The Wise Man's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss' newest novel and the second part of the fantasy story which he began in The Name of the Wind, was published earlier this month--on my birthday, in fact. I am a fan of his work--though not without its flaws it is much more lyrical and the characters are much more interesting and the story is more original than most contemporary fantasy--but I have yet to read the new book, as I'm trying to decide where the best (aka cheapest!) place to purchase it from would be. Anyway, I am going to have to re-read The Name of the Wind before starting the newest volume anyway because it is a long, dense, complicated novel, though it flies by quickly due to the stellar writing quality.
I recommend giving the book, and by extension the series, a try. If you like high fantasy, first person narratives, engrossing characters, Harry Potter, the Bartimaeus series, or simply the art of writing itself, you will find much to love.
If you have already read the first book and are beginning the second, Rothfuss has put up a humorous 'summary' of the 'key' bits of The Name of the Wind on his blog as an easy refresher. It is not merely a written summary, however; it is basically a comic strip retelling of those key plot points. Awesome. You can check it out here: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2011/02/our-story-thus-far/
As to my own story--it's coming along! New chapter to be posted soon :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Buster Keaton - Embarassment
If you haven't watched any of Keaton's films yet, please do. And if you haven't watched 'Our Hospitality' in particular, do! It's a fantastic film.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Happy Tolkien Reading Day!
Okay, well, it isn't Tolkien Reading Day anymore, but I'm never on time for anything except my college classes, so I'm posting this late. I hope you read an appropriately authored book, or at least excerpts of one, on the 25th! I read part of Farmer Giles of Ham to my younger siblings, along with my brother providing some of the voices. It was great fun. Oh, and my ten-year-old sister has recently been watching LotR for the first time--the condition in my family is you have to have read the books first and be at least 10 years old--and we finished up RotK today. I also put up the 'Maedhros' print I recently purchased from dA on my bedroom wall today. And now, before I go to sleep, I will begin reading 'The Hobbit' again, hopefully to continue into the Lord of the Rings and make a complete read of all four volumes before returning to college in the fall.
I might be overdue on posting chapters of 'The Outlaw's Hand' here. I'll try to remember to recount my written chapters tomorrow to make sure.
I might be overdue on posting chapters of 'The Outlaw's Hand' here. I'll try to remember to recount my written chapters tomorrow to make sure.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Book Reviews for February
I only read four books in February, but wow, they were all actually really good! That doesn't happen often :)
This makes choosing a Book of the Month very difficult. But I still managed to do it: and here we go!
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
I had this book recommended to me by a friend (see, I do listen to people's suggestions!) and wasn't really sure what to expect. That's a good thing in hindsight, because one of the story's greatest strengths is how it sort of . . . sneaks up on you. The style is deceptively simple, as are the characters, the ostensible objective of the story, everything . . . and then Turner deftly twists, turns, and flips the story until it turns into something highly entertaining and wonderful. I also really liked the pseudo-Grecian setting, which reminded me very strongly of 'Til We Have Faces', by CS Lewis--another good book which I recommend if you haven't read it.
The Golden Horn, by Judith Kerr
The main cast of the first book (See last month's Book of the Month) are transported to Byzantium just in time for the infamous sacking of the city. More character development happens, a few secondary characters are added, more peril is survived, but everything that I loved about the first book--the lyrical prose, the expert handling of the characters, the engrossing blend of high fantasy and historical realism, the philosophical exploration and the integrity of the theology--is still here. There's some dark moments of more graphic brutality related to the pillaging of the city, but they are not offensively written and again serve a point.
The Hounds of God, by Judith Kerr
A very nearly fully satisfying ending to the series. The climatic 'magical' battle was probably the most satisfying I have ever read, and the characters remained as compelling as they were in the first novel, enriched and deepened by the trilogy's arc instead of getting tired and complacent as so often happens in trilogies. A key couple that I had been wanting to get married never did, but did baptize their children, giving something of a mixed message. Also, a romantic 'affair' between two very secondary characters, though brief, was a blot against the main story and served no real purpose to the plot, the only instance in this entire series where Kerr makes a mistake in my opinion. Everything else, however, was excellent. And I really liked how the theological issues were ultimately resolved--with a cameo from St. Francis of Assisi, even! I'd put 'The Hound and the Falcon' on my Top 10 fantasy series' list, definitely.
This makes choosing a Book of the Month very difficult. But I still managed to do it: and here we go!
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
I had this book recommended to me by a friend (see, I do listen to people's suggestions!) and wasn't really sure what to expect. That's a good thing in hindsight, because one of the story's greatest strengths is how it sort of . . . sneaks up on you. The style is deceptively simple, as are the characters, the ostensible objective of the story, everything . . . and then Turner deftly twists, turns, and flips the story until it turns into something highly entertaining and wonderful. I also really liked the pseudo-Grecian setting, which reminded me very strongly of 'Til We Have Faces', by CS Lewis--another good book which I recommend if you haven't read it.
