BLIND

I haven't read a book in almost a year. I miss reading, but I just can't get myself in the mood to pick up reading again. It's a special kind of hell, I feel blinded, deafened and numbed. I'm not sure how long this state will last or if it won't pass at all, but when/if it does I'll try to write an update or actually something meaningful here - this is supposed to be a review blog after all. For the minor shifts you can still follow my Goodreads page. Oh, I'm not sure if Trin's ever to write reviews for this blog again, that's why the months of silence, since she was the only one who was active for the last few years.

I wish you many good reads until you hear from me again. Take care.

p.s. Kings of Morning by Kearney was a decent conclusion to the trilogy but I was far less impressed with Kearney's latest works than the majority of those who read and reviewed it. I still recommend that you read The Sea Beggars trilogy and what has been written before it first.

Christopher Priest is a beast (I'm a rhyming devil I know). It's hard for me to name an author that writes in such an imaginative and immersive fashion. The Islanders is a weird set of interconnected short stories. I missed out on a lot of it since it requires the reader to be familiar with Priest's previous works (some of them preceding The Islanders both thematically and story-wise), but there is still enough of powerful and deliciously mind-boggling moments for me to recommend reading, especially if you've read his previous works and liked them.

ThRiNiDiR

In the Limelight: Paul Kearney (take two)

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I've been hooked on Kearney from the moment I've read "The Mark of Ran" (first book in the - as of now yet - unfinished The Sea Beggars Trilogy). "Hawkwood and the Kings" and "Century of the Soldier" are the first and the second omnibus editions that contain all five volumes of Kearney's classic and long out of print Monarchies of God series. I'm really keen on reading them as soon as possible but I'm currently involved with another behemoth - "Ash: A Secret History" (Amazon).

If you want to find out more about Kearney and his work I recommend you read our reviews of The Mark of Ran, (Book One of The Sea beggars), This Forsaken Earth (Book Two of The Sea Beggars) or/and The Ten Thousand.

If you need more information on Monarchies of God series you can read through this dedicated thread on A Song of Ice and Fire forums or you can read the reviews on the series from the biggest Kearney advocator I know and who also piqued my interest for the author: Wertzone's review of the first and the second omnibus.

Paul Kearney - This Forsaken Earth (Book Review)

"This Forsaken Earth" (Amazon: UK, US)

by PAUL KEARNEY
Format: Paperback, 368/336 pages
Publisher: Bantam Press/Spectra (July/November 2006)

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KEARNEY needs no introduction on RoSF, as we have already given him a lot of attention; I reviewed a couple of his books: (1) “The Mark of Ran”, the first book of The Sea Beggars trilogy (2) and “The Ten Thousand”, a heroic tale of a highly organised mercenary army and its epic journey through a hostile empire. “This Forsaken Earth” picks up where “The Mark of Ran” left off - with Rol Corthishane running from himself and his past to live as a ruthless but loyal pirate captain. While this book cleverly eschews some of the pitfalls of the middle-book syndrome it is in other ways still deeply trapped by those same dangers: the most obvious one is how the story, which was sublimely set up in “The Mark of Ran”, develops but little.

But if the plot progression disappoints to an extent, the reading experience itself is still as emotionally mesmerising as was with the previous book, if not more so. The novel doesn't resolve any of the questions raised in the first novel, it even raises some new ones, but while both the story and the main protagonist stagnate, author nevertheless manages to put a few hints here and there that he has something great in store for the reader in the final book of the trilogy, which is yet to be released (hopefully by the end of this year).

Cortishane and his motley crew of followers are flawed and morally ambiguous, but feel real and are likeable. Sadly, Cortishane's most trusted sidekicks lack a bit of character development, but I guess it's hard to fully flesh out a plethora of characters, if you write in such a condensed way as KEARNEY does (this is even more prominent in “The Ten Thousand”, his latest book). I still believe that the author has excellent skills for characterisation, but he intentionally (or unintentionally) chooses not to put it to the forefront of his novels. The bits of story that are character - not plot - driven are brilliant; I especially enjoyed how he handled the interaction between Rol and Rowen, Rol's lost love, when they happen to meet again. If anything, she is a true femme fatale, a woman I could find my self falling for. She is cold, haunting, distant, but scarred and also caring in her own way.

