July's Jubilant Joust At New Books

[HoopyFrood]

Wuthering Heights! *Goes misty-eyed* I do like that book. I think I need to reread it soon, too.

[Tansy]

Originally Posted by Connavar

Hope you like it and so you share your views on Storm Front and other early books of the series.

Being new Dresden fan in this forums sucks, his forum is dead.

I shall let you know what I think after I have received and digested it

Originally Posted by elvet

Finally got to Red Seas Under Red Skies. It really feels like an Oceans (11, 12, 13) type story. I like the way he writes; his dialogue especially is easy to read. I just wish I'd get more information about the Elder race that made the glass. Maybe I'm more used to traditional fantasy that hones in on the magical components so that they are often a major part of the story. The Gentlemen Bastard books focus more on the characters and their interaction, leaving the fantastical bits to be a backdrop to the action.

I was going to order this today and read some bad reviews that made me think I will oreder it another time, I take it you weren't disappointed with it?

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by HoopyFrood

Wuthering Heights! *Goes misty-eyed* I do like that book. I think I need to reread it soon, too.

As I said, it's been a long time (since before my daughter was born, at any rate), but I do remember much of it, and the fact I had trouble putting the book down even when I had to work.... So I'm very much looking forward to revisiting this one....

[Nesacat]

Have a great fondness for Wuthering Heights as well. Misty-eyed would be about right. Enjoy JD.

[ravenus]

I'll join the WH fan club too. The opening was one of the most bizarre and brutal I'd read in a novel of that period. Emily Bronte FTW!

[elvet]

I was going to order this today and read some bad reviews that made me think I will oreder it another time, I take it you weren't disappointed with it?

I'm only about 1/4 of the way in. I'm not disappointed as much as underwhelmed. I found the first book refreshing in terms of fast paced and often humorous dialogue. More of the same in this one, but it's at odds with some of the darker tones that the characters are struggling with. I have to admit I'm reading it more to find out how Locke gets himself and Jean out of this pickle rather than just enjoying the narration. It's sort of like when you are reading a who-done-it - you tend to dwell more on trying to figure it out on your own rather than reading about the characters doing it.

[Tansy]

Originally Posted by elvet

I'm only about 1/4 of the way in. I'm not disappointed as much as underwhelmed. I found the first book refreshing in terms of fast paced and often humorous dialogue. More of the same in this one, but it's at odds with some of the darker tones that the characters are struggling with. I have to admit I'm reading it more to find out how Locke gets himself and Jean out of this pickle rather than just enjoying the narration. It's sort of like when you are reading a who-done-it - you tend to dwell more on trying to figure it out on your own rather than reading about the characters doing it.

I was looking forward to this, oh well I shall still read it evenually just to see for myself

[Rothgar]

So far I have finished off The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay, and Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. Now I'm working on Susana Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

[HoopyFrood]

Originally Posted by elvet

I'm only about 1/4 of the way in. I'm not disappointed as much as underwhelmed. I found the first book refreshing in terms of fast paced and often humorous dialogue. More of the same in this one, but it's at odds with some of the darker tones that the characters are struggling with. I have to admit I'm reading it more to find out how Locke gets himself and Jean out of this pickle rather than just enjoying the narration. It's sort of like when you are reading a who-done-it - you tend to dwell more on trying to figure it out on your own rather than reading about the characters doing it.

I really enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies was enjoyable, especially as it involved pirates (yaaaaay-rgh!) I do love the character of Locke, he's cheeky, quick-witted, a typical rogue. The only thing I didn't particularly like was how the big cliff-hanger in the prologue is resolved later on in the book -- when it finally happens, it feels like a bit of a cheat. But other than that, I thought it a very decent sequel. Certainly looking forward to the rest of the series.

[chopper]

just finishing up Night of Knives, which has proved OK, kinda sorta, though the sensation is that of reading to find out things that happened prior to somebody else's book...weird. feel a bit cheated also by the fact that the paperback is printed in REALLY BIG LETTERS with great big margins. hmmm. the jury is out.

next: The Execution Channel, by Ken MacLeod.

[Lady of Winterfell]

Just finished up The Singing Sword by Jack Whyte. Really enjoyed it, thought it was better than the first book, The Skystone.

Now I think I will try some Melanie Rawn with Dragon Prince.

[Hypnos164]

Originally Posted by elvet
I'm only about 1/4 of the way in. I'm not disappointed as much as underwhelmed. I found the first book refreshing in terms of fast paced and often humorous dialogue. More of the same in this one, but it's at odds with some of the darker tones that the characters are struggling with. I have to admit I'm reading it more to find out how Locke gets himself and Jean out of this pickle rather than just enjoying the narration. It's sort of like when you are reading a who-done-it - you tend to dwell more on trying to figure it out on your own rather than reading about the characters doing it.

Biggest problem I had with Red Seas Under Red Skies was the way the flashback structure of the first book was forced onto a story that would have worked as well, if not better, with a more linear flow. I guess after a huge debut there must be a lot of presure from publishers to deliver -exactly- the same again.

[AE35Unit]

Well i finished Where the Time Winds Blow. It was good in parts,muddy in others but a good story over all.
And now for something completely different...been told by my other half I should read Dean Koontz's FEAR NOTHING. Supposed to be part of a trilogy but he only wrote the second one, Sieze The Night which is upstairs.

[iansales]

Where Time Winds Blow is one of my favourite sf novels. I think it's because of the concept of Kriakta Rift. Having said that, I didn't like the "explanation" for it - which actually seemed a bit like a prototype for Mythago Wood. Anyway, I wrote about it here.

I've just finished Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson. Some good stuff in it - bit didactic in parts, though. It will definitely annoy the anti-Global Warming crowd. I've now started The Garden Party, a short story collection by Katherine Mansfield and July's book in my challenge to read a classic author new to me each month of 2008.

[Pyar]

I finished World War Z, it was amazing. Very interesting perspective in the way it was told.