I read Dickens' 'Hard Times' a couple of years ago, and have been hooked on everything Dickens since. I made the decision to read all of his novels in chronological order, and have so far read 'Pickwick Papers', 'Oliver Twist', 'Nicholas Nickleby', and 'The Old Curiosity Shop'. Pickwick is a masterp...

Good luck with Gardens of the Moon. Let us know what you think of it. I've got it sitting, as yet un-read on my bookshelf at home, and hearing a few more good words about it will bump it up my "to read" list.

Matrixman :D My wife doesnt want me to spend my life *only* reading fantasy. That road doesnt lead to a well-rounded person. Oh, and she's seen me spend the last 4 months re-reading the first 6 Covenant novels (including 'The One Tree' on our honeymoon) in preparation for 'Runes', so she's a little ...

Well, with the Chronicles SRD *was* popular. So the question is, what happened since then? Mordant's Need. Very different to Covenant - political intrigue, Terisa, ... I read MN once 15 years ago so I wont comment more. Daughter of Regals. Short story collections rarely sell well (quoting SRD there ...

Welcome to Kevin's Watch nocturne!
Hope you enjoy it here as much as the rest of us do.

Over the Christmas break I finished 'White Gold Wielder' by SRD. Only a couple of months late on my re-read of the Chronicles before 'Runes'. Little pesky things like getting married and having a honeymoon got in the way and delayed things. ;) What an amazing transformation in Covenant, from the fal...

I'm a fan of Martin because he passed what I call the 'aeroplane' test. I was on a flight, no make that a series of 4 flights, from Melbourne Australia to Milwaukee USA, a total trip time of 26 hours. You guessed it, I had A Game of Thrones as my 'book of choice'. The book ended a little before the ...

Lets see. I worked my way through 'The One Tree' (the second time I've read it) on my honeymoon. (My wife finds SRD pretentious ... but thats another story!) It was a difficult read this time around - my earlier memories of it were so vivid. I love the way SRD wrote the Elohim and Findail, and the r...

I've almost finished "100 years of solitude" by Marquez. Although its not strictly "fantasy/sci-fi", it has a lot of magical and supernatural elements to it. About a family and a town in the Carribbean (sp?), and their development from primitive natives to modern (Western) people...

I'm not quite tortured, but I can definitely relate. "Runes" arrived in Melbourne Australia on Saturday, all brilliant and black (UK cover). But my (US cover) copy doesnt arrive until this Thursday when my fiancee's brother arrives from the US with it! To add to my woe, I'm also only a few...

This may seem facetious, but I dont mean it to be. I read books because theyre good books - not because they're of a particular genre. I read SRD, Martin, Rowling, and have read Tolkien because their work describes eloquently parts of the human condition. Its literature! So to answer China's questio...

Here are my current favourites. fantasy - Donaldson - TCTC Tolkien - LOTR Martin - ASOIAF Rowling - Harry Potter novels. Australian Lit - Winton - Cloudstreet Anderson - Tirra Lirra by the River Carey - True History of the Kelly Gang Lit - Dickens - Pickwick Papers Dickens - Hard Times Fitzgerald - ...

Here's a short list of my favourite classics that I think you'd love - theyre not Fantasy/Sci-fi (except maybe Orwell...), but they are all brilliant novels. Lawrence - Sons and lovers Dickens - Pickwick Papers, Hard Times Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby Golding - Lord of the flies Orwell - 1984 Nabok...

Awesome! SRD answered my questions. I'm surprised at how much he loves 'heart of darkness' - I can't see the genius in Conrad that so many others do. But apart from LOTR I havent read the rest ... yet! And I now have some words directly from SRD for people who cannot continue with a story where the ...

Although its not fantasy/sci-fi, I'm currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Something about reading classics like this one, its like drinking a fine wine, having a really nice meal at a classy restaurant. Since its translated from Russian, the prose is relatively simple, which actually adds...

I first read the Chrons when I was 11. I'd just finished primary school, and just finished reading Lord of the Rings. The blurb on the cover said 'Comparable to Tolkien at his best', so I picked it up, and have been hooked on SRD ever since. I re-read them again when I was 17/18, and I'm 27 now, and...