The world wherein the story transpires is lush and mysterious, but again, it remains largely unexploited (and unexplored). One third of the story takes place in the hidden pirate city that we were introduced to in the first book, another part of the story takes place in the war-riven state of Bionar, which was presented all to sketchy for my tastes, and the final part of the story unfolds in a bleak, wintry setting of a certain mountain ridge that Rol and the people that follow his lead have to pass to escape prosecution. To be honest, I enjoyed the first book's setting more, even if it was more static (and small-scale) compared to how this book's story resonates with the surroundings; I'm referring to the large household that was run by a charismatic and vile master, ruled by protocol and riven with hidden chambers (this was freshened up sporadically with Corthishan's forays into the city beyond). But I think I'm straying from the point here.

If I summarize my impressions of “This Forsaken Earth”: I must say, that despite all the niggles I had, the book remained a compulsive read throughout, KEARNEY's storytelling abilities are as sharp as ever and his style leaves the impression of being intentionally brash, simple, primordial and uncompromising at times. I wouldn't say that this book impressed me as much as I wanted it too do, but it certainly has some brilliant moments and is, generally speaking, a work of quality that I can nothing but recommend.

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~ Thrinidir ~

In the Limelight - Simmons, Kearney and Abercrombie

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Everybody's been talking about Drood these days. "Drood" is the new novel by Dan Simmons, mastermind behind many prestigious award-winning novels, such as Hyperion (one of my all-time favorites), Ilium, Carrion Comfort, Song of Kali and others. His opus spans genres, from science fiction and fantasy to horror, mysteries and thrillers (often within the same novel). His 2007 novel "The Terror" made a (lifelong) fan out of Trin as well.
Drood is being officially released later today (February 9) both in US and UK, and me&Trin are both eager to read it. If you are wondering about the meaning of the word 'Drood'; "The Mysteries of Edward Drood" is the final novel by Charles Dickens that was left unfinished at the time of his death and thus the fate of the main protagonist remains undisclosed. Simmons' "Drood" draws heavily on historical facts about Dickens to create an engaging narrative, but spices it with fictional elements, just as he did with "The Terror". And the word on the street is that it's terrific.

The other interesting news that I've come across - thanks to our fellow blogger Adam (The Wertzone) - is that Paul Kearney signed a deal with Solaris for two more books set in the world of "The Ten Thousand". Early titles are "Corvus" and "Kings of Morning". This sounds very promising, since Kearny will be given a chance to expand on the sometimes scetchy world of the Macth. At the moment I'm reading and enjoying "This Forsaken Earth" which is the sequel to [...]the very decent, but short of brilliant[...] "The Mark of Ran". A bit of advice for those who don't like to start reading unfinished series , the final book in "Sea Beggars trilogy" was written, but never released, due to the fall out with his publisher at the time. The good news is, though, that Kearny's new publisher, Solaris, supports him to finish the project, but they have to wait for the rights to the books that Bantam US is clinging to to expire, before they can give the green light for the final volume which is to be realeased in an omnibus together with the first two books.

Last but not least: a while ago I've written about the fabulous UK cover for "Best Served Cold", the upcoming novel by Joe Abercrombie, one of the most recognizable names of the new wave of epic fantasy writers, due to be released this summer. Every since the US cover leaked out, there have been heated debates over the blogosphere whether they are any good or not (I tend to agree with the argument that the UK cover looks superior by far): A Dribble of Ink: part 1 & part 2, Grasping for the Wind, Fantasy Book News & Reviews, Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews, Pat's Fantasy Hotlist to name just a few. Orbit responded to the tirade in this article, revealing all the pruposed covers, giving insight into their creative process and explaining their pick, which is all very considerate and nice, but that doesn't change the fact the cover doesn't look any prettier for it. I might be too harsh to the US cover, I've seen plenty worse, but when you have something to compare it to, well... you can't help but wonder. But I leave you decide for yourself:
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US Cover -------- vs. -------- UK Cover

Meditation on a subject of...

