Monthly Archives: July 2007

Emperor and Clown by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: Now married to the cursed Sultan Azak, Princess Inos finally heads to the capital city to plead her case in front of the wardens, as stable boy Rap rushes to meet her and embrace his destiny. Review: (Is that like the worst cover you have ever seen? Seriously.) Emperor and Clown is the final installment in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and a most satisfying conclusion indeed. The overall story is a rich, satisfying adventure full of political machinations and romance,…

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Perilous Seas by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: Rap the stableboy joins a merchant crew still intent upon rescuing Queen Inosolan, who is crossing a haunted wasteland in order to appeal her case to the four wardens. Review: Perilous Seas is the third book in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and again I’m impressed at the skill with which Duncan crafts his narrative. He continually places his characters in severe jeopardy, taking the kinds of risks that fantasy authors so often fear. It’s almost as if the work it…

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

British Literature 7 Comments

Synopsis: Harry Potter braces for his final battle with evil Lord Voldemort, knowing that only one of them will survive. Review: My biggest criticism of Harry Potter has always been his passivity. In the first few books especially, he spends most of his time being rescued or protected, simply because he’s “The Boy Who Lived.” And for awhile, it seemed as though JK Rowling wasn’t paying attention–was creating a hero who didn’t deserve to bear that name.

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Faery Lands Forlon by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature

Synopsis: Inos might be queen of Krasnegar, but she’s been magicked to the other side of the world, and the same magic has sent stable boy Rap, the goblin Little Chicken, and boy thief Thinal to the land of Faery, where Rap discovers that Inos is a pawn in a deadly game between powers greater than any army or king. Review: Faery Lands Forlorn is the second book in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and it’s clear that none of these books…

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Do You Really Know About Books?

On Reading 3 Comments

Last night’s work read was essentially Ian McEwan with a lesbian twist.lin Dewey has a fun round up of links called “This and That” up at her blog today. Thanks to her, I wasted far too much time at Bibliofemme taking quizzes about books. I did pretty well on characters & first lines, but tanked when it came to questions about publishing history. Also, I’ve added a new feature at the bottom of each post: click View Random Post to be taken to a random…

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Magic Casement by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature 12 Comments

Synopsis: A stableboy begins to exhibit mysterious powers that draw attention that could be dangerous, and he finds himself a prisoner on the goblin waste as the princess he’s sworn to serve comes ever closer to a danger that only he is aware of. Review: Magic Casement is a fantastic start to a four book series that I hope lives up to the promise of this first installment. My friend Shari saw that I had read Duncan’s Hero!, and said, “You finally read Dave Duncan–but…

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Bookworms Carnival is Up!

On Reading 7 Comments

Dewey at Hidden Side of a Leaf kicks off the brand-new Bookworm Carnival with an outstanding selection of posts. I’m looking forward to diving into all of these. The next carnival will be hosted right here at Reading is my Superpower. The topic? Surviving the Dog Days of Summer: Books That Take Your Mind off the Heat. The deadline to submit posts is August 10th and you can do so right here.

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