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liptonrm_backupSpent the whole day in training for some new stuff I have to do at work. Waaaahh! That means I'll actually have to start working at work rather then spending my time surfing livejournal and reading fanfiction. So tragic.
Looking forward to Saturday as am going to A2 to see Celtic stuff with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hlgraban and Dan and then have dinner with Erin-of-Seattle who is coming in to MI for a wedding. Very exciting.
I spent too much on books last weekend, I even bought a hardcover (I couldn't resist, it was Guy Gavriel Kay's newest book and he is my favorite modern fantasist). I then proceeded to read my new books in 2 or 3 days. It's no wonder I was a history major, those are the only books that I don't rush through at break neck speed. Anyway, the first book I read was entitled The Briar King and was by Greg Keyes. Let me just say that this book was everything the Wheel of Time series should have been. Why? Let me tell you.
Briar King follows the same general pattern of Wheel of Time in that there are bad things reappearing in the world thousands of years after humanity thought they had banished them, and the reappearance of bad is tied in with how it was repudiated in the first place. There is a large-ish cast of characters who all have integral parts to play and they are all involved in quests, of a sort, to get the job done.
And that's all they have in common. Keyes has created a book that crackles with energy. All of the characters are interesting and individual and their quests are driven not by some greater, elusive power but rather by their own choices and personalities. Thankfully, it doesn't follow the cliche of 'teenager from small village discovers he/she is the chosen one and has wacky adventures with friends' but rather focuses on disparate people in different places who all have parts to play in the greater story, even though they don't know any of the other major players.
I love it. It gives me hope that the fantasy genre can revitalize itself, that there are authors who can even use tired, old plots and revitalize them, making them into something new and interesting. The Briar King has mystery and intrigue and danger, it doesn't spell everything out and the evil has just as much to do with human darkness as it does with any supernatural power. I am intrigued and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next. Recommended.
Oy it's late. I shouldn't have taken that long nap this evening. Waking up tomorrow morning is going to be a pain in the butt.
Looking forward to Saturday as am going to A2 to see Celtic stuff with
hlgraban and Dan and then have dinner with Erin-of-Seattle who is coming in to MI for a wedding. Very exciting.I spent too much on books last weekend, I even bought a hardcover (I couldn't resist, it was Guy Gavriel Kay's newest book and he is my favorite modern fantasist). I then proceeded to read my new books in 2 or 3 days. It's no wonder I was a history major, those are the only books that I don't rush through at break neck speed. Anyway, the first book I read was entitled The Briar King and was by Greg Keyes. Let me just say that this book was everything the Wheel of Time series should have been. Why? Let me tell you.
Briar King follows the same general pattern of Wheel of Time in that there are bad things reappearing in the world thousands of years after humanity thought they had banished them, and the reappearance of bad is tied in with how it was repudiated in the first place. There is a large-ish cast of characters who all have integral parts to play and they are all involved in quests, of a sort, to get the job done.
And that's all they have in common. Keyes has created a book that crackles with energy. All of the characters are interesting and individual and their quests are driven not by some greater, elusive power but rather by their own choices and personalities. Thankfully, it doesn't follow the cliche of 'teenager from small village discovers he/she is the chosen one and has wacky adventures with friends' but rather focuses on disparate people in different places who all have parts to play in the greater story, even though they don't know any of the other major players.
I love it. It gives me hope that the fantasy genre can revitalize itself, that there are authors who can even use tired, old plots and revitalize them, making them into something new and interesting. The Briar King has mystery and intrigue and danger, it doesn't spell everything out and the evil has just as much to do with human darkness as it does with any supernatural power. I am intrigued and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next. Recommended.
Oy it's late. I shouldn't have taken that long nap this evening. Waking up tomorrow morning is going to be a pain in the butt.
