Myrren's Gift Book Review

Myrren's Gift
The Quickening Series
Fiona McIntosh


Reading Myrren’s Gift was a rush. Every chapter is filled of twists, turns, and nerve-wrecking cliffhangers. Myrren’s Gift is one of those stories that makes me happy to be alive. The first book of The Quickening can only be described as pure entertainment. I almost think of it as a T&A version of fantasy books. In Myrren’s Gift there is plenty of sword fighting, love affairs, and shifty magic. The ending is stellar! And I want more…

I thought for sure that everyone would enjoy Myrren’s Gift. But apparently, from reading reviews on Amazon, there are almost as many readers who don’t enjoy the book as there are readers that do. I think it just comes down to whether you are looking to sit down and be entertained, or if you want to use your big brain a little bit, because this book isn’t really for thinking. My best advice would be to buy this book, or rent it, and read the first sixty or so pages. If you don’t like it at that point, don’t keep reading, because if you aren’t caught by then, you probably aren’t going to like Myrren’s Gift. With that said, remember that I loved the the book. I give it 4 stars.


WeariedJuggler

Ender's Game Book Review

Ender's Game
Ender's Game Series
Orson Scott Card


Ender’s Game is a treat. It is a mystery to my why I never read it before. Everyone and their brother has recommended it to me, and I never took advantage… I guess its what I get for being a dolt.

In order to avoid total annihilation by bugger armies, Earth’s population has united in building an intergalactic army. They are as ready to fight the invading buggers as they will ever be, except for one thing. The army still needs a battle commander.

Ender Wiggin is a boy, smarter than most, but still a boy. At six years old he leaves home to join other advanced children attending Battle School. Even before he arrives at the school he is an outcast. Alone, Ender decides to gain the trust and respect of the other kids.

So I don’t want to summarize anymore. I just want to say this is one of the fastest books I have ever read. The prose is simple and it flows easily. I would compare the way Ender’s Game read to Harry Potter series. It was simple, easy, fast-paced, and very addicting! Ender is the man, kinda…

This is not a literary masterpiece, even Orson Scott Card said so in his prologue, but it is entertainment. I would take Ender’s Game over a movie any day. If you haven’t read it yet, you are a lamo! (don’t worry, I was once a lamo, read it and you will gain hipster status…)

-WeariedJuggler

Note: There are rumors of an Ender's Game movie on the horizon. But after researching for a couple hours, it looks like the movie has been in on the edge of preproduction for about 3 years. But, Marvel comics is converting Ender's Game into a comic series. That will be fun...Space suits and buggers :)

Hey Everyone!

I'm almost done with school for the semester! I just had to announce it...Math is done, Spanish ended this morning, and I am turning in my final English essay in 3 hours...YAY!!! Then it is back to the fun stuff, like reading all the sweet books Orbit sent me, and posting about Ender's Game, and reading Myrren's Gift, and Spirit Gate, and maybe sitting outside....Ahh I am so relieved! I hope you all have been swell.

Mark

Finals Week

Hey Everybody!

Im sorry I was totally absent this week...It was just the last week before finals...and it has been super busy... But! I will have a review on Ender's Game shortly. I hope everyone's reading is swell! Thanks

Mark

Free eBooks

If you don't already know about this then listen up. If you do, then I am just another lamo tryin to spread the good news. Here it is:

Tor is giving away a free eBook a week to any person who signs up for their newsletter. I wasn't sure how this would go down, but I just received Spirit Gate by Kate Elliot, and I am stoked! So head on over to Tor and grab some free eBooks. They are also giving away free wallpapers from some of their bestselling authors, and to top that off, every subscriber is entered into their Watch the Skies sweepstakes for a chance to win the Asus Galaxy EE mobile PC.

Enjoy!

Princeps' Fury Cover Art

I am still trying to figure out when the cover was released, but anyway here it is. I couldn't find it on borders.com, but it is on Jim-Butcher.com if you feel like giving him a visit. Pretty exciting image--I wonder if the bird on the sail is the same symbol worn by Tavi's soldiers.

The Darkness That Comes Before Book Review

The Darkness That Comes Before
The Prince of Nothing Book 1
R. Scott Bakker

This is one of those books that I picked up a thousand times, read through the first few chapters, only to set it down at page 75 due to its lack...well, due to my lack of interest. I think I actually read to page 100 three times, but its taken a full year for me to get the balls to read it all the way through.

Unfortunately my feelings about the book didn't change much after I finished it. It was almost always a chore to pick it up, and that is why The Darkness That Comes Before was listed under "Currently Reading" for five weeks... And now that I am finished with the book, I am a little interested as to why so many people are recommending it.

Of course, I have to give Bakker credit--his book is smart, but there are too many layers for me to really comprehend (I probably sound like an idiot, but that's inevitable, so don't worry about it). It is possible that people a little smarter than I get a kick out of this jazz, because, it really is jazzy in a tilted, dark, unpredictable way. Unfortunately none of that jazz caught my attention. It was an extremely boring read for me. Maybe if I was looking for the book's subtle attempts to mean life, then I might have enjoyed it a little more. Instead I was constantly looking for an end, all the way up until the actual end, when I just felt a great deal of disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bakker actually did something wrong, instead I think that I just didn't find anything personally gratifying about The Darkness That Comes Before. I would think that this is one book you either fancy or you don't, and at first a didn't. But there is something fine about this book, and it's assembly of words that I cannot ignore. So I guess I didn't enjoy the reading, but now after pondering the book for a few days, I don't know if I liked it or not.

As for the actual writing, it is near brilliant. The characters are developed, galling, monstrous, and, except for the strange face stealing creature-people, extremely human. In fact, its probably their extraordinary ability to be human that irritates me; I just don't like imagining the aliens floating in space, carefully jotting down notes, and coming up with a book like The Darkness That Comes Before. If we are all just power hungry, lusty and confused men seeking for a pair of open legs, then its a sad thing to do the human, and I object. I believe that there are things the aliens cannot easily paint--like R. Scott Bakker writing The Prince of Nothing, and me reading it...


Back to the book...

Even though the world is detailed, with civilizations, religions, and individuals, I'm disappointed that Bakker didn't explain more about the magic system. I like the idea of the Chorae, a Trinket that shields against magic, but I want to know more about the actual magic. And I guess I can't say much more, because the longer I write the more my opinion changes of this book.

So, for being a genius, maniacal writer, Bakker gets a 10 out of 10. For actually entertaining me, The Darkness That Comes Before gets only a 3. Although, it has been four days since I finished and I am still thinking about it, so that if you think that warrants a new rating, then you can be the judge.

-WeariedJuggler

Note: This book is actually very good, it was just boring because I am somewhat of a casual reader, someone who enjoys reading word after word, instead of layers. I don't really know if I should recommend it or not. I guess that thought is interesting enough for me to make the recommend. Go on. Read it. And please tell me you enjoyed it more than I did.

The Golden Compass--Movie

So getting ditched by my girlfriend is usually pretty sad, and yesterday when she called to tell me that I wouldn't be graced with her beauty that evening, I was sad. I had been looking forward to watching The Golden Compass with her, actually I waited all day. So I decided not to wait anymore, and I watched the DVD by myself last night. It was sweeeet! The movie was so funny at times, and cute, and well done I thought. Not all that action packed, but a strong story, and it was just perfect for making me smile. I just added The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. Just in case you haven't seen the Golden Compass, I added a trailer for you :)