The City / Stella Gemmell

The City
by Stella Gemmell
fantasy

copyright 2013
read in December 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I once read a book called, "How to Write a Bestseller". The main message of that book was, that success comes from a formula. Gemmell may have read that same book.

A key element of the success formula is "complexity". The City has complexity in spades. Nothing wrong with that. It's complex but clearly written; the complexity can be unraveled.

Another key element is to have a lot of characters, all interacting and possibly interrelated. Tick. The idea is, there will be at least one character with whom each reader will be able to identify.

That's rubbish.

If I like the main characters then I am likely to enjoy the book. If I dislike the main characters then I will probably dislike the book. If there are so many characters that there is at least one that I will like... then I may as well be reading a telephone directory.

Then there's violence. Actually, I'm not sure whether violence was an essential part of the success formula. The City certainly truckloads of blood and violence and sudden death.

I almost categorised it as "military" fantasy, there are so many battles. But the battles -- and the centuries-long war -- are just background. This is not military fantasy.

Despite my dislike of bestseller formula, I enjoyed reading most of this book... Up to the end, I would have rated it higher than six. So what don't I like ?!

Stella Gemmell's background is politics and journalism. Perhaps she realises the reality, that war is just a small part of politics and power. That's reality. I read for escapism.

There are battles and victories and defeats. Heroic deeds and base treachery. And at the end... nothing much has changed.

Sure, several evil rulers have been overthrown. The current battles have been ended. Some major characters have survived. But...

Another evil ruler had taken over. The attitude of war is still there, there may be a lull but the war will continue. The surviving heroes get to survive... nothing more. Oh, and they find out that all their heroism was being stage-managed for the benefit of others.

What's the point ?!

Real life may be pointless and miserable. Well, it is if you look too closely at politics and read too much journalism :-) I prefer my fantasy to be more optimistic. The City just leave me feeling, so what. (Or bleagh, if that's how it's spelt.)

Oh, one more rule from the bestseller formula: leave enough loose ends for another book. Yep, you guessed it. More loose ends than a knitted scarf in a kitten factory.

Too complex, too many characters, too pointless to enjoy. Otherwise, not too bad.

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14mar18:

I pick up this book... read a few pages... realise that I have read it before. Not to worry, I think, it seems to be an entertaining book. I have forgotten most of what happens. So...

I read a few chapters. Read through the slaughter of 20,000 or so conscripted soldiers. Have already met three sets of characters who would be central characters in any well-written book -- meet them once, then they disappear. Read my earlier review. Give up in disgust.

My dislike of never-ending sagas has grown. If an author doesn't have any idea how to wrap up their own plot -- why should I bother to read it?

Rating it now, I would say, four out of ten: bad but could be read. That is, could be read by someone with a strong stomach and no interest in endings.

Not a novel. Just a pointless and endless pot-boiler.

The High Druid's Blade / Terry Brooks

The High Druid's Blade
(Defenders of Shannara # 1)
by Terry Brooks

fantasy

copyright 2012
read in December 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I love the way that Terry Brooks builds on his world. The Shannara books are a continuing saga. Two dozen books, so far. Linked by characters from two families. Separated by generations.

Each group of stories involved a new group of characters, though the main characters will be from within the well known families. Some long-lived characters provide continuity. Yet even the longest-lived eventually become history.

Characters arrive, develop, die, often of old age. Shannara -- the land -- has time to develop a rich and detailed history. Each novel continues the Shannara story, with a new phase of Shannara history.

I have the feeling that each of these different stories... is the same story...

A member of the Leah family lives an ordinary life. He is forced to pick up the magic sword. He finds the the magic sword leads him into magical action and adventure.

Meanwhile, a member of the Ohmsford family is living an ordinary life. That person discovers the ability to use the magical wish song. The wish song leads to a life of magical action and adventure.

It all seems to be fantasy-by-the-numbers. A return to a familiar story set in a familiar land.

Nothing wrong with that.

It's simple adventure. Magical wish fulfillment. Nice characters. Satisfactory ending. All fun. Nothing startling. Except, perhaps, the book's title...

