Once upon a time, I read Half a King by Joe Abercrombie and was quite fond of it. Half a King was a wonderful entry into the unique brand of subversive storytelling Abercrombie is famed for. It was a thrill to go through but now that I've read four of the six First Law books... Continue Reading →
Ah, 80's era fantasy. An era much beloved by many and fairly disliked by some. To me, it's a by-gone age with some great books that hold up really well, and some that...well, don't. Either way, I've been going out of my way to explore this decade's worth of fantasy trends, and--surprise, surprise-- sword'n'sorcery is... Continue Reading →
Work on my reputation. Mercenaries are, by far and large, despised for their tendency to, er, switch sides at the slightest bit of trouble. But there's good money to be earned when you're known for loyalty, 'specially when you've got the employer to appreciate it. Never leave a job unfinished and a commision incomplete. Staunchness is... Continue Reading →
I’m told you are a widower and have two young daughters, both pretty, both wild. Some books, you need to read. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler is one of those. It's a complex detective noir story and a precursor to some of today's most notable crime novels -- Jack Reacher and John Milton(former assassin)... Continue Reading →
After Sir Terry Pratchett passed away, I thought to honour him by exploring his Discworld in a chronological order. Moving Pictures was where my ten-book long Discworld reading spree came to an abrupt end, sometime in 2015--or was it 2016?--I really wish I'd recalled. Something about the beginning of this book didn't click with me back... Continue Reading →
I took a big chunk of time of last October and November to re-read most of Steven Brust's excellent Vlad Taltos novels. I loved the first few novels as a child when I had read them in Bulgarian. I must've been between nine-ten, maybe eleven when I first held Jhereg in my hands. It was a... Continue Reading →
I thought I'd write a wee diary. Not the 'Dear Diary, a madwoman in the bus told me they were listening in through my headphones!' kind, but a journal about what I read on a day-to-day basis. The sort of content I can put on my blog when I don't have enough time to put the work necessary... Continue Reading →
Ah, recommending the second book of a trilogy, that's a new one for this blog! The Walls of Air is the second novel in Barbara Hambly's Darwath trilogy. The second book of a trilogy is always a bit tricky; you have to find a balance between answering some of the questions that the first novel set up... Continue Reading →
Ray Bradbury is one of the great American storytellers of the 20th and early 21st century. I'm currently making my way through his "Zen in the art of writing," and let me tell you...it does not disappoint. This post is about Fahrenheit 451, a book that Ray Bradbury wrote with a certain message in mind;... Continue Reading →
It's been a long time coming, this. Philip K. Dick's look at an alternate version of the world where the Germans and the Japanese won World War 2 is nothing short of a spectacular example of speculative fiction. How does he do it? How does Dick create such a mortifying vision of the world such as... Continue Reading →
