With the movie coming out soon, I decided it was time to pick up James Dashner’s The Maze Runner.  I wasn’t too sure if I would enjoy it so I picked it up in eBook from the library.  

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I’m glad I didn’t purchase it because I found it was not really my cup of tea.  It reminded me in some ways of Lost – more questions being asked than answered.  It was particularly frustrating when characters refused to share information when it would have been in the interest of the larger group to have done so.  The worldbuilding was otherwise excellent and there is no fault I could point to in the writing.  It just didn’t appeal to me personally, and I am unlikely to be continuing with the rest of the series.

I gave The Maze Runner three stars out of five.

One of the TV series I’m looking forward to most this year is Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.  For those of you unfamiliar with this book, it’s about a WWII nurse, Claire Beauchamp, who finds herself transported back in time to 18th century Scotland and falls in love with a handsome red-haired Scot, Jamie Fraser.  The project is being helmed by Ron D. Moore of Battlestar Galactica fame and the novelist, Diana Gabaldon, has considerable input.  

Outlander is a fantastic story with wonderful characters and memorable scenes.  Battlestar Galactica is one of my favourite dramas, based as it is on human drama as much as sci-fi which is why I am so excited about Moore’s leading this project – I think he’ll do a great job of bringing Gabaldon’s characters and story to life.  The trailer looks amazing – go check it out and tell me if you’re not excited.

Upcoming releases in March

There are a few releases coming up next month about which I am excited.

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.  This is the second book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series.  It’s been a long wait for this book as Sanderson was busy completing the Wheel of Time, so it’s been a while since I read The Way of Kings.  I’ve been relying on Tor.com’s Wheel of Time reread and Where We Left Our Heroes summary as I doubt I will have time to reread the 1009 pages of The Way of Kings before Words of Radiance is released on the fourth of March.  I have pre-ordered WoR in both Kindle and Audible formats.

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs.  This is the next in the Mercy Thompson series of books.  I’m not entirely certain Mercy’s story hasn’t run out of steam several books ago, but I trust Briggs as an author so I will certainly check it out.  I picked up Night Broken in Kindle format.

William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher.  This is the second in Doescher’s Star Wars in the style of Shakespeare series.  I adored his version of Star Wars – do yourself a favour and pick it up on Audible because it’s awesome.  The Empire Doth Strike Back is not yet available for preorder on Audible, but I do have it on Kindle preorder.

Added to my library this week

Dear Mr Knightley.  This was on special this week for $1.99 on Amazon.  it seemed intriguing: the premise is as follows:

Samantha Moore has always hidden behind the words of others—namely, her favorite characters in literature. Now, she will learn to write her own story—by giving that story to a complete stranger.

Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is, both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.

But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor (calling himself Mr. Knightley) offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.

As Sam’s dark memory mingles with that of eligible novelist Alex Powell, her letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional. While Alex draws Sam into a world of warmth and literature that feels like it’s straight out of a book, old secrets are drawn to light. And as Sam learns to love and trust Alex and herself, she learns once again how quickly trust can be broken.

If any of you have read it, let me know what you think.

From Netgalley I picked up The Here and Now by Ann Brashares.  This is not yet on general release but the premise seems really fun – a young adult time travel romance with strict time travel rules.  I’m looking forward to this one and I shall of course give you review.