I finished rereading Wheel of Time and my reaction is more muted then when I first read a Memory of Light, but I still ended up unsatisfied. There was more I would have liked to know and a couple of endings just didn't feel right to me. Or I didn't like them, let's put it like that.
I think there were a few of these in the late '90s, early '00s. I have posthumous tribute collections for Avram Davidson and Robert Bloch with story appreciations from various authors. I certainly like the idea. I find other writers' insights and appreciation fascinating.
Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare & al. A collection of short stories, tied together by the same protagonist, Brother Zachariah. The stories give a bit of background and fill in some nooks and crannies. However, for my taste they were a bit (some a lot) too much YA. The first story, Cast Long Shadows, I found especially detestable. It got better, though, and I managed to finish the book and even enjoy some of the stories.
The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams. Fantasy that did not hook me immediately but took some getting into. But the more I learned about the world and the characters, the more I became involved and enjoyed the read. There are some minor quibbles I have, among them doubts as to the label (might also be Science Fiction), or the naivete of characters who are supposedly very smart. All in all, not the best fantasy I have read but definitely good. Will certainly try the next installment.
After being very taken with the first book of the series (The thousand Names), I moved on to the second book, The Shadow Throne, right quick. The colonial setting has changed for the native country of the protagonists. Lots of parallels to Paris and the French revolution, but more in the nature of inspiration than a re-telling, thank the Lord!
We get some new and interesting characters and a cabal for the throne at the center of the story. As we have more and more information on politics and history, the world is fleshed out and we get glimpses of where the storyarch of the series as a whole might lead.
So I immediately followed up with book three, The Price of Valor. It was all the predecessor promised, however, I did not like it quite as much, as first major cracks begin to appear in the relationships of major and favourite characters. The is some grisly tongue in cheek humor, too, for example the invention of the "spike" (instead of a guillotine). I am hesitating to buy the next book, to be honest, as I did not quite like the direction the story is taking. Well, I got plenty of time to think about it and plenty of other books to read in the meantime ...
The fifth book in the Amra Thetys series and it does not disappoint. We get a breakneck pace right from the beginning and lots of the signature sass. The only minor disappointment for me was that Holgren enters the stage so late in the story. But otherwise, I felt in good hands with Mr. McClung's writing. I really like this series!
The first Repairman Jack novel. @Rodders seemed fairly taken with the series, so I thought I'd take a peek.
Overall, good entertainment, to be sure. I had difficulties, though, with some of the cliches. On the one hand, I felt there was at least some of what Mr. Said called Orientalism, on the other hand, the protagonist got a stroke of the brush or two too many with that superhero paint in a few scenes.
Still, it is the first of the series and I will probably try more.
I finished rereading Wheel of Time and my reaction is more muted then when I first read a Memory of Light, but I still ended up unsatisfied. There was more I would have liked to know and a couple of endings just didn't feel right to me. Or I didn't like them, let's put it like that.
I also just finished reading A Memory of Light (for the first time in fact) and I found it to be a worthy effort on the part of Mr. Sanderson to finish the series. Saying that, none of the last three books rose to my shared favorites (being The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt) and I found the lightheartedness to be a little off-putting considering what the world was facing, but I suppose that is how the series had come to be known up and unto that point, so why change now?
There were several things ultimately that didn't resonate with me though, such as
I felt like Padan Fain could have been explored more, and his link with Mashadar. I felt like the land of Shara should have been shown earlier in the series, that would have been fantastic. And I don't think that we got any clue who Nakomi was--though she seemed to appear before Rand after he sealed up the Dark One.
All and all, it proved to be a decent series. Now I'm on to New Spring the prequel.
Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare & al. . However, for my taste they were a bit (some a lot) too much YA. The first story, Cast Long Shadows, I found especially detestable..
. But I find myself longing for a book with a true hero, and a quest worthy of the name. I want people who sacrifice for others rather than those who are trying to take advantage of others. I want people who believe in a cause, in other people, and a hope that shines in the darkness. I suppose that kind of book is too much to ask for."
You might enjoy the Destiny’s Crucible series, by Olan Thorensen. I wouldn’t describe the protagonist as a hero, but there is sacrifice, hope and a cause or two.
I also just finished reading A Memory of Light (for the first time in fact) and I found it to be a worthy effort on the part of Mr. Sanderson to finish the series. Saying that, none of the last three books rose to my shared favorites (being The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt) and I found the lightheartedness to be a little off-putting considering what the world was facing, but I suppose that is how the series had come to be known up and unto that point, so why change now?
There were several things ultimately that didn't resonate with me though, such as
I felt like Padan Fain could have been explored more, and his link with Mashadar. I felt like the land of Shara should have been shown earlier in the series, that would have been fantastic. And I don't think that we got any clue who Nakomi was--though she seemed to appear before Rand after he sealed up the Dark One.
All and all, it proved to be a decent series. Now I'm on to New Spring the prequel.
The lightheartedness made some sense to me, as Rhand himself got lighter in those books. I think Sanderson did his best and I'm happy the series had an end. I guess I'm just hungry for more, and that's never going to happen.
Padan Fain did drop out and then suddenly made a surprise return there at the end. Really should have expanded on what he was doing, why he was calling himself this new name we hadn't come across before. Shara had gotten mentioned and was this mysterious land, I was fine with that. But then when they got dropped in the middle of things, I would have appreciated a bit more exploration myself. There's talk of prophecy and they're fighting next to Trollocs, how are they seeing things here?
As for Nakomi, I wonder what she was.
It comes back to running out of pages. A Memory of Light is over a thousand pages and still feels rushed in places. I don't know how Jordan thought he could do it all in one book instead of the three Sanderson needed.
It was in my local library a while ago.
I had to really fight my little shoulder devil... "Go on Danny, tear the last page out and pocket it, nobody will see"
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
