...
Title: Thieves' World
Editor: Robert Lynn Asprin
ISBN: 0441805787
Format: Paperback - 308 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 9/10
Execution - 7/10
Title: Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn
Editor: Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey
ISBN: 044180585X
Format: Paperback - 299 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
Title: Shadows of Sanctuary
Editor: Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey
ISBN: 0441805868
Format: Paperback - 338 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
As per the intro to the first book, this was an idea born of beer at a book convention in 1978. This was the first shared world concept for a Fantasy series. It had previously been done with Sci-Fi with Medea (the progenitor of which was Harlan Ellison, and he apologizes about this quite frequently).
I read this series first when I was 13 or so, and never made it past the 2nd book. I am pretty certain that this is due to the fact that the 2nd book ends with a flagrantly blatant portrayal of several homosexual men. At the age of 13 I am certain I was very uncomfortable with the idea. Actually, now that I'm 33 I am questioning as to why the author choose to portray the characters in this matter. I can't really see as to why this was necessary. Not to say that the characters can't be homosexual but why it was portrayed in the very "in your face" method that was chosen.
I need to thank the co-announcer of a web radio show I listen to (Smaug is the co host and the radio show is Mortality.net, a bi-weekly show concerning news and reviews for roleplaying games), for reminding me of this series. However, my wife isn't all that happy that I spent several days and $70 on eBay obtaining the 12 books of the original series, and have now spent $20 on the two new books of the current series.
The entire idea of this series of books (of which there are 12) is that they all take place in or around the 'city' of Sanctuary. This city is best desribed as the 'armpit of all fantasy worlds'. This is due to the fact that it is a 'backwater' city in its world and is filled with 1/3 thief, 1/3 scoundrel, 1/3 con-artists and 100% victims. It is the perfect setting for candlestine fantasy, underhanded dealings and where pimps and thieves can become hereos. Each author submits a story to this world. The first time an author writes, they tend to use characters of their own creation and involve characters of others creation. By the 3rd book there are 25 'main' characters (of which three have died/been reborn).
I find these books to be very entertaining and quite cohesive despite the fact there are 25 different stories written by 15 different authors (in just the first 3 books). The level of magic in these stories is more akin to the styles of Fritz Leiber and low level settings than the High Level magic of settings such as Forgotten Realms. This is quite refreshing, especially since magic seems to have a high price on the user. This creates more of a feeling of 'be careful what you wish for' and a greater moral cost for any magic. Not the shortcut that it seems to be in some of the recent 'bubble gum' fantasy.
I would certainly recommend these books to any reader of fantasy and probably will 'borrow' several ideas from this setting for my on going gaming group. (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, isn't it?)
Sunday, February 01, 2004
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Title: Crossroads of Twilight
Author: Robert Jordan
ISBN: 0812571339
Format: Paperback - 822 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 6/10
This is the tenth book in a series wherein the average page count doesn't drop below 700. That is like reading twice as many standard trade paperbacks.
This series has literally hundreds of characters and is has such depth of world development that it often requires the reader to read a book summary of the previous novels in the series once the new one is released, in order to be fully up to speed with the events.
After reading the HUGE event that left off the 9th book of the series, I was expecting some serious 'dominoes' to fall in this book. However, this book decided to focus on several events that were well disjointed from this seminal event and kinda left me lacking.
I have read several disparaging reviews of this book on the internet and have several friends who seem VERY dissapointed by it. I think this may have made the dissapointment a little smaller for me as my expectations had been lowered.
I will say that given the number of pages the author had in this book, there really did not seem to be any major events until the last 10 pages. Even the seminal event of the previous novel was glossed over and was almost made anticlimatic.
This book was very much a filler and I feel that this is because the author is attempting to setup very, very particular events to occur and he needed this book to setup all the necessary precursors to these events.
My greatest dissappointment is that the next book in this series that the author choose to release isn't the 11th but a prequel. And apparently he is going to release another prequel before he releases book 11.
This makes me wonder if he has written himself into a corner and doesn't know how to finish the series with the expectations that his fans and his previous books are generating.
