JV Jones

[Mouse]

I read J.V. Jones's A Cavern of Black Ice and A Fortress of Grey Ice years ago. Loved them.

I wait ages and ages for the third book to come out and when it did, I got it. Thankfully, she'd put a catch-up thingy at the beginning of the book. I really did not want to go back and read the first two books again! I've got too much on my TBR pile as it is!

I thought it was the third and final book. Turns out it's not. So I bought the 4th one 'Watcher of the Dead' too.

But now I'm slogging my way through A Sword from Red Ice and finding it really hard going. She describes things waaaaaay too much. Do I really need 700 words describing a barren landscape?! There's nothing there, I get it, move on! Gah!

I don't know whether I'm finding it hard because it was so long ago since I read the first books, and I can't remember half the people she mentions now, or just because it's really not as good as the first two.

I was reading it last night and ended up skipping pages and pages of just Raif wandering through the Want. In the end I put it down and picked up TE's Queen's Necklace book instead.

I hate reading passages and passages of descriptive stuff that goes nowhere! I just want story.

I'm going to read all of the bloody thing as I've waited so long for it, but I know I've got the next book to read too and I'm not looking forward to it!

What's worse is that I don't think Watcher of the Dead is the last book! Does anybody know if it is?! Please say yes.

Also, can anybody tell me if this book gets going at all?

 

[chopper]

i read the first two, but really don't remember them. that's not generally a good sign.

the latter two i haven't read yet; unfortunately i'd have to do a massive re-read first - there's been too long a gap between books for me. her first series had the same problem, though to a lesser extent, and i found that everybody ended up being really horribly miserable and traumatised. at the time, that wasn't what i wanted an escape from real life to be...

on the other hand, JVJ has written one of my favourites standalone fantasies of all time: The Barbed Coil. i'll recommend that over her other stuff any day of the week.

 

[Mouse]

I remember looking at The Barbed Coil. Think I'm more into stand-alones now than series of books. They go on for too long!

 

[Clansman]

The Sword of Shadows series was always meant to be five books long. Jones switched publishers after the first book, as Warner Books was not supporting it very well, and called it a trilogy in the blurb on the cover, despite Jones' advice to them that it was to be a pentalogy. The third book, A Sword from Red Ice, took a looooong time to come out, due in part to the publishing problems, but the fourth, Watcher of the Dead, came out pretty smartly after ASfRI. I don't know the name of the fifth book.

I have read up to ASfRI and found the series to be very good (***1/2 or better). Raif's journey in the Want ends fairly early on in the book, so it is likely your disconnect from the first two books that is responsible. ASfRI picks up right where A Fortress of Grey Ice leaves off, so having that spread of time probably took you right out of the story. I find this a pretty damned good tale, but I read AFoGI and ASfRI back-to-back. There are some new characters in ASfRI that are really interesting, and Angus Lok is back. I'd try a scan-read of the first two books just to get back into the story, because I found it very good.

Is Watcher of the Dead available in paperback? Must go look.

 

[JagLover]

IMO it is a good series but simply spaced out too much.

In fact it is so spaced out that I can't remember if the last book I read was book 3 or book 4.

 

[Clansman]

Watcher of the Dead will not be available in MMP until March, 2011. The hardback was out last April. Mind you, it is only $21.00, which is a good price for a hardback. But the MMP will be only $9.99.

Crap. I want to read that book.

Yes, the series was very spaced out, especially between books 2 and 3, which makes re-reads a must. Appears that she has picked up the pace, though.

Reminds me of someone, but I can't seem to think of what author that might be. You know, about 5-6 years between novels in an ever-expanding series, distracted by things like football, RPGs, miniatures, licensing, converting the story into an HBO series... Will still read it when he finally finishes.

 

[Tansy]

I've read the first 2 or 3 of these and can vaguely remember the story, its kind of on my radar to buy the next one but been so long it isn't a high priority.

