17th July, 2009
Anything good on TV?
Sadly, nothing SUPER EXCELLENT to report today. Maybe next time.
In the Stormy Red Sky by David Drake
Drake goes back to the well one too many times (again) with yet another installment in the Leary/Mundy saga. A real yawner with a tired plot: government intrigue leads to a climactic battle against insurmountable odds, yet the dynamic duo of Leary and Mundy pull out yet another victory. Haven’t we heard this story before? Skip it.
2/5 gogs.
Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson
My insatiable desire to absorb all things Malazan drives me ever onward. So far, this was the weakest book in the series. No Bridgeburners. No Malazans at all. Book five instead brings forth a slew of new characters set in a new region. At first glance, the novel seems more suited as a standalone than as part of Erikson’s epic. I actually found myself drifting off numerous times and having to re-read sections in order to stay with the story. A bit of a yawner, but required reading if you want to understand what happens in the next book.
3/5 gogs.
Posted at 5:55 am | Comments (7)
On August 9, 2009 at 13:41 Will R said:
August 9, 2009 at 13:41
I’m starting to get frustrated with Drake. I notice that his series all seem to follow a single formula. E.g; All the Lord of the Isle books (the first…two, maybe…which I enjoyed) follow clearly a plot of Good vs. Evil. Something foul happens, and the characters (often pursuing different story lines) follow separate plots which, almost inevitably, end up being two aspects to the same story. Good triumphs over Evil, everyone’s happy. Where’s the moral intrigue? Where’s the internal conflict? It’s as if his worlds only consist of good and evil; true, good may be disguised within disreputable characters, but everyone’s intentions are almost idiotically stated, leaving nothing to the reader. I have a feeling Drake, as renowned as he is, could take a few pages out of Patrick Rothfuss’ book. His only book. Which is frustrating, as I now want to live in a world consisting of ONLY Rothfuss’ books.
On August 12, 2009 at 5:12 Gog said:
August 12, 2009 at 5:12
Haha, yeah I agree. The world would benefit from more stuff from Rothfuss or C.S. Friedman. But… we’re still stuck waiting (at least for more Rothfuss). *sigh* It’s been a while since I read any of the Lord of the Isle series, but I remember being rather disappointed after book2 as well. I don’t even think I bothered w/ #3 at that point.
On August 14, 2009 at 3:12 Will R said:
August 14, 2009 at 3:12
C.S. Friedman, huh? Local bookstore, watch out, I’m going to be spending a bit on more boooooookz…
On August 14, 2009 at 3:13 Will R said:
August 14, 2009 at 3:13
P.S. In the future, I won’t post when I’m drunk o_0
On August 14, 2009 at 3:16 Will R said:
August 14, 2009 at 3:16
Woooah, missed this; I just finished ‘Hook’ and ‘Scarlet,’ by Richard Lawhead. If you can get past the Jesus stuff (which fits into the storyline regardless, concerning setting) it’s quite a well written read. Definitely check it out! Also, Jim Butcher’s Alera final book is coming out in December. Definitely a fun read for anyone looking for an action-packed series to get into! I DID read his Dresden files, which are Okay, but the Calderon series takes the cake.
On August 14, 2009 at 5:13 Gog said:
August 14, 2009 at 5:13
If you’re looking for complex, morally ambiguous characters, I think you’ll like most of Friedman’s work. Her Coldfire trilogy (Black Sun Rising, etc.) is probably the best known stuff.
Thanks for the tips. Hadn’t heard of Lawhead before. I had started Butcher’s Dresden series but never got into it. I’ll give the Calderon ones a shot…
On August 28, 2009 at 13:22 GogBlog » Four score and seven years said:
August 28, 2009 at 13:22
[...] to the Letherii continent that we first encountered in Midnight Tides as Erikson begins putting these pieces into place as well. Better than the aforementioned Tides but [...]