A Feast for Crows
13 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy
I really struggled with this installment of Martin’s epic Science Fiction series. This book became so long in the writing process (much like A Storm of Swords) that Martin decided to publish it in two volumes – unfortunately and unlike A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows was not split chronologically in the narrative, but rather certain characters’ storylines were held over until the next book. The problem is, these are most of the more interesting storylines.
A Feast for Crows centres around intrigue at Kings Landing. With her father Lord Tywin dead, and her brother the Imp on the run, Cersei in left to rule in young Tommen’s name unchecked. To truly understand how mad this is, Cersei is made a narrative character in this book. Twisted and suspicious, her chapters are truly painful to read. Jaime turns his back on her duplicity and she sends him afield to solve the minor battles occuring throughout the land. Brienne becomes a narrator too, as she searches the land at Jaime’s behest for Arya and Sansa Stark, only to fall victim to a re-animated Catelyn Stark’s quest for vengeance.
We also have a very few chapters from Sansa and Arya’s perspectives - Arya is in training as an assassin in Braavos and is blinded by the servants of the many-faced God when she kills for her own reasons. Meanwhile Sansa is living in the Eeyrie disguised as Alayne Stone, the bastard daughter of Littlefinger (who takes great delight in his daughter’s kisses, which Sansa reports far too naively). Sansa has won over the difficult little Lord Robert, and seems to be in line to take the Eeyrie herself.
Dizzyingly, the plots for the Iron Throne become even more complex as we get perspectives from the neighbouring Kingdom of Dorne, who have been plotting with the Targaryen heirs for years. And Maester Aemon from the wall – reveals that he believes Daenerys is the monarch they have all been waiting for in the prophecies.
Without the more colourful characters, Daenerys, Tyrion, and mysterious little Bran, this has mainly become a political thriller and some of the magic – both literally and metaphorically – have been lost in the text. Fans who had to wait years for the latest installment must have been very frustrated. Fortunately, its on my bedside table.
A Clash of Kings
09 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
The HBO series “A Game of Thrones” has inspired me to revisit this epic fantasy series by George R R Martin. I read the first book years ago, and cant imagine why I didn’t read on. It was pretty amazing, although you do have to get past some fairly gruesome violence.
Nonetheless, I so enjoyed the mini-series on Foxtel that I looked around for the second book – which was so popular that it was sold out everywhere but on the net. What would we do without the internet I wonder?
A Clash of Kings is exceptional in that it further complicates the plot of the first novel – which was quite truly depicted in the series. After Robert Baratheon’s death, we follow a number of claimants to his Throne – and some who would like to re-establish others. Robb Stark – a fairly minor character in the first book – is attempting to hold as King of the North. The two Baratheon brothers – Stannis and Renly – are squabbling over a throne on which Joffrey – no true son to Robert, currently sits. The Greyjoys in Pyke also enter the narrative, seeking their own dominion.
Our Dragon Queen Daeneyrs – who so dramatically wound up the first novel – is no closer to reaching Westeros and seems to meet treachery at every turn. Martin is clearly going to keep her away from the main narrative although more and more characters she meets suggest to her (as well as to the reader) that it is her enthronement that will conclude the series. I wonder if it will be all that she dream though.
But this is not enough for Martin – no he must introduce new plot lines. Of the more interesting are those including Jon – who is sent out into the wild North to discover the plans of self-styled “King Beyond the Wall” Mance Rayder, and young Bran, who has the sight. There is also the beginning of what might be quite an interesting little sub-plot surrounding dark magic that is winning the war for Stannis Baratheon….
You have to give it to Martin – such long books and yet never a dull moment. Can’t wait to gorge myself on the third.
The Wise Man’s Fear
31 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy
This new fantasy series by Patrick Rothfuss continues to impress. This is the second of what is reportedly going to be a trilogy recounting the life of the legendary Kvothe the Bloodless, who is in hiding as simple Kote, an innkeep, and telling his story to a Chronicler. This (very long, but very worthwhile) installment has a number of wonderful adventures including travels to distant lands, the faerie realm, and Kvothe’s time spent studying with the legendary warriors of Ademre. He returns to his beloved university to continue his arcane studies.
