Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?

[Scepticalscribe]

Re-reading Trudi Canavan's The Black Magician trilogy (The Magicians' Guild, The Novice, The High Lord).

 

[rhett7660]

My reread of Shibumi (1979) by the author who wrote under the pen name of Trevanian. A compelling story with rich characters in the spy genre, that jumps back and forth from WWII Japan to the then present 1970s. The author, an American through his characters offers some distain for Western cultural values, but imo, it fits in nicely with the narrative, and perspective of the lead character.

My only critique is that the story tension builds to what might be anticipated to be a tremendous climax, but is somewhat of an anti-climax although it is reasonable and works.

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The title refers to a Japanese word which descrines a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty.

Started reading this one a few nights ago on my Kindle. Starts off with a bang of sorts regarding the operation at the airport! Wow.

 

[Huntn]

Started reading this one a few nights ago on my Kindle. Starts off with a bang of sorts regarding the operation at the airport! Wow.

Yes, it’s well written. I love the characters in this book and it’s tempo. The backstory is half of the book, but it’s so good!

 

[rhett7660]

Yes, it’s well written. I love the characters in this book and it’s tempo. The backstory is half of the book, but it’s so good!

So far I am digging it!

 

[0388631]

That new Patterson book is supposedly good for a change. Some of you ought to read it...

 

[Huntn]

So far I am digging it!

I spent some years amateur caving, and did some vertical caving, so I always loved that part of the story, which you may have not gotten to yet.

 

[rhett7660]

I spent some years amateur caving, and did some vertical caving, so I always loved that part of the story, which you may have not gotten to yet.

Nope not there yet, hopefully soon!

 

[MBAir2010]

Finally have a library copy

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Finally have a library copy
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Please let me know how you find it, as this is a work that I am interested in reading myself.

 

[pachyderm]

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This looks fascinating; let me know how you find it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Between the warm weather, and being on leave, my tastes this week have run to fantasy.

About to start a few books by Guy Gabriel Kay, having trotted through The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan.

 

[Huntn]

Between the warm weather, and being on leave, my tastes this week have run to fantasy.

About to start a few books by Guy Gabriel Kay, having trotted through The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan.

I read The Magicians which I liked, but fizzled out on book 2. I’d like to know how your book strikes you.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I read The Magicians which I liked, but fizzled out on book 2. I’d like to know how your book strikes you.

I've read a few of her other works, and I think the Black Magician trilogy (The Magicians' Guild, The Novice and the High Lord) are the best books she has written; the story works, the world-building is very good, internally consistent and entirely credible, - as is the magic used and how it fits into the societies that gave ride to it - the character development is good, and the various narrative strands don't distract from one another, (which is the case, to my mind, with some of her other works) but actually support and complement each other.

This is the literary equivalent of comfort food; I am re-reading stuff I have read earlier, and enjoying the familiarity while seeing if there is anything new in there to discover.

Guy Gavriel Kay is always excellent, and requires slow concentrated reading.

But, for a seriously brilliant trilogy, two that I always recommend are Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen) and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

 

[Huntn]

How does it read?
[doublepost=1530185969][/doublepost]

I've read a few of her other works, and I think the Black Magician trilogy (The Magicians' Guild, The Novice and the High Lord) are the best books she has written; the story works, the world-building is very good, internally consistent and entirely credible, - as is the magic used and how it fits into the societies that gave ride to it - the character develop is good, and the various narrative strands don't distract from one another, (which is the case, to my mind, with some of her other works) but actually support and complement each other.

This is the literary equivalent of comfort food; I am re-reading stuff I have read earlier, and enjoying the familiarity while seeing of there is anything new in there to discover.

Guy Gabriel Kay is always excellent, and requires slow concentrated reading.

But, for a seriously brilliant trilogy, two that I always recommend are Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen) and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

Is the setting modern or other?

I’ve started a reread of Treasure Island which I read as a child. I am very familiar with the modern movie version* starring Charton Heston, and initially I am impressed with how that movie honors the book.

*I still hope that comes out on Blu-ray or even DVD, but at this point that seems unlikely.

 

[arkitect]

Nearly done with this one.

Michael Booth: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth About the Nordic Miracle

A light read, tongue in cheek, but a curious (for me at least) look at the Nordic countries… I've only ever been a superficial visitor to Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
[doublepost=1530186419][/doublepost]

I’ve started a reread of Treasure Island which I read as a child. I am very familiar with the modern movie version starring Charton Heston, and initially I am impressed with how that movie honors the book.

Ah, I love Treasure Island. One of the books — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass and Wind in the Willows that I happily return to regularly.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

How does it read?
[doublepost=1530185969][/doublepost]
Is the setting modern or other?

No.

None of them are, with the possible exception of part of His Dark Materials.

The Black Magician trilogy is set in a society that has reached the level of technical development of something akin to Renaissance society (or a little later) but fuelled with magic; here, the first interesting thing is that because magic is so desirable and powerful, it has become the preserve of the upper classes, who use arranged marriages and a deeply stratified and unfair set of structures to preserve their privileges and status intact.

Of course, it is not always possible to ensure that bloodlines remain so pure that only the wealthy can produce magical offspring. Sometimes, the lower orders produce someone with a powerfully magical pedigree, and that can lead to unsettling consequences. So, magic as a resource to be controlled, as with any other source of power and wealth, is one main theme explored in this work.

The other thing of interest is that Trudi Canavan is one of those fantasy writers not just who writes decent female characters, but who writes gay relationships - male gay relationships - (and, in a later work, female gay relationships) as an intrinsic part of fantasy, and a core part of the personality of some characters.

