Jenny's Book Blog

Lyonesse: Madouc

2011-02-10T16:54:00.001+11:00

From Amazon: The World Fantasy Award-winning third volume of the LYONESSE trilogy brings attention to the faerie changeling Madouc. Where princess Suldrun once meekly endured the proprieties of Castle Haidion, Madouc defends herself with rotten fruit. Vexed, King Casmir arranges a contest to marry her off, but Madouc has other ideas, and enlists the stableboy "Sir Pom-pom" on an impromptu quest to find her father. During their travels, they encounter swindlers, faeries, trolls, ogres, a knight in search of his youth, and a relatively pedestrian item known as the Holy Grail. As the sorcerers Shimrod and Murgen investigate portents of cataclysm in the world of magic, Casmir plans a murder that will bring all the lands under his iron rule; however, his ambitions will be complicated by one small but important oversight—he's failed to allow for Madouc!

I found this series in my quest to learn what 'non-Tolkien' fantasy was all about. It is something I hear all the time - that so and so author is just another Tolkien rip-off but I've never actually seen it. This, likely because I only read LOTR in the last few years, well after I'd read plenty of modern fantasy books. I really enjoyed the series, although the greatness of the books seemed to decline with each book. The first was fantastic and amazing and wonderful. I loved the scope of the book, the is a great history built into the story and it reads more like history than fiction. I enjoyed the fact that Vance uses a broad vocabulary and really put my Kindle's dictionary to good use for this one! The world of Lyonesse is one that I would have been thrilled to see more sequels and prequels for. I'd like to know more about various magicians and to see how Madouc and Dhrun got on in the world. I don't know if it's really answered any questions for me as to what is Tolkien fantasy and what isn't, but I certainly enjoyed the read.

Lyonesse: The Green Pearl - Jack Vance

2011-02-10T16:42:00.000+11:00

From Amazon: In this second volume of the Lyonesse trilogy, THE GREEN PEARL, King Aillas of Troicinet defends the peace of the Elder Isles against both the Ska marauders who once enslaved him and the wicked King Casmir. While organizing the unruly barons in the frontiers of his land, Aillas goes out of his way to capture the lovely Ska noblewoman who once stung him with her disregard. When he gets separated from his men, his dream of forcing the lady's recognition becomes the toil of dragging an obstreperous captive across lands governed by Casmir's henchmen. Meanwhile, the world of magic has gone on the move. The concentrated malice of the witch Desmei has manifested as a green pearl, breeding lust and envy and death; and a sorcerer in Casmir's employ abducts the princess Glyneth, in a bid to draw Aillas and friends on a hopeless rescue mission across a bizarre and deadly alternate world.

My thoughts: I'll comment on all three together in the post for the last book.

Fevre Dream - George R. R. Martin

2011-01-25T10:19:00.002+11:00

From Cover: When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something's amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn't care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh's dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won't earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh's concern--no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.

Marsh meant to turn down York's offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve--coupled with the terrible force of York's mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare...and mankind's most impossible dream.
Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire's quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman's dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.

Fantastic vampire book! This was a really great spin on the classic vampire myth - made me remember how great vampires were before the Twilight books came along and made them sparkly emo wet dreams for teenage girls. I read a review saying this book was a bit of Mark Twian meets the horror genre and I have to agree. This was a page turner and I was so disappointed when it ended. I would love to know more about Joshua York's story - sequals and/or a prequal would be great. Would have loved to have known more about Damon Julian's story as well.

Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden - Jack Vance

2011-01-25T10:11:00.001+11:00

From Amazon: A monument of fantastic literature to stand beside such classics as DUNE and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, LYONESSE evokes the Elder Isles, a baroque land of pre-Arthurian myth now lost beneath the Atlantic, where powerful sorcerers, aloof faeries, stalwart champions, and nobles eccentric, magnanimous, and cruel pursue intrigue among their separate worlds. In this first book of the trilogy, Suldrun's Garden, Prince Aillas of Troicinet is betrayed on his first diplomatic voyage and cast into the sea. Before he redeems his birthright, he must pass the breadth of Hybras Isle as prisoner, vagabond, and slave, an acquaintance of faeries, wizards, and errant knights, and lover to a sad and beautiful girl whose fate sets his bitter rivalry with the tyrant Casmir, King of Lyonesse.

My Thoughts: to be edited in

Relentless - Robin Parish

2010-12-30T19:22:00.000+11:00

From Booklist: Parrish's latest opens upon a world so tilted--people are "shifted" into new bodies, while their old bodies and personalities proceed--that it brings Philip K. Dick to mind. Gradually, the Dick-like paranoia itself shifts into flourishes of sword-and-sorcery and a cast of characters rather like X-Men. Psychokinesis is the theme, and Parrish makes it seem plausible, as his reluctant hero, Collin Boyd/Grant Borrows, discovers his powers in a kind of spiritual journey. The cliff-hanging plot mostly holds up, and the pace is, well, relentless. It's almost as though Parrish has too much talent and can't quite bring it under control. Nonetheless, another of Bethany's sf writers, Randall Ingermanson comes to mind, and Parrish is every bit as skilled.