I think that the hero has been trained to become "The High Druid's Blade". You know, the fighter who will be the sharp edge to the druid's magic. Except that the author seems to have forgotten to mention this... Or perhaps it's just so obvious that it doesn't need to be mentioned...

Not to worry. This is an enjoyable book. A light read for a few hours light entertainment. Perhaps a good introduction to the world of Shannara. Certainly an enjoyable continuation for readers who are already Shannara fans.

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Rangers of the Lone Star / Zane Grey

Rangers of the Lone Star
by Zane Grey

western

copyright 1915 ?
read in December 2014

rated 7/10: well worth reading

There seems to be some mystery about this book... There's very little about it on the web. The only clear reference that I found says that it was stitched together -- by the publishers, in 1915 -- from parts of other Zane Grey works...

The same source says that this is the only Grey book written in the first person. Even with my own limited Grey reading, I had thought that the first person narration was unusual.

So is it a good book ? Yes :-)

Though it is really way, way over the top. Put the hero's underpants on the outside and he's the Phantom. Add a cape and he's Batman. This is not just a Texas Ranger... This is a story of the epitome of all heroic Texas Rangers !

And it's still a good book... A classic Western. With some unusual features...

You know the scene, at the end of the movie, where it's the hero and his loyal sidekick against the entire gang of baddies ? Where they are outnumbered and absolutely nothing can save them ? Until all the solid citizens pop out of the side streets to support the hero with their own guns...

Well...

That scene is in Rangers. Except that it's no last minute surprise. Because the hero has already put on a lot of work to make sure that the solid citizens will support him at the appropriate time.

Which makes for less suspense but a whole lot more sense.

So, once again, Grey has surprised me with a clever -- and sensible -- plot. His characters have depth and interest. The wrapup at the end requires more than just a big gun battle.

There's no doubt that good will triumph over evil. The surprise is that the triumph requires more than just a fast gun and two powerful fists.

Another very enjoyable Zane Grey western.

Just so, so... over the top... in the attitude to the hero.

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Pirate Freedom / Gene Wolfe

Pirate Freedom
by Gene Wolfe

historical... action ?

copyright 2007
read in December 2014

rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing

This book is rubbish. Avoid it.

The cover claims that it is "science fiction". No, it's not. It's a long and boring series of anecdotes about pirates.

Here's the formula:

Read a book such as, The Boys Big Book of Exciting Pirate Adventures. Take every incident -- real and rumoured -- and write it all down. Write it all down as though every single incident had happened to the one character.

Make sure that your writing style is boring, rambling and with plenty of statements such as, I'll tell you about this later. Oh, and add lots of details about ships, to prove that you read a few Wikipedia entries on sailing ships.

Then realise that no-one will read a boring book about pirates. Not even if they enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean. Readers expect characters, plot, action and suspense.

Is this book a very clever attempt to write in the style of a very boring person telling his first person account of a series of very boring anecdotes ? Well, success ! This book is as boring as its narrator.

Not to worry ! You're well known as a writer of science fiction. So you add a paragraph at the start and a paragraph at the end, to make your boring pirate into a boring time traveler. And claim that this book is science fiction.

What a load of absolute drivel.

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World of Warcraft: Wolfheart / Richard A. Knaak

World of Warcraft: Wolfheart
by Richard A. Knaak

fantasy, fansonly

copyright 2011
read in November 2014

rated 7: well worth reading

This is fantasy and it's quite good. Some surprisingly interesting angles. For example, how do the Elves feel now that they have lost their immortality ?

On the other hand, the target audience is players of World of Warcraft. The story is complete in itself but it's set in the World of Warcraft universe. Or... I don't know... is it really any good for non-fans of World of Warcraft ?

I play WoW. Wolfheart fills in the story between two game releases. Fascinating stuff ! To a WoW player...

Central to Wolfheart are the Worgen. So that's what happened ! I thought. And promptly went and started my first Worgen character...

As a World of Warcraft player and fan, I rate this book as a seven, well worth reading.

For a non-WoW-player... Would this book be interesting ? It's very hard for me to tell !