The Abhorsen trilogy is set in two intersecting and slightly overlapping worlds: One is a Britain of 1910-1930 - a sort of world war one, Downton Abbey, Lord Peter Wimsey, Agatha Christie version of an alternative England - intersecting with a photo-Renaissane world with a stunning system of magic; again, amazing female characters, brilliant world building, an incredible system of magic, a clear fascination with military history, a terrific narrative arc sustained over the course of the trilogy - I cannot recommend it highly enough.

And, well, Philip Pullman - this is spell-binding stuff; imaginative, intelligent, compelling, stunning stories, characters, (including great female characters), terrific world building, actually, this is a trilogy that I would describe as "epic".

 

[Huntn]

Nearly done with this one.

Michael Booth: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth About the Nordic Miracle

A light read, tongue in cheek, but a curious (for me at least) look at the Nordic countries… I've only ever been a superficial visitor to Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
[doublepost=1530186419][/doublepost]
Ah, I love Treasure Island. One of the books — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass and Wind in the Willows that I happily return to regularly.

As far as books I have reread, the list is growing, but The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings stands out with a total of 3 reads, possibly a forth is due.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Nearly done with this one.

Michael Booth: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth About the Nordic Miracle

A light read, tongue in cheek, but a curious (for me at least) look at the Nordic countries… I've only ever been a superficial visitor to Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
[doublepost=1530186419][/doublepost]
Ah, I love Treasure Island. One of the books — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass and Wind in the Willows that I happily return to regularly.

Love Wind in the Willows (I remember the terrific TV series I saw as a child, Ronald Binge's haunting theme music - The Watermill, it took me ages to find the name of this piece of music), and Alice's Adventure in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass.

While I really like Treasure Island, I always preferred Kidnapped, which I really loved.

 

[elf69]

Not reading at moment.... But on look out for: the never ending story, first edition (1983/1984) english version.
The original is german and I cannot read german.

 

[Huntn]

No.

None of them are, with the possible exception of part of His Dark Materials.

The Black Magician trilogy is set in a society that has reached the level of technical development of something akin to Renaissance society (or a little later) but fuelled with magic; here, the first interesting thing is that because magic is so desirable and powerful, it has become the preserve of the upper classes, who use arranged marriages and a deeply stratified and unfair set of structures to preserve their privileges and status intact.

Of course, it is not always possible to ensure that bloodlines remain so pure that only the wealthy can produce magical offspring. Sometimes, the lower orders produce someone with a powerfully magical pedigree, and that can lead to unsettling consequences. So, magic as a resource to be controlled, as with any other source of power and wealth.

The other thing of interest is that Trudi Canavan is one of those fantasy writers not just who writes decent female characters, but who writes gay relationships - male gay relationships - as an intrinsic part of fantasy, and a core part of the personality of some characters.

The Abhorsen trilogy is set in two intersecting and slightly overlapping worlds: One is a Britain of 1910-1930 - a sort of world war one, Downton Abbey, Lord Peter Wimsey, Agatha Christie version of an alternative England - intersecting with a photo-Renaissane world with a stunning system of magic; again, amazing female characters, brilliant world building, an incredible system of magic, a clear fascination with military history, a terrific narrative arc sustained over the course of the trilogy - I cannot recommend it highly enough.

And, well, Philip Pullman - this is spell-binding stuff; imaginative, intelligent, compelling, stunning stories, characters, (including great female characters), terrific world building, actually, this is a trilogy that I would describe as "epic".

Which trilogy have you described as epic? Sorry...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Not reading at moment.... But on look out for: the never ending story, first edition (1983/1984) english version.
The original is german and I cannot read german.

That is a great book; once upon a distant time, I had the original English version where the print came in two colours, (red and green if memory serves) one for each of the two worlds portrayed in the book.
[doublepost=1530187093][/doublepost]

Which trilogy have you described as epic? Sorry...

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

 

[elf69]

Yes the dual colours one

I dont read much, and recent events/purchases has got me wanting to sit and read this particular book.

 

[arkitect]

Ronald Binge's haunting theme music - The Watermill, it took me ages to find the name of this piece of music)

Thanks for the reminder. Just found it on Spotify… music really does have a way of taking you back.

While I really like Treasure Island, I always preferred Kidnapped, which I really loved.

Now Kidnapped I never warmed to.
Ebenaezer and his thin gruel and the crumbling stair up the tower… *shudder*

That however has to do with me loathing plotlines of unfairness/false accusations etc. Even if it does (sometimes) have a happy ending.

Even now, when I watch a film or a TV series and I sense that I usually switch off.

Hmmmm. I think I'll take that up with my therapist next week.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thanks for the reminder. Just found it on Spotify… music really does have a way of taking you back.


Now Kidnapped I never warmed to.
Ebenaezer and his thin gruel and the crumbling stair up the tower… *shudder*

That however has to do with me loathing plotlines of unfairness/false accusations etc. Even if it does (sometimes) have a happy ending.

Even now, when I watch a film or a TV series and I sense that I usually switch off.

Hmmmm. I think I'll take that up with my therapist next week.

Oh, I cannot abide unfairness either - however, re Kidnapped (yes, the uncle was appalling, a most unpleasant piece of work), but, I will admit to an unseemly liking for Alan Breck (and I am not normally susceptible to the charms of "dashing" heroes) and I loved the Latin speaking lawyer, Rankeillor.

And the pipe playing challenge was spell-binding.