…
Series: Narnia
Title: The Magician’s Nephew (Book 1)
Author: C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0-00-671667-9
Format: Paperback 171 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 6
Title: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Book 2)
Author: C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0-00-671663-6
Format: Paperback 171 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 7
Despite the fact that I am a lover of fantasy, have been reading fantasy since I was 11 (or younger), and have read a lot of the ‘standard’ fantasy series, I have several I still need to read (Narnia, Earthsea, Oz, Wonderland). What finally forced my hand to read the Narnia series was the fact that this past Christmas the most recent movie rendition of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was released.
Being a bit of a stickler for reading books in their ‘proscribed’ order, I couldn’t read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe without first reading The Magician’s Nephew, as both chronologically and by the box set I have, The Magician’s Nephew is book one.
I had heard many years ago that the order that the books were written is not the one that is normally associated to the box sets, and, in the case of The Magician’s Nephew, it shows. You can tell by the fact that the story isn’t as well laid out and seems a patchwork book, as compared to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, that this was written sometime later and as an intended prologue to explain some pieces of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (i.e. the lamppost in the middle of the woods and the magic of the wardrobe).
The overall premise of the first novel is that a boy and girl of preteen age are magically transported to magic places and the adventures that ensue, both in those places and back home, because of their travels and interactions with a very nasty witch. This book is nicely written as a fanciful escape from the doldrums of life and has a few morals to impart along the way.
The second book follows the adventures of four siblings that begin their adventures in an English countryside manor during WWII and upon entering a magical wardrobe are plunged into an epic battle between good (Aslan the Lion) and evil (the Ice Queen). As with the first book this is a good fanciful tale with morals interspersed. However, it has often been said that this story is allegorical to the crucifixion of Christ, and having recently read the New Testament of the Bible, I can readily see how this assertion could be made. Mr. C. S. Lewis emphatically denied this claim, but I don’t see why, as he told the story in a beautiful way that can easily be captured by children (a benevolent lion being tortured and slain by a evil witch to save the life of a misguided boy is more digestible to children than Christ being crucified for the sins of the world).
I am quite glad to have read these two books, and most certainly intend to complete the series. I would whole heartedly suggest to anyone who is willing to read Harry Potter or Tolkien, that they should take the time to digest these novels as well.
To quickly touch base on the movie that came out this past Christmas season, I must say I wasn’t all that impressed by it. The visual effects were quite stunning and the movie painted a pretty picture, but it just didn’t seem to capture the overall fanciful nature of the story and too often took liberties with the story (adding or removing scenes). Frankly, I am more a fan of the 1978 cartoon version of the story, as it is seems to hold closer to what I perceive when I read the book(s). My wife has said that she feels the same way about the BBC production that came out recently. Perhaps it could be said that the movie tried too hard and focused away from the spirit of the story in order to be visually spectacular.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
...
Series: Left Behind
Title: Left Behind (Book 1)
Author: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
ISBN: 0-8423-2912-9
Format: Oversized Paperback 468 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 8
This is the first book I’ve read that has a lot of religious concepts/issues that wasn’t a horror novel, although this book does have horrible aspects to it, in terms of murder and mass hysteria.
The overall premise of this book, and the other 11 books in this series, is that the Rapture, as outlined in the Bible, is occurring at this time in history and what exactly would that mean to people in North America today.
The Rapture is essentially the idea that just before the End of Days as outlined in the Gospels and the Book of Revelations, half of all the people on the planet would be taken directly to the kingdom of God and that the other half would have to choose their side, between God and the Antichrist, and live through the end of the world.
The authors have done a good job with the realistic depiction of what would happen if half of all people, doctors/caregivers, drivers, pilots, etc., were to mysteriously vanish and what total chaos would ensue for those left behind. They have also done a good job of choosing protagonists that are non-believing or non-practicing Christians and how they learn the truth of the situation and the Word of God.
The fact that Tim LaHaye is one of the foremost experts on Biblical prophecy and the Book of Revelation, is quite evident as the story he paints and his choice of interpretation is very believable.
Had you have told me, as little as 2 years ago, that I would not only read this book but look forward to the next, I would have ridiculed you. Now here I am recommending this book to Christians, as an entertaining way to understand what the Rapture could mean, and to non-Christians, as a entertaining read.
Series: Left Behind
Title: Left Behind (Book 1)
Author: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
ISBN: 0-8423-2912-9
Format: Oversized Paperback 468 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 8
This is the first book I’ve read that has a lot of religious concepts/issues that wasn’t a horror novel, although this book does have horrible aspects to it, in terms of murder and mass hysteria.
The overall premise of this book, and the other 11 books in this series, is that the Rapture, as outlined in the Bible, is occurring at this time in history and what exactly would that mean to people in North America today.
The Rapture is essentially the idea that just before the End of Days as outlined in the Gospels and the Book of Revelations, half of all the people on the planet would be taken directly to the kingdom of God and that the other half would have to choose their side, between God and the Antichrist, and live through the end of the world.
The authors have done a good job with the realistic depiction of what would happen if half of all people, doctors/caregivers, drivers, pilots, etc., were to mysteriously vanish and what total chaos would ensue for those left behind. They have also done a good job of choosing protagonists that are non-believing or non-practicing Christians and how they learn the truth of the situation and the Word of God.
The fact that Tim LaHaye is one of the foremost experts on Biblical prophecy and the Book of Revelation, is quite evident as the story he paints and his choice of interpretation is very believable.
Had you have told me, as little as 2 years ago, that I would not only read this book but look forward to the next, I would have ridiculed you. Now here I am recommending this book to Christians, as an entertaining way to understand what the Rapture could mean, and to non-Christians, as a entertaining read.
...
Series: Tom Clancy’s Net Force
Title: Net Force (Book 1)
Author: Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ISBN: 0-425-16172-2
Format: Paperback 372 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 6
Title: Hidden Agendas (Book 2)
Author: Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ISBN: 0-425-17139-6
Format: Paperback 366 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 5
Being a fan of Tom Clancy’s novels (despite only having currently read Without Remorse and no others), I was intrigued when he put his name to this concept. What further intrigued me was it was a spy thriller series with an emphasis on technology. Being a person who both works and hobbies with technology this seems a natural set of books to at least give a chance.
The overall premise of this series is that in the near future the FBI ends up having a division (Net Force) that is solely responsible for investigating and dealing with ‘techno crime and/or terrorism’. With it being the near future, the technology is based enough on current technology to be plausible yet advanced enough to allow the authors a fair amount of creative license.
In the first book the head of Net Force is assassinated and the assistant director must step in and find his killer while avoiding being killed himself. This first book does a good job of introducing and fleshing out the main characters and the organization as a whole.
The 2nd book deals with a criminal mastermind and his minions that are attempting to discredit Net Force while simultaneously manipulating the stock market to amass vast fortunes. This book is a seamless continuation from the first book and does a good job of trying to further humanize the characters and events.
My first caveat to the reader of this series is that neither of the two listed authors actually writes the books, but are the co-creators and overseers of the series. I am rather disappointed not to be able, so far, to find out who the ghost writers are for these books, as I would like to see what other materials they have written in an effort to ascertain if it is the series concept which is ‘weak’ or if it is their particular writing styles.
My second caveat is that although the premise is to be a tech based thriller series, the way in which the tech is handled is minimal and has quickly been turned into a literary device that doesn’t force the authors to have an actual working knowledge of modern or soon to be tech.
All in all these novels are entertaining enough to read but not good enough to be considered more than they are, the modern equivalent to the ‘penny dreadful’ of the Victorian era.
I would recommend these books to fans of ‘mental bubble gum’ like Mack Bolan novels or people looking for a quick entertaining read without concerns for realism or depth. But true fans of Tom Clancy or techno-thrillers might be best to fill their wants from other shelves.
Series: Tom Clancy’s Net Force
Title: Net Force (Book 1)
Author: Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ISBN: 0-425-16172-2
Format: Paperback 372 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 6
Title: Hidden Agendas (Book 2)
Author: Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ISBN: 0-425-17139-6
Format: Paperback 366 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 5
Being a fan of Tom Clancy’s novels (despite only having currently read Without Remorse and no others), I was intrigued when he put his name to this concept. What further intrigued me was it was a spy thriller series with an emphasis on technology. Being a person who both works and hobbies with technology this seems a natural set of books to at least give a chance.
The overall premise of this series is that in the near future the FBI ends up having a division (Net Force) that is solely responsible for investigating and dealing with ‘techno crime and/or terrorism’. With it being the near future, the technology is based enough on current technology to be plausible yet advanced enough to allow the authors a fair amount of creative license.
In the first book the head of Net Force is assassinated and the assistant director must step in and find his killer while avoiding being killed himself. This first book does a good job of introducing and fleshing out the main characters and the organization as a whole.
