So it's all over. Finished. Complete. All in all, I loved it. Even though it was pretty tense, being mostly one long battle. Still not entirely sure what happened in some parts, and wish there was more about other bits...will definitely be rereading the entire thing as soon as I can dig out Eye of the World. In the meantime...
* SPOILERS *
With the Forsaken being brought back to life all the time in new bodies, with new names, it got more and more difficult to keep all the characters straight in my head. Sort of like any spy novel, I guess, whenever people might switch to the other side at any point it gets complicated very quickly. Rereading will probably help with this though.
Things I liked:
That the Shara finally got into the story!
There was a really good tie-in reason for Nyneave's long running respect for non-power healing techniques.
That the Dark One speaks in capitals. Actually sounded like he was booming in my head.
Pretty much every scene with Telmanes in it.
The Ogier in war-mode.
The fact that it made me cry - I kinda hoped it would.
Tam swordfighting with Rand.
The main ending.
Androl - never noticed him before, but really nice character.
The huge philosophical, free will and meaning of suffering debates.
The overriding 'it is not me, but us which are important' theme.
Perrin 'doing what Rand cannot' - very poetic.
Perrin's power-wrought hammer - reminds me of Northern Lights!
Egwene bonding Leilwin. Brilliant.
Lan and his death threats: "Who are you?" "The man who is going to kill you" - if they ever do films (please DON'T do films) I'm voting for Liam Neeson to play him.
Loads and loads of the Old Tongue. Everything sounds cooler in a made-up language.
Things I didn't:
Not quite enough Seanchan. Still too curious!
The very very end. Not satisfied really.
Padan Fain dying far too easily - extremely interesting sub-baddie, killed off in an instant.
Everyone continually sending last messages of love through their bonds, just to survive and do it all again five minutes later.
That Matt was no longer bound to the Horn but no-one noticed, or cared when this was revealed.
Things I still don't understand:
Who was Moridin originally?
Are Luc and Slayer separate people? If so, who?
What was the Bowl of Winds for - just to keep evil storms at bay?
Was Matt coming on to Min briefly?
What happened to Alvairin? (It might be I've just completely forgotten this already - it seems highly unlikely she would have been left to run around on her own)
That Moriane went through everything at the Tower of Ghenjii (in full knowledge that it would happen), and Lanfear wasn't even killed? Or even imprisoned very well.
There are plenty more, but that's just a taster.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Friday, 18 January 2013
Towers of Midnight
I finished rereading the second-to-last book of Wheel of Time much faster than I expected, mostly due to how amazing it is, which made me think that a) I shouldn't have put it off for so long and b) I could have started back a bit further, on book 11 or 12.
But number 14 is finally here, and the series in which I have invested about ten years of my life is coming to an end. I'm so excited to read the final instalment, although I will also be very sad when it's over. I might have to start again right from the beginning - there are still a number of areas where I can't keep track of who is who, or who is evil, and could certainly do with a refresher.
I read number 13 as a break from the Game of Thrones series, and it just made me appreciate both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's writing so much more. The world that Jordan created simply dwarfs that of any other fantasy writer I can think of. It is so indepth, such a complete and detailed universe that it feels almost more realistic than other books in this genre.
Of course there are still characters which are boring, and plots which are confusing (to say the least), but the breadth of description that readers are shown - plus all the rest behind the scenes information - creates a beautifully immersive experience.
A few highlights I love about WoT: really strong, stubborn characters (always so much more fun to read about), multiple vices and motivations for their actions (so you can never quite keep up with what will happen next) and enough different cultures to keep the wannabe-anthropologist inside me happy (particularly the Seanchan - still want to know more about them.)
But number 14 is finally here, and the series in which I have invested about ten years of my life is coming to an end. I'm so excited to read the final instalment, although I will also be very sad when it's over. I might have to start again right from the beginning - there are still a number of areas where I can't keep track of who is who, or who is evil, and could certainly do with a refresher.
I read number 13 as a break from the Game of Thrones series, and it just made me appreciate both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's writing so much more. The world that Jordan created simply dwarfs that of any other fantasy writer I can think of. It is so indepth, such a complete and detailed universe that it feels almost more realistic than other books in this genre.
Of course there are still characters which are boring, and plots which are confusing (to say the least), but the breadth of description that readers are shown - plus all the rest behind the scenes information - creates a beautifully immersive experience.
A few highlights I love about WoT: really strong, stubborn characters (always so much more fun to read about), multiple vices and motivations for their actions (so you can never quite keep up with what will happen next) and enough different cultures to keep the wannabe-anthropologist inside me happy (particularly the Seanchan - still want to know more about them.)
