Reading Books.

I am using Goodreads  to keep a track of the books I read these days. And I know I've this space too for book related thoughts. So, yeah, I was busy with something for the past month. What? Well, I was doing a story arc on my main blog A Story A Day and it was a ride. I still have to do a wrap post for that.

Anyway, I've been reading quite some books. Last read book was Richard Laymon's Funland. It was a ride, but not a very good ride, it gave the impression of constant speed and it just sped up to a breakneck speed near the end. There was lot of repressed sexuality in the book. It was eerie in a way, but some of the reviews of Laymon's work that I've read say that this "style" of writing is also there in his other books too. I won't talk much about the book, it's good, but nothing great. The deeper message or the core of the book didn't click with me somehow. If it is to be read as a fun book or some sort of weird, negative coming of age book, yeah, then give it a read. As for me, I won't be picking up any book by Laymon very soon.

Next up: my first read of a John Scalzi book.

Read :: Tooth And Nail by Ian Rankin

I am not a very big fan of murder mysteries. I like one every now and then, but I refrain from buying too many of them. It's just a murder and then investigation and then our hero catching the killer and so on. What really matters is the execution of the whole murder mystery trope. Goes without saying, though.

So, Tooth and Nail is about John Rebus who has been called to London to help with an investigation involving a serial killer named the Wolfman. Blah blah blah, the book goes on, leading readers on merry chases that end up as damp squibs and suddenly, the book gets a kick in the nuts around some last 25 or so pages. There is a killer car chase, where the hero chases the killer in car around London. That was the only high point of the book for me, and another when the hero of the book gets slammed in the face with a skateboard by a gang of punks, i kinda hated the guy by that point in the book and realized that he did deserve a good beating.

Fans of Ian Rankin will surely like the book, but it didn't move me much, mostly because Rebus doesn't have a personality like some of the other characters in fiction like Harry Dresden or Jack Reacher. You can put Jack Reacher or Harry Dresden in any situation and you know that it's going to be hell lot of fun reading that.

Onwards,

I don't have any paper book to read presently, so just gonna stick to reading on the laptop and my phone. Few books are being read presently. Started reading Vulcan's Forge and Department 19, on phone and laptop respectively. OH! And also reading The Stand by good ol' Stephen King.

Once I get done with The Stand, i'll pick something lighter and then tackle the Dark Tower series.

That's the plan!

Which books are you reading these days? If you have any suggestions or thoughts about books, let me know in comments.

Cheers!

Books read So Far in A Song Of Ice and Fire series (

Alright, last I posted, i was reading book 3 of A Song Of Ice And Fire. Book 4 was a drag and after I read it and trawled around on the interwebs, i confirmed that I was not the only one feeling that A Feast for Crows was just bang in the middle of the books, it broke the continuity and it added elements to the plot that just stretched everything everywhere!

Again, who the fuck am I to say anything about what goes on in GRRM's mind and how he plots or how he doesn't plot. These are just my feelings regarding the books. Well, I had to slow through a feast for crows.

Then, came A Dance With Dragons. It doesn't require another post, so I'll just write my feelings about that book here. Hmmm, the three dragons actually hatched at the end of book 1 and at the end of book 5, they're somewhat of a threat to the whole universe of ASOIAF. It's all just people running here n there with little else of importance happening. Too many loose ends just left to fester in the wind like open wounds till GRRM works up to the sixth book Winds of Winter. Yeah, the guy is going to take his time. And I don't think we'll see the book anytime sooner than 2014. I am not holding my breath. As another of my favorite authors Neil Gaiman once said "GRRM is not your bitch."

He is not.

*I'll just go sulk a bit in the corner.*

The Prophecy by Chris Kuzneski

I started reading this book on 25th December, 2011 around 12 PM and I had the book finished by around 7ish in the evening.

So, is this a good book? Yes.

Is this a fast read? Yes.

Should you read this book? Definitely YES.

The story follows two ex-soldiers who were part of MANIACs which stands for Marines Army Navy Intelligence Air Force and Coast Guard.

Pretty cool.

I liked the pace of the book. The sense of mystery. The constant exchange between the two lead characters which was pretty funny. The jokes were good and the action was okay. This is no Matthew Reilly or James Rollins. The characters here have more personality than Scarecrow or Painter Crowe. Jonathan Payne and David Jones in The Prophecy keep the action rolling and there is not a dull moment in the book. What I really liked was the the author gave just enough information about the "historical mystery" in the book without it becoming a history lesson. And I learned lot many things from the book. Which is always good.

Yup, enjoyed reading this one. Will be looking forward to his next book "The Secret Crown" which will be released in January 2012.

