Synopsis: Gifted a belt that allows him to time travel, a man reorders the universe to suit himself. Review: I checked out The Man Who Folded Himself because the Kindle version is only $2.99. I am really glad that I did, because I was totally riveted by this book. The book really exploits the time travel premise to a brain-busting extent, but also maintains a solid emotional core. David Gerrold holds nothing back, and the result is just fascinating.
Synopsis: Althea Vestrit always thought she’d captain her family’s liveship, the Vivacia, newly quickened by the death of her father, but her sister’s husband’s machinations strip it from her hands, delivering the ship into a situation that threatens to break her mind, which puts her crew in mortal danger. Review: I loved returning to Bingtown and my beloved Althea Vestrit in this re-read (actually a listen) of Ship of Magic. Few things have captured my imagination as Hobbs liveships, sailing vessels with figureheads who can…
Synopsis: The bastard son of a dead king goes on a quest to find his missing uncle, gone to rouse the mythical Elderlings and save the Six Duchies from the fearsome Red Ship Raiders. Review: Assassin’s Quest reminded me why I fell in love with Robin Hobb. Despite some of the missteps in overly broad characterizations, I was swept away by the epic storytelling. I really got tired of the narrator of the audio version, and I have to say I’m a bit relieved that…
Synopsis: Fitz the bastard struggles to be a King’s man and his own man, while dastardly Prince Regal threatens to usurp the throne while King in Waiting Verity is off on a quest to find the mythical Elderlings. Review: Royal Assassin marks a solid midpoint in an ambitious trilogy, with all the characters put at great risk from each other and themselves. Antagonist Regal remains too cardboard to feel like a true threat, but overall the characters are solid. I’m not sure the Skill magic…
Synopsis: The bastard son of a prince gets training in the art of deception, eavesdropping, and murder, while failing to master the royal Skill, a sort of telepathy that is the Six Duchies chief weapon against the Red Ship Raiders, who harry the coast leaving only zombies in their wake. Review: This is my second read of Assassin’s Apprentice, and it’s been an odd experience. Actually, I listened to the audiobook version, and while I enjoyed the narrator’s performance I was disappointed to find Robin…
Synopsis: With four kings fighting for control of Westeros and a dragon queen rising in the south, the scattered children of the executed traitor Eddard Stark try to survive the perils of civil war. Review: Continuing to love re-reading this series. I am just so in love with the complexity that Martin brings to his characters and the world. Yes, A Clash of Kings gets really dark, but the second time around I noticed how much hope he puts into the story. Martin is a…
Synopsis: Political powers battle for control of the Iron Throne, while to the north supernatural powers threaten, and in the south a dispossessed royal begins to raise an army. Review: I wanted to reread Game of Thrones before the HBO series launches in April, and decided I’d give the audiobook a try. I am so glad I did. The narrator, Roy Dotrice, not only has a magnificent voice but sets all of the characters apart from each other. He’s just amazing. As for the story,…
Synopsis: The lives of a prior, an earl, a master builder, two vengeful orphans, a “witch,” and the bastard son of a jongleur intertwine during the building of a cathedral. Review: I had several people recommend The Pillars of the Earth to me, and since I’m loving my Kindle I thought I’d see if I liked reading a long book on it. (I did.) The story is sweeping but the character journeys make it intimate. It really was an engrossing read. However, I grew a…
With reading time at a premium due to an active 3-year-old and a high needs 4-month-old, I’m not able to dive into all the worthy books that are sent my way for review. So this will be a bit out of form for the Superfast Reader, more of an endorsement than a review, since I was only able to give these books a perusal instead of a read. But they are absolutely worth recommending, for their literary merit and sheer originality. Foxybaby follows a writer…
Synopsis: A young Norwegian woman pursues her painting in Rome, but when she gets swept up in a romance with a fellow countryman she finds her dreams derailed and her life shattered. Review: Jenny is a realist novel from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, one of my all-time favorite reads. It’s a somber story that reminded me of Theodore Dreiser and EM Forster, delving into the psychology of Jenny, an artist in her late 20s living a bohemian life and…