The 2nd book deals with a criminal mastermind and his minions that are attempting to discredit Net Force while simultaneously manipulating the stock market to amass vast fortunes. This book is a seamless continuation from the first book and does a good job of trying to further humanize the characters and events.
My first caveat to the reader of this series is that neither of the two listed authors actually writes the books, but are the co-creators and overseers of the series. I am rather disappointed not to be able, so far, to find out who the ghost writers are for these books, as I would like to see what other materials they have written in an effort to ascertain if it is the series concept which is ‘weak’ or if it is their particular writing styles.
My second caveat is that although the premise is to be a tech based thriller series, the way in which the tech is handled is minimal and has quickly been turned into a literary device that doesn’t force the authors to have an actual working knowledge of modern or soon to be tech.
All in all these novels are entertaining enough to read but not good enough to be considered more than they are, the modern equivalent to the ‘penny dreadful’ of the Victorian era.
I would recommend these books to fans of ‘mental bubble gum’ like Mack Bolan novels or people looking for a quick entertaining read without concerns for realism or depth. But true fans of Tom Clancy or techno-thrillers might be best to fill their wants from other shelves.
Monday, August 21, 2006
…
Title: Candide
Author: Voltaire
ISBN: 0-14-044004-6
Format: Paperback 144 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 5
This book was one of two, the other being The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton, that were given to me as a wedding gift from one of my best friends, and since this is to be the 10th anniversary year of my wedding, I felt it was high time I actually read it.
This book was written in the mid 1700’s and has the general premise of trying to dissuade the young naïve protagonist from his ‘belief’ that "everything is for the best" and that he lives in “the best of all possible worlds”. It achieves this by taking the protagonist through greater and greater incidents of pain, suffering and strife, all the while forcing him to argue the veracity of his claim of how what is happening is "for the best".
Despite the age of the book, and the fact it was originally written in French and has been translated into English, I wasn’t having great difficulty with either the diction or the general style of the novel. However, the incredibly dry wit of the piece was oft lost on me and as such I didn’t fully appreciate why it is considered a classic of literature. I think I am somewhat ‘jaded’ by the modern world and therefore cannot fully immerse myself into the age in which the novel occurs. Perhaps if someone were to write an adequate modernization of the novel, I could better understand the overall gist and nuances of the text.
I do not begrudge my friend for the novel, as I am glad that he has allowed me to broaden my reading horizons. I just hope he’ll forgive the fact that I am not cultured in classic literature enough and am perhaps a little to obtuse to appreciate the novel to the same extent he does.
Perhaps, should I pick the book up later in life, I can find future joy in the words of Monsieur Voltaire.
Title: Candide
Author: Voltaire
ISBN: 0-14-044004-6
Format: Paperback 144 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 5
This book was one of two, the other being The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton, that were given to me as a wedding gift from one of my best friends, and since this is to be the 10th anniversary year of my wedding, I felt it was high time I actually read it.
This book was written in the mid 1700’s and has the general premise of trying to dissuade the young naïve protagonist from his ‘belief’ that "everything is for the best" and that he lives in “the best of all possible worlds”. It achieves this by taking the protagonist through greater and greater incidents of pain, suffering and strife, all the while forcing him to argue the veracity of his claim of how what is happening is "for the best".
Despite the age of the book, and the fact it was originally written in French and has been translated into English, I wasn’t having great difficulty with either the diction or the general style of the novel. However, the incredibly dry wit of the piece was oft lost on me and as such I didn’t fully appreciate why it is considered a classic of literature. I think I am somewhat ‘jaded’ by the modern world and therefore cannot fully immerse myself into the age in which the novel occurs. Perhaps if someone were to write an adequate modernization of the novel, I could better understand the overall gist and nuances of the text.
I do not begrudge my friend for the novel, as I am glad that he has allowed me to broaden my reading horizons. I just hope he’ll forgive the fact that I am not cultured in classic literature enough and am perhaps a little to obtuse to appreciate the novel to the same extent he does.
Perhaps, should I pick the book up later in life, I can find future joy in the words of Monsieur Voltaire.
…
Title: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Author: J. K. Rowling
ISBN: 1-55192-756-x
Format: Hardcover 607 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 8
This is the sixth, and penultimate, book in the Harry Potter series and continues the tale of the orphan boy trying to get through his private school education while dealing with the larger issue of a homicidal megalomaniac, who he is magically tied to, trying to take over the world.
In this book Harry is no longer the petulant punk that he was in book five, but he is becoming the responsible man, capable of accepting his fate, that he will need to be to finally confront his nemesis Voldemort.
This book is more about Voldemort and who he was, is and can be, how Harry comes to learn these details and what he’ll begin to do once he understands them.
Really this book is an excellent lead up to the next, which will be the last in the series and the one where Voldemort and Harry come to their final encounter.
My only concern with this novel it that it appears that Ms. Rowling might fall into the trap of having Snape actually be a major villain of the series, and should she do this I will be most disappointed. Personally, I think she will be better off if she uses Snape as an example of the moral that life if full of very hard choices, sometimes seemingly beyond one’s control.
I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed the last and because of such I am most certainly looking forward to seeing how Ms. Rowling ends the series, not to mention just how large of a book it will take her to wrap it all up.
I most certainly would recommend this book to anyone who has read the others in the series, and I would recommend that anyone who likes a good tale of fantasy pick up the entire series.
Title: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Author: J. K. Rowling
ISBN: 1-55192-756-x
Format: Hardcover 607 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 8
This is the sixth, and penultimate, book in the Harry Potter series and continues the tale of the orphan boy trying to get through his private school education while dealing with the larger issue of a homicidal megalomaniac, who he is magically tied to, trying to take over the world.
In this book Harry is no longer the petulant punk that he was in book five, but he is becoming the responsible man, capable of accepting his fate, that he will need to be to finally confront his nemesis Voldemort.
This book is more about Voldemort and who he was, is and can be, how Harry comes to learn these details and what he’ll begin to do once he understands them.
Really this book is an excellent lead up to the next, which will be the last in the series and the one where Voldemort and Harry come to their final encounter.
My only concern with this novel it that it appears that Ms. Rowling might fall into the trap of having Snape actually be a major villain of the series, and should she do this I will be most disappointed. Personally, I think she will be better off if she uses Snape as an example of the moral that life if full of very hard choices, sometimes seemingly beyond one’s control.
I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed the last and because of such I am most certainly looking forward to seeing how Ms. Rowling ends the series, not to mention just how large of a book it will take her to wrap it all up.
I most certainly would recommend this book to anyone who has read the others in the series, and I would recommend that anyone who likes a good tale of fantasy pick up the entire series.
...
Title: The DaVinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-385-50420-9
Format: Hardcover 454 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 7
CAVEAT: I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell, despite any claims he may make to the contrary.
This is the 2nd novel with our intrepid Harvard History Professor, Robert Langdon. In this tale of history (gone wrong) our protagonist is called to a murder scene by the French police while on lecture in the city of Paris. It seems that a man he was to have met with that evening has been murdered in the Louvre and has been positioned in a way similar to Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. This incident quickly escalates to one where Robert is on the run from the French authorities and, with the aid of a French cryptographer, on the chase to find what the Holy Grail is and where precisely to find it.
Angels and Demons, Brown’s first novel with Robert Langdon, is not only a better read but a more plausible story. Also, it would seem that Mr. Brown is rather formulaic in his writing style and therefore The DaVinci Code seems stale, after having read Angels and Demons.
With regards to the heresy this book is presenting to the world, I will say two things. Firstly, see my CAVEAT above and secondly this is not the first time this idea has been brought forward and dismissed or forgotten. If anything I think Mr. Brown is a brilliant marketer as by making the Church take a stand against his novel he has received a significant amount of free press and that has generated a lot of sales. I also believe that the way Mr. Brown is presenting the information, from a Harvard professor and with a lecture type air to it, it is being leant a great deal of versimilitude. And this versimilitude is only aiding in people becoming blind to the fact that this is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
As with Angels and Demons, I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons. But for any devout Catholics or Christians, the big historical reveal of this novel needs to be assumed to be quite fanciful.
Title: The DaVinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-385-50420-9
Format: Hardcover 454 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 7
CAVEAT: I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell, despite any claims he may make to the contrary.
This is the 2nd novel with our intrepid Harvard History Professor, Robert Langdon. In this tale of history (gone wrong) our protagonist is called to a murder scene by the French police while on lecture in the city of Paris. It seems that a man he was to have met with that evening has been murdered in the Louvre and has been positioned in a way similar to Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. This incident quickly escalates to one where Robert is on the run from the French authorities and, with the aid of a French cryptographer, on the chase to find what the Holy Grail is and where precisely to find it.
