A Clash of Kings

Title: A Clash of Kings
Author: George R. R. Martin
Published: 1999
Genre: fiction - fantasy

started: Jul.24/11
finished: Aug.9/11

((Books before this: A Game of Thrones))

I have already read the first book in this series and thought it was excellent. I recommend watching the first season of the HBO series as well. Now I am on to the second book. My thoughts soon to follow.

Aug.2/11
(322 pages in)

So far I am enjoying the continuation of the story. The intrigues continue, and some characters are experiencing adventure/journeys through the world. Some characters are gone and we are seeing points-of-view from new characters.

The Starks are:                                         Others:
Catelyn                                                     Tyrion
Sansa                                                       Theon (new PoV)
Arya                                                         Davos (new PoV)
Bran                                                         Daenerys
Jon

War is raging though much of the focus is still on the intrigues rather than the battles and on those characters that are on the road trying to reach a specific destination. There are still wheels within wheels, plots within plots. Many of the adults are busy trying to find a way to claim the throne for themselves or to find a way to end the war.

these are potential, minor, spoilers:

• Tyrion does justice and plots peace
• Arya finds adventure...not necessarily to her benefit
• Jon gets to see beyond the wall and experiences what it's like to be a ranger
• Bran begins to remember...and holds down Winterfell for his older brother
• Daenerys leads the remnants of her Khalesar and seeks to leave the lands of the Dothraki
• Theon plots
• Sansa hopes to leave Kingslanding and go home.
• Catelyn guides Robb, now king of the north
• Davos fears for Stannis and the future and worries about a new god come to Westeros.

Some of these characters I care about and look forward to their next chapter. Others I feel little liking for. Martin is very good at creating diverse and interesting characters. Some I, as a reader, feel connected to easily. Others I dislike strongly and don't care about because of my dislike, but there are very few characters I don't feel something for. There are few characters i don't connect with in some way and feel indifferent about and this is a mark of a good author.

Aug.9/11
final thoughts:

I meant to give my thoughts around 600 pages in but got busy, so here are my thoughts now that I've finished the book.

Oh how I wish I had bought the next book as well. One of the great things about Martin is that his writing style is gripping and he leaves off with a lingering anticipation of what is coming next. At the same time though he sets the characters onto the next leg of their journey (physical, emotional or other) before the end of the book which really creates that sense of anticipation but also gives a feeling that what has happened in the current book has been wrapped up in a way even though none of the characters have come to the end of their journey. It is a feeling that the characters are stepping into the next phase of their journey when the reader picks up the next book.

One of the things I think that makes a great writer is not being afraid to do the unpleasant thing to the characters. Martin is one of these authors. He is not afraid to kill characters,, even those that are likable, to further the story. If the story seems to call for something, a capture, a violation, a breaking of oaths or a death he is willing to put that in the story even if the readers might be bothered by it. It makes the characters more compelling as well. A character that doesn't have to struggle is not as interesting as a character that as an easy time of it.

He also adds PoVs to the story. With one or two lost in one book, more may be added to the next. I am excited to see who else's PoV might be added in the next book...but hope also that he will still follow other characters that I've become to look forward to reading about.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely, yes.

Who would I recommend this book to? 

I would recommend this to pretty much anyone. Those readers who are particular fans of "epic" fantasy would certainly enjoy this. Much of the story focuses on intrigues so to some it might feel (as some have said) like a kind of soap-opera but really intrigues go much deeper than what is typically seen on a soap-opera. this book also has more of warfare and battle and more travelling and adventure as well. There is less time sitting in great halls and talking or feasting and sneaking around, though it does have these elements as well.

Who would I not recommend this book to?

The book is nearly 1000 pages and so anyone who is just starting to get into reading fantasy or who is daunted by long books might find the book intimidating. The story itself has a smooth flow and the chapters are usually of a good length (on average about 12 pages, sometimes more or less). The character PoVs change from chapter to chapter so that it does not feel as if it is dwelling on a specific event or character for too long and keeps a flow of time and a sense of movement and time passing so that it never feels like it is dragging.

