Kevin's Watch

I have now finished about 850 (of more than a thousand) pages of Erikson's House of Chains. Maybe I will be able to finish this puppy this week.

I bought Gregory Maguire's Wicked last week and up at present approximately one-quarter of the way through it. I'm really enjoying it, although Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) isn't quite as sympathetic as I had expected. She's getting there though. Galinda also seems to be growing into an interesting character, and I can't wait to meet Nessarose (the Wicked Witch of the East and Elphaba's younger sister).

Well, I finished the EarthSea Quartet this weekend. Great books. Deceptively simplistic.

More in the relevant thread though.

About to carry on with the rest of the Dune series. (Damn Hangar )

--A

With less than a hundred pages left in House of Chains, I have some rereads on my mind. With a new Latro book coming out this fall from Gene Wolfe, it is time to reread those two books. Then I think it will be time for a Dan Simmons Hyperion/Endymion reread. And then I will tackle rereading the classic Frank Herbert Dune series, as the sequel Hunters of Dune will be coming out pretty soon.

Two stories into Richard Bowes' latest, a collection entitled Streetcar Dreams and other Midnight Fancies and loving it, this is a nice follow-up (not a sequel) for Bowes, after last year's From the Files of the Time Rangers. Bowes just magnifies reality to see the fantastic and has the most authentic NYC of any author I have read recently. Great introduction by Jeffrey Ford who lets us know some very interesting tidbits about Bowes and his ties to the city and indeed the art culture of the city. One story in and you know you have to take Bowes seriously, you take him at his word - you are not there, but you don't question he was. Good stuff.

I'm also reading Star Wars on Trial, I'm only two the opening statements by David Brin but this looks to be interesting as several author debate the merits of Star Wars including Brinn and Matthew Stover (on the defense).

I've just started on Feist's Krondor The Betrayal

I like to jump around on series-starters to see which one would catch my interest as a series.

I heartily recommend Star Wars on Trial. It's structured like a courtroom, Brin for the Prosecution, Stover for the Defense, and various writers and critics as the "witnesses." They discuss eight different issues, and no holds are barred. Some of the essays are very thought-provoking, and some are just hilarious.

I've since bought four others in the Smart Pop series by BenBella Press - Firefly, Buffy, Angel and Harry Potter.

I'm also going on to Bloodlines (just go it today) by Karen Traviss (Legacy of the Force part II) which is the probably the first Stars Wars books I have anticipated reading in a decade.

Dune Messiah

--A

Enjoying A Game of Thrones again.

Ainulindale, Karin Traviss has a very good essay in the Star Wars on Trial book. Good enough to make me want to check out her own works.

Thank for the heads up! I expect nothing less from Traviss. Although I don't always agree with her conclusions in the matter of some opinion, her reasoning is always still sensible and understandable - I'm a big fan of her non-SW fiction as well.

Just finished Paul Kearney's THE MARK OF RAN. I really enjoyed it, and can't wait to read the sequel, THIS FORSAKEN EARTH.

Check the blog for the full review. . .

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

The Forsaken Earth is very high on my TBR pile. It should be - I paid an exorbitant price to get it from amazon.uk - that overseas postage is a killer.

I just finished reading "The Gun Seller" by Hugh Laurie. It was hysterically funny. It technically isn't scifi... it is in general fiction. I just happened upon it at Half Price Books and picked it up. Yes, it is by the actor... the british one... who plays House.

The other day I received a shipment from Amazon:

The Road to Middle-earth by Tom Shippey (3rd ed.)
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (omnibus paperback ed.)
Inda by Sherwood Smith (new release, hardcover)

I've now read the first two and am having a bit of a rest before tackling the third. Very good stuff so far.

Roland of Gilead wrote:The Forsaken Earth is very high on my TBR pile. It should be - I paid an exorbitant price to get it from amazon.uk - that overseas postage is a killer.

Well I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Not that it was bad. But it was very much a book that little happened in. At least to me. I like Kearney's writing and in particular I like this world he has created with this series. But overall the book just felt like the first Act in a play that should have had at least three.

Currently doing a triple read. Rober Harris' Imperium which is really historical fiction, Austin Tappen wright's Islandia and Cherryh's Fortress of Ice.

I have to agree with gyrehead concerning THIS FORSAKEN EARTH. Good, but could have been much more.

The full review is on the blog, if anyone is interested.

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

Reading Simmon's "Fall of Hyperion" and then on to Simmon's "Song of Kali". Duchess has always recommended Hyperiion and I can now see why. Should have picked these gems up a long time ago.

I'm a quarter into The Rise of Endymion Brinn! Catch up with me! Then go to duchy's Simmons forum at Hangar and discuss with us! (and then prepar to die on the gridiron! )