In the present (as Kvothe tells the stpry of his adventures), the world is clearly a darker place. And despite the thousand pages of plot progress here, we still have a lot of gaps to fill to figure out what has happened to the world in the years between. Book Three is likely to be even larger than the last two.
Its been a long time since a new fantasy series has really captured my imagination in the way that Feist and Eddings did all those years ago, but Rothfuss really has created something special here, and real fantasy fans should get in on it.
See my entry on The Name of the Wind for this novel’s predecessor.
A Kingdom Besieged
27 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy
There are very few plus sides to being sick – catching up on your reading when your head is clear enough is one. The only other is that I have the perfect lap dog sitting with me.
This is one that I struggled to get through, despite the fact that this author wrote one of my favourite books. But its been a long time since I have visited this world and last time I visited it is was getting progressively less magical than the first novel.
That being said, there are some genuinely intriguing aspects to this, and by the end of the novel, I was interested enough in the characters to want to read whatever comes next.
Pug is still around – although he is a very different Pug than I last read! More importantly, there is a most intriguing demon creature who we watch evolve into…well something we may still not understand but will soon.
The new characters seem likeable – just hard to get my head around how different things are…. all these demon worlds and new magicians. Got some catching up to do.
One of Our Thursdays is Missing
12 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy
Fforde returns to his absolute best with the sixth novel of the Thursday next series. What really amazes me in each of th fictional worlds that Fforde creates, is the level of detail he is able to provide. The Bookworld, like the world of Shades of Grey, is stunningly imagined, allowing the reader the most exquisite of insights into a whole new world…
We begin this novel with the entire re-design of the bookworld – no small feat. This leads to quite a bit of political unrest between genres – so Thursday is in demand. Just one problem – Thursday has gone missing. So the hero of our
story is the WRITTEN Thursday Next – the one from her books. She is a touchy-feely hippy sort of Thursday, one who is generally held in a slight amount of disdain by other characters in the bookworld – including those in her novel.
Fictional Thursday goes on a bit of a journey to find the tough Thursday within herself… the whole time strugging with the question as to whether or not it is possible she IS the real Thursday… and has just forgotten. Completely brilliant stuff – echoing the readers puzzlement at the Thursday we find in this novel – who is actually a refreshing change.
Fforde has revamped and revitalised the TN series in this novel. Loving it and can’t wait for more. Although I’m still hanging on for the second installment of Shades of Grey too.
Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time)
02 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy
The thirteenth book… and the second of the three volumes of A Memory of Light that will finally end this epic.
Towers of Midnight does not fail to impress, and does much of what I expected in the book. The last book centred mostly on Rand and Egwene, and while Egwene makes many important appearances, the storylines more fully develop arcs around Perrin, Mat and Elayne.
The past finally catches up with Perrin, and he is held account for the killing of two Children of the Light whilst in wolf form. The new Lord Captain Commander Galad Damodred is bent upon ordering his execution, but in true ta’veren style, his Morgase is discovered among Perrin’s people and this leads to a clearer perspective on the kind of man Perrin is. After a huge battle againts Shadowspawn (where Perrin must learn to master the wolf dream and inadvertantly helps Egwene destroy the forsaken Mesaana), Galad and Perrin become allies and Galad even swears to be led by Perrin to the Last Battle.
As newly appointed Amyrlin, Egwene not only demonstrates the political sassy needed to run the White Tower, but also as an international leader towards the Last Battle. At the beginning of the book, a newly calm and collected Rand visits Egwene and tells her he plans to break the rest of the seals on the Dark One’s prison. He instructs her to meet him ready for this task at a designated time and place. Egwene responds to this in two ways – firstly, she seeks out the kings and queens of the lands and brings their armies to the meeting place to dissuade Rand from an act she sees as madness. Secondly, she steps up her search for Mesaana, a forsaken that Verin Mathwin, an infiltrater in the Black Ajah, claimed in the last book was hiding in the tower. She survives several assassination attempts – denying Gawyn Trakand, the man who would become her husband and warder – a chance to help her. He leaves Tar Valon feeling unappreciated, but soon discovers the assassins are not linked to Mesaana, but rather the Seanchan. He returns just in time to save her physical body from attack, whilst the real attack from Mesaana occurs in Tel’Aran’Rhiod, the world of dreams. Perrin coincidentally brings a dream spike into the dream Tar Valon, which traps Egwene’s chanellers as well as Mesaana’s in the dream world. Mesaana fails to recognise Egwene’s talent as the first true Dreamer in hundreds of years. She attempts to leash Egwene with a dream a’dam (which we all know is Egwene’s greatest fear since being made damane by the Seanchan) but Egwene’s mastery of the dream world allows her to unlock the a’dam and break Mesaana’s mind.