((Next book in the series: "A Storm of Swords"))

Inuyasha (omnibus) v.5

Name: Inuyasha v.5 (omnibus/vizbig)
Author: Rumiko Takahashi
Published: 1997/2010
Genre: fiction - supernatural/fantasy manga (shonen)

started: Jul.23/11
finished: Jul.24/11

Yes, it's true. I read manga and comic books/graphic novels too. I gravitate toward supernatural or fantasy based stories more than anything else...so that means mostly Shonen, action based manga. Of course there are shoujo manga as well that are fantasy/supernatural based. I have a few that have been recommended to me from a friend that I mean to try out and maybe read my way through but we will see how I like them.

I like Inuyasha, though I admit to watching the anime first. I like the characters and the main plot as well as the romantic undercurrents that are not too in the reader's face but still there. I don't mind romance (after all, the journal before this one is about Pride and Prejudice) but I generally prefer stories that have more at stake and in some ways this is true of Inuyasha. True the characters are teenagers and thus sulky and at times whiny but what teenagers aren't? I prefer that too teenagers that are too mature considering their age. Really in the end Inuyasha is a guilty pleasure that I just enjoy reading.

((oddly random musings))
It always interests me to note what changes are made when adapting a manga to anime. It seems that it isn't unusual for scenes to be added rather than eliminated in many cases. There are times when scenes get the axe or are shortened but I have come across many more cases where scenes are added...or at least fleshed out, I suppose to explain plot points or just to fill an episode maybe. Still...I find that in the case of manga and anime the changes are less obvious compared to when books are adapted to movies and the like. Of course maybe I am just biased or have not read enough manga and also watched the anime. I know that entire arcs are added to anime to buy time as the manga are worked on so that the episodes do not catch up to the anime too quickly but I haven't come across too many occasions when entire pieces of the story are cut out. I'll have to read more manga and watch the corresponding anime to see if this is entirely true though.
((end random musings))

Not much else to add about the manga. The anime, which I have already watched, does seem to keep fairly close to the manga...with only minor changes to how scenes look or play out. I do enjoy the story. I enjoy adventures and don't mind the underlying currents of romance. It really is a story between teenagers and so one can expect them to act in that way even despite the mature circumstances that they find themselves in. Some might find that annoying since they have a tendency to bicker over things when they should be worrying about more dire concerns but when things get serious they are usually able to put that aside and get things done.

((I will probably not "review" ever volume of the manga unless I have something specific to that particular part to comment on. If I have musings or something to add I will comment. If not I will refer potential readers back to this journal and/or any others I have elaborated on.))

Would I recommend it? Yes. 

Who would like this?

People who like adventure stories would probably enjoy it. Those who have read other shonen stories or like fantasy stories would probably enjoy this. It is a teen focused story (meaning the characters are teens, not that the reader necessarily needs to be a teen) and so that should be taken into account. If the reader doesn't mind then it might be enjoyed. if the reader enjoys stories not only based in another country but that are true to the culture (since this is written and published in Japan) then this would be enjoyable. I would recommend this to readers of shoujo manga as well since there are elements of romance to the story though the focus is not on them as much.
((It is harder to pick out what a person would find enjoyable in a manga than with a book.. I have no idea why though.))

Who would not like this?
Anyone who  tends to be impatient when it comesn to the foibles of teenagers. Anyone who isn't able to take into account that it is written, published and based in Japan and so the culture, personalities, humour etc are based in that. If the reader is looking for something of greater depth they might be disappointed. Though there is much to the story and has many layers it might not be as compelling to someone who is looking for something contemplative rather than an escape.

Pride and Prejudice

Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Published: 1813
Genre: fiction-classic fiction

Started: Jul.15/11
Finished: Jul.23/11

I have read this novel before and enjoyed it enough to be reading it a second time. For me, despite the Victorian language being used, I don't find it difficult though I suppose some might. It is not an action packed story in anyway but I like the wit of it and I would say that it is Victorian England's version of brain candy or fluff, a somewhat silly story about first impressions and perhaps a commentary on society as it was at that time.

I always enjoy reading Pride and Prejudice though my first introduction to it was from watching the BBC miniseries, which closely if not perfectly matches the book. The book is not necessarily easy to read but I do find it enjoyable. The language, old fashioned and what would be considered pretentious in modern writing, makes it harder to read than the more colloquial writing of modern fiction (excepting maybe literature which, in my opinion, by its very nature is pretentious. I'm sure there are many out there who would disagree with me though...but I have read more than one overly pretentious literary short story.)

