Awesome. One of my top three books of all time. The characters in that book are amazing. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it when you finish.
This may be a better question after The Prisoner of Heaven comes out, but I remember you not necessarily being enthused with The Angel's Game... was it worth reading? I started reading The Art of Racing in the Rain a couple of nights ago thinking I would read a couple of chapters and then go to bed. Ended up reading it straight through.
About 75 pages into Shadow of the Wind. Enjoying it so far, but I've got a long ways to go. Hoping to finish it up in the next week or so and then move on to Water For Elephants.
I started the Blade Itself. I'm about 15% into it so far. I like Abercrombie's writing style a great deal. It's very entertaining. I have a question which shouldn't evoke any spoilers, but I'm having a little difficulty figuring out the time period/technology level of the novels. I realize it's a fantasy novel, but most of what I read is medieval fantasy, and this seems a little more advanced than that. There's no mention of firearms, but some of the military stuff reminds almost of Napoleonic era type stuff just to the way the society is, but it could also be from much further back. Does anyone have a rough history related equivalent to the time period the books are set in?
I was disappointed with The Angel's Game. That's partly due to a confusing ending and partly due to sky high expectations. The writing was just as lush and beautiful as The Shadow of the Wind, and much of the book was riveting. I enjoyed the nods towards characters, events, and locations from The Shadow of the Wind. The tone was more dark and sinister, but that worked quite well with how Zafon depicts Barcelona. The main character was nowhere near as likeable as Daniel and Fermin. I am looking forward to rereading it in the next week with more realistic expectations. I have also read reviews of The Prisoner of Heaven (it's been out almost a year in Spanish) that have said that the third book clarifies some things in The Angel's Game. I'll definitely post my thoughts after I finish it up again and then again my thoughts on all three after I finish The Prisoner of Heaven. The Art of Racing in the Rain is such a quick, fun read. It's definitely easy to polish off in one sitting if you have a few hours to spare.
His writing gets better as he goes along. I cannot wait to get my hands on A Red Country. My sister is going to buy it in the UK and ship it to me for my birthday since it is released there a full month before it his the US. I'd peg it around the 13th century. There are some military bits that seem Napoleonic in nature although you could say they are even Roman which would put if further back in time. Other cultures seem locked in medieval Scotish clan culture, and others have a distinct Arabic feel from around the Crusades. I wouldn't say there's a consistent time period equivalent for the entire world, and there are plot reasons for that which I won't get into. That first book is perfect for your moniker.
I tried when it first came out, but couldn't make it through 50 pages. Fast forward a few years and a couple other Chabon books later, I revisited it and loved it.
Scribo- you've ruined Erikson for me! I've been slogging through book 10 for three months and am about 300 pages in. Curse your logic.
I LOVED it! Are there any books like this gem?? Spoiler At first, I was confused at the direction until I realized it was Death narrating. All of the characters were awesome especially Papa & Mama. I was so sad at the end. The writing was great especially the asterisks.
Just finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Fantastic book, really fast read, and while the book's pictures were hard to see on the Kindle (would be much better in hardcover), you really do need to see the pictures to enjoy the book. And enjoy the book you will... I enjoyed it as much as Water for Elephants and Racing in the Rain. I just started this one:
Which series is better, a song of ice and fire or LOTR? I want to start one of the 2 after Water for Elephants.
LoTR is much shorter (assuming you don't read all of the related material and stick to the main story), but SOIF is a faster/easier read. You can't really go wrong with either.
I liked this book by the time I was done with it, but I felt it started out really slow. Didn't love it, but a lot of people seem to.
