Book reviews (it's a gigantipost!)
Sorry for the delay... real update after this, you'll see why.
Several books/series this time:
I'd never read anything by Salvatore before, but I thought I'd see what all the hype was about regarding the creator of the Forgotten Realms' Drizzt Do'Urden. Rather than dive into series literature however, I thought I'd look at some of his other work and see if he could write anything other than FR. I was both pleased and disappointed; on the one hand, he is a gifted author, on the other, his style isn't one I generally enjoy.
The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle is a trilogy of books revolving around a submarine, time travel and a post-apocalyptic Earth where magic comes alive again. Enter Jeff DelGiudice, called Del by his friends, submariner on a research vessel out of Woods Hole, MA. While investigating some deep areas of the ocean they stumble across a phenomenon which sucks them into a time warp - the true solution to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. When trying to get out of this with some fancy work by the ship's resident physicist Martin Reinheiser, they travel even farther forward in time to a point after a nuclear holocaust. This is a time when magic has come back to the world.
They aren't a bad read if you're looking for pure brain candy, but if you want some substance, pass these over. The characters come off as very much larger-than-life and the plot is a bit over the top in some ways (more so than most fantasy). It did have some interesting concepts in it for those looking to loot ideas for RPG's though (mainly in the way magic works - the plot is rather tried and true once you get into the world).
The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle consist of 3 books:
- Echoes of the Fourth Magic
- The Witch's Daughter
- Bastion of Darkness
For those truly interested, there is a commercialized home page at http://www.rasalvatore.com
Debt of Bones is a short novel, a novella really (only 110+ pages, I finished it in a night), set in the same world as his Sword of Truth series. Since I rather enjoy that series, I thought I'd check this out by grabbing it from my book club. It's sort of a prequel to the series, and talks about a younger Zedd as First Wizard when he first set up the barriers between the lands (those of you who have read the Sword of Truth series will know what I'm referring to). Even if you've gotten disillusioned with his main series, this book has some freshness to it; it isn't the same tale dragging on for several books. His writing style is somewhat similar to Robert Jordan, and since it's a standalone novel it doesn't suffer from the staleness that sets in around book 4 or 5 with both authors. I'd recommend this as a decent quick read if you're looking for something in a light reading vein, especially if you enjoy his other works.
Terry Goodkind has an official website at http://www.terrygoodkind.com/ ... the best part about said website is his listing of his Wizard's Rules which figure prominently in the main Sword of Truth series but aren't listed in one convenient place.
Another book I picked up from my book club, I grabbed it because they're dragon stories and I always love a good one of those. The Dragon Quintet is a set of 5 short stories/novellas commissioned specifically for this book by several well known authors: Orson Scott Card, Elizabeth Moon, Tanith Lee, Mercedes Lackey and Michael Swanwick. The only stipulations put on the submissions were that they contain an actual non-metaphorical dragon. All are rather unusual sorts of stories. Not one has the typical knight in shining armor hero.
Orson Scott Card writes a short story, "In The Dragon House", which involves a dragon that lives within the wiring of an old house, surviving on the electrical energy. It speaks to a small boy in dreams... what it wants, one can only guess.
Tanith Lee's submission is entitled "Love In A Time of Dragons", and seems to be the classic knight on a quest to slay a dragon story... until you hit the surprise plot twist. Very innovative.
Elizabeth Moon wrote "Judgment", a story involving dwarves and some strange ovoid-shaped rocks found by a young man and his soon-to-be father in law. An unusual tale; not my favorite in the collection but definitely not a bad read.
Mercedes Lackey's contribution is "Joust", a novella about a young boy named Vetch who learns to care for dragons and how they live. This story was later expanded into a novel. I usually find Lackey... well, lacking, and entirely too feminist. This story was a good one though.
Michael Swanwick wrote the final contribution, "King Dragon." This dragon is a very unusual one, being made of metal, gears, wires and switches coupled with faery magic. He falls into the vein of what the worst of dragonkind has to offer - tyranny, greed and a lust for power. Definitely a different sort of tale, and worth the read.
All of the contributions to this collection are good reads, from quality authors. Added bonus: they're short. "In The Dragon House" is only about 30 pages, and the longest is no more than 80 or so. If you like stories about dragons, pick this up.
Marvin Kaye has edited a number of fantasy, science fiction and theatre anthologies as well as written some of his own work. More on him can be found at http://marvinkaye.com
Orson Scott Card has an official website at http://www.hatrack.com/ (very commercial).
Tanith Lee's site can be found at http://www.tanithlee.com/ ; it's written in a blog format so it might be hard to find some things. Her annotated bibliography can be found at http://www.daughterofthenight.com/
Elizabeth Moon's web presence is found at http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/ . Not much to say about that site.
Mercedes Lackey has a webpage at http://www.mercedeslackey.com/ which includes a complete bibliography.
Well... on to the stuff that isn't fantasy. How to review a book written in the 5th century BC that has been used as a definitive treatise not only on military tactics but on tactics and strategy for conflict resolution in general for decades? One thing I can say for sure is that it is a dense read; not something to pick up when you aren't in the mood to think about what you're reading. If you're not looking for a philosophical discussion, steer away. However, if you're willing to do a little work with your reading and spend some time with the text, there is much wisdom to be gleaned from these pages that is relevant even today. Said wisdom comes from Sun Tzu's very short and to the point aphorisms and anecdotes which reveal a system for success in any conflict of any type - when to press, when to retreat, when to stand your ground.
Lionel Giles did his translation in 1910; the version I've got is in the Barnes and Noble Classics series and contains his notes and clarifications beyond the original text. These can be very useful with the sticky passages.