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What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

(William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet ; ACT II; SCENE II.)
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Not being prolific reader – at least not of blogs – I've been pointed toward a debate on several of them. It all started when aidan at The Dribble of Ink posted a rather unflattering view of the "The Ten Thousand" by Paul Kearney (you can read ours here) and admitted not to have read the entire book. Author objected quite strongly since adian had skipped in his opinion the best part of the book, and claimed that such partial (my words) reading cannot serve as a foundation upon which a work can be reviewed. In ensuing (IMHO quite cordial) debate numerous participants stated some quite strong opinions one way or another, but basically the debate raised an important question:

Can bloggers – this creature with million voices and opinions – come to an agreement as to form and content of a mode of expression (in this case a review) and, in my opinion, more importantly ...SHOULD THEY?

From the beginning blogs have been praised and condemned at the same time. Critics claimed that they serve as nothing but soap boxes (or in some cases pulpits) from which kooks indulge their need for verbal exhibitionism and self-gratification, and so often cause important, even volatile problems to "fizz" away because "real" people didn't take them seriously any more. On the other hand the partisans viewed them as the most democratic form of expression. Everybody could now voice an opinion, on whatever subject they wanted, however they wished. And if problems "fizz" away, there is no blame on the bloggers but on those that cannot use this (over)abundance of information and opinions.

Now, I think that all of us agree that both sides have a point. God only knows that there are a lot of kooks out there :), that's why we stick to our neck of the wood. To our community connected with common interest, in this case SF & F & H (not necessarily in that order). Some of us are active, if not with our blogs than with comments, other just lurkers or occasional visitors. But if we/you wouldn't think that we have something to give, that little piece of that is unique only to us, and that we have the right (or even responsibility) to do it, then you wouldn't be reading this post.

And thinking about the situation described above, I find myself again in similarly ambivalent situation. Some comments to the abovementioned debate, especially those by Robert Walker, claim that this uniqueness should be (my words) harnessed. That an agreement, a convention, a standard should be agreed upon among the bloggers, which would set the basic guidelines for a specific mode of expression:

"What I am suggesting, though, is that following a “convention” like: We call a “review” a piece about a book we read in its entirety, and we call it something else when we didn’t finish the book, can be a good thing for everyone involved. That is the only “standard” I was suggesting. Why? Because I think that there is absolutely no freedom lost (no censoring going on, self- or otherwise), and it also allows for authors to feel that they have been treated fairly. I ask, what’s wrong with that? Again, not down some imaginary slippery slope, but simply on this one concrete issue."[here]

and

"Thus, maybe it *would* be a good time for the blog-reviewers themselves to set some standards. And no, there really isn’t anything wrong with that, because what that allows is progress based on common vocabulary. That’s a hallmark of any important issue/discussion. And I think that one of those standards should be that if you don’t finish a book, by all means, talk about it, say why, describe your shopping list…just don’t call it a “review.” Call it a “not-review” like you were going to. Fine! Great! Something new! That’s one of the great things about the freedom of the internet.
By setting this kind of standard, I think that you can free yourself from feeling any guilt, or worry, about writing whatever you want. Just call it what it is. It’s actually kind of a simple solution. A lot simpler than trying to re-define what a review is, which is a pretty slippery slope. One I don’t think needs to be taken. Gotta pick your battles in life."[here]

Such a sensible, simple request isn't it? Who in their right mind would dare think otherwise. Not me. Mr. Walker definitely has a point (even if I find his tone in the second paragraph of the last quote a bit scary) far be it from me to deny. Go and read some of the work we published on this blog of ours. I read the parts written by ThRiNiDiR and Trin, even the one written by MadWand. Four of us know each other. We may not be the best friends in the world, but we belong to a single cultural circle, we constantly share information and we managed to reach some kind of agreement how a certain "form" (news, review…) should look like. And still it is obvious that four completely different people are at work. And going a step further, one could also go as far as to say that such a convention, standard would help writers create better, more readable books…

But… (not very original I know)

After you finish with this, go and read some of my past reviews.

