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[jhakka]

Forest Mage (The Soldier Son Trilogy: Book II) by Robin Hobb

I'll keep this relatively short, because this book was nothing short of disappointing.

What began as a slightly two-dimensional, if at least still reasonably engaging and interesting story, despite extremely poor editing (due to an apparent desire to get the book on the shelves as soon as possible), in Shaman's Crossing, a novel that one member here described as an "extended prologue", has been continued in this book, and performed nothing more than a belly-flop. While the first book was a bit superficial, it did set up a world where interesting things could happen... something that Hobb failed to deliver for perhaps 450 of the 600-odd pages in this novel.

The problem is not that the book is boring (although that is a huge problem in itself), but rather the fact that there is at least two hundred pages worth of material in there that overlaps with itself. That's not to mention the opening chapter which pretty much summarises the entire first book - a technique for getting a reader back into the story so trashy that I haven't seen it since Animorphs. This is a completely different thing, where Hobb literally spends about 200 pages saying the same thing over and over and over again, and Nevare (our rather dull hero) pretty much saying "I don't get it." Seriously, if we chopped out a third of the book we wouldn't have missed anything, and perhaps it would have been a bit more exciting.

And on top of all that, it seems like we are recycling character types and plot elements from The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders to keep things moving. While this was exciting the first time around (ie: in The Farseer Trilogy and The Liveship Traders), it becomes very tired when Hobb tries to pull it off in a much less interesting story.

That's not to say that there aren't some good things in there. Unfortunately it takes about 150 pages for the book to even be interesting, and another 200 or so to get to the point where one would say "Ok, I'm enjoying this now". To her credit, Hobb does do a nice job of creating a new style of magic (though the world it's in kinda sucks), and also provides a nice look into issues like gender and colonisation.

Overall, I think it was a boring book with a couple of high points... and even those were quite dull compared to the rest of Hobb's work. I hope for her sake and the sake of her loyal readers that the next instalment more than makes up for a very poor first two books in an initially promising trilogy.


EDIT: So much for short. Oh well.

 

[Trillium]

Good Omens- Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
I tend to re-read this book fairly often, hence my copies rather tattered state.
I believe that catch-phrase attached to this book was "The Apocalypse has never been funnier". So very true.

The book is one of the best collaboration pieces i've ever read- a perfect mix of Terry Partachett and Neil Gaiman- the humour, the story-telling aspect, the characters are gorgeous and the dialogue is brilliant.
You can read into the story as much as you want, but seriously, the story i just wonderful, and the references made to The Omen and a few characteristics from each authors previous works that are included make it just that much more fun.

I really, really enjoy the humour in GO- the amount of possible quotes youc an find in those pages is absurd, and the interaction between characters, and the details they've got in there... brilliant.

There are a few main storylines in the book that you follow- each of them winding together when we face the Apocalypse... My personaly favourite is the story that follows Crowly ( a demon who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards) and Aziraphale- An angel, who likes tea. Both of them have developed a bit of habit for actually enjoying the human world, and each others company- or at least, tolerating it.

I definately recommend people read this book. Please ^_^

 

[polskatrucizna1]

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Wow, and I thought society today was screwed up!
Hopefully all you book-worms out there have read it, so I need'nt go into great detail. All I wanted to say is that in all my years of reading, and I have been reading for quite sometime, I still remember the day I started reading "the very hungry catapiller" how gree....right Lolita, never have I read anything so beautifully wirtten. I know amazing, others might disagree, but Nabokov has written Lolita so that we empathise with Humbert,think he is the innocent one, and in the end feel sorry for him, for this girls innocence was long gone before Humbert arrived, and yet his mental image of the Nymph was still Lolita...

Does that make sense?

KI. Galczynski

 

[glitter burns]

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION by Brett Easton Ellis

Overview: follows the love lives of students at Camden college, inAmerica's New England region, in the 1980s. The three main characters are Lauren, Paul and Sean, though there a lot of other characters as well, whom often also narrate in parts.

