Damn! This was so good. The first 1/3rd of the book was infuriatingly slow, mimicking the frustration Harry was going through trying to figure out theDamn! This was so good. The first 1/3rd of the book was infuriatingly slow, mimicking the frustration Harry was going through trying to figure out the horcruxes, absolutely brilliant! And then the action/battles, the mysteries unraveling, the flash backs� tying together all that had passed in the last 6 books to a grand, unforgettable conclusion. Pity it’s over. ...more
Another fantastic collection of stories! What a scope of vision to have written such short stories that tie-in well with the world of the Witcher befoAnother fantastic collection of stories! What a scope of vision to have written such short stories that tie-in well with the world of the Witcher before even writing the novels. The author’s passion to build this world and let readers ‘experience� it is amazing enough, but to have each story so very well written and polished is the cherry topping on a delicious cake....more
Wow what a lovely world Sapkowski builds through subtle revelations in scenes of dialogue and action. And the plots of each story being stand-alone whWow what a lovely world Sapkowski builds through subtle revelations in scenes of dialogue and action. And the plots of each story being stand-alone while all part of an over-arching framework. Brilliant! ...more
Loved this book! A good solid adventure about the crusades with Richard the Lionheart and the Soldan Suleiman. What makes this special is Scott’s taleLoved this book! A good solid adventure about the crusades with Richard the Lionheart and the Soldan Suleiman. What makes this special is Scott’s talent in writing rich dialogue that immersed me completely into the novel every time I picked it up. The characters came to life, even the secondary characters, and the plot with all the scheming and changes in loyalties, all shone through the dialogue. Then the elaborate medieval setting with just enough meticulous details each time to set the scene without Scott blabbering on as if he needed to prove his knowledge... perfect! A real master at writing literary adventures... if only modern writers could be this eloquent. Having now read The Talisman and Ivanhoe, I look forward to reading more of his works. ...more
20 years after publication and I finally read it. Love it. I wonder how my reading habits and taste for writing in fantasy fiction would have develope20 years after publication and I finally read it. Love it. I wonder how my reading habits and taste for writing in fantasy fiction would have developed if this was around when I was a kid. This edition is quite beautiful too. What the hell can I say in a review of such a famous book?
Brilliant creativity and a very immersive world. Fun, adventure, and magic. Yup, that does it :)...more
A profound and insightful extended essay by Huxley that I had to read in one sitting. Written in 1958 and yet so very relevant today. That is truly exA profound and insightful extended essay by Huxley that I had to read in one sitting. Written in 1958 and yet so very relevant today. That is truly exceptional, but it is a testament to its accuracy of analysis to the problems plaguing mankind and the suggested mechanisms or thoughts in how to go about resolving them. In light of the ridiculous successes of populist governments, this book is a wakeup call for all those sleeping to the demise of our humanistic heritage. Written at a time when communism was on the rise, as well as social control and propaganda, Huxley does not only accuse the eastern sphere, he equally demonstrates the faults of western capitalism, consumerism, oligarchical power of media and wealth... Do you see the brilliance? There is no right or wrong to our human situation as it was and as it is... it is just simply wrong. Abusing the Earth, abusing fellow humans, and abusing oneself, that is simply wrong.
This amazing insight, so eloquently explained and argued, in just over 100 pages, was actually his thoughts on his own novel A Brave New World. But like all honest and timeless literature, it is as relevant today as it was 80-something years ago. While I would say that is a mark of genius, I equally say it is a marker of sadness that our species fails to evolve into an ethically conscious whole....more
This blew my mind away! Quirky and wholly original, and, as if that is not enough, gorgeously written. I have never read speculative fiction that had This blew my mind away! Quirky and wholly original, and, as if that is not enough, gorgeously written. I have never read speculative fiction that had more beautiful metaphors than literary fiction. The metaphors popped the visuals of a scene to life. Bancroft is an impressive writer. This book was unique in content and even though I did not really like Senlin, the protagonist, I still cared for him and his mission to find his missing wife. That is quite a feat for a writer to pull off. But overall, I think what struck me the most was the level of creativity in this book. ...more
The nicest gift a book can offer me is to make me fall in love with it when I am engaged with other books. Miller knows how to weave a rich, enticing The nicest gift a book can offer me is to make me fall in love with it when I am engaged with other books. Miller knows how to weave a rich, enticing tale to the point I broke off all other engagements and pursued Circe all the way to the end. I have not been this entertained by a well-written story in a long time. I found myself rooting for Circe from the get-go, which is quite normal considering I am a bookish person, the underdog, the quiet one, sulking in a corner at all who disturb me while I pursue my passion of reading, so I can easily relate to Circe being the oddball, the eccentric one, exiled to an island alone.
Seriously though, what a wonderful rendition of Circe’s story from the classic. Miller’s prose is sublime. I was enchanted from start to finish through both brilliant story-telling and writing. I loved the different phases of Circe we experience, from her fall-out with Helios to her rebelling against Olympians, from the weak, inexperienced girl to the calculating, skilled witch, from the lonely woman to the powerful mother. Each phase of her life flows seamlessly into the other, and we only remember the concept of time when we are pointed to it, which means we experience time as an immortal does. I really loved that. I have never seen it pulled off so effortlessly.
Circe and her first love, with the sacrifice and the betrayal, show a young, naïve girl coming to age. Her awkwardness with family, her resentment of her mother and eventually her father, show her as a unique and perceptive woman who does not cower before tradition but is on the path to self-discovery and freedom. Her study of enchantment and magic come naturally to her as she grows wiser and more daring, making her all the more interesting protagonist. Then there is Odysseus� tale, rendered from Circe’s perspective, which gave that story a more human, a more emotional resonance. The gore and the smartass-ness of Odysseus is not the solution we realize, but something to consider as a danger, to be suspicious of. The graphic childbirth scene, and the strength of Circe in going it alone moved me. Her love and devotion to her wanderlust baby/child endeared me. But mostly, I loved her patience in building her strength and knowledge to challenge the gods. To outsmart Helios. To become a strong mother.
I think Miller did a wonderful job in taking a weak girl and transforming her into a powerful woman, without having to blame men, and getting into the whole female-male gender war. Quite remarkable, too, considering the unfortunate rape scene. Instead, men are always depicted by their own merits, there are the good ones, the not so good ones, and the bad ones. And that is the truth of it in life too. Even more impressive, Circe is fallible just like all the other characters in the novel, rendering a strong realism to her personality. Through her mistakes, I see her grow and learn and adapt. This is nowhere stronger than when she sees the difficulties in the impulsive choices of her son, and his neglect of her warnings from her own experiences dealing with the gods. Like a true noble parent though, she resigns to his stubbornness after first refusing, thus reaching the middle ground: you may do so, but here are the conditions� ‘Yes! I’ll do anything you say…� and so, the wheel continues to turn while the new generation makes their own mistakes.
Beautiful writing, great story-telling, a self-made, powerful female protagonist, and Greek mythology� what is there to not recommend this? ...more
Yes! What an awesome read. Finally a stand-alone high fantasy story with really good writing. I love that the whole novel is shown rather than told. IYes! What an awesome read. Finally a stand-alone high fantasy story with really good writing. I love that the whole novel is shown rather than told. I love the way Shannon immersed me into this world as if it is the most natural thing to be somewhere else other than earth - that is how good the world-building is - a matter of fact rather than historical info dumps. As weird as this sounds, it felt like the Hemmingway version of writing fantasy (my being a huge Hemingway fan). Minimal, to the point, and full of dialogue.
My cons are: 1. the first 250 pages were difficult to get through because of the banter and pedantic nature of the dialogue, fortunately, that solved itself quickly once the plot picked up the pace; 2. the focus on Eadaz and Sabran outweighed the focus on the other characters like Tane, which made it feel somewhat unbalanced, but I think this has to do with the alternating chapters of east and west in the first part that gave the impression of equality when in reality the west was the more prominent. 3. it ended :( I hope there will be more stories in this world written with such concise beauty to look forward to.
None of the cons detract from the 5-star rating....more
In Praise of Older Women is a phenomenal book! I had wanted to categorize it as erotic literature, but I think that would be misleading. Although AndrIn Praise of Older Women is a phenomenal book! I had wanted to categorize it as erotic literature, but I think that would be misleading. Although András Vajda is telling us his story � in the form of a memoir � about his sexual conquests, the book is not about the act of sex per se, but about the relationships that build up to become sexual, or about the failures that lead to neuroses such as lack of confidence. It is also the story of a boy who becomes a man in a world ravaged by war, occupation, escape, and many loves.
The childhood that András describes is riveting. At under ten years, he is a pimp, translating from Hungarian to English for the women, young or married, who leave the ghettos to service the Americans at their base (where he is staying), in return for receiving food luxuries like corned beef to take back and feed their families. It is a sad state of affairs, but then there was absolutely nothing pleasant or good about the second world war. At ten, young András discovers his knack for business, having all the cooks at the base save their used cooking fat rather than discarding it, and then hitching a ride with his gallons and selling it to the restaurant owners or families that can afford to pay for it. The young entrepreneur has started his career. But in all this, his interest and curiosity in women � especially older women � knows no bounds.
She didn’t notice me, and when she stepped out of the shower I took her by surprise, kissed her breasts and pressed myself against her wet, warm body. Touching her, I was overcome with a happy weakness, and though I wanted to look at her I had to close my eyes. It was perhaps because she couldn’t help noticing the deep impression her body made on me, that she waited a few moments before pushing me back with revulsion. ‘Get out of here,� she hissed, covering her nipples with her hands, ‘Turn your back!�
This curiosity will eventually lead him, along with the changing circumstances � end of the war to the eventual revolution against the communist occupiers � to a new life away from Hungary. He stays in Italy for a while as a refugee and eventually is relocated and settles in Toronto. He first earns his philosophy degree in Hungary and ends up teaching as a professor in Toronto. Again, what holds constant throughout his life is his interest and curiosity in older women. Although he tried to have relations with younger women, they always ended in disaster, which fed his neurosis. So, unlike his awkward, self-doubting youth, he becomes a lover of mainly married women. He has affairs, easily falls in love � a testament to his youthfulness � and moves on when one relationship ends.
She delighted in every motion � or in just touching my bones and flesh. Maya wasn’t one of those women who depend on orgasm as their sole reward for a tiresome business: making love with her was a union, and not the inward masturbation of two strangers in the same bed.
With maturity, his introspection and appreciation change. When interest is sparked in a woman, he appreciates the details and the imperfections. But if he deems a woman ugly, he is interested in the rationale that it would be easier to bed her. A terrible perspective but true to András character. The concept of aesthetics come to the forefront often, but I suppose the reality is that if the imperfections are just as exciting for András as perfection might be to someone else, then what he deems ugly is perhaps beautiful to someone else. And if that is not the case, then he is just as stereotyped as the stereotypes.
Vizinczey writes beautiful prose that simultaneously captures the emotional resonance of András and lulls the reader into a sense of poetic eroticism:
Late one Saturday morning, I was awakened by the heat. The sun was shining into my eyes through the curved window panes and gauzy white curtains, and the temperature in the room must have been at least ninety degrees. During the night we had kicked off the blanket and the top sheet, and Paola was lying on her back with her legs drawn up, breathing without a sound. We never look so much at the mercy of our bodies, in the grip of our unconscious cells, as when we are asleep. With a loud heartbeat, I made up my mind that this time I would make or break us. Slowly I separated her limbs: a thief parting branches to steal his way into a garden. Behind the tuft of blond grass I could see her dark-pink bud, with its two long petals standing slightly apart as if they, too, felt the heat. They were particularly pretty, and I began smelling and licking them with my old avidity. Soon the petals grew softer and I could taste the sprinkles of welcome, though the body remained motionless. By then Paola must have been awake, but pretended not to be; she remained in that dreamy state in which we try to escape responsibility for whatever happens, by disclaiming both victory and defeat beforehand. It may have been ten minutes or half an hour later (time had dissolved into a smell of pine) that Paola’s belly began to contract and let up, shaking, she finally delivered us her joy, that offspring not even transient lovers can do without. When her cup ran over she drew me up by my arms and I could at last enter her with a clear conscience.
Loved it! Even though the plot was on the predictable side, the dialogue, cultural exposition, characters were all gorgeously executed. The humor and Loved it! Even though the plot was on the predictable side, the dialogue, cultural exposition, characters were all gorgeously executed. The humor and the emotional journey were strong enough. ...more
A 5-star book finally! What an awesome, complete collection spanning several decades of Williams� writing life. It’s fascinating to see the different A 5-star book finally! What an awesome, complete collection spanning several decades of Williams� writing life. It’s fascinating to see the different interests and the different styles over the years, and which of his stories were groundwork for successful plays. He’s a master storyteller, striking the perfect balance between details and pacing. His nuanced observations—smells, textures, features, moods—demonstrated like a master painter’s brushstroke liven and enrich his stories to a point of reading ecstasy. His unpublished story collected here ‘Something by Tolstoi� is now my all-time favorite short story. My only disappointment is that the book ended!...more
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