Carping SOB, aren’t I?

You see, when I describe the book I do it as if the visitor of the blog had already read it. Usually only hinting at the good points, but trying to thoroughly substantiate those in my opinion faulty. Do I, with such writing also misuse the word review? Must I call it musing or somesuch? It is obvious that my writing can be misinterpreted (look at comments here), so must every publication of mine from now on include an apology? Will I from now on be considered "unprofessional"? Should I be ignored? Spammed in comment section?

Well, I refuse to brood on such things!

It is true, symphony can only be created with harmony. And this is where the path that Mr. Walker wants us to follow leads – to a harmonious, respectable, safe and predicable place. There is no doubt in my mind that some among you yearn for such a place, where your words, your work will become respected, quoted and this labour of love finally accepted and rewarded. And yes, I wish for same. But I refuse to leave the beautiful cacophony (never anarchy) and freedom that blogginng provides. I intend to create my one tune, even if a bit fussy, and entwine it with those others create, and if the ultimate judges – the readers/visitors – decide that I am at fault they're free to say so as well, in each and every instance, and so become the note in this tune of mine. And if they decide that my work is to be rewarded and respected, so much the better.

So, reasonable as it may sound I refuse the idea of even miniscule kind of convention or standard to be set beyond the domain of every individual blog. Are we again to be exposed to the tyranny of majority!? No! Each blog and each blogger should (miss)use whatever terminology he/she decides upon and follow the standards and morality of his/hers own choice. If doing so make us look foolish or illiterate so be it. Leave a comment and tell us so, perhaps you'll fare better.

Paul Kearney - The Ten Thousand (Book Review)

"The Ten Thousand" (available for preorder on Amazon: UK, USA)
by Paul Kearney
Format: Paperback, 496 pages
Publisher: Solaris Books

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“The Ten Thousand” lays a new cornerstone for the vastly under-appreciated fantasy author Paul Kearney that marks his rebirth as a writer under the wing of a new publisher, Solaris. They made a sweet deal with Kearney not only to publish his forthcoming standalone novel “The Ten Thousand” -- release date: Aug 26 in US and Sep 1 in UK -- and to re-release his outstanding “Monarchies of God” series encompassed within two hefty omnibuses later this year (Kearney is currently revising the ending of the last book in the series, which he feels that it was rushed and could be done better), but also endorse his decision to complete the “Sea Beggars” trilogy which was unceremoniously dropped by Bantam after the second book because of the low sales. The sole Kearney's novel I’ve read prior to “The Ten Thousand” is “The Mark of Ran” (review) and suffice to say that I had high expectations for this novel which were for the most part met or even exceeded, but for the minor quibbles I had.
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Ten thousand elite mercenaries of a legendary race known as the Macht, renowned for its savage, fearless, but utterly disciplined heavy spearmen, are hired by the Assurian Empire’s prince, who covets his brother’s prestigious throne. From the moment the Macht host crosses the narrow sea separating their homeland from the Empire a new legend begins to shape itself with each step they take further into the heart of the lustrous Empire.
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Before continuing with the review I should warn you that the blurb on the back cover contains a nasty spoiler you would do best to avoid, if the final draft of the text intended for the mass print remains unchanged.