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
2012 book list
JANUARY
1. Perfume - Patrick Suskind
2. Xenocide -Orson Scott Card
3. Tietam Brown - Mick Foley
4. The Life of Hunger - Amelie Nothomb
5. Annabel - Kathleen Winter6. The Stone Gods - Jeanette Winterson
FEBRUARY
7. Q&A - Vikas Swarup
8. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - Marina Lewycka
9. The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling
10. Persuasion - Jane Austen
MARCH
11. The Psychopath List - Jon Ronson
12. Don't sleep, there are snakes - Daniel Everett
13. To kill a mockingbird - Harper Lee
APRIL
14. Who's afraid of Mr. Wolfe? - Hazel Osmond
15. The Magus - John Fowles
MAY
16. Before I Go to Sleep - S J Watson
17. Embassytown - China Mieville
18. Children of the Mind - Orson Scott Card
JUNE
19. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
20. The Handmaids Tale - Magaret Attwood
21. Game of Thrones (Book one) - George R. R. Martin
22. How to be a Woman - Caitlin Moran
JULY
23. Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult
24. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
25. A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
AUGUST
26. Under the Skin - Michel Faber
27. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
SEPTEMBER
28. The Stand - Stephen King
29. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
30. I am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
31. The Man Who Forgot His Wife - John O'Farrell
OCTOBER
32. Shadows in Flight - Orson Scott Card
33. Moranthopology - Caitlin Moran
37. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
38. IQ84 [Parts 1 & 2] - Haruki Murakami
39. The Flood - Stephen Baxter
40. IQ84 [Part 3] - Haruki Murakami
DECEMBER
41. Ark - Stephen Baxter
42. Write your novel in 30 days - Karen S. Weisner
43. Blue eyed boy - Joanne Harris
44. Pigs might fly - Emily Rodda
45. Is it just me? - Miranda Hart
46. Science & Islam - Ehsan Masood
47. A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin
1. Perfume - Patrick Suskind
2. Xenocide -Orson Scott Card
3. Tietam Brown - Mick Foley
4. The Life of Hunger - Amelie Nothomb
5. Annabel - Kathleen Winter6. The Stone Gods - Jeanette Winterson
FEBRUARY
7. Q&A - Vikas Swarup
8. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - Marina Lewycka
9. The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling
10. Persuasion - Jane Austen
MARCH
11. The Psychopath List - Jon Ronson
12. Don't sleep, there are snakes - Daniel Everett
13. To kill a mockingbird - Harper Lee
APRIL
14. Who's afraid of Mr. Wolfe? - Hazel Osmond
15. The Magus - John Fowles
MAY
16. Before I Go to Sleep - S J Watson
17. Embassytown - China Mieville
18. Children of the Mind - Orson Scott Card
JUNE
19. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
20. The Handmaids Tale - Magaret Attwood
21. Game of Thrones (Book one) - George R. R. Martin
22. How to be a Woman - Caitlin Moran
JULY
23. Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult
24. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
25. A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
AUGUST
26. Under the Skin - Michel Faber
27. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
SEPTEMBER
28. The Stand - Stephen King
29. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
30. I am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
31. The Man Who Forgot His Wife - John O'Farrell
OCTOBER
32. Shadows in Flight - Orson Scott Card
33. Moranthopology - Caitlin Moran
NOVEMBER
34. Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
35. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
36. Written on the Body - Jeannette Winterson
37. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
38. IQ84 [Parts 1 & 2] - Haruki Murakami
39. The Flood - Stephen Baxter
40. IQ84 [Part 3] - Haruki Murakami
DECEMBER
41. Ark - Stephen Baxter
42. Write your novel in 30 days - Karen S. Weisner
43. Blue eyed boy - Joanne Harris
44. Pigs might fly - Emily Rodda
45. Is it just me? - Miranda Hart
46. Science & Islam - Ehsan Masood
47. A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin
Saturday, 29 December 2012
2012
So finally I can look over the past year and see what kinds of books I've read, re-read, loved and hated.
One thing I was particularly interested to find out was how many books I was reading for a second, third or even fourth time. These include: Perfume, Xenocide, The Stone Gods, Before I Go To Sleep, Children of the Mind, and finally Pigs Might Fly. Six out of 47 - not quite as much as I thought it would be. The reasons for rereading are generally just because the books are so good. The timescale between the original reading and rereading differs a bit as well, from over a decade with Pigs Might Fly to less than a year with The Stone Gods - it's never too late, or too early to revisit something brilliant.
Three non-fiction books, plus a couple of biographies (only the best - Caitlin Moran etc.). Exactly what I imagined here to be honest, fiction rules every time. The rate of reading is fairly interesting as well, most books read in November and December, due to holidays, and least in April, August and October.
Best book of 2012 is going to be pretty difficult, so I'm going to put together a shortlist first and then decide. To make things easier (i.e. take The Stone Gods out of the running) I'm going to only include books read for the first time this year.