I remember thinking the books I read in this series were slower paced than her others.

I too enjoyed the Barbed Coil - might have to reread it

 

[Shingetsu]

I've read all four. I've enjoyed the series so far. Except for her gaps of time inbetween books. It doesn't seem like she could finish it with just one more book. It seemed to me like it at least needed two more. But oh well, I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I didn't re-read them either, I managed to pick up most stuff again and it does have a foreward or whatever for summary.

 

[Mouse]

I have Watcher of the Dead in paperback, but it's one of those nasty huge paperbacks so doesn't look good on my shelf.

Just been reading some of the reviews of ASfRI on Amazon and people seem to be saying the same as me about there being too much descriptive stuff and not enough story.

 

[Heather Myst]

Mouse,

I hate to hear this because I really enjoyed the first three books. I am still going to pick the book up though because I have too much invested to not see where the story is going.

 

[GOLLUM]

I own and have read everything by JV Jones.

I particularly enjoy her current series and didn't mind her descriptions of landscape etc. but then again I enjoy that type of descriptive prose as much if not more than character development. If described well and used to generate atmosphere, landscape can essentially act as another character of the story. A particular case in point here is The Ice as a brilliantly described malevolent presence in one of my favourite trilogies of the 1980s.

I did not like her series Books of Words that much, the stand-alone Barbed Coil was better, in fact quite good but her current series is the best thing she has produced to date.

Roll on Book 5.....

 

[The Procrastinator]

On the topic of JV Jones, I just read The Baker's Boy, picked it up second hand, and not sure if I should continue the series or read something more worthwhile. I guess I didn't mind it but I didn't love it either, I'm not sure how to pin down my vague dissatisfaction but perhaps a sense of smugness in the narrative tone? Or a bit of repetition? Anyway you Jones fans, is it worth picking up the rest, or should I try another book/series of hers?

 

[Clansman]

Ah, good to see you, Saunders! Forget Book of Words. Not bad, but she has matured her writing considerably, and she hit her stride in the current series. There is a very minor link (at least so far) between BoW and Sword of Shadows, but it is so minor that it is virtually meaningless. I would go straight for SoS, and get the first four books. I don't know when the fifth will be out, but presumably she is writing it now. The fourth was released in April 2010.

 

[Mouse]

I own and have read everything by JV Jones.

I particularly enjoy her current series and didn't mind her descriptions of landscape etc. but then again I enjoy that type of descriptive prose as much if not more than character development. If described well and used to generate atmosphere, landscape can essentially act as another character of the story.

It's described well, but it's described repeatedly! It feels like filler to me.

 

[GOLLUM]

It's described well, but it's described repeatedly! It feels like filler to me.

You possibly have a point there Mouse but I still feel that there's enough there to still hold up the series in a positive light. Let's see what happens when Book 5 comes out and if things finish in a flurry. Then we'll be able to make a fair assessment of the entire story arc....

 

[Mouse]

Oh yeah, I'm still going to read book 5!

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I remember meeting her about 10-15 years ago. She was a very interesting woman, and made sarcastic references to my designer stubble. I forgave her.

 

[Clansman]

"interesting"? That could be taken any number of ways.

 

[soulsinging]

But now I'm slogging my way through A Sword from Red Ice and finding it really hard going. She describes things waaaaaay too much. Do I really need 700 words describing a barren landscape?! There's nothing there, I get it, move on! Gah!

This seems to be a pandemic in fantasy. I gave up on a Tad Williams series over this, as well as Robert Jordan's books. I've decided I won't read another Martin book (and I almost gave up on ASOIAF mid-book 2) until the series is done. These endlessly long, overly descriptive epics are really wearing me out.

I suggest David Gemmell as an antidote.

 

[Mouse]

These endlessly long, overly descriptive epics are really wearing me out.

I suggest David Gemmell as an antidote.

Which is why I prefer standalones nowadays!

I'll check out David Gemmell though, I keep hearing the name.