Angels and Demons, Brown’s first novel with Robert Langdon, is not only a better read but a more plausible story. Also, it would seem that Mr. Brown is rather formulaic in his writing style and therefore The DaVinci Code seems stale, after having read Angels and Demons.
With regards to the heresy this book is presenting to the world, I will say two things. Firstly, see my CAVEAT above and secondly this is not the first time this idea has been brought forward and dismissed or forgotten. If anything I think Mr. Brown is a brilliant marketer as by making the Church take a stand against his novel he has received a significant amount of free press and that has generated a lot of sales. I also believe that the way Mr. Brown is presenting the information, from a Harvard professor and with a lecture type air to it, it is being leant a great deal of versimilitude. And this versimilitude is only aiding in people becoming blind to the fact that this is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
As with Angels and Demons, I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons. But for any devout Catholics or Christians, the big historical reveal of this novel needs to be assumed to be quite fanciful.
...
Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-7434-8622-6
Format: Hardcover 569 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 8
This is the first novel staring the intrepid Harvard Professor Robert Langdon. In it, Robert, a historian with a specialty in Symbology and Religious Iconography, is approached by the head of CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, to investigate the death of one of their head scientists who was killed in his locked apartment with a ambigram of the word Illuminati seared into his chest. Robert then spends the next 24 hours to keep ahead of the criminal, and his accomplices, who is planning to use some specific research of the initial victim to level the Vatican with an anti-matter bomb. All this is occurring during the time that the Catholic Church is electing a new pope.
I must admit that I was intrigued into reading this book because it is the first novel with the protagonist of the other bestseller by Brown, The Davinci Code, and that I tend to be a bit of a stickler when it comes to reading books in chronological order. But I was further intrigued by the fact that this was a modern murder mystery with its roots, and ultimately clues, in the details of common and not so common history.
First off, I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell.
If one can keep this above point in mind during the reading of this novel, it is a very entertaining and rewarding read, with many twists and turns that take you by surprise. It will be hard pressed for someone to ascertain the identity of the villain long before the final reveal.
My only other concern with this novel is the accelerated timeline and how much the protagonist is capable of accomplishing within a 24 hour timeframe. Fortunately, the entirety of the activity occurs within the city of Rome and the Vatican proper, so it doesn’t come off as completely impossible, just improbable.
I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons.
Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-7434-8622-6
Format: Hardcover 569 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 8
This is the first novel staring the intrepid Harvard Professor Robert Langdon. In it, Robert, a historian with a specialty in Symbology and Religious Iconography, is approached by the head of CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, to investigate the death of one of their head scientists who was killed in his locked apartment with a ambigram of the word Illuminati seared into his chest. Robert then spends the next 24 hours to keep ahead of the criminal, and his accomplices, who is planning to use some specific research of the initial victim to level the Vatican with an anti-matter bomb. All this is occurring during the time that the Catholic Church is electing a new pope.
I must admit that I was intrigued into reading this book because it is the first novel with the protagonist of the other bestseller by Brown, The Davinci Code, and that I tend to be a bit of a stickler when it comes to reading books in chronological order. But I was further intrigued by the fact that this was a modern murder mystery with its roots, and ultimately clues, in the details of common and not so common history.
First off, I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell.
If one can keep this above point in mind during the reading of this novel, it is a very entertaining and rewarding read, with many twists and turns that take you by surprise. It will be hard pressed for someone to ascertain the identity of the villain long before the final reveal.
My only other concern with this novel is the accelerated timeline and how much the protagonist is capable of accomplishing within a 24 hour timeframe. Fortunately, the entirety of the activity occurs within the city of Rome and the Vatican proper, so it doesn’t come off as completely impossible, just improbable.
I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons.
...
Series: R. A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen
Title: Dissolution (Book I)
Author: Richard Lee Byers
ISBN: 0-7869-2714-3
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Insurrection (Book II)
Author: Thomas M. Reid
ISBN: 0-7869-2786-0
Format: Hardcover 338 Pages
Title: Condemnation (Book III)
Author: Richard Baker
ISBN: 0-7869-28-24-7
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Extinction (Book IV)
Author: Lisa Smedman
ISBN: 0-7869-2989-8
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Annihilation (Book V)
Author: Philip Athans
ISBN: 0-7869-3237-6
Format: Hardcover 342 Pages
Title: Resurrection (Book VI)
Author: Paul S. Kemp
ISBN: 0-7869-3640-1
Format: Hardcover 343 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 6
This is a six book series that is situated in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game by Wizards of the Coast. The general premise of this series is that Lloth, the god of the Drow (evil elves), has shut herself off from her priestesses and followers, and what kind of impact that holds for her ‘children’.
The first book deals with the jewel of the underdark, Menzoberranzan and how the loss of Lloth impacts the power struggles and day to day life of those in this city.
The 2nd book follows the ‘protagonists’ of the story and their traveling to the next closest city of the Drow in an attempt to discern if the issue is isolated or universal.
The 3rd – 6th books continue on the journey and the various external people that impact on the ‘antagonists’ journey to find their goddess and how they help or hinder for the reasons of their own.
I have put the term ‘antagonists’ in quotes as the heroes of this story are all members of the evil race of the Drow and as such are neither good or lawful, so for some readers it might be distasteful to see how callous and selfish they are during their mission.
Each book has a short prologue that deals with Lloth and what she is doing during the time of the book in question. These were rather well done as they were written in a dreamlike or allegorical method and were such that I was finding myself looking forward to these prologues of every book.
These novels were written by six different authors, despite their being one continuing tale of six primary characters. I found that this cooperative story telling method was both a good and bad thing. It was bad as the differing styles and tones of the authors were quite apparent and nearly distracting from the story, but was good as if the story was only written by one of these authors, I most likely would not have continued it, as not all the authors were to my liking.
Overall I found the concept of what was being set forth by this series to be an excellent idea with lots of opportunity for engaging stories, but I found the overall final product to be rather lacking to the point of finding myself saying “for such a huge concept, they didn’t seem to go very far with it”.
I would suggest to any lovers of the Drow or of the Forgotten Realms, that this would be a worthwhile series to borrow or loan from the library, but not anything one would or should invest their personal monies into.
Series: R. A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen
Title: Dissolution (Book I)
Author: Richard Lee Byers
ISBN: 0-7869-2714-3
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Insurrection (Book II)
Author: Thomas M. Reid
ISBN: 0-7869-2786-0
Format: Hardcover 338 Pages
Title: Condemnation (Book III)
Author: Richard Baker
ISBN: 0-7869-28-24-7
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Extinction (Book IV)
Author: Lisa Smedman
ISBN: 0-7869-2989-8
Format: Hardcover 344 Pages
Title: Annihilation (Book V)
Author: Philip Athans
ISBN: 0-7869-3237-6
Format: Hardcover 342 Pages
Title: Resurrection (Book VI)
Author: Paul S. Kemp
ISBN: 0-7869-3640-1
Format: Hardcover 343 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 6
This is a six book series that is situated in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game by Wizards of the Coast. The general premise of this series is that Lloth, the god of the Drow (evil elves), has shut herself off from her priestesses and followers, and what kind of impact that holds for her ‘children’.
The first book deals with the jewel of the underdark, Menzoberranzan and how the loss of Lloth impacts the power struggles and day to day life of those in this city.
The 2nd book follows the ‘protagonists’ of the story and their traveling to the next closest city of the Drow in an attempt to discern if the issue is isolated or universal.
The 3rd – 6th books continue on the journey and the various external people that impact on the ‘antagonists’ journey to find their goddess and how they help or hinder for the reasons of their own.
I have put the term ‘antagonists’ in quotes as the heroes of this story are all members of the evil race of the Drow and as such are neither good or lawful, so for some readers it might be distasteful to see how callous and selfish they are during their mission.
Each book has a short prologue that deals with Lloth and what she is doing during the time of the book in question. These were rather well done as they were written in a dreamlike or allegorical method and were such that I was finding myself looking forward to these prologues of every book.
These novels were written by six different authors, despite their being one continuing tale of six primary characters. I found that this cooperative story telling method was both a good and bad thing. It was bad as the differing styles and tones of the authors were quite apparent and nearly distracting from the story, but was good as if the story was only written by one of these authors, I most likely would not have continued it, as not all the authors were to my liking.
Overall I found the concept of what was being set forth by this series to be an excellent idea with lots of opportunity for engaging stories, but I found the overall final product to be rather lacking to the point of finding myself saying “for such a huge concept, they didn’t seem to go very far with it”.
I would suggest to any lovers of the Drow or of the Forgotten Realms, that this would be a worthwhile series to borrow or loan from the library, but not anything one would or should invest their personal monies into.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
...
Well I have been a rather naughty blogger, having neglected updating this site in over a year and a half. Hence, I will be making several updates over the coming days, in order to add all the books (and perhaps some comics) I've read since my last update.
