Reviews Written By: A1Z81GM85KH5XSprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | Stone of Farewell | |
 | "Middle book blues" | 2009-09-10 |
| 'The Stone of Farewell' is the middle book of Tad Williams's 'Memory, Sorrow & Thorn' trilogy, and as such it is a bit of a mixed bag. The positives include appealing characters, several interesting plot lines and a comprehensive back story for his world. The negatives include a slow paced and somewhat mundane plot. The whole book feels like Williams is maneuvering the pieces around on the chessboard to get them where he wants them for the final book without regard to making the journey compelling. This wouldn't necessarily be an issue, except 'The Stone of Farewell' weighs in at 700+ pages in paperback. This was a definite step back from 'The Dragonbone Chair'. | ||
 | The Dragonbone Chair | |
 | "Good but not groundbreaking" | 2009-08-27 |
| 'The Dragonbone Chair' follows teen aged Simon, scullion in the castle of High King Prester John. When Prester John dies his son Elias inherits the throne, and a shadow falls over the kingdom. Simon finds himself caught up in the dispute between King Elias and his brother Josua, as well as the machinations of the evil Priest Pyrates. Ultimately he is forced to flee the castle and take part in a desperate quest to find the legendary sword- Thorn.
This is book one of 'Memory Sorrow and Thorn'. Tad Williams is not breaking new ground here, but still it is fairly good. Many complain that it takes too long to get going but I didn't really find that to be an issue. Although the main focus is on Simon, Williams switches frequently to other character's story arcs.The world building is pretty good, with several human cultures, trolls and the immortal Sithi, and lots of names with apostrophes. | ||
 | Until the Sun Falls | |
| ""We are sworn to conquer the world"" | 2009-07-18 |
| "We are sworn to conquer the world, and to do so we will fight until the sun falls"- Psin
Except for the name Genghis Khan, not much is now remembered in the popular mind of the largest contiguous land empire in history. At its height in the 13th century the Mongol empire stretched through most of Eurasia from China to Austria. 'Until the Sun Falls' by Cecelia Holland tells the story of the General Psin and the Mongol advance through Russia to the gates of Vienna. Cecelia Holland deftly intertwines battles, political intrigue and family conflicts into a well written story. It is a very interesting narrative full of action and violence. Told from the Mongols point of view, Holland depicts the brutality of their conquest while still representing their culture sympathetically. A valuable insight into one of the most important chapters in world history, much neglected in the west, and a good story well told. | ||
 | Lilith | |
| "Classic Fantasy" | 2009-05-12 |
| George MacDonald's 'Lilith' is a a classic of fantasy fiction. Largely allegorical, it tells the tale of Mr. Vane's adventure's 'through the looking glass' as it were. Mr. Vane has many strange adventures but the story meanders somewhat until Mr.Vane encounters Lilith, from here the story picks up. But as others have noted, MacDonald is not the best writer, often it is not exactly clear what is happening, as one example it is often unclear which of the two leopardesses is being referred to at any time. As for the theological arguments being advanced by MacDonald I am not qualified to offer an opinion. The average reader will probably be unimpressed but for those interested in religious allegory or classic fantasy there is much to admire, as there are many memorable episodes and interesting ideas within the novel. | ||
 | Cugel's Saga | |
| "Eyes of the Overworld redux" | 2009-03-15 |
| 'Cugel's Saga' is the third book in the 'Dying Earth' series by Jack Vance. Like the previous book ,'The Eyes of the Overworld', the story tells of the journey of the thief and grifter, Cugel, to escape exile and return to his home to gain revenge on Iucounu the magician who sent him to exile twice. In broad outline the two books are the same, but this time Cugel is a much more sympathetic character than in 'The Eyes of the Overworld'. Here Cugel is almost a lovable loser as in several adventures he seems on the verge of success and riches only to barely escape with his life. Through every misfortune Cugel slowly makes his way home to his final confrontation with Iucounu. The adventures are full Vance's trademark wonderful dialogue and strange imaginative situations. | ||
 | The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 5) | |
| "The Final Installment" | 2009-02-01 |
| 'The Wrath of Mulgarath' is the fifth and final book of 'The Spiderwick Chronicles'. It brings everything to a final satisfactory, albeit rushed, conclusion. Overall the series was good, and I definitely would recommend it for tweens. It has a fairly engaging story, great illustrations and is a good introduction to fantasy. Adults, on the other hand, will find it episodic, rushed and somewhat insubstantial. As well the fact that the story is split into five separate books is also somewhat annoying. | ||
 | Lord of Chaos | |
| "Halfway there!" | 2009-01-28 |