"Fansonly" in the very bad sense of, "it's rubbish" ? I don't know. And, really... I don't care... Seven is my own rating for my own enjoyment :-)

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Beyond World's End / Mercedes Lackey

Beyond World's End
by Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill
fantasy

copyright 2001
read in November 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Mercedes Lackey appears to be the grand ruler of a particular set of Elven worlds. There are plenty of Elven books with Lackey named as author and one or two others as co-author. Perhaps it's like academic papers, where students do the work and the supervisor's name guarantees publication...

This book is one of a music themed series set in the Lackey universe. I checked Wikipedia to see where it fits in which series... and the answer is too complicated ! As far as I can tell, there are several series of books and short stories and they all overlap and interact.

Just accept it. This book is just one episode in a continuing saga. Yet it can easily be read alone. Which is both good and bad...

There is enough back-story to tell us what went before. Perhaps a bit too much back-story. Noooo... Some of it is irrelevant but it's all good fun. Much like the rest of the book. Good fun.

There are really nasty villains. Really nice support cast. Side plots which sound like fun but which go nowhere. Yes, I can see a lot more books in the future of this series...

Then the hero is in a terrible predicament -- so he used his extra-strength magical powers to escape. He's in another terrible predicament -- so he overacts, to gain the villain's respect. Another terrible predicament -- so he waits for the cavalry to ride to his rescue...

No doubt that he will escape. No great suffering, no interminable suspense. Just action, low level romance... and good fun.

Oh, and detailed descriptions of the hero's new apartment, of all its furniture and fittings, even of the contents of every drawer and cupboard. Regular changes of clothes, with descriptions of each item worn. Romantic interest, villains, various support characters, all carefully dressed and carefully described.

Yes, by all my definitions, this is chick lit fantasy !

If you enjoy the Lackey Elven books, well, this is one of them. I'm neutral: I read it, enjoyed it, would read more but will not go out of my way to find more.

It's an easy read with a rather dark and brutal set of villains. There are plenty of loose threads which will add enjoyment to future books. It's set in a standard Elven universe with predefined characters but it reads well as a standalone novel.

Good fun. Strong yet sympathetic descriptions of human poverty, despair and drug use. An overall sense that caring and niceness will win the day.

I enjoyed it.

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Vlad the Paler / Malthea

Vlad the Paler
by Malthea

porn, fantasy

copyright 2011
read in November 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

Read to pass the time... Unless, that is, you're actually after porn. Possibly young adult porn. Man on man, young adult, vampire porn... In which case -- this book is worth a seven, well worth reading. Very... hot.

When I read fantasy I have a standard measure: if we are told what the hero and/or heroine is wearing, it's chick lit. Well, we are told what Vlad is wearing, we are told what his friends are wearing, but the man on man sex does not seem to go with "chick" lit... I may need to adjust my parameters :-)

The sex is great ! Who would have thought that the main benefit of vampirism would be a great sex life ?! The second best benefit is that you now look like the perfect Goth...

In between the numerous sessions of hot sex, there is also time for fighting evil. To fight evil, a vampire needs a team of assistants. And what a great bunch of assistants !

Vlad himself is a very good character. He's over 21... so this is not child porn, no-one likes child porn... But really, he's a teenager. Well brought up, well meaning, occasionally right up himself. (Figuratively, that is.) As a vampire, he's a very nice person.

And hey, that name has to earn him extra points !

His friends are equally likeable but two dimensional. And far too many of them. Perhaps "Malthea" really is a first-time author ? She has all these great ideas -- and throws far too many into this one story.

Speaking of which: the story ends but the book carries on. Sure, there's a lot of wish fulfillment in the author's mind. But please, save it for the second book !

In this first book I would have liked to have read just enough to let me know that there is more to Vlad's family than I expected. Just a hint. So that when I read book two, I am surprised but I can still accept it. At the end of this book, there is a lot which just does not fit into this story.

Yes, it's all very nice. It would make more sense if gradually revealed in the next book... Where we can learn more about Vlad and his team.

It's an enjoyable book. With an excellent title :-) Easy to read, lots of fun.

Just be warned: it is gay porn. In case that would offend you.

I wonder if my state library knows that it provides gay porn for its eBook readers ?!

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