Book Hauls!

[GOLLUM]

Read the Otori books and was also curious about the name Hearn ... here's what I found:

Lian Hearn is a pseudonym for Gillian Rubinstein, a well-known Australian writer of children's books and plays. She chose not to publish The Otori Trilogy under her own name so as to have her first adult book judged in it's own right and not compared to her previous writing for children. She chose her name by combining her childhood nickname (the last letters of Gillian) and the surname of Lafcadio Hearn, an Irish writer who lived in Japan at the end of the 19th century.

Thanks, most interesting. My understanding was that the author was born overseas and then moved to Australia where they currently reside rather than being a native to this country. Can't say I've ever heard of Gillian Rubinstein which could be a worry seeing I'm Aussie too..

 

[GOLLUM]

Just got Sean Russell The One Kingdom, is it any good or have I wasted my hard earned cash?!

Er.. UM...how to put this. It's certainly a better than average read and Russell has some talent as a writer but I never felt it reached any great heights although it's certainly EPIC in nature with several characters and stroylines interwoven into the plot. In short OK but nothing special but read it and see, you may have a different opinion. Also the second book Isle Of Battle was pretty slow moving although Book 3 Shadow Roads picked up the pace a bit. In all honesty, in hindsight I probably wouldn't have picked up this series.

 

[Mouse]

Er.. UM...how to put this. It's certainly a better than average read and Russell has some talent as a writer but I never felt it reached any great heights although it's certainly EPIC in nature with several characters and stroylines interwoven into the plot. In short OK but nothing special but read it and see, you may have a different opinion. Also the second book Isle Of Battle was pretty slow moving although Book 3 Shadow Roads picked up the pace a bit. In all honesty, in hindsight I probably wouldn't have picked up this series.

D'oh! Maybe I should've got one of Megan Lindholm's instead then, as I love Robin Hobb.

 

[elvet]

Just picked up the Bitterbynde trilogy (Cecilia Dart-Thornton).

 

[j d worthington]

Got something in the mail: an old supernatural anthology called The Best Psychic Stories, edited by Joseph Lewis French. Has some neat things in it, like "When the World was Young," by Jack London, two stories by Blackwood, a piece by Lafcadio Hearn, and Fiona MacLeod's (William Sharp) "The Sin-Eater", which is where Lovecraft got the Gaelic at the end of "The Rats in the Walls". Even has a piece (fiction, I believe; didn't know she wrote any, as such) by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Got something in the mail: an old supernatural anthology called The Best Psychic Stories, edited by Joseph Lewis French.

Even has a piece (fiction, I believe; didn't know she wrote any, as such) by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

I wasn't aware that she had written any fiction, either. Now, that could be interesting. Let us know.

 

[j d worthington]

With my "to-be-read-or-the-earth-will-come-to-a-screeching-halt" list -- surely you jest!

Actually, I'll try to tackle this in the next couple of weeks; I think I know a way I can fool myself into justifying getting to it early.....

 

[ravenus]

...Even has a piece (fiction, I believe; didn't know she wrote any, as such) by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

Is that The Ensouled Violin? IIRC, it's not a particularly brilliant bit but probably okay for the read.

 

[j d worthington]

No, it's a piece called "The Witch's Den". So Blavatsky did write some fiction? Where did you come across the piece you mention?

(I just love having you people to bring these things to my attention! I feel like a kid in a candy store!)

 

[ravenus]

I read it in one of those classic supernatural stories anthos, but check out this page which links to a set of Mme B.'s stories collected as Nightmare Tales

Linkage

 

[Culhwch]

Went to a second-hand bookfest yesterday and picked up Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, which is handy as I haven't been able to find it to buy or borrow in this town. I also bought Kay's A Song for Arbonne and Peake's Titus Alone.

 

[Thadlerian]

My first purchase in ages, to celebrate last exam: The Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. After all the recommendations here on Chronicles Network, I hust have to read it.

It was a tie between that one and City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff, Vandermeer, but I rolled a die and ended up with Erikson

 

[GOLLUM]

Once you've finished with GOTM please do chase down Saints and Madmen, they're both excellent IMO.

Some nice gets there Cullwch, well done and hope you like them.

 

[j d worthington]

Went to a second-hand bookfest yesterday and picked up Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, which is handy as I haven't been able to find it to buy or borrow in this town. I also bought Kay's A Song for Arbonne and Peake's Titus Alone.

I'm assuming you've either got or have read Titus Groan and Gormenghast; if not, read them before tackling Titus Alone, as it's the weakest of the three. There's also a novella titled "Boy in Darkness" that is a tale of Titus (though not often recognized as such) if you can find it. And Tailchaser's Song -- wonderful book!

 

[Thadlerian]

Once you've finished with GOTM please do chase down Saints and Madmen, they're both excellent IMO.

So was the plan, just gotta wait until I get some wages.

 

[j d worthington]

Got a copy of the Dracula Book of Great Vampire Stories in the mail today; so I'll try to get at least to the story "The Tomb of Sarah" by this weekend. Thanks very much for the information, Teresa!

 

[Nesacat]

j.d... just got done reading Tomb of Sarah. Was a good read since it's an old tale and very different from the more current vampire tales. And it does appear to go with the werewolf idea. Makes the whole theory much more curious now.

Have also been reading the Blavatsky tales in the link. Thanks ravenus

Culhwch: Tailchaser's Song is a wonderful tale. Have you tried Akif Pirincci's books about a cat detective ... Felidae

 

[GOLLUM]

I'm assuming you've either got or have read Titus Groan and Gormenghast; if not, read them before tackling Titus Alone, as it's the weakest of the three. There's also a novella titled "Boy in Darkness" that is a tale of Titus (though not often recognized as such) if you can find it. And Tailchaser's Song -- wonderful book!

Huh? But like 'em Williams is a modern author, so what's going on JD, Help me out...

So you a williams fan hey? Tried his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn traditional fantasy tale? Very good plus his more recent Shadowmarch.

Gormenghast is a classic pure and simple.

 

[j d worthington]

Read Tailchaser's Song back when it was first published over here (back when I had time to read ). Never got around to his other work, though I have a few around (currently in storage, I'm afraid). I keep wanting to get to these, along with about a dozen other writers, but I got myself into this research stuff, and I just don't have time. (Makes me think of Dick Lupoff's plaint in his afterword to "With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Ol' New-Alabama" in Again, Dangerous Visions -- at a dinner with a lot of other writers and everybody was so excited talking about this new "speculative fiction" in sf, and he had no idea what they were talking about, because he'd been doing research for the past two years on Edgar Rice Burroughs; and here he was supposed to be one of those writers that belonged to the New Wave....)

And darn near anything by Peake is a classic -- just that Titus Groan is the weakest of the three, being produced when he was feeling the effects of his fatal illness, and he wasn't in shape to do the job he really had intended. Peake is still sorely missed! (Incidentally, just a piece of trivia -- you know he and Moorcock were friends, and that he was, as I recall, best friend at Mike's wedding to Hillary Bailey, right?)

 

[Dianora]

Ok, I need to just STOP buying so many dang books. I have too many I haven't read yet, and I just keep finding more I'd like to read. Since I've never (don't beat me) read anything by Terry Pratchett, I got Guards! Guards! and Soul music. Then I got Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin, Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, and (on the recommendation of a friend) House of Leaves. Anyone read that one? Looks twisted as hell, but I figure eventually, when I'm up to it... I'll start reading it.

I also got "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, just for a change of pace. Heard good things about it. Going to Barnes and Noble today, so I'll probably buy more stuff.