Title: The Bible – New Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition
Author: Various
ISBN: 0-88834-021-4
Format: Softcover 1344 pages
Since I am neither a prophet, a biblical scholar nor an enlightened one, I will not be so presumptuous as to attempt to critique The Bible. However, I will say that this was a very good book to have read, mostly because of how it affirms my belief that despite the age of the human race, we are still the same mentally/emotionally as we were in the beginning.
I was also quite impressed to fully appreciate how much of the nomaclature of The Bible has made its way into daily parlance, and we just don't realize what it is we are quoting/paraphasing and what truly it means or pays reference to.
Having adopted (returned) to the Catholic faith this past Easter, I can now begin to fully appreciate how much of an impact the word of God has on our daily lives and how much teachings, guidance, courage, compassion and understanding we can recieve from The Bible.
I will admit that I took a full year to read this, which is partially why I haven't been updating this blog very often, and that despite how long I took to read it, I am certain I will need to reread this book again and again to fully BEGIN to appreciate what it has to offer mankind.
Well I have been a rather naughty blogger, having neglected updating this site in over a year and a half. Hence, I will be making several updates over the coming days, in order to add all the books (and perhaps some comics) I've read since my last update.
Title: The Bible – New Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition
Author: Various
ISBN: 0-88834-021-4
Format: Softcover 1344 pages
Since I am neither a prophet, a biblical scholar nor an enlightened one, I will not be so presumptuous as to attempt to critique The Bible. However, I will say that this was a very good book to have read, mostly because of how it affirms my belief that despite the age of the human race, we are still the same mentally/emotionally as we were in the beginning.
I was also quite impressed to fully appreciate how much of the nomaclature of The Bible has made its way into daily parlance, and we just don't realize what it is we are quoting/paraphasing and what truly it means or pays reference to.
Having adopted (returned) to the Catholic faith this past Easter, I can now begin to fully appreciate how much of an impact the word of God has on our daily lives and how much teachings, guidance, courage, compassion and understanding we can recieve from The Bible.
I will admit that I took a full year to read this, which is partially why I haven't been updating this blog very often, and that despite how long I took to read it, I am certain I will need to reread this book again and again to fully BEGIN to appreciate what it has to offer mankind.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
...
Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
ISBN: 1551925702
Format: Hardcover - 766 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
This is the fifth book in the infamous Harry Potter series which has captured the psyche of the North American market by absolute storm.
The first time I was made aware of Harry Potter was either the large number of books on book store shelves or the many readers on my commuter train. At first I was adamant not to read any of the series, mostly since I believe anything that the general public goes gangbusters on can't be all that good, and because I sometimes like swimming against the current.
But a friend of mine loaned me a pirated copy of the first movie and my wife and I watched it on a lark. Needless to say, I was impressed enough in the movie to read the first four books in rapid succession and have preordered this the most current book in the series.
My first comment about the series is that it is well written and that it should not be seen as a 'children's' series, as adults can get as much enjoyment of the series as children do (not to mention some of the weighty concepts the books touch on/deal with). Secondly, it seems that as the protagonist of the series ages, so to does the age of the reader. It is as if Ms. Rowling is writting for an audience that is progressively getting older.
Now as for this book, I must say that it doesn't particularly stand out in any particular way but it is still an excellent read.
I was very impressed with the way that Ms. Rowling made Harry into a well rounded teenager (i.e. he is very angst ridden and comes to realize that his parents are fallible, something we all have to face and never is an easy thing to accept).
It is also rather interesting to note that despite the fact that Harry is a very powerful wizard, he can be rather dense when it comes to the potential actions of the enemy. I am slightly afraid that Ms. Rowling overplayed this as it becomes quite transparent to the reader what Voldemort is doing but Harry just can't see it until it is far too late. But then again, Ms. Rowling may have just been expressing her opinion of how teens can be engrossed in the wrong things and not see those things that are standing right in front of them (which isn't a skill exclusive to teens).
With the grand revelation of this book I am quite curious to see how she wraps up this series in the next two, which are, according to the author, the last two in the series. Also part of me wonders if the last book will end up being 1200+ pages in order to fulfill this.
For anyone who loves the stories of C.S. Lewis, Madeline L'Engle, Roald Dahl or L. Frank Baum I greatly suggest they augment that library with the books of J.K. Rowling.
Title: Millenium Rising
Author: Jane Jensen
ISBN: 0345430344
Format: Hardcover - 430 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
My first introduction to the writings of Jane Jensen were as the Gabriel Knight computer games (Sins of the Fathers, The Beast Within and Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned) which both my wife and I are quite fond of and are well written and paced games.
Due to my interest in these games and their author, by surfing the internet to see if a 4th game was forthcoming, I came across the notion that she had written stand alone books of which this is one.
The overall premise of this book is that several world religious leaders all attend a 'prophetic' event in Central America and each goes on their way to change the world. Shortly after their pronouncements from "God" (whichever incarnation they individually saw) the events of the Apocalypse as written in Revelations begin to occur. The two protagonists of the book are a Catholic Priest from the Vatican and a reporter for the New York Times. And the book follows their investigation of the 'events and their meanings'.
This book has a very good overall concept however the manner in which it concludes is rather wanting. The biggest issue being that the author seems to be setting the audience up on a 'journey of discovery' but about half way through the journey she seems to abandon it and continues to just conclude the tale. I am uncertain as to whether this is due to the fact that a) the author didn't feel she could effectively conclude the discovery, b) that she was afraid to allienate a portion of her audience or c) if the editor didn't want to have bad press/sales because of the leanings of the author (she was brought up the daughter of a fundamentalist christian minister).
Also I happened to be reading this book during a very difficult time, as my father had recently passed away and I was having a crisis of faith (perhaps not the best time to read a book of the Apocalypse).
I would recommend this book to those that are fans of the genre or of Jane Jensen, but I would throw in a caveat of not to expect too much.
Title: The Rod of Seven Parts
Author: Douglas Niles
ISBN: 0786904798
Format: Hardcover - 348 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 5/10
This is one of the LARGE number of books in the Forgotten Realms setting created by TSR Games and being continued by Wizards of the Coast.
The premise of this novel is that there is a powerful magic item (the Rod of Seven Parts) that a piece of falls into the hands of the protaganist of the story. The rest of the story is the character slowly learning what it is they have, collecting the rest of the pieces and having a climatic battle against a creature of pure malice and evil at the end.
All in all this is a typical book of its genre (modern pulp Fantasy) with my only complaint being that at the beginning of the book way too many of the introduced characters die, and for no apparent reason (which goes against the typical concept of Fantasy deaths being either a result of deserved justice or in an act of selfless heroism).
I would only suggest this book to be read as a rainy Sunday afternoon diversion. I read it myself as a prelude to a DnD campaign that I will be running that is based on the same premise, and that is probably the only reason I finished it (that I and don't like to leave books unfinished).
Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J.K. Rowling
ISBN: 1551925702
Format: Hardcover - 766 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
This is the fifth book in the infamous Harry Potter series which has captured the psyche of the North American market by absolute storm.
The first time I was made aware of Harry Potter was either the large number of books on book store shelves or the many readers on my commuter train. At first I was adamant not to read any of the series, mostly since I believe anything that the general public goes gangbusters on can't be all that good, and because I sometimes like swimming against the current.
But a friend of mine loaned me a pirated copy of the first movie and my wife and I watched it on a lark. Needless to say, I was impressed enough in the movie to read the first four books in rapid succession and have preordered this the most current book in the series.
My first comment about the series is that it is well written and that it should not be seen as a 'children's' series, as adults can get as much enjoyment of the series as children do (not to mention some of the weighty concepts the books touch on/deal with). Secondly, it seems that as the protagonist of the series ages, so to does the age of the reader. It is as if Ms. Rowling is writting for an audience that is progressively getting older.
Now as for this book, I must say that it doesn't particularly stand out in any particular way but it is still an excellent read.
I was very impressed with the way that Ms. Rowling made Harry into a well rounded teenager (i.e. he is very angst ridden and comes to realize that his parents are fallible, something we all have to face and never is an easy thing to accept).
It is also rather interesting to note that despite the fact that Harry is a very powerful wizard, he can be rather dense when it comes to the potential actions of the enemy. I am slightly afraid that Ms. Rowling overplayed this as it becomes quite transparent to the reader what Voldemort is doing but Harry just can't see it until it is far too late. But then again, Ms. Rowling may have just been expressing her opinion of how teens can be engrossed in the wrong things and not see those things that are standing right in front of them (which isn't a skill exclusive to teens).
With the grand revelation of this book I am quite curious to see how she wraps up this series in the next two, which are, according to the author, the last two in the series. Also part of me wonders if the last book will end up being 1200+ pages in order to fulfill this.
