Last Argument of Kings
Final book of the First Law Trilogy sees everything work out for the best in a most unsatisfactory way. People receive undeserved awards and undeserved punishments and the puppet masters are revealed.
Category: Rated
eider?
Before They Are Hanged
Second of the First Law trilogy takes a group of heroes on a typical fantasy quest through the West in an atypyical way. Meanwhile in the North and South battles and sieges take place and we learn a wee bit more about the strings being pulled behind the scenes.
bookworm?
The Eyre Affair
The first of the Thursday Next books introduces us to Fforde’s fantasy world of an alternate version of England, still mired in the Crimea, where classic literature is the popular entertainment of the masses.
Next is a civil servant working in the field of literary crime who becomes entangled in the machinations of a crazed criminal genius.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable romp, if never quite as clever or as funny as it thinks it is.
Sadly this series succumbed to the law of diminishing returns after a sequel or two.
Recommended from fans of comic fantasy or those looking for something plays with the conventions and history of literature in a humorous fashion.
woobs?
My Boring-Ass Life
Simultaneously mundane and explicit, this book is for the most part quite entertaining.
Smith seems an affable enough bloke, who is quite aware of just how much of a role luck plays in his career.
The fact remains that the two (seemingly) most interesting stories are tantalizingly referred to and are not discussed any further.
I’d recommend it if you like Smith, his movies, or can find a copy as cheap as mine was!
gorst?
The Blade Itself
Solidly entertaining debut fantasy novel, first in what promises to be a rather good trilogy
snehurka?
Giraffe
The story of a group of giraffes that end up in Prague zoo in the mid 70’s as told through the eyes of various individuals who interact with the animals during the journey to Prague and when they are settled at the zoo.
Beautifully written, it’s episodic, rambling nature robs the book of narrative momentum.
The novel feels like it’s going nowhere until the last 90 pages when the story comes together to a point in magnificent fashion.
Points are taken off for making me fall asleep reading it…
rhapsody?
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed
Short, enjoyable but incomplete feeling autobiography from the well loved star of the MASH tv series
dwenda?
The Steel Remains
Astonishingly good, brutal fantasy from the writer of rather good, brutal SF Noir.
Twists the fantasy template in interesting ways for fabulous effect.
Lead characters Ringil, Archeth and Egar are war heroes, veterans of a brutal conflict living with the compromises forced upon them by the political fallout of the aftermath.
bcb?
The Fifth Elephant
A Guards story that I had completely forgotten about
sopors?
Mockingbird
Intriguing science fiction from the author of The Hustler and The Color Of Money.
It’s a few hundred years in the future and a mankind coddled by robots and lulled into drugged sterility – both mental and physical is dwindling to it’s last generation until a man in Ohio learns to read..
Raising so many ideas about the nature of humanity and the burdens of artificial intelligence this is really a very good bit of science fiction.