| 'Lord of Chaos' is book six of a projected twelve (!) in the 'Wheel of Time' series. The series is now firmly less an adventure story and more like a political thriller (fantasy style). There are plots and schemes and machinations and conspiracies galore. In fact I would say there are too many subplots and way too many characters- especially give Jordan's penchant for naming everyone and everything (including horses!). Having said that although I think the series could use a lot of trimming, I'm still caught up in the storyline and can't wait to find out what comes next. My understanding is that next few books are a lot like this one. We'll see if the momentum from the first five books is enough to carry me through. | ||
 | Book 6: Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, ISBN 1590073959 | |
| "Halfway there!" | 2009-01-28 |
| 'Lord of Chaos' is book six of a projected twelve (!) in the 'Wheel of Time' series. The series is now firmly less an adventure story and more like a political thriller (fantasy style). There are plots and schemes and machinations and conspiracies galore. In fact I would say there are too many subplots and way too many characters- especially give Jordan's penchant for naming everyone and everything (including horses!). Having said that although I think the series could use a lot of trimming, I'm still caught up in the storyline and can't wait to find out what comes next. My understanding is that next few books are a lot like this one. We'll see if the momentum from the first five books is enough to carry me through. | ||
 | The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 4) | |
 | "lost momentum" | 2009-01-08 |
| 'The Ironwood Tree' is the fourth book of 'The Spiderwick Chronicles'. Like the previous books 'The Ironwood Tree' has wonderful illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi, however unlike the previous books it does not have a strong story to match. This volume finds the Grace kids undertaking adventures in an abandoned quarry after Mallory is kidnapped by Dwarves. The larger story loses a lot of momentum as this book doesn't really serve to advance the plot. In most books a side adventure like this wouldn't matter too much, but with the books being as short as they are this amounts to 20% of the whole story wasted on, frankly a lackluster, digression. Hopefully things will pick up for the last book. | ||
| SWORD OF LICTOR | |
| "volume three" | 2009-01-01 |
| 'The Sword of the Lictor' is volume three of Gene Wolfe's 'Book of the New Sun', so you probably don't want to read this one first. We follow the further adventures of Severian as he reaches the city of Thrax to take up his duties as Lictor. However again he shows mercy to a client and if forced to flee the city into the mountainous wilds of the north. Like the previous two books this is a multi-layered story with many allusions not all (or even most) of which I grasped. Still it was an enjoyable read and an entertaining story with some memorable scenes and a compelling setting. I am looking forward to the concluding volume. | ||
 | A Wrinkle in Time | |
| "ok as an introduction for kids to sci-fi and fantasy" | 2008-12-20 |
| ''A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle tells the story of Meg Murray, a sullen adolescent, who with her very precocious younger brother is trying to find their father, missing while on a secret government mission. They are aided in their quest by three alien beings: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. With their help Meg and her brother travel throughout the galaxy, learn what has happened to their father and confront a monstrous evil. 'A Wrinkle in Time' reminded me a lot of what would happen if CS Lewis had written his 'Space Trilogy' for children. However L'Engle is not as good a writer as Lewis, and the plot is a little bit of a mess. Like Lewis's Narnian Chronicles there is a Christian theme to this book, but it is much more overt. Written in the late fifties the book describes the battle between good and evil. Evil is represented by the planet of Camazotz, which is obviously meant to evoke an authoritarian communist society. Subtlety is not L'Engle's strong suit, although to be fair it is a kid's book. The theme of the value of the individual and freedom is a worthy one in my opinion and kids will enjoy the story without noticing any of the problems that bothered me. It is a good book to introduce them to fantasy and science fiction, especially for young girls, as Meg is an admirable heroine. | ||
 | A Wrinkle in Time | |
| "ok as an introduction for kids to sci-fi and fantasy" | 2008-12-20 |
| ''A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle tells the story of Meg Murray, a sullen adolescent, who with her very precocious younger brother is trying to find their father, missing while on a secret government mission. They are aided in their quest by three alien beings: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. With their help Meg and her brother travel throughout the galaxy, learn what has happened to their father and confront a monstrous evil. 'A Wrinkle in Time' reminded me a lot of what would happen if CS Lewis had written his 'Space Trilogy' for children. However L'Engle is not as good a writer as Lewis, and the plot is a little bit of a mess. Like Lewis's Narnian Chronicles there is a Christian theme to this book, but it is much more overt. Written in the late fifties the book describes the battle between good and evil. Evil is represented by the planet of Camazotz, which is obviously meant to evoke an authoritarian communist society. Subtlety is not L'Engle's strong suit, although to be fair it is a kid's book. The theme of the value of the individual and freedom is a worthy one in my opinion and kids will enjoy the story without noticing any of the problems that bothered me. It is a good book to introduce them to fantasy and science fiction, especially for young girls, as Meg is an admirable heroine. | ||