And so, that's that. Real update forthcoming.
Several books/series this time:
I'd never read anything by Salvatore before, but I thought I'd see what all the hype was about regarding the creator of the Forgotten Realms' Drizzt Do'Urden. Rather than dive into series literature however, I thought I'd look at some of his other work and see if he could write anything other than FR. I was both pleased and disappointed; on the one hand, he is a gifted author, on the other, his style isn't one I generally enjoy.
The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle is a trilogy of books revolving around a submarine, time travel and a post-apocalyptic Earth where magic comes alive again. Enter Jeff DelGiudice, called Del by his friends, submariner on a research vessel out of Woods Hole, MA. While investigating some deep areas of the ocean they stumble across a phenomenon which sucks them into a time warp - the true solution to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. When trying to get out of this with some fancy work by the ship's resident physicist Martin Reinheiser, they travel even farther forward in time to a point after a nuclear holocaust. This is a time when magic has come back to the world.
They aren't a bad read if you're looking for pure brain candy, but if you want some substance, pass these over. The characters come off as very much larger-than-life and the plot is a bit over the top in some ways (more so than most fantasy). It did have some interesting concepts in it for those looking to loot ideas for RPG's though (mainly in the way magic works - the plot is rather tried and true once you get into the world).
The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle consist of 3 books:
- Echoes of the Fourth Magic
- The Witch's Daughter
- Bastion of Darkness
For those truly interested, there is a commercialized home page at http://www.rasalvatore.com
Debt of Bones is a short novel, a novella really (only 110+ pages, I finished it in a night), set in the same world as his Sword of Truth series. Since I rather enjoy that series, I thought I'd check this out by grabbing it from my book club. It's sort of a prequel to the series, and talks about a younger Zedd as First Wizard when he first set up the barriers between the lands (those of you who have read the Sword of Truth series will know what I'm referring to). Even if you've gotten disillusioned with his main series, this book has some freshness to it; it isn't the same tale dragging on for several books. His writing style is somewhat similar to Robert Jordan, and since it's a standalone novel it doesn't suffer from the staleness that sets in around book 4 or 5 with both authors. I'd recommend this as a decent quick read if you're looking for something in a light reading vein, especially if you enjoy his other works.
Terry Goodkind has an official website at http://www.terrygoodkind.com/ ... the best part about said website is his listing of his Wizard's Rules which figure prominently in the main Sword of Truth series but aren't listed in one convenient place.
Another book I picked up from my book club, I grabbed it because they're dragon stories and I always love a good one of those. The Dragon Quintet is a set of 5 short stories/novellas commissioned specifically for this book by several well known authors: Orson Scott Card, Elizabeth Moon, Tanith Lee, Mercedes Lackey and Michael Swanwick. The only stipulations put on the submissions were that they contain an actual non-metaphorical dragon. All are rather unusual sorts of stories. Not one has the typical knight in shining armor hero.
Orson Scott Card writes a short story, "In The Dragon House", which involves a dragon that lives within the wiring of an old house, surviving on the electrical energy. It speaks to a small boy in dreams... what it wants, one can only guess.
Tanith Lee's submission is entitled "Love In A Time of Dragons", and seems to be the classic knight on a quest to slay a dragon story... until you hit the surprise plot twist. Very innovative.
Elizabeth Moon wrote "Judgment", a story involving dwarves and some strange ovoid-shaped rocks found by a young man and his soon-to-be father in law. An unusual tale; not my favorite in the collection but definitely not a bad read.
Mercedes Lackey's contribution is "Joust", a novella about a young boy named Vetch who learns to care for dragons and how they live. This story was later expanded into a novel. I usually find Lackey... well, lacking, and entirely too feminist. This story was a good one though.
Michael Swanwick wrote the final contribution, "King Dragon." This dragon is a very unusual one, being made of metal, gears, wires and switches coupled with faery magic. He falls into the vein of what the worst of dragonkind has to offer - tyranny, greed and a lust for power. Definitely a different sort of tale, and worth the read.
All of the contributions to this collection are good reads, from quality authors. Added bonus: they're short. "In The Dragon House" is only about 30 pages, and the longest is no more than 80 or so. If you like stories about dragons, pick this up.
Marvin Kaye has edited a number of fantasy, science fiction and theatre anthologies as well as written some of his own work. More on him can be found at http://marvinkaye.com
Orson Scott Card has an official website at http://www.hatrack.com/ (very commercial).
Tanith Lee's site can be found at http://www.tanithlee.com/ ; it's written in a blog format so it might be hard to find some things. Her annotated bibliography can be found at http://www.daughterofthenight.com/
Elizabeth Moon's web presence is found at http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/ . Not much to say about that site.
Mercedes Lackey has a webpage at http://www.mercedeslackey.com/ which includes a complete bibliography.
Well... on to the stuff that isn't fantasy. How to review a book written in the 5th century BC that has been used as a definitive treatise not only on military tactics but on tactics and strategy for conflict resolution in general for decades? One thing I can say for sure is that it is a dense read; not something to pick up when you aren't in the mood to think about what you're reading. If you're not looking for a philosophical discussion, steer away. However, if you're willing to do a little work with your reading and spend some time with the text, there is much wisdom to be gleaned from these pages that is relevant even today. Said wisdom comes from Sun Tzu's very short and to the point aphorisms and anecdotes which reveal a system for success in any conflict of any type - when to press, when to retreat, when to stand your ground.
Lionel Giles did his translation in 1910; the version I've got is in the Barnes and Noble Classics series and contains his notes and clarifications beyond the original text. These can be very useful with the sticky passages.
And so, that's that. Real update forthcoming.