The Golden Horn, by Judith Kerr
The main cast of the first book (See last month's Book of the Month) are transported to Byzantium just in time for the infamous sacking of the city. More character development happens, a few secondary characters are added, more peril is survived, but everything that I loved about the first book--the lyrical prose, the expert handling of the characters, the engrossing blend of high fantasy and historical realism, the philosophical exploration and the integrity of the theology--is still here. There's some dark moments of more graphic brutality related to the pillaging of the city, but they are not offensively written and again serve a point.
The Hounds of God, by Judith Kerr
A very nearly fully satisfying ending to the series. The climatic 'magical' battle was probably the most satisfying I have ever read, and the characters remained as compelling as they were in the first novel, enriched and deepened by the trilogy's arc instead of getting tired and complacent as so often happens in trilogies. A key couple that I had been wanting to get married never did, but did baptize their children, giving something of a mixed message. Also, a romantic 'affair' between two very secondary characters, though brief, was a blot against the main story and served no real purpose to the plot, the only instance in this entire series where Kerr makes a mistake in my opinion. Everything else, however, was excellent. And I really liked how the theological issues were ultimately resolved--with a cameo from St. Francis of Assisi, even! I'd put 'The Hound and the Falcon' on my Top 10 fantasy series' list, definitely.
The Golden Age, by John C Wright
After deliberating I have chosen Wright's 'The Golden Age' as my Book of the Month, and now I'm not quite sure how to describe it. In simplest terms it is the story of a man living in a future society in which people are now immortal and completely immersed in artificial reality. He discovers that he is missing large swaths of memory, and begins to unravel the artificiality of his life, his memories, and his own personality to rediscover an obsessive dream he had been forced to forget and a hidden danger that no one else can see. Beyond that utterly bare-bones description, however, I'm not sure how to elaborate. This is a novel so inventive, so teeming with philosophy, wit, creativity, and pure science-fiction magic, there's basically at least one new concept or invented tech or complex idea thrown at you from every single page. Wright clearly knows and loves his classics--a complex computer program designed to do detective work uses an avatar that looks like Sherlock Holmes, for example, and many characters have significant names from mythology like Orpheus and Phaethon--both aspects of the tale that delighted my own classic literature obsessed heart. Reality and artificial reality is blended so completely it's often difficult to tell the two apart, but that lends a greater power to the protagonist's quest, then--as he peels back the layers and almost unwillingly becomes closer and closer to unadulterated reality it's fascinating. And the protagonist and secondary characters have enough personality and depth to both hold my interest and ground the reader in this supremely inventive, almost insanely intellectual world Wright has concocted. It's like Asimov's 'Foundation' with personality, or good old high fantasy except futuristic and science-fictionized . . . Oh, I don't even know how to describe it. Just read it.
After deliberating I have chosen Wright's 'The Golden Age' as my Book of the Month, and now I'm not quite sure how to describe it. In simplest terms it is the story of a man living in a future society in which people are now immortal and completely immersed in artificial reality. He discovers that he is missing large swaths of memory, and begins to unravel the artificiality of his life, his memories, and his own personality to rediscover an obsessive dream he had been forced to forget and a hidden danger that no one else can see. Beyond that utterly bare-bones description, however, I'm not sure how to elaborate. This is a novel so inventive, so teeming with philosophy, wit, creativity, and pure science-fiction magic, there's basically at least one new concept or invented tech or complex idea thrown at you from every single page. Wright clearly knows and loves his classics--a complex computer program designed to do detective work uses an avatar that looks like Sherlock Holmes, for example, and many characters have significant names from mythology like Orpheus and Phaethon--both aspects of the tale that delighted my own classic literature obsessed heart. Reality and artificial reality is blended so completely it's often difficult to tell the two apart, but that lends a greater power to the protagonist's quest, then--as he peels back the layers and almost unwillingly becomes closer and closer to unadulterated reality it's fascinating. And the protagonist and secondary characters have enough personality and depth to both hold my interest and ground the reader in this supremely inventive, almost insanely intellectual world Wright has concocted. It's like Asimov's 'Foundation' with personality, or good old high fantasy except futuristic and science-fictionized . . . Oh, I don't even know how to describe it. Just read it.
Book Reviews for January
Aaaand I'm posting this in March. Of course. Because the only thing better than being fashionably late is being unfashionably late!
The Riddle, by Alison Croggon
It's not as laughable as the first book in the Pellinor series, but is ultimately let down by a strangely Jareth-the-Goblin-King-esque Elemental as well as a 'plot twist' that I could see coming a league off and therefore entirely without interest.
The Crow, by Alison Croggon
This is by FAR the best book of the Pellinor series, and the only one I would recommend. It is well-written, explores interesting themes well, features a far more likable protagonist than Maerad, and a tragic plot twist I did NOT see coming at all. It definitely raised my hopes considerably for the final installment of the series . . .
The Singing, by Alison Croggon
. . . Hopes which were promptly smashed into a thousand pieces, ground into dust, and thrown into the garbage. Secondary characters who had been vibrant in 'The Crow' became nothing more than scenery. Nothing unexpected happened--at ALL. Maerad was irritating. A character's dark past that had been hinted at in the first book was never resolved. Basically it was entirely unsatisfying, hollow, and rote. Ugh.