 | A Wrinkle in Time | |
| "ok as an introduction for kids to sci-fi and fantasy" | 2008-12-20 |
| ''A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle tells the story of Meg Murray, a sullen adolescent, who with her very precocious younger brother is trying to find their father, missing while on a secret government mission. They are aided in their quest by three alien beings: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. With their help Meg and her brother travel throughout the galaxy, learn what has happened to their father and confront a monstrous evil. 'A Wrinkle in Time' reminded me a lot of what would happen if CS Lewis had written his 'Space Trilogy' for children. However L'Engle is not as good a writer as Lewis, and the plot is a little bit of a mess. Like Lewis's Narnian Chronicles there is a Christian theme to this book, but it is much more overt. Written in the late fifties the book describes the battle between good and evil. Evil is represented by the planet of Camazotz, which is obviously meant to evoke an authoritarian communist society. Subtlety is not L'Engle's strong suit, although to be fair it is a kid's book. The theme of the value of the individual and freedom is a worthy one in my opinion and kids will enjoy the story without noticing any of the problems that bothered me. It is a good book to introduce them to fantasy and science fiction, especially for young girls, as Meg is an admirable heroine. | ||
 | A Wrinkle in Time | |
| "ok as an introduction for kids to sci-fi and fantasy" | 2008-12-20 |
| ''A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle tells the story of Meg Murray, a sullen adolescent, who with her very precocious younger brother is trying to find their father, missing while on a secret government mission. They are aided in their quest by three alien beings: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. With their help Meg and her brother travel throughout the galaxy, learn what has happened to their father and confront a monstrous evil. 'A Wrinkle in Time' reminded me a lot of what would happen if CS Lewis had written his 'Space Trilogy' for children. However L'Engle is not as good a writer as Lewis, and the plot is a little bit of a mess. Like Lewis's Narnian Chronicles there is a Christian theme to this book, but it is much more overt. Written in the late fifties the book describes the battle between good and evil. Evil is represented by the planet of Camazotz, which is obviously meant to evoke an authoritarian communist society. Subtlety is not L'Engle's strong suit, although to be fair it is a kid's book. The theme of the value of the individual and freedom is a worthy one in my opinion and kids will enjoy the story without noticing any of the problems that bothered me. It is a good book to introduce them to fantasy and science fiction, especially for young girls, as Meg is an admirable heroine. | ||
 | The Time Quartet Box Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters) | |
| "ok as an introduction for kids to sci-fi and fantasy" | 2008-12-20 |
| ''A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle tells the story of Meg Murray, a sullen adolescent, who with her very precocious younger brother is trying to find their father, missing while on a secret government mission. They are aided in their quest by three alien beings: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. With their help Meg and her brother travel throughout the galaxy, learn what has happened to their father and confront a monstrous evil. 'A Wrinkle in Time' reminded me a lot of what would happen if CS Lewis had written his 'Space Trilogy' for children. However L'Engle is not as good a writer as Lewis, and the plot is a little bit of a mess. Like Lewis's Narnian Chronicles there is a Christian theme to this book, but it is much more overt. Written in the late fifties the book describes the battle between good and evil. Evil is represented by the planet of Camazotz, which is obviously meant to evoke an authoritarian communist society. Subtlety is not L'Engle's strong suit, although to be fair it is a kid's book. The theme of the value of the individual and freedom is a worthy one in my opinion and kids will enjoy the story without noticing any of the problems that bothered me. It is a good book to introduce them to fantasy and science fiction, especially for young girls, as Meg is an admirable heroine. | ||
 | The Illuminatus! Trilogy : The Eye in the Pyramid, The Golden Apple, Leviathan | |
| "Dated but interesting" | 2008-12-04 |