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The main plot line deals with the army of Macht sellswords (sellspears?) fighting for their lives in someone else’s war and their employer’s motives are beyond their caring. All this is not groundbreakingly original, but what counts here is the manner how Kearney manages to pull it through. If I’d pit this novel against, let’s say, the graphic novel/movie “300” -- as it has relatively comparable storyline and themes, and is also based on one of the ancient Greek legends (legend of the Ten Thousand) -- then I’d have to admit that I find “The Ten Thousand” vastly superior in every aspect, except where the CGI animation, en masse popularity and end-profits are concerned.
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The subplots evolve around the fates of several individual soldiers of the Macht and a few other side characters: the young conscripts Gasca and Rictus of Isca, centurion Jason of Ferai, Vorus – the renegade general of the Assurian Empire, and Tyrin, the lowborn Kufr concubine of the upstart prince. But the collective is always at the forefront of attention. Kearney succeeds at making you care for what happens to the Macht army by representing it through the eyes of a few carefully selected individuals; and this achievement makes the novel an assured page-turner. The suspense is held from the beginning until the end, even though I had some problems accepting the fact that an army of ten thousand elite spearmen (no matter how skilled, disciplined or desperate) manages to repel a host at least five times its size, with no fortifications or supporting cavalry.
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Kearney’s prose is as lean as a wolf and reflects the utilitarian nature of his characters. At first I had some difficulties with remembering all the exotic names and unfamiliar terminology, but then, you have a perfectly handy glossary at the end of the novel explaining all the essential words. But no matter how low-key the writing style is, deep insights into the nature of men (and also otherwise) are still found embedded within seemingly trite or just casual observations and character dialogue.
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The land is harsh, unfriendly and stripped bare with the passing of the Macht - leaving only rotting corpses and woe behind them. Depiction of the surroundings fits the emotions, moods and pathos of the mercenaries and serves the purpose of conjuring up a somber impression for the reader quite well. The environmental extremes that the army encounters (freezing cold vs. baking heat) reflects the dual nature of the soldiers themselves; as you can discern from the following passage:

---“ They were soldiers, creatures of appetite and routine with a core of indefinable restlessness at their heart. They were callous, brutal, sentimental, sardonic. They were selfish and selfless. They would knife a man over a copper obol, and would share with him the last of their water. They would trample a masterpiece of art in the dirt and be brought to tears by a veteran’s voice raise in a song. They were the dregs of the earth. They were Macht. ” ---(pg.204)

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It is no secret that the world Kearney created within the novel draws heavily upon ancient Greece and the Persian Empire – the level of fantastical elements is kept at the minimum and without them “The Ten Thousand” could be just as easily categorized under the tag of historical fiction.
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Characterization is utilitarian as well, at times even laconic and contributing to the story only the most necessary elements. I felt myself instantly drawn to Rictus, Gasca, Jason and some others, but as I’ve already stated – it’s the army of the Ten Thousand that bears the role of a main protagonist. The individual characters are there (only) to make the collective more human and palpable. I, for one, would want the relationships between the individual characters more fleshed out, but this clearly wasn’t Kearney ’s intent and I can understand the sense behind the decision.
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All in all, we have before us a juggernaut fantasy novel even though, and because of its relative shortness (496 pages). It’s a brisk, fast paced book that never bogs you down with unnecessary detail. The story deals with the themes of courage, loyalty, friendship and bare survival as any true epic fantasy novel is supposed to - the required harshness is tempered with wit, great action scenes (Kearney is among the best in the field at those!) and moderate pathos that never oversteps the bounds of mawkishness. In “The Ten Thousand” Kearney accumulates all the good stuff from D.Gemmell’s books and mixes it with a pinch of R.Morgan’s style, but keeps his own distinct voice throughout. I would recommend this book to all fans of epic, no bullshit fantasy brewed especially for the modern reader. Be advised though, the novel contains some elements of strong language and has no strong female leads (I just hope that this novel doesn’t get misinterpreted as misogynist…alas, that wouldn’t be the first time for Kearney).
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You can read a free excerpt here (FantasyBookSpot.com exclusive) and a fresh interview with the author (part one, part two) back at Aidan's blog (A Dribble of Ink).
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~ Thrinidir ~

Paul Kearney - The Mark of Ran (Book Review)