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle, by Jim Butcher
Another graphic novel? Yes indeed, and quite an entertaining one, too. It's gory and gross but also laugh-out-loud funny, and the art is pretty good--my brother and I were sniggering about some very well-drawn expressions in particular. Butcher has a very smart-alecky, entertaining writing style. I'm going to be calling fast food 'essential wizard supplies' from now on, and that's a good thing.
The Hound of Ulster, by Rosemary Sutcliff
This could potentially serve as an excellent introduction to the mythos of Cuchulainn (one of my favorite legendary/mythical characters--I love Celtic mythology), and which is liberally spiced with usual Sutcliffian moments of poetic beauty, but towards the end of the book Sutcliff seemed to be making a bit too many excuses for Cuchulainn's behavior. She balanced her attempts at making a slightly more sympathetic hero of Cuchulainn and keeping true to the actual stories well in the beginning of the book, but by the end it was too much.
The Riddle, by Alison Croggon
It's not as laughable as the first book in the Pellinor series, but is ultimately let down by a strangely Jareth-the-Goblin-King-esque Elemental as well as a 'plot twist' that I could see coming a league off and therefore entirely without interest.
The Crow, by Alison Croggon
This is by FAR the best book of the Pellinor series, and the only one I would recommend. It is well-written, explores interesting themes well, features a far more likable protagonist than Maerad, and a tragic plot twist I did NOT see coming at all. It definitely raised my hopes considerably for the final installment of the series . . .
The Singing, by Alison Croggon
. . . Hopes which were promptly smashed into a thousand pieces, ground into dust, and thrown into the garbage. Secondary characters who had been vibrant in 'The Crow' became nothing more than scenery. Nothing unexpected happened--at ALL. Maerad was irritating. A character's dark past that had been hinted at in the first book was never resolved. Basically it was entirely unsatisfying, hollow, and rote. Ugh.
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle, by Jim Butcher
Another graphic novel? Yes indeed, and quite an entertaining one, too. It's gory and gross but also laugh-out-loud funny, and the art is pretty good--my brother and I were sniggering about some very well-drawn expressions in particular. Butcher has a very smart-alecky, entertaining writing style. I'm going to be calling fast food 'essential wizard supplies' from now on, and that's a good thing.
The Hound of Ulster, by Rosemary Sutcliff
This could potentially serve as an excellent introduction to the mythos of Cuchulainn (one of my favorite legendary/mythical characters--I love Celtic mythology), and which is liberally spiced with usual Sutcliffian moments of poetic beauty, but towards the end of the book Sutcliff seemed to be making a bit too many excuses for Cuchulainn's behavior. She balanced her attempts at making a slightly more sympathetic hero of Cuchulainn and keeping true to the actual stories well in the beginning of the book, but by the end it was too much.
The Isle of Glass, by Judith Kerr
A stellar historical fantasy. This book is beautifully written, original enough to breathe new and vibrant life and immediacy not only into the middle ages but also the theme of elves or fae folk and immortality; elves are so frequently used and abused in fantasy books it's very difficult to do this, but Kerr made her interpretation of the fae folk seem utterly new and yet at the same time utterly classic, and that alone makes me applaud her. There are dark or sordid moments in the story, but always written with careful delicacy, and always to a purpose for the story as a whole. I also really enjoyed how Catholic theology plays such a large part in this story; usually a fantasy writer would disregard theology or use the fantastical elements of the story to attack religion, but this book is respectful and sound. The idea of following an Elven man trained as a priest as he has to come to grips with his immortality in a mortal world, as well as his religious beliefs in a society that believes creatures of magic are without souls, can only be described as brilliant. People don't act anachronistically, but still feel completely real, and the tale is told with a beauty and sensitivity that makes it flow like poetry. This is definitely a cut above most fantasies, and that is what makes it my Book of the Month. (Note: The volume in which I read this book was called 'The Hound and the Falcon', being a 1000+ page behemoth containing all three books in the series: The Isle of Glass, The Golden Horn, and The Hounds of God.)
A stellar historical fantasy. This book is beautifully written, original enough to breathe new and vibrant life and immediacy not only into the middle ages but also the theme of elves or fae folk and immortality; elves are so frequently used and abused in fantasy books it's very difficult to do this, but Kerr made her interpretation of the fae folk seem utterly new and yet at the same time utterly classic, and that alone makes me applaud her. There are dark or sordid moments in the story, but always written with careful delicacy, and always to a purpose for the story as a whole. I also really enjoyed how Catholic theology plays such a large part in this story; usually a fantasy writer would disregard theology or use the fantastical elements of the story to attack religion, but this book is respectful and sound. The idea of following an Elven man trained as a priest as he has to come to grips with his immortality in a mortal world, as well as his religious beliefs in a society that believes creatures of magic are without souls, can only be described as brilliant. People don't act anachronistically, but still feel completely real, and the tale is told with a beauty and sensitivity that makes it flow like poetry. This is definitely a cut above most fantasies, and that is what makes it my Book of the Month. (Note: The volume in which I read this book was called 'The Hound and the Falcon', being a 1000+ page behemoth containing all three books in the series: The Isle of Glass, The Golden Horn, and The Hounds of God.)
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