| 'The Illuminatus Trilogy' by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, is a cult classic of speculative fiction. 'Trilogy' implies three books and in fact the novel was originally published as three volumes to save on printing costs (cf. The Lord of the Rings) but is really one continuous story. The three parts are:'The Eye in the Pyramid', The Golden Apple' and 'Leviathan'. The novel, published in 1975 is a satire of modern conspiracy theories. It is a difficult read as Wilson and Shea shift characters, scenes and time frames continuously, often in the same paragraph. Added to that are a multitude of characters and references to events and people that have passed out of popular consciousness over the last 25 years since the book was published (Wikipedia is your friend here). The novel is very much of its time with a definite early 70's 'counterculture' vibe. My advice is to just go with the flow and not worry too much if you can't follow the plot or remember who a specific character was, since that is not the aim of the authors. Instead the novel is a vehicle for Shea and Wilson to satirize the paranoia and conspiracy theories prevalent in the late 60's and early 70's, as well as to espouse their political and social ideas. When I chose to read ' The Illuminatus Trilogy' I was expecting a classic conspiracy thriller like 'The Da Vinci Code'. In fact this novel has been described as the grandfather of conspiracy fiction. However it becomes clear quickly that the authors don't take the Illuminatus conspiracy very seriously and in fact are pushing conspiracy theory to absurd lengths in order to make their points about modern society. Many of their ideas are interesting and the book definitely has had a deep (albeit narrow) influence on popular culture | ||
| Eyes of the Overworld | |
| "Adventures of Cugel (the clever)" | 2008-10-29 |
| Cugel (self proclaimed 'the clever) attempts to burgle the castle of Iucounu the Laughing Magician, but is caught. In punishment Iucounu sends Cugel to obtain one of the fabled Eyes of the Overworld to match one already in the wizard's possession. To ensure Cugel's loyalty Iucounu afixes a sentient alien of barbs and hooks to Cugel's liver. Whenever Cugel wavers from his purpose Firx inflicts him with terrible pain. The story chronicles Cugel's subsequent adventures to obtain the jewel and return. 'The Eyes of the Overworld'(aka 'Cugel the Clever') is the sequel to Jack Vance's 'The Dying Earth'. Unlike the 'The Dying Earth' which was a series of loosely related stories, 'The Eyes of the Overworld', although episodic, is one continuous story. Vance again demonstrates his inventive imagination, his humour as well as his wonderful ear for dialogue. The one drawback is Cugel himself. He is completely amoral, selfish, pitiless and generally unsympathetic. A rogue with a heart of gold he most definitely is not. | ||
| The Green Man | |
| "Interesting mix of horror and satire" | 2008-09-23 |
| Kingsley Amis's 'The Green Man' is an interesting mix of horror and satire. Maurice Allington is the alcoholic owner of The Green Man Inn, whose main preoccupation is trying to convince his wife and mistress to have a menage a trois. The Green Man Inn dates back several centuries and is reputed to be haunted, although Maurice himself had never seen anything in his years as owner, until one night he sees a mysterious red headed woman on his stair. This is followed by the sudden death of his father who appeared to have seen something before dying of a stroke. Other strange occurrences follow, but his doctor and family think they are hallucinations brought on by stress and excessive drinking. Unfortunately the story loses a lot of its momentum when God (appearing as a well dressed young man) pays a visit. The scene is clever and funny, but Amis sacrifices all the suspenseful buildup to write a clever piece of satire. More successful is the character of the agnostic local Anglican priest, although I didn't think Amis explored all the possibilities inherent in that character given the nature of the story. Still a very enjoyable read, just keep in mind it's not a straight horror story. | ||
 | The Green Man | |
| "Interesting mix of horror and satire" | 2008-09-23 |
| Kingsley Amis's 'The Green Man' is an interesting mix of horror and satire. Maurice Allington is the alcoholic owner of The Green Man Inn, whose main preoccupation is trying to convince his wife and mistress to have a menage a trois. The Green Man Inn dates back several centuries and is reputed to be haunted, although Maurice himself had never seen anything in his years as owner, until one night he sees a mysterious red headed woman on his stair. This is followed by the sudden death of his father who appeared to have seen something before dying of a stroke. Other strange occurrences follow, but his doctor and family think they are hallucinations brought on by stress and excessive drinking. Unfortunately the story loses a lot of its momentum when God (appearing as a well dressed young man) pays a visit. The scene is clever and funny, but Amis sacrifices all the suspenseful buildup to write a clever piece of satire. More successful is the character of the agnostic local Anglican priest, although I didn't think Amis explored all the possibilities inherent in that character given the nature of the story. Still a very enjoyable read, just keep in mind it's not a straight horror story. | ||
 | White Gold Wielder | |
| "End of the second Chronicles" | 2008-09-20 |
| 'White Gold Wielder' brings 'The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever' to a close. Covenant, Avery and the Giants return to the Land in order to quench the Banefire and defeat the Clave. Donaldson manages to wrap things up well, answering most questions adequately, although I would have liked a more thorough explanation for Vain. Looking forward to the 'Last Chronicles'. | ||
 | The One Tree | |
| "Search for the One Tree" | 2008-09-11 |
