Which book are you reading currently? #7

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Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve (steampunk based story)

 

I just finished "Empire of Blue Water" by Stephan Talty. It was a very interesting study of Henry Morgan's career as a privateer in the 17th century carribean. Very readable and enjoyable.

I am just starting "Sword Song" by Bernard Cornwell.

 

"Conquest and Colonisation, the Normans in Britain, 1066 - 1100" by Brian Golding. After that, it'll probably be "The Norman Conquest" (Loyn) and "The Battle of Hastings, Sources and Interpretations" (Morillo). After this round, probably McKitterick's Kingdoms. Then, Shakespeare - Tempest in particular. After THAT, Euridipes' Bacchae and Trojan Women, and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Ajax and Philoctetes. Maybe the Iliad.

After ALL OF THAT...I might go get A Clockwood Orange. Saw Nabokov's Pale Fire around too, wanted to buy it, but had no money at the time...anyone read them? I've only read Nabokov's Lolita, but it shows his masterful genius with language (and his apparent like of Poe).

 

Just starting The Briar King.

 

Entertaining stuff Barmy, but don't expect it to be on the same level as ASoIaF or the Malazan series.

 

Just begun Fulgrim by Graham McNeill.

 

Re-read The Historian, now that it's out in paperback. It is a bit slow in many places, but it does surely offer a whole different twist on the Dracula legend, as well as having a very sly title.

 

I'm re-reading The Rage by Richard Lee Byers.

 

tales of mars...........last 3 books of the barsoom series..............by edgar rice burroughs

 

Scott Lynch's "Red seas under red skies". It is about as enjoyable as the first one in the series which is good. Fun and exciting non-epic adventure fantasy.

 

sentenced to die.........by j.a.jance

 

Finished American Gods (it's a big one! ). Absolutely brilliant, I can't wait to get some more Neil Gaiman's works. Currently reading the third book of X-Men AoA, I've nearly finished it so I've only one more to go.

 

At long last, I am reading the Feast for Crows - the fourth book in the 'Song of Ice and Fire' tril... er heptalogy.

It's OK so far, but nothing spectacular - probably the weakest so far (admittedly compared to the extremely high standard of the previous three). My one big problem with it is that nothing much seems to be happening. I'm more than two thirds of the way through, and so far only the Arya, Jaime and Cersei chapters actually drive the plot forward - the rest just take massive detours to end up where they started. For example:

Spoiler

****SPOILERS****

- Brienne is searching for Sansa. She follows some clues which turn out to lead in the wrong direction. She is currently searching for Sansa.

- Dorne is trying to maintain peace with the Lannisters. There is a plot. The plot is foiled. Dorne is maintainig peace with the Lannisters.

- Euron is the new King of the Ironmen. His kingship is contested at the Kingsmoot. He wins. He is now the king of the Ironmen.

...and similarly also for Sansa's and Sam's POV chapters.

**** END SPOILERS****

Some of this I enjoyed (it was kinda fun to read more about the Iron Isles and Dorne), but it feels stretched out. It does serve to flesh out some of the supporting characters more, but at this point the series has a few hundred characters (if not a thousand), about 30 that could be considered 'central' and another 50 that could be called 'important supporting'. Martin could spend books and books describing what happens to each of them, and the series could stretch out indefinitely.

Oh dear... now who does that remind me of? Oh yeah - Robert Jordan.

 

Feast is by far the weakest book and has made me really really worried about the future of the series. Apparently it made Martin himself worried as well seeing as he has been writing and re-writing a dance of dragons for many years now since he apparently wasn't pleased with feast.

 

Yeah, this is the problem Jordan seemed to have had - his world became so broad with so many things happening to too many characters he never seemed like he knew how to wrap it all up (and considering how much money he was earning, he might not have wanted to).

Now, Martin is a better writer than Jordan but there are so many separate plot threads ongoing, that he will have a hard time putting them all together in three books (if that is what he plans to do - I guess another option would just be to leave them hanging).

* Slight Spoliers *

Consider - the books have (had) three main storylines running in parallel with very little overlap: the Stark/Lannister conflict, the happenings at the wall and the story of Daenerys. Also separate is Arya, although she keeps meeting main characters from other parts of the book.

As of (two thirds through) book four these plot threads do not seem to be integrating. On the contrary, each has spawned several smaller independent ones: the Ironmen , the Martells, Brienne and Samwell as well as the Stark children who each have their own as they are now all over the place. Although barely even mentioned before, the Iron Isles, Dorne, Hightower, Braavos and the Twins have become really important locations. Rather than leading toward some sort of conclusion, the world keeps growing and getting more complex.

Don't get me wrong, the books are still fun and I'll keep reading them, but I won't be susprised if Martin soon announces that he now plans for 10 books in total...

 

American Gods is my favorite Gaiman novel, for the plot and characterization, also because the House on the Rock is a familiar place to me, having visited it several times. Anansi Boys would be a good followup IMO. It expands some more on the Mr. Nancy character from Gods.

Currently reading China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and finding it similar in tone to Gaiman's work.

 

Making money. Not the strongest one of Pratchett, but fair. I am halfway now and it is in the same style as going postal and the truth. Just an other one in the series, nothing new.

 

The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine (M.D. - a neurologist...)

Yup. All hormones, orgasms and "what women want" in that book...heh...

 

garrett,p.i. by glen cook