The story itself is, as I said above, really the Victorian version of brain candy/fluff. Except for the underlying moral of not making judgements based on first impressions, the story is really primarily about a family comprising five daughters who are looking for advantageous matches, mainly because when their father dies their home will go to a cousin rather to any of them as an inheritance. This accounts for the importance placed on marrying off the daughters to advantage. The main of the story is about the consequences that follow from making judgements based on first impressions, especially if they are not very good, but also that even if they are good, without knowing the history of a person consequences can follow, which of course they do.

I personally find the story fun to read, witty and enjoyable. That I have seen the BBC miniseries and the movie starring Kiera Knightly does mean that I read the story a little differently, I think, than one who has never seen the screen versions of the story.  I enjoy reading classics most of the time and so don't find the language as difficult as others might. I appreciate the witty nature of the main character and her strength considering the time that the book was written. I would have to say though that Jane Austen's books are something that not everyone is going to enjoy.

Would I recommend this book: Yes, but not to everyone.

Who would enjoy it?

Anyone who enjoys classic literature would enjoy this, especially if they are interested in romantic stories and particularly if they enjoy Victorian Romance. This cannot be compared to Bridget Jones' Diary or the Shopaholic books, this book is a harder read than those, but I would say it is similar in the nature of the plot. I would say it is the Victorian era version of those sorts of books. Anyone who enjoys the Bronte sisters' books might enjoy this though this book does not have the darker undercurrents that underlie the stories by the Brontes.

Who would not enjoy it?

Anyone who doesn't enjoy the occasional lighter read will probably not see reading this book worth the effort. Anyone who doesn't enjoy Victorian language or classic literature in general will probably not want to bother with this book. It is not a dark story nor has it really very much in the way of dark undercurrents. If one gravitates toward darker tales might find this too light for their taste.

Kushiel's Dart

Title: Kushiel's Dart
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Published: 2001
Genre: fiction-fantasy

Started: Jun.24/11
Finished: Jul. 15/11

So how will this work? I will add to this as I read if anything leaps to mind about the book. I will try to follow this pattern for all my books.


Jul.1/11
Initial Impressions (306 pages in):

So far I am really enjoying this book. The story is intriguing and compelling and the character and story drew me in almost immediately. Points in abundance to Miss Carey. The story is about an alternate Europe in which gods and angels exist and in which the most beautiful country in this world is Terre D'ange, a place in which it is believed angels settled and the race of people dwelling there when the story starts are decedents of those angels. Born into this world is Phedre, a girl born to be a courtesan and with the gift (or curse...as the reader may decide) to always feel pain and pleasure as one. It is her story told with her voice that is being shared.

The story is sensual and sexual. Carey is very good at writing sexual encounters without being vulgar about it but rather making it something beautiful and artful which is the very epitome of the culture of this land. So far I am enthralled. The world is beautiful and I am a sucker for stories of intrigue. Perhaps because I find it so compelling but hard to write myself. There are hints though that the story is going to get darker and that sadness and despair are going to  be main emotions. I am hooked though.

Jul.11/11

Taking me longer to read than usual it seems.

(525 pages in)
Carey is very good at throwing in unexpected twists. The story went in an entirely different direction from what I was expecting. There are certainly disturbing aspects to the story but so far I am still enjoying it and though I am not reading as often as I like I know that I will continue to read her books.
She is unafraid to kill off characters if the story demands it, even if they seem important to the story or have been enough at the forefront for the reader to develop an attachment to the characters. The book is long, also, but there does not feel like there are instances that could have been edited out. It feels, to me, that there are no wasted words or scenes.
she is also very good at handling the 1st person narrator and keep the voice of the character true. I do always feel like it is Phedre speaking and telling her story and do not feel as i read that the author is leaking into the voice of the character. For me 1st person has always been difficult to manage. I prefer 3rd person limited in my own writing but Carey is very good at giving a sense of a character telling her story to an audience.

I am well past the halfway point of the book now and look forward to reading the rest.