| 'The One Tree' is the second book in 'The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. It is a direct continuation of 'The Wounded Land' which should be read first.br / When we last left Covenant he had decided that the only way to fight the Lor Foul's Sunbane was to create a new Staff of Law to replace the one Covenant had destroyed in the first trilogy. So he enlisted the help of the giants and their ship to search for the One Tree in oder to create a new Staff.br /Like the middle book of the first trilogy which focused on Hile Troy for much of it, 'The One Tree' focuses on Linden Avery's point of view for most of the story. The story drags a little when the quest is on board the ship, but the scenes on land are better. Especially good were the scenes with the wizard Kasreyn and the Sandgorgon. Besides the slow sections this installment definitely has a couple of weak points. First of all the character of Findail is annoying. He keeps warning Covenant not to do something, but won't say why, so naturally Covenant does it anyway and disaster ensues, then Findail complains that no one listens to him. It's pointless. Secondly the whole plight of the Land seems a lot less terrible when it becomes clear that the Land is only one part of a much bigger world. Part of the attraction to 'The One Tree' is the introduction of places outside the Land but at the same time it dilutes the urgency of the fight against Lord Foul. Finally the fact that the whole quest ends in failure, with very little to show for it leaves the reader with kind of a 'what was the point' vibe. br /To sum 'The One Tree' is somewhat uneven, and not as good as 'The Wounded Land', but still enjoyable as it introduces new vistas and provides interesting background for the series as a whole. | ||
 | The Wounded Land | |
| "Return to the Land" | 2008-09-04 |
| It is 10 years after 'The First Chronicles' and Thomas Covenent has returned to the Land. It has been 4,000 years by the Land's reckoning, and much has changed. The land is plagued by the Sunbane, a corruption of the sun which causes either rainstorms, desertification, putrefaction or unrestrained fertility for days at a time. Summoned with Covenenat to the Land is Linden Avery a doctor in our world with a troubled past. br /'The Wounded Land' is the first book of 'The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. As good as the first series was 'The Wounded Land' is even better. The horrors of the Sunbane are well conceived (reminding me somewhat of David Lindsay's 'Voyage to Arcturus') and Covenant is a much more symapthetic figure this time around. | ||
 | Post Captain (Aubrey-Maturin (Paperback)) | |
| "Good followup" | 2008-08-16 |
| The second book in Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, 'Post Captain' is a worthy follow up to 'Master & Commander'. This novel has the usual naval action, but much of it takes place on land giving the reader a broader overview of English society in the early years of the 1800's. I have some quibbles, the difficulty in understanding nautical terms and 19th century slang made following the plot difficult at times, which was compounded by O'Brian's writing style, where scenes change without warning. Also I found the lack of a map(s) irritating. On the other side of the scale there is the fascinating detail in not just naval life in the Napoleonic era, but life in early 19th century England in general. There is also the wonderful characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. And of course lots of action with the occasional bit of humour (for example Stephen's bees on the 'HMS Lively') | ||
 | Post Captain (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) | |
| "Good followup" | 2008-08-16 |
| The second book in Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, 'Post Captain' is a worthy follow up to 'Master & Commander'. This novel has the usual naval action, but much of it takes place on land giving the reader a broader overview of English society in the early years of the 1800's. I have some quibbles, the difficulty in understanding nautical terms and 19th century slang made following the plot difficult at times, which was compounded by O'Brian's writing style, where scenes change without warning. Also I found the lack of a map(s) irritating. On the other side of the scale there is the fascinating detail in not just naval life in the Napoleonic era, but life in early 19th century England in general. There is also the wonderful characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. And of course lots of action with the occasional bit of humour (for example Stephen's bees on the 'HMS Lively') | ||
 | Post Captain | |
| "Good followup" | 2008-08-16 |
| The second book in Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, 'Post Captain' is a worthy follow up to 'Master & Commander'. This novel has the usual naval action, but much of it takes place on land giving the reader a broader overview of English society in the early years of the 1800's. I have some quibbles, the difficulty in understanding nautical terms and 19th century slang made following the plot difficult at times, which was compounded by O'Brian's writing style, where scenes change without warning. Also I found the lack of a map(s) irritating. On the other side of the scale there is the fascinating detail in not just naval life in the Napoleonic era, but life in early 19th century England in general. There is also the wonderful characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. And of course lots of action with the occasional bit of humour (for example Stephen's bees on the 'HMS Lively') | ||