Reading :: A Storm Of Swords

This is book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire. The action heats up in this one more than the first two books, because, well, there are swords in the title and by now, the readers are well familiar with the characters and they WANT to know what happens with the titular characters.

I am not a very good reader of long series and that too when I'm reading them so close to each other. And that too, when I am in a little bit of a stressful environment while reading those (a story for another day). So, in my head, it's all kind of muddled up. There are too many characters to think about, but if I focus on the few 8-10 characters that are the main people, i think i have a pretty good handle on the story.

The length of the series and the scope are the things that kept me off this series for a very long time. I mean, I'd heard praise about a song of ice and fire from people all over, but it takes a great level of commitment from a reader to start reading, and when I start reading books, I do that with the idea of finishing them all. And this is a story that is not even complete yet. The sixth book is yet to be released and there are going to be seven books, as far as I know.

About the story, well, there is a lot of things happening here n' there in the book. People are dying, people are having sex, people are betraying, main characters are passing very close to each other and still not meeting, the wolves are howling and stuff. So, yeah, you know the deal. It's entertaining stuff, but I fail to understand, what message am i supposed to take back from all this.

If a book is a letter from a writer to a reader, then what is the inherit message in that? I don't see the message in A Song of Ice and Fire. It's like delicious fantasy, good to read, good to understand, but I am lacking there.

So, if any of you have got any meaning out of reading the books, please drop me a line. Comment or email, nothingman at in dot com.

Cheers!

Tyrion and Glokta :: Similarities

Tyrion and Glokta

 

Tyrion and Glokta are two very interesting characters from A Song of Ice and Fire and The First Law trilogy written by George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie, respectively. These are the two characters that stand out from the thousand extensive cast of ASOIAF and the still expansive vista painted in TFL. 

The benefit these two have is that they are the prime story movers in both the novels and there are so many common instances in both these characters that one cannot help but think of them on similar terms. The similarities start at both being broken individuals, while Tyrion has made his mocked name "The Imp" his own, Glokta has also come to terms with being called the cripple. Both have less power when it comes to weapons but in the weapons of the tongue and the mind, both are sharp as any sword-wielder. 

In ASOIAF, we see Tyrion taking charge of battle on a few occasions and he is a daft hand with an axe and can even ride a horse, while (spoiler ahead) Glokta wields a sword only once in The First Law books and By Jove if that's not the moment when the readers cheer for him.

 

Both have a patronizing and scary figure overshadowing them, in case of Tyrion it's his father Tywin Lannister and in case of Glokta it's his superior torturer. Both have hired help to do their dirty work, while they don't mind getting their own hands dirty when need be. We often see Glokta torturing his victims by hacking off their fingers, and there is Tyrion who deliberately poisons his sister so that she can't attend the court proceeding and mess with his "evil" plans. Glokta's hired help is his assistants, Severard and Frost while Tyrion has his own set of sellswords Bronn and Shagga who are killing in his name when needs come up.

 

And the best part of both the characters, both end up getting married to pretty girls who were incidentally about to be married to the king figure in the book. Who are these girls, better read the books to find out, I am not giving any more spoilers here. 

This is it for now, more when I feel like writing more.

Do you think there are any similarities between Glokta and Tyrion that I've missed? Drop a comment :) I'll add it to the post. Cheers!

Scarecrow and Army of Thieves :: A Rant

I read the book the day I got my hands on it. Suspended everything. Turned off the phone and for about a good 6-7 hours I was lost in the world of Scarecrow and the problems he was facing and how he was facing them and all the awesome shit he was doing to get out of trouble.

BUT

While I was reading the book, I felt cheated.

I felt cheated because Matthew had already used all these tropes before in his books.

The plot with missiles was already done in SCARECROW

The part about a team of soldiers on an island in HELL ISLAND

The part about a hero dying and coming back to life FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS

There were instances when "Scarecrow said nothing." was used in same tone as "Reacher said nothing."

There was an instance where Scarecrow is thrown out of the plane again and he escapes because of the maghook.

I mean, alright, Matthew Reilly is a big shot, big selling author and he is awesome at what he does and I am sure that Scarecrow and Island of Thieves sold a lot of copies, but for readers who've been waiting for a book for a long time, at least there should be something new, something novel, something awesome which is NEW too. Yup, I also realize that all stories are basically about good triumphing over evil, but come on. There are ways to do it, 1001 and more. And with Scarecrow, we expect high volume, mad and apocalyptic intensity.

But it was just not there in Army Of Thieves.

Call it high reader expectations or call it it anything else, there is a lot more Matthew can write than make something that has shadows of his previous works.

That's it. I wanted to rant a bit about it.