For anyone who loves the stories of C.S. Lewis, Madeline L'Engle, Roald Dahl or L. Frank Baum I greatly suggest they augment that library with the books of J.K. Rowling.
Title: Millenium Rising
Author: Jane Jensen
ISBN: 0345430344
Format: Hardcover - 430 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
My first introduction to the writings of Jane Jensen were as the Gabriel Knight computer games (Sins of the Fathers, The Beast Within and Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned) which both my wife and I are quite fond of and are well written and paced games.
Due to my interest in these games and their author, by surfing the internet to see if a 4th game was forthcoming, I came across the notion that she had written stand alone books of which this is one.
The overall premise of this book is that several world religious leaders all attend a 'prophetic' event in Central America and each goes on their way to change the world. Shortly after their pronouncements from "God" (whichever incarnation they individually saw) the events of the Apocalypse as written in Revelations begin to occur. The two protagonists of the book are a Catholic Priest from the Vatican and a reporter for the New York Times. And the book follows their investigation of the 'events and their meanings'.
This book has a very good overall concept however the manner in which it concludes is rather wanting. The biggest issue being that the author seems to be setting the audience up on a 'journey of discovery' but about half way through the journey she seems to abandon it and continues to just conclude the tale. I am uncertain as to whether this is due to the fact that a) the author didn't feel she could effectively conclude the discovery, b) that she was afraid to allienate a portion of her audience or c) if the editor didn't want to have bad press/sales because of the leanings of the author (she was brought up the daughter of a fundamentalist christian minister).
Also I happened to be reading this book during a very difficult time, as my father had recently passed away and I was having a crisis of faith (perhaps not the best time to read a book of the Apocalypse).
I would recommend this book to those that are fans of the genre or of Jane Jensen, but I would throw in a caveat of not to expect too much.
Title: The Rod of Seven Parts
Author: Douglas Niles
ISBN: 0786904798
Format: Hardcover - 348 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 5/10
This is one of the LARGE number of books in the Forgotten Realms setting created by TSR Games and being continued by Wizards of the Coast.
The premise of this novel is that there is a powerful magic item (the Rod of Seven Parts) that a piece of falls into the hands of the protaganist of the story. The rest of the story is the character slowly learning what it is they have, collecting the rest of the pieces and having a climatic battle against a creature of pure malice and evil at the end.
All in all this is a typical book of its genre (modern pulp Fantasy) with my only complaint being that at the beginning of the book way too many of the introduced characters die, and for no apparent reason (which goes against the typical concept of Fantasy deaths being either a result of deserved justice or in an act of selfless heroism).
I would only suggest this book to be read as a rainy Sunday afternoon diversion. I read it myself as a prelude to a DnD campaign that I will be running that is based on the same premise, and that is probably the only reason I finished it (that I and don't like to leave books unfinished).
Sunday, June 27, 2004
...
Title: The 80 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time
Authors: Jonathan Vankin & John Whalen
ISBN: 0806525312
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 718 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
It has been sometime since I invested this much time in a non-fiction book. The reason this one caught my eye is because I've always been intrigued by Conspiracies and was watching a show of the same title on Tech TV. On that show they repeated interviewed Jonathan Vankin commenting on his being the coauthor of this book. I was intrigued enough to spend the $30+ CDN to own this book.
The book is a collection of 80 conspiracies that are listed as the 'greatest'. It covered varied topics from The Shroud of Turin, the sarin attacks of Shoko Asahara's cult "supreme truth" (Aum Shinrikyo), the fake moon landings, and of coarse the JFK/RFK assassinations and the 9/11 disaster.
At first I would say that the problem with this book is that the predominate number of these conspiracies are of USA origin. But after some reflection, that makes sense as 1) the authors are American and therefore have a bias towards their own countries views, 2) the proliferation of media in the USA provides more opportunity for conspiracies to flourish and therefore seem great and 3) the USA has an interesting penchant for going to great lengths to prove that their leaders are both corrupt and incorruptible (yes, this is meant to be contradictory).
Being a dabbler into conspiracy theory, I was aware of a fair number of the ones mentioned in this book; however there were some nice surprises. There were some I had never heard of before (i.e. the 'assassination' of Pope John Paul I) and some interesting twists on those I did (i.e. that Mark David Chapman was 'brainwashed' to kill John Lennon). Actually, the most interesting 'twist' is that with regards to 9/11 the authors choose to debunk all the theories regarding this they can. Essentially what they argue is "the bigger the disaster, the bigger the disbelief". They do discuss various 'issues' of the event, but seem to say "it was a huge tragedy and any attempt at conspiracy theory (denial) is both pointless and a waste of time, accept it and deal with the consequences".
My only disappointments in this book are 1) that some of the conspiracies are covered to quickly and 2) there is a certain expectation, on behalf of the authors, that the reader is well versed in the players of US politics (past and present).
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a burgeoning interest in Conspiracy Theory, but for an average reader this will seem like just that much nonsense.
Title: The Piercing
Author: John Coyne
ISBN: 0425054764
Format: Paperback - 261 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 7/10
When I was about 10 years old, I remember seeing a commercial for a movie. In this commercial it alternates between a woman sleeping on a bed and a spider dropping from the ceiling. It ends with the girl sitting bolt upright and gasping, as if the spider had just jumped down her throat. When I found this book, which shows a woman in bed with a fearful look on her face, I thought I had found the novelization of the movie in question. I have since learned that the movie in question was "Deadly Blessing's" by Wes Craven and starring Sharon Stone (her first movie I hear).
This book is actually a typical 'b-rated' horror novel of the seventies. It covers one of my favourite sub-genres, which I refer to as the 'questions of faith' horror novel.
The story revolves around a young girl in the Appalachians, who is a member of an extremely poor family living in a shack and two priests of a small Catholic parish near by. She is experiencing the 'stigmata' (the wounds of Christ (whippings, crown of thorns, nails through hands and feet, stab to the side)) and the two priests are trying to help/minister her through these tumultuous moments. And as it typical of this subgenre, the priests are both flawed. The elder priest is to ready to accept this as an act of God and the younger priest is unable to fulfill his vows of celibacy (he's having sex with a college student from the college parish he used to run, and to just add more fuel to the fire she happens to be Jewish).
Needless to say the book if full of bad times for everyone involved.
Every once in a while it is good to read some mental bubblegum, and this was one of those times.
I would recommend this book to those who sometimes feel the need to sometimes read a 'b-rated' novel, just for the pure escapism of it.
Title: The Legacy
Author: John Coyne
ISBN: 0425041832
Format: Paperback - 246 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 5/10
Once again, when I was about 10 I remember a commercial for a horror movie called the Legacy. The commercial showed a lovely young woman sitting outside a bed surrounded by various hospital equipment and as the woman leans closer to the bed, a hideous hand/claw grabs her by the wrist. And this is the novelization of that movie.
I have seen the movie fairly recently (most interesting that Roger Daltry is in it) and thought, I wonder what the novelization is like.
Unlike some novelizations that actually add to the movie experience, this one does nothing but reproduce it scene by scene. There are a few scenes early on that add to the background of the host of characters, but they are few and weak.
Now the essential story is that an American architect is hired by a prestigious London hotel to redecorate their new hotel. She and her boyfriend head to London and have some time to vacation before the job. They bum around the country side on a rented motor cycle. As they bum around they get run off the road by a luxurious limo and the owner offers to let them stay at his mansion until the bike is fixed. However, as with most horror novels, this isn't just an idyllic country estate but actually the coven for five powerful people and their mentor. As the novel progresses the characters begin to die in very disturbing ways and the main character and her boyfriend have several close calls themselves. The ending has a nice twist, but happens to quickly to be truly effective.
I would recommend that anyone interested in this story might be better served by watching the movie (if you can find it).
Title: Forged
Author: Thomas M. Reid
ISBN: 1592630103
Format: Paperback - 316 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 8/10
With the new Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition rules came a lot of new faces to the DnD industry. One of those new faces is Bastion Press with there campaign setting Oathbound. I have heard several good things about the Oathbound setting but didn't feel it warranted the $40 purchase for the main book, especially if I found out that it wasn't to my liking. Then Bastion decided to publish an independent novel that takes place in this new campaign setting. This is that novel. And actually this is only the first of a trilogy, which will be published one book per year for the next two years. I couldn't justify the $40 but perhaps a $10 novel would satisfy my curiosity enough to help me decide if the new campaign setting would work for me or my gaming club.
After 40 or so pages into the book I was mortified by the fact that several of the pages in the first part of the book had separated from the cover! And considering how carefully I read mass market paperbacks (you'll never see a crease in the spine of a book that has only been read by me) this was most unacceptable.
However, the quality of the story and the writing easily kept me going enough to finish this book (praying all the while that the bindings would last).