Shortlist: Annabel, The Day of the Triffids, The Handmaid's Tale, Under the Skin, Eat Pray Love, IQ84, The Flood, The Snow Child.
Hmm. That was going quite well until the end of the year, when I seem to have read more brilliant books. I'm also cheating and including all three parts of IQ84 in one. Okay so Annabel was quite different, and good characters. Day of the Triffids was great, absolutely great, but by this point I had read most of Wyndham's other stuff, so it wasn't quite as brilliant as The Midwich Cuckoos, The Trouble with Lichen, or the one about disfigurement. The Handmaid's Tale I loved, but wanted far more explanation about how the new regime was set up. Some would argue that this could spoil the story, just as a magician never reveals the secrets behind his tricks. However, I found it exceedingly interesting and simply wanted to know more. An unsatisfying ending. Under the Skin - I'm just going to say it now, this is probably the winner, hands down. I shall return to it. Eat Pray Love I read at the perfect time in my life - I was travelling (read: on my first city break) on my own, I've been expanding my palate, particularly in pasta, this year, and I'd jsut started meditation and yoga, embarking on my very own mini-spiritual adventure. So it resonated pretty well and Elizabeth Gilbert really is a good writer, it made me laugh and smile and I enjoyed it so much I started rereading it as soon as I'd finished. IQ84 is one of the most fantastical, original, how-the-hell-did-he-think-of-that plots I've ever read. The Flood was a really good portrait of climate change devastation (because I haven't read enough scifi this year...) and The Snow Child is that magical combination of fairytale and just great fiction. It's the sort of book I will remember, and I knew I would love it before I'd ever even picked it up. Sometimes you do just know (I believe in love at first sight with books).
So after that summing up, I've picked the three best and will now bestow upon them my imaginary awards. In third place (drum roll please) comes IQ84 for sheer brilliance. Second is Eat Pray Love, probably not everyone's cup of tea but one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read and certainly inspired me. And in first place, it simply had to be Under the Skin. By Michael Faber, I was recommended this book and read it after a dearth of good fiction - I'd been starting books and not finishing them, or reading books which I disliked, or felt I should appreciate. It's such a good idea, I do love a story with morals and this remains with you long after the final page has been turned. And the writing is beautiful, it's dark and creepy and the reader cannot help but be intrigued. I recommend you all go out and read it immediately.
My reading resolutions for 2013 will include Life of Pi (preferably before seeing the film), AMoL (Final installment in Wheel of Time) and I would like to reread You Don't Know Me.
One thing I was particularly interested to find out was how many books I was reading for a second, third or even fourth time. These include: Perfume, Xenocide, The Stone Gods, Before I Go To Sleep, Children of the Mind, and finally Pigs Might Fly. Six out of 47 - not quite as much as I thought it would be. The reasons for rereading are generally just because the books are so good. The timescale between the original reading and rereading differs a bit as well, from over a decade with Pigs Might Fly to less than a year with The Stone Gods - it's never too late, or too early to revisit something brilliant.
Three non-fiction books, plus a couple of biographies (only the best - Caitlin Moran etc.). Exactly what I imagined here to be honest, fiction rules every time. The rate of reading is fairly interesting as well, most books read in November and December, due to holidays, and least in April, August and October.
Best book of 2012 is going to be pretty difficult, so I'm going to put together a shortlist first and then decide. To make things easier (i.e. take The Stone Gods out of the running) I'm going to only include books read for the first time this year.
Shortlist: Annabel, The Day of the Triffids, The Handmaid's Tale, Under the Skin, Eat Pray Love, IQ84, The Flood, The Snow Child.
Hmm. That was going quite well until the end of the year, when I seem to have read more brilliant books. I'm also cheating and including all three parts of IQ84 in one. Okay so Annabel was quite different, and good characters. Day of the Triffids was great, absolutely great, but by this point I had read most of Wyndham's other stuff, so it wasn't quite as brilliant as The Midwich Cuckoos, The Trouble with Lichen, or the one about disfigurement. The Handmaid's Tale I loved, but wanted far more explanation about how the new regime was set up. Some would argue that this could spoil the story, just as a magician never reveals the secrets behind his tricks. However, I found it exceedingly interesting and simply wanted to know more. An unsatisfying ending. Under the Skin - I'm just going to say it now, this is probably the winner, hands down. I shall return to it. Eat Pray Love I read at the perfect time in my life - I was travelling (read: on my first city break) on my own, I've been expanding my palate, particularly in pasta, this year, and I'd jsut started meditation and yoga, embarking on my very own mini-spiritual adventure. So it resonated pretty well and Elizabeth Gilbert really is a good writer, it made me laugh and smile and I enjoyed it so much I started rereading it as soon as I'd finished. IQ84 is one of the most fantastical, original, how-the-hell-did-he-think-of-that plots I've ever read. The Flood was a really good portrait of climate change devastation (because I haven't read enough scifi this year...) and The Snow Child is that magical combination of fairytale and just great fiction. It's the sort of book I will remember, and I knew I would love it before I'd ever even picked it up. Sometimes you do just know (I believe in love at first sight with books).
