HappyHippo
I'm so dizzy...
I read a lot. A. LOT. I'm capable of doing a book a day if my mum has the kids, and I'm not hungry 
, and I've read many books which provke different responses; joy, sadness, fear, confusion, love... all the usual emotions.
It wasn't until I read Ash; a secret history that I felt I'd read a book which I would actually quantify as 'life-changing'. A wee bitty cliched, maybe?
'Ash', right from page one had me gripped. The people were so real, I felt I could see them outside my imagination. I could almost smell the muck, metal, people and horses of the mercenaries' camp, and feel the damp air on my skin. The story is developed in such a way that I quite literally could not put the book down (and it's not that easy to push a stroller while reading... not and avoid people and lamp posts, anyway!). It was also a satisfying and meaty book, even reading every spare minute, vanishing to the loo, book in hand, and staying up till 4 am, it took me two weeks first read through. I felt like I was there, and I didn't want to leave when it was over. There was an incredibly satisfying and justified twist at the end, and the plotlines were tied up neatly, but not so as to strangle the little 'what if's' I like to indulge in. Ash is a real female hero, too. She has faults, big ones, but at the end of a day is a woman doing a hard job to the best of her ability. She inspired me to stop being a doormat (not to start wearing armour and swearing at people, hehehe) and to stand up for myself.
And then I read A Sundial in a Grave, and again experienced 'virtual reality' reading. The love story was engrossing and I felt like I had a stake in the outcome. The period details were convincing, and the fantasy element didn't feel contrived, impossible or overused, like magic or scrying for example.
even the two collections I have, White Crow and Orthe, despite their weaker stories, still have the power to move and enthrall me. Only the wierd book about the orcs (Grunts? memory's scabbed over) failed to reach me on any level at all.
*ceases to gush*
The point of my waffling is really to ask; does any one else out there enjoy Mary Gentle's works? I've looked on the site, and can't see much mention, which surprised me, as I feel she is a writer with real talent. Or do you think she's overrated?
All views appreciated!
, and I've read many books which provke different responses; joy, sadness, fear, confusion, love... all the usual emotions.It wasn't until I read Ash; a secret history that I felt I'd read a book which I would actually quantify as 'life-changing'. A wee bitty cliched, maybe?
'Ash', right from page one had me gripped. The people were so real, I felt I could see them outside my imagination. I could almost smell the muck, metal, people and horses of the mercenaries' camp, and feel the damp air on my skin. The story is developed in such a way that I quite literally could not put the book down (and it's not that easy to push a stroller while reading... not and avoid people and lamp posts, anyway!). It was also a satisfying and meaty book, even reading every spare minute, vanishing to the loo, book in hand, and staying up till 4 am, it took me two weeks first read through. I felt like I was there, and I didn't want to leave when it was over. There was an incredibly satisfying and justified twist at the end, and the plotlines were tied up neatly, but not so as to strangle the little 'what if's' I like to indulge in. Ash is a real female hero, too. She has faults, big ones, but at the end of a day is a woman doing a hard job to the best of her ability. She inspired me to stop being a doormat (not to start wearing armour and swearing at people, hehehe) and to stand up for myself.
And then I read A Sundial in a Grave, and again experienced 'virtual reality' reading. The love story was engrossing and I felt like I had a stake in the outcome. The period details were convincing, and the fantasy element didn't feel contrived, impossible or overused, like magic or scrying for example.
even the two collections I have, White Crow and Orthe, despite their weaker stories, still have the power to move and enthrall me. Only the wierd book about the orcs (Grunts? memory's scabbed over) failed to reach me on any level at all.
*ceases to gush*
The point of my waffling is really to ask; does any one else out there enjoy Mary Gentle's works? I've looked on the site, and can't see much mention, which surprised me, as I feel she is a writer with real talent. Or do you think she's overrated?
All views appreciated!