The book follows the basic premise of a standard campaign in Oathbound. The character is magically drawn from their native home/plane and end up on a world called Forge. The character has to adapt to several new concepts (i.e. heightened senses and emotions, magic, magical creatures, people of exotic races, and the world itself). Along the way the character interacts with several other characters and has to accept his new 'way of life.'
The author has a good grasp on storytelling skills and pacing. His story was rather graphic, but nothing that any other fantasy novel hasn't already covered. Actually his forthright nature was very appealing, mostly due to the rarity of such a style in today’s day and age, everyone seems preoccupied with symbolism or some such, as opposed to just stated what they mean.
I don't wish to give any of the concepts of the book away so as to avoid spoiling the freshness of the new campaign setting for someone like myself, who wanted to see what Oathbound was all about. I am fairly certain that for those of you that know Oathbound, the book will be a fair representation of the world.
All in all I would heartily recommend this book to any gamer and would also argue that any good reader of fantasy would be appreciative of this novel. Now to see if the other two books in this trilogy make for a good read as well.
Title: The 80 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time
Authors: Jonathan Vankin & John Whalen
ISBN: 0806525312
Format: Over Sized Paperback - 718 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 7/10
It has been sometime since I invested this much time in a non-fiction book. The reason this one caught my eye is because I've always been intrigued by Conspiracies and was watching a show of the same title on Tech TV. On that show they repeated interviewed Jonathan Vankin commenting on his being the coauthor of this book. I was intrigued enough to spend the $30+ CDN to own this book.
The book is a collection of 80 conspiracies that are listed as the 'greatest'. It covered varied topics from The Shroud of Turin, the sarin attacks of Shoko Asahara's cult "supreme truth" (Aum Shinrikyo), the fake moon landings, and of coarse the JFK/RFK assassinations and the 9/11 disaster.
At first I would say that the problem with this book is that the predominate number of these conspiracies are of USA origin. But after some reflection, that makes sense as 1) the authors are American and therefore have a bias towards their own countries views, 2) the proliferation of media in the USA provides more opportunity for conspiracies to flourish and therefore seem great and 3) the USA has an interesting penchant for going to great lengths to prove that their leaders are both corrupt and incorruptible (yes, this is meant to be contradictory).
Being a dabbler into conspiracy theory, I was aware of a fair number of the ones mentioned in this book; however there were some nice surprises. There were some I had never heard of before (i.e. the 'assassination' of Pope John Paul I) and some interesting twists on those I did (i.e. that Mark David Chapman was 'brainwashed' to kill John Lennon). Actually, the most interesting 'twist' is that with regards to 9/11 the authors choose to debunk all the theories regarding this they can. Essentially what they argue is "the bigger the disaster, the bigger the disbelief". They do discuss various 'issues' of the event, but seem to say "it was a huge tragedy and any attempt at conspiracy theory (denial) is both pointless and a waste of time, accept it and deal with the consequences".
My only disappointments in this book are 1) that some of the conspiracies are covered to quickly and 2) there is a certain expectation, on behalf of the authors, that the reader is well versed in the players of US politics (past and present).
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a burgeoning interest in Conspiracy Theory, but for an average reader this will seem like just that much nonsense.
Title: The Piercing
Author: John Coyne
ISBN: 0425054764
Format: Paperback - 261 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 7/10
When I was about 10 years old, I remember seeing a commercial for a movie. In this commercial it alternates between a woman sleeping on a bed and a spider dropping from the ceiling. It ends with the girl sitting bolt upright and gasping, as if the spider had just jumped down her throat. When I found this book, which shows a woman in bed with a fearful look on her face, I thought I had found the novelization of the movie in question. I have since learned that the movie in question was "Deadly Blessing's" by Wes Craven and starring Sharon Stone (her first movie I hear).
This book is actually a typical 'b-rated' horror novel of the seventies. It covers one of my favourite sub-genres, which I refer to as the 'questions of faith' horror novel.
The story revolves around a young girl in the Appalachians, who is a member of an extremely poor family living in a shack and two priests of a small Catholic parish near by. She is experiencing the 'stigmata' (the wounds of Christ (whippings, crown of thorns, nails through hands and feet, stab to the side)) and the two priests are trying to help/minister her through these tumultuous moments. And as it typical of this subgenre, the priests are both flawed. The elder priest is to ready to accept this as an act of God and the younger priest is unable to fulfill his vows of celibacy (he's having sex with a college student from the college parish he used to run, and to just add more fuel to the fire she happens to be Jewish).
Needless to say the book if full of bad times for everyone involved.
Every once in a while it is good to read some mental bubblegum, and this was one of those times.
I would recommend this book to those who sometimes feel the need to sometimes read a 'b-rated' novel, just for the pure escapism of it.
Title: The Legacy
Author: John Coyne
ISBN: 0425041832
Format: Paperback - 246 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 5/10
Once again, when I was about 10 I remember a commercial for a horror movie called the Legacy. The commercial showed a lovely young woman sitting outside a bed surrounded by various hospital equipment and as the woman leans closer to the bed, a hideous hand/claw grabs her by the wrist. And this is the novelization of that movie.
I have seen the movie fairly recently (most interesting that Roger Daltry is in it) and thought, I wonder what the novelization is like.
Unlike some novelizations that actually add to the movie experience, this one does nothing but reproduce it scene by scene. There are a few scenes early on that add to the background of the host of characters, but they are few and weak.
Now the essential story is that an American architect is hired by a prestigious London hotel to redecorate their new hotel. She and her boyfriend head to London and have some time to vacation before the job. They bum around the country side on a rented motor cycle. As they bum around they get run off the road by a luxurious limo and the owner offers to let them stay at his mansion until the bike is fixed. However, as with most horror novels, this isn't just an idyllic country estate but actually the coven for five powerful people and their mentor. As the novel progresses the characters begin to die in very disturbing ways and the main character and her boyfriend have several close calls themselves. The ending has a nice twist, but happens to quickly to be truly effective.
I would recommend that anyone interested in this story might be better served by watching the movie (if you can find it).
Title: Forged
Author: Thomas M. Reid
ISBN: 1592630103
Format: Paperback - 316 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 8/10
With the new Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition rules came a lot of new faces to the DnD industry. One of those new faces is Bastion Press with there campaign setting Oathbound. I have heard several good things about the Oathbound setting but didn't feel it warranted the $40 purchase for the main book, especially if I found out that it wasn't to my liking. Then Bastion decided to publish an independent novel that takes place in this new campaign setting. This is that novel. And actually this is only the first of a trilogy, which will be published one book per year for the next two years. I couldn't justify the $40 but perhaps a $10 novel would satisfy my curiosity enough to help me decide if the new campaign setting would work for me or my gaming club.
After 40 or so pages into the book I was mortified by the fact that several of the pages in the first part of the book had separated from the cover! And considering how carefully I read mass market paperbacks (you'll never see a crease in the spine of a book that has only been read by me) this was most unacceptable.
However, the quality of the story and the writing easily kept me going enough to finish this book (praying all the while that the bindings would last).
The book follows the basic premise of a standard campaign in Oathbound. The character is magically drawn from their native home/plane and end up on a world called Forge. The character has to adapt to several new concepts (i.e. heightened senses and emotions, magic, magical creatures, people of exotic races, and the world itself). Along the way the character interacts with several other characters and has to accept his new 'way of life.'
The author has a good grasp on storytelling skills and pacing. His story was rather graphic, but nothing that any other fantasy novel hasn't already covered. Actually his forthright nature was very appealing, mostly due to the rarity of such a style in today’s day and age, everyone seems preoccupied with symbolism or some such, as opposed to just stated what they mean.
I don't wish to give any of the concepts of the book away so as to avoid spoiling the freshness of the new campaign setting for someone like myself, who wanted to see what Oathbound was all about. I am fairly certain that for those of you that know Oathbound, the book will be a fair representation of the world.
All in all I would heartily recommend this book to any gamer and would also argue that any good reader of fantasy would be appreciative of this novel. Now to see if the other two books in this trilogy make for a good read as well.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
...
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?)
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?)
...
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.
Sunday, September 28, 2003
...
Title: Servant of the Shard
Author: R.A. Salvatore
ISBN: 0786918780
Format: Paperback - 359 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 9/10
This is the 12th book in R.A. Salvatore's saga detailing the events in the lives of Drizzt Dourden, Cattabrie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis, etc.
The focal characters of this book, is surprisingly, two of the series previous main villians, Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle. This is most refreshing as it adds a needed jolt to the energy of this series. The previous book in the series, Spine of the World which dealt exclusively with Wulfgar, almost finished my reading of this series.
Having a book where most of the characters are just different shades of evil was a most excellent read. It was probably during or shortly after this book that the seeds of the War of the Spiderqueen were planted.
