Glad to hear McCammon is writing again. I have a battered and dog-eared copy of Swan Song that I have re-read several times since Jr. High--GREAT post-apocolyptic, "Stand" esque book. I have just finished Eragon and Eldest, need to next book in the Inheritance series--There are aspects of Paolini's world that intrigue me but It seems like a Middle Earth knock-off with talking dragons and less backstory
I absolutely loved that book. Totally insane in the amount of cruelty and violence. But it is incredibly well written. I won't give any spoilers in this post. But yeah, it was a great book.
I read this and while I wanted to like it, I thought most of it was pretty silly. It wasn't horrible but not something I really enjoyed. I'll still probably read the next book just because. I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings and JHC is it really tough to get through. I read the Song of Ice and Fire books prior to this and holy crap does it make LOTR's not fun. If they cut out all of the walking and singing, he'd have only had 1 book instead of 3. I'm half way through Return of the King and it will be a relief to get on to something better. I've heard so much about the Erickson books that I may start on those next.
Back on Murder by Mark Bertrand. A hardboiled murder-mystery/cop story. The author is actually an acquaintance of mine. It's kinda cool for Houstonians because it's set in Houston and it revels a bit in the local flavor. And then a bit of an odd duck with some Christian stuff mixed in, which is different for that genre. Enjoying it so far. I've also started The Three Musketeers and will probably go back to it when I'm done with Back on Murder.
I liked Swan Song a lot better than The Stand. Swan Song, Stinger, and Wolf's Hour were the last three horror books McCammon wrote. They were also his best works to date. If you're fond of Swan Song, you should check out Stinger. Then he shifted and wrote some different material, Boy's Life and Gone South. Boy's Life is a fond telling of a small town mystery set in the 50's through the youthful, magical eyes of a young boy. I reread this recently and still quite enjoyed it. It's considered a classic by many, and while I might not put it that high, I understand the sentiment and reasoning. Gone South was all right. I might need to reread it. I was 19 the last time I read it, and my reading tastes have matured a lot since then. After that, McCammon disappeared for almost a decade before publishing the first three Matthew Corbett books (Speaks the Nightbird, Queen of Bedlam, Mister Slaughter). I cannot recommend this series enough.
IIRC, Feast was rushed out after a quick announcement on GRRM's site. I read Pat's as well. He seems to be well connected.
If LOTR is wearing you out don't even think of picking up The Silmarillion, it reads like an original source history text that requires extensive cross referencing....I managed to stumble through it but it took some effort
It would be an absolute marketing coup for Martin and HBO if that book comes out around the time of the series. I keep swearing off Martin (books and miniseries) until the whole thing is done, but if ADWD does come out in 2011, I think I'm going to finally dive in. I'm going to miss when Pat retires later this year. It was a great spot to get the lowdown on all of the big players as well as discover some new works that I might not have stumbled across.
I quoted this but I have a question for anyone who has read the Malazan books. I've been interested but it seems like it's kind of a military strategy fantasy which normally isn't my cup of tea as far as fantasy goes. How much of the story is about military strategy and war, and how much is about the characters their interaction, relationships, intrigue etc.?
A good chunk of it is about soldiers in the Malazan Empire's armies from a squad-based perspective, so you get lots of personal interaction. I would compare it to Glen Cook's Black Company novels on a grander scale. Indeed, Erikson has said numerous times that Cook is his inspiration and favorite author. Both series are very gritty and down in the trenches- not a lot of fa-la-la fairy and dragon crap. There is a ton of intrigue, with plots within plots, if that's your thing. Even the side stories with non-military characters have some good intrigue, action and drama, although not too much from a guy's perspective. Overall, I'd say that Erikson has taken epic storytelling to a whole new level while keeping every single cast member unique. I'm a book snob when it comes to Fantasy - there is so much tripe out there - and I love this stuff.
OK thanks. I'm still on the fence about it. I didn't care much for Black Company. But I'd heard such good things about the Malazan series. I like intrigue, and I prefer low magic to rampant magic and fa la la fairy stuff. So all of that sounds really interesting. I agree there is a lot of crap in the fantasy department. I will probably eventually check out Erikson's books or at least the first one to see if it's my cup of tea. It just may be a while before I get to it.
Recently finished: Custer Died for your Sins- Vine Deloria Jr. A long way gone - Ishmael Beah Starting: Door of no return: William St. Clair.
Finished Stiglitz's book yesterday and started Jezebel by Lesley Hazleton. Decided I needed something a little less dry after reading 300 pages about IMF failures.
I'm reading Blood Men by Paul Cleave. This book is the closest to "can't-put-down" status I've come in a long time. It's kind of No Country For Old Men-esque. It needs to be made into a movie by the Coen Brothers, like yesterday.
Currently I'm reading "The Last Battle" by Cornelius Ryan. Great read so far. Next on the list is "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin. Heard some great things about it and the fact its the next big HBO mini-series is intriguing. My absolute highest recommendation for a non-fiction book to read is "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell. I have read dozens of books about the military/combat and it is the one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. In fact, it is so well known it is currently being made into a movie to be directed by Peter Berg. Other favs: "The Stand", "Salem's Lot" and "It" by Stephen King "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" by Herman Wouk "Citizen Soldier" by Stephen Ambrose. If you liked "Band of Brothers" you will enjoy this. "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo
