[challenge-progress for=”Realm of the Elderlings” bg=”black” font=”white”] [book-info title=”Ship of Destiny” author=”robin-hobb-2″] Progress: Ship of Destiny 58% complete. I made reasonable progress today, although I don’t have much to comment on. The various plotlines are really starting to come together now. I enjoyed the Kennit/Paragon interactions. More tomorrow!
[challenge-progress for=”Realm of the Elderlings” bg=”black” font=”white”] [book-info title=”Ship of Destiny” author=”robin-hobb-2″] Progress: Ship of Destiny 45% complete I made reasonable progress on my Realm of the Elderlings challenge today. I’m now 45% of the way through book two. In today’s reread I entered the section entitled Winter. This is fitting as it’s the lowest point of most of the storylines in the Liveship Traders series: Dragon Tintaglia is despairing that she will be able to guide the tangle of sea serpents to the dragon spawning ground so that they can undergo their transformation. She is doubtful if she will be able to persuade the humans to assist with redirecting the river. The sea serpents themselves are losing hope of fulfilling their dragon destinies. Things aren’t going too well for the humans either; Bingtown is on the point of being destroyed either by Chalcedon or internal feuding, take your pick. Reyn is distraught in his belief that Malta has perished in her flight from Tremaug with the Satrap. In actual fact, she must cater to the Satrap’s every whim in order to receive his protection necessary for her survival. Those on the Liveships Paragon and Vivacia aren’t doing that great…
[challenge-progress for=”Realm of the Elderlings” bg=”black” font=”white”] [book-info title=”Ship of Destiny” author=”robin-hobb-2″] Progress: Ship of Destiny 27% complete So I didn’t make a lot of progress today. Darned work keeps getting in the way! A few thoughts on what I read today. Hobb is really pushing the contrast between Ronica and Serilla. I can’t remember how that ends up, so I’m enjoying following that Bingtown storyline. The whole issue of women’s rights in Bingtown compared to the Chalcedon states and how it impacts Malta’s storyline is also very interesting. It also ties into the Ronica/Serilla plot with their respective attitudes to power. Both of the Liveships – Vivacia and Paragon are going a bit nuts. I don’t think good things can come of this. More tomorrow!
[challenge-overview] Progress: Ship of Destiny 17% complete So, onto book two of my Realm of the Elderlings reading challenge, Ship of Destiny. Ship of Destiny is the third in the Liveship Traders trilogy. I chose not to include the first two, Ship of Magic and Mad Ship in my reread for two reasons. One was time constraint to meet my deadline, the second is that I had dipped into the trilogy fairly recently (fairly recently being about 18 months ago). I did a quick Wikipedia lookup to bring myself up to speed. So, a few thoughts. Whispersync for Voice, welcome back! YAY! I didn’t realise how much I missed it when I didn’t have it for Assassin’s Quest. Sadly, I see it’s also missing from The Tawny Man. Ah well. I miss Fitz and the Fool. We do get to see the Fool’s alter ego, Amber and my heart just about broke when she mentioned the slave pin that had been given to her by her true love. I’m not certain at which point we are supposed to realise that Amber is the Fool, but once you know she is, it’s hard to avoid picking up these little hints. I’m…
[challenge-overview showempty=”yes”] Progress: Assassin’s Quest 100% complete So this weekend I powered through and finished Assassin’s Quest, the third book in the Farseer Trilogy. As a side note, this book is not Whispersync for Voice enabled, so switching between the Kindle and audiobook versions was a hassle. I loved this book. The two magic systems invented by Hobb – the Skill and the Wit – are tightly drawn and are used in very interesting ways. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from a history book which indicates the main theme of that particular chapter. They tie in very nicely together. Initially the first book of the trilogy – Assassin’s Apprentice – is very slow and boring, but once the trilogy picks up, it moves along at a great pace. The Fool is one of the most intriguing characters for me in epic fantasy. I look forward to continuing the character’s story in The Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies. Of course now there is the prospect of even more Fool to come in the new Fitz and Fool trilogy :o) That’s all I have for tonight. Onto Ship of Destiny!
[challenge-overview showempty=”yes”] As you may have seen from my reading roundup this week, I have set myself a significant reading challenge for the next three weeks. Before I set off on vacation on August 15th I hope to have reread part of Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series. I hope to finish: Assassin’s Quest (848 pages/ 37 hrs and 39 mins audiobook) – I’m currently around a third of the way through this – Ship of Destiny (912 pages/33 hrs and 38 mins audiobook), Fool’s Errand (672 pages/24 hrs and 47 mins audiobook), Golden Fool (712 pages) and Fool’s Fate (936 pages). I will be mixing reading with listening to the audiobook, where one is available. I am attempting to read all this to be ready for the release of Fool’s Assassin. This is a significant challenge, and in order to complete it I’m going to hold myself responsible to you, dear readers of my blog. Instead of my usual twice or three times weekly blog posts, I will attempt to do short, daily posts with an update on where I’m at and a few quick thoughts on what I’ve read that day. There will almost certainly be spoilers…
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is a new YA epic fantasy novel which tells the story of Kelsea Raleigh Glynn who must reclaim her birthright of the Tear throne. To do this she must survive plots against her by her uncle, the Regent, and take a stand against the Mort Queen to protect her people. The fantasy is quite subtle in this book, unlike HarperCollins’ publicity machine which has been seriously promoting this book. This has been helped by the fact that Emma Watson has bought the film rights to the book and intends to play Kelsea in an upcoming movie adaptation. In all honesty, I cannot say that the hype was justified – I had a few significant issues with the book. But first of all let’s say what I liked. What I liked The protagonist. From various interviews by Erika Johansen I have read it appears she has set out to create a YA protagonist who was more of an Everygirl rather than your typical YA heroine; stunningly beautiful with attractive young men fighting over her attentions while she runs a marathon and slays a few baddies before breakfast. In that respect I believe Johansen…
The Shadow’s Curse by Amy McCulloch is the second and final book in her Knots Sequence duology and follows on from Oathbreaker’s Shadow. I received a free copy from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review. I have previously reviewed the first in the series – check out my review here. The novel takes up where we left off in the earlier book with Raim seeking to learn the history of his mysterious broken vow as well as to rescue his friend Wadi. It has been a while since I read Oathbreaker’s Shadow and for a couple of pages I was a little confused. However, McCulloch quickly and skillfully recapped the main points so that I was soon up to speed. What I liked Tight narrative structure. The Shadow’s Curse switches between two points of view, Raim’s and Wadi’s, following two converging main storylines. Wadi’s storyline also serves to present the main antagonist’s, Kareh’s, story. This works well to create tension for the inevitable confrontation when these paths come together. Both Raim and Wadi are working towards specific goals. In Raim’s case, this aim is explicitly stated early on – to rid himself of his oathbreaker…
I received The Blogger’s Survival Guide: Tips and Tricks for Parent Bloggers, Wordsmiths and Enthusiasts by Lexie Lane and Becky McNeer free to review though Audiobook Jukebox. This is a how-to guide to assist newbie bloggers in setting up their blog, marketing it and monetising it. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. This is the first time I’ve listened to a non-fiction reference book in audiobook format and I don’t think it’s something I will do much of in the future. On many occasions the authors referred to online resources to supplement or backup their tips, and I didn’t find the format a great way to be able to pick up those links. In all fairness the narrator did enunciate very clearly and repeat the urls where necessary, but still for me it was an additional hurdle of the audiobook format. Additionally, with reference books I find I’m more likely to want to refer quickly to a previous or subsequent section in the book – not easy in audiobook format. What I liked Good structure. The book is laid out in a series of lessons which cover a specific topic related to blogging; setup, design, marketing, SEO,…
Here in Canada Tuesday was the national holiday, Canada Day, so I had a day off work. I was particularly pleased it fell on a Tuesday as that’s the day new books are released. I was therefore able to spend a pleasant afternoon listening/reading The Jedi Doth Return, the third and final part in Ian Doescher’s William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. [book-info] As with the other two in the series, Verily a New Hope and The Empire Striketh Back, Random House Audio has done a fantastic job with the audiobook – it is a full cast audio with a talented cast and enhanced with sound effects and John Williams’ iconic music. (Doetscher had the backing of George Lucas for this undertaking). Like the two earlier books, this is one I would recommend in audio format. The cast is superb. Audiobook listeners should remain right to the end for a cameo appearance by the Bard himself! While I really enjoyed The Jedi Doth Return, I wasn’t quite a head over heels in love with it as I was with the previous two books. Perhaps it’s because the novelty had worn off somewhat. I still wish these had been available when I was…