This one was a freebie I picked up from Amazon for my Kindle. It looked like a self-published cheapo with strange formatting but the story moved quickly enough to being with that I stuck with it. About halfway through the book hits with a heavy dose of Christian preachy rubbish though that makes the book painful. The best thing I can say about this one is that it is fast paced.

Room - Emma Donoghue

2010-12-26T16:10:00.001+11:00

From Amazon: To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

This one was recommended to me, but there's lots of hype about it right now so it was on my list of books to read anyway. I ended up reading it unexpectedly when it came on my new (2nd hand) Kindle. It's a quick, easy read and enjoyable, although I didn't find it all that remarkable. Jack is the product of a kidnap/hostage/rape situation. He lives with his young mother in a little storage shed and has never seen the outside world. To him, everything that is outside his 'world' is not real. His mother does the best she can to teach him reading and writing and maths with very limited resources. It is interesting how the inanimate objects in the room become friends to him, as do characters on TV. When he turns five his mother decides it's time for them to escape and sets about doing so. Once on the outside world we watch as Jack struggles with this new world - all the overwleming stimuli and concepts and rules, as well as his confusion over why his mother doesn't want to go back to the world in which he felt safe and happy.

The ending was a bit of a let-down to me. The climax (the escape) happened quite early in the story and then the resolution seemed to be a bit lacking. It was a happy ending and were it non-fiction it would have been very pleasing to read but as a made-up story the ending seemed a bit lacking. It was also fairly unbelievable - Jack was just too good and seemed to adjust too easily. I didn't get the sense of panic that surely would have accompanied such a situation. Overall a good quick read but not spectacular or really recommend-worthy.

The Life of Pi - Yann Martel

2010-12-11T15:30:00.001+11:00

From the back cover: After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy name Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan...and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

This is my second read of The Life of Pi, the first being a good 8 or 9 years ago. I remember like it very much - enough to recommend it to my (now) husband, but didn't really remember much more about it than boy & tiger on boat. This doesn't really say anything about the book - I just have a shocking memory with books & movies (hence the blog to help me remember).

This time around I really enjoyed it and completed it in two days. I know it's a good book if it keeps me off my computer for any length of time. Being an animal lover, I loved reading the stories of all the animals, and Pi's dabbling in different relegions was interesting as well. I know nothing of Islam or Hindu so looking at them from the eyes of someone who is just discovering them is a comfortable way to read about them. And, having grown up in a Christian society it is refreshing to see how ridiculous Christianity is again, from the prespective of one just discovering it.

Sadly I am one of the people that believe Pi's second story - the one he gives to the Japanese officials, rather than the more beautiful and elaborate story.

English Passengers - Matthew Kneale

2010-12-08T18:11:00.002+11:00

From the back cover: It is 1857 and the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson has set out for Tasmania hoping to find the true site of the Garden of Eden. But the journey is turning out to be less straightforward - dissent is growing between him and sinister racial-theorist Dr. Potter, and, unknown to both, the ship they have hurriedly charted is in fact a Manx smuggling vessel, fleeing British Customs. In Tasmania the aboriginal people have been fighting a desperate battle against British invaders, and, as the passengers will discover, the island is now far from being an earthly paradise...

I got this one cheaply from a second-hand book store. It was one of those books I get that looks mildly amusing so that when I run out of books I'm really interested in reading I don't find myself bookless. This book is fun, filled with lots of interesting (and most of them rather un-likeable) characters. I'm no history expert but the stories seemed rather 'authentic' to me. The reverend and the doctor were enjoyably hate-able, the Capitan and his Manx crew had a roguish charm and the plight of the native Tasmanians provoked feelings of injustice. I like a book that doesn't get too caught up in long-winded descriptions of things but still gives enough to paint the picture. I think this book did a good job of this and the story continues along at a good pace throughout the whole book, even when switching back and forth between the points of view of the many characters. The ending was surprising, but in a good way. Definitely $3.50 well spent.

Keeping track of books...

2010-12-04T21:11:00.000+11:00

I read a lot of books, but I'm not very good at keeping track of what I've read or what I'd like to read. This blog is just a place for me to (hopefully) do so. Hopefully I'll post after each book I read and keep an updated list of recommendations and other books that I'd like to read. I kept with something similar for half of 2009 and enjoyed it, maybe I'll stick with it longer this time around. Only time will tell.