Which book are you reading currently? #4

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For the life of me I don't know why but I grabbed Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind before I left for work this morning. I received it as a gift when it was first released in hard cover and it has been sitting there unread ever since.

So far it has been a step up from the previous book in the series but that isn't saying a hell of a lot. It is decidedly mediocre but given how low my expectations were that is actually a pleasant surprise.

Edit: I finished Pillars of Creation. I spoke too soon when I made my original post - this book turned out to be brutally bad. Intelligent characters frquently act like morons and the main character after being horribly gullible for the entire novel just has an Aha! moment at just the right time and figures everything out.

I have started on Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon. So far I am not impressed. The first book in this series was disappointing and this book looks to be even worse.

Hmm, I just checked my reading log and amusingly March did not mess up my reading pace despite my three weeks in China with almost no reading. I have been averaging eight books per month and as it turns out I finished eight books in the first ten days of March.

[ April 04, 2006, 22:10: Message edited by: JSBB ]

 

Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies

A compilation of diaries from (allegedly) ordinary Japanese folks circa WWII. Rather depressing, so far. The diary of a kamikazee pilot was...

I don't have the words, really.

 

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown...
After Gates of Fire it feels cheesy But I don't have anything else to read so :/

 

Mel - Here's a few good historical fiction novels I've read:

Shogun by James Clavell
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Death of the Fox by George Garrett

 

d'oh! forgot to list Shogun! Good thing you mentioned it Chandos

 

Love you Chandos. Now let me just finish Angels and Demons and I'm all set

Ordered "Last of the Amazons" and "Spartan" by Massimo fellow should arrive next week

 

During my lunch break I finished Marque and Reprisal - it got better as it went along but it still wasn't great.

On the train home I will be starting Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin.

 

Reading Ship of Magic, the first in the Liveship Traders trilogy...

... and it's already boshed my head out!

You're telling me the Fool was actually a lass? Give yourself up...

This is nowhere near as good as the Farseer books. I'm still trying to work out who the protaganist is... it appears to be Althea, but the book spends a lot of time with other characters as well.

it's certainly a much different writing style she's employed this time.

 

No, it's better

Taking a break from the parade of depression that is wartime diaries and am reading Smoker by Greg Rucka. Pretty good thriller stuff.

 

BA - Thanks for giving that away.

 

No, it's better. What AMaster said.

And I don't think that any book truly reveals the real nature of the Fool.

 

Finished Smoker--which was fun throughout--and am now rereading Dan Simmons' Ilium in preparation for its sequel, Olympos. It's even better than I'd remembered. I <3 Dan Simmons.

 

Illium and Olympus were two of those books you just happen to pick up at the library and you find yourself enjoying a lot. Very interesting and entertaining books.

Me I am now reading Bonehunters and man, Erikson rocks. It is just as good as the previous installments. Only slight criticism I have is that the story lines seems to be even more shattered in this one, instread of a few main ones as in the previous books everything is getting covered at once meaning we get a few paragraphs about everyone and everything in one big mess. It isnt bad really, just different. Every character from the previous books have gotten some action around 2/3 into the book and that must be good.

 

I disagree. It's a matter of preference HB. The Liveship Trader trilogy had more fantasy elements in it but imo the Farseer trilogy was far more involving.

Now starting Moving Pictures by Pratchett.

 

I finished Tuf Voyaging on Saturday. It was quite enjoyable even if Martin belaboured the obvious biblical/ethical issues a little too much.

I started reading Talon of the Silver Fox by Raymond Feist on Sunday and I finished it this morning. I had previously read it but I wanted to refresh my memory before I read the rest of the series.

I will be starting King of Foxes either today or tomorrow on the plane flight home.

 

Finished Ilium, onto Olympos. It's only gotten better.

 

Jack Vance - The Demon Prince series

 

Finished Olympos. The ending was a bit of a let down, but it was otherwise excellent.

Started Robin Hobb's Shaman's Crossing. Good, but not great--so far. We'll see how it goes.

 

I finished King of Foxes - it turns out that I had read it before but it is such a mediocre book that I had forgotten all about it. Everything is much too rushed and works out far too easily for my taste. Oh well, I know that I have not read the last book.

I have started on Exile's Return. So far it has been a little more interesting than King of Foxes but it is too early to say for sure.

 

I've just finished "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmerbradley. A wonderful and epic tale about king Arthur and the ancient religions of great Britain. The caracter are interesting, especially their thoughts and feelings, excellent described in the book, are as if they were real persons with a real background and own story.
I loved the fight between the pagan ways of Avalon and the Christian invaders. how it is presented by the view of a priest of the ancient religion it shows a totally different perspective of the Christianity and its mistakes, false believings and sake to convince the "disbelieving" people of Britain.
The whole book has an anti-christian way of telling the story but in the end it changes into an understanding view of Morgan, a reconciliation of the 2 not-so different religions.

on a ranking from 1-10 it would be a 9!

im not yet that secure in using my english, you may forgive me from german introduced words^^

mfg
Michael


ah yeah, forgot^^
I'm reading "the crystal shard" now which I have started some months ago

[ April 12, 2006, 19:45: Message edited by: Michael Walker ]