Paul Kearney might just be one of the undiscovered, rather than hidden, gems of fantasy fiction. His début “The Way to Babylon” (1992), two subsequent stand alone novels and a more traditional epic fantasy series “Monarchies of God” counting five books, all failed to bring a financial breakthrough even though these books were often praised by critics at least as competent efforts if not beyond that. His latest started (but never finished) trilogy “The Sea Beggars” – the first book of which I am about to review, was sadly dropped by Bantam, Kearney’s publisher at the time, just after the second book. The official explanation was not surprisingly of a financial nature. Hopefully his streak of bad luck will have ended this year with a new upcoming title “The Ten Thousand” (September 2008) backed by a new publisher - Solaris, which also plans to reissue the five Monarchies of God books as an omnibus duo.

Intrigued by Adam’s (The Wertzone) perseverant endorsement of Kearny as a severely underrated author, as well as by the blurb on the cover of “The Mark of Ran”, written by Steven Erikson, proclaiming Kearney as one of the best fantasy authors out there, I’ve decided to read the damned thing myself. And guess what, despite the fact that the book has its flaws, I was still pleasantly surprised and have to agree about the underrated part at least.

The World is slowly dying, forsaken by its Creator. Mankind schemes and plots and makes war across the world, forgetting that they are not its sole inheritors. Another race once dwelled here… We witness the story of Rol Corthisan, an orphan and a farm-boy, whose undisclosed heritage makes him unaware of his hidden potentials – now where have we heard that before? After his safe haven is destroyed he has to seek his only chance at help and knowledge. Afraid and alone he sails through a storm to a neighboring island state, where the mysterious figure of Michal Psellos takes him in. While under his patronage, Rol learns many skills (most of them are about being deadly) as well as finds himself in love with Rowen, his beautiful tutor and the only person besides Rol, who shares his ambiguous status in Michal’s household and is unfamiliar with her parentage. Without giving out too much let me conclude this brief synopsis by revealing that everything is not what it seems to be in the tower of Michal Psellos and after things get complicated and then resolved after a fashion, Rol sets out onto the sea, where a new life awaits him, a life full of danger and opportunities…but even as he tries to run from his personal past, a different kind of past rushes headlong into his direction instead.

“The Mark of Ran” reads like a simple and straight-forward story, which it is after a fashion, but Kearney also manages to transcend such trite generalization with his competent writing skills, fluid narrative, killer pacing, detailed world building (the annexed map and the mythos are intriguing at the least), carefully deployed mystery element of the general plot and the likeability of the characters, as well as plausibility of their actions. I’m not sure why, maybe the cover blurb is to fault for the comparison, but Kearney’s prose seems in a way akin to that of Erikson – the flow of narrative for example. If I tried hard enough I might also find some similarities between Rol and Crokus (a character in Erikson’s “Malazan Book of The Fallen” series).

Where the story starts to drop in intensity is well into the second half of the novel, which follows Rol as he traverses the seas as a sailor/officer. The seafaring part cannot possibly match up to the earlier chapters. Rol’s growth as a character seems to stall significantly in exchange for (in my opinion) filler action scenes and seemingly random courses in seamanship. The terminology itself didn’t bother me that much, but if you are not interested in principles of sailing and (old) sea vessels this sections of the book might bore you some.

Otherwise, I have to congratulate Kearney for not being afraid to kill people in his book, although the main cast seems a bit untouchable at moments. The body count is quite high in the end. One other thing I liked is how Kearney handles the love story - well not the love part of the story per se, it is only that he treads around this theme really elegantly, showing us love's bitter-sweet side without overdoing it.

With barely under 400 pages this novel rarely falters. “The Mark of Ran” is a well executed epic fantasy, which doesn't deserve to be buried under a heap of unremarkable fiction littering the market. (I will save the peculiar story of how I got this book for later.) All in all, this novel is more than a decent read and although a bit short of brilliant, it still made me eager to read its sequel - "The Forsaken Earth".

3,5/5

- Thrinidir -