I came at it with a biased opinion because I'd already seen the movie-adaptation a bunch of times and so already had certain expectations of the novel. However, as is often the case with book-to-movie adaptations, the novel was quite different.
I enjoyed the lack of reliability in several of the main narrators, Sean and Paul whose stories conlifcted each other entirely and left the reader questioning which story was true, or if in fact both were lying and the truth remained somewhere in between.
None of the characters were particularly likeable but they were expressed sympathetically enough for you to care what happened to each of them, and despite the lack of reliability in the narration, the scattered style and casual honesty about the book were what breathed both life and reality into the book.

 

[jhakka]

Hover Car Racer by Matthew Reilly

I avoided buying this book for a long time. First of all because it was in hardcover, and I only buy paperbacks. Then, when it was finally released in paperback, it was released in "big" paperback (which is smaller than a trade paperback, but bigger than a standard one). I know it's silly, but I am so pedantic about my books, and I pretty much refused to buy this on the grounds that it wasn't the same size as my other Reilly books (that and the gold cover is horrid!). But in the end I gave in and bought it, and read it over two days.

I must say, this book is very entertaining.

In true Reilly style, it doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is: a simple story about a kid getting into a sport with the big guns, dealing with the token love interest and just dealing with things like family, bullying and so on. And of course, there is a nice moral to the story.

And to add to that, it's as fast paced as a Reilly novel can be without constant swarms of soldiers jumping in every chapter to try and kill the hero. There are the fast scenes where circumstances change in the space of a sentence, and then there are the slower scenes of classes at the Race School, where characters get that necessary downtime to reflect and go through their own bits of development as racers and so on.

The races are fast paced and unpredictable (as they can be in a story like this) and really get into the world of fictional "motor"sports, with a bit of attention given to things like training schools, sponsorships, qualifying races, gambling and so on. None of it is really in depth, but it's enough to provide what I would see as an accurate representation of a fictional sport.

It was originally released on the Internet on Reilly's own website. Each part was released two weeks apart, giving that serial feel. And as fast as this book is, I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part to read it within two days. You can only take so much racing in a short time and it loses a bit of its initial appeal... but the fact that each race is more important than the one before it makes up for that fact and keeps you just as riveted as you were in the first race of the book.

If you want a bit of fun in a not-too-serious story, I highly reccomend any Reilly. And this one doesn't disappoint. As much as I love the fast paced stories of the Scarecrow, it's nice to occasionally pick up a Reilly book that is just as fast paced as those ones, but doesn't constantly involve a life or death situation.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

'Interesting Times' - Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is probably one of my favourite authors of all time. I've actually had this book for ages but this is the first time I've read it because i lost it soon after buying it but:

This is a very, very good book. Lots of the typical satirical wit Pratchett employs in all his work, a complex, entertaining plot, witty references to Imperialist China and communism that don't seem forced at all but rather add to the story's appeal, and of course the usual appearance put in by Death (who never fails to interest me as a character). Generally speaking, the Rincewind arc has never really been a favourite of mine (i tend more towards the witches and the 'city watch' centric stories). The seven elderly barabrians whom a large part of the story is based around are absolutely hilarious in a way which also evokes a kind of strange empathy for them having civilization thrust upon them by mr saveloy. Lord Hong is, although only actually appearing a few times, a character who stayed in my mind - despite or perhaps because of his razor sharp personality. I found that the parts with the wizards back at the Unseen University, fiddling with Hex and so forth, dragged on a bit, however this is only my opinion on that.
It's not a serious story, although there are some clear parallels to our own world that i found interesting (and for anyone not familiar with the discworld this is a fairly common feature of all his work). However it is very entertaining and well worth a read just for that - Pratchett deserves credit for being able to make quite a long book engaging all the way to the end.

 

[smegger_em]

Nights at the Circus - Angela Carter

Given some of the characters (a circus performer who was born with wings growing out of her back, a psychic pig), at first glance, this book might seem to be a strange, but ultimatly light fantasy. However, it is actually rich in musings on history, gender, memory, truth, power and love. The narrative telling rushes around Europe on the eve of the 20th century - reflecting the major concerns of the book.