Perhaps he can take a cue from another favourite author of mine, Neil Gaiman, when he commented at his ending of his fan favourite Sandman series that this was his series and his ending, and that he knew he couldn't make everyone happy with regards to the ending and that the only advice he could offer to those that didn't like the ending to just go ahead a write their own.
Oh well, hopefully Robert Jordan won't take so long with the series that he will perish before he can properly finish it, as odds are his publishers will pay some unknown author a pittance to finish it or some egotistical prig will decide to take on the mantle and 'run with it'.
Title: Crossroads of Twilight
Author: Robert Jordan
ISBN: 0812571339
Format: Paperback - 822 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 6/10
This is the tenth book in a series wherein the average page count doesn't drop below 700. That is like reading twice as many standard trade paperbacks.
This series has literally hundreds of characters and is has such depth of world development that it often requires the reader to read a book summary of the previous novels in the series once the new one is released, in order to be fully up to speed with the events.
After reading the HUGE event that left off the 9th book of the series, I was expecting some serious 'dominoes' to fall in this book. However, this book decided to focus on several events that were well disjointed from this seminal event and kinda left me lacking.
I have read several disparaging reviews of this book on the internet and have several friends who seem VERY dissapointed by it. I think this may have made the dissapointment a little smaller for me as my expectations had been lowered.
I will say that given the number of pages the author had in this book, there really did not seem to be any major events until the last 10 pages. Even the seminal event of the previous novel was glossed over and was almost made anticlimatic.
This book was very much a filler and I feel that this is because the author is attempting to setup very, very particular events to occur and he needed this book to setup all the necessary precursors to these events.
My greatest dissappointment is that the next book in this series that the author choose to release isn't the 11th but a prequel. And apparently he is going to release another prequel before he releases book 11.
This makes me wonder if he has written himself into a corner and doesn't know how to finish the series with the expectations that his fans and his previous books are generating.
Perhaps he can take a cue from another favourite author of mine, Neil Gaiman, when he commented at his ending of his fan favourite Sandman series that this was his series and his ending, and that he knew he couldn't make everyone happy with regards to the ending and that the only advice he could offer to those that didn't like the ending to just go ahead a write their own.
Oh well, hopefully Robert Jordan won't take so long with the series that he will perish before he can properly finish it, as odds are his publishers will pay some unknown author a pittance to finish it or some egotistical prig will decide to take on the mantle and 'run with it'.
...
Title: From Hell
Author: Alan Moore
Illustrator: Eddie Campbell
ISBN: 0958578346
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 560 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 9/10
Execution - 9/10
I first became aware of this book well AFTER the movie starring Johnnie Depp (of the same name) was released. To find out that this movie I really wanted to see was based on an Alan Moore graphic novel was most revealing and made me want to see the movie all the more.
However, I haven't gotten around to seeing this movie yet as I felt it would be better to read the book first and then determine how the movie was interpreted from the book.
I was quite surprised when began to read the book for two reasons: 1) the movie is "investigated here by a Scotland Yard sleuth (Johnny Depp) who uses opium, laudanum, and absinthe to fuel his semiprescient visions of the slayings." (Amazon.com quote) but the book has no mentioning of such an investigator. and 2) the premise for the story seemed very familiar to me and then I remembered the movie of 1979 called Murder by Decree wherein Sherlock Holmes follows the Whitechapel case to a similar conclusion to the one of this book.
What I learned from the rather well detailed appendix of this volume, is that both the 1979 movie and this book are based upon a theory of the Whitechapel Murders that was written by Stephen Knight (Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution).
This book was EXCELLENT. From the artistry of Eddie Campbell wherein you can almost feel the grit of 1880's London, to the writting of Alan Moore that even made the appendix an entertaining jaunt into history.
Based upon my enjoyment of this book and what I have gleaned from friends about the movie of the same name, it will be some time yet before I watch the movie so as not to overly sully my memories of this book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who can get over the fact that it is "a comic book". Especially for anyone who is a bit of Ripperologist, who I certainly think could get some deeper meanings from this book that I may have missed.
