansi Boys here, thanks for the reminder, banzai. My review. The short of it- My favorite book this year. The longer of it:

This was the most fun I’ve had reading a book this year, Gaiman made me smile, he moved me, and unsettled me, often in the same paragraph. Many of the scenes were a delight, and I suspect Mr. Gaiman had a great deal of fun relaying his imagination to the page. We as the reader are very lucky indeed, to be taken along for this fun and wondrous ride. If you are ever curious about the gods, just whisper to a little spider named Neil, and you will be astonished and enamored by the story he will spin.

I just posted my review of Silverheart by Moorcock and Constantine HERE

Here are some breif thoughts:

While I liked it, I don't think it was the best Moorcock offering I'd come across.

The protagonist here in Silverheart is a rogue, the thief Max Silverskin, a distant relative of one of the elite lordly Metal Clans in the decadent city of Karadur. The novel starts with an ample amount of background about Max and how the Metal Clans came to dominate the city of Karadur, this is clearly a well-detailed world in which the story takes place. The story also has many of the hallmarks readers of Moorock’s Eternal Champion/Multiverse saga have grown to enjoy. Max, the shady protagonist, is reminiscent of Elric and Corum, the sidekick Menni is reminiscent of any one of Elric’s companions, and Lady Rose Iron, the noble the love interest finalizes the triad seen in many of Moorcock’s novels. While these elements definitely have the air of familiarity, this does not render them any less enjoyable

 

[K.D. May]

Hi, I'm new here.

I read Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold a couple months ago. This was my first time reading her, and I enjoyed the story and the writing. Currently reading Melusine by Sarah Monette, and after that will be Hammered by Elizabeth Bear (SF). The latter two are debut books by new authors; I have Elantris waiting in the wings as well. My debut novel will be out this year, too, so that has piqued my interest in other debut works.

 

[K.D. May]

Finished Melusine last night. Here's the review I posted on Amazon (3 stars):

This is a story about two men who form an unlikely friendship after finding themselves together in a bad situation.

The first 2/3 of the book read very slowly because the plot sort of meandered all over the place. Once the two main characters meet up, the pace picked up, and that's where the best part of the story begins. The book could have been shortened considerably by getting rid of plot elements that had no long-term effect on the characters, and by focusing on what this story was supposed to be about.

I would have given the book four stars, but for the writing itself. I've heard it said that people enter a light trance state when reading fiction. Mildmay spoke like a hick from the contemporary US south, including the use of words like "way" to mean "very," "like" as in, "like, you know," and "y'all." This character used the F word so often that it lost its punch around page 3. This is an obviously talented, imaginative author, and so I was disappointed that she didn't use her creativity to come up with a more interesting way for him to express himself. The description of the world is NOT contemporary USA, which is why I was constantly ejected from the trance state and reminded that I was reading a book.

Despite the flaws, I would recommend the book especially to people who aren't as hung up on the writing aspect as I am. I'd quite likely buy another book from this author again.

 

[Erfael]

Well, I (finally) read a 2005 book, but Rob beat me to it, so I can easily say I agree with everything he had to say about Anansi Boys in his review (but no mention of a lime?). What a great little book that was. Gaiman can do so much in so few pages. I think a lot of authors could take a few tips from him on how to tell a great story without the kitchen sink being thrown in.

Also, anybody notice the spider on the front cover only has seven legs? That made me wonder quite a lot while reading the book. I won't say whether it should or shouldn't.

 

[Beeble]

I've read two recentlyish:

Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb which I really enjoyed (although I won't make final decision on comparison to her other works until I know the main character and world a bit better).

The Rose of the World by Jude Fisher which quite acceptably brought an end to the Fool's Gold trilogy. An enjoyable read.

 

[Jack]

Posted in Reading In..., but forgot to post it here. I also have read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. One of the more fun spec fiction books I've read. To compare it to Gaiman's other works, it combines the grand ideas of American Gods with the personal, more micro- nature of Neverwhere.

Question: Do you all think Anansi Boys can be read without having read American Gods? I think they would operate just fine read in any order. In fact, it would be interesting to hear someone's reaction on American Gods having read Anansi Boys first.

I hope Gaiman continues to take characters from American Gods and form novels around them. So much to draw from... How about a whole sci-fi book on Fat Techno Boy and his Merry Limo Band?

 

[Luke_B]

I read Anansi Boys too and posted in the Anansi Boys thread a while back:

Finished it yesterday. Absolutely brilliant. I was not disappointed in the least which was a real danger considering how much I expected from it. Pips Kelly Link's Magic For Beginners as my favourite book of the year so far, and I liked it much better than American Gods. It's basically an exploration of family dynamics, with a god as a literal metaphor for the dominating patriarchal figure. But it's also about tradition and modernity, and a wonderful celebration of storytelling.

Above I've emphasised the comic nature of the book, but I also appreciated that things started to get more horrific towards the end, and there was a darkness that was a necessary to balast to the whimsy. Gaiman brilliantly blends folklore and pulp culture, managing to conjure images that I know are going to keep haunting me. He also moves a complicated story along at an impressively page-turning pace.

 

[Luke_B]

Finished A Feast for Crows. Here's some non-spoilery stuff I wrote in the Official Discussion thread:

He is still the best prose-stylist of anyone working in epic fantasy today (that I’ve some across at least) with his elaborately constructed sentences and his darkly ironic jabs. No one else can use words like 'jape' or 'buxom' without coming off like a self-parody. It’s sprawling and epic, but also full of immersive and textured detail. Even the supporting characters are beautifully fleshed out. I wish I hadn’t read it so quickly, because you really need time to absorb the world and the story. However, I couldn’t stop myself turning the pages to find out what happens next, as Martin maintains the ability to craft a plot with more spikes and twists than the Iron Throne.

 

[DragonReader]

Read The Orb of Xoriat by Edward Bolme. I actually thought this book was quite good. I liked that none of the main characters were clear cut. Each had good and bad qualities and at times it was unclear if particular characters were good guys or bad guys. For example, one of the "bad guys" did what she did with fairly honorable intentions.