 | Post Captain | |
| "Good followup" | 2008-08-16 |
| The second book in Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, 'Post Captain' is a worthy follow up to 'Master & Commander'. This novel has the usual naval action, but much of it takes place on land giving the reader a broader overview of English society in the early years of the 1800's. I have some quibbles, the difficulty in understanding nautical terms and 19th century slang made following the plot difficult at times, which was compounded by O'Brian's writing style, where scenes change without warning. Also I found the lack of a map(s) irritating. On the other side of the scale there is the fascinating detail in not just naval life in the Napoleonic era, but life in early 19th century England in general. There is also the wonderful characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. And of course lots of action with the occasional bit of humour (for example Stephen's bees on the 'HMS Lively') | ||
 | Imperial Earth | |
| "Plot is secondary" | 2008-07-30 |
| The year is 2276 much of the solar system has been colonized. Duncan Makenzie of the most important family of (Saturn's moon) Titan is traveling to Earth for the first time to partake in the 500th anniversary of the US declaration of independence, and also to clone himself to continue the family line (he is himself a clone). The plot is of minimal interest, it is just a vehicle for Clarke to expand on various ideas- cloning, living on Titan, space travel, the search for extra terrestrial life, mathematical puzzles and what Earth's culture and society might look like 300 years from now. These are all interesting in their way, but the novel as a whole suffers from a rather pedestrian plot. For fans of 'idea' science fiction only. | ||
 | The Trial | |
| "One of the most important writers of the 20th century" | 2008-07-26 |
| One morning Joseph K. is arrested. It is never made clear what the charges are, but K. always maintains his innocence, as he grapples with a bureaucracy that slowly strangles his career and consumes his life. Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' was published posthumously shortly after his death. It was never completely finished and it was unclear how the chapters were to be ordered. It is no surprise then that the plot is somewhat episodic. I had expected the story to be a dystopian nightmare, instead it was blackly humourous as K. deals with the judicial bureaucracy and various absurd situations. There are many themes and interpretations, but the most obvious (and to me the most relevant) is the power of government and bureaucracy to destroy lives, not through active malice but as an impersonal force like a car driving over a squirrel . Once K. has been arrested he can never be acquitted, he can only hope to delay the final guilty verdict. 'The Trial' is a monumentally important work, that is more relevant than ever as government and its attendant bureaucracies have more impact on our lives with every passing year. | ||
 | The Power That Preserves | |
| "Last of the first chronicles" | 2008-07-23 |
| 'The Power That Preserves' is the last book in the first 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. Covenant returns to the land after a few days in the real world where is health and state of mind have deteriorated considerably. When he returns to the Land he finds that seven years have passed and the Land is in dire straits as Lord Foul has besieged the Lords at Revelstone and the Land is permanently in winter. This is the best of the first trilogy as the various threads are brought together and concluded. As well Covenant has lost almost all his bitterness and has come to terms with the land even if he still does not believe its reality. The parallels between Covenant's health and the well being of the land is most explicit in this book- Lord Foul is the leprosy of the Land and if Covenant can 'cure' the land then Covenant can if not cure his own leprosy at least come to terms with it. A good conclusion to an excellent series, but it would get even better with the second chronicles. | ||
 | Illearth War | |
| "Part two of First Chronicle" | 2008-07-19 |
| 'The Illearth War' is the second part of the 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever'. In this installment Covenant returns just a week later in real time, to find that 40 years has passed in the Land. Lord Foul is on the move and High Lord Elena has summoned him in the Land's time of need. Part of the problem with the first installment, 'Lord Foul's Bane', was that Covenant was so bitter and unsympathetic. This time Covenant is basically absent for the middle section of the book, giving the reader some respite from Covenant's perpetual dourness. The middle section centers on Hile Troy, another person from the real world. In the first book Donaldson tried to make it ambiguous whether the Land was 'real' or just a creation of Covenant's fevered mind. Centering the story on Troy with Covenant absent for so long weakens that plot device although Donaldson tries to reinforce it again at the end of the book. Even when Covenant is front and center he doesn't do anything. His relationship with Elena borders on the incestuous and makes for some cringe inducing scenes. Still for all that, it is a good book, although if I remember correctly the next one,' The Power That Preserves' is the best of the first trilogy | ||
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