An amazing, trippy, provoking, witty and incredibly entertaining book. If you've ever been curious about magic-realism, give this a go.

 

[jhakka]

Lolly Scramble: A Memoir of Little Consequence by Tony Martin

I'm not usually one for biographical material (or even autobiographical, in this case), but when you become a huge fan of a celebrity and you find out that they have a book out, I find that it's hard to avoid buying and reading it. The only other biography I have read (of my own free will) was Billy by Pamela Stephenson (about the absolutly brilliant comedian, Billy Connolly), and I rather enjoyed it.

I have since become a massive fan of Tony Martin (host of 104.9 Triple M's 9am show, Get This, writer of Bad Eggs and who has made appearances in Boytown, Crackerjack and on Channel 10's Thank God You're Here). I have been listening to his radio show almost relugiously over the last couple of months, quoting him and Ed Kavalee at any opportunity, trying for a week to get on air so I could get a copy of their CD Illegal Download (success on Tuesday... the CD came on Friday), and I really want to get a copy of Bad Eggs and Crackerjack on DVD. I bought his book last Saturday. All up, I'm as bad as a teenage fangirl.

Tony Martin's Lolly Scramble is not a typical autobiography. It isn't linear, skipping between incidents from his childhood to adulthood and back again. And he does not mention any of his success as a celebrity. In every single chapter he just tells us about his time as a "nobody", more interested in the people and events around him than he is in talking about himself. The book is written in the first person, yet it doesn't focus on himself. He just happened to be there when the things he saw happened to happen.

The book is split into sixteen short stories from his life. Each has its own point, its own sense of pointlessness and most of them are absolutely hilarious. He mentions a rough family life from time to time, never actually going into detail, thus avoiding the angsty style of writing altogether. What we get instead is a very funny set of short stories, but in some places there is also a very real sense of sadness and regret behind it. I think the fact that he doesn't write about what happened specifically, preferring to talk about what made him laugh throughout his life makes it that bit sadder and that bit more inspiring (if you call video game addiction, making an entire tour bus hate you [this chapter is also on the Illegal Download CD], or living with a weird religious woman who is offended by the word ARSE inspiring).

The stories are short, they're funny, and the writing is pure Martin. When I bought the book at Borders in Tuggerah, it was found in the Humourous Writing section, and rightly so. Throughout the book is a constant rain of dry humour, jokes, funny observations and weird comparisons that no one who hasn't been in comedy for at least fifteen years would ever come up with. Read the chapter about video game addiction for a great example of what I mean.

Martin doesn't need to talk himself up to make interesting reading. As much as I want to see as much of his stuff as I can, I don't want to read a book about it. I just want to read about his life, and the moments that have made the man I listen to every weekday at 9am. If I want to see his career I'll listen to him on Triple M, I'll cheer him on when he's onThank God You're Here and I'll watch his films. He seems to know this, and just wrote a book. And this is a complete success.

I highly reccomend Lolly Scramble. It's both incredibly funny and quite sad, full of wit and the funniest observations I've ever read, and has been written by a man who knows how to write. It may just be a memoir of little consequence, but it is also the best autobiography ever.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

Annie Proulx - The Shipping News

Mum recommended it to me. It got some pretty good reviews judging from what I have read, but to be honest, I personally didn't like it.
It has its moments, to be sure - the beginning of the book, detailing Quoyle's relationship (or lack thereof) with Petal and the result of it, was particularly good and I went back and read this section again purely because I admired the way Proulx conveyed the bitter relationship between them with such simple yet powerful language.
For the most part, however, I didn't find it very interesting. The conflict in the book seemed to me to be a very internal struggle within Quoyle himself and while this was interesting, I just didn't find the story itself engaging. The book picks up a bit when Wavey comes into the picture, and the brief moment of worry over Bunny's psychological state was also a highlight. Overall I found it pretty bland. Perhaps on a second reading I will find more redeeming features to the book, but I don't think it will get much more interesting, to me.
Please don't let this review turn you off reading it, if you happen to come across it. I realise my poor opinion of the novel is partly coloured by my preference for magic-realism, fantasy and sci fi over the stark realism that Proulx conveys in this book. Despite the blandness of the story, as I saw it, the author's command of language is extraordinary and it's worth a look just for that.

