Thursday, August 1, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Review: Magician's Gambit
Magician's Gambit by David Eddings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Although I'm enjoying this series, I just can't motivate a 4 star rating. It somehow feels like "lightweight" fantasy. Still enjoyable though.
I'll hold back on writing more in-depth reviews for each of the books until I've finished the series. There isn't much to say right now, and I'll stand the risk of repeating myself in each review.
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Monday, June 10, 2013
Review: Queen of Sorcery
Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As with most 2nd books there was no grand finale that left me in awe, so I won’t judge the book in terms of grand endings. Overall it's still an easy read with a simple yet enjoyable mix of mystery and prophecy with heroic character development.
I'm certainly enjoying this as a gap-filler while waiting on Mr Brandon Sanderson and Mr Patrick Rothfuss, but I don't necessarily equate and judge this book with modern fantasy. The genre is so saturated now, that it's very unfair to compare some of the early fantasy writing with the modern material. Everything has been done, all ideas have been explored and world building has become complex and rich. Readers are not satisfied with unexplained magic and mystery, but are constantly looking for rich mechanics and detailed, in-depth exploration of the why and the how.
While reading this I have to constantly remind myself to just sit back, relax and enjoy an easy read in the genre that I so love.
Mr Eddings is a good story teller, and sometimes that is all I need. An easy 3 stars.
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Friday, May 31, 2013
Review: Pawn of Prophecy
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The rating should be 3.5 stars. I really started to enjoy the book towards the end and laughed out loud several times during the book. That counts for something, right?
Well, to get into my actual review, I started this series as a filler while I'm waiting to read Words of Radiance, The Doors of Stone and the next book of the Demon War cycle. It was really a toss-up between this and one of the more modern fantasy series I have lined up on my to-read list. Books like Joe Abercrombie's The First Law Trilogy.
I decided on The Belgariad because I'm still recovering from A Memory of Lightand I needed a new Heroic Fantasy series to fill the void A Wheel of Time has left in my reading life.
I've seen Brandon Sanderson name Eddings, and specifically the Belgariad, along with other YA fantasy titles. I'm not sure I agree with this categorization entirely, or otherwise YA fantasy seems to be right up my ally because I really enjoyed this book.
As I mentioned, there were great moments when "aunt Pol" actually made me laugh out loud at the way she dealt with some of the characters in the book. Garion's development as the main protagonist is slow, but interesting enough and progressing at a good pace. This is probably the most important part to me, as I really like the foreshadowing brought by prophecy, and the development of a hero/heroes/heroins. This is also the main reason for my enjoyment of the Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan was a master at foreshadowing and prophecy.
To be fair, the worldbuilding and mythology was fair. Not spectacular, but in line with what can be expected from this era of fantasy writing.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the Belgariad, and I hope this series can at least help me to recover in part from my Wheel of Time withdrawal symptoms.
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Review: Wool Omnibus
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The end left me a bit wanting...
My main motivation for the 3 star rating? Origins are too important to me to be left unexplored and unexplained. It could have been 4 stars if not for that.
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