Kevin's Watch

Hahaha, I also struggled with the first book. Only understood what was going on when I re-read it after reading a few of the rest. Don't give up, it's worth it. Bk 2 is awesome.

--A

aliantha wrote:

Horizonscan wrote:Gardens of the Moon, by Erikson.

Picked it up from the library today because I couldn't fail to notice that the series is generally highly regarded on here and my local library actually had the first book! Not to mention SRD's endorsement.

Almost 200 pages in and I'm very confused.

Welcome to Malazan, Horizonscan.

Thanks. Well, I'm finished and I don't think I've ever been this confused after actually finishing a book! The library's chasing down Book 2 for me. And I have a friend that I can't wait to badger into joining me in my confusion! I'm sure she'll be receptive; I think about the only thing I've ever recommended her that she didn't like was The Gap and she keeps promising that she'll rethink that.

Big thank you to everyone who mention Malazan on here recently; it's all your fault.

Dead House Gates makes it all worthwhile.

(Oh, we have a forum for Erikson and the Malazan Book of the Fallen btw. 'Ware spoilers though.)

--A

Thanks. I'd noticed the forum but don't want spoilers so will probably avoid it for a while. I did enjoy Gardens of the Moon despite the massive confusion, so I'm looking forward to the rest as everyone seems to agree they get better.

Each book has a thread, and we're pretty good about not spoiling things.

caam is still going at Gardens of the Moon, making good progress, and I just finished it for my third time. I started Deadhouse Gates again today. Oh my dear god I can't believe how excited I am to be reading this book again!!! Absolutely heart-pounding!

Argh, darn county library has managed to lose one of its two copies of Deadhouse Gates! Meaning I have to wait for the one that's currently on loan to be returned rather than the one they told me was just sitting on a shelf somewhere! Yeah, I'm impatient. Maybe I'll add another reservation while I wait. Or maybe I should be good and get on with rereading The Chronicles before AATE comes out.

Reaper's Gale

--A

Foucoult's Pendulum. Not worth mentioning, except last night I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and I couldn't help thinking there needed to be more Templars.

Just finished Dragon, the 8th book in Brust's Vlad Taltos series and just about to start Issola, book #9!

The Crimson Challice. It's a retelling of the Arthur story, melding the Celtic clansman and Roman soldier versions. It's highly redundant a lot of the time, but usually manages to be quite moving.

I was just whining over at the Hangar about the zillion-and-one retellings of the Arthurian cycle -- as if England doesn't have other myths to base a fantasy on.

wayfriend wrote:Foucoult's Pendulum. Not worth mentioning, except last night I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and I couldn't help thinking there needed to be more Templars.

I liked it myself. Bit of a slog sometimes though.

--A

Avatar wrote:

wayfriend wrote:Foucoult's Pendulum. Not worth mentioning, except last night I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and I couldn't help thinking there needed to be more Templars.

I liked it myself. Bit of a slog sometimes though.

--A

I find that's true with Eco in general. For me, it helps to skim the pedantic bits and get on with the narrative.

aliantha wrote:

Avatar wrote:

wayfriend wrote:Foucoult's Pendulum. Not worth mentioning, except last night I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and I couldn't help thinking there needed to be more Templars.

I liked it myself. Bit of a slog sometimes though.

--A

I find that's true with Eco in general. For me, it helps to skim the pedantic bits and get on with the narrative.

Every once in a while I find myself desiring to immerse myself in Dan Brown type material. I don't know why ... I guess I am a bit Diabolical.

This book has it's points of fascination as it has it's dry spots. That's okay with me.

It has been very many years. This time, as I read it, I began to google some of the things I was reading about and didn't understand. Fascinating, very fascinating stuff. You could spend longer reading what you find on the web, and what that leads to, and what that leads to, than you do the book.

Casaubon would say that the internet was made for the Diabolicals.

Just for example, I kept reading in the book about this guy "Cagliostro", whom everyone seemed to know, and hence no one ever explained. So I looked him up, but got distracted and started reading about The Affair of the Necklace, which is an amazing story. Turns out there was a movie about it, now I have to watch it. And I still have to get back to Cagliostro.

aliantha wrote:I was just whining over at the Hangar about the zillion-and-one retellings of the Arthurian cycle -- as if England doesn't have other myths to base a fantasy on.

Heh...did you ever read the Patricia Keneally [sp?] series: King Arthur IN SPACE

If I recall correctly, their spaceships look like dragons!.

Vraith wrote:

aliantha wrote:I was just whining over at the Hangar about the zillion-and-one retellings of the Arthurian cycle -- as if England doesn't have other myths to base a fantasy on.

Heh...did you ever read the Patricia Keneally [sp?] series: King Arthur IN SPACE

If I recall correctly, their spaceships look like dragons!.

I've read A. A. Attanasio's Arthur series, in which the unicorn is a being from outer space, the Norse gods are beings of magnetic energy living in the earth's magnetic field (which they call Yggdrassil), and Merlin is a demon created by the big bang.

It's actually quite engaging and has earned my reread.

They're making a remake of Snow White now, and someone had the comment it's the fault of everyone who went and saw Alice in Wonderland and made it a box office success.

Arther stories are like that I think. As long as they keep selling, they'll keep writing more, it doesn't matter how many there are.

Haven't read either one of those series -- and you guys are scaring me. Spacefaring dragonboats? Magnetic Norse gods in a magnetic World Egg?

I mean, I know Arthur gets a million retreads because it's a great story. But still.

And now I'm trying to figure out a role for Johnny Depp in a Tim Burton remake of Snow White, and failing spectacularly.

SomeFather, not sure
Your authority extends
Into this forum

Such a pronouncement
May not command the respect
You are so used to

What DPJ said, Somefather.

Altho...maybe if you used a bigger font. And italics.