Elayne solidifies her claim to the throne of Cairhien through political machinations. She spends much of the novel risking herself to attempt to discover the Black Ajah, mistakenly believing she is protected by one of Min’s viewings, promising the safe birth of her twins. The learns the hard way just how fragile she really is, especially as her pregnancy makes her ability to channel unreliable at best. She bands together with Mat to create Alludra’s explosive Dragons, which she believes may help them win the last battle.
Mat and Thom spend much time in Caemlyn (without much reason if you ask me) and then make a rather quick journey to the Towers of Ghenji to rescue Moiraine – remembering that is was foretold in a previous book that Rand could never be victorious at the last battle without Moiraine. Mat relies on his luck to traverse the strange world of the Aelfinn (Snakes) and Eelfin (Foxes) which much success, but ultimately a sacrifice must be made in order to take Moiraine and Mat promises the Eelfinn ‘half the light of the world’, as prophecised. The take one of Mat’s eyes, and one of their travelling companions dies, but Mat, Thom and Moiraine escape using the Ashanderei Mat was given during his visit to the Aelfinn so many books ago. Moiraine reveals that the Eelfinn drained her of much of her power to channel, but she now has an angreal that allows her to channel slightly more strongly than she did without it. She declares her intention to marry Thom and make him her warder. Cant help but be a bit suspicious here.
A few other important bits of information are revealed, maninly pertaining to the Last Battle, which the wolves believe has already begun. The mass of armies called by Egwene to wait for Rand also seems to support this. Tuon, new Empress of Seanchan, discovers travelling from one of her new damane (ironically, deposed Amyrlin Elaida) and declares her intention to use it to enter Tar Valon and leash all the Aes Sedai. Aviendha completes her Wise One training at Rhuidean, and sees how her children (foretold quadruplets fathered by Rand) will bring about the destruction of the Aiel, and determines to find a new purpose for her people. This will need to be a large part of the final novel. We also get glimpses of a darkness within the Black Tower – the Shadow definitely has a foothold among the men training to channel.
All the threads are finally about to be drawn together. More and more is revealed in this second-to-last book, leaving me once again with bated breath for the final chapter. I can only hope Sanderson is equally as quick in his writing of A Memory of Light proper.
The Crystal City – Alvin Maker VI
02 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy, Talking Books
We finally see the beginnings of the famed Crystal City in this sixth and second last Alvin Maker novel.
The plot begins five years after Heartfire. Alvin and Peggy lost therir baby, but she is now pregnant with a second child and both are worried sick that it will come early again due to the stress of their lives. She awaits Alvin in Hatrack River, having sent him to Nueva Barcelona. There, Alvi n is destined to heal of woman of yellow fever, inadvertantly spreading the fever across the populace. Here is the crux of the conflict in their marriage. Peggy knows the outcome of all of ALvin’s choices, but will always encourage him to take the path that leads to life and the Crystal City. Alvin resents this, wanting to know the whole truth to her visions so he can choose his own path.
The struggle to free the slaves is advanced again in this novel, where Alvin takes the slaves and some of the population on Nueva Barcelona across a crystal bridge that he makes with the Red Prophet across the river into the county that Verily Cooper and Abe Lincoln (in a special guest appearance) have set up as their own. This will allow them to make their own laws about slavery and slave-finders. Here, the bricks for the Crystal City begin to be laid, and Alvin realises that people will not need makery to contribute – even felling trees is all part of the work that needs to be done.
All is definitely not well in this novel – many of the characters have taken darker turn. We see real cracks in Alvin and Peggy’s marriage. Verily Cooper begins to resent the fact that his life and work centre around Alvin and Calvin continues to be a mischief. Although Peggy sends him to help Alvin free the slaves – and he does – he still takes every opportunity to attempt to prove he is superior to Alvin, even going off on a quest to conquer the Mexicans.