This book was also refreshing as the characters from the Cleric Quintet series (Cadderly, Danica, Ivan & Pikel) were around for a significant portion of this book.
And the end of the book leaves endless possibilites for adventures around Artemis and Jarlaxle, with Jarlaxle revealing a secret that could very well shake the foundation of Mezzoberanzan.
A most excellent read that I would highly recommend.
Title: Servant of the Shard
Author: R.A. Salvatore
ISBN: 0786918780
Format: Paperback - 359 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 9/10
This is the 12th book in R.A. Salvatore's saga detailing the events in the lives of Drizzt Dourden, Cattabrie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis, etc.
The focal characters of this book, is surprisingly, two of the series previous main villians, Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle. This is most refreshing as it adds a needed jolt to the energy of this series. The previous book in the series, Spine of the World which dealt exclusively with Wulfgar, almost finished my reading of this series.
Having a book where most of the characters are just different shades of evil was a most excellent read. It was probably during or shortly after this book that the seeds of the War of the Spiderqueen were planted.
This book was also refreshing as the characters from the Cleric Quintet series (Cadderly, Danica, Ivan & Pikel) were around for a significant portion of this book.
And the end of the book leaves endless possibilites for adventures around Artemis and Jarlaxle, with Jarlaxle revealing a secret that could very well shake the foundation of Mezzoberanzan.
A most excellent read that I would highly recommend.
...
Title: Primal Scream
Author: Michael Slade
ISBN: 0451195663
Format: Paperback - 429 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 9/10
This book is the sixth in Michael Slade's series of novels dealing with the exploits of Special X, a division of the Vancouver RCMP.
This book follows the standard faire of any of these books, with over the top sex, violence and the criminally insane.
However, unlike its predecessors this book is full of excellent plot twists and unexpected surprises.
By this time in "his" career, Michael Slade has fully developed his writting skills and this book shows it.
I would still recommend that anyone wishing to read Michael Slade begins with the books in their chronological order (Headhunter (of which Primal Scream is a direct sequel of), Ghoul, Cutthroat, Ripper, Evil Eye and then Primal Scream). I suggest this as the characters carry through these books and without the previous knowledge of them and their histories, as provided by the earlier novels, the book may become muddled and hard to fully appreciate.
I can hardly wait to read the rest of this series, as this book was most excellent.
Title: Primal Scream
Author: Michael Slade
ISBN: 0451195663
Format: Paperback - 429 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 6/10
Execution - 9/10
This book is the sixth in Michael Slade's series of novels dealing with the exploits of Special X, a division of the Vancouver RCMP.
This book follows the standard faire of any of these books, with over the top sex, violence and the criminally insane.
However, unlike its predecessors this book is full of excellent plot twists and unexpected surprises.
By this time in "his" career, Michael Slade has fully developed his writting skills and this book shows it.
I would still recommend that anyone wishing to read Michael Slade begins with the books in their chronological order (Headhunter (of which Primal Scream is a direct sequel of), Ghoul, Cutthroat, Ripper, Evil Eye and then Primal Scream). I suggest this as the characters carry through these books and without the previous knowledge of them and their histories, as provided by the earlier novels, the book may become muddled and hard to fully appreciate.
I can hardly wait to read the rest of this series, as this book was most excellent.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
...
Title: The Terminus Experiment (Shadowrun #34)
Author: Jonathan E. Bond & Jak Koke
ISBN: 0451457048
Format: Paperback - 288 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 7/10
I own the entire run of Shadowrun Novels by ROC publishing (all 40 of them) and have read up to and including this title.
I must say that this book was another example of a really good quick read. I have enjoyed all the Shadowrun books and am only dissapointed by the fact that I only have 6 more to go.
For anyone who likes Fantasy, Cyberpunk or Shadowrun type books, I would redily suggest they read this one.
The one thing about this book I found most interesting was that this was the first Shadowrun novel to have a blatantly lesbian relationship. What makes it so interesting was that the book was written by a couple of men. Not to say that a man cannot write about a gay relationship, but I couldn't help but wonder if this situation was a hook or gimmick to feed the authors fantasy.
However, it was refreshing for the authors to have included such an integral part of human society into a book dealing with the future. All of the other Shadowrun novels have made no mention of homosexuality and have made few mentions of interracial relationships. By specifically including this into this story I think the authors have taken a risk that pays off immensely.
For the above reason, as well as some of the dark imagery and there being no clear protaganist, I think that this book is showing a maturing of the Shadowrun novel series, a maturing that I hope continues in the rest of the books.
Now, lets see what we can do to convince WhizKids and Fanpro to produce more Shadowrun novels. ;^)
Title: The Terminus Experiment (Shadowrun #34)
Author: Jonathan E. Bond & Jak Koke
ISBN: 0451457048
Format: Paperback - 288 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 7/10
I own the entire run of Shadowrun Novels by ROC publishing (all 40 of them) and have read up to and including this title.
I must say that this book was another example of a really good quick read. I have enjoyed all the Shadowrun books and am only dissapointed by the fact that I only have 6 more to go.
For anyone who likes Fantasy, Cyberpunk or Shadowrun type books, I would redily suggest they read this one.
The one thing about this book I found most interesting was that this was the first Shadowrun novel to have a blatantly lesbian relationship. What makes it so interesting was that the book was written by a couple of men. Not to say that a man cannot write about a gay relationship, but I couldn't help but wonder if this situation was a hook or gimmick to feed the authors fantasy.
However, it was refreshing for the authors to have included such an integral part of human society into a book dealing with the future. All of the other Shadowrun novels have made no mention of homosexuality and have made few mentions of interracial relationships. By specifically including this into this story I think the authors have taken a risk that pays off immensely.
For the above reason, as well as some of the dark imagery and there being no clear protaganist, I think that this book is showing a maturing of the Shadowrun novel series, a maturing that I hope continues in the rest of the books.
Now, lets see what we can do to convince WhizKids and Fanpro to produce more Shadowrun novels. ;^)
Friday, August 22, 2003
...
Title: The Club Dumas
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
ISBN: 0679777547
Format: Paperback - 384 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
About two years ago I came upon a rather neat film called The Ninth Gate (dir. Roman Polanski). I was quite taken by the film, enough so to purchase the soundtrack. Upon mentioning this film to some friends, I was informed that it was based upon the Book The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte and that a large portion of the story was left out of the movie. Intrigued, upon my next visit to the local big chain bookstore I found and purchased this copy.
I finished reading this book about a week ago and I have some mixed feelings about it.
It was a good read and aspects of it were very enjoyable. I learned a lot about Alexandre Dumas and his writings.
I certainly did enjoy the authors style, diction and pacing(although, being an English version of a Spanish novel I am not certain what was lost in the translation).
I think that my mixed feelings stem from the differences with the movie (isn't that always the case).
The movie focused exclusively on the story arc involving the The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows, whereas the book had the two interwoven story arcs of The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows and the possibly authentic original chapter 42 of the Three Musketeers.
The artistic license that Polanski uses, by modifying/reworking aspects of the story, in no way detracts from the overall story. In fact, his ending, which does not appear in the book, is quite satisfactory and I really liked it.
I find the way that the parallels of the Three Musketeers plot is 'wrapped up' to be anti-climatic and almost makes the previous tension frivolous. And the end of the Nine Gates story arc seems to lack the finality of the movie.
Up until the last chapter of the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. However, the end leaves me a little disappointed.
Perhaps I would have liked it better had I seen the movie after reading the novel?
All in all, I think that Arturo Perez-Reverte deserves more reading. However, I might borrow from the library rather than purchase.
For anyone who appreciates a good intelligent and historical mystery I would recommend this novel.
Title: The Club Dumas
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
ISBN: 0679777547
Format: Paperback - 384 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
About two years ago I came upon a rather neat film called The Ninth Gate (dir. Roman Polanski). I was quite taken by the film, enough so to purchase the soundtrack. Upon mentioning this film to some friends, I was informed that it was based upon the Book The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte and that a large portion of the story was left out of the movie. Intrigued, upon my next visit to the local big chain bookstore I found and purchased this copy.
I finished reading this book about a week ago and I have some mixed feelings about it.
It was a good read and aspects of it were very enjoyable. I learned a lot about Alexandre Dumas and his writings.
I certainly did enjoy the authors style, diction and pacing(although, being an English version of a Spanish novel I am not certain what was lost in the translation).
I think that my mixed feelings stem from the differences with the movie (isn't that always the case).
The movie focused exclusively on the story arc involving the The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows, whereas the book had the two interwoven story arcs of The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows and the possibly authentic original chapter 42 of the Three Musketeers.
The artistic license that Polanski uses, by modifying/reworking aspects of the story, in no way detracts from the overall story. In fact, his ending, which does not appear in the book, is quite satisfactory and I really liked it.
