Genre : Fantasy
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy
Rating : 5/5
I am clubbing the two books I read to one. This book was split into two due to the volume I presume, but it serves to treat this as one, for my logging purposes.
This is one about the reverse journey, where our protagonists travel back to where everything started. Simon and Miriamele travel back to the green angel tower. Simon to take a certain something from a certain place which is crucial in the fight against Ineluki (which I won’t reveal due to spoilers), and Miriamele to talk his father out of the madness. A lot of stuff happens and the fight nears it’s end.
A very convincing ending to an awesome series.
Read this for:
The awesome ending.
The mind blowingly awesome twists.
Cons:
I sometimes wished Simon would hit Miriamele hard and make her come to her senses. Well, not exactly hard. Maybe a tap on her head or something. You know what I mean..
Head over here to get character details and other information
Genre : Fantasy
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy
Rating : 4/5
So, the journey continues. I finished this and the final installment of the series quite some time back, but had put off writing about it. No excuses.
I am quite unsure as to what to say about a book as sprawling as this one. Our protagonist was injured when we last saw him. Killing a dragon is no easy feat, or so I have heard.
We get to see more of the dwarfs…I meant Qanuc people, and more of the elves…the Sithi. The world building is quite amazing in those parts. The journey continues for Simon and his friends at one side and Josua at the other. Miriamele has her own set of tragedies. The journey is tough as expected but most of our friends come through.
Read this for:
Character development.
The world building.
Cons:
None really.
Head over here to get character details and other information
Genre : Fantasy
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy
Rating : 3/5
One fine day I was investing(I don’t waste time) time on r/Fantasy, when I saw a post regarding some random dude giving a book for free after a “Writer of the Day” post. Something evil in me rendered a sly smile and I immediately went to amazon to grab the book for free. Then the angel in me, with rings on the head and the whole deal, felt bad and I sort of promised/told/assured the author that I am not a bad person and I will try to leave a kind word.
The story is about a extinct, or thought to be, race who plans to make a comeback. This story is about a lost kid who wants to find his identity/goal in life. The story is also about a scheme to enforce personal vendetta and sacrifice whoever comes in the way. And this is also about being haunted by tragedies of the past. So, in essence, there’s a lot of stuff going on in this “not a door stopper” book. Oh, I almost forgot to mention cool magic, an ‘assassin’s creed’ style roof hoping and some bad ass characters.
The book does give a feeling of being a prequel sometimes, that’s to say it hints a lot about the “big bang” like events to unfold and this book is just the tip of the iceberg. But for obvious reasons that’s not a bad intro to a world. Also, the cover blurb(or the goodreads description) does not do justice to the book. The book is a lot more than what these make it to be. Definitely recommended.
Read this for:
Well rounded characters.
The pacing is just about right.
The story has the whole aura of mystery, which keeps you going.
Magic system is very well developed.
Cons:
The book could have used more editing and proof reading. There are not noticeable mistakes, but sometimes things feels a bit off.
I wanted more things to happen. But pretty sure that’s not a bad thing for the book. Bad for me maybe.
Read an extract here:
http://www.terrycsimpson.com/books/the-quintessence-cycle/game-of-souls/game-of-souls-excerpt/
Genre : Fantasy
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Rating : 4/5
Let’s start with stating that I am a big fan of Tad Williams. Well, ‘fan’ might not be the best word to use, but I liked the Shadowmarch series a lot. And this series, “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn”, is supposed to one of the best high fantasy series there is, so for obvious reasons I had high expectations from it.
As a practice I usually put off reading a series till all the books are out and till all the hype is gone. Primarily because when you go on to a novel expecting a “Shawshank Redemption”, just a “good movie” does not cut it. It has to blow your minds and you have to cry out like a baby. This one was published in 1988 and people are still crying out loud. So, the situation was hopeless and I jumped in.
This one is about a mooncalf kitchen-boy Simon, who goes on to save the world. Nothing new on the premise, it has been done a thousand(maybe millions) of times. A dark lord hell bent on achieving some seemingly hidden agenda, which again is not new. So why did I like it? I am not exactly sure. Maybe I am a sucker for the farmboy-turned-hero template or maybe a dragon in the title makes me go all crazy. But if I would have to guess, it would be the complexity of the world and the way our esteemed author writes. This guy is crazy. How can anyone think so much? I have read Mr. Martin’s works and the world is not as complex as this one and the characters are not as deep as this one.
Please take note that I am no where comparing the two works, they are completely different works, and I am a big fan of both. The comparison is mostly because of the size of the series as a whole. Both are huge space hogger on the bookshelf, or memory in my case. But the complexity, world building and characters are amazing in this one.
I could have given a 5, if Simon would have powered up and kicked some serious shit, but alas the author did not vision it that way, and so be it.
Read this for:
A true old school high fantasy story.
The world building.
The characters.
Cons:
Like I said, Simon is a kid. I wish he was more like a GRRM kid and less like a JRRT hobbit, but that did not happen.
This one gets a bit too elaborate at times. So light readers enter at your own risk.
Some useful links:
http://www.tadwilliams.com/books/series/mst/tdc/tdc-foreword/
Genre : Fantasy
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy
Rating : 4/5
This is the one where our heroes try to retrieve the horn thingy, which was earlier lost, then by the twist of fate was handed over to them, then got lost(read stolen) again. So, things pretty much fall into place for the grand adventure that our heroes and we deserve. Well the story is not as stupid as depicted by me in the previous line, but that’s the gist of it.
New characters are introduced and the seed of new mysteries are planted. The ending is the best part of the story, in my opinion. It’s a race against time scenario and that’s always awesome, when done right.
Read this for:
Matt Cauthon. One of THE most interesting characters I have ever read about. And I might be talking from a ‘couple of’ books perspective, rather than this book standalone.
The ending is epic.
The pace of the story never falters.
Interesting additions to the story in terms of characters, powers and mysteries.
Cons:
I understand the concept of a ‘reluctant hero’, but Rand takes it to new heights (maybe lows).
A couple of sleepless nights.
Head down to these resources links: (SPOILER ALERT: Be wary of which link you click on in these sites.)
http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php
http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/A_beginning
crazy sff fan 