In the final parts of the book, Calvin and his friends arrive at the Crystal City and make plans to stay – much to Alvin’s chagrin. There is only one (as yet unwritten) book left in the series – this brotherly conflict is going to have to reach a resolution.
Heartfire – Alvin Maker V
28 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy, Talking Books
The fifth episode of this saga sees Alvin in jail AGAIN. I have to admit, this theme is getting a little repetitive. This time Alvin and Verily take on the witchcraft laws of New England. Card makes distinct references to the Salem Witch Hunts and aspects of The Crucible here, introducing a character called Purity, who is directly descended from this tragedy.
Meanwhile, a pregnant Peggy is in the Crown Colonies, continuing her quest to put an end to slavery before the war she sees will tear America apart. Whilst there, she meets up with Calvin, the younger brother jealous of Alvin’s abilities. The two are intrigued by the fact that the slaves in the Crown Colonies – renowned for their docility – have no heartfires. Calvin, desperate to prove himself, uses his doodlebug to follow the trail of black magic and is trapped by the power that can take a slave’s name and thus a part of their soul, making their servitude more bearable.
Peggy – aided by Honore de Balzac and eventually Alvin – rescue Calvin and return the slaves’ heartfires. Will this begin to heal the breach between Alvin and Calvin who is destined to kill him?
Alvin Journeyman – Alvin Maker IV
19 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy, Talking Books
I am pretty sure this fourth chapter of the series is a new one for me – the plot doesn’t ring any bells so I must finally be entering new territory!
This installment is a little slow as Alvin goes on trial, needing to explain where he got the gold for his enchanted plough. On his arrival back to Hatrack River, Alvin is immediately charged with theft by Makepeace Smith. So this novel moves slowly, delving up a lot of the past and casting it all in new light.
Meanwhile, Calvin makes his way to Europe, working to develop his power so he can confront Alvin – a confrontation Peggy forsees will end in Alvin’s death. Calvin seeks knowledge of ultimate power from Napoleon by using his knack to ease Napoleon’s gout. Napoleon takes him on, but promises himself to share no real understanding of power with Calvin. Catching on, Calvin makes his way home with his new friend Honore de Balzac.
Meanwhile Peggy is drawn to Alvin’s court case, but the two of them continue to argue about their future. Fortunately, he eventually talks some sense into her and they marry before heading off in separate directions to learn how to make the Crystal City.
I’ve got two more to go… then I will be waiting again for the final book that Card hasn’t written. But I can’t help myself – I just have to know what more there is! I’ll be starting book five shortly.
Prentice Alvin – Alvin Maker III
13 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Fantasy, Talking Books
The story really begins to get rolling in this third installment, and although I accidentally downloaded an abridged version, I enjoyed it just as much.
Several years are covered in the story, as Alvin makes his way back to Hatrack River to begin his apprenticeship to Makepeace Smith. However, Alvin really wants to find the Torch girl Peggy, who he knows has been watching him all his life. Peggy has other ideas though – although she loves Alvin, she cannot see a future in which he marries her for anything other than gratitude. So Peggy leaves on the morning Alvin arrives, just after orchestrating the rescue of little half-white slave baby. Named Arthur Stewart, he is adopted by Peggy’s family.
While Peggy travels to the city and eventually to Philadephia to get an education, Alvin learns smithing from his ungracious master, soon surpassing him because of his knack. He also befriends Arthur Stewart.
Disguised as an old schoolmam, Peggy returns to Hatrack River to teach Alvin what it means to be a maker. But just as Alvin declares his real love for her, a tragedy ensures that they will stay apart. Peggy feels tied to Hatrack forever, and Alvin must leave, taking Arthur Stewart (who is pursued by slavers) with him.
Alvin returns to Vigour Church, where the key plots of the fourth book are foreshadowed – when his brother Calvin, who has his own powers as somewhat of a seventh son, resents Alvin’s return.
This alternative history continues to enthral, and builds real momentum in this book, which covers Alvin’s teenage years and leaves him a man with all the trappings of a great maker.