 

[jhakka]

Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz

I haven't read a Koontz book before, and I must say that this was a good introduction to what he has to offer. I wouldn't call this book a horror, since it isn't. It's definitely more of a thriller, and was a very enjoyable read.

This book provided a gradual sense of character development, the slow and steady backstory that becomes known at key points in the story and the eventual illustration of a secret government agency/conspiracy that generally makes life for everyone a living hell. As far as thrillers go, this book more or less has the lot.

While the book was slow in the first couple of chapters (and for a chapter in the middle somewhere) it was a very enjoayble read, and as I got further into it, the less I wanted to put it down. It wasn't just the story itself that did this, but also the characters. If you can find a character more screwed up than Roy, I congratulate you because he is one screwed up fellow. If you can find a dog more cowardly than Rocky (and yes, I have taken Scooby Doo into consideration here), well done. If you can find a broken hero more broken than Spencer Grant, well... he must be a great character, because it is Spencer and his past and his fear of being that makes this book so great to read.

Give it a go. It's very enjoyable.

 

[brightsea]

Circle of Flight - John Marsden (The Ellie Chronicles)

This book is the last of a trilogy concerning Ellie, Homer, Lee and a bunch of other new people as they try and deal with the fall out of Australia being invaded. Personally, I haven't been impressed by this series and, at times, have felt that Marsden is perhaps just "cashing in" on the success of the Tomorrow Series.

You come up the driveway. You're late, but you knew you were going to be. That's why you took the ute to school this morning. And told Gavin to catch the bus. He'll have been back for two hours now. On his own.

Circle of Flight starts off in the second person, which is supposed to make you feel more involved in the story. But when combined with the short, harsh sentences, I felt alienated. It also felt out of place in a book that is supposed to be essential "Ellie's memoirs." Why would she write in the above style when her 'tried and true' has worked before (you later find out that her records during the war were published)? Marsden seems to have simply included it as a literary function, one his editor should have told him to forget.

Anyway, you are introduced to the main premise fairly quickly - Gavin's been kidnapped by the enemy. Of course, Ellie, Homer and Lee swing right into action....well, sort of. In this book especially, Marsden highlights how much Australian society has changed since the end of the war. Law and order has been reestablished, meaning Ellie must now, at least, officially go through the proper channels i.e. the Police. Marsden does this very well, leaving you with a feeling of vague frustration as our heroine use to be able to do anything and get away with it.

While Ellie is searching for Gavin - officially and unofficially - she also reminiscences quite a bit (which is code for Marsden tying up loose ends). The plotline involving Gavin's father, from Incurable (the second Chronicles book), is resolved as is Ellie being a minor looking after a minor (Gavin).

As I said, I'm not a huge fan of this book. Yes, at times it is still as gripping as the Tomorrow Series but I don't think it deserves the title "explosive finale" as the blurb reads. The resolution of the Scarlet Pimple is surprising yet also disappointing -

Spoiler

It's Bronte.

As well as the way Marsden deals with Ellie's love interest, Jeremy, and concludes the story.

Spoiler

In case you are wondering, Ellie sells the farm and ends up living in Stratton with Lee in a non-platonic relationship.

I was curious to find out what became of Ellie, Lee, Homer and Fi after their war ended, however, I am unenthusiastic about John Marsden's telling of the story.

Summary: Borrow, don't buy.