I find the way that the parallels of the Three Musketeers plot is 'wrapped up' to be anti-climatic and almost makes the previous tension frivolous. And the end of the Nine Gates story arc seems to lack the finality of the movie.
Up until the last chapter of the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. However, the end leaves me a little disappointed.
Perhaps I would have liked it better had I seen the movie after reading the novel?
All in all, I think that Arturo Perez-Reverte deserves more reading. However, I might borrow from the library rather than purchase.
For anyone who appreciates a good intelligent and historical mystery I would recommend this novel.
...
I guess I should blame equally my mother and the comic industry for making me something of a bibliophile. (I consider myself a bibliophile for two reasons 1) I have a personal collection of almost 800 books and 2) I specifically will only buy books in a series with the same cover type, even willing to wait a year to get the book since all my other editions in the series are paperback.)
When I was a preteen and living in a small town (Owen Sound ONT for the truly curious) I didn't have a lot of toys nor did I have all that much television to watch on my 11" b&w television. In the restless summer months, while off of school, I would get bored to the point that I would irritate my mother. Her solution to this was to tell me to go to the library (which was a 5 minute walk from our house) and find something to read. Her reasoning being that a Public Library MUST have SOMETHING I would want to read. Thus began my foray into the world of books. It wasn't long after that I became a voracious reader of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
Now as to the comic book part. When I was a few years older and the family was better off financially, I began to 'collect' comics. Please note that this was during the comic collecting craze of the early to mid eighties. I can't remember how long after I started collecting that I began to bag, board and box my comics but I do know that it doesn't seem all that long after. I began to buy anything that was a number 1 (and let me tell you a lot of these were just dreadful) and I was a Marvel snob. I just couldn't get into the DC universe (which might have been a good thing as the cost would have truly been prohibitive). By the time I was in University I had an obsession to the point that my girlfriend (now wife) started supporting my habit. Part of my problem was my overwhelming desire, once I had begun to like a series, to try to collect ALL of the back issues to a series. And my need to buy all the crossover issues that were big at the time. All I can say was I wasn't all that discriminating and spent much more money than I should have. About 3 years after I graduated from University, just around the time I got married, I donated about 1500+ comics to the Good Will. You see, I couldn't get a reasonable price for the collection (as I was only culling the herd of the weak and sick) and my wife was not about to allow one room of the house just for boxes of comics. Hence and agreement was made, I would only keep those comics I truly loved (all my Dr. Strange and Sandman for example) and the rest we would donate. I don't regret my decision, but the collector in me would love to go over those issues to see just what I truly did have. Despite my intentions to the contrary I currently have a collection of about 1000 comics and it is growing.
So, back to the bibliophile. Now I have taken my collector instincts and am applying them to my personal library. I tend to buy books shortly after they come into the book stores (as most of the things I buy are mass market paperbacks and I have learned that if I wait more than a few months, it will become increasing difficult to locate and therefore purchase). However, I have become somewhat discriminating (probably not as much as my wife would like) as I only buy books/series that I either like the author or have already read and liked the series so far.
The comic collector in me can't stand to see a book abused or mishandled. I cringe when ever I see/hear the spine of a book being 'cracked' as a reader bends it backwards. I won't allow dog earring of pages, that's what bookmarks are for. I try ever so hard (even though I commute to and from work daily) to not scuff, scrape or mar the covers of my books. I have removed all the slip covers of my hard covers and have placed them in separate storage, both to protect them and because I find the natural spine of a hardcover more appealing. I am noticeably hesitant to loan my books for fear of my 'friends' mishandling them. I usually preface a loan with my expectations regarding the shape of the books return. If someone borrows one of my books and 'damages' it, I will NOT allow them to borrow again and I may (depending on the damage) replace the book (if I can). You could almost say I have a reverence for books in general. Reminds me of a favourite quote of mine, it is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In the first season the computer teacher is talking to Giles about his dislike of PCs.
PC Teacher "Giles, why don't you like computers"
Giles - "Honestly, it is the smell."
PC Teacher - "But they don't have a smell."
Giles - "Precisely."
I am certain that someone can emphasize with this as I know that I find the smell of a used bookstore to be exhilarating and comforting at the same time. The musty smell of old books can only give me happy thoughts.
Fortunately my wife reads almost as voraciously as I do and we read very similar genres, so my 'hobby' is quiet agreeable to her. We both wish one day to have a room in the house that is wall to wall, floor to ceiling book shelves with a couple of wing back chairs to curl up to a good book in.
Now as to the purpose of this blog, I intend to document and comment on the books I read as I read them. I also plan to include other books I have read, authors who I greatly enjoy and maybe some comments on some movie adaptations.
Thanks for reading this far and I hope my future blogs are of value in your future book choices.
I guess I should blame equally my mother and the comic industry for making me something of a bibliophile. (I consider myself a bibliophile for two reasons 1) I have a personal collection of almost 800 books and 2) I specifically will only buy books in a series with the same cover type, even willing to wait a year to get the book since all my other editions in the series are paperback.)
When I was a preteen and living in a small town (Owen Sound ONT for the truly curious) I didn't have a lot of toys nor did I have all that much television to watch on my 11" b&w television. In the restless summer months, while off of school, I would get bored to the point that I would irritate my mother. Her solution to this was to tell me to go to the library (which was a 5 minute walk from our house) and find something to read. Her reasoning being that a Public Library MUST have SOMETHING I would want to read. Thus began my foray into the world of books. It wasn't long after that I became a voracious reader of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
Now as to the comic book part. When I was a few years older and the family was better off financially, I began to 'collect' comics. Please note that this was during the comic collecting craze of the early to mid eighties. I can't remember how long after I started collecting that I began to bag, board and box my comics but I do know that it doesn't seem all that long after. I began to buy anything that was a number 1 (and let me tell you a lot of these were just dreadful) and I was a Marvel snob. I just couldn't get into the DC universe (which might have been a good thing as the cost would have truly been prohibitive). By the time I was in University I had an obsession to the point that my girlfriend (now wife) started supporting my habit. Part of my problem was my overwhelming desire, once I had begun to like a series, to try to collect ALL of the back issues to a series. And my need to buy all the crossover issues that were big at the time. All I can say was I wasn't all that discriminating and spent much more money than I should have. About 3 years after I graduated from University, just around the time I got married, I donated about 1500+ comics to the Good Will. You see, I couldn't get a reasonable price for the collection (as I was only culling the herd of the weak and sick) and my wife was not about to allow one room of the house just for boxes of comics. Hence and agreement was made, I would only keep those comics I truly loved (all my Dr. Strange and Sandman for example) and the rest we would donate. I don't regret my decision, but the collector in me would love to go over those issues to see just what I truly did have. Despite my intentions to the contrary I currently have a collection of about 1000 comics and it is growing.
So, back to the bibliophile. Now I have taken my collector instincts and am applying them to my personal library. I tend to buy books shortly after they come into the book stores (as most of the things I buy are mass market paperbacks and I have learned that if I wait more than a few months, it will become increasing difficult to locate and therefore purchase). However, I have become somewhat discriminating (probably not as much as my wife would like) as I only buy books/series that I either like the author or have already read and liked the series so far.
The comic collector in me can't stand to see a book abused or mishandled. I cringe when ever I see/hear the spine of a book being 'cracked' as a reader bends it backwards. I won't allow dog earring of pages, that's what bookmarks are for. I try ever so hard (even though I commute to and from work daily) to not scuff, scrape or mar the covers of my books. I have removed all the slip covers of my hard covers and have placed them in separate storage, both to protect them and because I find the natural spine of a hardcover more appealing. I am noticeably hesitant to loan my books for fear of my 'friends' mishandling them. I usually preface a loan with my expectations regarding the shape of the books return. If someone borrows one of my books and 'damages' it, I will NOT allow them to borrow again and I may (depending on the damage) replace the book (if I can). You could almost say I have a reverence for books in general. Reminds me of a favourite quote of mine, it is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In the first season the computer teacher is talking to Giles about his dislike of PCs.
PC Teacher "Giles, why don't you like computers"
Giles - "Honestly, it is the smell."
PC Teacher - "But they don't have a smell."
Giles - "Precisely."
I am certain that someone can emphasize with this as I know that I find the smell of a used bookstore to be exhilarating and comforting at the same time. The musty smell of old books can only give me happy thoughts.
Fortunately my wife reads almost as voraciously as I do and we read very similar genres, so my 'hobby' is quiet agreeable to her. We both wish one day to have a room in the house that is wall to wall, floor to ceiling book shelves with a couple of wing back chairs to curl up to a good book in.
Now as to the purpose of this blog, I intend to document and comment on the books I read as I read them. I also plan to include other books I have read, authors who I greatly enjoy and maybe some comments on some movie adaptations.
Thanks for reading this far and I hope my future blogs are of value in your future book choices.
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