Title: From Hell
Author: Alan Moore
Illustrator: Eddie Campbell
ISBN: 0958578346
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 560 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 9/10
Execution - 9/10
I first became aware of this book well AFTER the movie starring Johnnie Depp (of the same name) was released. To find out that this movie I really wanted to see was based on an Alan Moore graphic novel was most revealing and made me want to see the movie all the more.
However, I haven't gotten around to seeing this movie yet as I felt it would be better to read the book first and then determine how the movie was interpreted from the book.
I was quite surprised when began to read the book for two reasons: 1) the movie is "investigated here by a Scotland Yard sleuth (Johnny Depp) who uses opium, laudanum, and absinthe to fuel his semiprescient visions of the slayings." (Amazon.com quote) but the book has no mentioning of such an investigator. and 2) the premise for the story seemed very familiar to me and then I remembered the movie of 1979 called Murder by Decree wherein Sherlock Holmes follows the Whitechapel case to a similar conclusion to the one of this book.
What I learned from the rather well detailed appendix of this volume, is that both the 1979 movie and this book are based upon a theory of the Whitechapel Murders that was written by Stephen Knight (Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution).
This book was EXCELLENT. From the artistry of Eddie Campbell wherein you can almost feel the grit of 1880's London, to the writting of Alan Moore that even made the appendix an entertaining jaunt into history.
Based upon my enjoyment of this book and what I have gleaned from friends about the movie of the same name, it will be some time yet before I watch the movie so as not to overly sully my memories of this book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who can get over the fact that it is "a comic book". Especially for anyone who is a bit of Ripperologist, who I certainly think could get some deeper meanings from this book that I may have missed.
...
Title: Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 0553354485
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 279 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 5/10
Title: If at Faust You Don't Succeed
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 055337141X
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 322 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 5/10
Title: A Farce to be Reckoned With
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 0553374427
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 292 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 5/10
For a series that I spent several years trying to find I must say I wasn't truly impressed.
I had seen this on the shelves at my local bookstore for a very long time, yet didn't have the cash to pick them up at the time. As is the case with mass market paperbacks, they left the shelves not to return once I got the money.
But through the fotuitous offerings of eBay, I was able to locate these books and hastily bought them.
Given the premise of the novels (Good vs. Evil having a Millenial contest to decide the moral leanings of the human race for the next thousand years) I was expecting some funny commentary on Good, Evil and human beings foibals regarding either. Something akin to the book Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Instead I was given a series akin to the writings of Piers Anthony. Not to disparage Piers Anthony's writtings, but more to the fact that he has very good ideas that he either beats to death (Xanth) or he poorly executes (Steppe).
I was glad to have read more materials by my favourite author (Roger Zelazny) but was rather disappointed that such a good idea was so poorly executed.
Title: Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 0553354485
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 279 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 5/10
Title: If at Faust You Don't Succeed
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 055337141X
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 322 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 5/10
Title: A Farce to be Reckoned With
Author: Roger Zelazny & Robert Scheckley
ISBN: 0553374427
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 292 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 5/10
For a series that I spent several years trying to find I must say I wasn't truly impressed.
I had seen this on the shelves at my local bookstore for a very long time, yet didn't have the cash to pick them up at the time. As is the case with mass market paperbacks, they left the shelves not to return once I got the money.
But through the fotuitous offerings of eBay, I was able to locate these books and hastily bought them.
Given the premise of the novels (Good vs. Evil having a Millenial contest to decide the moral leanings of the human race for the next thousand years) I was expecting some funny commentary on Good, Evil and human beings foibals regarding either. Something akin to the book Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Instead I was given a series akin to the writings of Piers Anthony. Not to disparage Piers Anthony's writtings, but more to the fact that he has very good ideas that he either beats to death (Xanth) or he poorly executes (Steppe).
I was glad to have read more materials by my favourite author (Roger Zelazny) but was rather disappointed that such a good idea was so poorly executed.
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