 

[maddy_d]

"twilight" by stephenie meyer

its about a girl, bella, who moves to a new town and she starts at a new school and on the first day everyone is in love with her except for this one guy, edward, who seens frustrated/agrivated by her presence. edward doesnt come back to school for the rest of the week and when he returns he's a completely different person and tries to become her friend. later the reader learns that edward is a vampire and bella's blood is a perfect match to his tastes. but as they spend time together, they fall in love.

its not a typical vampire story and meyer has contradicted many popular beliefs about vampires. it sounds really stupid when giving the plot, but the writing style removes it from the category of a "trashy romance". i would highly recommend it to anyone, i couldnt put it down and i devoured it in half a day.
11/10....and the good thing is that its a series

 

[toadstooltown]

The Island of the Day Before (English translation) - Umberto Eco

Another thoroughly enjoyable book from Eco. Small concept, done almost to death but in an enjoyable fashion. A man stranded on 'the Daphne', a Dutch vessel anchored off the coast of an island on the other side of the international date line. He is unable to swim. What in theory sounds atrociously boring is dealt with elegantly through trips into memory and great philosophical ponderings coupled with insights into the main character's psyche.

Fairly post-modern. The story is narrated by a fictitious man who has compiled a story from the notes the main character keeps of his stay on the shit. We know the ending, for as soon as the main attempts to leave the ship he will no longer be able to write about what he finds. This does not matter though, that's not what the story is about. To 'rouse some groans from English AOS, 'tis the journey not destination.

I heartily recommend this book. Though, be prepared. While 516 pages isn't a mammoth book, it does slip into French, Latin, German and Italian at times which may be frustrating for some readers. Very dense, took me a few months to get through it (though I was also doing my HSC).

4.5/5

 

[Nodice]

The Weather Makers - Tim Flannery

As much as I would like to consider this book as coming under the Horror genre, sadly enough this book comes under Non-Fiction. The recent Australian of the Year presents an alarming view for the future in the context of the issue of Global Warming and increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere. The history of climate change, the current situation, likely future possibilities and solutions are all detailed in Flannery's characteristic language with enough scientific jargon to both present the text in a sophisticated and accurate manner, but also in a very readable fashion. Flannery has also produced a supplementary book (meant for the younger audience) if the language is too much for the reader, We Are The Weather Makers.

If you havn't read this book already, I strongly urge you to go out and buy this book - you will never see your car or appliances in the same way.

*****

By the way, what's with the Harry Potter fascination on this forum? ^_^

 

[jhakka]

By the way, what's with the Harry Potter fascination on this forum? ^_^

No idea. I like Harry Potter as much as the next person, but seriously people... there are so many other books to talk about.

 

[jhakka]

Magician by Raymond E. Feist

Lately it's been a matter of "What books haven't I read that I really should have by now?" As much as I read, there is still a lot of stuff that I should have read, but haven't. As a person who pretty much reads only fantasy, it surprised so many people that I hadn't read Magician, and though I knew it was something I had to read, it was something I never got around to... until I got it for Christmas (even though my parents own a copy, and it's right there in the lounge room).

Having now read the book, I now join the ranks of those who can't believe I hadn't read it yet. All up, it was a brilliant fantasy novel that covered so much, and yet left enough unsaid for the reader to still be interested in what happens next.

The book spans, from memory (give me a break, I read it a month ago), twelve or so years, mainly covering the Riftwar with the Tsurani.

In the novel Feist manages to capture the political intricacies of two kingdoms on separate worlds, their interactions with each other, and the complex social structures that each world must understand when facing the other. All up, what Feist has managed to create is two worlds in one novel - a feat that is impressive by anyone's standards since many authors struggle to create one in less than three novels.

There is also a strong sense of character development, particularly with the main character, Pug. It's a shame when the main character is quite dull when compared to others, but Pug is one that captures the reader regardless of how dull he really is. Perhaps it is the status of "nobody become somebody" that makes him so appealing, but regardless of this, he is a very enjoyable character to observe. He fits in perfectly with characters such as Millamber (particularly due to his own relationship with Pug) and Macros the Black, mainly due to the fact that he is practically nothing when compared to these two, and makes himself into something bigger than both. But that's not to say that these are the only interesting characters. The book covers everything - princes, theives, pirates, magaicians, soldiers, slaves, kings, emperors, princesses, priests, apprentices, servants, children, parents and monsters.

And in addition to covering everything, the novel is one that can stand alone or work in a series. The ending wraps up enough for the reader to be content with what has just been absorbed, while still leaving enough uncovered to allow the sequels to be read at any time. This sense of closure and the natural progression from one series of events to another, I think, is what makes a well written ending. In doing this, Feist has left me content to read other things for a while, placing no pressure on me to read any of the other books, and for this I applaud him.