So after that summing up, I've picked the three best and will now bestow upon them my imaginary awards. In third place (drum roll please) comes IQ84 for sheer brilliance. Second is Eat Pray Love, probably not everyone's cup of tea but one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read and certainly inspired me. And in first place, it simply had to be Under the Skin. By Michael Faber, I was recommended this book and read it after a dearth of good fiction - I'd been starting books and not finishing them, or reading books which I disliked, or felt I should appreciate. It's such a good idea, I do love a story with morals and this remains with you long after the final page has been turned. And the writing is beautiful, it's dark and creepy and the reader cannot help but be intrigued. I recommend you all go out and read it immediately.
My reading resolutions for 2013 will include Life of Pi (preferably before seeing the film), AMoL (Final installment in Wheel of Time) and I would like to reread You Don't Know Me.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Pigs might fly
Guys. I'm really excited. I just found a book which I read as a kid in a tiny library in Zimbabwe, and absolutely adored. I tried to buy it last time I remembered it, but it had GONE OUT OF PRINT. Eugh. On a random whim I googled it again recently and there was one (just one!) copy left on amazon. I read Pigs Might Fly when I was about seven, and obsessed with both books and pigs. I remember very little about the actual story - it's something about pigs flying when the weather gets stormy and this girl is stuck in an alternate reality (just realised I've been a sci-fi geek since before I knew what that meant) and trying to get home. But apart from that, I just remember loving it. So I cannot wait till it arrives *please be before christmas* so I can discover it all over again.
Monday, 26 November 2012
It's less than a month till Christmas...
Don't worry, I'm not about to announce a list of festively themed books (do they even exist?), I'm just noticing how little of the year is left. I'm really excited to start categorising all the books I've read this year and seeing how many are re-read, or recommended or what. But I've noticed that I'm up to number 40 and there is a small but insistent voice inside that is calling for the final tally to be a round number...50 in fact. This would mean I would have to read more books per month than I have done in the previous 11. I will have the Christmas holidays, and being on holiday earlier this month has definitely given me time to read more, but still its a lot. So I'm not sure if its possible but I kind of want to try. I am reading four at the moment, and other things I want to read include a book called Blue Eyed Boy (blurb makes it sound much better than the title), the next in the Game of Thrones series, and the last two in Wheel of Time (I'm really running out of time with this one, and I need to be ready for the finale come 2013). I'm definitely not going to be able to manage two WoT books, but maybe one, which would leave me at seven. And it's practically a certainty that I will be given some form of bookish present for Christmas. If I was really cutting it fine I could probably just read chicklit or childrens books to round it up!
Friday, 23 November 2012
Flood - Stephen Baxter
Finished this late last night when I just couldn't put it down. Apocolyptic fiction at its finest, especially because the danger described in this book seems so much nearer, so much more real than most of the books in this genre.
Apart from a really good plot, I particularly like the way the character's personalities and flaws are exposed as time races by and panic increases. It's a really good look at how humanity would react (not well, by and large) to circumstances they simply never believed could happen. The strength of denial as a defence mechanism should not be underestimated.
It's also quite sad, not just for the demise of civilisation, but SPOILERS! for the way all the hostages strive to protect baby Grace, who grows up throughout the novel. They believe they are constantly acting in her best interests, but it becomes clear that they simply have no idea what those would be, having never taken the time to really get to know her and ask what she wants. A simplistic drive to keep her alive at all costs, in response to a promise made to her mother before she died, is arguably much more harmful than allowing her to go her own way and live in whichever way she chooses.
But, there's a sequel! I'm very excited.
Apart from a really good plot, I particularly like the way the character's personalities and flaws are exposed as time races by and panic increases. It's a really good look at how humanity would react (not well, by and large) to circumstances they simply never believed could happen. The strength of denial as a defence mechanism should not be underestimated.
It's also quite sad, not just for the demise of civilisation, but SPOILERS! for the way all the hostages strive to protect baby Grace, who grows up throughout the novel. They believe they are constantly acting in her best interests, but it becomes clear that they simply have no idea what those would be, having never taken the time to really get to know her and ask what she wants. A simplistic drive to keep her alive at all costs, in response to a promise made to her mother before she died, is arguably much more harmful than allowing her to go her own way and live in whichever way she chooses.
But, there's a sequel! I'm very excited.
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