Jul.19/11

(Final Impressions)
As I don't doubt I have said above, this book is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. It took me longer to read but that was mostly not the fault of the book. While it is about 900 pages long which would take me a while regardless, in this case I was busy and didn't read as fast as I would have liked. But that has no bearing on how I feel about this book.
Jacqueline Carey is, in my opinion, incredibly talented. She was able to take the sexual themes that are integral to this story and make them beautiful and artful rather than vulgar. She took a step beyond the illusion which many authors use rather than overt presentation of such things and was open with what happens in the encounters the main character has. At the same time, however, she did not stray into the vulgar as other authors may have a tendency for. In addition these story is one of spies and intrigue. anyone who has read other novels which involves the "game of houses" would enjoy this story. I would not describe this story as high fantasy or even traditional fantasy per se as the what magic does occur is very subtle and used only in tiny doses but it is something that makes the story refreshing and different.
I have to be impressed by Jacqueline Carey's willingness to carry out what the story seems to demand rather than what the reader might hope for. In many instances I felt that she could have gone in another way which some readers might have preferred but she unflinchingly went forward with what was more tragic and more poignant in the long run and in the way it was these instances that added to the beauty of the story. There is much at stake in Kushiel's Dart and I think it is partly because of Carey's willingness to have the worst happen even if the reader might be bothered by it. She does not flinch at  killing characters the reader might have developed an attachment too, nor does she have any problem sending her character into exile with only the barest hints of what may happen later.
Kushiel's Dart is written as a first person narrative and so she is able to drop hints through the voice of the main character as to what might happen in the future, however she is very good at using it more for the sake of foreshadowing rather than as a tool to reassure the reader that all ended Happily Ever After...which may or may not happen and which may  be interpreted by the reader. Really her story is a book about survival in the face of the greatest adversity and about courage and strength under fire. I would ask whether a story can be said to end Happily Ever After (H-E-A for my purposes) when there is so much tragedy before the ending. In the end Carey left me with the feeling that while one part of a story ends it does not mean it is finished. Of course this is the first in a series so that might be said to be the intent. Of  course, in my opinion, it is subtle...the sense that as long as there is life the story is never really over.
I am looking forward to reading the next in this series though I don't necessarily know when it will be. I know there is so much more I could say about this book but I think I have mentioned the most important parts without adding spoilers.

Would I recommend this book: Absolutely

Who would I recommend this book to?

Anyone who is interested in original ideas would enjoy this book, as would anyone who enjoys beautifully written imagery and characters that are fascinating and compelling. Anyone who does not mind darker themes or who finds darker undertones to make a book more compelling would likely enjoy this. The story is complex and involved and places a great deal of emphasis on intrigue. Anyone who has ever enjoyed stories of intrigue and the game of houses would certainly enjoy this story. It is handled very well by Carey.

Who would I not recommend this book to?

This not a book for someone who is looking for a light read. While beautifully written, this book has quite dark undertones and is not brain candy in any way. Anyone who may be sensitive religiously might also feel offended as would anyone who is offended by sexual themes as that is one of the main themes of this story and is integral to the plot. Anyone who has an especial aversion to the darker aspects of sex that leads along the line of BDSM would not enjoy this book. As the main character is one marked by the god/angel Kushiel to suffer pain and pleasure as one...obviously this is an important aspect to the story and while not too graphically presented could make anyone who is uncomfortable with such things enjoy this story less than one who doesn't mind such themes.

Why a reading journal?

I have already been keeping a physical reading journal but hey, some people who know me might want to know what I'm reading and I thought that I could post my thoughts and reactions. I'm not going to call these criticisms because I might not actually critic anything. I'm looking more to share my thoughts. Maybe people will be interested. Maybe people won't care. I'm not going to be going for drama so it may not make for the most interesting reading but hey...why not. Also, if people are reading my other blog and I make a reference to what I am reading then maybe they might want to know more. Who knows. We shall see. And if no one reads well...not really looking to draw people in anyway. Why then? Why not? People blog about everything now adays. why shouldn't I blog about something I enjoy doing and share my own thoughts and even recommendations at the same time? *shrug* Now, I don't' read blogs and I have never really kept one or even a real journal but I do read a lot of books so...why not share my own reactions? Anyway...we'll see how it goes. I may end up just going back to keeping a pen-and-paper journal only depending on what happens here. Let's see what happens. :)