Read Magician if you haven't already done so. You won't regret it.

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

Next by Michael Crichton

After the sub-standard Prey and the blatantly politically-motivated State Of Fear, I approached Next with a sense of growing trepidation. After all, bad things happen in threes, right?

Wrong.

Next is about the dangers of science becoming a business, in this case genetic engineering. You'll have to pay attention when reading this book as there are eight or nine major sub-plots woven together with a simple common denominator: every single character has a connection to the genetics industry. Taken on their own, each sub-plot is nothing spectacular, but it is not until the final third of the book that you understand and appreciate what the author is trying to do. There's the ruthless businessman who portrays himself as a "capitalist with a conscience", a researcher who puts genetics and religion hand-in-hand (even pulling it off with embryonic stem cells) but most of his work is stealing the research of others, and a father who is trying to sue when a researcher profits off his cells without asking his permission. Each of the major sub-plots - and there are several minor ones with no resolution - comes together in the end as the daughter and grandson of the man in court flee a pair of bounty hunters.

You don't grow too attached to any one particular character as the writing is at times minimalist, but then most of the antagonists are designed to respresent certain issues within the industry. However, it is nevertheless satisfying to see them get their comeuppance. A few other stories are purely for comedic relief, with an orangutang who swears in multiple languages, an African Grey Parrot who can do maths and imitate anything and a half-human, half-chimpanzee who wreaks havoc on the family he comes to live with.

My only issue with the book is the way everything all falss into place. It's very neatly tied up in places to the point where the deus ex machina plot device comes into play. Don't let that put you off, as the book is otherwise pure Michael Crichton: science for the layman.

 

[Ranger Stacie]

I just read candy by luke davies, which is the one that the movie with heath ledger is based on. i really liked it and i would reccomend it. it's about heroin addicts and i thought it was unsettling and a bit different to other books on that topic i have read. when i read it i wondered if the author had been a drug addict in the past, because it is incredibly real. if not, he must have done a lot of research.

 

[withoutaface]

Red Dragon

Being the first book Harris wrote in the Hannibal series, it's a well written piece of crime fiction which focuses on character development more than moving the plot along, though it doesn't do a bad job of the latter either. It presents, through the three main characters of Graham, Lecter and Dolarhyde, three different manifestations of the same mind, but with subtle differences based on the characters' different levels of control over their darker thoughts. The book progresses as an intricate powerplay between the three unfolds, and the way the development of the villains' characters receives a similar amount of treatment to that of Graham leaves the reader unsure whether to feel admiration, sympathy or disgust.

It doesn't use gore to shock readers, but rather uses it sparingly to develop the plot and the reader's disposition towards the characters, so those who have avoided this series of books due to being squeamish and expecting a bloodfest should really have a look at it.

Definately one I'd recommend.

The SIlence of the Lambs

Follows a similar formula to Red Dragon (i.e. serial killer on the loose, FBI agent seeks help from Hannibal Lecter to crack the case), as well being highly focused on character development like its predecessor. The plot this time focuses more upon the Lecter-Starling interplay than the hunt for Buffalo Bill, which is a formality in order to attach a plot to the characters, I suppose. The result is that the reader finds out a lot about the two main characters' personalities and continues to find out more about Lecter (who is featured a lot more than in the previous book), but also feels somewhat hollow because:

Spoiler

Gumb has been given essentially the same backstory as Dolarhyde, a rough childhood where he was abused and ignored, and turns strange after that. The problem with Gumb compared to Dolarhyde, though, is that it's a lot harder to identify with him, and this is due to his primary fascination being an unusual sexual fetish, complete lack of compassion (compared to Dolarhyde who has a double personality going), and because of the limited number of pages dedicated to him.

Both better and worse than RD, but still definately worth reading.

 

[lengy]

I could do anything If Only I Knew What It Was - Barbara Sher

I'd review it but I can't decide whether I should finish it or not.