the eye of the world by robert jordan
fool's errand by robin hobb
a game of thrones by george martin
lord of light by roger zelazny
this imoortal by roger zelazny[the eye of the world] jordan, robert
yeah, yeah. who out of us haven't read this yet? but i'm going to keep track of this series as i go, recently having finished this and being unable to find the next book (dammit!). all the stuff they say about this book-- it's true. it's good, and engrossingly so.
the book starts out a bit slow in a secluded village in the two rivers area. we meet the protagonist (rand al'thorn) and his buddies, mat and perrin (did i spell those right?). when disaster strikes their village and shatters their peaceful lives, the three are forced to journey with the innkeeper's daugther (pretty random @_@), a grizzled, stern warrior by the name of lan, a gleeman named thom, and the mysterious and powerful aes sedai morraine. um. yeah. if none of that makes sense, let me put it this way: the wheel of time, which is as i gathered the omnipresent force that drives everything, is powered by something called the true source. the true source is some sort of magical stuff, having a female and a male side that run against each other, but work towards the same way. the female half is called saidar, the main saidan. i think i spelled those right. maybe i mixed those up. hm. of course, there's a big badass dark power at work here too, against the light. the dark force put a taint on saidan, the male half, so basically guys can't use magic unless they want to go crazy and kill everyone. ookay.
that's just a minor scratch on the surface. the world is incredibly vast and real. the culture is awesome. i especially like the curses "blood and ashes!" that people use. really, even though the size of this book is daunting at about 800 pages, with 10 in the series that i know of, at least try this one. it's good. honestly.
overall: awesome book. slow at times, but more than makes up for it with its richness and ability to pull you into a different realm. hey, that's what high fantasy's supposed to do, right? *****/*****
this is the first book in the tawny man series (hell, what's with all these damned series i've been reading lately? urgh...), a contiuation of the previous farseer trilogy hobb turned out some years ago. it's narrated by the bastard fitzchivalry, who has retired from the adventures of being a court assassain and saving his country of the six duchies from the previous series. alright. if you haven't read the farseer trilogy, don't read this. you'll be hopelessly confused.
fitz is revisted by his old friend the fool and is convinced to return to buckkeep castle to look after prince daystar. he dons the persona of tom badgerlock, and he and his faithful wolf nighteyes try their best to keep tabs on the people in the castle. unfortunately, the piebalds accross the land have been acting up, and when daystar disappears, fitz is pulled into an entirely new adventure that ends up having tragic results...
since this is the first in a series, it kinda leaves off unfinished. i'll get around to reading the second book (gold fool) when it comes out in softcover. hell, i don't have enough money for buying hardback! hobb's world is less three-dimensional than that of, say, Robert Jordan's or David Eddings', but it's still entertaining and a delight to emmerse onself in. eagerly awaiting the rest!
overall: you can tell this book is building action, but it's exciting nevertheless. i can't wait to see the climax! ****/*****
[a game of thrones] martin, george
basic synopsis: the land is divided in a north and south, and summer has been eight or nine years long. winter is coming, promising to be harsh and trying (think sherlock holmes' line in "his last bow" about the wind blowing over london). there has previously been a war in the land, where the tyrannical dragon king has been usurped, his kin murdered and surviving heirs driven deep into the south, across the narrow sea. there, they plot against the new king, dreaming of regaining the throne. the monarchy itself is in trouble, as the once-strong ruler is now surrounded by an amibitious family, looking for every opportunity to rise in status at court. from the far frigid north comes the newly appointed king's hand, ned stark, who worries about the problems his king is blind to. a mystery regarding the murder of the previous king's hand is being untangled, but each step towards shedding light on the situation is also a step towards stark's own doom.
this book has garnered quite a bit of acclaim, and i can sort of see why. the writing is deep and rich with detail, the world wholly believable, from the harsh and frozen north to the lush and copious south. the plot is strongly tied with court politics and intrique, although there is a bit of action. the back of my softcover goes on about "assassains and sorcerers," but i've seen very few of these. probably a book for those who like king arthur. reminds me a lot of t h white's once and future king. it's really a thick web of politics and affairs that you have to sort through. luckily, it has appendixes in the back that tell you to which house and which family the characters belong to, otherwise i would have thrown down the book in disgust. i'm not really one for names.
series? kinda. this is the first book in "a song of ice and fire," but i guess you can read it as a stand-alone. i'm getting kinda sick of all these series. can't authors just stop with one good book and not think of making more money? stupid pecuniary incentives...
overall: good, but slow at times. ****/*****
[lord of light] zelazny, roger
this was possibly one of the most amazing books i've ever read. ever. yeah. not only is it well-written, it's also pretty damn fascinating. some books you finish reading and feel emptier for it. this is not one of those books. this is a book you finish and feel like a better person afterwards. someone who has been enlightened >)
the book is set on a distant planet where humans have achieved immortality through rebirth. if one dies a natural death (harder to accomplish than you think), one can be reborn into a new body with the same mind and the same soul. the humans who are in charge of this process have made themselves separate gods of the hindu pantheon. as a result, they hold absolutely power and technology, while the humans living below having nothing but the lowest technologies.
enter sam. he was one of the original humans who landed on this planet, but he has shunned godhood. at first, it might seem that he's one of those righteous people, but sam consorts with demons, gambles, and really doesn't have outstanding morals. he becomes the buddha (siddharta) at one point, if only to introduce a religion that will defy those of the gods. the entire novel has him going against the gods in a giant struggle of love and hate and supernatural forces. it spans several hundred years, if not longer.
i learned a lot about the hindu pantheon from this book. the world is completely believable. the entire thing is told in a classical voice, quite unlike the one zelazny later takes with damnation alley or this immortal. reading lord of light is like eating a good meal; it leaves you full and satisfied.
overall: classic and amazing. read it, damn you! *****/*****
[this immortal] zelazny, roger
if you can't tell yet, i'm a bit of a zelazny fan. this book is the novel form of the short story that won him his first hugo. not sure if it got a nebula or not. it was originally titled ...and call me conrad! but is not so anymore. btw, i'm still trying to find a copy of the short story. if anyone has it, i'll cheerfully buy it off. it's supposed to be in the 1965 or some year like that issue of amazing fantasy (i think that's what the magazine's called).
well, onwards! welcome to earth. the population is less, much less than what it used to be. in fact, we've just lost a war with a bunch of zen buddhist-like blue-skinned aliens. we're officially a colony now. by the way, did i mention we fried ourselves with nukes? yep. earth is a festering mass of "hot places," where the cows have six legs and the satyrs still roam the rocky hills of greece.
our progtagonist is conrad, who is of an unknown age. he's part of some organization that preserves the old monuments and such that still stand on this pathetic little planet. actually, he's much more than that, as it's hinted later. he's assigned to bodyguard the blue-skinned alien vegan who's about to write a piece on earth. conrad's faced with a problem though; the vegan may just be a surveyor, as earth may be bought completely and the humans would lose their grasp on what they do have. there are already attemnpts to kill this alien fellow, and conrad must choose sides in the end.
overall: a good, fast read (only took me half an hour) that's quite enjoyable on a rainy day or whatever. yea. read it! *****/*****